A Careless Mask

[fighting evil by moonlight 455]

 

Source

 

“Excuse me, Miss, what’s your name?”

 

She’d been sitting at the bar for a little over an hour now, sipping from a drink at a leisurely pace.  This was the first time that anyone besides the bartender had made an attempt to talk to her, though.  When her eyes flickered up to see who it was, she was delighted to see that it was an old friend from Vailor.  But wait.  He didn’t know her name?

 

“You don’t recognize me?  It’s Vio--”  Wait.  Her eyes flickered down to her chest.  Finding brunette locks rather than blonde she expected to see, she let out a quick sigh.  Well, no.  It wasn’t Violet.  In fact, it wasn’t any of the faces she usually wore.  By the time she noticed, though, seconds had passed.  Why hadn’t she prepared?  Instead of playing it off coolly, her mind raced to find a name.  “Dandelion.  No, Daffodil.  No, Sunflower.  Uh, Tulip!  Carnation?  No, no, that doesn’t sound right…”

 

By the time she’d run through a garden’s worth of flower-themed names, the man had left, leaving the rambling woman staring at an empty seat.  How long had it been since she’d been cursed?  A century?  If it hadn’t yet be a hundred years, it was certainly close.  She’d been cursed longer than she was ever mortal, she had a coven of her own to take care of, and she was still making the same beginner mistakes.

 

Honestly, there should be a Frost Witch rulebook.  Certainly, she had enough rules of her own.  She could jot a few down to help out younger witches, right?  It wouldn’t hurt to commit them to memory either.  Right away, she started on making a mental list.

 

Always be prepared.  Always have an alibi.  Always have a backstory.  Always have a plan.

 

Surely she wouldn’t always be this lucky.  One day someone would notice, they wouldn’t dismiss her blatant errors for confused rambling.  She’d never been caught in public-- something that she was quite proud of, but it wasn’t always going to be like this.  Eventually, someone will be a little too observant.

 

Never bring a stranger home.  Never reveal what you are. Never forget who you are.  Never forget your true form in a public place.

 

Her breath began to quicken.  Where did the man go?  Was he off to tell a guard?  A group of friends to jump her outside the tavern?  Some part of her knew that she was strong, but there was no harm in worrying.  With ample preparation, she could take on several unarmed men at the same time, but she couldn’t count on them being unprepared.  If they were wearing armor, she’d go for the neck.  That’s what her mother always told her.  If they were holding swords, she’d have to attack from a distance.  If they were mages, well, she’d…

 

“Miss?   Are you alright?”

 

Her eyes snapped up, locking on to the worried gaze of the bartender.

 

“You’ve been mumblin’ there for a while now.  Had too much to drink?”

 

Oh.

 

“Yeah, yeah.  Sorry.  I’ll be going.”  And with that, the nameless woman rose to her feet, tossing a few minas onto the table before she made her way to the door.

[GDPR 014 48]

"My ambition would be my downfall, she said." An arcane creature muses, "By seeking their cure from the curse... I met my downfall - changed into something else."