2025-02-14 - An Unplanned Welcome Committee

As far as people on the island go, Ella couldn't more obviously be new and utterly out of place. She is half-dragging, half-carrying an old suitcase. It's in excellent condition, but it is very vintage, to put it mildly. She is wearing a white dress with a long skirt. The wind did a number on her hair, not to mention nearly stealing her hat.

With a sigh she pauses suddenly. And while this might normally be a time in the show where she bursts into a song about new starts and hope, instead she just knuckles her back and looks around. Oh, and talks to herself.

"Ah, Ella, we've made it, we have." Her eyes narrow slightly as she looks around. "So now we just have to recall where exactly we're to go..." Her Scottish accent is thick and the little piece of paper she holds in front of her is not giving her everything she needs to know.

Among those who are disembarking the ferry is Erika, clearly an employee as noted by her name tag with her name ("Erika Y") and a red cross symbol indicating that she's a medical practitioner. Those who were paying attention when the boat arrived would have noticed that she was allowed on board while the passengers were temporarily delayed.

Prior to the boat's arrival a call had been sent out by the captain. He'd told the staff at the landing that they had a 'Code V' and that the guest, a minor, had other complaints. This lead to Erika being summoned to the landing and let onboard.

She brought her kit. The child had no fever, had just over eaten before the boat and had previously undiagnosed kinetosis (motion sickness). She'd handed the child a ginger hard candy and advised the parent on some methods to help fight the effects of the condition. She also suggested that if any other symptoms show that they should bring he boy to the clinic.

But that was in the past and now Erika is departing with the rest of the guests. The Norwegian nurse is wearing a light jacket over her 'wizard robe' patterned scrubs and jeans with white Converse shoes on her feet. On passing the woman with the Scottish accent she reflexively says, "Feasgar math," ("Good afternoon" in Scottish Gaelic) to Ella and then switches back to English to ask, "Are you looking for your hotel or...?"

Ella perks up at the sound of her father's tongue. She certainly never expected to hear that so far from home. Even there it's something they don't often use. It brings a smile to her face.

The question makes her pause. She's confused a touch. "Hotel? Oh. Oh no, I'm not a tourist. I'm here for a job." She goes on with a grin, "I am a performer."

She lets go of her suitcase and glides into... is that a curtsy? Huh. She does it smoothly. "My name is Ella Abernathy. It's a pleasure to meet..."

She finds herself abruptly cut off by the sudden motion of something cute. And then it launches itself at her. Ella flails her arms and lets out a very embarrassing scream. The kind that makes everyone stare.

She lands rather squarely on her bottom and looks down at her lap to see... a bunny?

"...you.." Her eyes go from bunny to Erika and then back. "Um... hello little rabbit."

Erika's English has a notable Norwegian accent when she speaks. The Scottish Gaelic wasn't so much accented - magic being magic and all - but she learned English the normal way and long before coming to the park. Ella's smile is, apparently, much more contagious than Erika's most recent patient's concerns and elicits one from the Norwegian as well.

"Ah," Erika responds to Ella's identification as a performer and she laughs kindly at the curtsy. And then the greeting is interrupted and the Scots woman screams.

And then there's the pink blur. The vaguely familiar pink blur. And then the very familiar looking bun in Ella's arms. She shakes her head and comments, obviously to herself, "Det som skal skje, skjer." ("What is meant to happen, will happen." in Norwegian.)

Switching back to English, Erika says, "Welcome to Spellbound. My name's Erika Yorgensen," and, glancing at the bun, she says, "I thought I heard one of them singing as I approached the boat but couldn't look. It seems attached."

Still examining the way the bun is with Ella, Erika asks, "Do you have a place to stay already? I know I was in a hotel for a bit when I arrived in December."

"I'm not sure. I was supposed to use a map to find someone, but I think it's wrong. It seems to be for, well, not here." She holds up the map, which is not Spellbound Island, it's Crescent Island. "I suspect things may have changed since then. Who do new employees usually meet?"

She looks down at the bunny, smiling. "You are reckless, little one." She shifts the creature about, cradling it gently as she gets back on her feet. "So is this a normal greeting? Step onto the island, get assailed by an adorable bunny?" Clearly she is just amused by it, now that the shock has passed."

She gathers herself up as best she can and tries to say hello more properly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Yorgensen! So you are a nurse, then?" Or maybe a doctor? "It must be quite something, working in this place."

"I'm a nurse practitioner," Erika answers first. Continuing she says, "No, this is nor normal. They've been cropping up over the past weeks." She points at the suitcase and asks, "Mind if I carry that for you? We can talk along the way?"

After Ella nods Erika goes to lift the bag and grunts as she is not initially able to do more than budge it. "Wow, heavier than I expected," she says as she braces herself better and lifts up the suitcase and begins heading towards another nearby ferry.

"You should be able to meet your orientation person on Crescent Island, that was what my new hire instructions had me doing," Erika explains and adds, "Unless its different for performers? And since the little one seems attached go ahead and bring him along."

Ella gives Erika an apologetic look. "Sorry about the burden. I wanted to bring some important things with me." Books, paints, pencils, etc. Not to mention needle, thread, and so much more for her various crafts. It's definitely a lot of weight.

"And thank you! I appreciate your help. I have no head for maps or directions. I get confused easily at times." She looks down at the bunny and then up to Erika. "So when you say the just have cropped up... are they all so eager to pick someone? I feel like this is part of my orientation somehow."

The pink bunny's nose is moving about a mile a second, inspecting its adopted caretaker carefully. With her whiskers bristling, the bunny turns about to slump itself against Ella's chest.

"Aww, aren't you just the sweetest little thing!" Ella croons gently. She stays close to Erika, letting her lead the way. "I have to say, this is a pleasant surprise. Wonderful, honestly! I had rabbits back home, too. And geese. But the geese and I don't see eye to eye."

Reaching the employee only ferry dock, Erika seems relieved to be able to set down the suitcase.

"Ja," Erika responds in the affirmative in Norwegian with a nod accompanying it to support the easily understood cognate of the English 'Ya' heard mostly from Minnesotans. "Not all of them are so eager, but they do tend to bond, yes," she further explains.

She then asks, "I think I can accelerate your check in and then I'd be glad to let you stay in the vacant room in my apartment at the Fox Run apartments if you don't have a place to stay already lined up?"

Ella says, "Oh really! You wouldn't mind if I stayed with you? I do not have a place yet. I haven't..." She looks around, as if about to share a most perilous secret. Drawing herself up a little she goes on. "I haven't left home before. Well, other than for work nearby, but honestly that was just a ten-minute drive. This is a whole other country." She can't help but notice that Erika has an accent, as well. "How did you come to work here, Erika?"

All the while, she is petting the bunny. It's safe to say that the attachment is mutual. She even laughs and pinches her shoulder to her cheek when the creature tickles her neck with its explorations. "I'm really glad I ran into you. It's more than just a bit of luck. It's just like back home. So many friendly people.""

"Ja, really," Erika replies. "The ferry should be here soon but let me make a quick call."

She pulls out her phone and swipes a contact then holds it to her ear as the call starts. After a moment she says, "Erika Yorgensen," and rattles off a sequence of letters and numbers faster than anyone who was completely expecting them could follow them. She waits a moment and says, "New employee intake," and then waits.

She glances at Ella for a moment and rolls her eyes in that universally understood mock-suffering expression as she waits for an IVR to get her to her expected destination. She nods and says, "Ja. I mean yes, hello Erica, this is Erika Y. Yes, that was me in last month's karaoke. I have a new employee who is checking in." There's a pause before she says, "Ella," and pauses as she frowns a moment and then nods before she continues. "Ella Abernathy." She waits a moment and nods. "Ja," she says into the phone, giving Ella a smile to show appreciation for the patience, "She's going to be staying with me for now. I'll help make sure she gets to her new hire orientation in the morning, yes." A pause is then followed with, "Thank you," and then she lowers the phone and swipes the call off before putting it away.

"So, you've got orientation coming up but lets get you and your bun to my apartment. There could be some surprises there," she explains.

Ella is giving Erika a look like one might give a magician. She has no experience with such arcane systems and seeing them handled so smoothly makes a deep impression on the young woman. She listens closely, trying to guess what is happening. The bunny has decided now to take a nap in her arms.

When the call ends, Ella laughs. "That was so great! I have no idea what you did, but thank you! That's amazing. I have to learn how to do these things for myself. Maybe you can teach me?" She is clearly not the world's best at handling technology. Notably, she doesn't seem to have a phone to whip out.

Her eyes look ahead, then and she asks, "How far is it from here to your apartment?" She looks at the water and shivers slightly. "It's amazing how it is so cold out there and so nice here. The park must be a wonder."

The ferry slides up to the dock as Erika is nodding, "Ja, I can help you get set up," and then she asks, "No smartphone then, Ella?"

She also waves to the ferry captain and calls out to him, "Can you help with her suitcase?" indicating the luggage she isn't really interested in lifting again right now.

"The park is wonderful. I'm so glad I came back to work here, visiting as a tourist wasn't the same," she explains as the captain grudgingly comes and hefts the suitcase onto the boat.

Ella gives another apologetic look to the captain. "Apologies. I had so many things I needed to bring with me." She looks down and then up at the captain. "This is a new addition." But apparently not something new to the captain, since he doesn't make any comments about it.

She follows Erika rather like a lost puppy. Ella keeps her eyes on the horizon. "It's odd to think they call this a lake," she murmurs. "It's bigger than any lake I'd ever heard of before getting here." Ella should really have looked at the map more. Geography is not one of her skills, either.

The captain, overhearing the Scotswoman's comment about the lake, calls out, "Lake Michigan is the fifth largest lake on the planet and third largest of the Great Lakes," as he backs the ferry away from the dock. He continues for a moment before focusing on the piloting by saying, "It's a body of fresh water so it's a lake," as if this should be common knowledge. He doesn't comment on the suitcase or the bun, he seems to be all business for the rest of the trip.

After the captain's comments, Erika asks, "So, you're from Scotland I'm guessing. And that you're used to the Lochs there, right?"

Following Ella's nod Erika starts to explain the area and the park to her new friend. The discussion focuses on the mundane aspects. The various locations and venues. The restaurants and shops. The residential options on Crescent Island. She talks about moving into her apartment and having to camp out on the floor for a week before her furniture was delivered.

As the boat is pulling into the dock at the staff-only island, Erika says, "You won't have to sleep on the floor. I've a couch you can sleep on in the living room until we get some things ordered. Or are you have plans for any furniture to be delivered to yourself?"

Ella listens carefully. Even if the story is meant to be mundane, she finds it fascinating. There are quite a few questions from her along the way, as well as signs of excitement from her. That she gets to work at such a unique park is a wonder to her.

In turn, Ella will tell some of her own stories. About having a positive mob of younger sisters, being a nanny, and then having no job. She got her by a chance meeting. Her skills as a singer and dancer caught the right eye and soon she was getting ready to leave home in a big way.

When it comes to the apartment, she laughs at the thought of sleeping on the floor. "I imagine that wasn't terribly comfortable, but somehow it sounds kind of fun anyway. Or at least exciting. I don't have any furniture ordered. I didn't know what to get or how to have it delivered. So your help would be very appreciated, Erika."

"You're very welcome, Ella," Erika says after listening to the stories and interjecting comments about her own family in Norway.

"Follow me, lets go to the apartment," she says as she struggles with the suitcase heading northward from the dock. It is one of many multistory apartment buildings located at the northern end of the island. She doesn't engage in much conversation while porting the suitcase along and into the building's lobby. Reaching the elevator she gets a respite while they wait after she elbowed the button.

"I'm up on the third floor. One of my ex's is also," she says. "We're on good terms though, so no worries there," and then the elevator dings and she's wrestling the suitcase into the elevator.

Ella follows closely, having lost her attempt to carry her own luggage. It is true she has a sleeping bunny in her hand, but she hates to make Erika bear the weight of that suitcase.

While they walk, Ella is studying her surroundings. She knows she will need to remember the way to and from the ferry. Inwardly she realizes that even if she got lost it wouldn't take all that long to find her way here. Still, there are other things to figure out, like where restaurants and stores are. She'll need a lot of help there.

When the elevator closes behind them she looks at Erika. "Oh wow, the same floor as an ex?" she asks. "I'm glad you are still friendly. That would be awful if not." She won't mention her total lack of romantic experience. That's a whole other conversation for later.

"Yeah, Layla and I had a fling while we were serving our countries in Syria," Erika explains with a throwaway reference to military service. Maybe something to discuss later?

And then the elevator dings and she asks, "Can you carry it down the hall and keep her safe also?" Nodding at the bun to indicate who she means by 'she' in her question.

Ella seems confused by Erika's comment. "Oh, so it was a relationship while you were in the armed forces?" Her real question is one of supreme ignorance, but she doesn't voice it. She's lived a very sheltered life. None of her female friends were interested in girls. Ella wants to ask questions, but holds back. It might be rude to do so.

"Oh, and yes, I can!"

Ella shifts the bunny so she rests on her left shoulder, cradled there with Ella's right arm. The left takes back the suitcase and she manages to get it off the ground.

"No problem!" she says cheerfully. Though Erika knows full well how heavy that suitcase is. The break that Erika gave her has been a huge help, though. Ella has her strength back now.

Erika leads Ella down the hall to apartment 305. Along the way she says, "Ja, I was a field medic in the Norwegian Army. Saved her life and helped her get evacuated to a hospital unit." She then grins and adds, "She wasn't my patient after that."

After opening the door she indicates that Ella can set the suitcase down next to the door and she starts a tour.

"This is the main and common space of the suite," she says with a wave of her hand and then points to a tiled area with appliances as she says, "There's the kitchenette and dinning table and off there is a hallway with the bathroom at the end. It has a soaking bath as well as a shower, quite nice."

She finishes the 'tour' by saying, "I'm in the lefthand room so you'll have the right, but currently it's empty. It's not much but it can be fairly homy. Oh, and the bedrooms have walk-in-closets."

Ella is delighted to set down the suitcase. But she keeps the rabbit close. She will have to figure out how to care for it soon. Food she can figure out, but the rest will require conversation. The young woman still believes it is an unusual species of American rabbit, rather than something supernatural.

On the tour, she is bubbling with excitement. "It's lovely! What a cute kitchen. And it's great to have a dining table. Oh, and I love cooking. I cannot wait to make something for you." Erika may not know it yet, but she just got herself a roommate who cooks, cleans, and enjoys doing so.

"There's a lot of nice space here, though. And wow, these rooms are big!" She wanders into her empty room and looks at the closet. "That... is a closet?" She looks over at Erika and points out, "It's as big as my room back home! And I share that with my littlest sister." For a moment, Ella's smile crumbles. She shakes herself out of it quickly. "Maybe I can convince my mum to send her over. I'd love to have the Little Devil here."

Erika nods about Ella's comments regarding family but before she can respond Erika's voice is heard from across the hallway.

"What is this I'm being told from Erica from the intake office about my agreeing to put up a new hire?"

And then Erika steps into the room. This Erika is also dressed in scrubs - standard military green and somewhat aged looking and with a few spots of old paint from past jobs it was worn during even though they are in good shape. And in her arms is a pink bunny just like the one that Ella is holding.

"Hva i helvete?!" ("What the hell?!" in Norwegian) the Erika in green says while the one in purple that brought Ella in says, "Herregud," ("Oh my") and turns to Ella to begin to explain but isn't able to do so quickly enough it seems.

Ella is confused by this. But only for a moment. She turns to Erika (the one who invited her to stay here) and asks, "You have a twin sister? That's wonderful! Twins run in my family. I have two sets of twins, so I'm very used to it."

Still, she detects something odd about this. The tone of the girls make her wonder what the greeting is. Or is it not a greeting? This causes her to posture to change. She becomes more tense, but unlike the rabbit tackling, she isn't flustered. Ella looks at the newcomer and then back to Erika. They look the same, that is certain. And this other one has a bunny, too!

The bunny in Ella's arms sniffs curiously but seems crestfallen. Its ears droop sadly. This is not the bunny it is missing.

The bunny in the second Erika's arms seems interested in the bun in Ella's arms. He croons his song and then droops his ears as well before turning to look away from the Scotswoman's bun because the other isn't his missing bunny either.

As the bunnies have their interaction of disinterest both Erika's say, in unison, "I don't have a twin," and then laugh. The one without the bunny says to Ella, "It's more complicated and a lot less at the same time," while the other sets the bunny down next to her bare feet and says to him, "Go do your business, Dunball," before the bunny hops off.

The pair glance at each other and nod. Together they say, "This place is truly magical you see, Ella," as they reach out to each other and touch hands. For a moment there are two Erika's touching palm to palm and then there is one, standing in the space the hands were located. This individual Erika is wearing a combination outfit. The shoes are the same as the pair that were used to trudge the suitcase across the island. The pants are in the style of the jeans but now made out of the green fabric of the scrubs and are speckled with flecks of paint. The top is more unusual, while they are still scrubs and perfectly aligned to their wearer the left half is purple with the 'wizardly star pattern' that the Erika who Ella met at the docks was wearing and the right half is the green with pain flecks of the one Ella met here in the apartment.

Erika says, "Hæ." ("Huh." It sounds like "hay.") It is a clear expression of surprise. She's looking down at her outfit and is clearly surprised with what just happened.

Ella blinks in surprise at this. She doesn't panic, but she is dead silent. For a time, the only sound is the noise of the bunny despondently shifting around in her arms. It sounds so loud to Ella's ears at the moment.

After a good 20 or 30 seconds of awkward silence, she finally says, "That is an incredible trick! How did you do that? It looked so real!" The young woman adds quickly, "I'm kicking myself now. I should have tried to shake her hand and see if she was actually there!"

She isn't ready to believe that magic is real. Erika must be putting on a bit of a performance. "I can't quite figure it out, though. Two of you were both talking, and it sounded so perfectly like... well like the very same person."

Ella's posture hints at slight unease. Her body is tense, poised as if she might have to suddenly run away. As for her face? She appears to be relaxed as can be.

Erika bites at her lower lip as she fights the urge to laugh - she remembers her first time encountering magic here at Spellbound, a year ago, and how quickly she rationalized it when she left as well.

"I have to have hours of rest before I can do it again, but there really were two of me," she explains and she waves at the outfit, "This is new for me though. I've never merged wearing clothing that I wasn't wearing when I split before." She stops for a moment and then says, "It may take some time but you'll find things happening for you also."

Erika tugs at the pants as if they are a bit uncomfortable for her. She then says, "The magic affects everyone differently. Hopefully you don't grow horns. My ears are bad enough..." She then quickly says, "I'm able to change them back but wait until you see me first thing in the morning."

Ella stares at Erika as if she grew a second head. That's rather ironic, since a moment ago she did have two. Two whole bodies! The farm girl is speechless still. It takes a good twenty seconds before she is able to actually say something.

"You have never merged wearing clothing... but you seemed so surprised to see, well, yourself. I mean. How does that... do you see both? What if the other you... but wait which one is the /you/ you then?" Her accent gets thicker as she gets more animated. Her words tumble over each other in a mix of alarm and excitement. "Sowaittomeandthisisreal?!"

Quick breath and she gets hit by another blow. "HORNS!? Ears?!"

She's not shouting. She's a proper lady, after all. Instead she's doing that kind of shout whisper thing that is equally effective but doesn't bother people in the next room.

"I will get things happening to me? But then... I must go. I can't go back to my mum with horns! Why lil Gabrielle will be scared half to death!"

Erika, seeing Ella's distress, gets a concerned look on her face and steps closer to the Scotswoman and rests her her hand on Ella's arm. Unfortunately, in her intense concern, she reflexively drops into Norwegian for a moment and says, "Å herregud. Jeg gjør alt dette feil," ("Oh my. I'm doing this all wrong.")

She then shakes her head and, frowning at herself for the awkwardness of the previously explained information, says, "Wait, I should have made it clear, the magic doesn't follow you when you leave," in a reassuring tone. She also adds, "These apartments are fairly well insulated, it takes a lot for the neighbors to hear."

She doesn't, yet, explain that the memory of the magic won't stick around long term once you go either, but this is something Ella will need to hear soon as well. "It's safe, don't worry," she tries to reassure Ella.

Ella lets out a sigh of relief. She doesn't smile just yet, but she visibly calms down. Her eyes focus on Erika's. A quick nod indicating that she's okay soon follows. Though it takes a few more seconds for her to speak. When she does, her tone is calm once more.

"So I would only experience these things here. That is good. I hope I do not have to meet myself, though. That looks confusing. And I feel that I'd be jealous if the other was playing while I had to do some onerous chore."

It's a lot to take in, and she hasn't even opened her suitcase yet! She looks around the apartment more carefully, her eye now looking for magic. Eventually, she looks down at the bunny in her arms, then the bunny Erika has.

"They sing," she says quietly. "Bunnies do not sing."

"These bunnies do," Erika says after taking a deep breath upon seeing Ella's panic attack coming under control. She then says, "I should explain that you'll the memory and belief in the magic fade when you leave also. I know mine did when I left after my visit as a tourist last February."

She then decides that maybe she should explain a bit more. "I get how you think that there could be some jealousy but... I cannot be two for more than a day and when I become one again I remember both sets of memories. It's hard to be jealous over that. Plus, I guess I have it easier as I'm polyamorous. I've come to terms with jealousy and don't let it rule me."

She motions out towards the main room. "Want to sit and hear about my other two magical abilities?" she asks. "You experienced one of them already and I can show you the other if you'd like," she explains.

Ella laughs at the thought of forgetting. "Well, I had best not write about any of the happenings here, then. My family would be so confused if I forgot all about it later. That is rather sad, though, isn't it? Memories are so precious and every second counts." She is so obviously a romantic.

And then there's the whole mention of polyamory. She looks confused by this term. She can break it down in her head, though. Amory and amorous are obvious in meaning. So is poly. When she works it out with the whole twin thing her eyes go wide.

"Oohhhhhhhh!" she says in a very drawn out reaction. Her smile is nervous as she says, "I'm sorry. I was all sixes and nines there. I think I've worked it out, though. Probably. It sounds very private, though, so you know, I don't have to understand it." Then Ella dwells momentarily on something but swiftly discounts it.

Ella hugs her bunny affectionately as she moves to sit down. "I would like that! I must admit, though, I'm nervous about how this will affect me. Everyone gets some kind of magic here if they stay a while?"

Erika guides her new friend out to the living room where they see Dunball burying something in a litter box and then hopping out.

After the Norwegian sits down she says, "I'm keeping a journal actually," referencing the forgetting and the writing. "And polyamory is personal but not private for me, but if you don't want to discuss it that's fine."

"Let's talk magic. I only know three languages. I grew up speaking Norwegian and learned English and Arabic, mostly during my military service but I'd learned some English before that." She pauses and smiles at the expression she sees on Ella's face. "Right, I spoke... it was Scottish Gaelic, right? I spoke to you in a language I just told you I never learned, that's right. That's one of my magical abilities."

"A journal! That is such a clever idea. I also keep a journal, but mostly, it's sketches of my favorite memories from the day. I can show you sometime if you like. I enjoy sketching and painting."

Her head tilts quizzically at the next part. Ella nods quickly, "Yes, you did. I was shocked to hear it. It is so rarely spoken away from my home. Even there most use English. Naturally, my accent makes even that a bit different. Everyone knows where I'm from in the space of a sentence."

"So you speak in Tongues, then." Ella can center that on old stories of miraculous communication. "Can you understand it, as well? If I were to speak French, would you know the meaning of my words, even if you hadn't even heard them before?"

Erika nods and then explains, "Sign languages also. Any active mode of communication. It doesn't extend to written text though." She then drops into French and says, "Je peux parler et comprendre mais pas lire, cette capacité n’est pas celle que je possède." ("I can speak and understand but not read, that ability is not one I have.")

"It was very strange when it first happened. During my absence I would have sworn to you that the park had pushed an app to my phone that was translating everything in real time for me," she says.

Ella arches her eyebrows. She may get stuck that way. "Your French is lovely! That's truly wonderful. But then when you leave here you will forget all of it? And since you cannot write, your journal will not be able to prove to you that you ever knew."

The explanation of an app on the phone seems to make her grasp an earlier topic. "So you just rationalize it all away later. You forget magic is real and there's no way to share things here outside of what you have written. I wonder what it will feel like to be away and have your own words challenge the attempted rationalization. If anything could spark a headache, that would do it."

She looks down at her bunny, whose ears droop sadly. "This little one seems rather sad for some reason. I hope you can give me some pointers on caring for her properly. It hurts to see her so sad."

Dunball hops over and plops down on Erika's feet. Along the way over he glanced up at Ella's rabbit and then away again.

Erika reaches down and lifts her bun up into her lap before she continues speaking. "Ja," she says, "I have no idea what this is going to do for the remembering of the abilities or the rationalization of them. But I'm doing it anyway."

"So, I can also change how I look slightly," she explains and, after making sure she has Ella's attention, she wills her hair to change color and a wave of plum purple begins at her roots and rolls down the length of her hair to its tip only to keep flowing as she causes her hair to grow another three inches in length as well. "This is why even though I woke up this year with elf-like ears I can still look normal," she says while watching for Ella's reaction with concern about possible triggering of her anxiety again.

"That's brilliant!"

This modest change is much more Ella's speed. She laughs joyfully and asks, "Can you change it easily? And can you make any pattern you'd like? Even a picture, perhaps?" For a moment she looks at Dunball and waves at him.

"But why elf ears? Is the island turning you into an elf, Erika? Or is it just some random thing?"

There are so many odd questions this brings up. She naturally wonders, "So what are the limits then. Like, in general. Could you remove a scar from view? Clear up acne?" She grins, "This would have been so useful a few years ago!"

"I haven't tried patterns," Erika says in response to the first set of questions and then she shrugs. "I don't know why the ears. I don't know why any of this yet to be honest," she says to follow up the gesture.

She strokes Dunball's back as she continues. "Ja, I can add or remove the visual effects of scars and the like," she answers. "Once even, by accident, I gave myself the look of an all over the body bruise." She shakes her head at the memory. "It was as ugly as you'd likely imagine."

Ella laughs at that, "It must have looked like you fell down a spiral staircase! It's a lucky thing it didn't hurt like a bruise." Still, this makes something clear. Magic takes practice.

"How long was it before you got your first bit of magic, Erika?" she asks, obviously trying to figure out how long she has before it starts. "And when you leave and come back, is the magic the same? I mean other than it all being confusing, of course."

She's a curious one, for certain. While she focuses on Erika, her bunny hops out of her arms and proceeds to race around the room, stopping to sing, listen with one ear cocked up and the other drooping for a moment, and then race around again. Ella can't help but giggle. "I think I've got a lively one!"

"I was a guest on the island for a few weeks last year. Had the language trick quickly and got the chameleon-like ability before the first week was up." She continues to pet Dunball who is watching Ella's rabbit's antics with what could be interpreted as an aloof expression.

"And ja, I had the same powers when I came back and then discovered my splitting ability when I was pacing and one of me turned right and the other of me turned left. It was both amazing and confusing for me." She pauses a moment and says, "You'll have to ask Tank when you meet him how it was for him. He witnessed that first occurrence."

She pauses for a moment and then nods to herself, as if deciding something, before saying, "My first public usage was a month ago at the January Karaoke event. There's a video of it online I can point you to if you want. Not just me, but the whole event." She then smiles to herself thinking about her plan for the event coming up tomorrow.

"So what you are saying is, you were beside yourself with concern." Ella grins. She cannot help but make a joke. "It had to be very strange to go through that. I imagine when you get back together the memories occasionally reveal something fascinating about yourself."

Ella's tone is calm. She's quickly settled into this whole idea, now. "So the first week, then. I guess we'll find out pretty soon, then! At least, maybe. I hope I get something fun." The mention of karaoke makes her eyebrows climb. "You have karaoke?! I love that! And I imagine you did a great duet with yourself."

Her bunny is certainly acting silly. It kind of pushes itself across the floor with its back legs until it is at Ella's feet. She picks her new friend up and looks in the bunny's eyes. Long ears droop down sadly. It seems the playfulness cannot withstand the need to find its partner.

"Poor thing. You look positively miserable right now," Ella murmurs.

Turning back to Erika, "I want to see the video." she laughs nervously and notes, "I um. I don't really have anything to watch it with, though."

Erika laughs at Ella's joke. "Hahah!" She then says, "It was very strange watching myself talking to myself and Tank that first time, ja."

She nods yes about the karaoke. "Yes, there's another one planned for tomorrow night like I mentioned. I've been practicing a major-to-minor transformation of the Police's Every Breath You Take as tomorrow night's theme can be summed up as grim takes on love."

"I could show it to you on my phone here if you'd like," she offers pulling out her phone and queueing up a video for her new roommate.

"I would love to see it, yes!" Ella scoots a bit closer to have a better view.

"Was this something that people arranged on their own, or does the park support it?" she asks. Regardless, if there is singing and dancing, she's in. It's way too fun to miss out on.

"That song choice of yours is going to be interesting. But why grim takes? Love is wonderful, isn't it?"

Her bunny, looking despondent, is allowed to curl up in her lap. She occasionally looks up at Ella hopefully, then when nothing happens, she flops back with the bunny equivalent of a deep sigh. Which involves dramatic ear twitching.

"Well, they theme every month differently," Erika says. "I think its because of how many people find Valentines questionable with its commercial history."

She scoots closer to Ella causing Dunball to feel crowded. The bun hops down from her lap and begins hopping around the room until he finds the place he wanted to be and he sings his pleading little five note song as if it will reach farther by his having settled in that one special spot.

Erika watches Dunball for a bit as she plays the video. It takes the better part of thirty minutes to play out in full if they watch the whole thing. Erika's performance is fairly early however but she's willing to play out the while thing if Ella permits it.

Ella doesn't stop Erika. She just watches. She compliments Erika's voice and the song. There's not any word out of her but appreciation. "You are all so talented! It's so great that you could do this. Oh, and yes, that. A single day that pressures people to go out and spend money on gifts, forgetting that love isn't about grand gestures. It's far more simple and difficult than that."

When Dunball sings, Ella's bunny listens. She hops down and starts sniffing around. She finds a corner and sings, as well. When there is no miracle in that corner, she turns around three times and tries again. Ella's bunny doesn't give up easily, though. She is going around to every corner of the house singing as the video plays.

When the last song wraps up, Ella stretches. "That was really good! And it's amazing that you can do all that on your phone. We don't even have a cell phone yet." Not that she shows any sign of wanting to race out and get one.

"Have you been singing for a long time, Erika?"

"Well, I'm not as good as a professional," Erika admits - and she's right, she's a good amateur, but the professionals have her hands down beat. "Thank you," she says about the compliments and she explains, "Well, my parents encouraged singing even when I was a child. Plus I'm the best singer in my shower and nobody will ever convince me otherwise." She is smiling as she says this, but its a common trope about singing in the shower after all.

"I didn't like Valentine's Day in general," Erika says. She then explains, "I always felt that if you had to have a holiday to express your love that it couldn't truly be love. Then last year happened. I figure you need to hear about it from me before someone shares the rumor with you but if today's been too much you can just remind me to tell you the story another time."

Ella shakes her head, "Doesn't matter if you are a professional or not. You sang with heart and you clearly had fun. That's what matters most." She laughs out loud at the comment about the shower. "Well, I'd say I would be happy to compete, but that'd be suggesting something a bit weird."

As for the story? "Oh, no, please. I would love to hear it. I hope it was nothing bad!" Ella's eyes show concern as she looks at Erika.

"I agree with you, though. Love isn't kept under a bushel. And it is more about the day-to-day than anything else. My parents marriage has shown me that. They are always so adorable together. It's no wonder I've six little sisters and another set on the way." She adds quietly, "I will be slipping away for a short time to be there for the birth and help my mum for a week or two. I plan on saving up my money to fly my lil' devil here, too. Are visitors okay in the room? It'd be Gabrielle, she's a little fireball, but she's so sweet."

"I don't think we're close enough to shower together, Ella, no," Erika says with a grin of amusement as she also looks the younger woman over in an appreciative way. Then, possibly with a bit of conversational whiplash for her new Scottish friend, she says, "As long as I'm not surprised by it, short term guests will be alright. Especially since I expect you'll be helping with the rent once you're solidly on your feet, right? Also, you'll have to tell me more about Gabrielle at some point. But first... The Story." And when she says those last two words the weight of the capital letters comes though her accent clearly.

"So, as to if it was bad, I'll let you judge," Erika says firmly before starting to relay her early history with the park.

"Last winter I was dating a doctor I worked with at the hospital in Bergen. We actually met at a Halloween costume party and the first few months went well. Then around New Years he started with the 'once we were married' statements. Around the same time, he started to suggest that I'd not 'have to work' at that point also. He never discussed marriage as if I had a choice and that started putting me off. And then he made the elaborate plan to propose in public." She pauses here to take a breath and then says, "I love amusement parks. He knew this. So, he brought me here to Spellbound. He loved jousting... I mean, it can be fun to watch but he adored medieval recreations... so he planned a surprise proposal at the Arena. I said no. Some of the staff remembers this even though it's now been over a year. One of them actually asked me if I knew the Norwegian couple from the jousts the previous year... he wasn't even an employee at the time!" At the end she is laughing, at the memory of being asked about herself like that.

Erika sighs and says, "There's more to the story, the aftermath spilled into our professional lives in Norway, but I won't burden you with that information unless you honestly want to hear it." She pauses and says, "It could be disturbing for some people to hear."

Ella completely misses Erika's more detailed review of her physical charms. Her complete inexperience couldn't be more evident. She's all smiles, but then the story begins.

She clearly understands this, though she's not sure it's comedy exactly. But since Erika handles it with laughter, she smiles. "I'm glad you came out of it okay. It sounds really unpleasant, though. Having someone ask in a way that probably made it very uncomfortable for you. Not to mention completely premature."

Ella is instantly on Erika's side on this one. It wouldn't be wrong to guess that she's a pretty fast friend. "If you want me to hear more, I will certainly do so. But I don't mean to press you. You are my friend now, and I'm here for you." She offers a hand, then. "So it's up to you, Erika."

Her emotions are all easy to read. She's concerned and sympathetic. Ella can't imagine what happened exactly, but it sounds awful to her. She offers a happier topic, "Oh, and I'd be happy to tell you all about Gabrielle and my family whenever you like. I will probably have to, honestly. They have been such a huge part of my life."

"I'll leave that part of the story for some day when we're drinking and have enough ice cream to make up for the darkness," Erika says rather than explaining what her ex did in Norway after the trip. "Why don't you tell me about your family instead?"

When asked to talk about her family, the first thing Ella does is hop up, which causes her bunny to race over to her, skidding to a stop at her feet. It sings plaintively, after which Ella scoops her up. "One moment, I need to fetch something quick!"

With the bun in one hand, she pulls open her suitcase and fumbles through it for a moment. She draws out a picture book. As she does, the bun gets out of her arms and spots a handheld mirror. At first, it ignores the reflection, but then a moment later her ears shoot up at it and she starts singing. When the other bun moves like it is singing but makes no sound, she bumps her head against the mirror to nuzzle the other bun. It recoils in confusion a moment later.

"Oh, so that's who you are!" exclaims Ella, plucking the confused bun up again as she heads to the couch once more. "You are Alice, trying to slip through a looking glass." She rather loves her joke. She settles in right next to Erika and allows Alice to leap away and get back to tearing around the apartment like a little maniac.

Ella opens the picture book and immediately Erika is confronted with a full page picture of her family. Her father sticks out as the only man in the house. "So that's my father, Michael," Ella explains. Next to him is a woman who looks far younger. "My mother is Elanor. She's my role model, honestly. Ever since I was a lass I wanted to be just like her. She's amazing."

Then it gets to introducing her gaggle of sisters. First, she gestures to a fiery-haired girl who stands opposite Ella in the photograph. "That's Kenna, the second eldest. We couldn't be more different, honestly. She dives headfirst into everything! I admire her bravery. Nobody can keep her down." She then moves on to a pair of blonde twins. One is dressed in beret with a little French flag on it and the other, dressed otherwise to match, is in a pair of tap shoes. "These are the first set of twins. Piper is our writer and master of French. She speaks as well as I do! She keeps in touch with our cousins in France. Letters are sent every day! Phoebe adores singing and dancing."

Ella imagines all of this will be hard to remember, so she says, "I may have to quiz you later." Her tone is playful and she wrinkles her nose and laughs softly. "Now... where was I? Oh yes!" She moves on to a pair of slightly younger girls. Unlike the first set of twins, these two keep distance in the photograph. "This one is our daddy's girl, Willow. She's a comedian and makes little skits with my father. Violet is chatty and loves makeup. She follows me around all the time at home. Every day I help her with her look."

Ella pauses, then, her finger gliding to the youngest girl. Like everyone but Ella and Kenna, her hair is blonde, though a bit more on the sandy side. Her eyes glow with mischief and she has a little smirk. Ella's finger draws a little heart around her. "This is my Gabrielle. When mum had her she took ill and let me help. We became close from the start. She calls me mum. She hates when I'm not around."

Ella's voice falters for a moment. "I can't imagine what it'll be like to not have her curled up beside me at night. I hope she's okay." Her first hours in America and she is obviously homesick already. "She's a prankster. She's covered me with flour so many times! Everyone adores her and she gets away with everything. My wicked little one."

She trails off into silence. "I think maybe the rest can wait a spell, if that's ok?" She turns her face away, carefully dabbing at her eyes to conceal the start of tears (and to prevent her makeup from becoming a disaster, too!)

Erika laughs at the newly named bun's antics and the naming. "A literary name, I like that," she says as she scooches just a bit closer to Ella to make looking at the picture book all the easier.

"Handsome couple," she says about the parents and then looks over the sisters' pictures as Ella introduces them. When the quizzing suggestion was made, she also laughs and shakes her head begging off that suggestion wordlessly. She then hugs her new friend when she tries to hide the emotional impact this had on her. "Yeah, we don't need to go further right now," she says and then suggests, "Do you want to take a soak after your long trip? There are towels in the bathroom cabinet and I could set up sheets and a blanket here on the sofa for you so you can sleep and try to get ahead of the jet lag."