Eyeless Jeff

Coming home from one of your regular, semi-secret solo walks, you were immediately hit by your partners’ equally regular bickering.

“No, I don’t know where they went! /You/ were supposed to pick them up from work!”

“I did! Not my fault, they keep sneaking away!”

Well, so much for your walks being secret. You smirked:

“Are we talking about me?”

You asked innocently, and the atmosphere immediately shifted, as if Oz and Morrible had not been arguing at all:

“Dearie! There you are.”

She said, striding up with her usual grace. Her fingers lifted your chin slightly  as she greeted you with a kiss. Her husband soon joined, his jealousy palpable in the kiss he gave you right after; slightly rougher though only because he couldn’t possibly let a kiss be stolen from you if he didn’t get one as well.

You chuckled, pushing them away softly to make some space for yourself. Something seemed off today; nothing that felt urgent, nothing needing immediate action, but somehow, there was a certain tension in the palace.

“Is everything alright? You seem…. Stressed?”

Morrible waved off your concerns immediately, claiming the usual struggles with the Witch of the West, but that it was nothing you needed to break your pretty little head about. It wasn’t something she said to make you feel small or stupid, though sometimes it felt a little manipulative. Generally, though, the two of them truly thought that you should simply be able to live with them worry-free about the more difficult parts of their cause.

Well, as any story that seemed too good to be true, this one really was. The two of them kept you away more and more from public life, made more and more sure you didn’t head out by yourself. Everything had become somewhat suffocating and controlling, but you saw the look on their faces. This wasn’t malicious imprisonment; this was worry for the person they loved so very much. One night, at a very strange hour even for Oscar, they came to your room:

“Dear, you have to get up.”

He said as Morrible swiftly rushed around the room, packing various things into a suitcase. You were not particularly surprised; yes, you were sheltered, but not quite enough to not understand how much their power had shifted over the past few weeks and months. You had noticed the change in popularity, the growing mistrust among once loyal subjects. It had become particularly strong with the death of the Wicked Witch, though you felt like her death seemed…. Strange in a way you couldn’t quite explain. The Good Witch had become more estranged, it seemed, and now this estrangement must have reached its peak.

You got out of bed groggily, helped ever so gently by Oscar, who immediately pulled you close. He joked nervously about finally going on the adventure you had begged for many times before, only that you would not be coming back. You weren’t asked if you even wanted to leave, but with your connection to the new state enemies number one, you were certain it was for the best if you didn’t want to end up in prison. And you really did not want that, nor did you want to be separated from your partners. It was strange just how much their personalities came out in this moment of stress; Oscar was visibly nervous, something he always tried his very best to hide behind a big, mechanical mask. All his insecurity shone through now, at the same time as Morrible’s cold, strictness hardened her expression more than usual. Her graceful stride was barely hastier but a lot stiffer; you took her hand, giving her an assuring look. You had that down well; it always worked on the two of them, and it wasn’t much different now as you felt her relax a tad. Her thumb brushed over the back of your hand.

“Have you ever been on a hot air balloon, dear?”

Oscar asked about reaching the monstrous conception at the top of the tower. You had never even seen one up this close before. Your stomach churned slightly at the thought of travelling several hundred or even thousand feet in the air, all just with the help of some hot air. You had figured out long ago that Oscar didn’t actually possess any magical powers, but this mode of transportation still felt magical in its own right. You helped to prepare it, despite being told not to, but it didn’t feel like the right moment to be passive. You wondered if there was any specific place they planned to go to, and Oscar mumbled something about his hometown. It contradicted how you thought he came from Oz, but it didn’t dampen the feeling of adventure building inside you.

The balloon soon took off, and the Emerald City suddenly seemed so tiny below the three of you. It all felt so insignificant immediately, so small and far away. It was quite beautiful, really, and you weren’t sure you were even going to miss the place. People were everywhere. Pretty shops were everywhere. Perhaps people wouldn’t be quite as color-coordinated in other places, but your lovers’ bickering behind you already assured you that everything would be fine as long as you three were together.

“Will you two stop fighting? It’s quite awkward up here.”