[IC] Divine Hijinks

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive turned to the door when she heard a knock, leaning a bit so she could see outside the window. It would appear some parents were beginning to arrive already, judging by the stroller. That was a huge relief. She picked up baby Parael and carried him with her to the door. She tried to put on a friendly smile as she opened the door to greet the two women. "Greetings, who are thy picking up?" She asked politely while on the inside she was ready to throw any toddler at them.

The two women glanced at each other in confusion at her language before the one with the stroller answered, "We're here to pick up Estelle. Where is Parry?"

"Estelle?" Rikive repeated with wide eyes as relief rushed over her. "Oh thank the Nine Worlds thou art here."

"Is something wrong?" The other woman asked, panic flashing in her eyes.

"No, no!" Rikive assured her. "Estelle is well. She's still sleeping. But, um," She stepped further out onto the porch and held out Parael to them. "She has turned Parael into an infant. Could one of thee change him back into an adult?" Rikive really needed to know what the situation involving the severed head upstairs was.

[Trinais]

Parry waved at the ladies with a pudgy hand while Carolyn stepped around Rikive to find Estelle. Fiona leaned in closer to Parry, staring into the toddler's eyes. Parry stared back, not sure what to do or how to interpret Fiona's scrutiny.

"I'm not getting anything malevolent coming off of him in terms of magic," Fiona said, stepping back into the front doorway. "And whatever did this, it isn't a witch charm. It's... binding. Tight. Like a snake squeezing the life out of him. Or in this case, the age."

Wait. This is gonna be fucking permanent?

That set Parry off crying again, long and loud shrieks that he shocked himself with.

"I'm an Earth Witch," Carolyn said over the crying Parry. "And we don't have any spells or charms that could do this. But it's similar to some things we can do. How did this happen?

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive settled Parael against her chest and started to rock him to try and quiet his shrieking cries. "There was an incident with a berry bush and while Parael and I were occupied with it, Estelle went upstairs. When I went to get her she was touching a sword Parael owns. Parael turned into this after touching his blade, my theory is she did something to it." She took a step back and motioned to the stairs. "I don't wish to trouble thou, but maybe thou can look at the sword?"

Rikive rubbed Parael's back to help soothe him. It felt odd to take care of and treat him like an infant when she knew his real form was that of an adult. "Maybe be careful not to touch it, in case it can turn anyone that wields it into an infant." She was about to return to the playroom when she remembered the metal box sitting on the upstairs kitchen counter. "I better show thou where it is." And hide that box so they doesn't ask questions.

Questions she couldn't begin to answer but would probably concern a parent.

"Could one of thou watch the children for a few moments while I show the other the sword?" She was fast, she could make it upstairs, hide the metal box and clean up the blood hopefully before the women could see it.

[Trinais]

Carolyn nodded, already heading up the stairs.

Fiona had hoisted the napping Estelle into the stroller and said "I'll watch things down here. You go take care of business."

Upstairs, Carolyn made a beeline for Parry's bedroom- he'd had the witches over for wine and Game of Thrones parties more than once, and those always devolved into tipsy fashion shows in his bedroom. Parry had a few swords hanging from the walls but there was only one in a spot where Estelle could grab it. An old, beat up iron blade. Nothing very special on first glance, but it was extremely old.

She leaned over the blade on the laundry pile, careful not to touch it while she reached into her own child's supply bag. Carolyn removed a canister of baby powder, sprinkled a small pile in her hand, and poured it over the blade.

Bingo.

"I've got something," Carolyn said. "There's a runic inscription here. It looks..." Carolyn extended an arm and picked up the sword.

And nothing happened.

"Yep. This is a targeted curse charm. Kind of like a voodoo doll. It has to be inscribed on a very personal item to take effect. But this isn't witch magic. Estelle wouldn't be able to do this sort of charm on her own. I'd never be able to do it- or permanently undo it." Carolyn had to guess that was Rikive's next question, but she did hold up a hand. "I can whip up a growth potion real quick. Maybe get him to a talking age. But that'll only last for a few hours and if anything, it'll speed up his transition to an, ah, permanently young state."

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive grimaced as the witch explained to her what she found. She looked down at Parael still in her arms and chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. "I don't think we should use the potion. It may allow him to speak for a few hours, but I don't want to accelerate this becoming permanent." She said with a sigh, walking over to the bed to sit down.

"Estelle was the only one to touch the sword before Parael. Before he became this, neither of us sensed anything malevolent in the house." She said, distractedly holding Parael's chubby little hand between her fingers. "Is it possible...someone or something took possession of her?" Rikive asked hesitantly, not wanting to panic the mother. "She has been sleeping for a long time, as though something completely drained her."

Rikive looked down at the sword and her frown nearly turned into a scowl. What a lovely mess this all turned out to be. She wanted nothing more than to kill the being responsible for it. "I don't have a great deal of knowledge about magic and spells. Forgive me for asking this, but if something used Estelle to do this, is there anyway to track it's magic back to the source using her?"

[Trinais]

Carolyn had to rub her temples in thought as Rikive asked about possession. Something taking direct control of her daughter Estelle was something she did not want to think about- ever.

"If you're sure that you sensed nothing malevolent, then possession would be impossible. That's a demonic magic in nature- taking over the soul of another person is a line no magic user would cross. But..." Carolyn paused, considering her next words very carefully. "Possession of the soul isn't likely. And entrance into the house isn't likely either. I know how well Parry keeps this place secured. That's why all of us bring our kids here. But... there's indirect possession. Like a ghost moving objects around."

Parry frowned at Carolyn and tilted his head to the side.

What- astral projection?

"If it wasn't a ghost, then someone may have forced Estelle to interact with the sword with their spirit. Like when I have to pull her out of a toy store because she wants a doll. There are a dozen sorcerers in the city that could pull off a trick like that- and I don't recognize the run on the blade at all."

Parry, on the other hand, did get a good look when Rikive started playing with the sword in her own hands.

What he saw made him red faced with anger, fidgety as a trapped puppy, and babbling like a mad man.

That two-timing, snot nosed, clip winged, earthbound BITCH!

The symbol, a seven-petaled flower ringed in crudely drawn thorns wasn't a well-known sigil in the city. After all, few people were in Camden when the Fairy Queen had risen to power 200 years ago...

Makes sense! She didn't show up to my baby shower that I threw for her! Then she crashes it with humans! Then tries to kill me! Then does this to me!

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive set down the sword when Parael started to throw a fit. "Calm thy self Parael! I promise I will find out how to turn thou back to normal." She said, trying to rub his back to calm him back down long enough that she wouldn't have to yell over his crying and screaming. She frowned down at the ruin on the blade, staring at it before laying Parael down on the bed.

She hunted around the room until she found a note pad and a pencil so she could draw the ruin. Just to make sure she didn't forget it and she had something to work with. "How long until this becomes permanent?" She asked, tearing off the paper and folding it up to stick into her back pocket.

[Trinais]

Parry stopped his fussing for the moment, especially when Rikive started to make the the sketch drawing of the Fairy Queen's old sigil. At least he knew she meant business- plus she probably didn't relish the idea of changing angel diapers for the foreseeable future.

"It's hard for me to tell," Carolyn said, looking over the trace pattern on the notepad. "I know what it is, but I don't know who it's from. How powerful and old they are would affect how fast the charm becomes permanent. But they'd have to be super old and super powerful, so I'd say within two days or by sunrise if I made the 'age-up' potion."

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive pressed her lips together into a thin line, glaring down at the sword as she thought. She didn't think Parael should take the potion if it meant that this form would become permanent faster. She didn't know how long it would take to figure out who had done this to Parael. Asking him would certainly make this easier though.

She blinked away her scowl and held up her finger. "I'll return in a moment." She said as she quickly left the room. She went back downstairs and hunted around for the Y and N blocks. After trying to bargain with a few toddlers she finally had them in hand and ascended the stairs. "This is how I've been asking him questions." She explained when she returned to the bedroom, holding up the blocks.

Rikive set the blocks down in front of Parael and pulled out the paper to show him the symbol more clearly. "Parael, doth thou know who this symbol belongs to?"

[Trinais]

Carolyn had no problem watching Parry for the few moments Rikive was gone. And when she got back, she couldn't help but smile at what Rikive held in her hand. Both the genius of it and the appropriate look.

Parry was relieved to see what Rikive brought up with her too. He was beginning to despair that he'd be doomed to live out his last days as a thinking adult with this much body fate. More importantly, he couldn't wait for the charm to become permanent. de Lacy was going to come by for his tithe before sunrise- he'd already snagged one immortal and he couldn't let him get his claws into Rikive. Heimdall would throw a fit and Rikive might just draw her sword on the master vamp in a misunderstanding.

He went full on "I-want-it" mode when Rikive set down the 'Y' block, crawling for it as fast as his pudgy arms and legs could move him. The little cherub Celestial raised the 'Y' block in both hands like an athlete holding a trophy- then shoved it in his mouth, and Carolyn had to chuckle.

"That answers that!"

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive nodded, folding her arms over her chest and staring down at Parael while he chewed on the block. "We can't waste time playing a guessing game to try and figure out who this symbol belongs too." She looked up at Carolyn with a frown twisting the corners of her lips. "If he knows who it belongs to then, thou should make that aging potion. If thou art sure that it will allow him to speak and tell us who did this. Then I can go have a word with them."

With her sword pointed at their head.

[Trinais]

Carolyn didn't waste much time after Rikive's go ahead.

"I'll need to use your kitchen," she said, dusting off her mom jeans as she stood. Thankfully she meant the downstairs kitchen.

Fiona was keeping order as best she could with all the kids but she kept rocking Estelle back and forth. Her face was getting more and more worried with every passing minute when her daughter wouldn't be her usual energetic self.

Carolyn escorted her wife into the kitchen with Rikive and Parry, then gave her the lowdown on what was going to happen while popping open her own side bag and removing small bottles of ingredients.

"We'll need sea salt, some grass clippings, a- well, I won't say what that is out loud. Parry wouldn't like it. Anyway, on down the list..."

-------------------------------

Thankfully, impossibly, Carolyn and Fiona had all the ingredients but one between them. The missing last ingredient troubled Fiona but Carolyn had to dismiss her concerns.

"I'm really not comfortable with only mixing this halfway."

Carolyn dumped the sea salt into the kitchen blender.

"It can't really be helped, hon. We aren't going to get a dragon scale here in the city. Those are special order only. This'll bring him up to talking age, just not to four years old."

Fiona nodded but frowned, reaching into her pocket with Estelle balanced on her shoulder. "Maybe. I just hope it'll work at all- ah, here we go." Fiona removed her own smartphone, focused it on Parry in his high chair, and started snapping pictures.

"If you don't think it'll work, why are you taking pictures?"

"I have faith in you, dear- and I want some blackmail." She stuck out her tongue at Parry. "Just in case! But Rikive, you're going to have a fun time. Whoever put this hex on Parry has to remove it of their own free will. Depending on who wants to humiliate Parry like this, it may be a bit of a task..."

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive nodded in understanding, lean behind Fiona to see what she was doing. She jumped a bit seeing her use the rectangle to capture snipbits of Parael. Was this part of the spell? Shaking her head she stepped away to let the witches do what they would. She would never understand the mystery that was that black rectangle.

"Do not worry about me, I can be very persuasive." She said, walking around the kitchen while cracking her knuckles. "I just need to know who and where to find them." She stopped pacing and frowned over at Estelle's sleeping face. "Is she going to be alright? She's been sleeping for such a long time. Did drawing the charm just drain her?" She knew that whenever she used a great deal of her magic, she would fall into a fairly deep sleep until it replenished itself.

[Trinais]

Fiona put her phone away, satisfied with the blackmail photos she'd gained.

This isn't fair! Now the NSA has pictures of me being fat too!

"Estelle is fine," Carolyn said with confidence. "Mostly just pooped. Whatever used her to make the charm just left her super tired. Like she drank a whole bottle of cola and crashed right after."

"Without the mess," Fiona added.

Carolyn nodded. "We'll keep an eye on her but I think it'll just give me and Fiona a quiet afternoon together."

"Like going to the Bahamas," Fiona laughed, stepping out of the kitchen to watch the rest of the children. "Whatever will we do with free time?"

Carolyn started up the blender. "I can feel the sun and surf already!"

Parry ignored the flirtatious banter, his eyes focused on the blue concoction in the blender, rapidly turning from a mass of disparate solids into a liquid. The wolf pups in the other room started barking up a storm in response to the sudden noise.

At least it isn't green, he thought. Potions are always green. Why can't witches make them look like margaritas? A little tequila in there wouldn't hurt.

Carolyn shut the blender down and reached into Estelle's bag, removed a clean bottle, and poured the potion in before screwing the top back on.

"I've got more experience with this thing," she said, shaking the bottle furiously in one hand, reaching for Parry with the other. "If you'll allow me?"

[KuroTenshi]

While the witch fed Parael the potion Rikive went back into the playroom to look after the children. The puppies all crowded around her feet, obviously wanting the special attention she had been giving them before. Unfortunately she couldn't as she had to stop one of the fae girls from drawing on the wall.

More parents began to arrive to pick up their children, each one shoot her a confused look and asking where Parael was. Deciding not to involve anymore concerned parents she just said he stepped out for a quick errand. A few asked or rather demanded to know who she was and she just gave them the excuse Parael had told her to.

Honestly the half troll part of the lie gained her a lot of strange looks.

With less children to watch and things starting to settle down, Rikive returned to the kitchen to see how the potion was taking effect.

[Trinais]

"You thought it was going to taste like ass, didn't you?"

Carolyn chuckled as Parry kept slurping down what was in the bottle as fast as he could get it in his mouth and get it down. The potion had no visible effect on Parry but that would take time.

You can't blame me for that. All witch potions are supposed to taste like ass- which I have legitimately tasted. It's not so bad if you do it right.

"It doesn't make sense though. We have to make potions for half of our magic. If they all tasted like mashed goose liver, we wouldn't be able to do magic."

Parry drained the bottle in minutes, stretched out his arms, and waited. And waited. Waited some more. Listened as one by one the kids got picked up.

Any minute now. Aaaaaaaaany minute.

The two of them waited in the kitchen for what felt like an eternity with no sign of anything changing about Parry. Carolyn was afraid the lack of a dragon scale was probably to blame, but the main components were all in there. The dragon scale was supposed to be the ignition for the potion to set the effect off. Without it the potion would work on a slow burn, taking days to age him up- unless she could kick start the potion manually.

Carolyn ran her fingers through Parry's trace of golden hair a wicked smile coming across her lips.

"Listen- after this whole mess and you putting my daughter in mortal danger, I'm gonna say we get three months of tuition for free." Parry just looked at the woman, strapped in the high chair as he was, and pitched the empty bottle over the side of the tray. "And also? I want a look inside your wardrobe. Anything I want is mine- or Fiona leaks the pictures she took."

Parry's face turned white as a sheet, then beet red. Carolyn could swear she could hear a rumbling coming from Parry's stomach- like a distant earthquake.

"If you're about to poop yourself and I have to change you, then we're taking video and posting it all over YouTube."

The rumbling in Parry's stomach intensified, his eyes squinting shut as he groaned or growled- probably both, Carolyn thought. She didn't take any chances, swiftly unbuckling Parry's seatbelt and reaching for his onesie snaps when Parry opened his mouth and let out an ear splitting belch that sent Fiona falling onto the linoleum floor and the blender on the counter toppling into the kitchen sink.

In Carolyn's experience, trolls had better manners.

When her hearing came back, Carolyn lifted herself from the floor and looked up at the high chair.

Parry had grown- not by much, but it was noticeable. His onesie was ripped in half at the waist, his hair had turned into shoulder length golden lockes, and his diaper clung tightly around his waist, looking ready to burst open if he breathed in too much air.

"Bitch, no one touches my clothes!"

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive blinked as she entered into the kitchen, the belch echoing in her ears. She saw one of the witches on the floor, Parael grown up enough to where he could clearly talk and amazingly, Estelle slept through it all. "Ah, so the potion worked." She said, striding into the kitchen to the high chair.

Parael looked like he was about to throw a tantrum big enough to put all the ones she had seen today to shame. She reached out to remove the remains of his onesie so the tightness of the remaining straps of fabric would hurt him. "Parael, thou needs to focus on me." She told him firmly, tossing aside the scraps of cloth.

She crouched down a bit more to his eye level so their eyes would lock. "We do not have a lot of time now. Remember what Carolyn said, this potion will speed up the chances of thine infant form becoming permanent. Tell me, who put this hex on you and where I can find them so I can convince them, to change you back."

She had two ideas how to do so; one involved her bag of gold and the other her sword. She'd try the gold first and if that didn't help, then Winterthorn was sure to do the trick.

[Trinais]

Parry was ready to tell Rikive all the reason why nobody threatened his wardrobe- and why even the threat of blackmail held no power when it came to his clothes. Then there was the idea that his previous form of a babbling, piddling child became permanent. Then there was de Lacy showing up at dawn to get his pint of blood.

So yeah, priorities.

"It wash the fairy queen!" Parry said, wriggling to get out of the remains of the onesie. "She didn't show at the pawty I threw for her, she probably got the humans to crash it. The symbol is hers. I don't know why she's doing this though!"

His less-chubby-but-still-chubby hands ran through his unruly, curly hair in frustration.

"She's in the central park. That's where the fairy kingdom is."

Carolyn had recovered from Parry's cursing and successfully beat her urge to wash the toddler Parry's mouth out with soap. She had her own two cents to add.

"It's not so easy to get to the fairy court," she said. "Even de Lacy doesn't have a whole lot of control over them. You have to be invited in to get through the Hedgerows."

[KuroTenshi]

Rikive frowned at the information, running her hand through her hair and trying to think. Even her relatives were wary of the Fae and their courts. Now alone she would have to go speak to the Queen of the court and try to convince her to turn Parael back into his adult form.

"How do I contact her and secure an invitation?" She asked the witches. She knew Parael had told her not to tell anyone, but if she told the Fairy Queen who she really was; it may interest her enough to let her in to see her. Then she could speak with her, offer her gold or threaten her with Winterthorn.

Something, anything to turn Parael back to normal because she was not ready to turn into a mother figure for an adult trapped in a childs body.

[Trinais]

"You don't," Carolyn said, gnawing on her bottom lip. "She invites you."

"Naw always!" Parry pointed to the kitchen door. "If you bring something she wants, she'll let you in. And if she wanted to do this to me, she might want something."

It was a long and dangerous shot. Going into Faerie was always dangerous- they'd be like flies zipping into a spiderweb. The queen could keep the two of them from leaving if she wanted, to say nothing of eating, drinking, or giving thanks to anyone. The other option was to petition the queen and hope she would break the spell without anything in return. But there wasn't much of any choice.

The queen was willing to go to these lengths to embarrass Parry. She wouldn't lift the spell unless Parry went before her and begged to be released from her curse- the baby lisp and wet diaper was just icing on the cake.

"We gotta go Riki," Parry said. "There's a door to faiwy under the city park pond!"