~5.28~

In an upscale apartment on the other end of town from the spot where Laurie had walked out of the world, a committee had managed… after several hours of reasoned discussion carefully laid out in accordance with a set agenda… to produce at least as much confusion and indecision as she had dredged up all on her own.

“People, people,” Wow said, waving her hand for attention. She’d actually brought a gavel but had long since snapped the handle in frustration. “We need some order…”

“We need more witches,” one of the other attendants said.

“That’s why we’re here,” Wow said. “To come up with a plan…”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with a good, old-fashioned apprenticeship,” someone said. “That’s how I learned the craft. That’s how my teacher learned it, and her teacher before her.”

“That’s all well and good, but if we each start teaching one newbie now it’ll be years before we’re back up to our strength before the attacks,” Wow said. “We need…”

“You can’t mass-produce magic,” someone objected.

“Magic isn’t taught, it’s experienced… we need to seek out those who’ve been…”

“Seek inward, not outward. We have the power we need within ourselves.”

“Such arrogance. The stars will guide us to the one who will save us…”

“Oh, that’s been done already!”

“It’s all been done. The wheel turns on, the cycle begins anew.”

Wow threw up her hands, then turned to look at her sister, who’d been sitting there quietly the whole time. She didn’t expect much from Woe on a day to day basis… apart from Woe’s peculiarities, the two of them could not coexist in the same place peacefully for long. But when Woe said that she would do something, it generally carried the weight as any other time that she declared something would happen. It wasn’t so much a promise as a prophecy.

“Well?” Wow said.

“Well enough, thank you.”

“I thought you said you’d help me recruit,” Wow said.

“I did,” Woe replied.

Et fini.