Flip nearly jumped out of his skin at the sharp, disembodied knocking on the door. The Flotsam fumbled with the purple and green potion in his hands, speedily placed it on the doorstep, and bolted down the stairwell that spiraled around the tree trunk where Illusen's home was nestled. Dixie noticed a small card tied with a ribbon around the potion bottle. "A gift for you on your special day! Use it before the potency fades. :)"
The door opened suddenly, revealing Illusen, who furrowed her brow seeing no one at her door.
"Hm. What's this?" She plucked the potion from the ground and examined the card. "A gift? How charming."
"No!" Dixie exclaimed, or tried to as her voice came out no louder than a whisper, another effect of the potion she drank. Determined to save Illusen, the invisible Wocky snatched the potion from the faerie's hands, uncorked it, and drank it again in one swig.
"Who goes there?" Illusen demanded, earthen magic beginning to swirl around her hands. "Reveal yourself!"
Dixie's stomach gurgled. And... Pop! The faerie Wocky was visible once more. She and Illusen stared at each other for a few moments in tense silence.
"I--it's Jhudora!" Dixie sputtered. She rambled an explanation of everything she had seen as Illusen relaxed, listening carefully. "And the yellow Flotsam just ran off after I knocked, and then I took the potion from you, and I drank it, and now we're here!" Illusen nodded slowly.
"You have my gratitude, little one," Illusen said. Her eyes slid to the trunk of her tree, where the barest edge of a yellow fin could be seen of a Flotsam hiding around the other side. "And you," Illusen called out, "why don't you join us?" A moment passed, and Flip the Flotsam crept his way around the tree and up to the door.
"Lady Illusen! Nice to see you," Flip called, rubbing his fins together sheepishly.
"You conspired with the dark faerie Jhudora against me," Illusen replied angrily, "on this day of all days, no less! You should be ashamed." Flip's head dropped.
"I--I'm so sorry! I just really, really wanted a... no, I shouldn't have done this... please, I can make it up to you! I'll do anything!" Flip pleaded. Illusen glanced back at Dixie, who suddenly realized she still held her hairbrush in one hand and the potion bottle in the other, which contained just a bit of swirling liquid left.
"Actually," Illusen replied thoughtfully, "there is something you can do for me..." The faerie and Dixie grinned at one another.
*****
Jhudora slammed the door to her abode closed as she sent off the yellow Flotsam, who eyed his dark faerie wand reward with some distaste.
"Finally, that's over..." The dark faerie pinched the bridge of her nose, then looked over the hairbrush the Flotsam had dropped on her. She took a seat in front of her mirror and brushed through her hair. Grinning evilly, Jhudora considered the next step in her plan to defame Illusen. However, the hairbrush felt... weird...
Pop! All of Jhudora's hair vanished, leaving her completely bald. Outside at a distance, Illusen and Dixie could hear the muffled screech, followed by "I CAN'T GO OUT LIKE THIS!!!" The faerie and Wocky grinned at each other again.
The End
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