07/24/2026: Surprises

Aurora waits by the door while KFC hands off Otto, and Dr MacDonald is effusive about it. "Well done," he says, studying the dog and then studying KFC a beat too long, like he's checking the math on something.

Uncomfortably, KFC fills the silence. "He's still pretty smelly. I tried to wash him, but I didn't have any soap…" She spreads her wing to gesture at Otto.

Beaming, MacDonald tells her, "I've heard things about you, and none of that's true. You're perfectly lovely."

He asks after Rampart — is he as frightening as he looks? KFC tells him he's got a heart of gold. The Professor allows that people who look like that often do, though he mentions, almost as an aside, that he's seen the two of them in what appeared to be pitched combat on the green, and found it rather alarming. A friendly test of metal, KFC says. The Professor moves on to praising KFC as the whole package — brilliant student, fantastic athlete, four years with a partner who plainly cares for her — and asks whether she'll take him to graduate school, or he her. 

KFC says she wants what's best for him, wouldn't want to slow him down. Dr MacDonald allows that this is surprisingly kind-hearted, "given your reputation — well, no, never mind," and thanks her for the dog before walking off, telling her he'll see her in some future class, her final semester.

Aurora has been standing off to the side the whole time, not laughing, not quite not laughing either. The moment Dr MacDonald is out of earshot: "You really had the old man on, didn't you."

Despite not being cruel to Dr MacDonald, KFC doesn't deny this charge. Instead, she changes the subject. Aurora changes it again and presses — wedding colors, black and purple, right? KFC agrees. Then Aurora asks if she went with Debbie's colors instead, pink and blue, and something in KFC's face changes before she can catch it.

"Why would I do that?" KFC asks innocently.

"Exactly! I'm a First Witness, and you'd already said you'd be going with my suggestion of purple and black… but of course it IS your choice. You're the bride."

"I'm the bride?" KFC's beak pales as her eyes widen. "I'm getting married?

Aurora laughs, "Now you're having me on! Just don't tease Rampart the same way!"

"I'm getting married." KFC is dumbstruck. Then something occurs to her.

"Are you ok, KFC?" Aurora is staring up at her with concern. "You did change the colors to pink and blue. Drat that Debbie!"

"No, Aurora, I'm not KFC."

"What? Of course you're KFC. Don't be — you're being ridiculous. And you're just avoiding telling me you've changed the colors for the wedding party. Pink and blue! Think of my pallor!"

"No, Aurora, don't be upset about that, I'm trying to tell you—"

Aurora isn't listening. KFC keeps trying to explain, warm and reasonable, insisting she's still a friend, still glad to be a friend, right up until Aurora cuts her off. "If you wanted to change the colors, fine! You're the bride. But you could have given your First Witness some consideration!"

KFC mutters, "I need to go to the bathroom," then turns and flees. She moves at a pace that isn't quite a run but isn't far off either.

⚔️

The forge beneath Hex Tower is twice the size of Reyna's own — several anvils, more tool sets than one smith could need, the coals still warm from the last use. Alternate Reyna offers to fire it back up so they can mess around with the forge a little bit. Reyna doesn't argue.

The alternate is clumsy at the hammer — sparks landing wrong, the sheet metal coming out thicker on one side than the other. She hands the botched piece over. "Maybe you can do something with this." Reyna's own attempt comes out only slightly better. They share a laugh.

Rosie wanders down mid-session, looking for a break from studying, and stops cold at the sight of two Reynas at the same anvil. She picks up a hammer, sets it back down, and decides out loud that she's been at the books too long — "I'm seeing double. I better not do anything dangerous" — and retreats upstairs without waiting to be corrected.

Reyna has an idea: to take the Wand of Wonder and rework it into a staff. She recognizes that it'll be harder to hide, but that doesn't slow her down. The attempt comes out looking, in her own words, like a four-year-old made it. It will work anyway. Alternate Reyna eyes the thing with real curiosity — a wand that casts a random spell every time, no telling which — and suggests they take it out to the swamp to test it properly.

⚔️

Aurora bangs on Debbie's door hard enough that the alternate Debbie in the room briefly considers pretending no one's home. The real Debbie answers.

Aurora is there about the wedding — she's First Witness, gets to help choose colors, and the colors are black and purple, not pink and blue. Aurora points out she looks terrible in pink and blue, too pale for it, and Debbie notes that she hadn't even known she was going to be a witness.

"Don't you remember? KFC asked you to be a witness in her wedding party. A junior witness," Aurora reminds her. "We toasted it with champagne weeks ago." Debbie doesn't remember that either.

"Did you black out? Maybe have too much champagne? Is anything bothering you? You seem a little off."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Aurora lets it go, for now, and goes looking for KFC instead. She finds the alternate KFC sitting with Rampart, looking at wedding websites. Aurora demands an explanation of the change in wedding party colors. Alternate KFC is short with her, and before Aurora can get any clarity on the colors, the dhampir abruptly switches topics: "You don't think Debbie has a drinking problem, do you?"

Alternate KFC cocks her head, thinking. Then says, “No, I haven't noticed one.”

Aurora presses the issue harder, bringing up the champagne again. KFC accuses Aurora — not unfairly — of taking wedding stress out on everyone in radius. Aurora begins weeping, but significantly not apologizing, "Do you know what kind of pressure I'm under as your First Witness?"

"Good bye, Aurora." So dismissed, Aurora leaves after one last non sequitur: “That pile in your living room smells terrible.

⚔️

Rampart slinks away from the heated color discussion between alternate KFC and Aurora. He leans casually on the table alternate Hester is sitting at. "Witness party colors! I really don't understand all this wedding stuff… do you?" Rampart signs.

Sullenly, alternate Hester snarls, "No. I wish I understood anything about weddings or getting married or choosing who to marry."

Rampart studies alternate Hester: he's puzzled why she's so angry. "Yeah, for real. I mean I don't really get why the colors are such a big deal, or…"

The penny drops. Rampart recalls the last few days for Hester.

"Oh, right," Rampart rumbles, "your dad just — uh — sorry."

"It's fine," huffs alternate Hester.

Rampart leaves alternate Hester and wanders back to alternate KFC, who sits alone now that Aurora has gone. He leans over to kiss the top of alternate KFC's head. "I'll see you later, Babe. I love you."

Without looking at him, KFC goes back to flipping through bridal websites. "Yes, you do." She does not look at him.

⚔️

Squid and Ayan are up in a half-finished treehouse, excited and chatty and pleased with themselves. They grab the boards that Titania is passing up to them. It's noisy, happy work. Both of them fill the silence with the chatter of getting to know each other.

Alternate Titania comes out to ask for a word. She wants to know Titania's plans. "They are whatever Squid plans are," Titania says, nervously. Alternate Titania explains, carefully, that the Votress can't have more children — that Ayan has given them so much joy that a second child would be welcome. Especially one so perfect, so loved.

Alternate Titania probes whether Titania would be open to allowing Squid to stay with them — she and her wife, the Votress. Squid would be a blessing.

Then she takes in Titania's face — and then asks, gently, whether the conversation has been upsetting.

"No." Titania cannot look at alternate Titania and lie. So she denies feeling upset by looking anywhere else.

"I can tell by the squeak of your voice," alternate Titania frets. Then before Titania can answer, alternate Titania continues, "You're something of a mess, aren't you?"

Titania tells her, honestly, that she will honor whatever Squid wishes to do. Within her own chest, Titania can feel her heart crack. Alternate Titania is relieved — she'd suspected that this Titania was something of a mess, and this mature response is a pleasant surprise to her.

That's when Alistir takes over. He confirms that Titania is indeed a mess. Alternate Titania answers him coldly, "I don't really like my Alistir, either. Fortunately, we part company soon and he will return to his own kingdom shortly. I hope you are a better partner to your Titania than mine has been to me."

Alistir changes the subject. "Does your Alistir seem happy?" Alternate Titania tells them, "My Alister looks no different than they usually look, so if that counts as happy, then yes."

Alternate Titania asks Alistir to help Titania find a way to say goodbye to Squid when the time comes. Alistir agrees, then reaches into their knapsack, checks that something's there without taking it out.

Alternate Titania asks, carefully, if Titania is still drinking in their timeline. Alistir says that this is not theirs to answer. Alternate Titania explains they quit cold turkey herself after the Votress told them she couldn't stay married to someone abusing substances.

"Maybe Titania might try it sometime. Sobriety, I mean," alternate Titania judges.

Alistir snaps.

“I wonder whether you could manage as well, if your wife was dead. Good day," Alistir tells them before turning to go.

⚔️

The Fire Jolt Cafe is packed by the time Debbie takes the stage, having borrowed — taken — the alternate Debbie's badly out of key guitar and tuned it up. The bartender is white-knuckled on the bar rail. He'd made her promise, if she cleared the place again like last time, she'd cover his losses for the night.

She doesn't clear the place. She plays a Slash and Burn favorite from her own timeline's band, and the room comes up out of its seats — mugs banging the tables, people shouting, the bartender giving two thumbs up over their heads. Quentillius comes in partway through her encore of the song and watches from the back, and whatever's on his face, it isn't happiness.

Aurora passes the hat afterward. It comes back heavy: a platinum piece, a handful of gold, enough silver to weigh down both hands — fifty-one gold and forty-one silver on top of the platinum, once it's counted. She is covertly looking in Quentillius's direction. But he only has eyes for Debbie.

Quentillius corners Debbie once her set is done. He has abandoned the whiskey in front of him. Then, not looking at her, he snarls: "You're going to crow about this, aren't you." Debbie considers, “I’m not sure what there is to crow about — playing guitar?”

"You didn’t play like this a few weeks ago. Not this well. You didn't," he protests.

Debbie says nothing, and sips a celebratory drink sent over by the ecstatic bartender. Aurora watches the two from an inconspicuous distance, hungerly.

A beat passes, then two. Then, without ceremony, Quentillius offers Debbie the open guitarist slot for an upcoming tour — their usual player is out, girlfriend trouble. But he reminds her, twice, unprompted, that he's the singer and Debbie a mere rhythm guitarist. He is trying to put Debbie aggressively in her place on principle as the offer is tendered.

Debbie, unreadable, says she'll check her calendar. Quentillius, clearly not expecting an answer like this, tells her to page him. He slams back the last of his whiskey, and leaves.

Aurora finds Debbie right after, asking if Quentillius said anything about her — is he bereft from missing her? Is he heartbroken?

She registers, wide-eyed, as Debbie finishes her drink. The musician bluntly tells Aurora that Quentillius isn't any of those things. Instead, Quentillius is irked, mostly, at losing his other guitar player. He seems to be giving almost no thought at all to the loss of a convenient girlfriend who he only spent time with walking to class and for the occasional meal.

Aurora gulps, taking this better than expected. She gushes at Debbie that the show was really good, and asks — surprised — if Debbie wrote the songs herself. Debbie has, in her free time, quietly, for a while. Nobody had asked before tonight.

"I just assumed you were depressed and moping in your room, like your hexmates said." Then Aurora brightens. "I could sing back up for you. What do you think? About me being a backup singer for you?”

Debbie tells her she'll check her calendar.

⚔️

Squid and Ayan come down from the treehouse that evening dirty, tired and pleased with their long day's work. After dinner, once the kids are sent to wash up, Squid comes to say goodnight to Titania. He has been invited for a sleepover with Ayan.

"Thanks for the hammer-catching, Titania, and I'm sorry that board hit you on the head." The child is wringing their hands.

"Oh, it's all ok. A good board now and again never hurt anyone," they tell the distracted child.

Then, Titania asks, "Do you know that some of the others, our friends, want to go back to their own Hex, in their own timeline?" Squid nods, studying Titania's face closely. They peer into his small face. “Are you planning to stay here, with Ayan? It's all ok if you do. I just want you to be happy," they say quietly.

Squid considers. "I'm staying here — Ayan has a bunk bed and I've never slept in a bunk bed and they're letting me sleep on the top!"

Titania asks whether he means tonight or for all time. "Do you want to go home to our old dorm, or home here, with Ayan, in this house?"

Squid clarifies, solemnly: "I'm going to miss those people," he says, of the friends in his own timeline. Then, of the ones still living in the dorm with the duplicates: "This new Hester is not much fun, and the other Debbie isn't much fun. The new KFC really isn't any fun at all and kind of scary. But the other Reyna's okay, and Diro is great!"

Titania tells them, "You are still able to change your mind — but —" they swallow hard, "any place you want to be is fine. I just want you to be happy." They repeat this, trying to keep their voice from breaking.

Squid nods, then hops down, skipping off to the bedroom without answering.

On their way out, the Votress touches Titania's elbow.

Titania, wiping away tears, begs her, "Please don't open that box again. Let's just not." The Votress nods and locks the door after Titania flees into the night.

⚔️

Debbie, still in a celebratory mood, floats the idea of a Witness Trip before KFC's wedding — maybe a weekend at the casino outside the campus, in downtown Strixhaven. All of the witnesses would be invited, and they can plan it right before the wedding. Aurora's in immediately. Debbie points out that alternate KFC will probably count cards without meaning to, which draws a round of jokes about her being fitted with cement shoes and dropped in the bay if she's caught.

Aurora, as First Witness, begins to draw up a list of invitees.