13344/Temptation: Big Bada Boom

Temptation: Big Bada Boom
Date of Scene:	21 May 2021
Location:	Tala's Place, Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Willow's powers are growing. Tala notices and approves.
Cast of Characters:	Tala, Willow Rosenberg
Tinyplot:	Temptation

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Tala has posed:
It had been a few days since the events down at the docks. A day which had seen a swelling of power in the air for those who could sense it. Not once, but twice. First when something was summoned. Then when it was returned to whence it came.

Tala had not been present but she was in town when it happened. She had waited though, knowing she had a lesson scheduled with Willow. She would ask her questions then.

She was working on something. A small cauldron out atop a burner on her table. A few ingredients she was working with. She would look to the cauldron then to a book floating nearby to be sure she was getting it right.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow was pleased with herself. First she had saved the boy earlier in the day, but then the Kraken was in the evening!

Coming around Tala's days later, she still was chuffed with herself. Between that, her job, and a new friendship.. she waltzes into the room. "Hi! Sorry I'm late!" For once she did not look sorry at all. "What are we doing today?"

Tala has posed:
"It is alright. Life sometimes interferes," Tala said in her thickly accented voice. She picks up some sort of fungi and adds them to her brew, mixing it a bit with a wooden spoon then tapping the spoon against the brim of the cauldron before setting it to the side again.

She turned to look at Willow, a bit amused. "You have been busy, yes? I felt a swell of power the other night. Your power. From the docks. What happened?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Two times, in fact. I rescued a boy,and, I guess kept Henri from trying to get him and drowning in the interim. It was kinda cool. He doesn't like me because I'm a witch.." Willow rolls her eyes. "I don't like him either. Sometimes."

But Tala really wanted to know about the Kraken.

"Oh, we ran across someone's summoning circle. They did not do a good job of it. I sent the Kraken back. And it was just in the nick of time! My friends were being decimated."

Tala has posed:
"I felt the latter. The return of something to another realm," Tala says as she considers her apprentice more closely. "I was not aware of the first. Henri is the one that hunts witches?" She is more confirming since Willow has only told her bits and pieces about the Hellequin.

The mention of summoning circle has her considering. "Any idea who summoned or why? Was there anything left at the scene after the battle?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Henri is Hellequin. He hunts down things that are against god. At one point, that meant witches. Especially witches. He's having a hard time." Willow frowned before carrying on. "There was a single finger when we were done. Why?"

Tala has posed:
Witches being against God was so silly. They were just another part of the plan. Tala made a tsking noise and shook her head before looking back to her book then picking up something green that was minced into tiny bits. It was dumped in the cauldron and she stirred a bit.

"The finger could be used to trace back to the rest of the body. Though I am sure you are already working on that."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Oh.. I didn't think of that." Willow worries at her lower lip. ""Could he have been pulled into to Kraken's realm before the summoning began?"

After all she was struck by how lazy or just plain old incompetent the original person was.

Tala has posed:
"He could have been possibly. All but that finger. I am curious how he failed so utterly if he had created a warding circle."

Tala adds a few more green sprigs to the mix, stirring then drawing the spoon up to her mouth to taste the concoction. "Perfect." She set the spoon aside. "Now to let it simmer a bit." The heat was turned down to low and she turned her full attention to Willow.

"Unless he did not set up a ward and just did a summoning which would be foolish as he would have no protection from the beast. Do you have the finger? Or is it still at the docks?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow was quite certain it was a spell that had gone bad. In fact, she really suspected it hadn't been a Kraken they were looking at - but they had summoned by accident. It was terrible, and with the whole gang it still was hard to keep it in the circle while she did her thing.

But the finger..

"I don't know if it was saved, or if it was sent back with the Kraken?"

Tala has posed:
"If it was in the circle, it likely returned with the beast." Tala let out a faint sigh. "Mores the pity. I just wished to speak to them, find out what they were trying to do. Perhaps it was just a fool. Yet, that fool found the spell somewhere to attempt and someone else might find it as well."

Then she smiled. "We shall know if another kraken appears, yes?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow was certain. "They did not mean to get what they did. The odds of them doing that, again, aren't very good. And I think.." Here she wasn't sure. "I mean, I had this.. ritual.. pop into my head. It's never going to come back that way."

Ancient Sumerian. One of the oldest languages known to mankind. Between that and the sigils, and cuneiforms.. the Kraken was bound to the realm which bore it.

Tala has posed:
"Pop?"

Now she had Tala's full attention again. "Quite an increase in power and the ritual itself just appeared to you?" Which was followed by a pleased smile. "You are progressing faster than I imagined now that you have embraced your power and all the sides of it."

She clapped her hands together. "We should celebrate!"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Now Willow hides her smile. "It was really different. Sort of when I helped to create the portal to Apokolips. It felt right. Right here."

And she thumped her hand over her heart.

"Oooh! We should, shouldn't we." After all, the others in the gang that night wouldn't get it. Tala did.

Tala has posed:
Tala flipped off the burner under the cauldron. Then she put a wooden cover over the top of it. "The soup will be fine later. Probably better since it will have time for the flavors to meld properly."

What? Of course she was making soup!

"I can take you to a nice dinner. Or that club you like? Your choice. We celebrate how you prefer. But do not think you get to skip your lesson. We will do that. After."