Ariel Irene
Update: those were DEFINITELY not the mushrooms I thought they were. What a trip. Literally and figuratively.
I started getting suspicious when Thaddeus was in such a good mood after the day we’d had with the river. He isn’t normally someone I’d describe as ‘chipper’ but he was positively beaming during our morning hike. Lilo seemed in a particularly good mood too, but I chalked that up to a good night’s sleep and her natural disposition.
We broke for lunch and ate more of the trippy mushrooms and roasted eggs—I still didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to get ragged on again for misidentifying something—and boy oh boy did things escalate quickly from there.
I think we’re all down from it now. We finished all the mushrooms yesterday at lunch, so it’s been over a full day. There were some points this morning where I wasn’t sure, but we’re settled in for dinner and everyone seems back to normal.
Honestly? It was kind of fun. I feel like I got to see a side of those two that they normally keep hidden, and I surprised even myself by talking a lot more about Esther. I didn’t go so far as to tell them what I did after her death, or not all of it, at least. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready to share that with anyone. But it was really nice to talk about growing up, about the ways she always took care of me, about all the crazy things we did when it was just the two of us living on our own. It’s almost like I became that younger woman again, back before… everything.
I miss that woman. How do I get back to her?
Lilo Talei
Everything Ariel was saying about her sister has me thinking about Mom. We never had a relationship like that, and with no one else around, it’s no wonder I turned out the way I did. But to have someone like that in your life and then lose them? Well, I guess it’s no wonder Ariel turned out the way she did. I’d be a bitter loner too if my best friend had been killed in the crossfire of some gang fight. It almost makes me feel bad for her.
I feel worse for Thaddeus, though, he definitely ate more than either of us did yesterday, and I think he’s feeling a little self-conscious about how he acted. Not like he did anything that embarrassing. But I guess when you’re a “mature adult” like he is, you don’t want your friends to know that you can proudly belt every word of “Go the Distance” and the reprise and then break down crying because you miss your family.
I tried to tell him that I think it’s sweet, but that only seemed to make it worse.
Thaddeus Diggory
We need to stop leaving Ariel in charge of foraging. It’s clearly not her strong suit. She doesn’t seem to like hearing that, so I haven’t said anything, but I won’t be eating any more of her finds. Her “wow, what luck, these are delicious” mushrooms turned out to be psychedelics. Psychedelics! Never in my life have I lost control of myself like that, and coming from me, that’s saying something!
It was an incredibly embarrassing day, given that we all consumed them in large quantities at both breakfast and lunch. The evening was absurd, and some of the effects lingered into this morning. It’s finally worn off. Blessedly, no one was seriously injured and there don’t seem to be any adverse reactions. I can remember some of what I shared, and suffice it to say, I hope we can just put the day behind us and never talk about it again.
You’re reading The Ravenswing Report, a rapid-fire, limited-run serial from Sara Dietz at Blinking Blue Line. To learn more and access the Table of Contents, click here.
THE SHROOMS EPISODE LOL THIS WAS A HILARIOUS BREAK
Also canonical Hercules in this universe???
“These are not the mushrooms you’re looking for.” 🤣