Taking over the Abyss

65- Wa'ah. Pure wa'ah. Anytime I want it, day or night.

By the time the Hexenzirkel tea party had come around, you felt you were prepared enough. You'd spent the morning going through different outfits with Idunn and Ithunn in order to find something appropriate. From the session Alice had with dressing you up to buy clothes for Gold, you were left with a pretty good idea on what the general aesthetic was supposed to be like- cute and witch-y.

The Hexenzirkel were important, and you wanted to make a good impression, so you really had to look your best. Dressed in the typical colors of Khaenri'ah, you felt that your first mission of looking good was successful. In the few days they'd had to prepare, Idunn and Ithunn had come up with something spectacular: a white blouse with a black high waisted skirt, the detached frilly sleeves exposing your shoulders. The skirt was short in the front and long in the back, split apart by a long slit starting halfway down your thigh. The Khaenri'ahn style stars were adorned all over your outfit, along your black pantyhose, the frilled black fabric draped along your sleeves, and a larger eight-pointed star crest sitting on your chest.

If everyone else showed up in t-shirts and jeans, you were going to cry. Silently and without much erratic movement, so you didn't accidentally destroy the multiple silk flowers pinned against your skirt, because they certainly they took a lot of effort to make. You made sure to give Idunn and Ithunn lots of praise for their hard work, the twins happily basking in your approval.

"Do the Hexenzirkel witches really convene just for tea?" Ithunn asked you, a hint of curiosity on his otherwise typically expressionless face.

"I imagine it's a little more than that," you weren't quite sure how it'd be, but you were certainly excited. Both Ithunn and Idunn were staring at you rather intensely. Figuring out what they wanted without them needing to speak, you quickly assured them, "If there's any cake there, I'll try to bring some back for you."

"Her Majesty is feeling extra kind today," Idunn's regular smile of icy perfection softened with delight. Her brother nodded in agreement. You gave the two a short goodbye, using the doorway to make a portal. Though he was a little sulky about it, Leiptr was ultimately understanding that he- or anybody else- couldn't come along without an explicit invitation from Alice or any other of the witches. Remembering that your brief kidnapping experience in Sumeru had nearly resulted in mass chaos, you made to reassure your beloved subjects that you weren't going to up and vanish on them.

Stepping out of the portal you'd conjured, you internally winced at the influx of noise from the bustling streets of Fontaine. It was the middle of the day and should be expected, but your poor ears... shaking your head, you held the invitation card tightly in your hand and inspected the address written on it closely. Alice had your back like nobody else in Teyvat did, since she left you a surprisingly detailed mini-map on the back of the card to show you where to go.

Granted it was very small and somewhat hard to follow thanks to the ink being a bit smudged, but at least you had an idea of what you were searching for. Luckily for you it wasn't too hard to find, having a pretty noticeable sign up front that you could recognize easily. There was a woman standing in front of the store with a fluffy-looking coat and a pair of sunglasses. Upon seeing you approach, she eyed you before holding out her hand expectantly.

Figuring she was asking for your invitation, you held it out to show to her. She took it from you and examined it closely, flipping it over in her hand. You could see her eyebrows furrow in puzzled amusement as she noted all of Alice's little doodles. She handed the card back to you with a subtle nod, muttering some sort of incantation under her breath. Opening the door, you were surprised to see a glittery light lavender portal instead of just an empty building.

Seeing your surprise, the woman cleared her throat softly and addressed you directly for the first time, "... please step inside."

Not wanting to inconvenience her, you gave a quick, flustered nod and hurried towards the portal. It was more glittery and liquid-y than your usual Abyss portals. Nervous about the feeling, you squeezed your eyes shut as you stepped inside of it. Just like you were dreading, it came with the feeling of walking straight through slime, thankfully without anything sticking to you.