This Cinderella Wears Boots

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"I'd be lying, young child, if I said there wasn't a lot. These old hands ain't what they used to be," she went on, showing the wrinkled and gnarled fingers to them both. "But old age gets us. It is the only thing certain in this world."

And though the old woman spoke of it matter of factly, just the way it was presented...
It didn't sit well with Angel. She adjusted her weight on the chair, eating the stew more delicately than her companion.

"My father always said just take things one day at a time. We're only human," Angel encouraged.

"Yes.." the woman smiled, but that same feeling was emanating from her that made Angel drop her gaze.

"Sometimes stuff happens and things can't be got to.." Angel went on, clearing her throat as she ate some more of her stew, and was quick to add, "This is really good! You're a great cook!"
Though to be fair, it was actually rather bland.

"Oh, you flatter me!" Mara said, a hand to her chest and a doll like look of endearment painted across her lips. "But honestly... the real task I need.... I'm afraid to ask."
And she turned away, putting on the thematics as Angel peered over at Ewan.

"Well, what is it? You never know, we might not look it, but I'm sure we're able to help you with... whatever it is," Angel said with confidence.

But the old woman seemed to shy away.
"Oh, I just couldn't ask. I couldn't. I would never forgive myself if either of you went into the well and got hurt.... Just to fetch me such a small, forgotten trinket."

[Whim]

"And sure we'll help! What sorta trinket is it?" he perked up. He was expecting a boring and exhausting chore like woodcutting or fruit picking. But a forgotten trinket sounded good. Especially if a magical seamstress wanted it. Not that dresses concerned him much.

"I suppose ya noticed yer clothes are charmed? Its all the loom. Now when I was young I had a pair of shears to match. A loom to weave anything and shears to cut anything. Traded them to the spider down my well for her silk, ya see."

Ewan gave her a nod. It all seemed very sensible. Sapient spiders hardly seemed scary anyway. He was a magician! It did sound a bit dubious. A loom that could make anything? It was probably just magic clothes, but his curiosity was piqued. "Why'd you give them up? And why do you want them?"

"Young and foolish. Didn't think I needed em if I could weave anything. But magic don't just let you run amuck, as you well know. The loom 'n shears need each-other to work proper."

"Guess all magic has a price, huh? But we'll help!" Ewan wondered if something else in the world had aged hideously because he had gotten so young. Or maybe the price was how he had to learn stuff again, like the word adult? He frowned at the thought. "And could I have seconds?" he looked sheepish, adding "-please?" Bland as the stew was his boy's palette was more than satisfied with generous helpings of meat, fat, and salt.

(OOC: Hope the deviation from the tinderbox is okay! Thought it might match the whole seamstress theme.)

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"Magical shears down a well," Angel found herself saying after their meal had been complete and the pair were left to work. The old woman had even gone so much as instructed them on how to get to the well, but said she wasn't feeling up to the walk. And the directions were easy to follow, but the circumstances were still so strange.

"And magical clothing..." She peered down at the awkward attire she now wore. "What do you think sort of enchantments that old woman put on these clothing?"

[Whim]

Shaggy cheered up when they brought him a mutton haunch for breakfast, but still more sullen than usual.

Despite slick coat of moss growing on the masonry, the well looked sturdy enough. It had a little thatch roof and was mostly obscured by the tall brush growing around it. Without Mara's directions they'd have been lost. "You really didn't notice about the clothes, how they dress you and stuff?" He turned to face her, unbuttoning his vest as a demonstration. In a matter of moments the vest crept back over his belly, buttons dutifully finding their holes. He let out a small laugh, "See? I don't know a whole lot about enchanting garments but I bet she'd make us something real nice if we helped. Like... shoes to walk on air? A backpack that can hold a house?"

Ewan leaned on the mossy stonework and peered into the blackness of the well. He couldn't see the bottom. Despite its age the thatch roof was in good repair, and the winch and bucket were still sturdy."I've never gone down a well before. Do you just climb the rope? Oh! And the spider..." The boy tried to take stock of what else they'd need to do this. It was hard to keep focused. He was excited and it all sounded so easy.

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Angel stared down into the endless darkness in the pit of the well. The air there smelled dank, and though it was said to be an easy task, not being able to see to the bottom did not settle well with her.

"I ain't use to magics, okay? I was in a hurry to dress so I hadn't the chance to really see."

Though her reply came out huffy, she was more anxious than angry at him. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she continued to look down the well.

"NO.. we won't get down by rope, look there."
She pointed to the subtle recess of a make shift ladder.
"Looks like that's the way we'll get down."

And she paused a moment to consider, "Think we ought to have brought a torch or something? I'm not sure how well we'd do down there if we can't see anything."

[Whim]

He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Oh. Right. We will need to see, huh? Actually, wait!" And with that he dropped to his knees and made a shrill chittering noise. Moments later a pair of big, green, phosphorescent worms wriggled their way from the tall grass. The feel of magic stirring within his chest felt good. He picked them up, letting them crawl up his hand with some trepidation, and held one out with a proud smile. "There! They'll grow in the dark for us. The slimier one's yours, for kickin' me."

He gently shifted the glowworm to his shoulder and approached the makeshift ladder. The worms' pale glow already dispelled some of the darkness. They were sure to be enough. "So whose first?"

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Angel just looked at the glow worm with one cocked brow. She wasn't exactly squimish around bugs like most girls were (especially having grown up with as many brothers as she had!), but she had to ask him, "Glow worms? You couldn't have conjured actual fire or something?"

But hey, she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers!

At his question, she stepped towards the well.
"I'll go first. I'm the oldest anyway. And besides.. if I'm below, you can't see up my skirts."
And she kicke done leg over the other and crossed over the lip of the well to where her boots found the make shift little recesses of the ladder.

She paused a moment, and held her breath before looking back to the kid.

"Here goes nothing. If I fall and break my leg, take your time getting help." She knew if they did get in trouble, they'd both be more or less out of luck. The old lady was too old to help them and that left them with the boy's dog and well...
It wasn't like he was Lassie or something!

Holding a breath, she began to descend, the glow worm now perched on her shoulder lighting the way.

[Whim]

"I don't do fire. I do plant and animal magic and stuff. Its called animancy. And you're not older- and I wasn't-!" Ewan huffed, scrambling down the well after her.

It was slow going down the rough hewn ladder. Being barefoot didn't help. Each slit was either jagged, or slick with moss and lichen. He didn't even want to know what sorts of crawling things lived inside. By the time Ewan was half-way down, Angel was already nearing the large pool at the very bottom. That's when the trouble started.

Something crawled over his foot. With a shriek, Ewan lost his footing and was left hanging by his arms. His muscles burned as he hung there for what felt like hours, before his probing toes found the ladder again. His heart was pounding. "Angel I don't know If I can do this..." he called down weakly. Ewan was stuck. He was afraid to go any further for fear of slipping, and he didn't think he was strong enough to make the climb-back.

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By the time Angel realized his plight, she was already at the bottom. Her eyes went wide.
"Hang on!" And her mind reeled frantically. "Can't you just.. just try to get a better footing or something?" But she could see the way he was all locked up that fear was getting the better of him.

[Whim]

He probed for the next foothold. He counted silently. One. Two. Three. And descended another rung. "I just don't want to go. Its gonna be harder going up," he called down. His voice was quivering and plaintive, like a child trying to avoid school. "Can't we just do something else for her. Please?"

Angel's glow worm illuminated the bottom of the well, but failed to pierce the murky depths. Fire would have been much friendlier than the alien light. A tunnel wreathed in tree roots and wisps of silk branched off from the well-proper.

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Angel grew impatient, but she was much more anxious, if anything. And she did fear for the boy's life. One slip and an injury from such a fall would not be easy to heal from- assuming the worst scenario did not happen.

She grit her teeth.

"I'm coming up!"

One way or the other, she had to help him, and if that meant getting the hell out of the well, then so be it!

She made her way up the recessed ladder rungs as quickly as she could. But as Ewan already found out, each footing was unique in it's own slipperiness or decaying rock. She nearly slipped once herself, but soon found herself just in reach of the boy.

"Okay, I'm going to climb over you and I want you to hold onto me, wrap your arms around my neck and stuff, and I'll get us the rest of the way outta here."

[Whim]

Ewan decided not to protest. He was happy they were leaving the well. The boy didn't hesitate to grab hold of Angel's neck and waist, hugging her fiercely during their ascent. Luckily, he was small and weighed no more than a camping pack. It was dark when they reached the surface.

"Sorry," Ewan said in a small voice, dropping to the grass.The boy's face was hot with embarrassment. He felt stupid hanging there and whimpering. "We can try again tomorrow. I'll do better. I-I promise...."

Old Mara's cottage was up the hill. Her silhouette sat on the porch, star-gazing.

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Angel patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't let it eat at you, kid. We've had a long day anyway, I'm sure the old woman will understand."

And as the pair approached, Angel felt the weight of guilt upon her as Old Mara looked from the stars, down to them.

"Oh? Back so soon?"

Angel lowered her head for a moment before looking back up at her.

"We... didn't go into the well. Well, we kind of did but it was... complicated. Seems climbing down a well is a lot harder than it looks."

[Whim]

For a split second Mara gritted her teeth in frustration. She was so close to her prize. The spider died to poison months ago; but gods knew she couldn't make it down the well herself. This was work for young backs. Years of selling curses and boons to the desperate gave Old Mara a good eye for people.

Both children were filled with fire. Failure would spur them to try again. If she pushed too hard they'd ask questions, and that would make trouble. She gave a gentle smile, "Don't trouble yourselves. The well's old. Grown man would have reservations too. Do a week's worth of chores round the orchard and I'll see ya outfitted for travel, how does that sound?"

Old Mara lead them indoors. The cottage had one spare room. It was a bedroom, but filled with an odd assortment of mementos and personal knickknacks. Most prominent was a mahogany loom, cut and sanded into a floral motif. No doubt the arcane relic Mara had referred to. "You can sleep here, lass. I'll throw some blankets on the washroom floor for the boy." With that she left to prepare Ewan's sleeping arrangements.

The boy walked over to the bed and flopped down. It was ear-marked for Angel but he needed to sit. "Thanks for getting me. I'll try and do most of the work. Was my fault for being stupid and crying and everything," he sounded tired and defeated. "I wasn't lying about there being a spell on me. It makes me think different!"

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"Hey, don't worry. Now's not the time to dwell over these things."
Even if she wouldn't believe him unless he proved it, and she had a feeling he couldn't, which was a convenient cop out but oh well.

She moved to sit on the bed next to him.

"I'm not sure if we can really stay here for a week. I feel we're still too close to my town."
She sighed and looked around, and after ensuring Mara was out of ear shot, she added, "If we have to, we might need to sneak out at night. But staying here for another day wouldn't be a bad idea after all we've been through. And who knows, it could prove to be a worthy hide out, especially if the chores are easy!" she told him, smartly.

[Whim]

"And What's the worst that could happen? You become Missus Wonderful, your parents pay off the guy, and I get shipped off to some... ugh... orphanage?" he cracked a weak smile. None of that sounded good. But less sympathetic horse thieves would have it worse.

"I'd feel awful bad running off. And whose gonna know we're at a little farmhouse anyway?" He didn't even like the Mara all that much. But something about ducking out on a lonely old lady filled him with guilt.

The boy hopped off the bed to examine the loom in the corner. He laid a hand on the dark wood, trying to feel the spellwork. Ewan's discerning taste for magic had dulled since the transformation. A mischievous smirk crossed his face. "I guess it would be good to try for the shears again. If it works I bet we could go the rest of the way on a magic carpet, or something."

Just then they heard the creak of the floorboards, announcing Mara's return.

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Angel hadn't a chance to reply, but his first remarks she made a rolling eyed glare. And once she realized Mara was back, she stood up suddenly and tossed a pillow none too gently at Ewan's head.

"Mighty cozy in here ain't it? Though a bit musty, forgive me. I don't entertain much," Mara went on.

Angel waved it off.
"Don't worry about it. And you shouldn't be fussing over us. We really weren't invited guests, and your hospitality is more than we deserve. But hey, if you don't mind, the boy can just sleep in the bed with me." And she leaned forward as she covered her hands over Ewan's ears to whisper to Mara, "He gets scared if he sleeps alone. He'll wake up screaming in a fit. Besides, he's like my little brother."
And to emphasize her point, she ruffled his hair so that it was all staticky and sticking up all over the place.

[Whim]

"Gah! Hey!" Ewan yelped in surprise. He'd been hit with a pillow, then had his ears covered and his hair mussed. What the hell was she whispering anyway? It was nice to be looked after; even if he felt like a stuffed doll.

He slid from Angel's grip and retrieved the blankets Mara intended for his stay on the floor. "Thanks for takin us in and all."

"Not a hair of trouble, lad, and company does me well now and again," the witch gave a faint smile. "Breakfast's when the rooster crows." And with that she turned on her heel.

The boy gave his companion a rueful glance, trying to pat his tussled hair into place. He wasn't having much success. "So's this part of your escape plan or are you just being nice?" he dropped his voice, a little dubious after all her teasing. "And just what did you say to her?"

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"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased, sticking her tongue out at him. "Besides, it was just grown up talk."

[Whim]

"Other silly outfits to put me in or ways to mess up my hair?" Ewan rolled his eyes. The boy unfastened his vest and was left in a billowy white tunic.

He fluffed his pillow and climbed into the bed. It was comfy. And being swaddled in blankets was much nicer than sleeping with a dog. All he needed was a book. There was a stack of old romance serials; a mystery; and a dusty book of fables. He made a face at the romantic rubbish and wouldn't dare leave a mystery unfinished. The book of fables were the sensible choice, even if it was for children.

Book in hand and blankets drawn up to his chest Ewan was ready. "Now come on, tell me! You really don't plan for us to sneak off, do you?" he asked in a strategically small voice, trying to sound sleepy. He made sure to look settled in. Whether or not he screwed up their well adventure he was not going anywhere tonight!