All The Kinds Of Love

•3•

"I was just thinking about something you said." Anadil murmured into the darkness.

"Yeah?" Hester pushed down the hopeful sensation growing within her.

"You, uh... called me your girlfriend, and I know you said you meant girl friend, but I guess it got me thinking... what am I to you?"

There was a long silence.

"Anadil, I-"

"No, no, it's fine, I understand."

"Anadil, listen."

"Honestly, Hester, I-"

"Anadil." Something in Hester's voice made Anadil's heart flutter.

"I know Nevers aren't supposed to love, but... I-I think... well, I think I..."

"It's ok, Hester. You don't have to say it."

"And do you...?"

Though Hester couldn't see it, Anadil's pale skin went a shade pinker.

"Yeah. I do."

"You remember when I called you that, what did you say?"

"Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now? Shouldn't that warrant some conversation?" Anadil recited perfectly.

Hester chuckled.

"I guess this is that conversation."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Night, Anadil."

"Night... girlfriend."

●●●

When Dot woke the next morning, Hester and Anadil were already up.

No surprise, really. The girls thrived on schedules and punctuality. It's why they'd both been such good students back at the school.

The only problem was there was no fixed schedule today. So where were they?

Dot went down to the main room of the inn and found the innkeeper still slumped on the chair, watching Anadil and Hester with venom.

Hester was sitting on a table, legs dangling over the edge, juggling china plates whilst her demon threw eggs at a mirror. Anadil, meanwhile, was writing words into the wall with her fingerglow.

SCUMBAG; FROGBRAIN; DIE IN A DITCH, ASSHOLE.

The albino's rats were scampering round on the floor, twice the size of normal rats, biting random objects and occasionally pooping.

Suffice to say, Hester and Anadil did not take kindly to being called 'little girls' and 'wannabe witches'.

"Oh, hey, Dot!" Hester waved at her friend, sending the plates crashing to the ground. "Oopsie. What an unfortunate, accidental mistake."

"Want some breakfast?" Anadil asked.

Before Dot had time to answer, the three rats chucked her an apple, a bread roll, and a door handle, which promptly turned to chocolate.

"You seem to be having fun." She remarked.

"Oh, but we are." Hester grinned wickedly. "I'd forgotten how this felt."

"Such a shame we have to leave and speak to the Queen." Anadil sighed. "Oh well."

The innkeeper was released from his paralysed state and immediately hit with a stun spell, meaning he woke up in a chair with a blinding headache, faced with the sight of a ruined inn.