The Magicians' Realm Chapter 46: The Maze and the Ethics, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 46, everybody! In which main characters get lost and jump from moving trains…please don't do that at home. D:

The movie this week is A Monster in Paris—technically watched it last week with my parents, but it needed to be mentioned here: gorgeous art, clever design, and a story that entertained two adults and one young adult in denial about being an adult. D: Although come to think of it, my parents are in denial about being adults too….

And happy Victoria Day, everybody! Which, according to my calendar, is a Canadian holiday. But any day is a good day to celebrate, so happy Victoria Day! :D

Angiembabe, thanks for the review! Yes—it's not common, but it does happen on occasion. I'm of the opinion that religion is different than Christianity (I'm not really churchgoing either). Definitely the former, but the latter might be at the other end of town. I don't know—my knowledge of Phil Collins music stops after his Disney work. ^^; We'll get back down to brass tacks soon, don't worry—hey, so do we! :D And mint—he can have all the mint he wants.

FicReader, thanks for the review! Yes, I mentioned it because I knew it would show up (these next few chapters were some of the first I wrote for the story). It gets some mentions, but not overwhelmingly so, as I have never mastered the art of including such topics without sounding overly preachy (I've read stories like that, and I want it to sound natural). An interesting sermon, I think, would be very much like my Bible classes throughout grade school—an hour long with an animated (physically, not literally) teacher (I had one who looked like Bill Nye the Science Guy, and he was all over the front of the classroom when he was teaching :D). Yes, we all have opinions, so respecting them is key—and I thank you for capitalizing the Bible; I don't see that nearly enough online. ;v; Eheheh, probably—if you've never watched Dharma and Greg, I suggest you remedy that; Larry's oregano spiel comes from the second episode of the first season (and fortunately, at the time of typing this, full episodes are available on YouTube). And yes, he does talk like that on the show. XD You should, it's a good movie—that one and movies like Lawless, Public Enemies, and other movies set in that time period (like Shawshank Redemption) tend to get referenced in this story, as those were the basic inspirations for this whole thing (the twentieth century was awesome, in my opinion—at least, what we see in entertainment media is).

Fromtheashtrees, thanks for the review! Yes, no waffling—that was the great thing about my Bible classes: videotaped, so the teachers knew to get to the point quickly, elsewise their waffling would be recorded until the end of the world. It also kept things moving nicely, as they tended to end on a "to be continued" note (except for one teacher who told us about a prank he and a buddy pulled on his friend—we never did find out what happened when his friend found out, as the bell rang before he could finish). Aha, thank you! I had a fun time writing that—Larry's such a fun character. :D They can sleep when they're dead—and actually, this makes the first time any of the characters have actually stayed up all night (I think—now you're going to make me look). Yes….*insert fist-pump here* Yes…so here's hoping the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie is good, what with Kazuki Takahashi being involved….I do know a bit about it (thank you, DeviantArt), but the first video I watched was the Sans battle that occurs if you kill his brother, and his first line kind of made me go ehhh….I have heard nothing but positive things about it, though. Yes it does…and no problem. ;)

References:

Original characters, + setting © Kineil D. Wicks (myself, not the girl in the story)

Abby's greenhouse was strangely organic—wherever possible, natural materials were used. The walls were woven grapevines trimmed from the vineyards, and every year was devoted to either patching existing walls or expanding the greenhouse.

It was to the point that if Yami wasn't paying attention, he'd be lost in a maze of plant-filled grapevines.

Larry was already lost.

"I showed you my oregano already, right?" Larry asked, looking around.

"Yes, Larry," Yami said, glancing around. He had his own agenda, and asking Larry to escort him had been perfect, considering his short-term memory.

Yami felt a little bad for taking advantage of him like that, but he forced himself to shrug it off. Larry was open to sticking it to the Administration—and he'd never tell Abby because he'd never remember.

There—the spiky sort of leaves the book had detailed. Deadly nightshade, hemlock, witch hazel, and a peculiar plant called starry knife. They were used for very limited purposes—magic potions was one. Granted, poisoning was another, so technically they weren't allowed to grow them—but Hippies did not feel that they were subject to the Administration's whims.

Yami carefully pocketed a few leaves of each, turned the wandering Kudzju back on itself, and slapped the venomous tentacula when it tried to bite him.

"Larry?" Yami called, ducking back out of the little alcove.

Larry was gone.

"Larry?" Yami called again. Great—Larry was lost in the greenhouse again.

Come to think of it…so was he.

*\*/*

Teana looked up sharply as a pebble struck her window. She went over, opened it, and looked down, seeing just who she expected to see: Idgy Pleasant.

"I'll grant you, it is about six-thirty," Teana called.

Idgy waved up at her, wearing the same outfit she had on the picnic.

"Are you wearing something sensible?" Idgy called up.

"Define sensible."

"We're going to be doing some running—do you have dress pants?"

"I have culottes."

"Put those on and come down."

Teana pulled her head back in and shut the window. "I'm going to regret this," she sang under her breath as she walked over to her closet.

About thirty minutes later, Teana was still of the same opinion.

She was sneaking onto a cargo car on the train chugging southwards, wondering how on earth Idgy had talked her into this.

"So this is what you guys do?" Teana gasped, once she was safely on the train. "Hop train cars?"

Idgy laughed. "I heard Yami Skellington did just that—he's been all over."

"I have to be at work at nine tomorrow."

"Don't worry, we're not going too far—just a few miles down the tracks."

Teana sat cross-legged, watching the dim forest stream by. "What's down the tracks?"

"Railside," Idgy said, searching around the boxes in the car.

Teana looked around sharply. "Railside? Isn't that where the third-class people live?"

"No, the third-class people live by the Administration Building," Idgy called, voice muffled as she searched. "The poor people live in Railside." She gave a triumphant exclamation as she stood back up; in her hands was a crowbar.

"What are you doing?" Teana asked.

"What does it look like?" Idgy asked, levering a crate open.

"It looks like you're stealing."

"Re-appropriating."

"It looks like stealing," Teana observed, as Idgy fished in the crate.

"It's not stealing if you're not keeping it."

And with that, Idgy threw some cans off the train.

"What are you doing?" Teana squawked, catching herself before she did something stupid like jump after the goods.

But in doing so, she saw precisely what Idgy was doing.

People from Railside were running alongside the train, catching the cans as Idgy flung them off the train.

"What?" Teana gasped. "What is this?"

"Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," Idgy explained.

"I thought the Administration fed the people at Railside."

"Not hardly. 'They can't waste money on Railside—it's not in their jurisdiction.'"

"But I thought Railside was under the Administration!"

"Only when they need something from them."

"But that's not fair!"

"No kidding!" Idgy said, as she threw a few more cans off of the train. "I've seen plenty of those high-and-mighties parading around up there down at the River's Run with the rest of us dogs. They're nothing but hypocrites." She turned to a new crate and looked at Teana. "I don't care who you are or what you believe—just be honest about it."

Teana gave her a long look. "What about Yami?"

Idgy gave her a grin. "Now he's honest about it."

The train finally chugged fully out of Railside. Idgy and Teana—into it now—pitched a few more cans out, then sat down. "So how long until the train stops again?" Teana asked.

"Not for another two miles," Idgy said, after some thought. "It slows up some in a few minutes though, so we'll be able to make it back home without any trouble."

Teana made a pensive noise and pulled her knees to her chest. After the initial excitement, Teana was beginning to notice the chill in the air. Fall would be establishing itself soon. "Question, Idgy."

"What?"

"I thought—as a Magician's wife—you wouldn't be as scathing about the Administrators."

Idgy scoffed. "Like I need anyone telling me what to do or how to be."

"But you'll attend church," Teana said.

"That's a promise to a friend," Idgy told her.

"Who?"

"A friend I had at Whistle Stop—that's pretty far south of here."

"So how did you end up here?"

"Yami blew in," Idgy said. "My friend—well…she was the second person I had lost, and Whistle Stop was just…I needed to get away."

Teana stared, surprised at the revelation. "How long had you known Yami?"

"When I hopped the train car with him? A day."

"A day?"

"Kineil was with him," Idgy remembered. "And I needed an excuse. I came up here to see the sights, and just stayed."

"You didn't know Yami or Kineil from Adam."

"Yeah," Idgy said, reflecting. "That was probably stupid of me. Hup! We're slowing down! Better get now while the getting's good!"

She jumped off the train with a wild cry of "Tuwanda!" Teana followed with less enthusiasm.

"Oof!" Teana gasped as she hit the ground and rolled. "I don't believe you," she said, looking at Idgy, already up and dusting herself off.

"Skul can't either," Idgy said, helping her up. "Come on, we've got a walk ahead of us."

They started their journey down the tracks.

"Question, Idgy."

"Yeah?"

"Are you a Magician?"

"No. Yami thinks so, though."

"But you charm bees."

"That, my dear, is talent."

*/*\*

Yami wandered through the maze, trying to feel the air—for either Larry or the exit. He didn't need to spend the rest of his life in here. Ah, there was a gap—

He rounded the corner to find tomato plants—great, he had felt a hole in the wall.

He wondered if he could fix it.

He wandered through, checking the walls—oh wow, that tomato plant was ready for picking—

"Oh yipes!" Yami shrieked, falling backwards. He had seen a hand—a long, skinny-fingered, pale hand that zipped back out of the hole at his yelp—he could hear something human-sized crashing through the forest—

His insides went cold. The maze suddenly seemed very sinister.

He had to get out of here.