I'm back! Did you miss me? Course you did. I'm sure you were constantly checking, longingly staring at the screen to see if your favorite author had updated your favorite story...
Crowd: Um, yeah! We keep checking to see if Wolf Jade999 has updated Keeper of the Lost Cities: LGBTQ+ Edition. That's such a great story, have you read it? If you haven't you totally should.
Me: I would complain, but... that really is a good story. Okay, I'll let it slide this time.
Crowd: Wait... were you implying that this was our favorite story by our favorite author? BAHAHAHAHAHA hilarious.
Me: You're meaaaaaaaan.
Crowd: Just honest, A. Fan. Now, continue with this trash. We're in a bit of a time crunch- I need to go read some good fanfiction.
Me: Oh shut it.
Now, respond to reviews!
Mallowmelt: Thank you!
Eva L: Nom nom nom virtual mallowmelt. Yes, I just said that. Problem? Anyway, lol yes. I'm pretty sure the fangirl one was me writing about Sokeefe. Sophie/Oralie interactions are actually so fun! (Even though I feel bad for Oralie.) Sorry! Not really though. Thanks!
Human: I will! Thank you so much!
MeeIsFarrow101: Here!
The siren song: :)
FastReaderBadWriter: MUAHAHAHAHA Please don't die.
IStillHopeForSophex: Idk. Guess I need to try harder! Again, I have an unhealthy obsession with platonic sophex. Nice poem! Hopefully you update soon! Thank you!
BigBookBoi: Idk. THANK YOU. I WILL. (Also, I need my Shady Black Belt Protection Squad TM! NOW!)
ArrowOfTheMoonlark: Shady Black Belt Protection Squad TM! Okay, true, but before you kill me you should kill Shannon! But thank you for sparing me! We all love mallowmelt. Especially me. I'm dating mallowmelt. Don't you dare steal my foodfriend*! (*Like girlfriend/boyfriend, but food.)
Okay, guys, I know you want to find out what happens, but my idea sucks and is highly disappointing so please don't read it.
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Seriously, don't read it.
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(Now I realize I could use copy/paste.)
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You've destroyed all the trust in our relationship.
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Fine, go ahead.
For a single, terrifying second- nothing happened. In that second, Sophie pulled out approximately 30983209483290 eyelashes and went through an emotional roller coaster, that made her think of Keefe's reaction: Wow, Foster. Those are some crazyyyy feelings you're flinging at me. Chill, it's starting to make me that emotional. He'd say that while fanning the air, of course, just like he always did. Just before Sophie started screaming and trying to break things and murder people- which Dex and Oralie would probably not appreciate- something did happen.
Thank mallowmelt.
As the cache began glowing, Sophie stared at it like it was the most important thing in the universe- and in that moment, it was. So bright it was almost blinding, it was starting to hurt Sophie's eyes, but she didn't- couldn't- look away. Once her watery eyes began leaking from the brightness,there was a clicking sound from the crystal and the light dimmed.
"Is that all?" Dex said in a hushed voice. Both of their heads turned towards Oralie, who looked confused and a little nervous, but not as though she were regaining the memory of some deeply horrifying thing.
"It better not-" Sophie's voice cut off from the shock and excitement of seeing the vision before her.
From the cache, a scene was being projected on Dex's wall. Instantly, Sophie recognized it as the place she had been wayyyyy too many times- Tribunal Hall. All twelve councillors were present- though this was before Alina had replaced Kenric. Oralie's face was white as she stared at Kenric- after all, anyone with half a brain could tell that they were in love, and Oralie had been devastated by his loss. It had to be like seeing a ghost- and Sophie was glad she wasn't an empath, because there was no way she'd want to feel Councillor Not-her-mom's emotions right now. On the elevated platform for the accused sat a nervous-looking, tall, redheaded man. Sophie noticed there was no one in the audience, which was odd- most tribunal proceedings were open to the general public. But then again, Sophie didn't know why she was surprised. If it was something secret enough to be erased from the councillor's minds, it was definitely something all the other elves wouldn't be allowed to know.
"Laron Wainright. Let's see, you are... 392 years old. Male. Talentless. You work at a bakery in Mysterium. No wife or children... is that all correct?" said Councillor Emory.
Oralie tore her gaze away from Kenric and watched the scene, brow furrowed. Like the memory was starting to come back, but she still couldn't actually remember anything. Like the forgotten secret was just out of reach, taunting her. "That name sounds so familiar..." she muttered.
It was the other way around for Sophie- she thought the man looked familiar, but was certain she had never heard the name before in her life. She couldn't place the memory either. Since she had a photographic memory, the most logical conclusion seemed that she was just thinking of someone else she'd seen before, someone who looked similar. Or maybe her head was crammed with so much useless information that it was getting harder to access the actually important memories.
"You already know all that stuff," snapped the man- Laron Wainright. "Why the mallowmelt are you asking me?"
Emory sighed. "It's protocol. Now just answer the question."
"Why should I?"
Oralie- Past Oralie- sighed and gave the man a sympathetic look. "This is going to be a lot better for you if you just cooperate, okay? It's in your best self-interest."
Laron gave an eyeroll that both Keefe and Tam would be proud of. "FINE. Yes, that's all correct. Now, let's just get on with it, shall we?"
"Very well." Emory said. "Do you know why you are here? No, don't say 'because we called you here'- do you know what you have done that has made it necessary to put you on trial?"
"Stellarlune." Laron answered vaguely.
"Can you explain what Stellarlune does?"
"Fine. You want the full explanation? Fine."
Laron cleared his throat and continued. "I was completely and totally sick of how elves treat the Talentless. Treated us like trash because we don't have your stupid useless tricks."
A councillor (that Sophie vaguely recognized to be Councillor Noland) opened his mouth to protest the insult to the councillor's abilities, but Bronte shushed him and motioned for Laron to continue.
"And I hated every second of being considered 'lesser' than you morons. I knew that once I had kids, they'd be treated like that too. So I decided I wouldn't let that happen. After some research on alchemy and elvin abilities- because yes, I am actually intelligent, unlike you talented elves believe- I discovered a way to give myself an ability. One day a hooded woman, who refused to reveal her identity to me, asked me what I was doing. When I told her, she offered to help."
"That hooded women was probably Keefe's mom." Dex whispered to Sophie. Sophie nodded in agreement.
"Eventually, I had gathered enough information to give myself abilities. It was rather difficult, but I managed to get stellarlune- a necessary ingredient for the elixir I needed, composed of pure sunlight and starlight- and limbium, the other ingredient, was quite easy to obtain. Then all I had to do was mix them together and drink. Can you guess what that made me able to do? It is why you called me here, after all."
"It made you-" Councillor Kenric said.
Oralie gasped a little at his voice.
"It gave you the ability to steal abilities from other elves." Bronte interrupted. Kenric shot him an annoyed look.
"Aaaaand we have a winner!" Laron announced. "Though it is only temporary. Unfortunately."
Emory cleared his throat. "I'd like to know whether or not he was telling the truth about not knowing the hooded woman's identity. Oralie, would you do the honors?"
Oralie nodded and rose from her pink heart-shaped throne. She walked over to Laron and wrapped her hand around his wrist.
"I have no idea who the woman was," Laron declared. "I only met with her once after her initial agreement to help. Naturally, she only wanted the information for her own gain."
Oralie payed attention to his emotions, but she couldn't feel anything, anything at all. It's like her power was gone...
Stolen.
Laron grinned at her. "Hmm. Right now you're a bit confused and highly annoyed. Incredible, isn't it, how that works?"
"Return her Empathy." Kenric commanded in a deadly calm voice.
Instantly, Oralie could feel an obnoxious self-satisfaction rising up in Laron... but now she could tell he wasn't lying.
"He was telling the truth." Oralie said in a shaky tone. "About the hooded woman."
"Thank you, Oralie, can you come back to your seat? We're going to need to discuss this." Emory said. Oralie returned to her throne, sinking into the soft pink cushions.
A moment later, Emory was opening up his thoughts for a telepathic conversation among the council.
What do you propose we do, exile him? Bronte suggested.
No... I have a different idea. Emory transmitted. Oralie noticed a concerning glint in his eyes. We take away his memories, his skills... pretty much everything that makes him an elf, and we send him to live in the human world.
The council was stunned silent. Oralie was the first one to react verbally (or telepathically). Isn't that... that's such an awful thing to do to him! He did all this because he didn't have a special ability, can you imagine how he'll react when we take away all his power?
The others thought about this. Well... Terik said. He was taking away other elves' powers. It seems only fair we should take away his.
It's not just that, Oralie added. It's also... we'd be taking away his life span. And sending him to live in a dangerous, polluted area... is all that really a proportional punishment for what he did?
I think it is, Noland replied. Abilities are the single most important thing to elves. And also, he literally stole two of the Prime Sources for personal gain... that in itself is a terrible crime too. I say we go for it.
Oralie continued arguing. But... the guilt.
We have caches, Bronte reasoned. We'll just have our memories erased. It'll be a forgotten secret. What did you think the caches were used for?
Before Oralie could respond, Emory transmitted Aside from Councillor Oralie, does everybody else agree with this?
All the other councillors, except for Kenric, gave their "yeses."
That's a majority. Emory announced. Out loud, he said to Laron "We have come to an agreement. What we're going to do is, we're going to take away everything about you that makes you an elf."
"What!" Laron shouted. "You can't-"
"Actually, we can. You'll be sent to live in a human city called London. The new name you'll be given is..." Emory paused for dramatic effect.
"Ethan Benedict Wright.
We're not going to talk about that.
Update coming soon!
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