Chapter Text
Monday, 8/29/22 - Friday, 9/2/22:
Normal canon events take place.
Saturday, 9/3/22:
Adaine fails the constitution check and contracts lycanthropy from Jawbone. She blacks out and turns, running around Elmville until she is captured by police. She wakes up in pain in silver handcuffs and manages to slip them off. She goes through booking and then Riz and Sklonda take her to Seacaster Manor. She is silent on the ride home, believing that they're just getting her guard down so they can kill her. Adaine sees Kristen and Fig whispering together and has a panic attack--thinking they're conspiring to kill her--and runs away in the manor because that and the noise of everyone asking if she's okay as she stands up. Kristen finds her and casts Zone of Truth on herself so she can confirm to Adaine that none of The Bad Kids are going to kill her. She says that she shouldn't tell Adaine what her and Fig were whispering about, waiting for Fig to tell them when she's ready.
Adaine falls into a trance, but wakes up an hour later to Bill singing a shanty down the hallway. She joins the group and they start heading to practice self-defense. Adaine learns that something inside her knows when the full moon is at all times, just thinking of the word is enough for her mind to tell her the exact amount of time until the full moon. They practice self-defense throughout the night and into the morning.
Sunday, 9/4/22:
Aelwyn wakes up from her trance and tries to squeeze into her clothes. They don't fit because she's been stress eating due to her working with Kalvaxus, Kalina, and her parents. She reluctantly goes downstairs for breakfast, where she learns that Adaine never came home. She brings up the need for new clothes and Angwyn and Arianwen chastise her, sending her up to her room without breakfast. She summons some Unseen Servants to pack a Bag of Holding for her, and she Dimension Doors out of the house and starts walking to Elm Valley Mall.
Aelwyn arrives at the mall after walking there in super uncomfortable shoes. She gets a big lunch and then heads to a clothing shop. She doesn't find much that she likes in the women's section, and so she asks an employee, a nonbinary half-elf bard named Aeris Songweaver, where they got their jacket. They show her where it is in the men's section, and Aelwyn tries on a couple different sizes, not knowing which fits her the best instead of the extra small that Arianwen and Angwyn made her wear. She comes out of the changing room, and is disappointed that Aeris isn't there anymore, now on their lunch break. She walks around for a bit longer, taking clothes from both the men's and women's section. After she pays, she wanders around the mall until she hears someone call her name.
Adaine is convinced by the rest of The Bad Kids to go to the mall. When they get there, she sees a familiar person, though wearing unfamiliar clothing. Adaine calls out Aelwyn's name and takes in her new look. Aelwyn seems thankful to see Adaine. This confuses her, and while she wonders why Aelwyn could be thankful to see her, Aelwyn starts panicking about getting caught and being put in 'the orb'. As Adaine wonders what that means, Aelwyn goes into a PTSD-triggered flashback. Adaine Dimension Doors The Bad Kids to the back of the mall where Adaine gives them assignments to either see what's wrong with her or make sure nobody bothers them. Aeris comes out of the back a bit later and after telling them that they met Aelwyn earlier, Adaine allows them to help by taking them to the Aguefort Adventuring Academy to get help from a therapist.
Despite being warned ahead of time, Adaine runs away to the library when she sees Jawbone. She decides to study up on werewolves and pulls two books off the shelf, both of which are unhelpful to her self-image. The first one is a wizard's guide to killing werewolves, with a graphic illustration of a werewolf being murdered on the cover. The second one is for rangers, which seems better, but it is too jokey for the serious topic, better for young children. She storms out of the hallway, right into Jawbone. She runs away again, this time locking herself in a bathroom. Jawbone helps her calm down and she comes to his office to talk with him. She goes into his office, which is filled with books on a multitude of topics, but the werewolf one catches her eye. She reads the back and it almost brings her to tears. Adaine doesn't tell him that Aelwyn and her are homeless, but she asks to go with him on the full moon.
Monday, 9/5/22:
Adaine wakes up from her trance next to Aelwyn. She leaves a note and pills that Jawbone gave her to give to her on the bedside table and gets ready for school. She meets with the other Bad Kids in the cafeteria before school, where she learns that her hearing and smelling senses have increased ten-fold. She tells them the little that Jawbone told her about Aelwyn. Halfway through her first class, Jawbone calls her to the counselor's office. They talk about their plan for the full moon and her feelings about having lycanthropy until Jawbone gets a call from Cathilda about Aelwyn acting strange.
All of The Bad Kids head back to Seacastor Manor and Adaine walks into their room, letting the others listen at the door. Adaine gets Aelwyn to spill some of the plan to release Kalvaxus and start a war until she is cut off after mentioning a tabaxi is involved. Her eyes lock on the corner of the room, and Adaine looks there, seeing nothing. Adaine gets up to wave her arm in the area that she is looking. Aelwyn sees Kalina teasing her, threatening to slit Adaine's throat with her claws. Kalina scratches Adaine's arm as a warning. Adaine yells in surprise as she is scratched, everyone running into the room. Aelwyn rushes to get a first-aid kit and returns quickly with it. She apologizes to Kalina before she screams in pain as four claw marks tear their way through her shirt and falls unconscious. Adaine and Riz stay awake all night to keep watch on Aelwyn.
Tuesday, 9/6/22 - Thursday, 9/8/22:
Adaine stays home, making sure to always be in the same room as Aelwyn, no matter how embarrassing. Aelwyn complains that she's being over protective, but Adaine blames herself for Aelwyn's injury and doesn't go to school, doesn't shower, and stays awake all night to keep watch over her, gaining multiple levels of exhaustion in the process.
The rest of The Bad Kids do the canon events offscreen without Adaine, going to the graveyard, going to Zayn's apartment, meeting Biz, etc.
Friday, 9/9/22:
Jawbone shows up at Seacaster Manor after Adaine didn't show up for school or their meetings for most of the week. He learns that Adaine has been keeping herself up all night all week. He starts to freak out, because her wolf form can be violent if she doesn't get the trance that she needs. He manages to convince her to trance longer than usual, have Kristen cast a Greater Restoration, and not do anything that will stress her out or raise her heart rate today or tomorrow.
Saturday, 9/10/22:
She does what Jawbone asks of her and trances for longer than four hours, doesn't join the group training, eats a lot of meat, and does everything she can to lower her stress levels. Jawbone comes and picks her up in his car with Tracker. Kristen awkwardly flirts with her and whispers to Fig again.
They arrive at Jawbone's apartment and eat a lot more meat in order to prepare for the full moon. Adaine starts to fall into a panic attack, thinking that Jawbone learned about her and her sister's living condition. Tracker casts Calm Emotions on her and Jawbone hugs her. Jawbone and Tracker start to set up, Adaine asking to help, but Jawbone telling her to lie down and stay as calm as possible.
To help assure her, Jawbone shows her the fortified door he had the landlord install as a safety precaution. It is a steel door with a diluted source of silver within, so if she somehow manages to break through the first part, her lycan form will be dissuaded from breaking down the door.
The full moon starts to rise, and Adaine cuddles with Jawbone and Tracker as she starts to painfully turn. Jawbone and Tracker resist the moon's call to run, but Adaine follows her instructions, dashing around the house. The two other werewolves allow her to get her energy out by running laps around the apartment. After a while, she tires out and they start to eat the raw meat that Jawbone put on the floor for the three of them. After they're done, Adaine lays down on the couch, making a whine that Jawbone translates to be 'fear and loss'.
After Adaine leaves to go to Jawbone's apartment, Aelwyn goes to the mall to help relieve her own stress. She sees Aeris in the food court, eating dinner after having clocked out of her job. They offer to take Aelwyn to their home, but she panics and runs away. She doesn't know why she blushes when seeing them, but to prove to herself that she's straight, she texts Fabian and asks him out to the movies tomorrow morning.
Sunday, 9/11/22:
Adaine wakes up in pain, but has to get up because she's about to throw up the raw meat they ate last night. Jawbone helps her through it and sits her down on the couch after cleaning her up. He and Tracker give Adaine a present, a werewolf chew toy shaped like a perfectly round frog, and help her turn into her half-wolf form. She tries out the chew toy, but her teeth puncture it and liquid silver hidden inside hit her gums. She falls unconscious in pain and Tracker calls an ambulance and Jawbone calls the police, asking them to investigate and recall the brand of toys.
Aelwyn anxiously waits for Fabian to be ready for the movie. She had picked out a romance, hoping it would get her to kiss Fabian. It does work, but she doesn't enjoy it. One of the main character's sister is gay in the movie and asks out her crush. Aelwyn ponders what it would be like if she was gay and who she would come out to. After the movie is over, Fabian sees the text messages he silenced during the movie and they both rush to the hospital.
After sitting around Adaine's bed for a while, Aelwyn asks for some privacy with Jawbone. Once it's just her, Jawbone, and her still unconscious sister in the room, she comes out to him, telling him that she was hoping that she could prove to herself that she was straight. He tells her about how he used to force himself into monogamy, hoping he'd find the one, until he accepted that he was polyamorous. She asks him if she can use the label lesbian if she's into a nonbinary person and he tells her that lesbian is for non-men who love non-men, not just women who love women.
Later that day, she needs some space and heads to the mall, hoping to see Aeris. Before she finds them, a hand lays on her shoulder that she recognizes as Arianwen's and she sees Kalina waving goodbye to her with a smirk on her mouth. She tries to pull away, but Arianwen casts Teleport.
Adaine has an oracular vision--though she doesn't know it yet--of Aelwyn being taken by Arianwen. She also sees a herself and the other Bad Kids in a prison cell, them fighting the guards trying to pull her away for the full moon. Finally, she sees a fight with a dragon where the bodies of her friends are strewn around. She convinces herself this is just a dream, though.
Aelwyn is teleported to Fallinel, where she tries to fight Arianwen and Angwyn, but everything is Counterspelled. A slowed Flesh-To-Stone is cast on her so she can explain where Adaine is and how much The Bad Kids know about their plan. She stalls, giving her enough time to cast Modify Memory on herself, blacking out.
Monday, 9/12/22:
Aelwyn finds herself in the orb, not knowing how she ended up here. She tries multiple times to slit her wrists with the handcuffs or break her neck by falling, but is unable to die. Angwyn and Arianwen threaten her with Adaine's life to tell them how much The Bad Kids know about their plan. She begs for them to spare Adaine, swearing she doesn't know who The Bad Kids are.
Tuesday, 9/13/22:
Adaine is in her hospital bed when Jawbone comes in, letting her know she's being discharged. She accidentally lets it slip that her and her sister ran away from home. Jawbone offers to let the two of them stay with him and Tracker, but she decides they should wait until Aelwyn is ready for that conversation.
Arianwen and Angwyn come up to her orb again. Someone else pulls a body with a bag over their head up the stairs and places it in front of the two. They remove the bag and reveal a high elf that looks like Adaine, that Aelwyn, in her trance deprived brain, believes is Adaine. They give her one more chance to tell them about The Bad Kids. She swears that she doesn't know who they are. Aelwyn again begs them for mercy, asking to be put in her sister's place. Angwyn casts a 9th level Flesh-To-Stone before she can look away. Aelwyn is rooted to the spot, her eyes wide open as Angwyn slices his Sword of Sight into the fake Adaine's neck, cutting deeply into it as she collapses to the ground, dead. Aelwyn grieves, but is unable to cry, wishing that she did something differently to save her sister.
They arrive at Seacaster Manor, The Bad Kids in a room Riz made into a giant clue board. Adaine Messages Aelwyn, letting her know that she's home. Aelwyn takes a while to respond, and when she does, she does so in confusion, wondering who and where the person talking to her is, saying she's in so much pain, and wishing she were dead. Adaine casts Locate Creature, but Aelwyn isn't nearby. She tries Messaging again, this time letting her know it's her sister. This time, Aelwyn's Message is one of grief. She believes this is one of her parents' tricks, so she asks her mom to stop hurting her and asks her dad why he killed Adaine. Aelwyn asking for death and Adaine learning that her sister believes that she's dead sends her into her worst panic attack yet. She unwillingly starts to turn into her half-wolf form. Jawbone can do nothing but hold her tightly and whisper sweet nothings into her ears as she turns. Jawbone locked the door of the bedroom they were in and turned around, not seeing her. She had hidden under the bed when he turned around to lock the door. He asks if she needs some alone time and she nods. He leaves her crystal on the ground with his number already typed in, so she can call for him to open the door by just pressing the call button.
He meets with the other Bad Kids, trying to help them with his investigation, but they're stuck. After a bit, his crystal rings and he goes back to the room Adaine was in. He helps her turn back into elf form, much calmer and much more determined now. She tells him that since Aelwyn is gone is seemingly with Arianwen and Angwyn, they can search their house for any clues to help them past where they're stuck. They plan to raid the Abernant house that night.
The Bad Kids, The Hangman, and Jawbone arrive at the Abernant house. The Bad Kids search Adaine's room for any more clues. Fabian and Fig find a stack of important documents hidden in Aelwyn's desk. Adaine finds a pile of spell books in Aelwyn's closet. Hidden at the bottom of the stack, one of the pages has a spell titled 'Detect Maiden'. Riz and her make disgusted looks, while the others agree that it is creepy, but not disgusting. Riz finds money, drugs, weapons, a runic circle with The Cerulean, and handcuffs. Both real ones, and ones used for sexual purposes. Adaine is also disgusted by that last discovery, wishing she knew as little about her sister's love life as possible. They leave the house soon after that.
Wednesday, 9/14/22:
After school, they talk about everything they know up to this point and Gorgug goes on a date with Zelda, where they learn more about Penelope. The Hangman drops Fabian and Gorgug at their respective houses before standing guard at Zelda's house. Jawbone drops the other four off at Gilear's apartment before leaving for his own.
They're met by Gilear with gravy in his hair. He tells them that Ragh dumped steak on his head. Adaine is surprised, as she was told that the other members had made him be good when she was skipping school last week. Adaine and Fig find Kristen sleeping on the floor and together turn her on her side. During which, Fig's hand touches Adaine's and she yanks it away. After positive affirmations in the mirror, Adaine and Fig go to sleep and trance next to Kristen.
Riz leaves Gilear's apartment and goes to Sklonda's. He discovers that the palimpsest case is becoming a federal one, Sklonda is being pressured to drop her case on The Harvestmen, and that Zayn was killed at around the same time as Biz was attacked, meaning that Coach Daybreak couldn't be the cause of both. Edgar, Zayn's rat, jumps out of Riz's briefcase and scratches at the wall behind Sklonda's desk. When he opens the hidden door, he finds a dusty room with two pictures on the desks: one of Pok, and one of Riz as a baby with his mother. Digging through his dad's desk, he finds another picture, which reveals that Pok was a secret agent and not the clerk that he knew him as. Edgar finds Zayn's necromancer pearl, which tells him that Zayn isn't fully dead or alive. Riz takes his father’s arquebus after finding a video his father recorded, telling him that he’s going into a dangerous mission.
The Hangman drops Gorgug at the Thistlespring Tree, where he learns that his parents are building a power source for the Elm Valley Mall and also learns what docking is.
The Hangman drops Fabian off at Seacaster Manor before heading to Zelda’s house. Fabian tells his father that he's not a pirate, but that he's still his father's son through and through. Bill tells him more about The Harpy and how the illusory imbued in it allowed it to turn invisible. He asks his son if he's the captain of The Owlbears, and Fabian says no, but that he killed the coach and he thinks that makes him the king of The Owlbears. Bill tells him that he can tell Fabian's friends view him as an equal and not as someone to be feared. He says he doesn't know what Fabian is the captain of.
Thursday, 9/15/22:
Adaine gets up from her trance early in the morning to find Fig spooning her. She attempts to wriggle out of her arms after lying there for a while, but accidentally wakes Fig up while she did so. She apologizes for waking her up and tells her to go back to sleep. She decides to send another Message to Aelwyn despite the last two not working out well.
Aelwyn has one thing keeping her slightly sane, and that is the belief that Adaine would want her to keep fighting. However, she doesn't know what she can do because she's out of spell slots and any Cantrips she uses immediately sets off alarms that send everyone rushing up the stairs to stop her or down the stairs to look for a possible intruder. She apologizes for not knowing how she can go on fighting.
Aelwyn believes that the two messages she received earlier are false memories of better times with her sister. As she's thinking about them, a new Message arrives from Adaine, promising her that Adaine isn't dead and asking to please tell her where she is. The message is cut off early due to a blaring alarm that sends her father up the tower. He accuses her of trying to escape and casts Detect Thoughts on her. She's so tired that she doesn't even try to resist further probing deeper into her mind. He doesn't find anything and tells her that he's looking for powerful enough clerics or wizards to cast Divine Intervention or Wish to remove her Modify Memory spell.
Adaine is frustrated that another message failed and texts Riz because she needs company and knows he's the most likely to be awake. She doesn't get a reply, however, so she flops onto the couch, unintentionally waking up Fig. She attempts to pry into why Adaine is so upset, but she just tells her to go back to sleep because she doesn't want to wake someone up for company.
Adaine is restless, unable to distract herself with her crystal with everything that's happened in the past two weeks. She leaves Gilear's apartment and heads to Jawbone's. She stands in front of his door, remembering his assurances when she was afraid she might break down the door. After contemplating for a while, she finally knocks on the door, but hopes he didn't hear it so she can go back to Gilear's apartment.
Jawbone invites her into his apartment and they sit on the couch together. Sitting on the couch reminds her of the last time she was on it, and she admits to him that she's scared of eating when she's not around others, in case she gets poisoned again. He assures her that it's perfectly understandable to be afraid of it happening again. He asks about the quality of her trances and she tells him about the nightmares and dreams she had when she was in the hospital bed. She doesn't go into detail in order to not worry him any more. Besides, she's only had the nightmares once. After prompting, she then tells him about how she's scared for her sister. How Aelwyn might die and Adaine would have no idea where she was in order to save her. Jawbone assures her that she's a brilliant wizard, and with her friends' help, she'll surely be able to find and save her sister soon. Adaine thanks Jawbone for comforting her and allows him to take her back to Gilear's apartment.