01x11 - The Councilor

[bunniefuu]

EPISODE 11: THE COUNCILOR

Well, it's good I found her,
but what are they up to?

This reeks of a romantic
rendezvous. Not a good look.

You know this won't fly, Miss Luna.

Oh, well.

Miss Luna. I was wondering where
you ran off to, but what's all this?

It's a good thing
I'm the one who found you,

but this sorta thing is gonna
get you another council meeting.

Seriously, would you cut it out?

I hate those meetings, for real.

- Are you even—

- Lize!

Are you okay?

After the riot back there,
the air got really thick with poison.

Lize!

Huh.

This is the kid? The cursed youngling?

What the heck, kid? This ain't gonna do.

Why are you still such
a scrawny little runt?

I guess it's just like Flame said.
No point in letting you live, really.

The cursed youngling. That label again.

A name I don't know, but one
that damns me all the same.

Lize!

Whoa!

Luna.

Miss Witch—

Found him! He's over here!

He used some kind of weird fan to
rip the prophet's body to pieces!

I saw the whole thing!

Wait. Is that the poison mushroom witch?

So they were working together.

Go get the authorities!

Looks like we're caught.
I guess we should split.

We'll have to find a safer
place to talk, Miss.

I know a safe place we could go.

Huh?

Isn't that Henri?

I didn't even need to summon him.
My assistant was already here.

Does that mean...

this outlaw rabble before me is
what everyone is up in arms about?

Isn't that the crown prince?

Okay, let's get goin'.

Henri! What are you doing?

Apprehend them!

Wind... magic?

Where did they go?!

They just disappeared!

You didn't smell like a liar,

and we were in a rush, so I decided
to take your advice, but...

So, where the heck are we?
Is this your home?

Actually, this is—

Man!

I'm so pooped!

First I had to blast
The End of All Things,

then teleport four people and two animals.

I've been working so hard,

but nobody ever thanks me!
I mean, c'mon!

Th-Thank you.

Every word he says is garbage.

And you-know-who never
even offers to help.

I mean, would it k*ll ya to grab me
a glass of lemonade or two?

- No, more than a glass or two.

- This room, with the way
voices echo in here...

- I'd need three, or four,
or five, or six, or seven.

- Nah, I'd need more than lemonade.
Maybe a really good meal instead.

- seems familiar for some reason.

Lize?

- Ice cream, cake... something sweet.
I wanna eat something nice and sweet!

- I wonder why.

I really deserve a lot
more praise than this!

And I'm starving! Get me some food!

- Maybe I'll quit this gig. I just
ain't cut out to be a black witch.

- I don't want anyone to
find out I know this guy.

- It's such a scam!

- I wish I could work from bed!

- Wait, if I could work from bed, does
that mean I would get to sleep all day?

- Should I shut him up?

Lize, are you okay?

They brought some lemonade.

Oh, right. Gotta get down to business.

Like you guys were saying,
I'm one of the council witches.

The Wind Magician.

And you... Lize, was it?

I'm the person sent to
administer your surprise exam,

and decide your fate
as a cursed youngling.

Basically, whether you live
or die is all up to me.

Sucks to meet like this,
but let's get it over with.

Recently, sometimes the
things I write in my diary

don't match up with what I remember.

The magical paper that Miss Witch
gave me is made from mushrooms.

When I write in it, the bad
memories turn into yuck-shrooms.

I felt kind of sad and uncomfortable
watching the yuck-shrooms float away

so I decided to secretly
keep another diary, too.

Sometimes, I find things written in that
diary that I have no recollection of.

Even feelings and memories
that would seem unforgettable

feel like they belong to some
other person that I've never met.

My legs get cold, like I'm on the verge
of tumbling into a bottomless darkness.

Other things also don't add up.

I wanted to hurry and catch up to Miss
Witch, so I measured my height every day.

Well, this is strange. I'm quite certain
you were taller yesterday.

Why does it seem you've gotten smaller?

Suddenly, I remembered one time

when Miss Witch had removed an animal's
poison and turned it into a mushroom.

Huh?

It seems like this fellow is smaller
now that you've absorbed his poison.

Oh!

Stay away from that!
He sure doesn't learn, does he?

It was strange when the rabbit went
right back to the bug that stung him

as if nothing had happened.

Miss Witch looked like she
realized she'd committed a sin.

Also, I can't explain how,
whenever I was feeling bad,

I would wake up the next
morning completely refreshed.

My questions became doubts,
and as they collected deep inside,

I felt like they were
starting to suffocate me.

Why could I only grasp a vague
outline of these doubts?

Why couldn't I trace them
back to their source?

There was something I had to hold
close to my heart and protect,

no matter how painful it became.
Something that I must not lose.

There was nothing more terrible,

more frightening than the
thought of losing it.

I strained my eyes to try to see
the source of this restlessness,

so I could confront it, and then...

And then?

Ah.

Lize just came to!

Are you okay, Lize?

Um, yeah.

The wind guy was such a jerk,
it made you sick. We were worried!

What's your problem, bull?

I was unconscious?

Hey.

You make Luna manage your poison
because you can't do it yourself?

What a pathetic kid.

Was Miss Witch trying to
extract my poison just now?

I just got done saying
"nice to meet you"...

No, you didn't.

but at this rate, it's already
like "farewell." Forever.

I know you had a pretty generous
grace period before I showed up.

What were you doing that whole time?

Lize, don't run. I've got
to get the poison out.

Wow, would you quit
looking at me like that?

Nobody's looking at you like that.

I mean, I'm really not doing this
job by choice to begin with.

I happened to skip one little
meeting and they stuck me with it.

Lize.

I can do it by myself.

Quit acting so stubborn.

- We know you can't, that's
why Luna's trying to help!

- I mean, I already had plans I couldn't
back out of, and they treat me like this?

- I've got to do something.

- It's true I kinda wasn't
in the mood, though.

- I can't let Miss Witch take
away any more of my memories.

I never want to make her doubt
herself like that again.

This is way rougher on me
than you. Yeah, poor me.

So grin and bear it and don't
hold it against me, Lize.

Just accept my judgment
and die for me, okay?

Would you quit your endless
blabbing for once, damn it?!

Shut the hell up!

What?! I'm a great magician here,
ya crow-brain!

Show me some respect, moron!

If you don't, I'm gonna tell Flame on you!

- Caw! Caw! Caw!

- Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!

- Stop it, you jerk!

- Caw! Caw! Caw!

- Please do something, Miss Luna!

That guy is really something.

I've never seen Luna glare at someone
with that much contempt before.

Yeah, it's pretty rare to find someone
with no redeeming qualities at all.

Aren't the council members supposed to
be really important black magicians?

So why do you act so polite to Luna?

I'm always polite to people I respect.

Oh, you are? Well, I'm glad that
you respect Luna. Thank you!

Also, as a magician,
Miss Luna is still my senior.

I guess you do have decent
manners after all.

Yeah, I dunno.

I wish the crow would take
a page out of your book.

Huh?

As a fancy council member, you'd think
needing emotional support from a bull

would make the others think
twice about that jerk.

I wonder what sort of experiences
Miss Witch and that man shared.

They refuse to look at each other,
as if they can't face their emotions.

I get the feeling that,

unlike me, he has had some kind of
unforgettable experience with her,

and it's suffocating to me.

Lize?

If I can't remember my time
with her, no matter how long,

it might as well have never happened.

- Lize, what's wrong? Does it hurt?

- Like my memories and my growth,

- this bittersweet suffering will
continually be stolen from me,

- Lize? Don't struggle.
It will be okay. Lize?

- as long as I remain a cursed youngling
who cannot stand on his own two feet.

Since we can't truly share
a connection with each other,

even when I'm with her,
it feels like we're both alone.

By spending time with her, it feels like
I'm only intensifying her loneliness.

And I hate that!

Lize?

Oh, what's that?

What are you doing?

Is that wolfsbane?

Lize, stop it.

He discharged poison from his body
to grow poisonous wolfsbane instead.

It's a touching gesture,

but if expelling a drop of poison
tires him this much,

there's not much point.

Don't take it from me.

It isn't fair.

I want to be like him and grow into
a person who is worthy of Miss Witch.

But at this moment, there's nobody
less worthy of her than me.

Someday, I may even lose all
of the feelings I hold for her.

If I lose sight of the kindness
and sadness reflected in her eyes

as she was forced to pull the memories
out of me with her own two hands,

I may not be able to see her at all.

Even as I cling to her, these precious
moments between us will melt away,

drop by drop,
and there's nothing I can do.

By staying with her, this person
I care for more than anyone...

I may end up pushing her into
a loneliness even darker than solitude.

Yeah, but then again,

rattled as Luna is right now, maybe it's
best she doesn't try to use her magic.

Oh, I tried to ask, but
where the heck are we?

There's been no reaction to us showing up.

Must be a room somewhere in the castle.

With a really strong barrier on it.

Well, this is...

Hiding right under their noses might
be safer than risking it out there.

But if this ain't your place,
who's it belong to?

There are tons of birds everywhere.

Even the furniture and decorations
are covered with birds!

A real bird freak must live here.

Watch it!

Whoever owns this place must
be as dumb as he is obnoxious.

But I do get a feeling I've
heard about it somewhere—

Thank you for sharing your
painfully incisive opinions.

I will take them into consideration
when I next renovate, Wind Magician.

It has been a while, yes? I'm glad you
have found my home accommodating.

BIRD MAGICIAN

Master... Bird.

Luna, I am glad to see you all well.

And Lize, nice meeting you.
Or rather, nice two meet you again.

I am the Bird Magician.

Uh, don't get me wrong, Master Bird.

A minute ago my mouth was, yeah,
possessed by an evil spirit,

and it made me say things I didn't mean.

Oh?

A black witch council member
was possessed... by an evil spirit?

Well, I better get to a sauna to steam
that spirit out so I'll catch you later.

Don't move!

You think I'm gonna let you get away
that easy, you fraud of a magician?!

- Emotional abuse. Emotional Abuse.

- Caw!

- Emotional abuse. Emotional Abuse.

- Who are you calling a fraud?!
Ouch! Ouch! Stop!

- Emotional abuse. Emotional Abuse.

- Emotional abuse. Emotional Abuse.

Emotional Abuse.

Now, now, Claw. Stop that.
We are in Master Bird's presence.

Wow! That bird just spoke!

Look who's talking.

My, you have such a foul mouth.

I am in the service of Master Bird
as the butler of this manor.

I am Maximilian.

Please excuse this fledgling and
accept my most sincere apologies,

Your Excellency.

He is not only a perpetual adolescent,
but is also very obstinate.

Claw, apologize to His Excellency.

- Claw?

- Emotional Abuse.

Damn it!

- Real sorry, man.

- Emotional Abuse.

- He isn't apologizing at all!

- Emotional Abuse.

- Now Claw,

- I don't mind how despicable and pathetic
your behavior or appearance is,

- Emotional Abuse.

- but you must not treat
Master's guests with disrespect.

- Emotional Abuse.

You said it, bird.

Now get along, everyone.

The Bird Magician.

If he's the master here,
then this must be Claude's, um...

Home? Nest?

And yet, he looks just
like a white magician...

and we're inside the royal palace.

Still, it seems like he's one of
Miss Witch's black magician friends.

What is going on?

Well then, let us no longer be distracted
by Windy's incessant babbling.

Mm-hmm!

Luna.

Oh... Yes?

Regarding the book store owner
you had intended to visit,

as he is part elf, the miasma spreading
in town had severely weakened him,

but I sent him one of my formulas,
so he is no longer in immediate danger.

Master Bird, you went out of your way...

I sincerely apologize.

Thank him, don't apologize!

Judging from Wind's and Miss Witch's
sudden change in demeanor

and the crow's attitude,
this must be a very important person.

Isn't that a relief, Luna?
But while cleaning the city,

you meant to take the bookseller
medicine too, right?

Why not use a mushroom to teleport
and drop in on him right now?

Perhaps that would not be ideal
for Luna in her unstable state.

Huh? But why?
Why shouldn't she go see him?

Wait. Miss Witch... is unstable?

Well, Miss Luna is afflicted
by a certain condition

that's taboo for black witches,
so her magic's weakened.

But it's pretty obvious Miss Luna
knows exactly what the cause is.

You should give me some credit for
not spelling it out for everyone.

Taboo for black witches?

Oh!

Love may be poison for black witches,

but it is a source of
power for white witches.

A condition taboo for black witches?
Her magic is weakened?

And she knows exactly what the cause is?

It's love.