Stones

CW violence, nudity, blood, threats of violence

Panel 1: Back behind the stage, wisps in a trail to the woods light the grass in a pale blue light. Ronnie the troll kneels on the ground where he has Paul in a headlock. Paul pulls on Ronnie’s ear. Dew stands off to one side, with a hand to his mouth in a nervous, guilty posture. Behind them, Daiki flees frantically from the stage, one hand pulling his pants back up over his hips. His antlers and the straps that held them to his head are missing. The smoke from a bonfire rises to the sky just past the stage walls. Stars fill the night sky.

Dew admits, “Ahaha, I might have linked him with just a small enchantment to keep him around for…awhile. Hm. Overdid it and…sorry.”

Paul asks, “You did what?”

Panel 2: Dew coaxes Paul away from grappling with the troll, puts an arm around him, and pulls off one of his fake ears. Paul has a dazed, confused expression. Ronnie holds the ear Paul pulled and glares at Dew. Behind them, Daiki falls on his face from trying to run through the dark in hoof boots.

Ronnie says, “Trolls don’t…”keep” people. What do you mean?”

Panel 3: Dew sits in Paul’s lap and cuddles up to him, smiling fondly. Paul gives Dew a distrustful sideways look but holds him. Off near Daiki, Treon comes over to check on their boyfriend. Daiki has his face to the grass, arms over his head. Treon puts a hand on his back.

Dew says, “Oh, you know. Loyalty, subtle telepathic connection. I may have had intrusive thoughts when you shouted at me. My, this one must be lonely for it to work this well.”

Panel 4: Ronnie leans closer to look Paul in the eye and bares his many sharp teeth in a snarl. Dew cringes away but Paul looks back at him evenly.

Ronnie says to Dew while looking at Paul, “If you sic him on me again, I will eat then kill him.”

Panel 5: On stage, the tree holds up a backdrop with an illusion of rolling desert dunes under a greenish sky. Daiki’s antlers and a white lily lay on the stage near the backdrop. Winter costumed as Merty stands next to Lily costumed as her mother. A portal opens and teleports Treon to the stage.

Treon resigns themself to being on stage instead of trying to find out what happened to Daiki. They say, “Wow, you love teleporting people, huh? Hey everyone, what are we doing now? Oh! Merty. And her mom is a mermaid now. Okay. So, Merty, as you know, half human. And enough humans really hate that, so her and her mer-mom skip town with tea money, cross the mountains…”

Panel 6: The fae audience mills around bonfires. The woodwose girl with the dress and glasses eats a raw rabbit which appears freshly caught. Her scarf has gone missing. She also holds a glass bottle. The other woodwose drinks from a goblet. They both have blood on their chins and drips of blood on their chests.

Three elves hang out and chat, one sitting on the saddle of her giant raccoon. Behind them, the white pooka stares ahead. A couple wisps lead back into the woods.

From off panel, Treon says, “Only to find another city where people are assholes.”

Panel 7: On the stage again, this time the backdrop features two log cabins with grassy roofs and a crudely built fence, with mountains in the background.

Treon says, “But this time, Merty got separated from her mom and stoned out of – Stop throwing real rocks, you fucking goblins! She is a child!”

Three goblins stand around throwing rocks at Winter, who shields herself. Treon runs in to protect Winter. Muk, a mauve goblin in striped pants, shies away, holding a rock. Mal, a green goblin wearing a hat shaped like a long thorn, grins and sticks his tongue out, not intimidated. Rub, a gray-blue goblin with dark hair and a tube top and a bikini bottom, just threw a rock which bounces off of Winter’s hip. The goblins are about two to three feet tall, each a different height.