1. Never More

There are ravens everywhere in Trench, but especially in Gaze, as Fakir is finding out. They huddle together in lines on eaves and walls, seemingly chatting amongst themselves until one or two or all of them take off to alight elsewhere. Fakir grits his teeth, and continues on his way to the School of Mutter's entrance with a grim expression.

A raven flies down from a nearby rooftop to land directly in front of him. Fakir takes a step back. The raven looks him directly in the eye and gives a brief croak.

Fakir glares at the bird. "Go away."


2. Check it out

In spite of interfering ravens, Fakir quickly begins spending a considerable amount of time in the library of the Arcane Archives. He doesn't have a particular method in selecting books at this point - any and all information is good. But he does have a standard operating procedure: stack up a pile of promising books, set them down on a table, and go through each while taking notes.

Today, he's found a book detailing various creatures which may or may not actually exist around Trench. It's better to assume they all do exist. Hence, the notes he's taking on the signs of each. Take something called a "Snuffer." As Fakir reads, he jots down Any nearby lights go out.

The lamp next to him on the table is suddenly extinguished. Fakir looks at it in surprise. Setting down his pen, he looks further around for any sign of a draft or leak in the ceiling. But there's nothing.

With an expression of growing trepidation, Fakir turns his attention back to the journal page. Carefully (there's considerably less light to go on now, after all) he picks the quill back up and writes. The lamp reignites.

And the lamp burns once more, as if it had never been extinguished.

Fakir sits back, perturbed. Changing things with only a sentence - he could never do that before.


3. A Sprung Trap

Fakir is crouched down on the side of this street, checking to see if the cage trap someone planted here has, indeed, caught anything. Thankfully, there's no duck in there, as he fears every trap might contain. There is a squirrel, scuttling around the cage in an attempt to get out. Fakir lifts the door of the trap, and the creature dashes out.

Too bad if you were actually interested in catching a squirrel.

1. And the Raven

((cw: animal attack, parental death))

It would be a cozy room, normally. But now it's filled with shattered glass, a murder of crows swarming in through the broken window. They tear at the walls and overturn furniture, circling around the center of the room, where most of them are attacking their true targets. A man, who is desperately trying to beat the crows back with nothing but his arms as they peck and claw and peck and claw at him. And a woman, huddled over a child of five or six, trying to shield him as the crows rip at her back. The boy stares over the woman's arms in terrified shock as the birds continue to relentlessly attack.

Fakir, the teenager, is physically untouched by this memory. But he sits curled up in a corner of the room, his arms covering his head as he draws in panicked breaths.


2. Swan Lake

((cw: apparent drowning))

The scene is an underground lake, lying under an impressive dome of neatly fitted stone. A ghostly white nest rests in the center of the lake, a talon-like crescent rising from its center. Perfectly poised on one of the branches stands a girl in a revealing black tutu, her black hair pinned back into a feather-like plume. On the nest with her is a white-haired boy who can only be described as a fairy tale prince. But right now he appears empty, like a doll.

On the shore across the water, stands a girl in a delicate white tutu, white swan feathers curling around her red hair. Behind her and to the side is Fakir, looking the worse for wear. His shirt has been ripped in several places, torn sleeves revealing bandaged arms. But he stands firm, sword at his side.

The girl in black is speaking, her voice carrying clearly over the water to Princess Tutu. "There is no other path for you to choose from. Now, get on with it and let me see you vanish!"

Tutu appears stricken. But she bows her head. "All right. But in exchange, once I've vanished, please don't do any more mean things to Mytho." She raises her head with a sad smile.

Kraehe is taken aback. But after a moment, she laughs. "And here I was wondering just what you might ask for."

"Hey," Fakir says softly to Tutu, concerned. But Tutu continues. "Please, Kraehe."

"Fine," Kraehe says with a calculating smile. "I'll love him even more than I have in the past. So much that he'll forget all about you."

Tutu steps forward, determined. But Fakir breaks in. "Wait!" He stands with one hand on his hip and...berates his ally. "What are you doing this pointless thing for? Are you stupid?"

He begins walking forward as Tutu exasperatedly mutters "What? Stupid?"

"Don't take what a crow says seriously," Fakir advises, his eyes on Kraehe. "If you vanish, who will restore Mytho's heart to him? Didn't you want to see Mytho's smile when he's regained all the pieces of his heart?" He turns his head to look at Tutu directly. "No one else but you could smilingly accept the fate of Princess Tutu. That's why you mustn't vanish." Tutu looks at him in wide-eyed surprise. Facing forward again, Fakir draws his sword and holds it out directly in front of him. "I will change fate!"

"Foolish knight." Kraehe holds out a hand and a small black tornado begins to spin beneath it. From alcoves in the ceiling, strange people in black feathered cloaks, with large crow masks, descend, holding their own swords. They stand on the now-frozen lake, forming a line in front of Kraehe. "You won't even be able to get close to me. And you'll die in vain! Fate cannot be changed!"

"Shall we put it to the test?" Sword ready, Fakir lunges forward as Tutu calls out his name. She is blocked by two of the crow-people as Fakir engages the others. He acrobatically jumps, slashes, and dodges, the enemies he cuts down dissolving into a shimmer of purple dust. For all that it involves live weapons, the fighters move with a balletic attention to form.

More warriors descend, surrounding him. With a tremendous jump, Fakir lands in a better position and continues his attack. He eliminates the last line in front of the nest-island and stands straight. "Give Mytho back!"

"No." Kraehe remains in place, unmoved. There's a quiet sound of splashing, and Fakir looks down at his feet in alarm. The ice transforms into water once more, Fakir falling into it with a shout.

"Fakir!" Tutu cries out. A tower of water rises from the lake, tossing Fakir close to the roof. Instead of crow people, what comes from the alcoves now is simply swords trailing black feathers, slicing into Fakir. He screams, and falls into the lake once more.