Parasitic Peony

Epilogue Part 2

Frustrated sighs coming out rumbly and mechanical, distorted by her gas mask, Princess Caromine busied herself with glaring at a letter from the baron of the Laptev area, informally nicknamed "The Recycling Bin" among Garbage Land citizens and monarchy alike due to its high concentration of refineries and factories. He had been writing for more funding for an employee benefit program for the past two months and refused to take no for an answer, despite her having written exactly seventeen -and she was bump that fucker up to eighteen- times that the royal government simply didn't have the money he needed.

"Knock knock," crooned Lilac from the doorway of Caromine's office. "How goes the business, oh exhausted one?"

"Ha ha ha," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm really not that tired. Leave me alone."

The witch rolled her eyes and sauntered lazily farther into the room, long verdant curls bouncing around her freckled shoulders. "Yeah, like that's gonna work on me. C'mon Caro, let's go see a movie or something, I'm bored."

"You wouldn't be so bored if you would make yourself useful around here."

"Are the services I provide not satisfactory?"

"I hired you as a witch, not a prostitute for crying out loud."

Lilac snickered and placed herself on Caromine's desk. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease? There's this neat horror flick playing at the Restoration drive-in downtown. You need to take a break sometime."

Sitting back in her throne, the princess sighed again.

"Fine. But don't talk through the whole thing, okay?"

"You got it chief!"

They got kicked out of the drive-in because Lilac spent the entire first five minutes of the movie thirsting over the killer clown at a volume higher than she was tall. Or high. Both being quite significant.

"Honestly, I don't know why we fucking bothered," Caromine grumbled as she dragged her girlfriend back through the palace foyer. "Seriously, can you not learn to shut up and be civilised for five minutes? I was actually invested in that movie."

"Would you really prefer for me to change?" Lilac asked, tilting her head to flash a toothy smirk.

She wouldn't. She wouldn't change a thing about her, not for the world, and that bastard knew it.

"I should get back to work," she said instead.

"No no no! I'm literally a witch, c'mon, we can still have our own little movie night!"

"Will you get horny over Pennywise again?"

"That's not what's important. What's important is the memories we make."

"Damn it Lilac, you are really trying my patience here."

Honey came to see Moxie and Pearl a month later. Her two new wives came with her.

"Hi there! I'm Pandora," greeted one of them, six-four feet tall with an Olympian physique and the most tender bubblegum-pink eyes, kneeling down to Pearl's level. "-and this is Silky. She can't talk, so she uses her hands. I can teach you the language if you want. We're so happy to finally meet you! Your mom talks about you all the time." she gestured to the other, a delicate figure, albino and swaddled in plush pastel scarves despite the tropical heat. She offered a blinding grin and a friendly wave.

"Damn Pearl, you sure have a lot of moms!" commented Fern, cackling through his fangs. "This makes, what? Five? Hahaha holy shit!"

"I'm not married to Phosphora. It's four. And watch your language!" Moxie reprimanded him with a sharp pishnut to the forehead.

He muttered an insubordinate expletive under his breath.

"If you're going to be like that, you can go be like that in your room." she hissed, raising an eyebrow.

Fern crossed his arms and stayed silent.

Pearl, an instigator at heart, sidled up to him and whispered in his ear. "You're just mad that your dad doesn't come visit you."

"Fuck you, Pearl!" he shrieked indignantly.

"That's it, you're grounded!"

Moxie took Pandora and Silky for a look around the Sanctuary while Pearl spent some time with Honey. She dragged her around by the hand, showing her all the things that had changed since she'd last visited, introducing her to her friends (there were more children than probably advisable. Venutic witches bred like rabbits, it seemed.) and begging her for piggybacks that were happily granted.

It was a great day, really. Honey and Moxie may not get along that well, but they could play nice long enough for their daughter to have a nice day. And when Honey mentioned a new amusement park that recently opened in Orchard Land, Moxie wasn't too selfish not to refuse her daughter's begging to spend the next two weeks with her.

The trio of wives had ridden across Ruin Land in Silky's latest-model horseless carriage, polished to a mirror sheen. Pearl slept through most of the drive, giving them plenty of time to chat, albeit quietly.

Honey kept her sleeping daughter on her lap while Pandora droned on about her favourite things about the Sanctuary, her voice a pleasantly soft rumble, while Silky, unable to sign with her hands on the wheel, simply nodded along. Pearl's snores were a quiet white noise under the one-sided conversation.

The sky was dark and her family was together. Honey was content.

One adventure had finished, making way for new ones, with hopefully less puke involved.