𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐢 - 𝐝.𝐦.

𝐈𝐕. 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞

"D'you mean Hope?" She says with a hint of humor in her voice.

Akina displays a look of faux, and slightly exaggerated, understanding as she clicks her tongue. "Ah, right. I was shooting one for three, couldn't remember if it was Faith, Hope, or Destiny."

Megumi cackles in response to this, brushing a stray strand of hair that escaped her braids out of her eyes. "Hope is good I think, though I haven't seen her as much since we got back from holiday," The momentary playfulness in her voice begins to trail off as she speaks, replacing itself with a twinge of sadness.

"You haven't? I thought you guys were best friends." Akina questions in return, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"She is!" Meg defends, her eyebrows quickly shooting up. "Well, she's my best friend. We got into a little fight, and I don't know if she wants to be my friend anymore," She huffs.

"What was your fight about? I'm sure you guys will be able to fix it."

"It wasn't even a big deal, really!" She practically explodes, throwing her arms out to her side in a dramatic flair. "When we got back, she was talking about her father, and I remembered what momma says about dirty bloods. She says they're no good, and I told Hope that, see!" Her lips turn down into a frown, eyebrows knitting together.

Akina sighs and deflates, wanting to interrupt but letting her sister finish her story.

"She said her daddy isn't dirty, but I told her that Muggleborns have dirty blood. They do though, that's what momma says! They're not the same because we have magic parents and they don't." She says with a sense of finality, crossing her arms confidently across her chest.

The older Selwyn worries her bottom lip for a couple moments before outstretching her arms. "C'mere, Meg. I want to show you something."

Megumi looks a bit confused, though scoots closer nonetheless.

Akina retracts her wand from her robe pockets and flips over her hand, her palm facing upwards and revealing the faint marks of crescent-moons on her flesh. With the tip of her wand pointed towards her outstretched hand, she mutters, "Diffindo," under her breath. As predicted, a crisp cut slices across her palm, making her slightly wince from the sting and Megumi cringe at her side.

"Eena! Why'd you do that?!" She says, scandalized.

Akina only hums in response before pocketing her wand once more. A thin ribbon of blood trickles from her palm, staining the clean skin underneath.

"Look." She says simply.

"I'm looking, and I just watched you cut yourself!"

She shakes her head as she looks down at her palm, the blood leaking from the cut slipping down the side of her hand now. "Do you see anything special about my blood, Meg?"

The younger sibling looks dumbfounded, staring up at Akina as if she had just grown another two heads. "What?"

"My blood, Megumi," She presses. "Do you see anything remarkable about it? Any glitter or stars? Maybe some liquid gold?"

"No, Akina, that's stupid." Meg says matter-of-factly.

"Mhm," Akina responds. "And if I were to cut Hope's hand, or her dad's hand, would their blood have dirt in it? Rocks? An earthworm or two?"

Meg's silent now. She's looking down at the now drying blood on Akina's palm with intensity between furrowed eyebrows, as if she's studying a particularly difficult Arithmancy problem.

"There wouldn't be, right? Blood is blood, Meg. It's red, it's liquid, and we all have it. My blood is the same as your blood, as it is the same as Hope's father."