Back with the Landgraabs in San Sequoia.
With Sul Sul off work for the day, Queenie capitalised upon the opportunity for a playmate.
No one else is as good at playing dolls as dada.
Playtime is followed by a bit of skill-building.
… featuring Dag Dag just throwing himself around on the floor beside them.
And skill-building was followed by a nap.
For Sul Sul, at least.
Keeping two little ones entertained is taxing stuff!
Whilst dad recovers/naps, it turns to mum to entertain the kids.
She knows well by now that food is the best (and only) way to keep Queenie quiet.
side note: Betsy changed her hair up for the first time in forever. The Watcher thinks she looks so beautiful, and loves her so much.
Nancy and Queenie aren't getting along too well these days.
Queenie has quickly grown tired of Nancy's awfulness, and who can blame her?
Dag Dag is the happiest little infant
Work continues on Nancy's re-traiting potion.
It's almost ready now.
It has to be an incredibly potent strain to remove an Evil trait as strong as this one.
Daisy is present to supervise in her new role as Sage of Practical Magic.
To the untrained eye, it would almost seem like the Landgraab Coven was back together again….
"Good work, witches. The potion is finally ready. Now, you're all aware of the risks, yes? This particular concoction is not designed for those as 'young' as Nancy will be when she takes it. A teen is more resilient than a child, but still incredibly vulnerable. There's no saying what might happen. You must all be prepared for... well, the worst..."
*Collective gasp*
"Oh, c'mon girls! You all knew this, surely?! There were similarly lethal risks when you foolishly gave her the plumbobbin’ age-down potion in the first place. This will be no different.”
"We're not making a mistake, are we Betsy? The girl... or rather, woman... is an evil plumbobber, but she's still our grandmother."
Betsy sighed.
"We have no choice, Dolly. This is our last chance to guide her down the right path. We, and every other poor soul in this Save, can't live in fear of her forever."
"Anyway, this is Grandma Nancy we're talking about. She has more lives than a cat, remember?"
Betsy spoke to reassure her cousin, but in truth she wasn't so sure.
For how many of those lives did she have left?
Before Betsy left the Landgraab Townhouse that day, she stumbled upon an unfamiliar face in the hall.
It seems Dolly and Gemma have a (randomly generated) child of their own now.
The Watcher is already obsessed (even though he’s already forgotten the poor thing’s name).
While the others prepare to realign her very future, Nancy waits at home unbeknownst.
She seems to be enjoying some rather questionable content on the television. Far too much so, if you ask the Watcher.
Dag Dag is now fully mobile (and just in time for his joint birthday party with great-grandma Nancy this weekend).
On the eve of Nancy's birthday, Dolly popped over to remind her how much she loves her.
It seems everyone is getting a tad itchy about what might come next.
Nancy is completely clueless, of course, and was so taken aback by the sudden gesture of affection that she briefly forgot to be evil.
Along came the morning of Nancy and Dag Dag’s birthday.
With the guests en route, Betsy couldn't shake the feeling that her grandmother-turned-dependent acted even more peculiar than usual.
Just a bout of last minute paranoia, she surmised, but... well... she could swear there was a disturbingly familiar look in those devilish little eyes.
Betsy and the rest of the Coven had prepared for all eventualites, however, and so Betsy pushed any such thoughts of concern to the back of her mind.
She'd even made a rather special chocolate cake for the occasion (Nancy’s favourite), or rather, used her newly learnt Celebratio spell to conjure one.
And so began the festivities!
First up was Dag Dag!
Dag Dag seemed uncertain when faced with his birthday candles, but Sul Sul assured him toddlerhood would be just as fun.
Nancy, being Nancy, looked on with complete disdain.
“When is it going to be my turn?!”
Hopple Borfna Dag Dag!!
With Nancy up next, a feeling of angst began to spread amongst the attendees.
“I hope you have that potion ready, Betsy. An evil child version of my mother is one thing, but were she an evil teen… with spellcaster powers…”
“Don’t worry, Dad. Everything is under control.”
There wouldn’t be long to wait, for Nancy appeared to be in a hurry to blow out those candles.
The guests looked on with bated breath, as they first waited to learn what she would roll as her second Trait.
“Urghhhhh, I forgot how heavy all this botox felt.”
“Can you, like, STOP THAT already!”
“Ummm, everything okay, Nancy?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. There’s just… a lot of people here. Can’t they all just, I dunno, LEAVE already?”
An Evil Loner? Well, there are worse things…
As Nancy walked away, Betsy found herself once again watching her grandmother with growing suspicion.
She had that look in her eyes again. The one she’d grown up to recognise, and fear…
Before Betsy could put any further thought to the matter, it was already too late.
Nancy was already soaring into the clouds by the time anyone had realised she was gone.
Well, except for the two silently observing the whole thing with gleeful fascination.
“Wheeeeeee!! Nancy go fly fly!!”
“These llamas really thought they could best me - HA! Sure, I may have had to spend these last few years re-assembling all the puzzle pieces of my identity, but now I remember exactly who I am. And the real irony of it all... they unwittingly gifted me the one thing I craved more than anything, MY YOUTH! Now the time has come - to exact my revenge!”
The (quasi) Landgraab Coven quickly gathered down in the basement, away from the other party guests.
“What are we going to do?!” fretted Gemma. “She just up and left! Who knows what chaos she already wreaks?”
Betsy was the only one who didn’t seem concerned.
“Don’t worry, I’ve everything under control.“
Betsy waited until the sun had set that evening before leaving to seek out Nancy.
She didn’t have to look hard. The tracking spell she’d placed on her grandmother’s broom the night before had proven a worthwhile assurance policy.
“Can I sit here…?” Betsy asked, disguising her apprehension as best she could.
“Yes, of course!” Nancy smiled. “Hello, darling! So wonderful to see you here.”
Betsy observed Nancy suspiciously. She seemed… different.
“Umm… right… is everything okay, grandma?”
“Oh, yes! I just feel… awfully Cheerful, I suppose. Such a peaceful night... and this cake… so yummy! How'd you get it to taste so good? There's surely something special in it this time? A new ingredient, perhaps?”
“Perhaps,” Betsy replied, triumphantly. “I made it just for you, after all. I'd a feeling you might run off, or rather fly away, after you aged up. Yet I was even more sure of your sweet tooth. Even in your most evil of tailspins, you never could resist it. Well, that and the nectar, but you're still far too young for that option.”
“You speak in such riddles, Betsy. You always were a delightfully odd child. You must know though, I possess no ill will towards you for this whole aging-me-down saga. I’m quite ready for another go at things, if I’m honest. But before any of that... I’m… well, I’m feeling a bit... a bit tired…”
Nancy went to stand, but her legs wobbled like jelly.
Nancy immediately collapsed to the ground, but Betsy was relieved to find she’d merely entered a fool’s slumber. Re-traiting is a tiresome business, she supposed.
A Cheerful Loner.
Betsy quite liked the idea of getting to know this version of her grandmother, once she awoke. She'd a feeling they’d get on rather swimmingly.
