CHOP TO IT! (These Veggies Aren't Gonna Exorcise Themselves)

** Cover done by @dricochete **

Ivette Young (Ivy to her friends and homemade savory meals) just wanted to make a difference in a conventional world with unconventional magic. After all, it was their world and magic users were just living in it! Not wanting her magic to be used frivolously, Ivy pursued a career in counseling (never mind that her degree was given in far less time than required thanks to her magical academy). The catch? Ivy only dealt with clients who fell prey to Caries, mischievous and violent manifestations that took on the form of... A VEGETABLE?!

Ivy is the first and only magic user to resolve Caries by also treating the afflicted human and that meant her services were stretched way too thin. Unlike those who find exorcising Caries to be a fun hobby, Ivy has made it her life's mission to counsel those who are emotionally vulnerable to Caries so that they can continue to live their lives peacefully and in blissful ignorance of magic once again. No one wants to be haunted by their inner vegetable after all.

Enter Lorra. The first client Ivy has ever encountered to refuse an exorcism. This pumpkin that has manifested (who Lorra SWEARS is not a Caries but is in fact her brother turned fruit - yet another anomaly) is clever but Ivy is determined to get to the root of this. But more important than the exorcism is the emotional wellbeing of her newfound client - acquaintance - friend? - and when it comes to who Lorra is, as a person, Ivy is about to find out that she's bitten off more than she can chew.

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Written for the Open Novella Contest 2021! Prompt #37: "Catch that chocolate thief!" And it was shouted at a pumpkin with tiny legs and hands.