text

[witchdaggah]

[ so like.

the text keeps appearing and reappearing. like someone's deleting their post? repeatedly. eventually one sticks, though: ]

NO ONE PANIC
The rat infestation is mine


[ that's it. that's the post. ]

Comments

[courtmagic]

don't think so, if they are they're hiding well.

i could send a picture if you think that'll capture enough of the tree's spirit for a proper name.

[witchdaggah]

Did you go to Woodstock

[courtmagic]

that was that american music thing, right?

[witchdaggah]

Jeez you really are a gramps
But yeah it was
It was way before my time

[courtmagic]

i don't see what woodstock has to do with you naming this tree

[witchdaggah]

Nothing
Dont worry about it
I'll just come over and make sure theres no rats in the process I guess?

[courtmagic]

you're a real pal, you know

[it won't be too hard to find Merlin's room, though, he's left the door open and he's chilling in there. the sight of a tree from the doorway is a dead giveaway.]

[witchdaggah]

Thats what everyone says

[ not really. mostly they insult her. anyway.

mae is pretty hard to miss. she's the five foot tall cat with a rat on her shoulder.

...she wants to climb the tree. ]

Woah.

[courtmagic]

[Merlin's also hard to miss, with his stupidly long hair and his body flung haphazardly on his bed, messing with his watch. but when he hears a voice, he sits up, taking in Mae -

and then grins.]

Kind of makes too much sense that the mistress of the rats is a cat.

[not the expected giant rat, but hey! who is he to judge.]

Mae, right? That's what the watch said.

[witchdaggah]

[ merlin is




not old ???? he doesn't look old. do humans not age? ]

Yeah, so I guess you're Merlin? No offense but that sounds fake. Also, I'm climbing your tree.

[ off she goes! she just... jumps up... very high... on the lowest hanging branch. ] You don't look like a hippie. I thought you were a hippie.

[courtmagic]

[the tree holds her weight, and he leans back on his hands, watching her and her rat.]

First off, why would I be a hippie? Just because I know what Woodstock is? And secondly, what do you mean fake? There's nothing fake about me.

[except his personality and emotions but we don't talk about that.]

[witchdaggah]

Woah, let's save the philosophical stuff for a later conversation.

[ mae's legs dangle. ]

Merlin's a really famous name is all. It's weird. Guess weird people have weird names. I thought you were a hippie because of the whole tree hugger thing. I guess you could still be one?

[courtmagic]

I'm not a hippie! The tree just grew here! [he has a house, he cleans himself, he doesn't do weird hippie things!] Anyway. It's not a weird name if I'm the one who made it famous, you know. [a few people already know here, so there's no reason to hide it. now Mae can call him amazing as well. (no)]

[witchdaggah]

No you're not. Merlin was a bird.

[ maybe. it's been a while since she read arthurian legend. it was cool back in the day. ]

[courtmagic]

Sometimes I was a bird. Sometimes a handsome stranger. I could have been a dozen things, but that doesn't change who I am!

[magic means anything is possible.]

[witchdaggah]

What, really?

[ a beat. ]

Show me. Show me now.

[ at least she's honest about what she wants. ]

[courtmagic]

...I would. But being in this place cuts me off from a lot of my magic.

[except when the magic in the place was running wild and he had managed enough energy to do stupid things at the time.]