Augmented Aspects: Epilogue VI (Patreon)

Epilogue VI

Fwoosh.

Dr. Cassiopia Spiritlight appeared in a flash of light, right in Mallory’s office. For her part Mallory was not alone, as she was already speaking to Gwendolyn, Jhonny, and a very bedraggled Penelope who had an assortment of clothes pins, needles, threads, and measuring tape draped over her in various ways.

Cass upon seeing everyone in the office began.

“Oh good, fancy meeting you all here for our monthly challenge game of who can be the last person to lose the mannequin challenge.” Cass says, pointing to everyone and getting them all to focus on her and her sudden floating appearance in the oversized office.

“The mannequin what now?” Penelope asks, clearly confused.

Everyone else turned to Cass, and seemed to take a moment to look at her, the topic of their conversation already dying down on their lips.

“Oh, is it already time for us to do the monthly mannequin challenge?” Jhonny asks, his voice overly drawn out as if remembering the odd event.

“Yep, don’t worry Penelope, since you are new we will tell you the rules.” Cass said, cutting off the look of confusion from the tailor’s face.

“Okay?” Penelope stated, still clearly too tired to make any sense of what was happening before her.

“This is the mannequin challenge right, the one where we just have to stay completely still, not say anything, or blink until time is called right?” Jhonny pressed, apparently catching onto something.

“You know you are my favorite for a reason.” Cass said, allowing a slight smile to crest her lips.

Only now that Cass let a slight smile form on her otherwise calm face did Mallory start to grow concerned. It was clear that from just looking at the good doctor that something was clearly off.

“Oh, it’s that important that we have this mannequin challenge right now?” Mallory pressed, her words probing as she tried to understand if something else had happened. Well other than Cass causing another worldwide announcement and likely causing even more trouble.

“Yep, afraid so. For the next two minutes we need to give this everything we’ve got.” Cass said.

“Two minutes?”

“Yep, just two minutes and we are done with this challenge.” Cass said.

“Okay.” Mallory replied.

“On three.” Cass said, pointing to everyone. “Everyone take in a deep breath, good hold it, and three.”

Glitch.

A faint static line flickered across the screen, the same way that an old VHS tape might pause and occasionally wrinkle the image being shown while the video being presented was momentarily paused while people used the restroom.

Everyone was perfectly still.

Dr. Cassiopia Spiritlight had her hands out making finger guns pointing to both Mallory and Jhonny.

Gwendolyn who had been quite the entire time just sat with her feet up in Mallory’s lap, her hands resting over her very pregnant stomach. Meanwhile Mallory looked shocked, while Penelope looked like she was about to fall over from her odd angle and how tired she appeared.

Yet, despite everything, the four of them all remained perfectly still.

Cutting scenes outside revealed Vickard and Melkin both standing guard outside the giant soundproof door that lead to Mallory’s office. Only a slight shifting of Melkin’s bodyweight going forward every so often was the only sign that these two were not partaking in the mannequin challenge.

Then at exactly two minutes and one second, the scene inside Mallory’s office burst to life with sudden shouting overtop of each other.

“That can’t be.” Gwendolyn shouted, her body suddenly moving as her feet were somehow firmly planted on the ground, but she was not out of her seat.

Mallory was apparently pacing in some type of thinking gesture, while Jhonny was bent over helping Penelope find her lost sewing needles on the ground. Or at least she was trying to, when Cass just waved a hand and found the needles despite being on the other end of the room, and seemed to pick them up effortlessly with her Telekinesis.

“Oh look at that, I won!” Cass said, her words shocking everyone who suddenly looked lost, as if they were all trying to remember what they had been doing a moment ago.

“Won?”

“Yeah, the mannequin challenge.” Cass said.

“Right, cause that’s what’s important now.” Mallory stated.

“That’s because you don’t blink, can pixies even blink?” Gwendlyn said, apparently trying to keep the farce that they were in fact playing the mannequin challenge.

“What? I blink all the time.” Cass said.

“No, you don’t.” Jhonny said, snatching the floating sewing pin from the air and handing it to a very thankful Penelope.

“Sure I do, otherwise my tears would water from being too dry.” Cass replied.

“I thought pixies only cried when lovers touch inappropriately.” Gwen said, her voice mocking.

“BLEH, that’s how you get pregnant before your mother.” Cass said, obviously disgusted by the sudden turn of subjects.

Gwen raised a finger to argue, but then seemed to rethink her statement.

“I thought pixies only cried when you didn’t believe in them?” Jhonny asked.

“I don’t care about your beliefs,” Cass replied.

“Oh, I always liked the ones where they came and fixed all your shoes.” Penelope said, placing her last missing magical sewing needle behind her ear for safety, and then apparently choosing that moment to interject.

“Leave it to the tailor to find the most oppressive story of my people,” Cass said. Then seeming to get offended, she gave a quick shake of her head and responded. “You know, I don’t need this, I’m out.”

Mallory who had been pacing to this point suddenly stopped and gave a wave, but then suddenly shook herself as she realized something. Then desperately before Cass could act, Mallory shouted “WAIT!”

Cass who had been a microsecond away from Teleporting out twitched in shock, and then paused to turn to Mallory.

“What?” Cass asked, a note of exasperation in her voice.

“What are you going to do exactly?” Mallory asked.

“Just a few quest turn ins.” Cass noted.

“That’s it? Quest turn ins?”

“Yeah.”

Mallory paused for a moment, before her eyes glazed over as she seemed to read something. Then she responded, “what quests?”

“Oh, I have a delivery quest, and one where I need to speak to someone.” Cass responded.

Mallory paused, as she looked from whatever was drawing her gaze to Cass.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Cass said, holding up her right hand as if swearing the truth.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Mallory asked.

“Probably because you aren’t that trusting?” Cass said, her voice questioning as if trying to come up with the reason why Mallory wouldn’t trust her.

Mallory just paused, then seemed to exhale.

“Fine, you can go, but don’t do anything too crazy.” Mallory stated.

“No promises.” Cass said, before she was gone in a puff of smoke.

Poof.

Seeing the residue of magic left in the air, Mallory could only pause as she stared at the now empty void and wonder if this was really the right decision to make after all.