Maidenless No Longer (Elden Ring)

Chapter 13: Ranni the Witch

A/N: I've waited thirteen chapters, and endured a few "but wait, why didn't the Tarnished see Ranni back in Limgrave" comments, all for this moment, for this one joke. Was it worth it?

-x-X-x-

"A pleasure to meet thee, Tarnished. I am the witch Renna, and I'd heard tell of a-!"

Ranni can only blink, as the Tarnished trots past her on Torrent's back, reaching out and snatching the Spirit Calling Bell from her hand almost too fast for even her to see in her imperfect doll form, let alone stop. As he sticks the Spirit Calling Bell to his belt, he gives her a knowing smile and a nod... and then continues on his way, just like that.

"... What just happened?"

-x-X-x-

Ranni the Witch's first interaction with the Tarnished the kindling maiden had chosen to pin her hopes upon was... interesting, to say the least. But in the end, she had decided not to pursue him for his disrespect. Not only would it make her seem desperate, but in the end, the intention had been followed through. Perhaps with far less words than Ranni had anticipated, but if the Tarnished had somewhere to be, then he had somewhere to be.

Indeed, what mattered was that he was Torrent's new master, and that she'd passed off the Spirit Calling Bell as she intended. With that done, Ranni was all too happy to wash her hands of her lost fragment. After all, the kindling maiden might have been born of her, but they were not one in the same... not any longer. What the one who called herself Melina did going forward was of little concern to Ranni. Their paths had diverged, and their plans, thankfully, did not contradict one another.

Of course, her plan to steer clear of the kindling maiden and her Tarnished had soon been tested, when he showed designs for Ranni's mother. She may no longer be the Lunar Princess Ranni, and thus not able to stand by her mother's side and comfort her directly, but Ranni would not allow harm to be done to the last Queen of Caria. Not on her watch.

Imagine her surprise, when the Tarnished had instead brought Rennala comfort. Imagine her surprise, when the meeting between her mother and her fragment's Tarnished had resulted in a coupling, rather than bloodshed.

... In the end, it was still no matter to Ranni the Witch. But then Iji reported the Tarnished coming up the road, towards the Manor. And in no time at all, the Tarnished had fought his way through, even dispatching the shade of Knight Loretta as he made his way unerringly to her home in the Three Sisters.

Even now, Ranni was aware of him approaching her tower. He hadn't even bothered to check out the others. He'd made his way straight towards her Rise. And so, she'd begun to prepare. If there was to be a meeting, she must be presentable. Even in this doll body, Ranni refused to be... looked down upon. And so, finding the four thickest tomes that she could, she'd placed them on her chair. Straightening out her dress, she'd made sure her hat was firmly atop her head and not in danger of falling off.

As the Tarnished ascends the elevator up her tower, Ranni hops up onto the chair, sitting tall... at least a few inches taller than the tall Tarnished, if her memory serves her well (which of course, it always does). And finally, as he climbs the winding stairs the rest of the way up to her room, she busies herself with smoothing her skirts.

Finally turning the corner, the Tarnished finds her waiting for him, head slightly bowed. As he approaches, she reveals her face, gazing upon him as one pair of her hands clasp together in her lap and the other come together in a bridge above the first. This time around, Ranni had no intention of letting things be... cut short.

"It seems we cross paths once more, Tarnished. I believe... I did not get a chance to introduce myself, when last we met."

Ranni pauses here, deliberately.