Azure met Blum and Tinny, and then the two made their excuses to exit and leave their card game for later, giving Marjorie some visiting time alone with the divine pair. This suited Sammy considering the big subject matter she had to discuss at some point.

They occupied the ample comfy seating of the library, with Sammy and Azure on a couch and Marjorie on a loveseat, all with hot tea on little plates to sip. Sammy insisted they all make sure their pinky was raised while sipping, which got confused looks from the others, but they nonetheless obliged.

We are the fanciest crew, oooh yeah.

“So, Momma Marjorie,” Sammy began after sipping some tea, “I’ll just begin by tooting my own horn if you don’t mind: I completed the Spellbreak!”

Marjorie gave a pleased smile and replied, “Oh, that’s wonderful, dear-”

“But here’s the best part: I didn’t even cheat! I got high enough in effective caster level, the studying and execution of my runic construct forms born of tireless research and eurekas of ingenuity, the forming of a specialized ritual circle with those big stamp-things I told you about, the use of the gold powder and special, expensive paint, precision instrumentation, and, and, and yeah! You know, all the bonuses…

“It was enough that I hit the target level necessary and blew the whole thing out of the water! No Fate manipulation required!”

Beaming wider and wider through her daughter’s tirade, egging her on with subtle facial expressions, Marjorie put down her tea after it was over so that she could clap. “Well done! If you were one in a hundred of my classroom, you’d still be my prize student, Samantha. Your creativity, interest, studious attention to detail, and willingness to work hard and apply yourself are why you accomplished this. I am incredibly proud of you.”

Knowing full well that she was beaming stupidly from the praise, Sammy beamed stupidly from the praise, possibly with a little blush. “Thanks… I honestly was surprised. I’d been planning to do it that way for so long, I never even bothered considering all the leveling and preparation had crested me over the requirement. I’m level 5 now in [Wizard].”

“Congratulations on that as well, dear. Yes, that is already a good level to begin with custom spell construction, and then you have another high class to add more to your caster level total. Without that, you’d mostly need to lean into rare and specialized spell ingredients to consume.

“They’re something like physical helper runes, is the best way to put it, though that falls a little short. A rich practitioner’s game in any case, and exceptionally difficult to procure outside of Dominion sources. I don’t know how they’re made or exactly who makes them.”

“Hmm. Noted. Anyway, I’m currently researching to get that quest complete finally. I’m at a third or so complete. Just need some new experiences and inspirations to get over the final hurdles to the 50%.”

Azure cleared her throat. “I believe seeing some of my spellcraft might help, Chestnut, if no wizardly duels present themselves in the near future.”

“Oh! Perfect. I’ll probably take you up on that.” Sammy turned to Marjorie again and took a breath. “You know, I really ought to get you up to speed on everything that has happened since I came here last and proceeded through the mirror maze, per your advice.”

“Well, please do, Samantha,” Marjorie replied, “I am quite interested in what happened to Azure and whatever your other adventures since then were.”

“Alright then! The mirror maze went really smoothly, eventually taking me to this gigantic palace, which is of course the Hall of Reflections…”

Sammy shared her tale of the events, truncated to focus on the most interesting and important bits. She generalized the encounter with the Lover, hinting at the importance without revealing dangerous details. Inevitably, she simply told Marjorie that the information wasn’t safe and was not supposed to be shared with anyone else. Which she understood without complaint.

She made sure to relate events after as well, such as Redberry’s rescue and cleansing, the ambush and somewhat pyrrhic defeat of the man behind the mask of Mr. Smile, and the forging of a new Pantheon with Red.

“The Celestial Horizon sounds very promising,” Marjorie said after the story was related. “A restored Redberry is among the greatest of allies you could possibly have, and it could grow. Well done.”

Sammy smiled softly. She then rose and walked over to the other loveseat next to Marjorie to sit closer. She leaned forward so she could take the other’s hand in hers. “Momma… the subject of Redberry has some other miraculous fruit that could come from our friendship. The Goddess of Life and Nature has the capacity to create bodies and to… facilitate rebirth, particularly as a second chance.

“However, the most efficient means by far is one linked to a tree, essentially a dryad shapeshifter. Ah… you… would naturally be wooden, but could shapechange into flesh…” Sammy trailed off, watching Marjorie’s face anxiously.

Marjorie only slowly had it dawn on her what was being offered, her slight smile changing into an expression of concentration and puzzlement. Her eyes flitted around and blinked too many times. “I… are you… saying what I think you’re saying, Samantha?”

To this, Sammy just bobbed her head in an affirmative and gave a supportive smile.

“I…” Marjorie began, then exhaled loudly and looked away. She seemed to be having some intense internal musings. “What about the others?”

Sammy blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“The others here. Blum, Tinny, and Everett.”

Sammy frowned at the question. “I’m not sure how easy this is to do just for one, Marjorie, much less a whole handful. As for Everett, being that old makes it more problematic I think.”

“Blum is young and certainly deserves a second chance…”

“Sure. If she wants it and if it works out to be feasible in the future.” Shaking her head, Sammy took one of Marjorie’s hands in both of hers and looked at her insistently. “Please. Momma. Don’t tell me you want to stay here…”

Marjorie looked back to Sammy and her expression softened. She reached a hand over to touch Sammy’s cheek. “I wish I’d studied magic more, now. I wish I was more useful to you than this. You’ve already surpassed my meager abilities. You don’t need me.”

“Don’t say that! I want you in the real world again. So does Bast. And of course you’d be useful. Don’t underestimate Fate. Can you truly, honestly say you don’t desire a second chance?”

Marjorie’s expression was torn and conflicted to this as she shook her head.

“She does desire it,” Azure said suddenly. “It’s just that she thinks she is needed here and has gotten comfortable in retirement.”

Two brunettes turned their heads to regard the Naugite, who shrugged at them. “I hear no denial.”

“Look,” Sammy said, turning back to her mother, “you can visit here whenever you want. You can go half and half if you like. Blum and Tinny are hitting it off, right? Two peas in a pod. And Everett is pretty introverted to begin with, so it’s already a rare interaction your rebirth wouldn’t even change. On top of all of that… I will have control over the spirit world in a way no one in this world ever has. I will create Heaven, Marjorie.

“At that point, I can surely transfer them, and… well, inevitably, people die. New communities will grow out of the blessed dead. That’s if I haven’t re-bodied them by that point if they want it. The point is, I will take care of them, and you will too, so you don’t have to worry. So… my question to you is: do you want to live again? To have new experiences? You don’t have to answer now, of course. You can think about it for a while if you want.”

Not unaffected by her daughter’s words —despite her hesitancy — Marjorie stared at Sammy intently with her lips pursed. Finally, she took a deep breath and seemed to come to a determination with surety. “Azure is right. I do desire it in my heart, which pangs and tortures me over and over as I wonder what is going on out there. I thought I had to get into this new mode… to just let it all go… and here you are telling me I don’t have to in the middle of that process.”

She stood suddenly and walked off a ways, her back turned, fingers fiddling in front of her. After a few moments more of collecting herself, she turned back, hands curling together and dropping, chin raising slightly. “I will not allow myself to pass up the opportunity to serve and be useful for a noble cause, no matter how minor my contribution is. I was in error to say ‘if only, if only’ and then to consider taking the easier road yet again. Could I say I’ve learned from my mistakes if I make them again? No.”

Marjorie bowed her head and curtsied to Samantha. “Your Majesty, I gratefully accept your offer, and in whatever manner is best in your eyes. It is no surprise that it is my destiny to be your Follower in this life. And your priestess? I think I’d like that. I’d be happy to advise your Mystery, particularly this Estara you mention. Perhaps I can be like a grandmother to her, hmm?”

Sammy squealed in delight as she leapt up and ran over to glomp Marjorie — a maneuver that would’ve knocked her over if Sammy wasn’t prepared to hold on. “Yes! Yes to all the things — yes!”

Chuckling, Azure called, “Best to hold your horses on celebrations until we know the details from Redberry. It could be long-term on the actual fruition, as opposed to tomorrow.”

Marjorie, also laughing as she returned Sammy’s hug, agreed with that sentiment. “A salient observation. I will let you get back to me on the details, dear.”

Sammy finally straightened, cleared her throat, and nodded. “Right, right. Of course. Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. Rome- er, a metropolis… wasn’t built in a day. But… where there’s a will, there’s a way. Annnnd… uh… you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. So on.”

Squinting her eyes at Sammy, Marjorie slowly nodded her head and said politely, “All very true, dear. Very true.”

“It may be counting chickens prematurely,” Azure offered, “but I definitely look forward to more easily conversing with you, Marjorie. As well as you being more in the mix and informed, to offer your insights.”

“Thank you, Azure. I likewise look forward to the day.”

Sammy made a pleased sigh. “Well. I suppose we’ll head out, then, for now. I want to check in with Redberry soon about requirements and tell her you’re up for the plan.”

“Of course, dear.” Marjorie gave Sammy a kiss on each cheek, then went over to Azure to give her a hug and farewell kisses too. “It was so wonderful to meet you, Azure. You two are absolute perfection together.”

Azure grinned. “Keep telling us that and we’ll have to believe it.”

“Oh, I will — and you should!”

Sammy and Azure departed with their arms around each other and a final wave, as Marjorie beamed at them in obvious pleasure.

Gosh, this was the best. Operation: Meet the Mom was a success! And I’m totally going to restore Marjorie and have another super-adored piece of the puzzle in play! Hmm, didn’t she show as The Magician before? I wonder if that’s critical information, but maybe I’ll know once she’s in-body… but she can’t be a Player, right?

Briefly, the Fortuneteller chimed in. ‘Did you glean Bast to be The Chariot before the alignment clicked? Did you have even the slightest inkling of who Death was? Discount all assumptions, cast aside all crude observations, as you will never figure it out before the cement is already poured and hardened. Be Samantha. That is what is required of you to know.’