Authentic Charbroiled Witch

Posted on Sun Aug 11th, 2024 @ 7:22am by Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII

Mission: Into the Qniverse
Location: The Witch's Cottage, in a Magical Forest
Timeline: After 'Candy House For a Starving Mouse'
4054 words - 8.1 OF Standard Post Measure

It had been a few hours since Kevan was captured. While taking a break from hauling water, again, Zade eyed the small stable-converted-prison built into a small hill that Kevan was thrown into, hoping he was alright. For some reason, the self-proclaimed 'witch' that owned the house spared Zade, but only to make the Trill do her bidding, which at the moment consisted of chores around the candy house. First water to clean the floors, then fetching ingredients for her cooking, and now fetching more water. The threat of something happening to Kevan if she didn't obey kept her in line, at least for now. She needed a plan, before the witch decided it was time for her meal.

Zade grunted as she lifted the large bucket of water again, finding a good grip before continuing her trudge back from the well. Every part of her wanted to just go back to the cottage and surprise attack the witch, but until she had an idea of how to escape, it would only hurt them. The candy bracelets were awkwardly bumping the bucket as she hauled it back. They weren't connected to anything, but she found out real fast how they worked, as evidenced by mild chafing at her wrists. She had tested how close she could get to the stables, and how far away she could get from the cottage, before the bracelets literally dragged her backwards. Her plan had to account for that... somehow.

"I'm back," she grumbled, entering the cottage. She put the bucket down on the floor with an annoyed thump, making a little water slosh out onto the floor.

The witch turned from her preparation activities and smiled. "Ah, thank you dear child." Her voice was sweet, though a hint of malice could be found if you pushed past the sugary tone. "Now if you would, get to work cleaning that pan over there. We don't want any dirty leftover bits spoiling my next meal as it bakes."

Zade exuded annoyance as she grabbed the pan in question and walked over to the sink. The pan would make a great tool to bonk the witch upside the head with. As she got to work taking her frustrations out through the sponge, she kept sneaking brief glances around the kitchen, scoping out what she could use as a weapon. Maybe she could wedge something under the bracelets to break them.

An idea popped into her head. Since her back was to the witch, Zade took the opportunity to try and scrub at the bracelets. Hot water dissolved sugar, right? After about a minute of scrubbing, she frowned when her efforts lacked results, and turned her attention back to the pan. Why would the magical bracelets be defeated by something simple like water?? Soon enough, the pan was clean, and Zade brought it back to the witch, setting it on the counter.

"Hmm," the witch inspected the pan closely before looking back at Zade. "Tsk tsk," she waved a demeaning finger. "It seems like you missed a few spots, here and here. It's not your fault really, dear child. The skin tends to stick to the pan sometimes and can be awfully difficult to scrape off, but you seem so capable. I'm sure it'll only take a little more scrubbing." Her lips curled into a cruel smile in total conflict with her body language which mimicked that of a polite grandmother.

Skin??? Zade grimaced involuntarily, not wanting to think about what was on the pan but finding it very difficult to avoid. "My... mistake," she muttered through her teeth. Picking up the pan again, perhaps with mild disgust, she walked back to the sink to clean off the remnants of the witch's last victim. For a moment, she wished she were in Kevan's place, because at least he wasn't aware of this morbid information, let alone handling the evidence.

It’s just burnt sugar... it's just burnt sugar... the Trill tried to convince herself as she scrubbed. It didn't help, the witch's words were fresh in her mind, so she forced herself to press the sponge as hard as she could into the pan. She felt a knot in her stomach as the pan became fully clean, properly clean. Again, she brought it to the witch for inspection.

"Ah, very well! What a good little worker you are," the witch leaned over and squished Zade's cheek between her thumb and finger as if Zade were a small child. "Now if you'll just finish cleaning up the floor around the oven, then I'll finish up the seasoning and then we'll get to the main course." The thought of the boy sitting in the stables made her lick her lips with anticipated delight.

The moment the witch touched her, Zade's hand shot up to grab her wrist, pulling her wrinkly old lady hand away from her face. She already didn't like being touched, and having her cheek pinched in such a demeaning way only fueled her response. She glared at the witch, daring her to try that again.

The witch merely smiled with a slight tilt of her head. There was no need to provoke further, so instead she grabbed the nearby mop and handed it to Zade. "Be a dear and clean up around the oven now. It won't be long before I'm done here with the seasonings. If I could, I'd have loved to put him in a marinade but I'm afraid there just isn't the time."

Zade paused, seeing the underlying malicious intent but not knowing how it would manifest. The apparent lack of time did catch her interest, however, maybe she could use that to her advantage. Letting go of her wrist with an indignant little flick, she grabbed the mop from the witch's free hand.

In the corner, a blackened steel oven sat perched over a crackling fire. As Zade got closer to it, she could feel the heat radiating from it, even from over a meter away. In a small act of defiance, each time she got the mop wet, she intentionally flicked some of the water toward the oven and fire, a brief hiss as the water evaporated filling the air. Each time she did it, the fire would sputter slightly. She'd then let the mop head splat onto the tile, which would splash water out in all directions, before taking her time with mopping. She didn't want to know what she was mopping up, so if she could do it right the first time, she wouldn't have to find out. While mopping, she made sure to always know where the witch was, not trusting her for a second.

"Now dear, I'll need you to be more careful with that water," she snapped her fingers, causing an invisible force to push Zade's wrists together and towards the oven. "Splashing water will cause my oven to go cold. Can't you feel how your carelessness has already reduced the temperature?" A wicked smile flashed on the witches face as she slowly moved her finger in the air causing the bracelets on Zade's hands to press up to the fiery oven.

The sudden lack of control over her hands, or more specifically, her wrists, made Zade gasp, the mop slipping from her grasp. The witch could control the bracelets?! By instinct, she pulled back against them, but could only do so much when their unstoppable force would have meant a much worse fate for her hands. Her eyes went wide when she saw the bracelets charge for the oven, her hands instinctively bracing to catch herself.

If the vocal implant could register the sound of agony that would have ripped itself from Zade's mouth as her hands contacted the oven, Kevan probably would have been able to hear it from the stables outside. Her eyes clamped shut as she tried to pull her hands away from the scorching metal, but the bracelets held fast. The pain forced tears out of her eyes, her teeth feeling like they were going to break if she clenched them any more than she already was.

A quick snap of the witch's fingers caused the control to break, allowing Zade to remove her hands from the scorching oven. "Oh, don't worry dear child. I'll make sure your friend is fast asleep before I put him in there," the malicious smile slipped back onto her face as if nothing sinister had just occurred. "Now back to work, I'm quite hungry you know and I don't want my dinner to be delayed. Just be careful with that water."

The sudden release of control over the bracelets made Zade stumble backwards. She hit the ground, hard, and for a few seconds all she could do was lay there and try to breathe through the pain. The palms of her hands were red with irritation. Closing her hands hurt. Opening her hands hurt. Any movement of her hands hurt. The burning sensation gnawed at her skin without the slightest remorse. Sitting up, she scooted to the mop water, not caring that it was dirty with whatever was on the floor, only caring that it was cool. Relief hit her when she plunged her hands in, the pain reducing to a minimal simmer.

Zade didn't care about when the witch got her dinner. She hoped the old woman would starve. A seething glare followed the witch and her creepy sweetness, though it seemed to do little to deter the witch. Turning her attention back to the water, she slowly pulled her hands out, feeling the lingering heat on them but not nearly as much pain as before. To try and keep her hands cool, she untied her apron and got it wet, wincing as she wrung out the excess liquid into the bucket. Picking up the mop again, she wrapped the wet apron around the handle, tying it in place with the strings.

Not wanting the witch to take control of the bracelets again, the Trill rose to her feet, trying to keep a hold of the mop handle. The apron helped slightly, but holding the mop was painful enough, let alone any pressure needed to move the mop head across the floor. Wiping the tears that escaped her eyes with her sleeve, Zade got the mop wet, a faint hiss the only audible sign of her discomfort. This time, she didn't aim to flick water at the oven, instead placing the mop head cautiously onto the tile. The lesson was learned, and she certainly didn't want a repeat.

About fifteen minutes passed before the witch had finished her seasoning preparations. She carefully combined the various spices into a dish and set it aside along with some oil and a type of wine. The blend had been perfectly seasoned over the years and although this boy was slightly older than most that she consumed, she hoped the spice mix would prove just as savory.

"I'll be back with your friend shortly," the witch flashed a smile at Zade as she positioned the pan next to her seasoning mix. "You've done a wonderful job on the floor so far, just a small corner left. Don't let me be disappointed when I return. I expect the last of the floor to be just as sparkling clean. Then you can help me to prepare the meat!" A small cackle of joy escape from her lips.

Despite the position she was in, Zade still felt the urge to keep the witch from Kevan. Her hands hurt less, more of a dull ache than sharp pain, and she could probably handle a fight if it came down to it. The corner in question was the one closest to the oven, and there was no way in hell she was getting anywhere near there. To buy time, she brought the mop back to the bucket, "accidentally" missing the water and pushing the entire thing over. The water spread across the floor, and Zade was pleased to see that it made its way to the door.

Zade didn't know if the Earth rumors of witches melting in water were true, but she held out hope that they could be.

"Oh, no," the Trill exclaimed, sarcasm heavy in her tone. There would likely be consequences for ruining all of her hard work, but she could handle it. Probably. "How clumsy of me!" Her eyes watched the witch very closely, looking for any sign of retaliation, which fit the tone of her faux concern for the water on the floor. "Let me clean this up, because we wouldn't want any accidents."

Before the witch could respond, Zade hurriedly began to mop, which had the effect of simply pushing water around rather than actually picking it up, and when she was close to the counter she made a show of "slipping" and "accidentally bumping" the bowl of spices with the end of the handle. To her satisfaction, the entire bowl flipped onto the watery tile, turning hours of work into sludge. "Oh, no, I'm so, so sorry," Zade said, her performative concern heavy in her tone.

"You little devil!" The witch's voice was instantly filled with anger to see her hard work destroyed. The once sweet face turned into pure rage with narrowed eyes and if you looked close enough there was surely steam coming from both ears. "How DARE you destroy my hard work!" She snapped her fingers forcing Zade's hands together once more and then flicked a finger, pulling the security officer's whole body into a nearby table and then forcing her arms upward to hang in the sky. Then the witch put her face right up to Zade's "Maybe I should cook you first instead!"

As much as she tried to keep at least one hand on the mop, the bracelets forcing her hands together created enough friction between her hands and the now slightly damp apron that she had to let go. Zade grunted when she hit the table's edge, and next thing she knew she was practically hanging by the bracelets. Her toes were just barely touching the floor. With the witch right in her face, she knew she had to commit to fighting back. The proximity was all she needed.

"I'd like to see you try," Zade responded, matching the stare with one of her own. Having an enemy in her face didn't intimidate her, especially when it was some old lady who didn't fight fair and hid behind her magic. When did bad guys ever fight fair? Leaning back for leverage, she wrapped her legs as tight as she could around the witch's torso to keep her in place before headbutting her.

The witch cried out in pain and attempted to wriggle free of Zade's entrapment with no luck. "Let me go!" She screamed. Luckily her hands were relatively free to move, so she snapped her fingers once more. Small razor sharp pieces of candy broke free from the surrounding walls and shot straight at Zade's body from behind.

"Not until you let us free!" Zade had wrapped her ankles together behind the witch's back, making her grip as strong as possible. She let out a pained gasp when she felt something sharp --multiple somethings, actually-- sting her back. To try and get away from whatever it was, she arched her back, which only served to make it harder to hold onto the witch and did nothing to stop or avoid the new pain. One of the things attacking her grazed her cheek, leaving a thin red line that soon beaded with blood, and as it whizzed away, she could get a look at it. It seemed to be candy that had been shaped into little sharp spears.

Her back was the primary target, but other parts of her weren't spared. Zade felt some of the larger pieces graze her arms, legs, and sides, leaving torn fabric and papercut-like pain in its wake. A particular hit to her side and another to her thigh weakened her hold on the witch. No, she had to hold on. She tried twisting as much as the bracelets would let her, one way and then the other, hoping to either dodge the sharp candy or put the witch in the way of at least some of it. Maybe in doing so, she could break the witch's concentration as well.

The witch managed to slip one arm from Zade's grip and pulled a piece of sharp glazed sugar from Zade's leg. It would be far more satisfying to do the cutting herself. Usually she waited until after the roast to trim the meat, but this little menace needed to be taught a lesson and what better way to teach it than to filet her before she was cooked? Besides, listening to the screams would only add to the enjoyment of eating her later.

The witch lifted the lifted the improvised weapon, preparing to strike. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

Zade's eyes widened as the witch got an arm free, candy shard raised. Moving fast, she swung hard to her left, letting go of the witch, then kicked her away as hard as she could from her position.

Total control was lost, both magical and physical as the witch flew backwards. The kick was more powerful than she'd expected, knocking her back across the room towards the oven. Her shoulder rammed into the hot exterior causing a cry to pain to shoot out.

The second the witch lost her balance, Zade felt herself fall, and reached for the table to catch herself before she had an opportunity to get a face full of the mop water on the floor. A hand covered the part of her skirt above the leg injury in a distracted attempt to ease the pain and definitely a terrible attempt to stop the bleeding. The bracelets were heavy, but she could move them, which was a win. The witch had dropped her concentration to hold the bracelets still.

Not wanting to give the witch a moment to recover, Zade gritted her teeth through her own pain and launched herself at the witch. She needed to secure her hands or knock her out before she snapped her fingers again, otherwise she'd be toast. Perhaps literally, given how close they were to the oven.

Another cry of anguish and annoyance shot out as the witch was pushed to the ground by Zade. "Get off me you little demon! You'll regret this!" She swirled around and took a step forward, lashing out wildly towards the security officer, blinded by rage.

It seemed they were fighting on more equal ground now. For an old woman, the witch was fast to get back onto her feet, but her anger made her attacks easier to read. Zade saw that the sharp candy was still in her hand and was cautious to avoid it while scrambling to her feet to dodge the wild attacks. The heat of the oven reminded her of the other danger in the room, and she tried to make sure she never got too close to it.

The improvised weapon came swinging at her gain. Catching the hand holding the sharp candy, Zade hit the witch's arm with her spare fist, hoping to break her grip on the weapon. Worst case scenario, she had enough control to keep the weapon away from her. "My only regret is coming here at all," Zade snapped back. "Give it up and let us go, now!"

"NEVER!" The witch screamed as her hand moved upwards. Her fingers snapped pulling the bracelets back together as she prepared her body to ram into that of the annoying little usurper. She was done with this battle, it was time to put this menace in the oven and be done with it. Another flick of the wrist sent candy towards the oven door and swooshed the door open, allowing the heat to billow through the air. Just then the witch twisted out of Zade's grip and turned sideways, positioning her shoulder to ram the security officer towards the oven.

The bracelets stuck together, becoming very restrictive cuffs in front of Zade's body. The heat that hit her back made her briefly glance over her shoulder, seeing the oven door wide open and waiting. That moment allowed the witch to get free, and she quickly turned her head back to see the witch preparing to ram her.

Zade took a small step back, ignoring the blazing heat of the oven as she watched the witch start closing in. Subtle wrist movements told her that the bracelets had merely been stuck together, but the witch wasn't bothering to actually control them. It was to her advantage as she shifted out of the way at the last moment, using a foot to trip the witch. Quickly getting behind her, Zade used both hands to push the witch as hard as she could.

"Wha?!" The witch had only a short moment to cry out as her plan to push Zade into the oven turned into her own demise. The flames of the oven billowed all around her and she cried out in horror as the heat consumed her. It didn't take long for the tortured screams to stop and when they did, the bracelets restricting Zade's movement disintegrated, much like the witch's body inside the oven.

Zade stumbled back once the witch fell toward the oven, and she watched with a mix of shock and bated anticipation. The screams churned her stomach and rang in her ears. Enough was wrong and simply unnatural about all of this that she was almost expecting the witch to pop back out of the oven and attack her while on fire. Eventually, however, the screaming subsided, leaving behind just the sound of the crackling fire and the Trill's panting to fill the cottage. A ticklish sensation made her look down, and she saw the bracelets crumble, sprinkling to the floor as a fine sugar. The curse must be broken.

The thought of her newfound freedom went to the back of her mind as pain washed over her, and she hunched over slightly, a hand gingerly moving to her side. The candy shards lodged in her skin also disintegrated, leaving whatever injuries they incurred exposed and bringing a fresh wave of pain with it. Zade limped to the counter, away from the mess of spices, and gripped the edge of the counter so she could sit to assess her injuries. It felt more like a controlled fall, evidenced by the small gasp of breath that escaped her when she landed on the ground.

Her getup was worse for wear. The fabric was torn in several places, matching up with where the candy shards grazed her. She could feel those cuts and knew they were merely surface level, with the possible exception of the one on her side. The cut across her cheek also wasn't that bad. She knew that her back took most of the candy shards, but didn't know how bad it was and she'd need help checking them anyways, preferably sooner than later. That left the leg injury. Moving slowly to avoid agitating anything, Zade pulled up the edge of the skirt until the injury was visible, a decent gash in her lower thigh that was covered in blood.

Grabbing the edge of the underskirt in her hands, Zade yanked hard to tear the fabric, wincing as it irritated her palms. She made the underskirt about 9 centimeters shorter, and once she managed to separate the loop of fabric, she lifted her leg slightly to wrap the makeshift bandage. She got the fabric around her leg about two times before it ran out, so she tied it off with a knot as tight as she could bear it, her lips pressed together tightly the entire time. The pressure helped once she was done messing with it, and she leaned back to catch her breath for a minute. It wasn't a great fix, but it would do until they found the others.

If they found the others.