The Enchanted Forest (Open; Backdated; Aftermath to Once Upon a Time plot)

[neriumoleander]

The metal pierces the dragon's chest, and through it, as the great beast crashes to the ground, its heart. The world quakes as the spell dies. Memories and realities ripple outwards in great waves of voluminous purple and sparks, though only the most sensitive to magic would see its traces. 

There is no time. Nerium apparates to the dragon's side in an instance, but the life has already gone. All is shattered. Her work, her dreams, the gift of magic she has brought upon all. But there is no time to mourn. No time to think of consequences. Traces of the dragon still burn, the spell is still alive within the wood. 

With a rush of whisper and prayer, Nerium closes her eyes and steps within the burning ash that was once a creature of magic. Her words offer sacrifice to the goddesses and to the great deities of old.

The final gust of wind rushes around her, through her, reaches inside of Nerium and pulls her apart. Something like a soul disperses through the woods, resting upon every tree, every trace of ground, every root and flower and animal until they are one. Nerium's magic leaves a silvery sheen upon all it touches. The quickly unraveling spell is repelled upon its boundaries and what remains is an Enchanted Forest, as wild and alive with magic and fantasy as Nerium's dreams.

And a woman. Just a woman. Whose magic has been sacrificed to a higher calling and lives within her no more.  

She stands there frozen for quite some time. Unsure now where the woods end and she begins. And when the final traces of magic finally leave her, Nerium collapses. 

The next several days are difficult. Even the most mundane tasks prove difficult without her innate skills. Steps heavy without levitation, candle flames exhaustively numerous to light. She still has her potions - her books and knowledge - but all that require a higher level of innate power are lost to her. 

It is no matter. She has brought magic back into the world. True, wild magic. When she walks into her wood, she is greeted by unicorns. The hooves of centaurs echo wild in the distance and the water nymphs which once lived only in her pond now inhabit all the waters of the wood.

Even if only a pocket, pure magic rests now in this world once more. And if this be her legacy, Nerium Oleander Grimhilde, Mother of Magic - it is all worth it. 

(ooc: Find Nerium in the woods or use this to address your character's aftermath of the spell)

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[just_another]

It's been a few days since the baby shower and Joel has had some time to digest what Les has told him, to turn it over in his mind and consider it some. He's spoken with Spencer about it, given his thoughts on the situation and his husband, as always, had encourage him to speak to Nerium before he really made any assumptions based on what he's been told. The days that have passed haven't done much to make him any less bothered by the idea that their memories had been altered, but Spencer is right. They've both been the victim of gossip and it wouldn't be fair for Joel to not give Nerium the benefit of the doubt.

So he goes to the edge of the woods and waits for her to realize he's there. She always has before and he expects she will now. She's just always known and he glances down at his phone, reading a text from Spencer, then looks up again as he waits for her.

[neriumoleander]

There is a foal. A unicorn foal that seems to have been born the eve Nerium gave herself to the forest. It does not fear her. It seems to recognize her as a part of its home, as natural and unoffensive as the trees and flowers that line the woods.

The woods look different now. No longer deep and imposing, promising the foreboding of dark magic, instead it shines with lush beauty, babbling streams and sunlight which pours down between the leaves in golden rays. Outside the world has returned to the mundane, but here the wild magic of olde reigns.

Nerium crouches in one of these sun patches, dark hair reflecting unexpected streaks of light as she holds her palm out to the unicorn foal. It greedily licks at the sugar cubes she offers, flipping its tail in happiness until the stranger is detected. The unicorn stiffens, frozen in fear. Nerium too is momentarily startled, still unused to needing use natural senses to detect others.

She gently pats the foals head and inches forward towards the trees where the figure stands. It takes a few moments in the glare of the sun to realize who it is, but once she does,

"Joel. Welcome." Nerium greets him with a smile, holding her palm back out to the unicorn to let it know that it is safe. "It is beautiful, is it not?"

[just_another]

"It's... it is," he says after he's taken a moment to register the changes. It's not just the forest that's changed, though, it's Nerium as well and he tries to figure out what that might mean. Everything is different and although Joel is still angry that his memory had been altered, he doesn't know what to say or do, not when there are so many things about this entire scenario that are all but unrecognizable.

His head tilts a little at the sight of the creature she's holding her hand out toward. "Is that a unicorn?"

He's a witch, he lives in a town filled with siren, his husband spent two weeks as a merman who had been granted legs, but there's still something about a unicorn that seems so unbelievable. Like it's one step too far.

[neriumoleander]

Nerium answers with a sereneness never before heard in her voice. But it is not just the serenity of witnessing her legacy, of living amongst her dreams. There is an air of detachment there, one that has not truly accepted yet all that she has sacrificed.

"It is." She nods, returning her attentions to the unicorn foal and letting it nuzzle up to her once more. "The spell lives on here."

[just_another]

"So you were responsible for it, then," he says. He's never seen her like this and he isn't sure what to make of it, but the confirmation that she had been the one to do the spell makes his heart sink.

He'd wanted it not to be true. He'd wanted Les to be wrong. Despite the fact that he and Spencer had come out of the two weeks relatively happy isn't the point. He had seen the guilt in Coop's eyes, he'd even seen it in April and while he doesn't particularly like her, he doesn't think she deserves that either. None of them deserved any of it.

[neriumoleander]

"But of course." Nerium diverts her attention from the foal to Joel, trying to read his tone of voice. "Who else would have that sort of power? It was mine destiny. I believe it always was." Where once the comment may have been laced with arrogance, it now only carries the same hint of detachment, of perceived enlightenment. Nerium tilts her head to address the forest around them. "It all rests here now."

[just_another]

His brow creases as he studies her, trying to decide if it's even worth the conversation. No matter what, Joel doubts she regrets the spell.

"Why?" he asks. There's no reason good enough for having manipulated people in that way, but he wants to know. He wants to hear it from her lips. Magic is more important than anyone, that's what he thinks it comes down to for Nerium and he wants her to say it.

[neriumoleander]

"What do you mean why?" There's a light defensive edge that lines her words, as her eyes narrow in an attempt at understanding his question. It is as plain as life itself. "For you. For all of us. To bring true magic back into this world lest it fade away to a thing of tales."

[just_another]

"But you manipulated people in order to do it," he says, watching her closely. He isn't angry, he's mostly just sad and a little disappointed because he'd really felt like Nerium was a friend. Maybe an unusual friend, but it isn't like Joel isn't strange himself in a lot of ways.

He wants to trust her and right now he isn't sure he can.

"I know it worked out for me and Spencer, but you took my husband away from me," he says, his voice still soft. "You took memories. You twisted people to be something else without their permission. You understand that, right?"

[neriumoleander]

"I did not." Nerium turns away again, stroking the foals silvery mane. "The spell was borne to return this town to magic of olde, as it was. How the spell manifested in truth - true wild magic has proved as unpredictable as it is beautiful."

"You found your love again though, did you not?"

[just_another]

"So because it was unpredictable that rids you of responsibility?" he asks, his brow still creased. His chest sort of hurts and he rubs at it uncomfortably before he sighs, the sound heavy and long. "People were hurt. That's not beautiful. Whether or not Spencer and I found each other isn't the point. The lives of the people in this town aren't things to be toyed with."

He pauses, then says, "My life isn't something to be toyed with."

[neriumoleander]

"You misunderstand. I accept full responsibility. Gladly." Her eyes flash cold and angry, a glimmer of her former self. "And you forget who I am. It has been the nature of Grimhildes to toy with others since before humans were even conceived. I at least sought to do something good with it. I chose a destiny greater than all of us. I am sorry you cannot see that but you seem no worse for wear."

"People may have been hurt. People will always be hurt. That is life. I will not apologize for that. Now there is magic to heal. To provide wonders unseen in your human's foresaken plastic-coated world."

Her shoulders straighten and she stands proud, the entirety of the enchanted woods seemingly moving and shifting around her. "You may accept that or not. But there is no wrong in what has been created here."

[just_another]

At that Joel bristles and feels something cold and hard drawing tight around his heart. "You're right," he says. "How stupid of me to think of you as a person in your own right and a friend before I thought of you as a Grimhilde."

He hadn't come here for apologies. He had wanted to know why and now he does. From what he can tell, as far as Nerium is concerned, he'll only ever be a pawn and that realization bites into him, stinging.

"Enjoy your forest," he says, turning to go.

[neriumoleander]

Nerium is surprised by the harshness of his tone. That he could look upon the magic here and see anything but beauty. It is not for her. She did it for all. But she needs not his acceptance, nor friendship. That is something she has never needed. Though perhaps it was nice for a time. She has a new world now.

"I am sorry I will not be able to give your daughter a gift as I promised." She calls out as he turns to go, voice as simple as if she was remarking upon the weather. "I have no more magic left to give. But I thought she might like to visit here one day. Do not all little girls dream of unicorns? Fairy tales? She can be born into a world that has real magic now. As the creatures in these woods are like mine own children."

[just_another]

Joel just feels tired now. Tired and sad. He pauses when Nerium speaks and shakes his head without turning back to look at her. It is a beautiful place, he hasn't once said otherwise, but beauty is more than sunlight and magnificent creatures. Beauty is found in love and kindness and warmth and sharing. It's found in other people and he doesn't know how to say that to her, not in a way that will make it feel the way he does inside.

"You can't live in a fairy tale, Nerium. Sooner or later, real life finds you," he says, his voice soft. "Any child of mine is going to know how to be kind to people and that doing things to them against their will, no matter the intention, is wrong. I'm sorry you won't be able to give my baby a gift, too, but it's not lack of magic that prevents that."

This is all she has left now, he realizes. And a part of him still wants to reach out to her, but he thinks of how horrified Coop had been, he thinks of his own memories gone, Charlotte and his parents simply willed out of existence and he can't. He's too afraid of it happening again.

[neriumoleander]

"You are a witch. Why is a world of magic any lesser reality?"

She wishes no debate, nor does she allow his words to hurt her which seems the intent, however confused Nerium may be by it. If he cannot see this world, he need not have any part of it. The magic remains, renewed and rebirthed nonetheless. Yet Nerium watches him go still, feeling a stirring of sorts she cannot quite place.

"You may still take a flower for her, if you wish." She points to a thick patch beneath a nearby set of trees. "The blue are healing. The yellow prevent nightmares."

"You need not return here if you do not wish. But it will remain open to all who are friends of magic."