TTW - 22 (Patreon)

As Esmerelda awoke, she saw her visage was even more flamboyant than before.

I look like a cartoon, Esmerelda thought. Her hair was in an enormous beehive with jewels worked in and around them. Her lashes extended inches from her eyes, and her makeup…well, it was so over the top and overdone, she felt embarrased.

"Thank you, my darlingzzz," she said, smiling at her image in the mirror.

"Do you like?" the elf asked.

"Of coarse, I love eet! Ze bigger ze better!"

"Whew, we were a little worried."

"I will 'ave to be careful in doorwayz!" She said smiling.

Agatha looked at her as she passed by. "Perhaps we should talk some more—"

"Non!" Esmerelda said, holding up a finger with an extended rainbow nail at the tip. "I weel not do zis thing. It iz an…how you say…Abominable?"

Agatha nodded, looking concerned. "You are already Esmerelda—"

"Yezzz, but underneat all of zis?" she put her hands to her stupendous hair. "I am still Lydia! And I love my 'usband! I weel not change the person I am, no matter the issue!"

Agatha nodded, her face pursing in a matter like she at a lemon.

Esmerelda didn't want to speak about it anymore. She already looked like a buffoon, already a cartoon witch from a children's story. She wanted to go home, take off all this crap, and snuggle on the sofa with Thomas. She could feel the weight of the geas pushing her desire to study, to learn more about the magical world, but right now she wanted not to think of horrible nightmares, not to thing about Crawling Chaos, or Witches, or body swapping wood nymphs. She wanted a normal afternoon, with her husband, on the courch, watching whatever they could get their hands on.

And popcorn. Lost of popcorn.

And maybe wine. She wondered if they'd gotten around to selling it by the box here, or if she had to drink the standard high-quality fare they seemed to have. Lydia didn't want highbrow wine, she wanted a box of wine that would get her pleasantly sloshed as she watched a movie with her husband, and maybe he would feel amorous enough to have sex.

Not that anyone would want to have sex with this cartoon, she thought as she patted her hair in a nearby mirror.

It was a rare bright day in Willowbrook, and Esmerelda decided to enjoy the walk. She passed by the TreeMother, and saw Joe standing near a root, looking forlorn.

"'Bon Jour," Esmerelda waved. She didn't want to speak to anyone, but no sense being rude.

The wood nymph waved back, still looking sad.

Esmerelda sighed, rolling her eyes. She didn't want to know what would make a wood nymph sad. Probably wants my husband's body. She stopped. "What is wrong? You look az if your doll was taken a-way."

"No concern of yours." The wood nymph said, then sat on the bench overlooking the lapping waters of the bay.

Esmerelda still felt slightly guilty about holding Joe inside Thomas upside down until he confessed. She didn't like to use magic in a punishing way.

Esmerelda sat next to the nymph. "I did want to zay I am zorry for using ze magic to detain you when you were in my 'usbands body."

She shrugged perfect shoulders. "Okay."

"Do you wish to speak about whatever iz troubling you?"

The nymph looked at Esmerelda. If she were going to be attracted to women, the nymph would come the closest to being someone both Esmerelda and Lydia pursued. She had delightful green eyes, a perfectly sculpted nose, thin brows, set in a face that looked crafted from porceline. Her sunkissed skin had no blemished, and looked creamy and smooth with an inner light.

"If you hadn't…stopped me…I would have stolen Thomas's body."

Esmerelda nodded. "That iz why I held you upzide down." She laughed.

The nymph didn't smile, just looked away.

"I know you are un-'appy. I am zorry."

"At least you get to go home to your husband," Joe said. "All I get is to sit here all day, every day, and stare out into the ocean."

"I thought nymphs 'ad lotz of ze sex and whatnot?"

"I told Agatha I would be faithful."

Esmerelda rolled her eyes. It was one thing to be faithful in a partnership where both partners were fully committed. Another entirely when one partner was a completely different magical species.

"It muzt be unbearable." Esmerelda said. "I am zorry."

"You have no idea."

"I 'ave zome," she said touching her hair. "I look like a cartoon character of a witch. And I am now fifty yearz older than my 'usband. I think I 'ave zome inkling of what you might be going through."

"It's my birthday today too." She stood up, walking toward the Tree. "Oh well. Say hi to Thomas for me."

"I know what you are doing," Esmerelda said, standing up. "It will not work."

Joe shrugged, then stepped back into the trunk of the TreeMother.

Esmerelda continued her walk home, fuming at the wood nymph. Who's to say she wouldn't try to steal his body again if given the 'vacation?' No, not today. Not after what happened last night. No body vacations soon for anyone.

Esmerelda made it home. Her feet and legs felt shaky and weak. Drinking some water, she felt a bit better. She decided to surprise her husband out in his shed. She could hear the saw going as he worked on whatever project.

She went out into the shed, and found him working hard on a project. He didn't hear her come in.

"Bon Jour, my 'usband."

Thomas looked up at her, then his eyes went wide. "Wow, that's quite the extreme—"

She went to him, kissing him softly. "I know. We had a meeting, and I got angry, and left. I am going to go inside and take all zis off, and take a shower. Then I want to zit with you on ze zofa, and watch Netflix and chill."

"Uh," he scratched his head. "We don't have netflix."

"Whatever, then, I do not care what we watch. I just want to zpend zome alone time with you, and not think about body-stealing woodnymphs, or identity thieving witches."

"That bad huh?"

She touched her enormous beehive. "I look like a cartoon character."

Thomas took her in his arms, kissing her neck. "Yes, but you're my cartoon character."

"I am yourz, and only yourz." She pressed her forhead to his, and they kissed again.

"That is a lot of lipstick," Thomas said.

She sighed. "I know, and I am zick to death of all of zis! I sound like a french maid, dress like a cartoon, and pleaze can we sit and snuggle on ze couch?"

"Of course honey," he smiled.

"Ze coven will be coming here later tonight to help deal with ze whatever it iz downstairz. Until then I want to be with you. Yez?"

"Yes," he kissed her nose.

"I go to shower. Can you fix zome lunch, my darling?"

"Of course, babe," he took out a towel, and brushed off his hands.

"Okay, meet you in the living room, my darling."

Thomas smiled. "I'm really glad we're doing this. We need some us time."

"Exactemoi" Esmerelda said, smiling, then went back into the house.