"Hey... Where... Where did the unicorn lady go...."
Skara observed Amelia out of the corner of her eyes, watching her just sort of toss and turn and ramble incoherent nonsense. It had been a while since she'd seen Amelia - A combination of Grudgby practice, dealing with her messed up emotional state, and guilt for being the reason the Plant Witch was here in the first place.
The last time Skara had seen Amelia, it had been just after almost becoming plant food.. And she had seemed more... Coherent back then.
That was... .Disconcerting, to say the least.
"Um... Who's the unicorn lady?" Skara turned her eyes back towards Cat and Bo, an eyebrow raised.
"That... Would be me." Cat admitted, with a slight red tint covering her cheeks. She took hold of Skara's arm, and rolled up her sleeve so she could inspect it for injury or strain. There were a few cuts and bruises that she had received during her fight with the Spider-Yeti, though nothing too deep. Cat drew a spell-circle in the air, and it roamed up and down, just above Skara's arm, sealing up the wounds.
The Bard blinked in confusion. "I, er, I thought you said she was calling you a Lizard Queen?"
"It changes." Cat answered, flatly. "Yesterday I was a cactus."
"....A - Are we sure she's alright?"
The injuries that she and Willow had suffered were, thankfully, minor ones. They'd been checked for just about everything, from hypothermia to frostbite, and anything else, no matter how minor it might have been. Thankfully, a few bruises and cuts from their fight with the Spider-Yeti earlier in the day, and some residual venom in their systems was all that they had to deal with. And that could be passed onto Healing Track students who needed the practice. And for Skara, that turned out to be Cat.
Meanwhile, Bo was there mostly because she wanted to make sure her friend was okay. For that, Skara was thankful.
If a little... Uncertain.
"She is getting better." Cat assured her, glancing over at the Plant Witch with an almost bemused smile. "This just seems to be a side effect of that Witch Trap... Stuff. It has to get worse before it gets better, but it's just a matter of time until she's back to normal."
"I hope so..." Skara muttered.
"Some days are better than others." Cat carried on, now focusing her attention on a bruise on the back of Skara's neck. Another Healing spell was cast, and the bruise went down, though this time, the healing stung, making Skara hiss. "It was... Really bad earlier. She kept yelling something about a thousand eyed Seraphim Lady in the ceiling."
"Uh... D'you mean, 'on the ceiling'?"
"Nope."
"...Yikes."
"Yeah." Cat let out a small sigh. "I've just been... Trying to keep her calm most of the time she's been here..."
"She wanted to come with me." Bo said, making both Skara and Cat look towards her. "She was all ready to come and help look for you, but Amelia started acting up and she decided to stay."
Skara blinked. "Huh?"
Another flush of red hit Cat's cheeks, as well as a look of guilt. "I... I couldn't leave her like that. I just..." She glanced over to Amelia, lingering for a couple of seconds, before she turned back to look at Skara. "S... Sorry."
It took Skara a few seconds to register what had been said to her. So Cat... Wanted to look for me?
She felt a mixture of... Surprise was probably the most prominent emotion, and the rest were a confusing, unexpected, inexplicable drabble. It was the same surprise that she had felt when she'd seen Bo running up to her back on the Knee. Not an unpleasant surprise, just...
...Honestly, she'd never thought that Cat was willing to help look for her..
"...Huh." Was all that she could say.
A couple seconds of awkward silence passed. Skara realized both Cat and Bo had expected... More of a response than that. But honestly, she just couldn't give them more. She couldn't think of anything else to say.
So instead, she just went back to the previous topic. "...A - And they only have students working on her because?..."
Cat blinked, but then answered. "W - Well, the other Healers help, but..." She picked up Skara's other arm, and began to cast another spell on it, and turned to face towards Amelia, who now seemed to have fallen asleep. "She only really seems to respond to me, so I... I guess they just decided it's best if I'm around her the most. I... I'm the only one who really gets her, you know?"
Her tone was wistful, dreamlike, as if she wasn't just staring at her friend, but at someone precious, something pure. Someone she viewed as the best thing in her entire life -
Ah.
Normally, Skara would have found it adorably charming - If, in her distracted state, Cat hadn't started cauterizing her uniform.
"Uh, Cat? " Skara asked. Cat apparently didn't hear. A small flame began to appear on her arm. "CAT?"
"Huh - Oh, TITAN!" Cat yelped as she realized what was happening. She cast another spell circle above the flame, and an ice pack fell onto it. It extinguished the flame with a hiss. "Are you alright, Skara?!"
There were a couple of seconds of absolute silence, in sheer disbelief at what had just happened. The silence just made everything feel more intense. Under the circumstances, yelling and screaming was the more expected response.
But Skara surprised everyone - Including herself.
The Bard just laughed .
"Pfffft!"
Both Cat and Bo looked towards one another, confused. "S - Skara?"
Maybe it was the sheer stress of everything that had happened over the last few weeks and of the last twenty-four hours in particular, and maybe she was just relieved to be back in Bonesborough, or maybe it was because of Cat being a complete disaster with Amelia, and the whole thing had tickled Skara - Or maybe it was just the irony of it all.
Whatever it was, Skara couldn't help but laugh!
"S - Sorry, sorry!" She giggled. "Just - I nearly freeze on the Knee, and then the moment I get back here, I nearly catch fire! Just - Pft!"
It probably didn't make even the slightest bit of sense to anyone else, but Skara honestly didn't care - Something about it just made the Bard laugh.
And she hadn't laughed in what felt like a very, very long time.
Well, actually, when she thought about it...
But don't worry - I got over it.
Another snicker escaped her.
"Er, well then," Cat said, through a slight, but very confused grin that had formed at the sight of Skara's laughter, "Aside from your... Odd response to catching fire - I really am sorry about that - other than the cuts and bruises you seem like you're in surprisingly good shape."
"Surprisingly?"
"Getting stuck on the Knee overnight, I'd honestly expected you to have some sign of frostbite, or kelvin's burn, or necrocicero, but you don't have any of them. Other than the cuts and bruises, physically, you're fine." With a wave of her hand, the Spell Circles dissipated, and she walked around the examination table so that she was in front of Skara. "The only thing that's concerning is the Spider-Yeti venom effects. I'll need to check with the senior Healers, but I think you'll need to be put on an antidote potion regimen for a week or two. So you're gonna have to wait around the place a bit while I get that sorted, but other than that, I think you're good to go."
Hopping off the examination table, Skara allowed herself to stretch her arms into the air once she stood upright. "Gotcha. Thanks, Cat."
"No problem." Cat answered. She allowed herself to turn her grin into the prideful smile synonymous with the Healing Track. For a moment, it remained. Then it fell.
A brief pause followed.
"...I'm glad you got back okay."
"...Thank you." Skara allowed herself to nod, gently. "Me too." Maybe she didn't properly know how best to respond to such shows of concern, but -
"Heeeeeyyyy... Where'd the snow kitty go?..."
Amelia piqued up once again from her bed, tossing around and demanding to know where her shape-shifting caretaker had gotten off to. The arm and leg that were hanging off the side of the bed were attempting to flail, but couldn't really manage to move more than a few inches. She almost looked like she was having a nightmare, but was too tired to really react to it.
A lone chuckle escaped the Bard as she turned to Cat. "I thought you were a unicorn lady a couple minutes ago?"
Cat let out a small, bemused sigh. "I honestly don't think she's even remotely aware of what she's saying right now." She looked over towards Amelia, a slight look of concern covering her face. Skara could tell it was the expression of someone who knew that the subject of their concern would be fine, but couldn't help but be worried either way. "I er... Do you two think you could, um, give us a bit of space? When she gets back to normal, I don't wanna have to explain to her that everyone heard every weird thing that she said while she was like this."
"Hey, my lips are sealed." Skara assured her, holding her hands up as if to show her sincerity. An idea popped into her head. "We okay to just walk around the place?"
"Yeah." Cat nodded. "I'll text you after I've got everything sorted."
"Got it." Skara turned to make her way out of the door, but then paused, before looking back. "...Thanks again, Cat."
"Hey, don't mention it."
Skara nodded, and both she and Bo made their way through the exit door, and found themselves in one of the many hallways of the Healers offices they were in. Both girls let out a small exhale of relief, partly at Skara's diagnosis, and partly because of being free from the comparatively cramped room. Accidents weren't exactly uncommon in the Boiling Isles, so Offices had to be fairly compact to be able to deal with the constant flow of people who had been bitten or poisoned or cursed or what-have-you on a daily basis.
Getting out of the room was, frankly, liberating. How Cat had been able to stand being cooped up in there every day looking after Amelia was beyond Skara.
Well, maybe "looking after Amelia" was the answer to her question..
"So... Cat and Amelia, huh?"
Bo just shrugged, and offered a knowing smile. Skara allowed herself a small chuckle, and the pair of them began to wander through the building, no real destination in mind.
The Healers Hospital was built in a similar way to Hexside, at least internally - Long corridors, arched ceilings, and large windows, though it was a bit more brightly coloured. The marble that made up the floor was a dark shade of purple, for instance, and every other window was made up of stained glass patterns, often in bizarre amalgamations of wild artistry that both impressed and slightly unnerved Skara..
For a few minutes, all Bo and Skara did was search the corridors. Skara's parents had wanted her to tell them when she was finished, but honestly, after everything, Skara just kinda wanted to wander aimlessly. While she loved her parents, she also knew that calling them back to get her would lead to a nonstop barrage of questions and hugs and honestly, she was a bit too tired for that right now.
So instead, she and Bo simply walked through the corridor in silence, observing other patients, watching the Healers make their rounds, and just losing themselves to their thoughts.
For a bit, Skara's mind only thought about her appointment and Cat's obvious crush and Bo being one of her best friends...
But soon, another, louder thought came in.
I hope Willow's doing well, Skara thought. Maybe... I could see?
Skara blinked. It wasn't the first thing she should have thought of. But for some reason, the idea of seeing Willow again, after everything that happened...
She thought it might be nice.
Turning to look at Bo, who was tilting her head in thought over one of the stained glass windows, Skara opened her mouth to ask if she knew where exactly Willow was-
Before she could though, she heard the pinging of her Scroll ring out. She and Bo both looked at one another. Cat already?
Skara summoned her Scroll and unravelled it, tapping the notification symbol and finding that the person who messaged her had, in fact, not been Cat.
It had been Boscha.
'Hey - Heard you got back from the Knee. Glad to hear you're alright. Sorry I couldn't join the search. I had to deal with Grudgby stuff at Hexside. Besides, I don't think Half-a-Witch's merry band of weirdos would approve. I'll see you at school.'
Skara blinked at the message, and then read it again. Then, she blinked again.
And then, she got mad .
Seriously? That's it?
It wasn't like Skara expected.... Much, but, well - How long had she and Boscha known each other? Years! Since they were kids. And she knew that this was how friendships worked, that she had gotten into that situation on the Knee herself and didn't exactly deserve a medal for having been rescued from it. It's not like Boscha had had an obligation to help, but Bo had, and had it not been for Amelia's condition, Cat would have too!
At the very least she could have come to see her in the hospital, right? Maybe Willow -
A pause. A sigh, and then the anger was gone. Boscha was probably right. She couldn't exactly see them getting along with Willow's friends while they were searching. And from how her own parents had acted towards the Parks, she had to guess things had been tense enough within the rescue group. And if she were being honest, the idea of the people who were trying to rescue her constantly arguing wasn't one she was all too fond of.
I guess... Maybe it had been for the best. Besides.. .
It wasn't like she had an obligation to help.
"Skara, what is it?" Bo asked suddenly, her hand landing on the Bard's shoulder. Skara felt herself jolt at the touch, and turned to face her friend. "You looked... Upset for a minute there."
"O - Oh." Skara blinked, and then shook her head. "No, sorry, I just - I got a message from Boscha, that's all."
Bo's expression fell ever-so-slightly. "Oh. Yeah. We told her that we were going to help look for you, but she said she was... Busy."
"With Grudgby."
This time, Bo blinked. "With what?"
"Grudgby." Skara repeated. "Y'know, the sport that puts way more people in the Healers care than any sport should - "
"I know what it is." Bo clarified. "She... Couldn't come help because of a sports game?"
"Well, there's a game against Glandus soon, and Boscha gets pretty focused on beating them like, every year, so..."
As Skara spoke, Bo's hand raised up to scratch her head, and her expression continued to shift into...
...Angry confusion was probably the best way to describe it.
"I thought she was like, being dragged out by her parents or something. Just... I don't - In what world is Grudgby more important than helping your friend?!"
"That's... Just how Boscha is. She takes Grudgby really seriously." Skara answered, frankly a little surprised by how upset Bo seemed to be by that answer. "Boscha doesn't get on with any of Willow's friends, so, like, I dunno if her going along with you would have helped much anyway! Wasn't everyone fighting before you found us?"
It looked like Bo wanted to shout something in response to that, but her brain caught up to her before she could. She paused for a couple of seconds, before she let out a sigh. "...I guess you're right. But, still though."
Skara let herself sigh as well. Somehow, she hadn't expected such a... Lively response.
They continued to walk down the corridors, and for a few moments, they did so in total silence. Eventually though, Skara's surprise turned into a curiosity.
"...Hey er, you mind if I ask you something?" She asked.
Bo turned and looked at her, with a raised eyebrow. "Sure. Ask away."
"Why... Did you help the others look for us?"
Again, Bo's expression changed.
Notably, it changed in the same way that Willow's had last night.
"...Because we're friends?" She sounded... Confused by the question. "Why?"
"...I - It's nothing."
Clearly, Bo didn't buy that answer, but good luck saved Skara - another ping from a Scroll filled the air around them, this time from Bo's. The Healer blinked, and called forth her own Scroll. When she saw the message she had received, she scowled, then sighed.
"I... I've gotta go." She revealed. "My moms want me back home. I... Kind of didn't tell them where I was going today, so... "
"It's fine." Skara assured her, giving her a small smile and a nod. "I'll be alright on my own."
"You sure? I can try and tell them I'm busy - "
"I'm sure. Really. I'm not totally helpless, you know." Skara's smile spread a little wider. "Thank you, though."
Bo sideyed the hallway, as if deep in thought. Then, before Skara knew what was happening next, Bo closed the difference between the two and pulled her into a hug.
"Okay. Look after yourself. I'll see you when you're back at Hexside, okay?"
"Y... Yeah." Skara paused for a moment, and then hugged her friend back. "I'll see you then."
She then watched as her friend made her way down the hallway. Before she passed into a turn, she looked back and waved her friend goodbye, before leaving the Bard's line of sight.
For a short while, Skara just stood there. Thinking. Remembering.
'What do you think friends do, exactly?'
'It sounds like you're talking about a real, honest friend who's more of one then Boscha and her gang ever have been.'
'...Skara ...Look... Maybe friendship isn't just... about being powerful or the top or whatever. Maybe it's about caring for each other, about helping build each other up without any power dynamic stuff involved. Maybe it's about more than just social hierarchies and the like. That's how it is with me and my friends, and... Maybe I don't have as many of them, but... I don't think that there's anything we wouldn't do for each other.'
It was... Hard not to hear Willow's voice in her head as she thought back on their conversation.
She hadn't expected... Any one in her group to come looking for her. Not really. It was a situation that she had gotten herself into, and it should have been down to her to get herself out of it. At best, if a rescue team did come, she had expected it to be organized by the school. And when it turned out it was full of Willow's friends and her parents, that had been about as much as she had expected. She hadn't expected to see Bo with them. Nor hear that Cat had been willing to go along with them. It surprised her. It felt...
...Nice. To know that people were so concerned for her. It wasn't what she was used to, but it was... Nice to know that some of her friends were willing to come to help her like that.
And... Knowing that some weren't was...
Her mind drifted, remembering the entire scene of the rescue as a whole. A small smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the jubilation everyone expressed. But then, it fell, when she remembered how her parents had acted. Particularly towards Willow.
They weren't bad people - Not in the slightest. They were always there for Skara when she needed them, and they listened and supported her whenever she needed them to. Skara honestly struggled to remember an incident where they had even raised their voices at her. She knew they loved her. That they were proud of her...
But how they had treated Willow...
Willow didn't deserve that. Sure, they apologized, but... Now that it was in her head again...
She glanced back down the hallway, and looked at the wall with all the doors leading into rooms.
Hmmmm, she thought to herself. I wonder where Willow is...
________________
The sudden light shot in Willow's eyes, practically blinding the already near-sighted Witch. Her body reflexively recoiled, but she tried to sit straight and look into the light, though she had to squint to do so.
"So, any headaches, nausea, fevers?"
"Nope." Willow answered.
"Any tears, scrapes, or bruises I haven't seen yet?"
"None that I can feel."
"Any wyrms, ticks, or fleas in your coat?"
"Er.... No?"
"Y'sure? I could have sworn I saw like, five of each in your hair when you came in."
"...Uhhhh..."
"Hah!, Just messing with ya. Little Beastkeeping humor."
Willow had to admit - She wasn't sure if she even understood what the punchline was supposed to be.
Viney chuckled at her own joke as she clapped her hands over the ball of light, the orb disappearing betwixt them. As Willow rubbed her eyes, the student Healer - very specifically recommended to her by Luz - walked over to the counter, picking up a small pad and paper.
"Alright, you're good, kid. For the most part, anyway. I wanna prescribe you a potion to help keep any residual venom in check, but aside from that, you seem pretty much good to go." She scribbled something onto the paper before handing it to the Plant Witch. "Just give this to Morton in town, he'll give ya something to help with it. Take all of it, even if you feel totally fine, and even if it tastes like sand and blood."
"R-Right." Willow agreed, putting the slip in her pocket. Somehow, she had a feeling she wasn't going to like this particular batch of potions. "So um, am I free to go?"
Viney nodded with a smirk, and a mini salute. "Yup, so long as you take your medicine, you've got Doctor Viney's seal of approval. Healthy as a Huphleback."
"WOO-HOO!"
Both Healer and patient looked towards the door, the all-too-familiar, energetic voice making both smile. Somehow, neither of them were in the slightest surprised to know that it's owner had been listening in as close as she could.
"Hey, Luz," Viney chuckled. "If your friend is cool with it-" Viney paused for a moment while she turned to Willow, asking her permission without needing to say a word. Willow nodded in response. Viney smirked, and turned back to the door. "-Alright, y'can come in now if you'd-"
Viney wasn't even able to finish inviting them in before Luz barrelled through the door, followed closely by Amity and Gus. For the briefest of moments after they saw Willow again, they just stood there, like they still needed to register that their friend was here, and had somehow managed to get out of the situation she had landed herself into. Like they had expected to learn that something was wrong with her, and it wasn't quite real yet that she really was totally fine, and back with them again. .
Of course, Luz was the first one to recover.
"WILLOW!" Essentially leaping towards her, Luz all but crushed Willow as she pulled her into the biggest bear hug the Plant Witch could physically imagine -Although somehow, that probably was probably nothing compared to what Luz was capable of. "Oh my God Willow I was so worried about you!"
"I am never letting you go!" Gus choked out, his voice a clear indication of the tears he'd been shedding, and was continuing to shed.
Even Amity joined in, giving Willow a tight squeeze as she hugged her. "Oh, I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"
Willow couldn't help but chuckle, even as all her friends crushed her ribs. It was nice to feel wanted, at least.
Still, they really were crushing her.
"G - Guys... Kind of... Can't.... Breathe...."
Immediately, most of the hug-pile loosened their grip - Although Luz did give her one final squeeze before she let go - and let the poor girl take a breath. Willow still felt all the love from before, now just with about twice the lung capacity.
"Alright, buds," Viney interrupted, though with a clear smile on her face. " I've got a hot date tonight, and you've all got parents to get to and drive insane, so, I think it's time you guys took your big hug pile outside."
"Sure!" Luz agreed, and wrapped an arm around Willow's neck, and the other around Amity's. "Ready, bud?"
Willow smiled, and nodded. "Absolutely." She wrapped her own arm around Luz's neck, then her other arm around Gus's. "Thanks, miss-"
"Oh, Viney's fine." She waved off Willow's attempted formality with a smile. "And hey, it was my pleasure."
"Hey, Viney!" Luz asked as she led her friends out the door. "Still up for Troublemakers Tuesday, right?"
"When am I not? "Viney smirked, and offered a small wave as they exited the room.
Luz waved back, and after a couple of seconds, the door swung shut. The moment it did, Luz stopped the group and turned her head to Willow. "Tell me everything ! I want every little embarrassing detail!"
"Eh? W - Well-"
"Are you hurt?" Amity asked, taking Willow's face in her hand. "Did that Yeti-Spider hurt you?!"
"Amity," Willow deadpanned, her voice slightly muffled by Amity's hands. "A Healer literally just said I was okay, and I feel totally fine."
"Just, you know, trying to be thorough." Amity let go, slightly awkwardly. "Wanted to make sure you were really okay."
"You're fine." Willow chuckled, and patted the nervous Blight on the back. "Thanks for checking."
"Sapling?"
Willow looked up to spot her fathers turning the corner, in an almost sprint, like they'd had to run here. Like her friends had done, there was a brief half-second where both parties just stared at one another as they registered the other's presence.
This time, Willow was the one who broke the stalemate.
"Papa! Dad!" She smiled again, running up to her parents and giving her Papa the biggest hug she could the moment that he was in arm's reach. Almost the moment that she did so, her Papa wrapped his arms around his daughter, tight as he dared, still afraid if he held her too tight, he'd hurt her.
"Are you feeling okay, Willow?" Her dad asked from behind the two of them, a clear worry still present in his voice.
"I feel... Tired. But I'm okay aside from that."
"What did the Healer say?"
"They said I was all good to go. I got a prescription for a light healing potion for the venom, but that's all."
"Oh, thank the Titan. I was so worried about you." The slightest smile , that only Willow and her Papa would recognise. " heard you'd have to lose all of your left side..."
As soon as Willow realized what he was doing, she couldn't stop herself from smirking. "Nah..."
And apparently, Luz noticed. "Oh please no."
"....Turns out I'm all right!"
Groans followed all around as Willow finished the joke. She and her parents were grinning ear to ear and chuckling, while everyone around her looked almost physically disgusted, like they'd been slapped with garbage.
"Well." Amity stated, clasping her hands fiercely together. "It's been a fun time for all involved," she said in a way that bluntly told Willow that her dad's humor was... Not her style. "But I think we should probably start heading out. Agreed?"
"The sooner I never have to hear another dad joke the better..." Luz grumbled.
"Yeah," Gus stated. "I uh... I think we should head out now."
"Good with us," Willow's papa stated. "Just gotta sign some stuff in the waiting room and we'll be all set. Sprout?"
Willow paused. She wanted to say yes, but something, for the briefest of moments, stopped her.
What about Skara? Is she gonna be okay? Should I go look for her? Should I...
But Willow stopped. She knew that bringing up Skara here would be a... particularly sore subject. Especially with her folks to listen in...
So Willow simply smiled and nodded. "Sure," she stated. "Let's go."
________________
"You didn't even find your orb?"
Luz's expression was a mixture between disappointed, and utter confusion. The confusion at least, Willow shared.
"No?" She blinked. "We found an orb, but we found the wrong one."
"...How did you even manage that?" Amity questioned. "The maps led you to where your orb was, and told you where you were in relation to it at pretty much all times."
"I have no idea." Willow shrugged. "We must have taken a wrong turn, or I must have misread it or... Something, I don't know what happened, but we found the wrong orb."
The Reception area for the Healers Offices was packed, with only a few seats free. Thankfully, the chairs Willow and her friends had been able to snag were better than the ones on the opposing walls; the ones they sat on were wood, while those on the opposite end were literally living, breathing flesh molds, covered in stitches and large, unsettling eyes. Plus, they were extremely uncomfortable.
Both Willow's Dads were busy signing off a bunch of various forms and pieces of paperwork up at the front desk, and apparently the sheer number of release forms they needed to sign was... Frankly absurd. So Willow and her friends had found some seats, and waited for them to wrap it all up. During the downtime, Luz had asked Willow about her and Skara's orb. Why Luz cared was still a mystery to Willow, but she went along with it either way.
"I'd thought something happened to you during your orb journey that made you and Skara get lost." Amity said. "Or that it knocked you both out or something. I thought that was what Skara meant when she said she tried to sleep in the snow?"
"No she was being... Very literal when she said that." Willow deadpanned.
"Shoot." The Human sighed. "I wanted to hear what crazy, embarrassing stuff happened to you on your orb journey."
"Yeah, I was going to ask about that." Willow said, looking towards Luz. "I was wondering what you meant when you said you wanted to hear about 'embarrassing details'." An eyebrow was raised. "Why, did something embarrassing happen to you in your - "
"We do not speak of what I saw." Luz answered completely without any emotion whatsoever, staring off into the distance like she was remembering some great horror. "That goes to the grave with me."
"....Ooookay then. Amity, what about you?"
"I just remember something about a princess that I had to help Gus rescue?... And then something about sun worship? And then the words "Game Over ' appeared in red before I came out of it?... It's all... Kind of a blur to me, to be honest." Amity shrugged. "You'd have better luck asking Gus."
"Well, that would have been good to know twenty minutes ago." Willow drily joked. Gus's dad had had to take him back home not too long after they had arrived at the reception - Something to do with his job and some surprise home inspection of some sort, the specifics hadn't been all that clear, but Gus needed to be there. He hadn't left until he'd given his friend as big a hug as he could manage, and promised her he'd call her the first chance he got. "I'll ask him when I hear from him." She added on, assuring her friend.
Just then, a ping from Amity's scroll sounded, and the Abomination Witch summoned it into her hand.
"What did you do this time Ed?" She asked, plainly. "No, I don't think you called just to say hi, I know you." She sounded frustrated, as if she knew for a fact something had gone wrong.
There were a couple of seconds of silence as Amity's siblings spoke on the other side of the Scroll. Amity's eyebrows raised as she listened.
"What, you mean the cauldron that's been brewing in my room for the last three days?" A slight pause, during which Amity's eyebrows fell, and she looked thoroughly unimpressed. "No, Ed. I've got no idea what that was doing in there." She sighed. "What did you do to it?"
Another pause, during which Amity just continued to look more and more unimpressed, until finally, her head just fell into her open palm.
"How did you even - What did you - urgh. I swear, if you two don't get yourselves killed first, I'm going to kill you." Amity pinched her nose and sighed. "Look, I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Go nowhere near anything alive, and don't leave the house." Another pause. " Yes that means don't go near mother!"
She shut off her phone and sighed.
"Urgh.... Titan's Mercy... Those two will be the death of me." She turned to her friends, biting her lip. "Hey... So I wanted to stick around but-"
"Oh!" Luz said, shooting upright. "I - I'll go with ya! Make sure you get there okay and that nothing too crazy is happening when you get there!" Then she paused. "Oh, wait, Willow - "
"It's okay." Willow said, waving a dismissive hand and smiling. "Really. You take care of whatever insane thing your siblings did. I'll see you guys soon, okay?"
Luz and Amity both looked at one another for a moment. Luz looked like she was kicking herself for acting without thinking and wanted to protest, but didn't want to push against what Willow said, given everything that had happened.
"A... Alright." She finally said. "But first chance we get, we're celebrating you getting home safe!"
Willow chuckled. "Alright, Luz. I'll see you both later!"
Both of them waved back towards Willow as they left, and Willow waved back, smiling. As the door shut behind them all, though, Willow's arm fell, and she sighed. He sat there, waiting for the hopefully inevitable end of the paperwork her dads were getting through.. Though, for whatever reason, it seemed to be taking... Quite a bit. As the minutes passed and Willow could feel herself getting older with each, she thought about the Cabin. And Skara. And everything that had happened in their little adventure.
"Alright." Willow's papa's voice stated, grabbing Willow's attention, and she looked up to see her dads sliding a stack of papers to a very bored looking receptionist. "All three-hundred-sixty-five forms, signed in triplicate, initialled in the corners, and with a small drop of blood as each period. Is that everything?"
The bored, reptilian receptionist took the stack, flipped through them faster then Willow could blink, and sighed. "You missed thirty-four periods, but sure, you're fine."
She then took the papers and threw them into a nearby fleshy trash can, which swallowed the papers whole.
Her dad appeared to be rightfully irritated at the wasted time - And blood- but her papa rubbed his back gingerly. "Forget about it, Rowan." He said. "Let's just get our little girl home and have a nice night in."
His husband looked as if he wanted to protest, but stopped, looking at his daughter, and smiled. "Yeah. That does sound nice."
Willow jumped out of her seat and stretched. "It certainly does. 'Specially when you're tired like me."
Her dad's chuckled as they walked to the exit way.
A yawn managed to escape Willow when she and her fathers made their way out of the hospital. It had been an eventful couple of days, and a particularly eventful morning, between the attack, and the tests and checks that she'd been subjected to to make sure she was okay. Frankly, she was looking forward to being able to go home, and just take a nap.
Just as she stepped out of the building, a voice called from behind her, "Willow!"
She recognized the voice instantly. She knew exactly who to expect, but as she turned, she couldn't help still being a little surprised. "Skara?"
Her parents turned as well, and all three of them saw the Bard in a light jog, stopping a couple meters away from Willow. For a moment, she didn't say anything, needing to catch her breath. Apparently, she had been moving throughout the building like that for a while, at least.
Once she had her breath back, she stood upright, and spoke. "I er, I asked the receptionist where you were. Wanted to catch you before you left."
"Well... You managed it." Willow said, matter-of-factly, still a little surprised - In the back of her head, she was aware that this was the first time that Skara had willingly approached her since... Any of this had begun. "What is it?"
"I..." Skara looked slightly past Willow, and saw both her fathers watching the two of them, both looking a mixture of confused and suspicious at her which honestly, after what she saw her own parents do when they found her, she couldn't exactly blame them for. She couldn't help but feel a whole lot smaller for it. They were close enough to hear if she spoke with her normal voice, so she lowered it to a whisper. "...You er... It okay if we speak on our own?"
Willow blinked a couple of times, and there was a brief pause.
Then, she turned around. "Dad, Papa? Could you... Give us a moment, please?"
Both her parents looked at one another for a moment, exchanging glances that Willow couldn't quite make out from this angle. A couple of seconds later, they both shifted, and looked back towards Willow, giving her a short nod.
"We'll wait for you on the other side of the street." Her papa told her, before moving off. Her dad stood there for a moment, before his husband gently pulled on his shoulder, bringing him along as he walked away.
A couple of moments later, they were out of earshot, and Skara let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thanks."
"It's fine. What is it?"
"Right, er..." Skara scratched at the back of her heck, and looked away. "I... I wanted to say sorry for my parents again."
"Oh?" Willow blinked. Somehow that was... Not what she had been expecting.
Then again, she wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting in the first place.
"Yeah. I - Look, they're not... Normally like that." She shuffled her feet, eyes downcast. "They were worried about me and when they're worried they get kinda like that, but..." She looked back towards Willow. "...You didn't deserve how they talked to you, so... I'm sorry about that."
"That - You don't need to apologize for that, Skara. That wasn't your fault."
"Still..."
"...Well... Don't worry about it." Willow offered a small smile. She had been surprised and honestly, a little scared by the way that Skara's parents had acted towards her - They'd been very angry, and very loud - But...
"It wasn't your fault, really. You're fine.."
Skara managed to offer up a small smile back at Willow, but it fell, and she glanced to the side again. "Well, I... I know I said it last night but, about how I treated you while we were up there... And these last few weeks..."
"...You've been having a... Rough time. I understand." Willow offered another small smile. "Plus, I lost my temper a couple of times too..."
"You lost your temper after I acted like an idiot." Skara deadpanned.
Something about the absolute bluntness of how Skara had said it made Willow let out a laugh. "Fair enough, but still."
"Well, either way, I don't think -" A pause. "...I know that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten out of that mess alive, so..."
"...Like I said yesterday. We'll call it even."
"...I'll think about it."
Willow blinked. "Huh?"
"About what you said. About... Friends, I guess." Skara seemed to struggle to look at Willow, but she made herself face the Plant Witch as she spoke. "You said it weeks ago and I ignored it. But after everything that's happened..."
Her smile returned.
"...I'll think about it."
In that moment, the pair of them knew that there wasn't anything else for them to say to one another, but they stayed that way for a moment regardless. It was comfortable.
It was nice.
"I'll er, I'll let you get going." Skara broke the silence first. Her eyes had left Willow, and were now over her shoulder again. "I think your dads want to get you home."
Checking over her shoulder, Willow could see the pair of them watching the two schoolmates. They both had a slightly impatient and worried expression. She let out a small sigh, and smiled. "I guess so."
She turned, and began to make her way towards the pair of them.
"Hey, Willow?" Skara called out again.
Once again, Willow turned to look back towards the Bard.
"...See you at Hexside."
The smile returned. "See you there."
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Night had fallen upon the Knee.
The sky was dotted with as many stars as there were flakes of snow surrounding a small cabin. It was a small place, wooden and old, older than almost anyone who lived on the Isles today. It had stood for so long, foundations as strong as the day they were first laid, and had remained virtually untouched over the years, for so few ever ventured to the Knee in search of anything but an escape from their mortal coil.
But now, it had been touched.
No. Not just touched.
Torn apart.
On its own, the cabin stood, silent, dark, for hours after the Witches who had used it to escape the blizzard had left it in ruins during their fight with the monsters of the Knee. In all that time, nothing shifted or changed, save for the snow entering through the wind. It was still. Vacant.
Empty.
And then, a soft, ethereal light could be seen by any living thing close enough to peer through the windows, or look through the hole in the wall. It was followed by a light, musical hum, that extended just beyond the cabin itself. Had anyone been there to hear it, they would have described it as a sweet sound. Almost motherly, like a lullaby.
Then, the humming stopped
Now, the cabin had been touched.
And it had been robbed.
The ethereal light pulsates briefly. Then stopped.
And then, it wailed, a wail so loud that the mirrors shattered and the walls shook, and for a second, one might even fear the entire mountain itself was shaking.
Then, it stopped.
The shattered pieces of the wall became coated in the same mysterious, ethereal glow that had glowed moments before. One by one, the debris began to float. The pieces began clicking together, being slotted back in place, leaving the outside of the cabin appearing as if it had never been touched.
The glow died.
The wail remained.
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QosmicQuartz - This chapter was more difficult than it should have been why was this more difficult that it should have been - But we're finally done with the cabin arc - Next up is an arc I am very much looking forward to for it's various shenanigans, hyuk hyuk.
Skarlow Art of the week - Flower Rescue - https://twitter.com/Yenzuxy/status/1388530539813130241?s=20
DesmondKane - And thus ends the Cabin arc. But fret not, dear reader, for we have plenty more fun and adventures in store for our fair heroines. We're planning some big stuff around the corner, and we hope you'll stick around as me and Q continue to bring you the best Skarlow we can!
Skarlow Song of the Chapter -I I Hear a Symphony by Code Fry