happilyeverbeginning | And I’ll face all the evils that our love will surely bring [scrooge x magica]

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And I’ll face all the evils that our love will surely bring [scrooge x magica]

Experimental spells were called that for good reason - they weren't things one did without fully knowing and understand its powers. But Magica was many things when she had screamed that incantation - narcissistic and desperate, to start with. It turned out being all-powerful meant nothing when you weren't all-knowing, and the spell had backfired spectacularly. It was a sheer miracle she'd come out of unharmed... for the most part.

The injuries to her body looked worse than they really were, and given her magic, they'd heal quickly. The real issue was her head, as she hadn't woken up in days. Finally, mercifully, she began to wake up, though that in of itself felt like a long, painful process. It hurt just to open her eyes, and thus took her several attempts, the light in the room giving her a headache. She struggled, keeping at it, moaning quietly, her vision initially blurry.

When she could finally make her surroundings - or at least the ceiling, as she still didn't have the strength to move her head just yet - she didn't recognize it. This wasn't where she was supposed to be. She was supposed to be...

... Ah. Hm. Uh.

"Where... am I?"

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Magica shrugged, clueless about her magic as he was. "If we had any idea where I lived, I might be able to pick up some clues." But if neither of them could even guess that, it was pointless to even think about it - unless they could find other people who knew her. Maybe she was a social butterfly? Or an antisocial shut-in? Discovering herself would be an odd journey.

"Well, I can't remember the last time I had a good meal." An attempt at humor.

That actually earned a chuckle.

"I suppose that's simple enough to fix," Scrooge said dryly.

If they went out for a meal, it would be more expensive but they could also do a little bit of shopping. She'd been wearing the same dress for three days.

Ugh, this was going to get expensive.

"Your shoes are by the foot of the bed," he told her. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."

"Speaking of which, where are we?" Magica asked she headed to the bed to find her shoes. "I think I still remember most of the world and locations... just not in any relation to me." An off-hand shrug.

"Somma Vesuviana. Italy," Scrooge answered. "While it does have some historical relevance, on the whole it isn't much of a tourist hotspot."

Nor was it really a commercial area though the people here had contacted him to try and pump some life into their stagnant economy. The fact the place sported a luxury hotel at all was practically a joke; the hotel itself was largely empty.

Magica paused, thinking... flicker, flicker... nope, still nothing. How many dead ends were they going to run into?

"Then what are you doing here? Is it because of me?" Did she call him out here for the spell, or had she tracked him down?

Scrooge shook his head. "No, I was asked to come here by the mayor. He thinks I should invest in the town. The trouble is that there isn't really much here for tourism dollars like he seems to think there is." The old man snorted. "Idiot seems to think his one villa will make this place the next Pompeii. It doesn't help there's this lavish place sitting around with no one to fill its rooms."

Scrooge invest in the town? He must someone of great renown and wealth, an important figure in the world to drag him somewhere he doesn't even live! Color her impressed.

... Ooh, rich friend. That could be lots of fun. Was she going to get all the finer things in life because they were buddies? Score one for the perks of amnesia! Fancy limos, hearty meals, beautiful dresses, the high life!

She grinned, trying to hide all her excitement by actually paying attention to what was being said. "Well, the people here have to make a living somehow. Not every place in the world has a huge exciting draw."

Boy, was Magica going to be disappointed.

"Aye, they do, but trying to force an industry that their town's ill-suited for is unwise. If they want to draw a crowd, they need to come up with something unique to the town that the tourists can't find elsewhere. Or at least they can't find better versions of in the near vicinity. But, no, the mayor is convinced that they can make themselves into a tourist haven just with that old villa."

Really, it was annoying when people didn't listen to him after they expressly asked for his advice and input.

Magica found herself more invested in the conversation than she expected. She cupped her chin in thought, trying to understand why the mayor was so insistent on that one villa.

"Well, if we don't buy the notion he's just an idiot... the villa may have cost him a fortune to build, so he refuses to believe he wasted his money... or it's connected to him somehow, like in his family. Is there any way you can do some background inspection on when and how the villa was built?"

"Oh, he's certainly an idiot," Scrooge said with a snort.

He almost demanded how she couldn't know about the villa until he remembered that she didn't remember anything. That and she'd been sealed away in the Dime for fifteen years before that.

...Wow, this was going to be awkward when she got her memory back.

"The villa's not actually connected to him directly. It's from the Roman Empire and was buried by Vesuvius's eruption in 472 AD, almost four hundred years after Pompeii was buried alive." He began leading the way towards the private elevator. "He thinks he can cash in on Pompeii's popularity, but compare one reasonably-preserved villa with an entire city in much better state. Which would you want to visit more as a tourist?"

Magica followed and listened, occasionally glancing around to see any more hints of either herself or him. Learning about him was actually fascinating, and he sounded knowledgeable. Clearly he did his research before coming here so he couldn't be swindled.

Maybe he was not as naive as she first thought.

"Unless I was a considerably cheap tourist, you're right. If he's not going to listen to reason, the town will suffer as he throws money down a hole."

"And it's insulting that he thinks I'm going to start shoveling money down that same hole with him," Scrooge said with a sniff of disapproval. He had his pride as a businessman and as a McDuck, after all.

Still, the employees of the hotel were trying desperately to make it work. They worked hard and would've done anything he requested if it might mean a tip. Their mayor was an idiot, but that didn't mean they had to suffer for his gross mismanagement.

Of course, he couldn't just prop everything up out of the goodness of his heart. He wasn't that type of man. However, there was nothing wrong with laying the groundwork for success and being rewarded for his part in it.

The private elevator came and the two stepped inside.

Magica watched him, enjoying this side of him. Maybe the spell she was trying to use was to help him out, or help the town.

"So... what are you doing to do?" She remembered what he had said before she had gotten her proper rest. "Three weeks is a long time to merely ignore an idiot."

"Having a devil of a time trying to figure out an alternative plan or just tell the man to go pound sand," Scrooge admitted. "He's paying for my accommodations. The hotel volunteered the free upgrade as well. If I'd thought it was going to be this unproductive, I would've considered bringing the family." He then glanced at her. "A nephew, three great-nephews, and an honorary niece."

Flicker... flicker... and then dead.

Family man, eh? She took a quick glance at his hand, saw no ring, then went back to his face. Honorary niece? So he was a big softie. He was definitely going to help this town, in that case.

"And then I came along, throwing a wrench in things." But she sounded amused instead of guilty. "Maybe you could use a break from planning it all out."

"Actually, 'throwing a wrench into things' did at least break things up somewhat. And perhaps you can give me a fresh perspective on the area. Put that amnesia of yours to some use," he said with a smirk.

Magica returned it with a smirk of her own. "Think of it as me paying you back for all your help." There, now she wouldn't have to physically give him any money as compensation. Given how relaxed he was with her, perhaps they came up with little schemes like this all the time. A dynamic duo, a powerful team-up, BFFs.

Oh, if Scrooge had heard that, it would've triggered the most awkward laughter possible.

There was nobody waiting when the elevator reached the ground floor. Leading the way outside, Magica would notice that the town was actually a small city.

Which was one reason why the hotel they were in was an ostentatious eyesore.

"Food first, then shopping, and right back here," Scrooge decided. "No need for you to lug everything around."

Oh boy, rich people eating! Caviar, champagne, animals going extinct, things she couldn't pronounce! Magica's eyes practically glittered, allowing her to ignore the bizarre building they were leaving. "I can't even remember my favorite foods... which means everything I taste will be brand new to me."

What fun! And all on someone else's dime! Letting out a witchy cackle, she linked arms with him, as if they were honeymooners.

That drew quite a few stares from people on the street. Well, it was going to get out eventually now that she was awake.

"There's a little pasta place a few blocks down that I've taken a shine to. Right on the edge of the shopping district."

Good food for cheap, of course.

"They also do delivery which is a Godsend at times."

Rich pasta with rich drinks and rich dessert and rich rich rich rich EVERYTHING! Magica was so lost in her imagination she almost didn't notice the stares - almost. My... she really was a beauty, wasn't she?

If she paid further attention, she'd realize those were stares of fear, not desire. But they weren't worth her time.

"Oooh, I can't wait. I feel like I could eat a hundred meals!"

... Did sorceress need to eat that much?

Oh, boy, was Magica going to be sorely disappointed. For starters, "a few blocks" was about four in total. (Though at least a block in this city wasn't that big.)

Second, it wasn't very rich-looking at all. In fact, it was rather plain.

"Let's just settle for one filling one," Scrooge said.

Honestly, if she planned to eat as much as that statement implied, he'd likely be rolling her out. Though how much did sorceresses eat? Where did all their magic come from anyway?

Block one, she was fine. Surely the fancy looking restaurant would pop out and impress her in a few steps.

Block two, she was confused, but still had the high expectations. The city was supposed to glam up about here, right?

Block three, she was worried. Where was all the glitz and glamour?

Block four... and there it was. The plain, average, definitely not hoity-toity establishment. "... Are you sure you're not lost?"

"This is it." He opened the door to the restaurant, holding it open for her because of manners his mother had drilled into him. (It felt so strange holding the door for Magica of all people.) "Good food at a reasonable price."

"... Define reasonable." She was hoping to see at least three zeroes on the menu, slowly walking inside. Maybe this was some secret hideaway for billionaires, with the kitchy outside as a disguise to keep peasants away.

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