Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy)

Priscilla gets a Rival

With the fairies finally gone, the market slowly stirred back to life. Shoppers and sellers alike emerged from their hiding places, returning to their booths and resuming the day as if the incident had never occurred. Priscilla figured such events must easily become the mundane when your market resided next to an enchanted forest.

"Are the three of you alright?" Frances asked, placing a hand on her hip. "What did you do to invoke the wrath of an entire fairy colony?"

Priscilla felt her face flush a deep crimson at being addressed by Frances, her heart beginning to take off racing in her chest. She swallowed hard, doing her best to keep her composure under France's gaze. Priscilla doubted she could even get out a sentence without stumbling over her words.

Luckily, Mulock answered instead. "Oh you know how fairies are. They hold grudges over the stupidest things."

"I mean, we did trap them in a tree--" Wheeler began.

Mulock gave him a sharp nudge to the ribs. "Wheeler," he hissed, "stop talking."

"Sorry," Wheeler stammered. His gaze fell to the amulet now, large green eyes widening with his usual excitement.

"Warding charm," Frances explained with a chuckle, holding up the amulet for Wheeler to get a better look. "It's been passed down in my family for generations. You can use it against pretty much any pesky woodland creature. Fairies, imps, hobgoblins, you get the idea. It does wonders when you're traveling long distances through the woods." She laughed, running a hand through her short cropped hair. The sight made Priscilla's heart nearly leap from her chest. "Though I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to need it in the middle of the market today."

"You fended them off so easily! It was amazing!" Wheeler exclaimed, eyes bright.

"I wouldn't exactly call it amazing," Frances replied, readjusting the amulet around her neck. "Just some minor pest control. I'm just grateful I ran into you before those fairies could do any real harm." She extended a hand to Wheeler, then to Mulock. "The name's Frances."

"I'm Wheeler," Wheeler replied cheerfully. "That's Mulock, but you can call him Mully if you want."

"No you can't."

"And that's..."

"Miss Priscilla," Frances said with a laugh. "I know. Her brother's a dear friend of mine. I used to always see her around their family estate before I started my training." Frances offered her a soft smile that made Priscilla's cheeks grow warmer still. "Though, I'm not sure if she remembers me."

"Oh um...ah...haha...y-yes of...um...of course I remember you...haha..." Priscilla stuttered, the words tumbling over each other.

"Smooth," Mulock flatly observed.

This earned him a sharp jab to the gut from Priscilla.

Frances's eyes had widened slightly. "Really? You remember me?" She grinned, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "I wasn't sure since you always seem to leave whenever I'm around--"

"Frances," a deeper voice suddenly called. Priscilla turned to see a young man approaching, recognizing him instantly as another guard stationed at the academy.

"Ah, Richard," Frances said with a smile, "did you find that honeycomb I was looking for?"

"Of course," Richard grinned, handing her a bag. "Only the best for you."

Priscilla's eyes narrowed as a horrible sinking feeling began to build in her chest.

"We should probably head back to the academy," Richard said, lazily slinging an arm around Frances's shoulder. The action caused Priscilla's stomach to drop. "We don't want to get scolded again if we miss our shift."

Frances removed a timepiece from her pocket, giving it a quick glance. "Damn," she murmured. "You're right." Her attention returned to the trio, giving them a small wave. "I need to get going now but it was lovely running into you, even if the reason for our encounter was caused by such unusual circumstances." She laughed, her gaze locking with Priscilla's. "And anytime you're free, Miss Priscilla, let me know. I'd love to catch up!"

They said their goodbyes and soon Richard and Frances were walking away, Richard's arm still wrapped around Frances's shoulder.

When they were finally out of sight, Priscilla frantically turned to Wheeler and Mulock. "You don't think they're dating, do you?!?!" she stammered.

"Who? Richard and Frances?" Wheeler asked. "What makes you think that?"

"Oh come on, it's sooo obvious!" Priscilla insisted, her hands anxiously tearing through her curls. "Not only did they come to the market together but he bought her freaking honeycomb! Who does that?!?"

Wheeler gave her a concerned glance. "Um...I think you might be reading a little too much into this--"

"I have to do something fast," Priscilla interrupted. "If I don't they'll go off together and get married and have a million babies and I'll lose her forever!" She paused, perking up. "Wheeler, didn't you say something about having magic fairy love dust--"

"No," Mulock immediately cut in. "Absolutely not. Neither of you are touching that."

"Why?" Priscilla protested. "It's not like the two of you have any use for it!"

"Because those things cause more chaos than you could possibly imagine," Mulock snapped. "Besides, I have an idea that would work even better."

Priscilla's eyes grew wide. "Really? What?"

"Actually talk to her."

"But that's so haaaaaaaard," Priscilla whined, burying her face in her hands.

Why the hell did pretty girls have to be so damn intimidating?