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[ It's been about an hour and a half since DOROTHY had landed in the Great Lilac. With her new (temporary) ally in tow, she had found her place in the mall, though not without some culture shock. ]
[ Her and WICKE now sit at a table in one of the mall’s food courts, discussing the goings-on of the Lilac with one another over some grub. ]
[WICKE]: So then, FAUX came in and kinda warped the whole Lilac in on itself, like if you punch a hole in plastic wrap, right? And then from there, the whole place has been a little out of whack! Not enough to be, like, 100% unsafe, but some jerks still come in sometimes.
[DOROTHY]: …And you’re telling me you survived that.
[WICKE]: Most of us don’t even remember it happening! It’s like we closed our eyes and when we opened them, nothing happened!
[DOROTHY]: (Ignorance is bliss.)
[DOROTHY]: …I got another question, if you don’t mind.
[WICKE]: Shoot!
[DOROTHY]: These “french fries” are real, right? But you’re telling me everyone else walking past us are illusions?
[WICKE]: Kinda! They can see and talk to you, but they’re not all that real. They come and go, like a revolvin’ door of new faces.
[WICKE]: Are the fries good, by the way?
[DOROTHY]: They’re alright.
[DOROTHY]: That Todd guy you mentioned must be working hard if this place can be as well-kept as it is. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even the Quinn needs pretty active upkeep- he must have it all figured out.
[ She remembers everything that Todd Howard’s neglect has caused. Even the stuff outside of CHANCE. ]
[WICKE]: Yeah, he’s great at what he does.
[WICKE]: Say, what’s the Quinn? You keep bringin’ it up and I don’t think I’ve really clued in on it.
[DOROTHY]: [She crosses her arms.] Frankly, I'm still not entirely sure myself. It's the place where I was brought for this... competition- I don't want to get into that, it's irritating to think about.
[DOROTHY]: The Quinn itself feels like it's full of magical energy, but everything seems so alien and unrecognizable- They call it a ship, but it's clearly floating through some form of clouds rather than water? Instead of reading actual paper, these glass and metal things hold their information? I've had dreams that have made more sense than that place.
[WICKE]: Ooh, I see, I see.
[WICKE]: You’ll probably get used to it the more you’re on board. I used to be pretty weirded out by the Lilac, ‘specially since I didn’t know if I could contact my family back home.
[WICKE]: But once I got a hang of the place and figured out how time works, I was able to fit in a lot easier! And now I got a lotta new pals too! You’ll find your footin’ eventually, and I’m sure there’s some real nice folk back on the Quinn!
[ She reminisces over her time with ELISE. ]
[DOROTHY]: …Real nice.
[DOROTHY]: At least here it probably doesn’t get as lonely. Even if these guys aren’t “real,” they probably get the job done until you get to go home.
[WICKE]: It’s not always so cut ‘n’ dry… I remember seeing some real strange faces walk through here. Every so often, you recognize one of them-
[ Something catches WICKE’s eye, her head turning lightning-fast to something that would’ve been just out of sight if she sat a little differently. ]
[WICKE]: What the-?!
[ Behind WICKE is a mall-sized version of… Witch’s Brew, her very own cafe. It has the same green wood exterior and a miniature version of her brand’s logo hanging about the doors. ]
[WICKE]: Stay here, I gotta check this out.
[DOROTHY]: That place isn’t supposed to be there?
[WICKE]: No. You gottaaskto have your stuff in the mall.I never asked.
[DOROTHY]: [ …Against her better judgment, she gets up and follows WICKE, watching the upbeat goblin storm off. ]
[ The two make it to the front counter. Everything is a near perfect replica of WICKE’s home, right down to the signage and most of the handwriting. However, the prices had been marked up by 20%, everything now being much more expensive than they’d usually be. ]
[DOROTHY]: Gotta admit… you’ve got a nice place.
[WICKE]: Yeah, but it ain’t mine.
[WICKE]: No one’s even mannin’ the counter-
[ She spots the silver bell sitting atop it. She sighs, pinches her temple, and rings the bell. ]
[ From behind the counter, the door that would usually lead to the stairs to her living quarters opened on its own. From within, static buzzing and running water could be heard. ]
[WICKE]: …Ah, hell.
[ She slides over the counter and enters the room with no hesitation, DOROTHY in tow. ]
[DOROTHY]: You sure this isn’t a trap? It seems specifically designed to-
[WICKE]: It is a trap. That’s why I’m bargin’ in.
[ The room itself is bigger than should be possible, theoretically expanding beyond the confines of the mall, though the mall itself was no stranger to reality-bending to a degree. Birds could be heard chirping way off in the distance. Inside it was a series of computers, blinkings lights flipping between green and red in a seemingly rhythmic fashion, all of which were surrounded by a rocky cliffside with a running waterfall. The water lead to a small patch of grass and rock in the middle of the room, a lone figure meditating atop of it. ]
[ Beneath artificial golden hair was dry, blue-ish green skin wrapped around angular bones, a permanent toothy grin etched on the figure’s face. His sunken eyes were hidden behind a pair of jet-black sunglasses. ]
[WICKE]: [ She should’ve known. ]
[WICKE]: MOE!
[MOE DEADLOCK]: AAH!! [ The zombie snaps out of his trance, jolting awake near-instantly and disappearing in a puff of smoke. ]
[ The lush scenery slowly giving way to a series of cameras and speakers dotted around a green-screen room. The water was, in reality, coming from a flying saucer-like machine near the ceiling of the room. From the waterfall, a projection appears, showing the figure now in a dapper pink suit. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Ya couldn’t have at least gimme an hour? It’s employee break time!
[WICKE]: What the hell are you doing running my shop?!
[MOE DEADLOCK]: I could ask something-kinda-the-same-but-not-really for you! Whaddya doin’ away from ya shop back home?!
[WICKE]: It’s been, like, five minutes in our time!!
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Yeah, but wayyyyy longer here! Wastin’ your time with all’a these bootlegs…
[DOROTHY]: If she’s a witch, I’m guessing you’re some sort of necromancer.
[MOE DEADLOCK]: …Well, well, well! Who’da we have here? Some walkin’ period piece?
[DOROTHY]: Dorothy Gale. Kansas.
[MOE DEADLOCK]: …
[MOE DEADLOCK]: AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! GOOD ONE, KID! I didn’t know PopCon was already here! Not a good cosplay, if I may pipe in a little, what with the raggedy hair, the dirty slippers- You don’t even got the right blue down!
[ DOROTHY glares at the projection, her grip tightening around the Galebringer. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Wicke, your new pal is a riot!
[ MOE sighs, regaining his composure. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: …She’s not jokin’, is she?
[WICKE]: No.
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Oh, so you’re too good for big business ‘n’ turned to the public domain?! Can’t keep your mitts to one town, gotta get “inspired” by somethin’ else?
[WICKE]: Look who’s talking! How are you even in the Lilac to begin with?!
[DOROTHY]: Yeah, it seems like a slim chance two people so close to one another would be present in the same spot.
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Newsflash, Salem! I AM a projection! Every time you get a glimpse ‘a’ me, I’m the same guy! Just casually ended up here, say, two months ago, and I’ve been lurkin’ here ever since.
[MOE DEADLOCK]: ‘N’ then, one day, I caught you, Daemona, strollin’ through here! That’s when I set up shop here- to lure you in! And you just so happen to have brought me theone thingI love more than terrorizin’ that town of yours!
[ The saucer dashes forwards right in front of DOROTHY’s face, MOE’s grim visage staring deep into her eyes. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: RECOGNIZABLE PROPERTY.
[DOROTHY]: You’re mistaken, we’ve never met before. And even if we did, there’s no way I’d be willing to work with a creep like you-
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Please, darlin’, listen to me. The people love their dark reimaginings! They can’t get enough’a them! You’ll be a star, and then comes the merchandise!
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Besides… you ‘n’ I got somethin’ in common.
[ The saucer deploys a cartoonishly large cannon and points it right at WICKE. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: We ain’t fans of witches.
[WICKE]: DOROTHY-
[ The cannon fires right at WICKE, sending her through the projection room and three stores to the right. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Now then, I believe a proper introduction is in order-
[ DOROTHY pulls the Galebringer back and swings it forward, sending a gust of wind straight at the saucer and distorting the projection. ]
[DOROTHY]: The name means nothing to me. I knew you were no good the second I laid my eyes on you.
[DOROTHY]: I’m my own person, not some icon to toss on a poster!
[MOE DEADLOCK]: Mmm… Disappointin’. Lots of kids your age would love to be actors, y’know. Maybe you ain’t caught up with the new age of entertainment.
[ The saucer deploys more firearms, including an arrow launcher, laser blaster, pistol, and missile launcher. ]
[MOE DEADLOCK]: After all, your copyright isn’t renewed for a reason.