Mother of Magic

Dinner

Stephanie and Le sat at a table in Viv's Saloon. Before each of them was a meal fit for two people, but that was set for each. The steak was huge, thick, and perfectly cooked. The sides smelled and tasted delicious. The Microbrew was outstanding and the perfect accompaniment.

Vivian knew their beer tastes already.

"You have a cook?" Stephanie asked Vivian as she set the huge platter of food in front of her and its scents wafted up. They had not been in this town or this bar very much yet, having just arrived, but all she had seen here was Vivian. Bartender, cashier, waitstaff, table cleaner... all Vivian.

Vivian laughed at that idea. She waved back toward to kitchen area. "A couple of 'em. Getting a steak done right takes lots of attention all by itself. I hate for a cow to die in vain. Wouldn't be right. Like the Native Americans do you know: honor animals that give their lives for us. Every met a cow? I mean face to face? They can be the sweetest things. No. I would never dishonor a cow or even a chicken by trying to do it all. Never would hire a cook that did not do it right either." Vivian shook her head, and pushed back that idea of sacrifice with a bit of humor "Besides: I'm not a witch, you know. Can't be out here talking to everyone, and back there whipping up food like this all at the same time."

"A witch can do that? Make steaks like this?" Le asked. He remembered the story Ava told about witches creating food when under siege. Somehow the idea that magically created food was not basic and tasteless like K rations but fancy and well-prepared never occurred to him. Ava gave them pouch loads of gold and clothes (however much they did not like them). Complex things. She had cooked them breakfast, but where had the ingredients come from?

Vivian thought that was odd. "You never met a witch? Honestly? You are definitely not from around here. I don't know. We don't have many around here, and that is on purpose. I wouldn't put it past them though. Witches can do some really weird shit. Make castles and bridges and all sorts of huge things. If they can make big, complicated things, then why not a tasty dinner? If nothing else, show them a well-cooked steak and maybe they can just copy it? I don't know how magic works. Just a crutch as far as I can tell. Wheres the value in it if all you have to do is wave your hand or something? Loses all the value of making it yourself. Earning it."

Le filed the idea of bridges and castles away. Ava mentioned impenetrable walls under siege, so this filled in the mental landscape. The parameters of a witch's power. "I only met one. She made plates float. But she cooked the food on them on a campfire."

"Floating plates? That's nothing, I assure you. Magic gets way bigger and often nastier than that. It's like... free power or something. They didn't earn it. They just have it. Because it was free they don't value it. It's the rare witch that gets power and manages to stay a good person. Keeping the magically inclined outta here ain't easy. Ava makes that better."

"Ava?" Le asked. He was slightly startled given the obvious distaste for witches that the one that kidnapped him and Stephanie might be known here and seemingly liked. Ava also filled their pouches with gold. Dressed them in warm if weird clothes. Let them go after capturing them, albeit into this new and strange world. Ava was an enigma to him. That Vivian might have more information about her was intriguing. Le hoped his open-ended question might render more information about her.

Viv obliged. "Yeah. Good sort witch. The exception to the rule. Values magic, and does good with it. Doesn't ask for anything in return: She knows she got it for free so she uses it to help people. We like her around here. A welcome Witch. Ava eats in here all the time. Ava used to be in a temple out West. Seattle I think it was. I don't keep up on all the witch temple stuff. Those damnable temples are all over the place. Fleas on a dog. Ava came here to help protect us from other witches. We didn't ask her to. She just appeared one day and volunteered to do that. Help us stay a safe harbor. Witches like to go everywhere they are not welcome and take them over. Make you dependent on 'em. That ain't our way 'round here. We do for ourselves. Make our own electricity, mine and cast our own iron, build our buildings, and pave our own streets. Like I said: Ava's a good sort. Tries to help. Doesn't stick her magic in where it's not wanted. Hell: She even works with Doc Barnes on hard medical stuff beyond what he can treat... with the family's permission, of course. Yeah: Ava's all right. The only Witch around here people like."

"Interesting." Stephanie said, half to herself.

"Have you met this 'Mother' person Ava talks about?" Le asked.

"Oh: you know Ava?" Vivian asked.

Stephanie shook her head. "I would not say that. Le and I met her one time. Takes longer than one time to get to know someone. I ask because during that meeting Ava brought up this "Mother' person as the reason we were meeting at all. That this 'Mother' person, whoever that is, wanted Ava to meet us." Stephanie danced slightly around the issue of their abduction. If Ava is a good person to Vivian, Stephanie wanted more data before she brought up a contrary point of view on the woman. Other than abducting them and her atrocious taste in clothes, Ava had tried to treat them well. Fed them. Given them a warm bed and a considerable pile of money. Let them go free but not at their home. She and Le were free to roam unhindered in an off-kilter sort of new place. It was like being abducted and waking up in another country, but one where everyone spoke English and the countryside looked exactly like home. Not counting the cities and houses. All very weird for a standard-issue kidnapper.

It was all very confusing. Mixed signals. Perhaps Ava was not the problem but whoever this 'Mother' is. End result was the same but the reasons may be more complicated than they understood. They were both sort of 'going with the flow' as it was anyway. Whatever the reason they were here, they had no idea how to get home without Ava's help. Or maybe 'The Mother's'. As prisons went, this one came with Steak and beer Stephanie thought as she took a bite and waited to see what Vivia knew about this situation.

Vivian twisted her lips to one side of her face in thought. "As I understand it all, witches sort of worship -- or something if that even is the right word -- someone they call 'The Mother'. I don't think anyone has ever seen or met this person. At the very least not a Witch. Not sure what you all's background is, but you know how some groups worship a god or gods? Trinities or entire skies full of beings that do this or that kind of thing?"

Both nodded and said nothing so as not to interrupt.

"Gods of love and thunder and sun and all that? Wear special clothes or carry some kind of symbol of them? Build statues or pyramids or whatever to them? Well, Witches are kinda like that with 'The Mother'. Or so I hear. I have lived here in Collins all my life and I never went into a Witches Temple. I don't want to neither. Witch Temples are about going in, humbling yourself, and asking for favors. No thank you." Vivian did more mouth wiggling as she considered. "Hmmmm. Never heard Ava mention 'The Mother'. Always thought she was a little different kinda witch that way, you know?"

"I came to understand her meeting this Mother person was recent." Stephanie filled in.

"I hope she don't go all weird on us." Viv said. She saw another customer trying to get her attention. "Well: You all enjoy your food before it gets cold. I'll be back to see how you're doing in a bit."

The couple watched Vivan move off through the room headed toward the signaling customer. Along the way, she was greeting people by name and asking after their families and such. "Be with you in a sec, Lem!" She obviously knew everyone in the room.

Le and Stephanie did as Vivian suggested and dived in. They were both hungrier than they knew. Despite that, they could not finish all the food they had been served. Taking the comment about a cow sacrificing its life for this, they both focused on the steak.

"Next time, I'm getting the child's plate." Le said, looking over at a nearby table where three children were diving into more reasonable-sized portions.

"Same. Still going to get this big beer though.' Stephanie sipped, tasted, and considered. "You know, if we can't play baseball here, we need to find a way to stay active. This kind of food and drink on a regular basis will have us back at the Dry Goods store getting larger pants." She tugged at her new work jeans. "Need to find that tailor and get these fixed while I'm still girl shaped."