Chương 179: Interlude 39 – Plans Plots & Schemes

=::= Sasha's PoV =::=

"I can't believe I let you people talk me into doing this the day after the full moon," Melanie grumbled as we all made our way out of the busy government office.

Cassandra grimaced, "We didn't have to do it today. I could have waited another week. Or another month."

She obviously wasn't in any great hurry to get her license, and to be fair neither was I. On the other hand I understood the value of having it, particularly since I was no longer strong enough to teleport myself. And odds were I'd never have that much power again, so in my case being able to drive would potentially offer me some amount of mobility and freedom.

"We all agreed to come today," Nina pointed out. "If you didn't want to you didn't have to."

The wolfgirl sighed, "Yeah I know. I may have forgotten the full moon was last night when we were discussing this stuff? I was probably too focused on the cave stuff at the time."

Kaylee added, "We also needed to update the registration on the van. You're supposed to do that right away, after a private sale. Although I think they give you two weeks? Either way, it had to happen so it's a good thing we took care of it now."

It was mid-afternoon on Friday, and four of us spent the last hour or so taking the written test to get our learner's permits. Although the test wasn't actually written, it was administered via computer. Now Cassandra, Nina, Melanie, and myself all had official documents that allowed us to attempt to operate a motor vehicle, assuming we had a fully-licensed driver seated next to us in the passenger seat.

I wasn't about to attempt it myself, and I knew Cassandra wasn't interested either. Apparently both Nina and Melanie already knew how to drive, but both wanted some practise before taking the practical test.

And as Kaylee indicated, there was some paperwork regarding the van's purchase that needed to be completed and filed with the authorities. That didn't go smoothly, as apparently they weren't accustomed to transferring vehicle ownership to individuals who did not yet hold a valid license.

The matter was resolved eventually, and I was fairly certain it was a subtle application of Cassandra's magic that settled the dispute in our favour.

"By the way, congrats to all four of you for passing your tests," Kaylee announced as she led the rest of us back to the mini-van.

The small fox demon was driving today, since Cerys was back home in bed after being out all night for the full moon. And Willow was at work, so she was unavailable too. Kaylee climbed up into the drivers seat while Cassandra took the passenger seat next to her, then Nina and I sat in the second row while Melanie practically lay down in the back.

With everyone ready to go the small kitsune started up the engine then asked, "What's everyone want to do?"

"I just want to go back to bed," Melanie groaned from the back of the van. "If y'all want to go out and do stuff that's fine, just drop me off at home first please."

Cassandra nodded, "Home's good."

Then Nina asked, "After we drop Melanie off maybe I could take the van out? I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle it just fine, but I want to try it out."

"Ok," Kaylee agreed as she pulled away from the licensing place. "Sasha what about you? Want to get a head start on learning how to drive?"

I shook my head, "No thank you. Actually, while Kaylee and Nina are busy perhaps you and I could work on our project together Cassandra?"

"Ok Sasha," she replied quietly.

When we reached the house a few minutes later everyone got out of the van, but only Cassandra Melanie and myself headed for the front door. Kaylee moved to the passenger seat while Nina removed the pedal extenders and the extra cushion from the drivers side of the vehicle. They went into a storage compartment at the very back of the van, then my demon friend climbed in and closed the door.

As soon as we were in the house Melanie mumbled something that sounded like 'good night' as she headed down the stairs to the basement, while Cassandra accompanied me into my bedroom.

I slipped off my shoes and sat crosslegged ontop of my bed, while the new goddess of chaos settled onto the chair next to my desk. I could tell by her calm demeanour that it was in fact their goddess persona which was present again, rather than the shy anxious demon-girl. The differences between the two were rather striking, and I found it hard to believe that some of our friends still didn't grasp just how separate and dissimilar the two were from each other.

Their shy friendly demon side was so much like Nina it was almost uncanny. She and my old friend were truly sisters in every sense of the word, despite their very different origins. They were both shy, quiet, soft-spoken, anxious, timid, and almost embarrassed about their demonic powers. The main difference between the two was I knew Nina had a wild streak that she normally kept well hidden. But in the right circumstances, my friend would jump at the chance to sow a little chaos and soak up some of the resulting adrenaline.

On the other hand, as similar as Cassandra's demonic side was to Nina, her divine side and I were not. Part of it was due to the fact that I was still finding my place in this modern world, as well as adjusting to my change in status. I'd certainly lost a great deal of hubris along with my immortality and divinity. I'd also lost most of my confidence too, but I'd been trying not to let that show.

It was more than that though. Cassandra's divine persona simply wasn't that similar to me in any way. She was rather enigmatic in fact. I had a hard time guessing her motivations or anticipating how she'd react to any given situation. She did seem to be committed to spreading chaos, but not as single-mindedly as I'd done in the past. It was the same with our shared project, she was taking it a lot more slowly than I would have liked.

"So," Cassandra spoke up, pulling me out of the thoughts I'd gotten lost in. "I take it you have some new thoughts on how we can undermine the status-quo?"

I nodded, "Correct. You know I still want to see magic return to the world. We've already talked at length about your enchanted plush toys and using them to help trans and queer people. And as you know, I fully support that cause."

"Honestly I'd love to see you start distributing those toys en masse," I added. "You mentioned they were initially released to the public by way of vending machines? That's brilliant, I really think we should start doing that again. Three machines simply isn't enough though. To really make an impact it would have to be thousands of machines. And worldwide, not relegated to a few select locations in Southern Ontario."

Cassandra sighed, "The logistics would be a nightmare. I'd probably have to go to China myself and figure out some sort of enchantment on the factory producing the toys. Either that or we'd need to establish some sort of distribution point here, and do bulk-enchantments on the boxes when they came in. Except then we'd have to deal with a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense every step of the way. And that would leave a conspicuous paper trail."

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She added with a frown, "That's not even taking into account how we'd go about ensuring the correct toys found their way to the right people. It was easy when there were only three machines, I could visit them in person and set up the enchantments. Without that we'd be causing more harm than good. And I think I've already made myself clear on that point? I'm all for chaos, but not if it's hurting people. Or at least, not if it's hurting the wrong people."

"I know," I nodded. "I have a solution for that, but I'm not sure how well you'll like it?"

She gestured for me to continue, so I explained my idea. "I agree it's impractical to put sorting enchantments on thousands of vending machines, so I'd simply forget about pre-selecting which toy goes to which person. Let them get a random toy, but modify the enchantment on the toy itself so that it can only be triggered if the recipient would be happy with the result."

"Granted that means someone might not get the item they wanted on the first try," I continued, "But there's nothing stopping them from trying again. Which in turn means there'll be more of the enchanted toys out there, and from what I've observed it won't take long for people to start selling or trading any unwanted toys, which in turn will get them into the hands of those who do want them."

After considering my suggestion for several seconds she sighed, "I just don't think the vending machines idea is scaleable, not to that extent. If we need to set up a distribution point here anyways then why not just look at direct sales? Set up a website where people can order the exact plushie they want and mail it out to them. Basically what I've been doing for the past year, just at a larger scale."

That seemed like a good opportunity to segue into my next idea, so I suggested "In that case it might be a good idea to diversify? I've been putting some thought into additional product lines, moving beyond plush toys and demi-human transformations. I'm really eager to hear your opinion on this idea. It would be a brand new type of product, which would grant users some limited access to magic of their own."

She nodded so I kept going, "I've seen 'temporary tattoos' sold in the same types of machine that you used originally for the plush toys. We could come up with a line of 'tattoos' which were enchanted to grant the wearer access to a single limited spell. The magic would wear off when the tattoo began to break down, typically after three or four days as I understand it? As for what the magic actually did, I think simple is best in this case? For example, a lantern tattoo might allow the wearer to cast a light spell."

"One thing to keep in mind," Cassandra stated, "Is the plushies, temporary tattoos, and anything else along those lines will end up in the hands of children. So whatever we do, we need to ensure that not a single child is harmed by any of this."

I agreed, "Of course. I wouldn't suggest distributing any hazardous spells regardless. And for that matter I'm sure we could craft the enchantments so as to exempt children below a specific age? Or there are other ways of handling it, but yes I agree completely that we mustn't harm anyone. Especially the young and vulnerable."

She seemed to be thinking about my suggestion, and after another minute or so she commented "The temporary tattoo idea is interesting. I'd want to ensure there were no dangerous spells though? We'd need to be very selective and careful about what kind of magic we included. Nothing outright harnful, and nothing that could cause harm even if used in ways they weren't intended. Humans are crafty and sly, some of them will go out of their way to try and misuse whatever they get their hands on."

It sounded like she was already starting to look for ways to limit or negate my idea, but I tried not to show any disappointment. Instead I suggested, "I'm sure there's ways we could limit the spells, but you're right. Our first step would be to identify what sort of spells would be ideal for this application. Maybe a dozen would be a good starting point? That would give us enough variety I think."

"Illusion magic might be a good place to start," Cassandra said as she continued thinking about my idea. "Except I'm sure some humans would find a way to use that for harm. Maybe we could put limits on it, or add a watermark to the illusions so witnesses will know it's an illusion?"

Then she smiled, "Another idea would be some kind of summoning spell? But limited to harmless creatures. Cass might enjoy that, a spell that summons bunnies or kittens or puppies for a few minutes, before it wears off and they return to wherever they came from."

"So you like my idea?" I finally asked. "How quickly do you think we could put this into action? If we're going to set up a website and do direct sales we'll need to figure out some sort of marketing or advertising programme. Something more effective than just word of mouth, so the general public can find out about the existence and availability of magic."

Cassandra sighed as a thoughtful frown settled on her expression. "I need some time to think about it Sasha. And like I said, we need to be very careful how we implement this. I know you don't like rules and limits, and while I agree that other people's rules can be stifling and annoying I think we still need to have some of our own in place. I know you're impatient for results, but if our actions start hurting people then our cause will be lost before it even begins."

"Another thing to think about," she added, "If we take this global and start producing plushies or temporary tattoos in the volumes you're talking about, it won't be long before they're traced back to the origin. Whether that's a distribution point here, or factories in China, human authorities are going to get involved. At the same time we're sure to attract the attention of other supernaturals, possibly other gods. We'll need to be prepared for that."

"Agreed," I nodded. "I'm certainly in no hurry to be banished back to the heavens, and I'd like to avoid experiencing oblivion entirely. But you're right that I'm impatient to get started on this. I don't mind if we start slowly, but I would like us to at least start something."

She looked thoughtful again for another few seconds. Then in a rather abrupt change of subject Cassandra asked, "How exactly did you get banished in the first place? Your mother told us it had something to do with an enchanted stone, but I don't trust May to have told us the truth."

I grimaced, then sighed. That was a topic I wasn't keen on discussing, but it was better in the long run if I was honest with Cassandra about everything.

"It was somewhat intentional," I admitted. "I needed to be banished in order to circumvent the banishment, which... Well you know the rest of that story, that's how you came to be, and how you came to replace me."

After another sigh I continued, "And you're correct, it was because of an enchantment. It was my first experiment in separating a tiny piece of my essence and granting it some sentience and independence. That sliver of my divinity empowered a small stone one could hold in their hand or slip into a pocket. And any mortal human who held it had the power to change reality."

"There were some limitations," I added. "Its effects couldn't cover the globe, its magic could barely reach two hundred miles in distance. On the other hand I ensured it would resist all forms of scrying, save my own, which meant no other gods could find it. I originally gifted it to one of my worshipers, whom I trusted to use it responsibly. But..."

There was yet another sigh before I confessed, "I neglected to consider what might happen if it fell into irresponsible hands. So it was used for evil as much as good. I lost track of it when I was banished, and since I've returned I can no longer detect it. I assume it was finally destroyed, but I don't know the details."

"Were you actively involved with your worshipers at the time?" Cassandra asked. "Did you appear to them, how did you 'gift' the stone to one of them?"

I shrugged, "I never had all that many. A few hundred at most, at the peak of my worship. Brian actually cultivated some followers for me, although nowadays his activities might feel like he was trying to start a cult. He was able to identify people in the aftermath of the Great War and the fallout from the flu pandemic, who were ready to believe in Chaos as a tangible thing."

"And before all that," I added, "There was something of a neoclassical revivalist movement? Brian took advantage of that too. He helped equate my name and worship with that of Eris, Discordia, and the 'primordial Chaos' of the ancient Greeks."

"I see," she responded as another thoughtful frown settled on her face. "All right Sasha. I need more time to think about your ideas and our plans. Maybe we'll do a limited trial-run with the temporary tattoos, before stepping up production. To see how the humans handle it, how they respond to that kind of magic."

I nodded slowly, "Very well. I'll try and come up with more safe spell ideas for the tattoo project, and obviously if I have anything else I'll let you know."