-TWO DAYS LATER-

“Dear Gingerol,

It is okay, I do not mind if you can’t tell me things you aren’t comfortable with. But yes, I think I’d enjoy spending time with you, I also suggested it before. Do you want to set the time and place of the date, or should I do so?

I’ll be waiting,
Menthol.”

GINGEROL: gasp!! See, she didn’t get hostile, and she replied so fast, too! AND she agrees it’s a date!!!! In your face!!!

CAPSAICIN: WHAT THE FUCK WHY ARE YOU SO LUCKY???? THAT’S NOT FAIR, WHY ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE TO GET SOMETHING GOOD OUT OF WHAT HAPPENED???

GINGEROL: You know I’m going no matter how many tantrums you throw.

CAPSAICIN: … Yeah. I guess. I just… I’ll miss you. And it’s sad to know you talk to someone who dislikes me.

GINGEROL: I will miss you too, but hey, I might get her to open up to you. I obviously don’t want to stay on ‘her side’, I want the diplomacy you criticize so much on me.

CAPSAICIN: … I guess I’ll take it. It’s actually nice, thank you…

GINGEROL: Maybe someday she’ll call you sister in law.

CAPSAICIN: WHAT?? HAHAHA aren’t you getting too far ahead??

GINGEROL: Am I? I don’t know!

CAPSAICIN: I hate that I pictured you in the most embarrassing way!!

GINGEROL: Don’t do that!! You know I was joking!!!

CAPSAICIN: Too late!! It’s already done, you said it!! I hope she brings me gifts and treats me nice!!

GINGEROL: You don’t even do that to siblings-in-law!!

–END–

GINGEROL: Well, yeah… Other than that, you didn’t actually tell me where you went. What’s that about our past, and the rocks thrown at you?

CAPSAICIN: Oh, right, that. Don’t look at me like that! I know that doesn’t usually happen to me, it was just…

CAPSAICIN: … Well, first I should make sure how sturdy your head is, because you’re getting the rock treatment as well!

GINGEROL: W-what?! But I don’t- I don’t know anything about it!

CAPSAICIN: It doesn’t matter! You’re as tainted as me, it is time you pay for your sins!

GINGEROL: Oh no!!!!

GINGEROL: Aw…. Come here!

CAPSAICIN: … You know… This means we won’t ever know who’s oldest.

GINGEROL: I’ve been ok with that for a while now. It would get silly… On the other hand now I know Menthol didn’t actually like me, but was after our powers… Or that’s what it seems. It’s sad…

CAPSAICIN: … You know I can’t fake sympathy for you. I can’t encourage you dating someone who hates me.

GINGEROL: … sigh

GINGEROL: … I could message her… To see if she turns hostile…

CAPSAICIN: … Right… You and your diplomacy… cough… I did miss that, but… Right now…?

GINGEROL: No one’s ever wanted to date me before! She seemed nice, even if she made me fall through the floor…

CAPSAICIN: She made you fall through the floor.

CAPSAICIN: … Well… Basically, if anyone ever tries to ask you about our origins, they’re probably bad guys.

GINGEROL: … Oh- wait, what?

CAPSAICIN: If we remember anything about our past, we’ll lose our powers.

GINGEROL: … No way. Oh, man, that’s bad! That’s why Menthol wanted to date me, then! She wanted to get rid of my powers…

CAPSAICIN: … Date?

CAPSAICIN: I GET THROWN ROCKS AT ME THE ENTIRE DAY AND YOU GOT A GIRLFRIEND?!

GINGEROL: WAIT! WAIT, CAPRISE, IT’S NOT LIKE THAT, I-

CAPSAICIN: SOMEONE WHO HATES ME, ON TOP OF IT ALL? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLE I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD IF YOU WERE WITH ME INSTEAD OF GOING TO A GARDENING COURSE OR WHATEVER??? THERE WAS THIS WEIRD WITCH WHO ENJOYED MY PAIN AND TOLD ME ALL THESE THINGS AND NOW I GOTTA TELL YOU AND I, I

CAPSAICIN: I MISSED YOU!!!

CAPSAICIN: I MISSED OUR TEAM!!! I MISSED YOUR WAY OF HANDLING PROBLEMS!! I MISSED YOUR PACIFISM!!

GINGEROL: … Caprise??? What happened to you? Where did you go????

CAPSAICIN: SHUT UP AND HUG ME BACK!

CAPSAICIN: What a long day it has been…! I had to walk all the way home, and there wasn’t anyone to chat with on the way back… I want some status quo now.

CAPSAICIN: Speaking of which, I don’t know how I’m gonna approach that to Ginger. I suppose I’ll think it through until she arrives.

GINGEROL: Oh! Caprise! You had me worried!

CAPSAICIN: Ginger?? You’re here so soon!! I thought you’d stay there for at least an entire day!

GINGEROL: Yeah, I… Some things happened. I have something to tell you, but where were you to begin with?

CAPSAICIN: Oh, haha, well, you see, I also have something to tell you.

GINGEROL: Okay! You first!

CAPSAICIN: How many more are you– AUGH!!

PIPERINE: Maybe… Maybe one more, just to be sure it works, don’t you think?

CAPSAICIN: YOU’RE NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU??? ARE YOU DROPPING ROCKS ON MY HEAD JUST TO GET A KICK OUT OF IT?

PIPERINE: Pff– You mean as a payback for my arm? Nooo, that’s impossible!

CAPSAICIN: ARE YOU EVEN DOING ANYTHING?

PIPERINE: No, I promise I placed a spell on you. Look, I’m promising, you know witches don’t promise lightly!

CAPSAICIN: Oh, I sure hope you’re telling the truth!! But that’s it, I’m leaving!! Thanks for everything, except for being an asshole!!!

PIPERINE: Same! Take care on the way back, greet your sister for me, and don’t be afraid to visit sometime, it was nice to have you over!

CAPSAICIN: BYE

MENTHOL: … I think you should leave.

GINGEROL: W-what? Wh-what did I do??

(”Did she read my mind? Oh, gosh, can she do that??”)

MENTHOL: You’re- You’re melting my table.

GINGEROL: OH– Oh, I’m so sorry, I– Sorry, sorry!

(”Gosh, I rarely let my emotions control my magic! Or maybe I only do a bit and now it shows since everything is so cold…”)

MENTHOL: Please go. Or stop melting my table… I- I don’t like it–

GINGEROL: It’s probably a good idea, but… Let’s keep in touch, alright? Though- um… I don’t want to sound rude, but will you… Take so long to reply again?

MENTHOL: I don’t think so. I didn’t reply to you because I didn’t understand how your letter made me feel, until I figured I should… Probably just meet you. So no, I won’t take that long again.

MENTHOL: I… I want to know about you. You called it a curse, I don’t know what you can do to lift it if you don’t know how you cast it on me, so my idea was to get to know you.

GINGEROL: You mean, like… My personal information? That doesn’t sound good when you compare it to a curse…

MENTHOL: Does it not?… Sorry. In part it was your origins that interested me, but if you don’t know them, getting to know you is what remains as a solution.

(”She’s troubled. I knew it, I knew something about her worried me. Is this my fault? but how? I’ve been nice to her.”)

GINGEROL: I can talk to Capsaicin so we can try to figure out our origins again. Maybe you can help us, if you want. If it’s so important, I mean.

MENTHOL: I can do that, if you don’t mind letters.

GINGEROL: Letters are fine, don’t worry.

MENTHOL: Either way, if you… If you happen to find something useful we can arrange a meeting.

GINGEROL: Oh, I’m fine with that as well!

MENTHOL: Actually, you… You don’t- you don’t have to find something useful. We can arrange a meeting anyway… I know you’re not as cold as I am, but we can find a place to talk. First I should know what you like, I hope you don’t mind telling me that. I was thinking of meeting in a very nice artisanal ice cream shop in this town…

GINGEROL: That sounds great, actually! I like ice cream a lot! I think it’s best for both of us if we could get outside a little so I don’t have to fall to the ground again, haha.

MENTHOL: That’s a relief. I was picturing something similar to that… I’m glad you think the same.

(”Wait… Is that a DATE???”)

(”THAT DEFINITELY SOUNDS LIKE A DATE. OH MAN. WHAT’S GOING ON. DID I GET MYSELF INTO A DATE?? I MEAN- THAT’S GOOD?? THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE I’M”)

PIPERINE: I know it’s hard to believe. But if you have to believe one thing… Believe that the moment you walk out, you will be aware that anyone can ruin your life and your powers if they want to. It’s not hard, your powers are almost limitless because of your identity, but a simple spell can turn you into a normal witch and it won’t bring your life back.

CAPSAICIN: We all have a weak point.

PIPERINE: I don’t think you’re getting it. No matter how rude you can be towards me, I don’t want you to experience that… Because I’ve lived it.

PIPERINE: In my case, as a successful warrior witch, I was told about my past and I didn’t know what it would do to me. And then like an idiot I went to check by myself. It was a trap, a passive and ridiculous trap… The moment I felt like I really remembered I suddenly lost most of my magic. I became ‘normal’ and felt terrible, etc etc.

CAPSAICIN: … That’s why I punched you so easily?

PIPERINE: No, actually I’m at my best right now. I couldn’t deal with being weak, I was being threatened by all my enemies, so I decided to look up the kind of curse that made me what I am. Then I wondered if casting a curse over myself would get me back to normal… And it worked! But I felt as if my body was being stretched to no end.

PIPERINE: And then I ended up like this. It hurt while it happened but it’s not so bad now. At the time I felt ashamed, I felt like I turned into a horrible thing just to pursue power- and to be honest I was already kind of tired and sad, so I decided to chill and let other witches become successful. I’m not unhappy about it, but I don’t want anyone to be as big as an idiot as I was.

CAPSAICIN: It’s still suspicious, you know? Wouldn’t I turn weak already? You just told me about my past and I feel the same.

PIPERINE: That’s because you don’t believe me and you don’t feel it. You won’t feel it if someone just tells you. You get some sort of flashback, I dunno. You haven’t felt that, right?

CAPSAICIN: Not really… But I get you, it means if I search for it on my own it could harm me…

PIPERINE: Or if someone tries to place a spell on you or your sister so you remember about it. The training I’m talking about is to place a counterspell on you so you escape from your identity. You just have to trust me.