Reality Crisis

There had been someone in the traveling group that was able to show Hannibal what to do when it came to making the nettles into 'threads' then weave it. They'd even shown him how to make a little home made loom he could use. Pretty much all he had to do was make it into squares and stick it together long enough to put it on her so it wasn't going to take a lot of expertise just determination.

And determination was Hannibal's middle name.

When she was human after he'd mangle his hands she'd doctor them up as best that she could and when she was a deer she stayed close by just to be a supporting presence. It was all she was able to do and that sucked! Having to rely on someone else to fix things wasn't how she normally worked. Of course it wasn't Hannibal's way to not say anything either.

"Looks like it's almost done." She was watching him struggle with getting the piece off the loom and put her hand on the back of his neck lightly. His poor hands were a mess. Just looking at them made her wince.

The fairy's illusion had led Clark all over the forest and he was stuck in a strange sort of time anomaly at the moment, so it might have only felt as though he’d been following her for half an hour or so. Or perhaps it felt like longer. The fairy didn’t care all that much. Time didn't move normally in the forest. It bent to the fairy's will, just like everything else.

She didn't have much use for mortal time anyway. It was a pesky thing and really, what was the use in it?

The young man (though every man was young compared to the fairy, save for that Jack Harkness) was something of a curiosity. While there were things that he had yet to learn, he didn't seem deserving of a curse. The fairy had searched his aura for whatever she could learn about him and nothing yet presented itself.

This man was someone that the rest of them might be able to learn from, if they weren't so busy being wrapped up in their own troubles. How silly the mortals were, truly.

But this man was more than simply a mortal. More than simply a man, in fact.

So when she'd tired of the others in her forest, the fairy sought out the Kryptonian. She stepped out of the shadows and made herself known. She was quite lovely, with her dark hair and mischievous eyes. She wore a simple white dress that made her stand out against the dark trees.

“Hello,” she greeted the Kryptonian.

The illusion of Dinah flickered and then winked out of existence.

( Bibbidy bobbity, boo! )

The morning after his confusing encounter with Fred had started off well. First he'd been approached and presented with his own clothes, washed now, and he'd changed back into them to return the uncomfortable pants and shirt to their original owner. Then, with the little old woman and him both working fervently, Castiel's work mending the camp's fabric goods had actually ended for the day fairly in the mid morning. But afterwards he hadn't been sure what to do and had been standing, looking around in confusion when a group of the camp members recruited him to help carry some goods into the city.

He'd been resistent at first, not wanting to leave without letting Fred know and not really having seen her since they both seemed uneasy around each other, but the old woman had promised to let her know where he'd gone and he'd finally relented, returning to the city he'd glimpsed when he'd arrived. He carried quite a bit, maybe a little more than he should have, but he didn't complain and when they'd gotten past the armed guards the traders had told him to leave them be until they were ready to head back before nightfall. They didn't seem to like him much and he didn't want to be in the way, so he'd gone, walking through the city aimlessly.

He wasn't in the mood to be curious. He was unhappy that things with Fred seemed to have gone bad, he'd upset her somehow. And Sam was still invisible to him, in that tent with the magic folk, and he'd barely glimsped Dean since they'd gotten to the camp. It was very frustrating and hard for the angel, who only wanted to know what was going on, but now he wasn't even able to teleport himself someplace else to think on things without upsetting anybody, waiting to be called in to help. Or working out how to get his voice back.

No, he was here, in this dreary looking town. All of the buildings looked similar, except one, and he meandered towards it out of required curiosity. Getting closer revealed the place to be a bar, and as he stood in front of it he contemplated whether or not he should enter. Then again, he had nothing better to do, and a drink might get his mind off things. After all, Dean seemed more or less able to cope with things he probably shouldn't, usually by downing copius amounts of alcohol.

Castiel entered the small place, ignoring the few patrons and going to the bar, sitting and looking at the bottles of liquid behind the bar as the bartender approached and asked him what he wanted. Castiel looked towards a man drinking something dark next to him and pointed to it, and the bartender seemed to understand.

It wasn't much longer after that that Castiel was two glasses in, staring blearily at the half of the third in front of him. He was definitely feeling the effects of the booze, but he wasn't sure if it was making him feel better about things or worse. He just felt... light.

Castiel sat on a stool a ways from the witch and wizard’s tent, hugging his knees slightly He had started out standing, as was his usual way, but he had gotten fatigued very quickly and so borrowed the stool. It was almost a natural progression leading him to holding himself in a way he never had before, but which he suddenly found reassuring and secure, staring at the ground as he tried to work through the situation he found himself in.

Sam was in a coma, and even though he could get through the seals warding off angels it made no difference. He wouldn’t be able to heal the boy even if he did have his powers back. It was all incredibly frustrating, so he’d retreated. He wasn’t welcome at Sam’s side, and he and Dean had separated almost immediately after leaving the tent, so he’d come here to find a quiet corner to be alone, where he could work out the emotions that were storming inside of him like a hurricane. He’d never felt them this strongly before, and could only attribute it to the fact that his powers and very essence were no longer angelic. Somehow whatever the thing was in the woods had turned him into a human, and he was experiencing emotions at human strength.

He was starting to understand why they struggled so much with their feelings, and why the higher ranking angels were so paranoid about any in their charge starting to show too much affinity for them. This was miserable and slightly paralytic, and it clouded his mind with guilt from Dean’s disappointment and Sam’s suffering.

( ---- )

He couldn't stop answering questions.

And he couldn't stay away from people.

Whenever Bruce was alone he felt this pressure building up inside him that made it impossible to rest and eventually even to think. It was happening faster and faster so that everytime he tried to get a little peace he'd find himself out seeking the first person he could come across to tell them things.

It was sheer hell.

This time he'd practically ran back toward the camps and city from where he was walking and ended up almost walking right into Dinah. "Oh! Sorry."

The fairy watched as Dinah went down, giving the woman a soft pat on the head. She turned slowly around to look at the tree she'd been paying so much attention to. Her hands on her hips, she stood there as if she were waiting.

"Well?"

The tree's leaves rustled, and the fairy sighed, shaking her head.

"Yes, always in a rush to save the day. Stick your nose in when all you have to do is be there. She solved her problem. Somewhat." The fairy pouted, but sometimes a step in the right direction was really the biggest. The tree's leaves rustled so that it seemed they'd come right off. A few did.

"You know if you keep that up, you may not have any hair left?" The fairy chided softly. The tree went still rather quickly, or as still as a tree got when it was done rustling its leaves. "What he's done will be done. What's she's done is done. What they do, you cannot change." Perhaps the fairy's true curse was yet to come for the one called Dean Winchester.

"Enjoy your evening, toy soldier." She giggled and giving the tree a little wave before skipping off into the forest. It was mere moments later that...

"Son of a bitch." Dean ached, and he couldn't help squirming as he reached down the side of his leg. He growled as he finally got to that itch that had been bothering him; he was damn glad to find that his hand wasn't covered in bugs or anything else. He did notice that he had to brush a bit of moss off himself here and there. "Stupid fairy."

His moment of freedom was quickly cut by the prone Dinah. He was glad to see she was no longer in the hoop skirt and glass slippers, somewhat glad. He had liked the look on her in that weird role playing way. He stepped forward, put his hand under her head and softly lifted her a little.

"Dinah, baby, you okay?" He lightly brushed her hair back and maybe patted her cheek. "Com'on, wake up."

Fred had had a hard night sleeping. She was worried about Sam; something was definitely happening that she hadn't been invited to. She was worried about Spike; he seemed nice, but. There was always that 'but.' So, she'd spent a good bit of the night thinking, and sometimes thinking wasn't safe. She finally rolled out of her cot the next morning, tidied up, and started toward the magical couple's place. She didn't get very far; there was a demand for someone to look at one of the vehicles, and Fred was easiest and most agreeable this early in the morning.

So, she did what she was asked. It was only fair. She had to earn her keep somehow. With her chore done, she'd probably have a few later, she thought better of it. Sam would find her probably, when he was ready, possibly.

The brainy Texan decided to go see the forest again. She wouldn't go in; instead she did as she had when she met Faith, she walked along the edge, giving it a wide berth.

"A fairy forest with fairy curses that put people in bad clothes. You'd think it'd have something better to do, wouldn't you?"

It was only long after Clark was gone and Dinah had been standing still and silent for so long that she found the loophole in the orders. She had never been told how long to hold still for or how long she had to be quiet.

Once she realized that, it was as though all of her limbs unfroze at once. She rubbed at one of her shoulders and rolled her neck a little bit.

And then she set off again into the woods.

"Okay, I know you're out there," she called to the fairy. "And I've got to tell you-I don't have a damn clue what I'm supposed to learn from this curse. All I know is that people are going to get hurt if you don't lift it. If the wrong person finds out about it..."

She didn't even finish that sentence. She was pretty sure the fairy had to know that.

Which only made her angrier that so far the fairy hadn't materialized. An actual ass to kick might be nice right about now.

Murphy had wandered the enchanted woods for who knew how long. It felt like time was moving differently there, and it was sometimes hard to keep things straight. She kept trying to get to the tower, but every time she seemed to be heading in the right direction she suddenly found herself as far away as ever.

Because magic was at work-most likely faerie magic-Murphy would bet her badge that she was going around in circles. That or the forest was moving on her. It didn't really matter which because each had the same infuriating result.

She finally came upon a clearing that was lit from golden rays from above. It was only then that she realized how dark the rest of the forest seemed in comparison. In fact, the sunlight streaming down on the clearing served to highlight the large stone in the middle of the clearing.

Or more appropriately, the delicate blade encased in the stone.

"You have got to be kidding me," Murphy muttered.

She knew that sword. Fidelacchius, the Sword of Faith, had been offered to her before. She still remembered the way it had lit up when she'd touched it. Still remembered Dresden explaining that it was a job offer.

It wasn't that she didn't have faith. It was just that she'd already had a job back in Chicago and she didn't think she could handle being a police officer and a Knight of the Cross.

It might also have been because she wasn't sure if she was the right person to wield it.

And yet, here it was.

"This isn't even the right sword, assholes," Murphy muttered.

In fact, Harry had told her once or twice that Michael's sword, Amoracchius, was rumored to be the Excalibur. I.E. the original sword in the stone.

All the same, the hilt of the katana sat there above the stone, almost waiting for her.

She approached it cautiously and eyed the sword and its stone warily.

Finally, after a long moment of deliberation, she reached for it. If it would help Harry, she would take it up.

Hell, if it would help the situation down here, she was pretty sure she was honorbound to take it up, at least for the duration of their time here.

The light from the sword put the sunlight streaming down on the clearing to shame.

Being a deer sucked. She could see practically all the way around her with her stupid eyes stuck on the sides of her head and her big flappy ears kept distracting her which meant she shook them a lot.

Abby ended up at the window watching the sun going down hoping like hell that they weren't kidding about spending her nights as a person because SHE WANTED HER HANDS BACK.

As soon as the sun slipped below the horizon the deer shimmered and Abby was back on two feet, swaying slightly as she got used to the change of balance. The skirts that seemed to have shown up for some reason didn't help. Looking down she let out an exasperated noise at her outfit. She was wearing the laced up overdress and chemise of a peasant girl apparently.

"Really? Wasn't the damn deer thing bad enough?"

(Happens directly after this)

Spike shoved through the bodies coming up to him, not holding back his strength as he moved from room to room of the house of pleasures, testing the air and hunting a bit until he found a doorway that opened to a descending staircase. He'd had a good tour of the place earlier, so he knew that every other room was probably empty, but this is what he'd been hunting for. The secret in the basement.

"Oi, Captain boy, over here," he called, peering down into the darkness. There were lights below, flickering, and definitely something moving down there. "I think I found the mistress of the manor."

He adjusted the tiny pants he'd been forced into slightly, then grit his teeth. "I say we go in and kill whatever's there, that should stop the forest from turning on us."

By far, Eric had not exactly gotten around to exploring most of what this strange world contained. He had left die Festung and gone back to New Troy to look at the library of the ex-leader Lucius and what it contained. He had holed himself up for a long while, reading, watching, learning. There were a lot of strange things he discovered, but none of them were of the place in which he now lived.

There had been rumors among his staff about a forest that he hadn't heard anybody speak about before, and it piqued his curiosity. So finally, Eric left his base of operations. He went out to explore this strange new area.

The forest itself seemed to him to be very normal as he approached it. It certainly didn't look very fantastic. Yet, he had heard that it had sprung up overnight, thus making it abnormal. Also, interesting. Something to investigate. Perhaps an extension of his new and somewhat strange new empire.

But as Eric entered the thick of the trees, he discovered very quickly that it wasn't going to go that way. Things felt strange, and they smelled strange. He wasn't hearing the sounds that normally filled the woods, not really. There were sounds, but they seemed false.

Another thing was, Eric's outfit changed. He was now not wearing the simple jeans and wifebeater that he had been sporting previously. Now his clothing looked more like something from distant France. A pair of absurdly tight leggings and a billowy white tunic tied at the waist with a bit of string. Eric thought it might possibly be the most annoying thing he'd ever worn in his life.

There was a little smile on Sam's face as Fred walked away. He did his best to wipe it off as soon as he turned back to his older brother.

"Not a word, Dean," he said in a weary voice.

He started to walk back in the direction of their quarters.

"So, it looks like we're going to be hunting a wolf," he started.

Hopefully if he led with shop-talk, he could keep Dean from ribbing him too much about... whatever might have been going on with Fred.

Not that he thought anything was going on, especially since she was leaving and now wasn't the time or the place to even consider... When it came down to it, the place really didn't matter. Sam was in no shape to even consider dating. Not with the spectre of the wall in his head that might tumble down at any point.

Dinah was stuck in her quarters. Stuck.

She still wasn't happy with Dean about ordering her to stay put until someone came to get her. In fact, the longer she waited inside, the angrier she got.

Who the hell was he to decide whether or not she could protect herself? It wasn't as though she were stupid enough to go parading down the city streets.

No, as soon as she got out of here she would be returning to the forest to try to find some way to lift the curse. She had racked her brains for any sort of lesson she might learn from being cursed to do whatever she was told to do and she couldn't come up with anything.

Now she just needed to find a way out of there. She'd dressed again, her clothes again morphing into that now-hated ballgown and glass slippers. And then she tried to go out the door. She tried to go out the windows. Nothing worked. Every time she got too close to crossing a threshold, her nose started to bleed and her entire body seized up.

No, she wasn't happy with Dean in the least bit.

After the last attempt, she leaned against the window, pressing her forehead to the cool glass and sighing in frustration.

It was then that she saw Clark walking by outside.

She didn't want to open the window and shout to call attention to herself, but she had a good chance of drawing his attention without getting too loud.

"Clark," she said in a voice that was loud but not shouting. "Help me. Come get me."

Yes, she was cheating. Just a little bit. But if he officially 'came to get her' then she'd be released from Dean's order.

She wasn't thinking about just how difficult that might be to explain. That didn't matter right now. She swiped at the trickle of blood under her nose as a result of the last failed attempt, but if Clark heard her she wouldn't have time to do anything else to clean up and her face would still look ashen.

Things were not going at all well for Dinah. At first she’d thought that the funny feeling she’d been hit with in the forest had only been tied into the forced change of outfit. But as soon as she’d returned to the city, she’d started to realize that something else was very very wrong.

Not many people ordered the chosen around, but whenever someone said something that seemed to be an order instead of a request, she was compelled to do it. No matter how ridiculous or frustrating or... potentially dangerous.

If Belia found it... if anyone else who might be the wrong person found out... this could be very bad.

She had to find a way to break the spell. She was going to have to talk to Bruce and maybe Clark to see if they had any ideas, but every time she even thought about how to explain it to them her tongue felt like it was folding in on itself. As though it could not-would not-allow her to explain what was going on.

She needed some time to herself. Time to think about what was going on and time to change out of the ridiculous dress. It was a silvery-blue and extremely poufy and over-the-top and not practical. At all. The hoop skirt had gotten stuck in a few doors already, and she was really hoping she’d be able to change out of it so she could burn the damn thing.

She liked dressing up as much as the next girl, but this was... too much. Especially when she was stuck in a postapocalyptic world and not going to some sort of formal party.

She managed to squeeze the gigantic hoop skirt through the doorway to the building that housed her quarters and then gathered up the skirt as best as she could and hurried up the stairs. With any luck, she wouldn’t run into anyone on the way. Then she would just have to not answer her door until she could figure out what to do next.

( If the slipper fits... )

Spike was in another world. Not physically, maybe, but as he staggered throughout the house of pleasures his mind was on a different plane of existance. Since he and Jack had gotten here he hadn't seen the other man. His time had been nothing but sex, drugs, and some good old fashioned pleasure sport.

It had culminated the night before when the primal nature these people seemed determined to pull from him had finally reared it's bumpy, fanged head and he'd bitten a rather delicious young morsel, draining them dry. But it hadn't been human. Maybe he should have known that from the get go, after all the longer he was here the more he felt some kind of pull at his soul. He was all too experienced with the soul tug-of-war to not notice it. It didn't worry him too much, though, he'd still been content to stay here and be enveloped, forgetting the world he didn't care about outside the building.

When he'd bitten that delicious neck, though, everything had changed. It was magic, whoever these people were, it was all magic. And even in the throws of one of the most powerful consumption highs of his life he'd known there was something else going on here.

( He waved off his followers, the small flock of bodies who followed him everywhere in this place, )

Jack stood just outside the walls of die Festung with the wind tugging at the tails of his coat as he eyed the forest that seemed to have sprung up over night. In his experience things that just appear never meant anything good. The smart thing to do was to find a high vantage point and observe the forest for a while, see what went in or came out of it. Jack wasn't doing the smart thing these days, not since his ability to care about his wellbeing went the way of Ianto and his grandson. He had every intention of going in there to find out first hand what was going on. He was just making something of a production about it.

"Who can impress the forest, bid the tree unfix his earthbound root?" He smiled, chuckling to himself for the reference.

So she'd just saved Little Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf, who got away.

This was definitely something that was up Harry's alley. And Murphy was still a little cranky about the comments on her height from the woman she'd saved, and she was absolutely cranky about the fact that the wolf had gotten away.

She had already checked in with the armory to see what weapons she could appropriate and had managed to get some silver bullets and a couple of Kevlar vests. With that in hand, she made her way up to Harry's quarters and knocked on the door.

Something was going on outside the city. Apparently these woods sprang up over night and weird shit was going on. Weird enough to get his and Abby's attention and make them want to investigate. Correction: make HER want to investigate. He was going along to make sure she didn't get into trouble. He was all for holing up where they were being allowed to live and just being slack. Whistler, on the other hand, preferred action and helping. Fuck.

"Okay. So let me get this straight." He followed her towards the walls around the city. "Some creepy ass Scooby Doo trees grow up and you want to go play Bilbo on his way to Mount Doom."

There was talk of a forest just springing up overnight a little ways outside of the walls for die Festung. Dinah didn't know what to make of this. People showing up out of nowhere was bad enough, but an entire forest?

There had to be more going on there. And she thought that it was worth looking into.

She knew better than to go exploring on her own, and she'd been meaning to talk to Bruce anyway. Not that she was exactly looking forward to that conversation. The Bruce who actually knew her back home was paranoid and mistrusting enough, though she'd grudgingly earned his... well, as much trust as he might give an ally. She wasn't quite sure how to get through a younger version of Bruce who hadn't even taken on a sidekick yet.

All the same, she had to try. Everything here would go much more smoothly if the supposed 'chosen' could work together.

So Dinah went to the quarters that she had been told were Bruce's and knocked. She was already dressed for going out in the wild-in a protective leather suit that would hopefully guard against getting scratched up too much if she encountered any more Netvors. She also had a sword, just in case, and a survival kit with some food and water and medical supplies. She was prepared, though she knew that Bruce would want to bring his own supplies as well. Assuming he agreed to go with her that was.