(2025-07-27) Capable of Murdering Teacups

Details

Author:	Luridel
Summary:	Estel brings Almeiria and Shun to finally meet Wisteria. Wisteria murders an innocent teacup. Alynnra tries to stay quiet during naptime. Young Miranda and Rex want to be included. Estel, Almeiria, and Shun plan an infiltration, or perhaps a slaughter. ~2.3k words.
Rating:	M for Mature 17+

Arc: Break The Chain

+ Show additional content warnings

discussion of Scholomance

Wisteria tiptoes downstairs. It is nap hour for the kids and if everyone is very very lucky they might even stay in bed.

Alynnra is downstairs cleaning, a broom in hand, and humming something softly off-tune.

Estel knocks in a fun and whimsical rhythm. She has keys, but those are in her bag.

Wisteria looks up. Silence from upstairs. For now. "That sounds like Estel. She has keys."

[Shun]: "… I thought you had keys."

"I'll get it!" Alynnra says in a stage-whisper, tripping over the end of the broom on her way to the door. She manages to keep hold of the broom, however, so it doesn't clatter to the floor.

[Estel]: "Yeah, but if I wait long enough–"

"Hello, Alynnra, dear," Almeiria says as the door opens to reveal the cheery redhead.

Estel grins. "Hey, Alynnra."

"Shhh, nap time!" Alynnra says, waving them inside.

Shun warily looks around as they enter.

"Nap time for you, too, mister broom," Alynnra says, putting the broom away in a corner.

"Hey, Wis'," Estel says quietly. "So this is my sister Wisteria, and this is Alynnra, Rex's mom. This is Shun, my partner, and Almeiria, Miranda's mom."

Shun grunts.

Wisteria comes over to examine them. "…You look like her."

[Shun]: "Estel has spoken highly of you."

The shackles around Wisteria's wrists clink lightly as she moves. This is an ordinary household noise and not likely to disturb naptime.

"She looks even more like her grandmother, I'm sorry to say," Almeiria says, smiling sweetly. "Lovely to finally meet you." Almeiria's eyes are immediately drawn to the shackles.

Wisteria stares blankly at them both. "Would you like some tea?"

Shun considers this for a moment, then nods.

"I can get it!" Alynnra volunteers.

"Thank you, Alynnra." Wisteria leads them to the kitchen table and begins setting the table with nice little teacups while Alynnra makes the tea itself.

Shun looks over Wisteria.

"I'm glad someone else is handling the dishes," Almeiria mutters, finding a seat. "Wisteria, dear, however did you come by those shackles?"

Estel removes some pillows from two of the chairs and sits down in one.

"Darkmaster Gandling put them on me," Wisteria says without a hint of expression.

Alynnra returns to her off-key humming as she waits for the water to boil.

Estel hums along with her, also off-key.

Shun furrows his brow.

[Shun]: "…I can pick locks."

"So can I. They're magic." Estel makes a face.

Almeiria is not annoyed. Surely that is not what that over-sweet smile is saying. Cursed humming.

Shun quietly grumbles.

Wisteria moves over to Almeiria and holds her wrists out. "They keep me from touching the Light."

Almeiria peers at them. "Do you want to touch the Light? I suppose having these stuck day and night would get irksome."

"Yes." Wisteria pauses, because she has had an opinion. Rare. "I am not opposed to the use of Shadow, but I would prefer if I were the one to make that choice rather than it being forced upon me."

Alynnra cheats and uses the Light to heat the water. It is now boiling. She adds the tea leaves.

"That is a rather informed decision, and one I agree with," Almeiria says, nodding in approval.

Shun folds his arms over his chest. He looks to Estel, "So this is what you meant."

Estel mutters to Shun, "Yeah. She was… trapped. For fucking years. In Scholomance, that necromancy school. I had no idea."

"Have you called the Light before you acquired these?" Almeiria asks.

Wisteria nods. "Many times. I was a priestess."

"So there is no question that you know how," Almeiria says. "Good, that makes things easier. Is there anything in particular that happens when you try to call it? Or is it simply beyond your reach?"

Shun grunts again.

"It feels beyond my reach, but if I try particularly hard…" Wisteria presses her palms together as if in prayer. There is a snap of shadow in the air, sharp as a whip, and Wisteria winces and grabs her head.

"Hey, easy. Easy." Estel peers at her.

Shun sharply looks to Wis.

Wisteria looks as if she is in pain, but she doesn't make a noise. It's naptime for the kids.

Almeiria frowns, and stares at the shackles. "That is interesting," she says. "Does it persist, the pain, and for how long if so?"

Alynnra glances back at them at the mention of pain. "Is there something I can help with?"

Wisteria's mouth moves silently as she counts seconds. "I believe it has subsided, now," she says after about thirty seconds. "The tea will be plenty, Alynnra."

"Okay," Alynnra says. "Well, it's probably done steeping now." She brings the tea to the table.

Shun nods in thanks as he takes one cup for himself. He lets it cool a moment before taking a careful sip. Mask stays on.

"Thirty seconds, then," Almeiria murmurs. "And does the same happen when someone uses the Light on you? Or does that bother you at all?"

Wisteria shakes her head. "It does not. Thank you." She reaches for her teacup.

Estel gives Alynnra a thumbs-up. "Thanks."

"In that case… has anyone tried to use the Light through you?" Almeiria asks. "That may tell us whether it is a mental, or physical block. Of course, it could also be dangerous, so if there is anything more you can tell us about them first…"

Shun blinks at this question.

"Through me? I do not understand." Wisteria looks into her teacup for answers.

"I speak of mind control, dear. Though if the creator of those shackles was clever, they would block even those attempts," Almeiria says.

Wisteria shakes her head. "I do not believe it would be possible, or would result in the same results."

"A physical block, then," Almeiria concludes. "Do the shackles… do anything? Grant you anything? Or is it only to muzzle you?"

Alynnra seems to be searching Wisteria for an actual muzzle.

Wisteria sips her tea as she considers this. There is a long, blank silence before she says, "I believe they were intended to suppress me, but after wearing them for so long… it is possible they could have made my ability to manipulate Shadow more powerful. There was an additional curse on me for many years, until Kehda removed it."

"That's, uh, her Draenei friend who gave her the house," Estel says.

[Shun]: "I see."

"Oh? What manner of curse?" Almeiria asks.

[Wisteria]: "It restricted my memory and my emotions." She has not displayed a hint of emotion to either Almeiria or Shun, but Alynnra has seen her happy before.

"Someone was interested in making you a pliable doll, then," Almeiria says. "For… experiments, was it? Was there anyone else who acquired a pair of similar shackles, or perhaps any others on hand when you were reclaimed?"

Alynnra glances between the speakers as they talk, but most of this seems to be going a bit over her head.

"Tsk," Shun shakes his head.

"I was Subject Five," Wisteria says.

"Yeah, but did you know the others?" Estel asks.

[Shun]: "Just another weapon, hm?"

"I did not." Wisteria looks at Almeiria. "It is possible that there might be others elsewhere in Scholomance. I did not encounter them personally. I was kept apart. I do not know if there were five of us simultaneously or if I was simply the fifth iteration of this project."

Almeiria glances at Estel. "I would be most interested to learn if the necromancer himself created these, or someone…else."

Shun grunts.

"Seems like that might take a field trip to find out." Estel shrugs.

"I do love the aesthetic of that place," Almeiria says with a cold smile.

Wisteria's expression does not change, but she breaks the teacup with her bare hands.

[Shun]: "The Scholomance?" he asks for clarification.

Tea drips all over the table. Wisteria looks down at it. "Ah."

"Oh! Are you hurt?" Alynnra moves to examine her hands.

"Shit. Hey, hey, we didn't mean you, yeah? You don't have to go back." Estel waves her hands.

[Shun]: "…."

Wisteria holds her hands out to Alynnra. She does in fact have bits of teacup in her left hand.

Estel leans forward. "We wouldn't make you go back, Wis'."

"I'll go get the…" Alynnra glances up the stairs. "I'll quietly go get the first aid kit, don't move!"

Wisteria holds very still.

"Have you always been capable of murdering teacups?" Almeiria asks, moving to clean up the spill and the pieces that are not in Wisteria's hand.

"Everyone is capable of murdering." Shun pauses, "Teacups."

"Not like that I'm not," Almeiria says, eyeing him.

Wisteria doesn't respond. She was told to hold still.

"I could probably break a teacup if I tried hard enough," Estel says, thoughtfully. She does not break her teacup. That would be rude.

Alynnra returns with the kit. "We'll need to get the pieces out, and wash it," she says. "Can you come to the sink?"

Wisteria nods and follows her to the sink.

"I do not know," Wisteria says. "I have never broken a teacup before." It's her own tea set.

Alynnra takes her hand and holds it under the water, washing it carefully.

Shun just furrows his brow deeply.

Wisteria is like an easily movable, cooperative doll.

"At least my little flower is good at first aid," Almeiria says. "But yes, I do believe it will not be necessary for you to return to the place of your imprisonment. That is something we can do ourselves."

Shun looks between Estel and Wisteria.

Wisteria nods once.

Alynnra returns to her cheerful humming as she begins removing pieces of teacup from their lodgings.

"Yeah," Estel says. "We can look into it."

"Do you ever hear whispers that try to influence your thoughts?" Almeiria asks.

"I do not know," Wisteria says. "Would I be able to tell them apart from my own thoughts?"

There's the sound of tiny feet from upstairs. Uh-oh.

Shun looks up.

"Not always, but –" Almeiria stops at the sound. "Everyone look boring. Quickly, now."

Wisteria stares blankly into space.

Alynnra stops humming. That's boring, right? No songs?

Shun vanishes.

"Suppose 'nothing' is fairly boring…" Almeiria mutters in Shun's direction.

At the bend in the stairs, a three-year-old Miranda peeks down.

Estel pretends to be asleep in her chair.

Shun stares at this child from stealth.

Miranda begins tiptoeing down. Maybe they haven't noticed her yet.

Almeiria turns around. "Miranda, dear, what are you doing awake? I believe it is nap time," she says.

Caught! Miranda turns and flees back up the stairs.

Almeiria sighs. "Well if she's awake, the other might be getting up to something himself."

"She's not gonna get back to sleep now," Estel grumbles. She listens for the sounds of disaster.

Alynnra calls the Light to begin closing the cuts on Wisteria's hand. "But she didn't notice what we were doing, I bet!"

Shun quietly grunts.

"Thank you," Wisteria says. "I will go intercept the tantrum now."

Upstairs, a little boy lets out a shriek of outrage just as Wisteria starts climbing.

Alynnra smiles. "Maybe I should help."

"Yeah, go for it," Estel says, giving her a thumbs-up. "Cheers."

"… What…" Shun utters.

"Kids that age don't need a reason to be upset," Estel says.

"Sounds like a headache," Shun replies.

"Speaking of, what is your situation, Shun, dear? Any family?" Almeiria asks.

Shun reappears so they aren't just talking to thin air, "None alive."

"Intentional, or coincidental?" Almeiria presses.

Shun shrugs, "Not by my hand."

"Not that I wouldn't have killed his dad myself," Estel chimes in.

"Ah, then welcome to team 'who needs family anyway,' I suppose," Almeiria says.

Shun closes his eyes, "Fathers are overrated."

"Hey," Estel says, gesturing widely with both arms to encompass the house in general. "My family's great."

"Blood relatives are overrated," Shun corrects.

"So. Scholomance. I will certainly want in on the investigation, though I expect the two of you are better at subtlety," Almeiria says. "If for whatever reason it is beyond the three of us, I do have favors I can call in."

"Subtlety is one of my specialties,"Shun nods.

Estel smiles warmly at Shun and turns to Almeria. "Who were you thinking? I guess it depends how destructive we wanna go."

[Almeiria]: "My cousin seems to have joined the army, so he may not be available, but I do have a death knight, and perhaps Celaven. There is Ilanya, too, of course, if you plan on subtlety all the way. I can use her as my eyes."

[Estel]: "Hmm. I was thinkin' about Ben, but, like, if we bring Ben it'll definitely be violence and not infiltration. I'm not opposed to either, mind."

Shun tilts his head.

"Well do we want to just be looking for information or are we wanting to kill someone?" he asks, "Or many someones."

"Ben!" Almeiria nearly laughs, clapping her hands together. "It will be like old times."

"Well," Estel says, waving a hand vaguely. "Dunno how crowded it is."

"Scout first, perhaps. It is… or was… a school of necromancy. Places of dark power always attract the desperate, especially with the Twilight's Hammer gone back into hiding," Almeiria says.

"Scouting should not be much of a problem," Shun says.

"I am generally in favor of killing anybody who had anything to do with keeping my sister in a cage for like eight to nine years," Estel says. "But, yeah, intelligence helps."

[Almeiria]: "Do let me know what you find, dears, and if it is clear for me to do any investigating of my own. If not, then we call in favors. Agreed?"

Shun nods, "I can start heading there now."

"Sounds good." Estel glances at Shun. "It's a bit of a flight. If you wait 'til tomorrow, I can come with you."

[Shun]: "Sure. Fine."

Estel gets up. "I'm gonna say hi to the kids before we leave."

Shun nods, finishing up his tea.