professional crafter of artisanal queer tatterpigs | I'm the monster wreathed in smoke and orange blossoms


She refuses to take her medicine. But she doesn't know she needs it.

  • We open with Ovida taking Cora to the Bleak Academy via He, Death's dreaming mind; Ovida brings along Valter's special mulled winter wine. He, Death invites them to dine overlooking a far and a sunless land, and they are joined by Canonica and a part-time professor, Aysu Kurush. They discuss where they're from; Cora has a private revelation; Cora, the Headmaster, and Ovida discuss dying and death; Aysu discusses her wife and where she lives; and Ovida is invited to visit a far and a sunless land when He, Death notices her curiosity
  • Liza goes to Klyatva's address and finds she's out; instead, Opal1 is there. Eventually she lets Liza inside, where they talk about Liza and Klyatva's lives. Opal reveals that she's here because Klyatva needs her yet denies her assistance; she also tells Liza that she doesn't know who Pitohui is, but she does know that she's been tormenting Klyatva for at least the last few months. The conversation moves to Liza and her own fears around change. Opal asks increasingly probing questions until the phone rings, and she tells Liza that Klyatva will be late2. Liza moves to take her leave, but Opal gifts her with a jar of honey first. Liza stores Opal's honey at home in the cabinet with her other poisons.
  • Theremin and Ovida go to Raya's home to tell her what they learned from Majesty about the removability of the heaven-shard in her eye. They meet her dad3 and learn that Raya's been developing claws under the skin of her hands and is dreaming of some aspect of Heaven. She's still frightened by what's going on, but seems to have become increasingly comfortable with it and is now afraid of what losing the shard may mean. Ovida reveals some of the weird shit she gets up to with Theremin in an attempt to be sympathetic. Raya invites Theremin to dinner sometime in the future.
  • Liza and Ovida meet with Varfolomei Sosunov- Liza to drop off some hothouse vegetables and medicinal herbs, and Ovida to bother him with questions about the Sosunovs. We learn more about their history with witches and their stances on Ovida and Dew, and Ovida starts to understand that the things witches do can kill people, for real, seriously.
  • Theremin resolves to confront Majesty and discuss boundaries re: Raya, and asks for Mara to help summon it to them. Mara agrees, but tells Theremin to not hesitate if they need help- Majesty doesn't have her permission to hurt them like that.

  1. Opopanax, who is Panacea

  2. She helps run and write for a local journalistic periodical

  3. Her mother is a vet and her dad is a sailor; they live in an inherited mansion in Horizon that her mom's converted part of to hold her vet practice.


You must log in to comment.