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[ The first thing she smelt was the purple grass she laid upon. ]
[ It wasn’t artificial so much as it just didn’t feel right. Something in the air was amiss, as if the blades were made from something inorganic. Yet she knew what they felt like, and all of it was undeniably real. She had thought she was good at identifying when the line was beginning to blur, but this strange contrast of real and fake wasn’t fully registering.]
[ Her own senses were failing her. ]
[ Faster than she’d like to admit, the rest of Dorothy Gale’s body picked itself up off the ground and surveyed her surroundings. For as far as the eye could see, a sea of lilac trees stood tall, sparse rays of light cutting through the flowers and reaching the forest floor. And from it all… no smell. Nothing warm, or identifiable. It was just the grass. It wasn’t home, it wasn’t Oz, and it sure as Hell wasn’t the Quinn, either. ]
[ Just what mess had she gotten into, anyways? ]
[ She continues to survey her surroundings, her eyes darting back and forth to make sure no one else was around. ]
[???]: Hey! Uh… can I help you-
[ As sudden as a tornado, Dorothy spins around and aims the Galebringer right at the source of the voice. ]
[DOROTHY]: Say something intelligent.
[ She’s taken aback at the weapon, her chest almost barely missing contact with it. ]
[???]: …Three cubed equals nine?
[DOROTHY]: ...Okay, so it’s not the Simulation Room either. Great. That’s all my existing options exhausted.
[ She gets a good look at the new face… well, it was actually the hat that drew her attention first and foremost. Whoever this was, the hat gave it away: she was a witch. But she didn’t seem to be aligned with the Winkies; they wouldn’t allow the kind of individualism this witch was displaying. ]
[???]: I meant to say twenty-seven.
[DOROTHY]: You mind telling me where I’m vacationing, or are you just gonna keep listing off numbers?
[???]: I’m not good enough at math to really do that- okay, sorry, no, let me get you up to speed. [ ahem ] You’re in the Great Lilac! One of the big pocket dimensions at the edge of time and space, away from all’a life’s stressors. At least, I thought it was that. Now there’s all these weird guys comin’ in- Oh, wait, that insinuates you're one of the weird guys, which I wouldn’t agree with, since you seem-
[DOROTHY]: You’re talking really fast.
[???]: There’s a sword pointed at my chest, do you want me to go slower?
[DOROTHY]: Just tell me who you are and why I’m here already.
[WICKE]: Alright, fine! Name’s Wicke; Wicke Daemona West.
[WICKE]: [ She appears a little confused. ] …I can’t tell you why you’re here, though. Genuinely got no idea on that.
[DOROTHY]: …Wow. You’re really on the nose with the name.
[WICKE]: Ma ‘n’ pa liked their wordplay!
[DOROTHY]: You said “weird guys” kept coming in, right? Then how am I here and not back where I usually am?
[WICKE]: Well, FAUX- He’s like, our boss, for reference- FAUX said that people like you come in through holes in the Lilac’s weird dimensional walls now. It’s a long story, but he’s pretty strict about who enters.
[DOROTHY]: Oh, great. So now if your boss finds out I’m here, what’s gonna happen?
[WICKE]: …Possibly being turned into atoms and put in a jar?
[DOROTHY]: Thanks for answering. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to be finding my way back.
[ She draws the Galebringer back and begins to turn around, beginning a trek between the lilac trees. ]
[DOROTHY]: (They couldn’t have sent me anywhere else? I’ve always wanted to go to the mountains...)
[WICKE]: Wait! I-I didn’t even catch your name!
[DOROTHY]: Don’t gotta tell you.
[WICKE]: You had a sword raised at my heart, I think you at least owe me a little small talk.
[DOROTHY]: …Dorothy. Dorothy Gale. Now please leave me alone-
[WICKE]: OHH, NO WAY! Like from the Wizard of Oz?
[DOROTHY]: From Kansas, yes. Saying I’m from Oz is like saying a parasite comes from the body… How do you know about Oz?
[WICKE]: The story is pretty popular! It’s got, like, a lot of movies about it! Everyone knows about it, you’re a pretty big name in literature!
[WICKE]: [ It fully registered for her. ] Ohhhh, that’s why you wanted to-
[DOROTHY]: Yeah, and I’m still not sure if you’re trying to trick me like everyone else has. Now, please let me find a way out of the Lilac before I commit.
[WICKE]: …Thing is, I don’t think there’s a way out naturally. FAUX’s gotta authorize that, and he’s been pretty cranky recently. Hasn’t really been… talkative in the past week or so. You’d probably just hit a wall otherwise.
[DOROTHY]: So you’re saying I’m stuck here.
[WICKE]: Well, no, I can probably work something out-
[DOROTHY]: You use magic. What’s stopping you from leaving, or conjuring up a portal for anyone else here to go home?
[WICKE]: Magic is proportional to strength and experience, and I’m pretty spindle-thin myself. Not that I’m a novice! But it’d take way too much out of me to warp reality like that.
[WICKE]: …Look, I know you don’t got reason to trust me, but I *do* wanna help. Honestly. I don’t like seein’ people all worked up, and the sooner I can ease your worries, the better.
[WICKE]: Here, just- describe how you’re feelin’ right now!
[DOROTHY]: (...Is she really about to…?)
[ …She’s not gonna get anywhere by herself on this. Fine. ]
[DOROTHY]: Tired. Anxious. Not really in the mood for whatever’s going on in this place.
[WICKE]: I totally get it, I do. It’s really rough out there, but the Lilac can be sort of a safe space. We’ve got amenities ‘n’ custom rooms, I could… I dunno, cast an invisibility spell. You could sneak in.
[DOROTHY]: Seems convoluted. One misstep and my cover’s blown, then I’m… “turned to atoms,” or whatever it is you said.
[DOROTHY]: …I guess I’m a little hungry, too.
[WICKE]: Oh! I can help with that, easy! There’s a mall a little ways from here with a ton of places to shop and eat, and it’s all free here! We can nab anything you’d want.
[DOROTHY]: What’s a mall?
[WICKE]: (…Oh, right.)
[WICKE]: It-It’s like a bunch of stores put in a big box. I can show you more in-depth if we go together. I’ll lead the way, how about?
[DOROTHY]: I’d prefer you walk ahead of me anyways. Gotta be sure this “mall” of yours is real.
[WICKE]: Please, I couldn’t make up a Clark’s Sports ‘n’ Shirts if I tried!
[ The two begin to trek down the lavender lead road together, WICKE eagerly explaining all of the intricacies of the Lilac to DOROTHY as they went along. ]