happilyeverbeginning | toss a coin to your witcher (dumb duck trio)

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toss a coin to your witcher (dumb duck trio)

"She used her dark magics on my husband, and now he sees her shadow in the mirror every night!"
"He killed an entire farm-hands livestock, all for his own twisted amusement."
"They have a garden full of statues that were once children, now frozen in time forever..."

As Scrooge McDuck - world's richest duck, famed adventurer, and also expert monster hunter - continued his research into the "mages of the mountain", he found each new rumor was more outlandish than the last. Sure, there were a few things that were consistent - the two were twins, beautiful in their own way, and fiercely loyal to one another - but after that, each new round of gossip could make them sound like petulant children or gods themselves. Whatever troubles the villagers were having, be it bad weather or failing crops, it was surely the fault of the De Spell family.

And yes, perhaps the manor of the twins - lofted right into the side of the highest hill, with decaying greenery entwined all around the massive stone steps - was a little something out of a gothic horror novel. Dark colors, eerie structure, and maybe a cracked gargoyle or two. The cry of a raven could be found in the distance. But if these twins were as powerful as so whispered, why couldn't they afford to fix the twisted rafters from the windows, or cover the drafts from moldy holes? The land itself was probably pricey property, and many would pay handsomely for it... if some particular vermin was exterminated.

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Poe was about to answer but that third one threw him off. He paused, blinking rapidly. He assumed Scrooge was some adventuring goody-goody who went around helping those in need, like Robin Hood but with supernatural touches.

"I think we're both a little confused here," Poe finally responded. "What do you mean 'opportunity'? Weren't you just there to get rid of the noonwraith?"

Scrooge blinked at him. "They submitted a proposal for McDuck Enterprises to invest in their town. It's no Pompeii, but they were trying to leverage the location so close to the volcano to potentially scoop up some of the tourists from there. An idea not entirely without merit.

"However, what I saw of them while I was working on the noonwraith issue was a bunch of people I don't want the McDuck name associated with, so I had my CFO notify their mayor that I'd declined to invest after I finished picking up my fee for the noonwraith."

Effectively adding insult to injury. Ask how much they'd hoped he'd invest, Poe. Go on. Ask.

Enterprises? CFO? While most of the Spells life was limited to their little track of land, Poe did have some ideas of what these words meant - and they were words of much wealth and power. This man truly wasn't ordinary in any definition of the word.

"... And exactly how much did you plan to toss their way in this investment of yours?"

"Eh...let me think. There was about $5 million for that new luxury hotel, another $250 million to do some restoration of the surrounding area..."

And he started rattling off other numbers in American dollars, not euros, until finally...

"Grand total of about $3.5 billion dollars in all."

Y'know. Pocket change.

Poe's eyes were so wide and open they almost fell right out of his sockets.

Scrooge was saying these big, gigantic numbers as casually as if he was describing the weather.

And that fool of a mayor - who, if not the murderer of the Spell parents, was likely related to the ones who did the deed - cost the entire land all those big, gigantic numbers.

Poe tugged at his collar, suddenly feeling quite warm. Here he thought he had to protect Magica from Scrooge, but maybe he needed the protection... woof.

"... You sound like you could be the richest man on earth."

Scrooge blinked at him. "...Don't tell me you weren't aware that I'm -- "

Ba-ding! Ba-ding! Ba-dingba-dingba-dingba-ding! The rapid-fire chiming from his pocket prompted Scrooge to pull out his cellphone, flipping it open. He grinned.

"Looks like Giancarlo got that generator and cell tower working. That'll help until we can get you and your sister set up with something more permanent. And it'll make getting the repairs done around here much easier."

He scrolled through a few of the messages, reading them over.

"Ah, those modern substitutes I mentioned earlier should be here tomorrow. Perfect timing while I work on trying to find someone who can make those pieces that aren't made anymore."

Edited 2022-07-30 21:45 (UTC)

"Ah... right." Poe was rarely tongue-tied, but then a lot of rare things had been happening since Scrooge arrived. If Scrooge was going over business matters, he wouldn't be in any mood to answer Poe's endless list of questions. Instead of merely popping back into the mansion, he decided he'd walk, if just to settle his mind.

He'd need to meet up with Magica and exchange what they'd learned.

"I can't say I'm exactly eager to have more visitors on our humble grounds, but I'll make due."

Scrooge snapped the phone closed and fell into step behind him.

"I can understand that, Mr. De Spell, but you've my guarantee I'll be putting some of my best on this. Particularly to ensure you're as self-sufficient up here as possible that way you're not dependent on the ingrates down there for basic necessities."

He cast a disdainful look towards the town.

"Giving them as little power over you as possible means you can focus properly on helping keep this place from getting out of control again if you or your sister decide to do so. Honestly, I wouldn't blame either of you if you wanted to pack up shop and leave your neighbors to hang by their own bad choices.

"Once the work is done, you won't have to see any of these people again unless you want or absolutely need to."

Well, cross one thing off that Scrooge definitely wasn't - a bleeding heart. A real "goody goody" probably would have preached about forgiveness and tolerance. It earned a little smirk.

"Tempting as it has been to give those mongrels exactly what they deserve, I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of being the monster they call me." But pack up shop? What did that even mean? Where could they go, and what could they do? They'd never thought about life beyond the mansion. It was where they were inevitably grow old and die. They didn't have a choice.

Boy, he didn't like going down that road. Time to distract. "And none of this 'Mister' nonsense. Just Poe will do." Then, a devious smile. "Although I wouldn't object to 'Milord Spell'."

Scrooge laughed. "I may have been born in Scotland, but I've spent far too much time in the States, lad. Noble titles are a bit silly to my way of thinking nowadays.

"And given we'll be living together for the near future, you and your sister can just call me 'Scrooge'."

"Scrooge it is." Poe replied, noting there would probably be other things he'd like to call the old man under... certain circumstances. "I'll keep that in mind."

While Magica longed for emotional company, Poe ached for physical. Scrooge was, unknowingly, providing both.

Giancarlo jogged over to them.

"Nice work with the generator and cell tower, lad," Scrooge told him.

"Thank you, sir. I also found a good location for that geothermal generator you were hoping to install." He turned and pointed. "There's an old well in that direction. The water's got some sulfur mixed into it, but a good filter in the pump should fix that problem. Once that's all installed, this place will have all the power and water it could ever need."

"How long would that take?"

"A couple of days. A week if the weather's bad." He gave a wry grin. "Or if Vesuvius decides to do a repeat performance of Pompeii."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Scrooge glanced at Poe as he re-opened his cellphone. "I'll recall the troops to see what they've managed to find out. Given how far of a drive it is, they need to start getting home."

Poe tried not to roll his eyes. Everyone made the same old worried notions about the volcano.

"The last time it erupted was in 1631," he informed the two. "So unless one of the 'troops' has astoundingly bad luck, I doubt you'll be suffering from lava and ash anytime soon."

"It's your mountain. You'd know it better than us," Scrooge noted as he snapped his cellphone closed.

Moments later, the assessors Scrooge had had wandering the house exited, each chattering to each other.

Scrooge brought his fingers to his beak, silencing them all with a sharp whistle. "All right. You lot've got quite the drive back home.

"I expect to see some preliminary reports and plans by the end of tomorrow. We'll chat via phone and email instead of having you drive all the way up here. Giancarlo, you and your team will be the exception to that. I want that equipment up and running ASAP along with a better signal if you can manage it."

The De Spells were about to be brought into the modern age one way or another.

"I want repair and restoration plans in my inbox by the end of the week. Then I'll have Mr. and Miss De Spell look them over to suggest any changes they might want to make. They're the ones who are going to be living here when we're gone, and things need to be to their specs, not ours. Once the plans are finalized, then we'll start getting the crews out here to get the work done." He then glanced at the man who'd admitted his colorblindness earlier. "Something you'd like to add?"

"Just a question for Mr. De Spell, sir. I got your text before I could ask his sister." The man turned around and pointed at a large round window near the roof. "That window used to be stained glass. I found some of the pieces stuck between the floorboards. Is there anywhere there might be a reference for what the design originally looked like? Assuming you want restored, of course."

The twins remained silent, mostly because they barely understood anything being said. They didn't quite like feeling so uneducated, but Scrooge wasn't trying to make them feel dumb. They understood that. They stayed together, eager to get all the strangers out - though that last one was a puzzler. They both quietly mulled, looking at the window with similar expressions and gestures.

"That was the lone rock when we were twelve, wasn't it?" Magica asked Poe.

"No, that was the lower left window on the veranda." Poe answered. "This was the rock with the crude note wrapped around it when we were fourteen."

"Ah." Magica gave a half shrug. "There are no original blue prints or references for anything anywhere of this mansion. We can't even remember what we've lost, so the only restoration we need is just to make things whole once more."

Scrooge would be happy to sit down with the De Spells and help bring them up-to-date as necessary. They were going to need it.

The apprentice stepped forward. "Then would it be okay if I submitted some designs for what could go up there instead? Nothing with magic symbols, obviously. I have no clue about that stuff. But maybe something incorporating a family crest or something?" He looked back at the house. "It seems kind of a waste not to use it."

Ugh, they were going to make this an ordeal, weren't they? Couldn't these busybodies leave well enough alone? This was just a job to them, they wouldn't have to live here. Family crests and names meant nothing to them. Judging by the snarl on her lips, she was ready to say something terribly bitter.

But Poe came to the rescue, running his fingers through Magica's hair - a reliable way of calming his little sister. "How about they put a raven in the design? It could be quite lovely, maybe a whole flock of them."

That appeared to placate her, for now. "... Maybe."

"Ravens! Got it!" The young man gave an eager double thumbs up to the twins.

"Wait until you've got several designs out of your system and just send them all at once," Scrooge said wearily. "I don't need you spamming me again."

"Uh...right. Got it, sir."

Scrooge retrieved his bags from the van before the others piled in. He waved them all off as they headed back down the mountain.

"Eager lad, but a little overexcitable. He's got a way with glass, but last time I set him on a project, I learned the hard way that he'll send an email every time he's got a new idea."

So now it was just the twins and Scrooge. A thought only now occurred to Magica.

"Well, he can either sleep in our parents bedroom or the guest bedroom... neither of which has been dusted or touched in decades." Not that she was going to clean it up for him - more of a warning for what he was in for.

Poe glanced away - there was a third option, but one he didn't think Magica nor Scrooge would be keen on.

"If you've got a rag and a dustpan, I can get the guest room livable enough until the weekend," Scrooge said. "I can give it a proper going over then."

He wasn't afraid using a little elbow grease. Though who knew what Poe would think given how big the numbers Scrooge had been tossing around earlier were.

Poe snapped his fingers, and a closet door opened. When it came to what little cleaning they did, Poe took charge, if only so precious baby sister didn't have to lift a finger. "You'll find what you need in there." But yes, something else to think over.

If he was as rich as he claimed, wouldn't he be used to servants and the like doing his work for him? Stranger and stranger still.

Magica, unaware of the new things her brother learned, chose to take a seat. "Might as well. You'd be our first guest in ages. I don't think even Mother and Father had anyone over in their time."

"All the more reason to try and be a decent one."

Scrooge walked into the closet and retrieved a few basic cleaning supplies. It took a little juggling but soon he was carrying them and his bags.

"Just show me where to go."

"Ratface." Magica commanded - the tubby bird flapped down from the rafters and landed on Magica's shoulder. After an affectionate kiss and nuzzle, she pointed away. "Lead Scrooge to the guest room.

Ratface cocked a brow at all that Scrooge was carrying. "Is he the butler now?"

Magica snickered, and Poe waved him off. Ratface shrugged, and flitted away towards the guest room. Poe sighed, and sat next to Magica, waiting for Scrooge to leave so he could tell his sister all he'd learned.

Scrooge snorted and followed the bird. Once they reached the room...

"...They weren't kidding about it not being cleaned in ages, were they?" he asked rhetorically.

He rolled up his sleeves. He'd seen worse at least. He'd have to put in some serious elbow grease on Saturday but he could at least get out some of the dust and grime. He rolled up the window to start airing the place out."

"Stand back unless you want to get caught up in this."

Ratface went to the window, taking in the air and cleaning his wings with his beak. "They don't kid." He replied, surely and plainly. "Why clean a room they had no expectations of using? The cleanest rooms are their own, the kitchen, and the library."

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