Paying the Pied Pythoness (Part 3) by MaLAguA

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Woods in Vermont

Caro has snuck out of the house into the woods after an argument with her parents. Her impatience is a significant issue for Caro, as she thinks she must rectify the consequences of her deal with Grimma before her Grandmother arrives from England. She planned to kick Grimma's butt that far back, good grief. You are going off incomplete instructions from her Grandmother, from the sound of it, and trying to mess with an ancient entity like Grimma.

A night of a full moon, deep within the wood, where nature is strong, trace a circle with the runes. Assuming something is good enough when dealing with magic is foolhardy at best. Summoning Grimma, oh boy. Boy, grandmother knows a lot about Grimma.

“Write a verse that sets up the rules of what you want. The more specific you are, the more conditions you put to fulfill, the more likely you are to succeed.” Caro shook her head. This now felt like school homework. “I’ll think of something…”

*facepalms* You work and think that stuff up before you attempt the ritual.

You were told to prepare things for your grandmother's arrival, Caro.

“I’m not going to wait for that. Not when tonight is the perfect day to show the girls in my school that you don’t mock me without facing the consequences.” Caro was resolved. Her blood boiled at the memory of the distant laughter as she ran away from school with the horns painfully pushing and growing on her head. Some things she could not allow to go unpunished.

Caro, you really did need a lesson in humility, true friendship, and probably more in temper control than anyone gave you.

The biggest unmissable detail about her now was the pair of horns that grew from the side of her head, curling themselves forward.. Maybe some sort of African antelope or a ram… She really couldn’t stomach looking at herself in the mirror for long. ‘Sheepish,’ ‘horny,’ and ‘freak-o’ were just some of the most common words she’d read in her social media.

Okay, but at least make the punishment fit the crime, Caro. Random curses instead of custom ones; you should make the curse what they said about you literal for them. She had the wrong kids in her school. I know there are some guys and girls who would love her appearance.

At first, a plea with some anger in her voice, then what she says next, I'm surprised Grimma became so cordial with her by the time we see her at the school. Caro needs to learn some patience.

“At last you came…”

“How could I not? An interesting story in the making.”

“Story? Is that what this is to you? I’ve been and still am, being made fun of and bullied by my friends because of this dumb ‘gift’ you gave me!” She pointed up to her horns. “I want you to remove them. Or I’ll do it myself.”

Caro, you made a deal with a powerful entity for power. Did you think it would come without a price? Sadistic horror, seesh, Caro, tone it down a little.

“A promise I did make to thee, that I would invite thee into a life of thrills the likes of which thou couldst never imagine. A promise that thou couldst carve thine own story. Thusly, I put thee in a much better place for which to accomplish that.”

“I didn’t agree to this,” Caro emphasized the horns again.

“Thou wanted magic, and so I gave it to thee.” Grimma smiled. “I told thee it would involve the bestowing of a blessing upon thee.”

Blessing or curse is in the eye of the beholder. Caro, you think you can trap Grimma like this? I'm starting to see where the Caro in the current time got her attitude; she learned nothing from all the time she had GSD, nor what she could really do with Grimma's gifts.

Appear reasonable and collected, all to manipulate others, ugh. Grimma talks about Caro like this: she is just the main character in a story for Grimma, yikes. Caro, there is a difference between intelligence and cunning.

“Laws and loopholes,” Caro said. “I think I did my first couple of spells well enough.”

“Thou didst, but those were the first strikes of a squire, the first spells of an apprentice, and the first drops of the medicine of a healer,” Grimma mused before holding out her hand. “If thou dost want to go ahead with it, let me help thee out.”

Laws and loopholes, that is one of the most dangerous forms of magic in the right hands. No wonder Grimma is so scary. A piece of paper and a quill, hmm. *eyes bug out as I read the rhyme* This is a scary rhyme and spell to add to; one slip-up and things could get a whole lot worse for Caro. Your grandmother warned you about Grimma, and you still made the original deal; Caro, you need to improve your survival instinct.

First attempt, so weak; 2nd attempt, not bad, but still needs work.

“We are bound together, thee and me. I’m only cutting the spell because I know when it is going to tax thee more than you can imagine. In the end, thou wouldst end in a swoon, or worse, without nary a thing accomplished.”

You only have so much essence to keep attempting to get this right, Caro. Be grateful to Grimma. Caro, you are thinking Grimma is like the girls at your school. She is an ancient spirit who thinks and acts in ways most mortals can't understand. Oh, Caro, you screwed up and made it so that you would only remain human appearing for the night, if I understand what you wrote correctly.

Eating up Grimma's power; that was foolish, Caro. Severing the link between you and Grimma. You think you outsmarted Grimma, but you are an arrogant teen who just got in over her head.

“Oh child,” Grimma shook her head after reading the spell. “You don’t understand the mistake you just made.”

“Mistake? As if I haven’t heard that before.” Caro smiled as she walked around. She felt the magic centered around her head as the horns were close to fully receding. “I don’t see the error here. You won’t mess with me tonight.”

Ancient magic that works on laws and loopholes, and you think you figured out how to outsmart it in that short a time.

Caro felt a strange wave of heat cross through her. A feeling that mixed an enraged tsunami coming in crashing against a cliff and a balloon in her stomach starting to inflate. It came in once, forcing her to stop on her tracks.

Here comes the consequences of your mistake. Her clothes are too tight and starting to snap, crud. She is becoming like a dragon, too greedy with her spell. Now as tall as Grimma, Caro, what have you done? Is all this why Caro has the amount of GSD she does at Whateley instead of just the horns and unusual eyes? Golden chains clamped around her legs. This sounds more serious than the extent of her GSD she had at Whateley.

How far will this transformation go until it is stopped and reversed at least somewhat? She is turning into a dragon. Grimma gave her the blessing of a dragon, and now it is taking over without Grimma's piece inside Caro.

“I did. Because that was part of our agreement,” Grimma chastised. “Of course, it was always a measure thou wouldst grow out of eventually, whist my magic was always there to keep it under control… at least, it was.”

She has to make a deal with Grimma again to reverse this, doesn't she? Crap! The golden chains are going to drag Caro to her friend's party like that; this is why fairytale magic is so dangerous.

“I applaud thine efforts. But thou wert not ready for the unintended consequences. A shame it be, if only thou couldst place thy trust in others as readily as thou dost distrust.”

Anger issues, trust issues, just how warped did high school life make Caro? Solve this trial and leave Caro like that. How in the heck did Caro get back from this?

Thursday, January 20th - 6:33am
Whitman Room 247 - Caro and Sofia’s room

A nightmare of that incident. Caro needs to fill in her true friends about her past and why she has trust issues. She needs to learn that true friends won't be like that. So proud of yourself, trapping Grimma when she has only tried to help you since you made a deal with her for power. A couple of years ago, how long was she stuck as a dragon? Taken from you; you selfish brat, you made a deal for power and expect no price for it involved, yet blame Grimma for that.

Not in a hurry to get ready for class, considering her parents' offer of moving her back to Vermont, that would be the worst thing possible for Caro.

And then, she began to use her powers, as practice and pranks. Going as small as using a rhyme to knock over a loose object in the vending machine, to coax a praise out of another girl’s mouth.

You abused magic for pranks, and didn't expect something to happen, oh brother. Warned not to overuse the powers bestowed and she used them for pranks. You brought the changes upon yourself, Caro, by not listening to Grimma's warning.

Impatience, anger, and blaming others for issues; Caro needs counseling if she isn't already seeing one. A fae dragon! Good lord, Grimma sure can think them when she chooses a blessing to give.

And since then, she’d been very reluctant to use magic to incur a transformation. A part of her feared that it would be something she wouldn’t be able to slip out of. And she was still uneasy in her own skin as it was.

Caro's fear of trying to transform herself is a lot more understandable now.

Good lord, what she endured while turned into a dragon. Thank you, magic user, for preventing things from ending a lot worse. Grimma mended her form at dawn, scales and elven ears a reminder of what happened, oof. Only sent off to Whateley a couple of weeks after that incident. Caro, you are making cruel jokes about people's GSD and have been avoiding Marlene and your other true friends since you got back.

“Hm, I guess, maybe I should, at least, try to persuade Chris and Gwen to see things my way,” Caro thought. “As to Marlene and Sofia… maybe I have to consider a change of house, make new friends, or just change schools.”

Caro, if you can't even see the others' point of view on this and think you are automatically right, you need to reevaluate a lot of things. Alvina, Donna, and the Dickinson girls are having a party to which Caro is invited. Great, devised alcoholic drinks, don't go, Caro!

Nooo! Don't loan out enchanted items; this won't end well.

“Envy. That’s pretty much the Whitman complex right there. It’s how they look at us in Dickinson.” Alvina said. “Looking up from the bottom of the ladder.”

“I don’t think so. Many of the girls there don’t really care about popularity, I was one of them at least for a while,” were the words that Caro wanted to say, but she was in ‘social’ mode, so she had to play along with the words of everyone. “I know. I feel them looking at me like that.”

Oh, Caro... Alvina! I would slap her for saying that about a student with GSD. Okay, Alvina, you are officially a B.

Thursday, January 20th - 3:41pm
Outside of Crystal Hall

Caro, shipping the flute to your grandmother's collection with Grimma inside is the worst idea you have ever had. No joy, of course there isn't, you betrayed a friend all for social climbing. Alvina, the more you talk, the more I find to not like about you. Saying movies are better than books, guh. Sofia feels uneasy trying to talk to Caro; this shouldn't be happening.

Caro, you expect Marlene to apologize, stop acting like you are the victim here! Inviting Sofia to a party where there is booze, really sensitive after what happened last year. Good, no drinking for Sofia; if anyone slips her a drink, I will be enraged.

“It’s kinda like when Grimma shows up, but much more muted. There’s a feeling of a presence in the air,” Sofia noted.

“Oh that,” Caro said dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Really? Because if it was Grimma, I thought you would’ve changed back,” Sofia said, much to Caro’s annoyance.

Especially as that got a reaction from the other two girls. “Wait! You’re going to be changing back?!” they both blurted out.

“What a disappointment,” Alvina said.

I want to make Alvina eat a shoe, since she seems to like putting her foot into her mouth so much.

Oh boy, Marlene wants to know about the 'deal' with Grimma, but Caro isn't talking. Alvina and Miriam need a lesson on manners and treating others with kindness. Sofia wants to know about the deal, Alvina needs to learn when to shut her mouth, and Caro just says Grimma won't be a problem. Caro, they didn't backstab you yesterday; you are taking things the wrong way lately.

Lightheadedness, a feeling of vertigo, and a slight itch in parts of her body. Oh boy, here come the consequences for what you did to Grimma. Less than 10 seconds to recover, and she thinks it is due to stress from her social life. Alvina, Miriam, you aren't true friends if you just get amused at this happening to Caro. Her ears, sense of smell, and whiskers; don't tell me her insulting Marlene resulted in her changing to fit the insult.

Alvina, you bitch! Marlene is concerned for Caro, only to get insulted by her again, and Caro changes further based on the insult. Alvina, Miriam, I hope you get detention in Hawthorne. Crap, she shrank down a couple of inches; she is becoming an actual cat, the more she insults Marlene. And now the fact that her 'deal' with Grimma backfired has come out. Look very mousy, Alvina, I wish a curse like this would teach you a lesson.

“You recall a couple of days ago. I asked you for some pieces of your makeup and you said that you only saved the special stuff for people with the right looks? I felt quite hurt back then. This is just some teasing back now that you’ll probably be out of the group.”

Alvina, you petty B.

“Are you calling me a freak? In case you haven’t noticed, you dumb bimbos, we’re all mutants.” Caro gasped as another feeling wave coursed through her forcing her to stagger. The curse acted in a generalized nature, making it hard to keep track of the changes, but she could definitely feel something growing from her spine, and feeling it twitch against the fabric of her skirt, while it started to feel looser.

What the, I would have thought an insult like that would have made Caro more bimbo like, not increase the changes she is already undergoing. Or am I wrong about the nature of the curse and how it operates?

Mr. Kim to the rescue, he is right about Caro keeping silent until they know about the nature of the curse she is under. Good, dismisses Alvina and Miriam. And let Sofia know she will be informed once they find out what is going on with Caro. Caro's fear of transformations is going to mess with her emotions big time until this is resolved.

Thursday, January 20th - 4:55pm
Mrs. Barton’s office.

Mrs. Barton wants to finish up for the day so she can go take care of her kid and relieve Laura from babysitting duty. And here comes Mr. Kim with Caro to delay that. Ah, she knows Edward Kim. Caroline Hersebeth, aka Caro, aka Malefis. Hhm, does she know a lot about all the students on the magic track, or just the more interesting ones like Caro?

All those details about how Caro has changed, and Caro says they were arguing. Startled squeak, wait, is the curse turning Caro into a mouse? Good, don't throw Marlene under the bus. Caro now has to tell about the deal she made with Grimma, and probably about what she did to Grimma, if she has any hope of breaking this curse.

“You were planning to stand your ground against Grimma, weren’t you?”

Caro bit her lip for a long moment before slowly nodding. “This is what I’ve been wanting. I planned for a long while.”

“Hm…” Vanessa rested her brow against her fingers. When she heard Caro’s plans that had been folly. “Throughout all this time, do you still have your powers?”

“I think they've been growing weaker, but it didn’t feel as though I was gonna completely lose them. I could still do things. I still had to work under Grimma’s rules,” Caro noted.

And Mrs. Barton works out Grimma returned last night, she is good.

“Obviously, there were some chinks in that plan. Considering your current status.” Vanessa said. “We can take for granted that this is Grimma’s doing. The magical reading assures me it’s similar to your usual blend of enchanting.”

Yes, it has only been a relatively short time, and yet you thought you could take on Grimma without consequences once again. Ask Grimma to undo the spell, not if Caro hasn't learned her lesson about trusting her true friends. Out of commission for a month or two, Caro, you could free her from the flute, couldn't you?>

Ouch, so nothing Mrs. Barton can do for now due to the great risk in even attempting to dispel the curse.

At best, the end destination would be an anthropomorphic rat… and at worst, she would end up no different than a common feral rat–which raised a chilling concern about the girl’s mind after all this was said and done.

Not the latter, if that ever happened to someone in a Whateley story, I would quit reading altogether.

“Even if her situation is precarious and shifting?” Vanessa asked.

“Arrangements can be made.” Edward said. “The important part is to give Caro mobility and options.”

Yeah, an extended stay in Doyle is no fun.

Mr. Kim is right, Grimma always gives a potential out to anyone she curses. It is part of her rules. Yes, go out like this, the same as the GSD cases in your cottage have to, and you have been insulting them about it since you came back from Christmas break.

“One more thing, Caro,” Vanessa added. “Remember to channel some of your essence inwardly. It should clump up and stave off some of the effects of the curse.”

The girl nodded, none too happy over it.

You tried to deal with Grimma like she was some being you can push around if you are prepared enough, without knowing all the details about her full capabilities and nature, Caro.

Thursday, January 20th - 6:33pm
Whitman Room 247 - Caro and Sofia’s room

Sofia tries to find out how Caro is doing, and Caro lies that she is fine. Caro, you got yourself into this problem, but you have friends if you will forgive and move on. Let them help you and stop being so stubborn! Great, already being talked about by the girls in Whitman. You lashed out in anger, Caro. That is the trigger for the curse.

“Well…” Sofia thought for a second. “Remember during the argument. I noticed that you only began to ‘stumble’ right after you began to cuss, curse, or insult someone else. Could that be the causal link?”

Caro thought for a moment brushing some of the pale hairs that began to appear on the back of her hand. “I suppose that sounds right. I called Marlene a bitch… I called those two bimbos…” She immediately paused as she realized she carelessly uttered the curse and braced herself for a double wave of changes. They never came, though. “I guess it only works when I’m calling someone. Or with some anger behind it, at least.”

Yes, they figured it out. And no, Sofia, testing it out is a bad idea.

“I’m cursed and you want to make this worse?! Are you desperate to make things worse for me?” Caro said, taking a pause for a moment.

Welp, that happened. And yes, watch your mouth and your temper.

If any of the girls in Whitman give her any trouble and help the curse progress, I say they get detention in the sewers. God, the fear of how far the spell could go, that is nightmare fuel for anyone. Caro has a lead on how to break the curse! Caro just revealed what she did to Grimma to Sofia. All that preparation only for it to backfire on Caro.

“It’s a sort of animistic curse from what I’ve read in the books from the library. The flute was supposed to be used to control and scare rats, so… maybe a predatory spirit?” Thinking about it, there was something about the bottle in her hand that began to make her feel uneasy.

“Wait… like the Pied Piper of Hamelin?” Sofia blinked. “As in the one from the legend? Is that what rattenfänger means?”

Wait, could the curse from the bottle be leaking out and affecting Caro, or did Grimma just use it as a template for her own curse?

Oh boy, time for Caro to talk to Grimma. And...no response. Yes, consider your next words carefully, Caro.

“Okay fine!” she spat. “… I can’t deny that there’s a part of me that thinks I deserve this…. I mean, I did try to go back on our deal and ended up sealing you inside this flute. And that was bad. I acted like a child and didn’t want to face it. Now… I need your help. Please, I want to know how to fix this… Please.”

Dang, some emotional growth from Caro. Caro is scared and trying everything she can to get Grimma to talk to her.

Crap! How far will the changes progress from that outburst and anger? Thicker fur, more changed face, 2-3" shorter, just how short is she now? And her tail is that long now, oh boy. What is the tune Grimma is playing with the flute from inside it? Come up with a solution yourself. Caro, this is what got you into this mess in the first place. I wouldn't hand over the flute to any student you don't absolutely trust, Caro, or it will make things a lot worse.

Many of those, she couldn’t rely on someone else to fix the problem. It was always up to her. When Sofia got into trouble within the arena, she had to decide to jump in. When the demonic ring escaped her grasp, she could only take it upon herself to fix it.

“Granted, not because I wanted to… but because I couldn’t allow anyone else to get involved… I’ll have to do the same now. Figure out. The question is how?” Caro thought to herself.

*hits head on desk* Ask your friends for help already!

Is that what Grimma envisioned when she left this little trap for her? To force her to use transformative magic and get over her fear of altering her form? She would’ve spoken a curse, but was worried that it would count.

I wouldn't put it past Grimma, but I would also think Grimma might be pushing you to ask others for help and learn to trust again.

Somewhere, the parameters of the spell had to be written down, and therein might lie a solution.

Yes, but where would she hide it? Perhaps in a place your friends frequent to force you to ask for their help?

So concerned she was, the thought of opening her spellbook to start drafting didn’t reach her head. Instead, it fell into her backpack as she tackled the next altered step of her routine.

How long until she realizes she can't do this alone and goes to her friends for help?