Partners In Crime(Dalador/Aladarius)[The Owl House]

Chapter 16

Raine sighed.

"Never thought I'd regret having great friends." They said. "But here we are."

{Many Hours Later}

"Lily is busy with her study group so it's just us." Eda said.

"Perry, you're trying to be a reporter, do you know any trick for coping with performance anxiety?" Alador asked.

"Well, a lot of tips don't work for most people." Porter admitted. "Everyone I know says trying to calm down doesn't work and to get excited instead."

Eda went to say something.

"No. Not that kind of excited." Porter stated.

"At least I'm not the only one who thought it." I said.

"Anyway." Porter laughed. "Getting excited about the performance."

"Get excited? About something that I dread? How am I supposed to do that?" Raine asked.

"That I don't actually know." Porter said.

"This wasn't thought out." Alador said.

"No, it wasn't." Porter said.

"Try repeating to yourself 'I am excited'." Eda suggested. "Try it now."

"I'm excited about the performance. I'm excited about the performance." Raine repeated a few times as they paced in a circle.

They plopped next to Eda.

"Nope. Just as terrified." Raine said.

Porter went on to explain other ways of coping with stage fright. Some proven hoaxes that you're supposed to do the opposite of. It was a long and very boring explanation. Eber and Eda fell asleep immediately, Alador zoned out, Raine and I tried desperately not to fall asleep. I wasn't even able to pay attention I was trying so hard to stay awake.

{An Hour Later}

Porter took a breath.

"That's what I know." He said.

He looked around at each of us.

"I definitely got every single word of that." Raine lied, unsuccessfully.

"Now I know how to Eber to sleep." I said.

I elbowed Alador while Ben and Ace but his hand.

"Huh? What? Is he still going?" Alador said, snapping back to reality, ignoring the palismen.

"I explained everything and none of you paid attention?" Porter asked.

"You're just so...how do I put this lightly?" Alador said.

"Boring. You're extremely boring." I said. "Watching paint dry would be more fun than listening to that explanation."

"No one said trying to cure Raine's stage fright would be fun or entertaining." Porter said.

"No one said you'd bore us half to death either." Raine said.

"Did Porter shut up?" Eda yawned.

"Finally, yeah." I said.

Porter looked extremely offended.

"The only person here who knows how to world with stage fright is boring and none of use can pay attention long enough to get anything so what do we do?" I asked.

"I'm just going to skip the performance." Raine said.

"No! You're going! I'll drag you there by your ears if I have to!" Eda snapped.

Raine leaned slowly away from her.

{The Next Day}

"Where's R-" Alador started.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Raine exclaimed as Eda literally dragged them in by their ear.

"There's your answer." I said.

"They tried to skip it. I caught them in the hall of doors trying to find a way out of Hexside." Eda said.

"I really don't want to do this." Raine said.

"You have no choice. It's required and I want to hear you play." Eda said. "Now, go!"

Eda shoved Raine on stage. Raine anxiously made their way to their seat. The rest of us made our way to the audience as the bard track teacher started conducting.

{2 Hours Later}

"Next time something like this comes up, I'm skipping. I thought I was going to die up there." Raine told us as we walked out of Hexside.

"Fine. But you did great, Rainestorm!" Eda said.

{A Few Days Later}

"What do you mean I'm not the smartest in the group?!" Lilith shouted at Porter as Raine, Eber, and I got to the library hideout.

Eda watched in entertainment as the two argue while Alador ignored them, or didn't know they were arguing.

"What's going on?" I asked Eda.

"Lilith was bragging about being the smartest and Porter got fed up and told her that she isn't the smartest in the group." Eda explained. "Now shh! This is getting good!"

"You're not." Porter told Lilith. "You're only the second smartest in the group."

"You're certainly not smarter than me." Lilith hissed.

"Of course not." Porter shrugged.

"Who in this group could possibly be smarter than me in this group?" Lilith asked.

"Alador." Porter answered.

Lilith looked at Alador, who still wasn't paying attention.

"Him?!" Lilith shouted.

This grabbed Alador's attention. He looked around confused.

"He disassociates all the time! He's clutsy! And disorganized! And messy! He's always wearing the same outfit! How is he the smartest in the group?!" Lilith shouted at Porter.

"He's a master of abominations, a prodigy of dueling, and a genius of healing." Porter explained. "Like Eda, he dabbled in every kind of magic but he's honestly better at her than most."

"Hey!" Eda protested.

"Though his potion and bard skills are lacking, his healing and abomination skills make up for it by being exemplary. He's actually the top student at school." Portered continued.

"I'm confused, what's going on?" Alador asked.

"Lilith claimed to be the smartest in the group, Porter said she wasn't, they argued, and he said you are the smartest in the group." I explained quickly. "Also, I knew you were the top abomination student but I didn't know you were the top student of the school."

"Neither did I." He shrugged.

Lilith plopped in the beanbag chair in the corner of the room. Eber whimpered that that's his spot.

"You can sit on my lap Eber." Raine suggested.

Eber barked then jumped on their lap. Lilith glared at Alador.

"I'm going to get smarter than you, Blight." She hissed.

Alador shrugged.

"Oh, no. Alador's got a rival." Eda joked.

"I'm still confused as to what's going on." Alador admitted.

Eda and I laughed at him.