Bigger on the Inside (Zarko)

Elandren bit her lip while the boys discussed the issue of a Druid protection ritual for Hugo. Nobody was laughing, or saying or doing anything cruel. But…what were they thinking? Then, to her astonishment, the scariest person in the room came out in favor of the idea, and Hugo agreed. For a moment, she froze in place, snapped out of it by Kennedy’s yelp. She took a deep breath, then let it out, gathering resolve.

"What happens on Saturiday?" Hugo asked quietly. "People will see this Hannity show. What happens if they come to the drag show and try to ruin it?" Elandren couldn’t help feeling completely out of her depth. Though she had experiences that convinced her there was truth to her Druidry and its magic, it wasn’t as if she could start hurling lightning bolts at mobs of torch-wielding skinhead thugs.

“Didn’t…” Signy began, snagging on the fact that she didn’t know Eva’s mother’s last name. "…Grandmother say that there would be a lot of people on our side? Could we ask them to come out to support the show? Like, counter-protest?



(Sorry, this short post can hardly be worth the wait. I have been researching Druid protection rituals though… J )
 
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(it's totally okay! nice to see you back :))

"You're right," Kennedy said, looking over at Signy. "We have friends. The more of them we can get to show up, the better." She turned to look back at Hugo, who had turned his attention to stroking Ace. "And we won't let anybody ruin the show. That bar is our place, and nobody else is about to ruin it for us."

"I'm sure Sal would come," Switch said. Sal had been the one to each Eva and Switch about drag. He only performed sparingly now, and the group didn't see him as often as they might like to, but they'd always been able to count on him in a crisis. "He'd probably at least be willing to help watch the door. Keep out the people who might be trying to mess things up. And I'm sure Lucy, Lita, and Tommy would come too. Probably in drag if we asked. Hell, I'm sure my bandmates would come. Probably my mom too."

"We have plenty of friends we can ask to come," Jupiter said. "A counter protest is a great idea."

(Sorry mine is so short!)
 
To Signy's relief, it seemed that the grownups and Jupiter had things well in hand, as far as the upcoming drag show was concerned. When she glanced over at Elandren though, she could see that her sister was tense, and deep in thought.

"I'd better go get ready for Hugo's ritual," Elandren said, trying to hide nervousness.

"I'll help," Signy said, following her up the stairs to their room. "I'm sorry. I guess I...shouldn't have volunteered you like that."

"No, it's OK. We should...we should help however we can," Elandren said, gathering her resolve. "I want to. It's just...different with other people."

"I know. But...they're not like other people. You know--other, other people."

Elandren nodded. "I wish I had a proper Druid robe," she said, examining her old dress with pursed lips. I could wash it out in the tub, she thought, but how long would it take to dry? She didn't recall if there'd been a hair dryer in the upstairs bathroom.

"Maybe we could improvise something from the new clothes they gave us?" The girls quickly searched their wardrobes. Each had an array of very nice clothes, especially compared to what they were used to, and they both had to resist the temptation to start trying outfits on. None of the outfits seemed quite right for turning into Druid robes, however. The Ladies couldn't have possibly known of Elandren's practice of Druidry in advance; the girls had made sure to keep their unconventional interests secret from grownups before, especially from their case worker. "Well...there is a whole basement full of costumes and makings downstairs," Signy said. Elandren gave her a wide-eyed look. "Ronan sorta said they'd help with a Druid outfit for the drag show...and this is for Hugo..."

Signy bit her lip. "I don't know..." She retrieved a rag-wrapped bundle from their trash bag of belongings, untied it and unfolded it to reveal its contents: a few raven feathers, an improvised medicine bag stuffed with dried wildflowers, and a small two-prong deer antler with lines of Ogham scratched into its shaft; this last served as both wand and ceremonial sickle. Thankfully, their last foster parents hadn't understood what the items had meant, or they would have made sure to destroy them rather than simply throwing them into the outside garbage can. Elandren recovered them after she and Signy were kicked out of the house. The rag that wrapped the bundle was hand-stitched with Ogham around the edges. For rituals, it became her nemyss headdress, tied on with the old shoelace that doubled as the tie for the bundle.

Laid out on her lovely new bed, the items looked hopelessly inadequate.
 
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The girls vanished upstairs, and after a couple of minutes, Ronan followed after them. The pair were in their bedroom, and Ronan could hear them fretting about the lack of suitable clothing through the cracked doorway. Ronan poked his head through and watched them for a moment before speaking.

"There's plenty in the basement that we can use to make something," he told them as he pushed his way into the room. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the deer antler. "Cool!" he said. He reached out to touch it before stopping and pulling his hand back. "What's that for?"

"There's a bunch of extra stuff in the basement we might be able to make something out of," Ronan suggested. "There's a lot of stuff that Eva and Kennedy picked up from thrift stores but never made anything with. I'm not exactly sure what you need...but I'm sure we could find something."

(I'm sorry it's so short. I was super stuck but wanted to post something.)
 
Both girls jumped at the sound of Ronan’s voice and spun to face him. Neither could detect any malicious intent though, as he came in offering access to the basement’s treasures. Elandren tensed as he started to reach for her antler; if he touched it she would have to re-consecrate it before using it for Hugo’s ritual. To her relief, he pulled back before making contact.

She gathered her courage to explain its purpose, buoyed by the fact that he seemed to think it was ‘cool.’ “It’s…for me, it’s both a wand and a ceremonial sickle,” she said softly, “since I don’t have a sickle.” She picked it up. “The wand is used to concentrate and direct energy, and for things like defining boundaries, like when you draw a circle on the ground to create sacred space. I use the smaller point as the wand tip. In Druid magic, a gold or brass sickle is used to cut unwanted connections, like if someone is draining your energy or hurting you spiritually. So in a ritual you would name the unwanted ‘cord’ and symbolically cut it with the sickle. I use the larger point on the antler for that. Druids also use the sickle for cutting plants, like mistletoe or healing herbs, but my antler doesn’t work for that. I just have to pick or break them, but I symbolically cut them with the antler first.”

“Are…are you sure it would be OK with the Ladies if we use things from your basement?” Signy asked.
 
Ronan listened quietly as Elandren explained the purpose of the antler to him. It was all very interesting to him, even if he didn’t fully understand parts of it. “Cool,” he said softly.

“Trust me,” Ronan reassured. “I’m sure they won’t mind. There’s loads of stuff down there that nobody’s touched in ages. If anything, I’m sure they’d be glad to see some of it finally put to use. It’s basically just the scrap pile at this point. And I want to help. Even though everything I’ve ever made is essentially just held together by scotch tape and a sense of hope.”

The boy turned and headed out the doorway toward the staircase. “Well?” he asked, turning to look back toward the twins. “Are you coming?”