Power Without a Price

[curiousdiscoverer]

The first time Ezra finds Milliways he spends most of the experience overwhelmed by psychic sensory overload. Postcognition doesn’t really mix well with inter-dimensional nexus.

However when he walks out and tells about the experience, the true nature of the place is eventually revealed, furthermore he discovers that the Traders are very interested in using the unique location to seed magic to other worlds and they pay very generously for it. So Ezra’s family all hear about the story and stay in the look out for another door, just in case.

Years pass, and Ezra’s family gets a little smaller, and starting wishing for a door to show up.

Because resurrection is possible, but expensive and bringing three people back is impossibly costly without extreme circumstances.

So Ezra feels extremely lucky the day he finally finds a door again, with family in his apartment where they wait behind after Ezra grabs a few things while Temps holds the door.

He is now in better control of his powers and Milliways massive history doesn’t overload him anymore.

Ezra looks around the bar, sits on a table with a nice view and observes.

Is anyone here that could want and deserve magic?

Comments

[can_i_help]

Sabrina gives a hard-to-decipher look at Lucy, but doesn't say anything.

[can_i_go]

Lucy finds more trinkets along the way. A golden necklace with no ornaments. A second bangle, this time with silver flowers hanging from it. A small, empty heart shaped golden locket.

None of them are magical or valuable from what anyone can see, but they are quite pretty. Lucy puts them all on without paying any attention to if anyone else would want them.

[can_i_help]

"I can't believe people have lost so much jewellery in this forest. I mean, why would you take something like that to a hike?" Sabrina says after the fifth item. (A pair of pearl earrings with one slipped securely through the lock of the other.)

[mage_see_mage_do]

Temperance doesn't find anything, albeit a red-blue moth plays around her for a moment before disappearing.

"I am pretty sure that power can't conjure things out of nothing," Temperance says after the earrings "and that is pretty much the only reason I am not saying that these things aren't conjured out of nothing. Maybe they are pirates carrying a stereotypical chest full of treasure? I can't think of another reason."

[of_all_trades]

"I can think of one other reason," Franklyn says "for people to drop things in a forest, but not that many. Sorry if I don't elaborate the reason in front of my little sister."

[can_i_stay]

Ann ignores the innuendo.

"We don't know how long the bar has been here, it might be thousands of years. There must have been millions of people doing millions of things, some of which result in a bunch of trinkets being lost in the forest. Although the most terrifying thing would be if Lucy's luck reached out through the time and somehow retroactively caused all those people to drop their things. But it doesn't do that, right?"

[of_all_trades]

"Bar can't remember her creation," Franklyn offers "and it is hard for her too keep track of time, but considering Ezra reaction to the place, it should be at least ten thousands of years, he said it might be millions."

[mage_see_mage_do]

"I might miss some power aspects," Temperance says "but I am not sensing anything like retroactively changing things, and no power we know can do past-altering stuff. That said, it is odd how efficient her power is working. Good odd."

Temperance steps on a stick and the sound makes her look down, there is a small necklace with a gray-white stone near her foot, easy to miss among the leaves.

"Lucy missed a spot," Temperance says amused.

She picks the necklace up and throws it at Lucy without looking or worrying if she will miss.

[can_i_go]

Lucy of course catches with no trouble and puts it on with the other two. It looks a little ridiculous, but at least her sisters are completely used to her doing strange things and don't even bat an eyelid.

After that they walk and walk and walk, until finally they arrive at the cave.

Lucy flops down to the ground. "Finally. Please, someone, tell me we can eat now. I'm starving and my feet are killing me."

[can_i_stay]

"Oh hush, you big baby. It wasn't that bad."

[of_all_trades]

"I can cook," Franklyn says amused "any requests?"

Franklyn starts unpacking the foot items.

Temperance quietly decides to gather firewood for the bonfire, she less quietly starts throwing the pieces she finds in the same spot, sometimes throwing sticks and small logs in the air in long arcs, each lands perfectly in the stack. The work is done by the time Franklyn needs to ignite the pile.

[can_i_help]

Sabrina builds a small wall around the bonfire with rocks to make sure the logs stay put and nothing unwanted catches fire.

[can_i_stay]

Ann just sits and lets Lucy use her shoulder as a pillow. Lucy falls asleep curled up in a position that looks very uncomfortable almost immediately.

"She's not usually this tired, after all we didn't even walk that much. Does the magic have something to do with it, or is she coming down with the flu?"

[mage_see_mage_do]

Temperance blinks

"Ah," Temperance says "I think it is the magic, she is new at magehood and her... mana supply should be a little unstable for the next couple of months. Plus, I think the power was pulling her towards all those trinkets."

Temperance closes her eyes for a moment.

"I wouldn't be worried because the power works to keep her safe," Temperance says after the moment "more so when it is fully developed. I don't think she will pass out before that, but she is going to sleep more. Passing out is rare even among non-lucky mages."

[can_i_stay]

"Oh. She really does have the most convenient power of them all. Let's let her sleep, for now. How long is the food going to take?"

[mage_see_mage_do]

"My guess?" Temperance says "how long it takes for Lucy to take a nap."

Franklyn is cooking a variant of Chili con carne French-Canadian-Japan-Brazilian fusion style, straight from the 2040's. Classic for the sisters, novel for the Grayson. It should be done in about 30 minutes.

Temperance decides to borrow Ann's book to read about the woods' flora.

[can_i_go]

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one when Lucy opens her eyes at the exact moment the food is ready.

Once she's gotten a plateful she scoots over to Temperance. "D'you find anything interesting there? There're still a few hours left in the day, I can look for interesting stuff for you."

Or, you know, for herself.

[mage_see_mage_do]

Temperance skimmed over the book.

"A lot of interesting things," Temperance says "but nothing urgent and my feet a little tired too," She puts an arm around Lucy "but thank you."

Temperance waits until Franklyn offers her a plate, and it is really good. If they don't have this on their home dimension, Temperance is going to invent it.

"I wonder how good the finding stuff would be," Franklyn speculates "if we tried specific stuff. Like a species of plant that we could use to terraform Mars or something."

[can_i_stay]

Lucy opens her mouth, but Ann jumps in before Lucy can suggest anything.

"That sounds like something we can try tomorrow. And we'll have more time tomorrow if we go to bed early."

[mage_see_mage_do]

Franklyn pouts, just a little, but when Temperance says that sounds like a good idea he agrees.

Just because they aren't going to walk around a interdimensional forest it doesn't mean they can have some fun before go to bed. Franklyn knows how to make some really good s'mores.

Assuming they don't do anything more interesting they can go to bed and wake up early.

[can_i_help]

The s'mores are enjoyed by everyone, much late evening fun is had, the fire is put out and everyone goes to sleep in their sleeping bags.

In the morning Sabrina wakes up with Lucy out of her bag and Lucy's bare feet on her chest.

This is completely normal. She flops Lucy on the ground and gets up to see if she's the first one to wake up.

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn is sleeping with a smile, while Temperance seems to have wake up a few seconds after Sabrina.

Temperance waves at Sabrina while yawning.

[can_i_help]

Sabrina waves back. Then she points towards Franklyn and mouths 'How deeply does he sleep?'

[of_all_trades]

"Like a rock" Temperance mouths then she comes closer and whispers "talking like this is fine. What about the others?"

Franklyn rolls over to a more comfortable position oblivious to the conversation.

[can_i_help]

"We could most likely throw a party here and neither of them would notice. The only things that can get them up are food or a few strong kicks."

She's only mostly joking.