#thwi ingrid

[paper-lioness]

(Bob’s Chicken and Pancakes was built by the lovely @therichantsim​!)

That afternoon, at Bob’s Chicken and Pancakes...

Jonah: Isn’t that the Foxbury mascot? Ooh, don’t tell James we’re eating with the enemy.

Ingrid: Oh, do you know James too?

Jonah: Yeah, he’s my roomma--wait, how do you know James?

Amber: Ingrid met James when he came to get me for class earlier today.

Jonah: I didn’t realize he walked you to class. Does he, uh, do that often?

Amber: Sometimes. Is that a problem? We’re friends.

Jonah: No, no, it’s not a problem. I just--I didn’t realize you guys were so close. I thought you just wrote a paper for him or something.

Amber: I would never!

Ingrid: So anyways... any theories on who warded Amber’s door? She said you smelled sulfur. Any demons hanging around?

Jonah: I’ve never met a demon so I can’t for sure that’s what it was. It definitely wasn’t human, or anything else I’ve encountered. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Amber until we figure it out, though. You don’t have to worry.

Ingrid: Oh, I’m not worried, because I know Amber can defend herself. Because I know Amber has been practicing her abilities and not just sitting around watching movies about other people practicing their abilities. Isn’t that right?

Jonah: I’m pretty sure that’s not right.

Amber: But I’ve thought about practicing!

Jonah: No, you haven’t.

Amber: Whyareyoutryingtogetmeintrouble?

Jonah: Your aunt’s right. I know you wanted to escape the douchebags in Glimmerbrook, but that doesn’t mean you need to escape who you are.

Amber: I just want to leave all of that behind m--

Jonah: Magic is part of you. Forever. Do you think I asked to be born a werewolf? It doesn’t define who I am, but I go home and train with the pack every month so that if something does happen, I’ll be ready.

Jonah: Now if you’ll excuse me, ladies, I’ve gotta run to the restroom.

Ingrid: You’re going to sneak and pay the check, aren’t you?

Jonah: Er... yes?

Ingrid: I’ll allow it. It seems reasonable for you to suck up to me if you want to date my niece.

Ingrid (after Jonah walks away): I like him.

Amber: Me too.

Ingrid: Can I give you some advice, as someone who’s never been in a stable or successful long-term relationship, but has seen them on TV?

Amber: Uh, sure?

Ingrid: Jonah actually seems pretty great, despite being a male teenager.

Amber: ...But?

Ingrid: But even the most even-keeled, gentle wolf can be, um, a little overprotective of the things that belong to them.

Amber: I don’t belong to anybody!

Ingrid: Of course not. But you’re obviously important to him, and for a wolf, well... sometimes that’s kind of like the same thing.

Amber: We’ll figure out who put up the wards. I can handle myself.

Ingrid: I’m not talking about the wards. I’m talking about his roommate.

[paper-lioness]

Ingrid: Huh.

Amber: What does that mean?

Ingrid: I’m not sure... I’ve never seen a spell like this. No mage did it, that’s for sure.

Amber: Jonah said the same thing. He said it didn’t smell like any mage’s spell. Something like sulfur, I think?

Ingrid: Sulfur? Like a dem--

Amber: [clears throat] Hey, you! What are you doing here?

James: Amber! I was on my way to see you. What are you doing out in the hall?

Amber: Out here? In the hallway? Nothing! Have you met my Aunt Ingrid? She’s here to visit me.

Ingrid: Smooth. Hi, you must be Jonah.

James: Jo--No, ma’am. I’m James. Amber and I have a class together. Today’s the day we get our grades on a paper Amber helped me with, so I was going to see if she wanted to walk to class with me. I didn’t mean to intrude. Sorry.

Amber: Don’t apologize! He’s right, Ingrid--I’ve got to get going. Will you be okay in my room until I get back? It’ll be about an hour. You can watch Henry Puffer, since you love it so much.

Ingrid: I can hardly contain my excitement. Nice to meet you, James.

Ingrid: [to self] Poor Jonah.

[paper-lioness]

The next day...

Ingrid: Knock, knock!

Amber: Aunt Ingrid! You’re here!

TV: Yer a wizard, Henry

Ingrid: Please tell me you’re not watching those Puffer movies.

Amber: They're starting to grow on me, even if they are silly. And the werewolf is kind of hot. Uh... speaking of werewolves... since he’s part of the reason you’re here, you should probably know that I’m--well, I don’t know actually--I’m involved in some way with a werewolf. But he’s really nice.

Ingrid: Good for you! Just make sure you’re using protection and all that shit.

Amber: What? No, we’re not--

Ingrid: I dated a werewolf for a little while. Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.

Amber: Uh... I’ll keep that in mind? Anyways, last night he tried to come in here with me and there was some sort of barrier. He couldn’t get through it--it actually threw him pretty far back--but I haven’t seen anybody else have trouble getting through the door.

Ingrid: Only him? Have any other non-humans tried to get through it? Any other mages?

Amber: Not that I know of, but I didn’t even realize Jonah was a werewolf until he told me.

Ingrid: Well, protective spells aren’t my area of expertise, but I’ll take a look. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll call up my friend Bridget.

Amber: Can you look now? I’ve got class in about 20 minutes, but I was hoping we could get lunch after that.

Ingrid: Only if you promise to bring your furry boy toy with you.

[paper-lioness]

Ingrid: Well, you made it. Welcome to San Myshuno. This is my building. Our building. We’re on the ninth floor, but there’s an elevator.

Amber: This is incredible! The sounds, the smells, the colors--but there are so many people. Do you know them all?

Ingrid: [laughs] No, thank the gods. You’ll get used to it, though.  Just keep an eye on your wallet. Once we get you a wallet.

Amber: I... I’m not sure I’m ready for this. There’s so much of everything.

Ingrid: Hey, what’s your name?

Amber: Uh, Amber?

Ingrid: Wrong. You are Amber Fucking Hale, a descendant of one of the most powerful families in Glimmerbrook, and you’re smart as hell to boot. If anybody can learn how to be a ‘normal’ human in two months, it’s you.  Now get your ass inside before some idiot tries to mug us.

[paper-lioness]

From the Journal of Amber Hale:

...Ingrid has been showing me a lot of movies and television shows.  Most humans believe that the supernatural doesn’t exist, but there are so many forms of entertainment that focus on it! Especially vampires, ugh. It makes me wonder why we don’t tell the humans that we exist. It seems as though they would be welcoming, given how they admire us. The way that they portray magic in these shows and movies is incredible, though.  These “special effects” are a kind of magic all of their own. 

Ingrid is strangely obsessed with a show called Big Brother. It’s nothing but a group of humans who spend their time either arguing or trying to have sex with each other.  I hope this isn’t an accurate representation of humans in general...

Amber: Ingrid? I thought you said earlier that the things on television weren’t real. This... seems real. Sort of.

Ingrid: Yes and no. This is what’s called reality TV. It’s mostly bullshit--I think people play caricatures of themselves to  get attention and be more interesting, you know? It’s probably, like, half-real.  But 100% entertaining because they usually but the real weirdos on these kind of shows.  Except Terry.

Amber: I suppose this could be very education for me, but I’m not sure why anyone else would want to watch this. It’s like watching life instead of actually living it, isn’t it?

Ingrid: Listen here, Miss High-and-Mighty, if you can read about Elizabeth and Mr. Darby or whatever be all dramatic about each other, I can watch Karyn freak out and threaten people with eternal damnation.

Ingrid: Shh! Terry’s on!  Wait, what? Why is she in here? What’s wrong with her? I knew that son of a bitch wasn’t good enough for her. Tell us what happened, Terry! He must be so lousy in bed.

Amber: Did you hear something? It sounds like it came from your bedroom.

Ingrid: No. Maybe. But Terry’s talking. It can wait.

Amber: [sighs] I’ll go check.  Hopefully I don’t get murdered.

Ingrid: Eh. you can handle it.

Amber: I’ll be right back.

Ingrid: Don’t get murdered. I’ll probably lose my deposit.

[paper-lioness]

Ingrid: But before we buy furniture, you need a new wardrobe. And glasses. I've seen you squinting.

Amber: [sighs] Mother saw glasses as a sign of human weakness.

Ingrid: Why don’t you get your stuff put away and take a few minutes to just... take a breath and let it all sink in? When you’re ready, there’s a great curry shop down the street.

[paper-lioness]

Ingrid: Well, here we are. It’s not as fancy as Hale Manor, but I hope you’ll like it here.

Amber: [gasps] This is the most beautiful apartment I’ve ever seen!

Ingrid: This is the only apartment you’ve ever seen, but thanks.

[paper-lioness]

Ingrid: (knocks) Amber? I forgot to tell you--I left something for you on the desk. Thought it might be useful. It’s safe. Nobody else will ever read it.

Amber: (sighs) It’s worth a shot.