ALTERNATIVE: Ruby Red Slippers

[The Cedar Witch]

"Just call me Zeus," he interjected quickly, wincing at the mispronunciation but not wishing to dwell.  At the delayed explanation of the slipper's caveat, Zeus sighed.  This was going to be a nightmare.

He watched the strange small-Damien duck back into his hut, unable to do much besides wait for him to reemerge.  "Prepared?"  Unconsciously his hand went to where an inside pocket of his suit jacket would have been, except he'd left that back in his bedroom as well.  No secret pocketed weapons.  He had absolutely nothing with him and hadn't the slightest clue as to whether or not his natural talents would work in this realm.

[Saiketsu]

"Well, yes, of course," Damien answered loudly from within as he packed his bags full of goods and supplies for the road. "First, we'll have to pass through Munchkinland - hopefully we'll even see the Good Witch there." He adored the Good Witch. Beauty, grace, and a voice like an angel. If he could marry her and make her his wife he would. Ah, but so was the wish of every munchkin man. Still, he had his hopes.

"And then from there, we'll be on our way to Oz." He reemerged with an enormous pack that weighed nearly as much as he did and was just as tall. As he tightened the straps around himself, he looked up at the giant and examined him. "Are you all ready for your journey? I'm assuming it'll be your first trip to Oz."

[The Cedar Witch]

"Obviously," he replied rather irritably, watching as small-Damien adjusted the comically large backpack. 

"How long will it take to get there?"

[Saiketsu]

"About a day, maybe two total." He answered as he began to walk down the yellow-bricked road, expecting Zeus to follow. His pace was jovial and fast for his size, but he expected that the other would still be able to keep pace. "But it'll only take us a couple hours or so to get to Munchkinland city center."

Damien hummed as he walked, not worrying if his tune was off key or not. Obediently Pierre paddled along at his side with ears raised, casting a glance up at the giant every now and then.

"So tell me a little something about yourself, Zeus," Damien pipped up after only a few minutes on their journey. "Where did you come from and what do you do for fun when you're not riding the backs of tornados?"

[The Cedar Witch]

The lost District Leader muttered a few demonic curses under his breath. Two days!  And who knew how many days passed back in the city while he was trapped in this realm!  They would say that Chtahzus'aak disappeared again, just like after the fall of the Oligarchy.  Maybe McCloud would make a move against him a second time. 

He looked bitterly down at his slippers, hoping they would come off before he left this wretched place.  Zeus would have been content enough not speaking for the entirety of his journey but clearly his guide had other ideas.

"I come from another realm, known to some as the earthly plane, which I can only assume is different from this."  He sighed with agitation.  "I am a District Leader of a city there." He paused, glancing around at the scenery, feeling altogether grumpy and out of place.  The last thing he wanted to do was make small talk with a miniature version of McCloud's campaign manager.

"And I've never traveled by tornado before," he frowned.

[Saiketsu]

"Neither have I," Damien admitted, trotting along contently. "Seems too unruly to me."

He knew nothing about the so-called earthly plane and chose not to respond to the giant man's statement of his home.

They walked along the road with a simply chatter aimed at the other, who seemed reluctant to engage with him in much of any conversation. By the time they reach Munchkinland, Damien was feeling quite defeated.

Munchkinland was bubbling with excitement which meant only one thing. Damien's face lit up and he searched the skies for the tiny pink bubble that would reveal to him the most beautiful creature who had ever lived - the Good Witch! "The Good Witch, Pierre!" Damien pointed towards the air as the bubble began to fall gracefully towards the gathering munchkin crowd. Pierre barked his approval and ran into the crowd before Damien could stop him.

[Black Philip]

The good witch's bubble appeared, and started out pink, before ending in a soft red. A beautiful blonde woman appeared, wearing a fashionable flower power pant suit. Her locks were curly, and rested neatly over her shoulder. In her hand she held a tusk made of ivory. The Muchkins began to sing.

Oh, the good witch is here!
The good witch is queer!
She brings us cheer,
and sometimes even beer!

"I brought a case of Stella today," the good witch replied, a large case being picked up by the munchkins.

"Yay," they proclaimed. The witch pulled out a note card, and read from it. "Hear ye, hear, hear ye, I'm looking for somebody who came by twister. I got shit to tell you."

She looked around, and stopped on Zeus and Damien. "Aw there we go. You're def not from around here."

[The Cedar Witch]

Chtahzus'aak watched the scene unfold before him in a state of shock, eyes wide and bulging.  It took everything he had to dampen the outward evidence of his reactions, and ended up looking strained. 

This was Tess the necromancer!

Immediately he was filled with suspicion.  But if small-Damien was not the Damien, then perhaps this Tess was not the Tess.  Or perhaps this was all her invention.  Did she bring him to a realm where he was powerless in order to destroy him?  He made no effort to announce himself as the witch announced her intentions, further deepening his suspicions.

A quiet sigh escaped his nostrils when he was spotted.  "What do you want?"  He crossed his arms in front of his chest, eyes narrow.

[Black Philip]

The good witch scoffed, and threw her hands up. Then, she did a little dance. It was similae to a waltz, except she had no partner.

"Zeus and Hera sitting in a tree, from his loins comes a little baby. Does he care? No. He's out, even as the girl's mother knocks her about."

The Munchkins gleefully laughed, and formed a ring of joined hands. They danced around the good witch, like they were playing Ring Around the Rosey.

"You will be haunted by three spirits," she said now, shoving three fingers in Zeu'ss direction.  "The first shall have no brains, the second no heart, and the third just needs help paying a parking ticket."

Tess pulled out a wad of cash and tossed it at Zeus's feet. "For the parking ticket, and oh. Look at your feet!"

On Zeus's feet were now a pair of silver shoes.

[The Cedar Witch]

The suspicion he had grew into a knot of anger sitting in the base of his gut as the necromancer and small folk did their little song and dance.  He was mortified (not that he would admit such a thing) and knew that this little song was about Sabrina.  Who else would it be about?  But how did Tess come to discover what no one save himself and Sabrina (well, and all of the demons in The Block) knew?  Did someone talk?  How widespread was this knowledge now?

Does he care? No.

Zeus' eye twitched at this as his rage grew, but faltered when the song abruptly stopped.  Three sprits.  Brain, heart, parking ticket.  Before he could ponder further, his attention followed the money to his feet and his eyes widened in astonishment as he confirmed that the slippers had indeed changed color.

"But what does it all mean?"  He murmured, mostly to himself, as he stooped to take the wad of cash.  He looked back up to the witch, confusion dominating his expression

[Black Philip]

"Yo bro, I think you're overthinking this," she chided. The Munchkins made up a new song to celebrate the good witche's newest proclamation.

Zeus has such a big brain,
but does it help him gain?
We say no, we say it causes him sorrow.
We say imagination is something he should borrow!

Tess laughed along with the Munchkins. "God, you full grown adults keep me young," she observed. "Watch out for the bad witch," she added. "She's kind of a hack but don't tell her I said so."

With that the good witch opened a Stella, and declared to the Munchkins. "Who wants to see how many of these I can drink without puking?"

"Us, us, us," they called out in singsong. "Damien, you coming," she asked. The good witch began to walk away hand and hand with the Munchkins.

[Saiketsu]

Damien danced along with the other Munchkins, knowing the dance well and losing himself in it. As the beer was passed around, he took a bottle for himself, cracked it open and drank eagerly. He kept his eyes on the Good Witch and enjoyed the ways her body moved. When she addressed him, he started and blushed. The Good Witch was speaking to him! She knew his name!

"Yes!" Damien squeaked, dropping his pack of goods and following after the Good Witch. "Coming, Ms. Tess! But uh..." he looked back at the big stranger who was watching from the sidelines. "Here," Damien said, handing his pack over to Zeus. "You may need this on your journey. When the witch summons, you follow her! But you can take Pierre!" The dog barked, annoyed, growling as a response. "He loves adventure!" And with that, he followed the other munchkins, never looking back to see if Zeus responded.

[The Cedar Witch]

If there was one thing Zeus wanted nothing more in that very moment it was to roast the little singing...munchkins on a spit over an open flame -- anything to stop the wretched singing and taunts.  He was very grumpy. 

When small-Damien handed over his pack -- and dog -- Zeus stared incredulously between the two before looking back to small-Damien.  Didn't he have somewhere further to go?  Wasn't small-Damien supposed to bring him somewhere besides this godforsaken miniature village?  Why couldn't he remember?  Before the demon could open his mouth to ask any of these things, small-Damien left without even so much as a backward glance.

Chtahzus'aak glared down at the growling dog, tempted to viciously growl back -- or at the very least see how far he could kick it.  Instead, he glared at his surroundings and slung the discarded pack over his shoulder.  With a sigh, he turned to the golden road.

"Are you coming with me, then?" he murmured through the corner of his mouth to the dog, trying his best to not feel ridiculous speaking with a creature that would not speak back and hoping no one would catch him doing it.  With that he began to walk down the pathway, wary of what he would find along the way.