316/Trouble on the Double

Trouble on the Double
Date of Scene:	27 August 2023
Location:	Mitakihara - Obsidian Tower - Majorina's Office
Synopsis:	When one door closes, another one opens. Double Trouble finds their way into Obsidian tower because Majorina comes looking for them in the Tuscan countryside. The Etherian lizardperson finds themselves much better off by the end of the scene.
Cast of Characters:	Double Trouble, 21

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Double Trouble has posed:
It's been a few days since Double Trouble arrived on this forsaken planet with it's near complete lack of magic. Finding themselves among so many _same_ looking people, they tried to blend in, but their shapeshifting powers were difficult to access, and left them exhausted after just a few hours. So it is that they've taken up residence in the woods outside a small village. They're hungry, having found it challenging to get fed without knowing the language.

This isn't the first time they've been on their own and hungry. They may not be the best at survival, but they do have _instincts_. And so they sit perched up in a tree, and watch as some small animals--rabbits--move by, planning to leap out and pounce on one of them.

Macaron (21) has posed:
It wasn't a bad idea, honestly. Bunnies were good eatin'. Everyone loved a bit of rabbit. But... It likely wasn't the best. Then they'd smell it. It was like... something... delicious. Warm. A stew? No. NO. Cookies. Yes. That was cookies. Fresh, chocolate cookies. Well, it was food. And food was food. And they could smell it coming from nearby...

And it likely wouldn't take them long to find the source. Because they could also hear singing. Very, very soft singing. In *their* language. An old nursery rhyme of sorts, about the crimson wastes and the monsters within.

Coming from a door. In the middle of the woods. Just... standing there. Cracked open, a little. And if they pushed it a little more open... they'd be able to see a very strange, short woman stirring a cauldron opposite the door, her back to it. On a step stool... and a desk across the room. With fresh cookies on it. And... a rice ball.

Double Trouble has posed:
They're quite fast in their natural form, and they can follow that sweet scent and familiar sound. It doesn't take them long at all. This is _exactly_ how it's supposed to work. A witch in the woods! Even here on this forsaken planet, the stories come together. It remains to be seen if it's the kind of witch that gives guidance and support, or the kind that tries to cook them and eat them. So, Double Trouble remains cautious, but if she speaks their language, they might be able to help.

They push the door open more and call out, "Hello! Could you tell me where I am?"

Macaron (21) has posed:
Majorina paused for a moment before glancing back. "Ahhhhh, so another one arrives, de-wasa. It seems that lizards really are more polite than cats. I wonder if that's why one is the pet and the other goes in potions?" she asked before motioning towards the desk. "I've been waiting for you, de-wasa. As to where you are... I could tell you, but it would mean little. You are no longer in your home, de-wasa. Etheria is far, far, far from here. Little more than a star, if even that."

"Help yourself, though before you come through that door, I would ensure you have everything you don't wish left behind. It may be a while before you return here, if at all, de-wasa." She continued to stir her cauldron, her eyes narrowed on it. Hmmmmm. Almost done...

Double Trouble has posed:
They don't have anything to leave behind. All the things they had are all but a distant memory. Far, far, far from there, apparently. All they have is the clothes they're wearing and themselves. It feels more guidance and support than cook and eat them, so they cross the threshold and find their way over to the plate of cookies, picking one up and turning it over in their fingers before taking a bite and setting down on a seat where indicated.

"Waiting for me?" Double Trouble seems surprised at first. But then they shrug. They _are_ rather important, after all. If this witch were the sort that were sensitive to important individuals appearing, of course they would find them. They eat the remainder of their first cookie, just shoving the whole thing in their mouth. They're hungry.

That's when they finish processing just what it means that they might not be back, and turn to look over their shoulder out the door they stepped through, before turning back to look at the witch. "Who are you?"

Macaron (21) has posed:
Majorina nodded, continuing to stir. "Of course, dewasa. Or do you think I normally create doorways to random forests?" she asked. Once Double Trouble was inside, the door closed behind them. "My crystal ball told me that you were there and now was the ideal time to let you in."

Actually, a message from management said the shapeshifter was there and to find them, but close enough.

"I am Bad End Commander Majorina, one of the commanders working to awaken Pierrot and turn this world over to its bad end. That..." she points a small, grizzled hand towards the rice ball. "Is my 'speak and understand japanese' device. Eat it and you will be able to communicate with the beings of this country."

"And you, dear child... are in the heart of Obsidian. But I imagine you'll enjoy it here."

Double Trouble has posed:
Double Trouble is not a child, not in the least. But as compared to this witch? She probably calls anybody less than ancient 'dear child'. They eye the rice ball warily, but being able to speak with the people around them is crucial, and it looks delicious. The cookie certainly was. They pick it up and eagerly devour it, licking their lips when they finish.

"So, this will help me speak, but I can't go out there looking like _this_," Double Trouble says, gesturing to themselves. "I'm simply too fabulous for this world. Nobody can appreciate me, and I can't seem to hold a shape for very long."

There's a pause, and then they ask, "And, what, exactly, is _Obsidian_?"

Macaron (21) has posed:
Majorina continued to stir the pot. "That, little one, is almost done." Okay, the little one probably was a bit more ire-inducing, with the woman being only a foot and a half tall or so. "Come here, de-wasa." And once the woman was close enough... she'd pluck a hair. "Hair of newt..." she mumbled, tossing it in.

The rice ball was.... passable. While the cookies were delicious and possibly had some.... things she couldn't identify, the rice ball? Was plain and strange... but... it made her tingle. And there were more cookies.

"Take a form you want to be in from now on, de-wasa," she said, before dipping her laddle into the cauldron and pulling out... a...

... A necklace? It was a necklace. Cooked in a cauldron. Okay, then. "And Obsidian is the collaborative efforts of a bunch of idiots who, while useful, are still idiots," she said matter of factly. "One which Pierrot has decided we will work with for the time being, de-wasa. You are... I believe... the third of your world to arrive. After Adora and Catra... I believe those names will mean something to you, yes?" she asked before taking the necklace in hand and holding it out towards her... It looked... weird... and dark green... "This is my 'Energy recovering form locker' necklace! Imagine how you wish it to look... and how you wish to look... when you put it on."

It would only let her change its form once, but it would allow it...

Double Trouble has posed:
Double Trouble reaches out to take the necklace, but hesitates before putting it on. Usually they don't give s much thought to their form, but usually they can change fluidly to be the right person for any situation. If they have to pick one form, then it had better be one that will be advantageous. And they don't know anything about what's on the other side of the door.

"I need to know more about the stage before I pick the role I'm going to play," they say. They look at the necklace in their hands, turning it over. The chain is delicate and the pendant quite peculiar. They consider for a minute and then look back up. "You seem to be setting me up here, where am I going to be? I can do any role, any role at all. But, if I've got to pick just one, I need to know more."

Macaron (21) has posed:
Majorina gave a light chuckle before hopping off their stool and then skittering over to the desk. They pulled out a small box, a jewel box? Then slid it over. "Then here, until you decide, de-wasa. There's still time. So long as you stay within this building, none will question you. However, should you leave..."

"This world isn't like yours. Magic is rare. No, that's not right. Magic is hidden, innately. You will draw many eyes as you are, hostile eyes. I believe where you were from they were princesses? Here... those opposed to them gather. Out there, they walk the streets. Hidden in plain view. Playing their own little roles, you might say, de-wasa," Majorina said.

Then, she snapped her fingers and the door to the room opened. A new door. But now... the only door? The door she'd come through was now gone? Instead, it opened to an office space.

"You're not a prisoner here though, de-wasa. At least... not yet. So long as you make sure not to cause problems or make yourself a liability, de-wasa. Obsidian rewards those who joins it, however. Those who can make themselves useful. You'll find there's quite a bit to be gained here, for those who can do the work and play their role well, de-wasa..."

"Perhaps, even, a way for you to return home, if that's what you wish."

Double Trouble has posed:
Double Trouble takes the strange necklace and puts it in the offered box to keep it safe until they decide their role. It sounds like the witch is only full of riddles, and they'll need to find answers elsewhere. But it also sounds like there are answers to be found. They just need to pick a face to leave the building. No big deal.

"Alright, well, uh, thank you?" Double Trouble says. tapping the corner of the jewelry box against the surface of the counter next to the cookies. They grab another cookie, and then start to back away toward the door. "I'll, look around and figure this out." They lift up the box and gesture with it. "I guess I'll see you around? Once I figure things out."

Macaron (21) has posed:
Majorina blinked and then gave an old, crooked laugh. "Ah... no... little one, you misunderstand, de-wasa." She looked up at her. "You are a performer, are you not? I could tell you the role to play, direct you what to do, how to do it, de-wasa. But if you were the sort who could be so easily and simply directed, I wouldn't have been the one to come and get you, de-wasa," she said before lifting her hands up, over her desk... and a crystal ball was there now. Had... had it been there the whole time?

"A role that is fitting for a performer like you, de-wasa... that is one only you can decide. When you desire guiddance... when you require it... my office is always open, de-wasa." And then there was a low, ominous chuckle.

And Double Trouble would hear a groan from a nearby desk... once that had five *very* familiar looking claw marks down it. "Oh god not another one..." the man sitting at it said. Ted. Alas.

Double Trouble has posed:
The door shuts and then their attention is caught by the man's groans. Double Trouble is standing in the room with Ted, and a a desk with familiar claw-marks. That witch had said that Catra and Adora were both here too. They were going to have to be careful around those two. But first they needed to know more about where they were, so they could figure out what they were going to do.

And unfortunately for Ted, he was the one in the room who might have answers. Double Trouble moves over toward his desk in an inhuman sort of way, entirely too fast and lizard-like. Speaking Japanese--because they ate that whole rice ball--they smile. "Hello. I've got some questions..."