LARP Interrupted

Aubrey crept forward, along walls of heavy dusty tarpaulin canvas. The air was humid, burning her throat as she inched along the back of the camp’s tavern, The Rainbow Wyrm.

Beaming as she rounded the corner she found her quarry, Queen Gwynevere, looking into the lens of her phone’s camera.

“In conclusion, we’re all in this for funsies! No need to make fun of someone’s class or playstyle. Even if it’s something you find silly, like ‘Size Mage…’ Anyway, that’s all for now. Be sure to check in later for my post LARP haul. Toodles!” Her voice pitching up to the stratosphere as she struck a childish pose: A peace sign pointed towards her cheek.

Rolling her eyes, Aubrey inched from behind her hiding space. With one hand she slipped her ‘wand’ free. With her thumb, she swept open the embellished cover. Adjusting the devices settings, she felt the capacitor in the handle spinning to life. Gwen was twisting spritely in place, holding her phone close to her face. The familiar CapCut UI briefly visible as she turned away from Aubrey.

Lifting the tip of the wand, Aubrey pressed the trigger. A wide green beam flashed through the courtyard. Gwen stiffened, wincing as the emerald field enveloped her. Her body hidden inside a human shaped mass of plasma, before the field seemed to sink, absorbing into the purple haired woman. She jerked, trembling as arcs of energy went snaking their way across her skin in a Lichtenberg dance.

Gwen wobbled in place, air crackling as the capacitor whined down. Time seemed to slow as her phone fell from her hands, tumbling end over end as the process began.

Aubrey could hear the gravel scraping as Gwen’s feet contracted. The empty blacksmiths forge coming into view as the once taller woman dwindled, seemingly evaporating in the summer air. Gwen lifted a hand to her head, curling forward and supporting herself on her knee. The phone continued shrinking, crashing to the ground with a soft clunk.

Darting forward, Aubrey stepped over Gwen. The taller raven-haired woman grinned, watching as the process slowed. Gwen had been reduced to an eight-inch fairy queen, blinking in confusion, swallowed entirely by the shadow of Aubrey’s massive wizard’s hat.

She straightened, looking around at her surroundings before craning her neck, locking eyes with Aubrey. As Gwen opened her mouth, twisting her hips, Aubrey watched each muscle in the tiny woman’s legs tense. Snapping her hand out she grabbed Gwen by her waist, lifting her high off the ground.

Gently squeezing, Aubrey clucked her tongue. “I’ve always appreciated your—commitment—to your roles.” Aubrey slipped the wand into her belt, pulling the little woman in close. “If you didn’t like my character idea, you could have kept your—” Snorting, Aubrey held a finger from her free hand to her nose. “—Big—mouth shut.”

Gwen’s little body wriggled in Aubrey’s fist. She could feel her shrunken bones as the little lithe cutie squirmed. “Aub—Aubrey! That’s not what—”

Aubrey poked her index finger into Gwen’s itty-bitty mouth, hushing her. Manipulating a tiny arm free from her fist, Aubrey lowered Gwen gently until all of her shrunken weight was supported by her tiny wrist and leaving her dangling freely in space. “Hush, no more talking. We’ll work through all that later.”

Carefully, Aubrey reached down, opening the flap of the small bag strapped to her hip. “For now, you have a new role.”

Gwen winced; Aubrey felt the shrunken woman’s fingernails digging into her gloved fingertips. The miniature woman gasped, looking down at the ground far below her. “Wha-what do you mean?”

“Have you ever played Zelda?” Aubrey purred, slipping a large glass bottle from the bag.