Emira: Titan's balls Edric, I told you not to push me!
Edric: Wasn't my fault you have short legs!
Emira: Says the clumsy one!
They continue to argue, almost giving the unnoticed girl a chance to back off and run away from them. But her traitorous body felt like lead, heart pounding almost out of her chest. She can't decide what to feel; elated? Damn right she is. Nervous? Who wouldn't? Afraid? Of what, she doesn't know.
However, she's aware how much she wants to be known, to shout to the skies that hey, she's alive, and she's their flesh and blood. But she's a traitor to herself. She pounds the whining attention over the darkest pit of her mind.
There's time for it, not until she can confidently say she's a Blight. Not until she can find her... parents and pull the confession from them. Temper, temper... Madelene hoped it will be soon.
Nonetheless, she shrugs the thoughts out and huffs.
Madelene: U-Um... you two good?
She started, voice wavering but unnecessarily detached. Madelene felt her hands twitching to touch them, so she placed it on her pockets, reigning it in. It burns not to address them as her siblings. It's maddening. There they are, but it seems like they are so far away.
Emira: Dang, watch where you're crouching, you.
Madelene: I-I-
Madelene stopped, thinking the words over. She frowned after, realizing how... accusing it is. But no matter, it's a way out of her misery. She let aloofness fade, a familiar grin on her face showing.
Madelene: ... . Shouldn't that be 'watch where you're going '?
Emira: Is that all you have to... say...
Hearing the teasing on her voice, Emira stands up rubbing her head and that golden eyes locked into burgundy. There, Madelene knows she's screwed.
Emira blinked too many times, almost shivering-
*SPLAT*
Emira: What the- EDRIC!
-until Edric throws mud on Emira's dumbfounded face.
Edric: Aha! Point for me!
He stands up, dodging Emira's wild arms as he puts Madelene between them, face as dumbfounded as Emira's.
Emira: You ass!
Edric: All is fair on love and war sister!
Having enough of their cat and mice interaction, Madelen's face crunches into an unamused expression. She gets why Amity's too tired of them now.
Madelene: What are you, five?
She murmurs as a ball of mud flies past her hitting Edric in the midsection making him call "time-out" as he turns around to nurse his stomach.
Emira: No time-outs!
Emira threw another ball of mud that hit her brother in the back of his head making him face plant. Madelene shakes off the dirt that stuck on her arm.
Emira: That's what you get for throwing mud on my face!
Madelene sighs as she goes around the fallen Blight to help him up.
Madelene: Need a hand?
Edric: Augh, my face....
Madelene would have called it a groan if only he did not sprout grass out of his mouth. With a careless breath, Edric looks up and see's Madelene's hand, opting to take it; she helps him up.
Edric: Thanks- Wait... Oh! It's you... sorry, I didn't catch your name before.
Madelene: Nah, it's cool. Name's Madelene. Sup, Blight brother.
He pulled a face at that, but still continued.
Edric: Edric. And that goof is Emira. Amity not with you then?
Madelene: Please, I'm just one of her many friends.
Edric: Eh. You're a big deal if Amity lets you inside our house I guess.
Madelene: ... Is that a good or bad thing?
Edric: Depends on where you stand, honestly.
She tensed up as an arm placed itself on her shoulder. She let it be as Madelene looked at Edric quizzically, what's that supposed to mean?
Emira: You know each other? Pretty cozy here.
Edric: Nah. Saw her come out of Amity's room some nights ago. Totally a normal encounter.
Madelene felt her tensed up, if Emira's not touching her she wouldn't even notice how her arm turns rigid as it slowly extract itself on her person, crossing her arms on her chest.
Emira: ... And you didn't tell me?
Ah shite. It sounds like Camilla. Is this what they say as Momma's voice? Why'd Emira speak like that though?
Edric: Should I?
Emira: Ed-
Edric: Oh, what's that!?
Emira: EDRIC! We're not finished!
Madelene snorts in amusement as Emira gawked at her twin, scampering back to the woods. The green haired witch put a palm on her temple, contemplating life. As if shaking those thoughts out of her head, Emira looked at Madelene once more, eyes impossibly searching, almost in a catatonic state of disbelief and wariness.
Emira: ... Sorry about that. Ed and I can get a bit.... competitive sometimes.
Madelene: I-it's no problem.... Sisters and brothers, heh. I kinda got that a lot at my last school.
Emira: Last?
Madelene: Oh, just going to start studying at Hexside. Whenever the time comes that is.
Emira: Not to sound like a creep but,why are you here anyway?
Madelene: Will you believe me that I let a bus leave me, but a friend ditch me so Imma still go to Glandus anyway, wherever that is? I pretty much bet someone, and the gal's pretty much rope me in watching the game.
Emira: Welp, what a terrible coincidence, huh.
Madelene:Hm?
Emira seems to be debating with what she'll say, but with a shrug of unconcern she reveals their side of the story.
Emira: Ed got asked out to meet before the bus goes to Glandus. Bastard didn't show up, so we're walking there as well. Some classmate of mine bet me some money over Hexside, so I'm going to go there and get my reward.
Madelene: Haha. What a... coincidence.
A long silence ensues. Welp, this is awkward.
Em: Say, where are you from again?
Madelene: Oh, I... you know, I grew up in the human world.
Emira: Yeah? How did that happen?
She leaned almost nose to nose with Madelene.
Madelene: U-uh- getting pretty close right there, girl-
Emira: You have pretty burgundy eyes, you know that?
Madelene blinks, tilting her head to the side.
M: Thank you?
Em: U-huh, I knew one person who had that color as well.
M: Heh, must be rare then?
She laughed nervously, shuffling backwards at Emira's scrutinizing eyes. The older witch blinks at the present, backing away herself.
Emira: Oh, sorry. I just... you really look like my s-
Edric: Emira! I caught a baby goat!
Almost on instinct, Emira turns around, cupping her hands at her mouth to shout back at her twin.
Emira: Oh for the love of-! Edric, don't eat that!
Edric: I'm not eating it! I just saw it!
MAAHHHHH!!!!!
Edric: Oh shoo-
Madelene: OOGH!
Madelene froze as a force slammed on her stomach, making her cross her arms to hold the object close and doubled over in pain. She sputtered, quickly raising the object in front of her to see that- yup, it's a goat. With three eyes, And incredibly sharp horns that almost poke her with it.
The baby goat didn't wrestle out of her grasp, surprising Madelene. She guesses the goat's pretty much smart if it knows Edric just threatened its life. Madelene and the goat locked gazes, and once more, Madelene thought as if she had seen this creature before. Or better yet, she felt the creeping familiarity with it.
Edric: You good, girl?
Madelene: Could have gone better, but yeah.
Emira: That's... Edric?
Edric: Yeah?
Emira: That's a palisman you idiot.
Madelene: It is?!
Edric: Oh shame, you're right!
Mah!
Madelene: Whoa... what's it doing out here?
She inspected it thoroughly, turning the palisman this and that. Fortunately, the creature didn't see it as an annoyance, letting Madelene have her way with its form.
Edric: Palisman's roam the forest, believe it or not. Sometimes witches carved their own palisman's, but palismans don't die like witches. Some just went out and saw the world.
Emira: Exercising your beast keeping knowledge, Ed?
Edric: Oh shut up. Palismans are not beasts, their companions! And you know what they are good at?
Curious, I shift my focus towards them both, letting Edric pull the goat again as it thrashes about.
Madelene: You're not going to say food are you?
Edric: What? No! You're a bigger monster than a beast if you can eat a palisman! What I'm going to say is that they, are really gooood- wait for itttt-
Madelene leaned forward, curious as he let the words stretch. Emira rolled her eyes, butting in at her twin's dramatics.
Emira: -transportation, is what he will say.
Edric: Dang it, Em! Way to kill the mood!
Madelene: Oh, yeah. Eda's pretty much using Owlbert all the time.
Edric: Ooh~ That's what she proclaimed, fufufu
Emira: Ed, that is both cringe and disgusting, even for you.
Edric: Oh come on!
Madelene bit her cheeks not to laugh at their dynamics. Gosh, is this what she's been robbed of all along? But if they really want to watch the match, they need to get going now. She barely registered as the baby goat got freed again and jumped high to settle on her head, Madelene's mind elsewhere.
Madelene: Hey, Emira?
Emira: Yea?
Madelene: Should we all go together? As much as I'm really really enjoying this shenanigans, I have a bet to win.
Emira: Same. But Edric's right though. We have good transportation right here.
Madelene: Um.... should the palisman have consent whether they want to help us, right?
Emira: Well, it's attached to you at least.
Madelene: Huh.
Madelene lifts a hand, patting the goat at her head as it nuzzles softly at her palm.
Madelene: But how do we get it to help us? We don't even have a staff!
Emira and Edric both give each other a smirk, before leaning into her face- uncomfortably mischievous.
Ed and Emira: Do you trust us?
Madelene gulped. She has a feeling she'll get into trouble.
Madelene: S-sure!
Biggest understatement of her life.
With a hesitant smile, Madelene clasp Edric and Emira's hands with her own, thinking, what could go wrong?
—-
Everything.
Everything is wrong!
Madelene: Oh, god, I'm gonna die!
Emira: Don't worry, I know some healing magic!
Madelene: It won't calm me!
Edric: Just hold still, we're getting there!
Emira: Edric, don't- why are you choking the palisman!?
Edric: I want it to slow down!
Madelene: That's not how this works! Who the effing balls thought this is going to be good!?
Emira: Well, apparently if we give the idiot a chance, he'll do what he can to kill all of us! Right, Edric!?
Edric: What!? The current's too strong! I can't hear youuuu!
Madelene: Oh Lord, have mercy on my soul.
—-----
Commentator: And Hexsides team captain weaves through Glandus, easily avoiding their tackles, not even the obstacles can stop her advance.
Boscha reeled back her arm ready to throw but just before she could aim properly.
???: IIIINNNNN-
Boscha: What the-
Commentator: And she throws it!
*DTHONK*
Commentator: And it hits the post!
???: COMINGGGG!!!!!
Boscha: Titan's BEARD!
She dash to the side, hair's breadth of being smack down the dirt as three masses skid from the sky towards the dirt like a shooting star. The field was filled with murmur as the smoke didn't disappear entirely. But for the blasters coming in different directions, Bscha only has eyes for one silhouette face planted on the floor, ass raised in the air as if trying to salvage any decorum left on its feet.
Boscha: W- Madelene!? What the hell!?
Edric: We're here!
Emira: Ow... my back....
Madelene: ..... I wanna throw up....
Boscha's not really sure, but she swear she just heard Amity screaming bloody murder from the bench
Commentator: Well folks! It seems that a few things have been disrupting our game! If the non-players please- wait.... Would you look at that! Glandus captain is on the move for the rusty smidge!
Boscha managed to turn her head from the entanglement and see that Glandus' captain is going for Rusty Smidge while everyone was preoccupied with the commotion caused by the game crashers.
Boscha: No no no no no no! Team, stop her!
She tried to intercept the other team, but what do you know, Edric and Emira used that time to entangle each other and step out of the way of the players.
Boscha then jumped from the tangle, but like the stupid girl that Madelene is, the girl then stands up suddenly now, accidentally headbutting Boscha on her vulnerable eye.
Madelene: Oh, shoot! SORRY!
Madelene covered her mouth apologetically.
Boscha: Why you-! SKARA!
Nursing her now blackening third eye she called out for Skara to intercept.
Skara: I'm on it!
And dare she did. The brown skinned girl tackled the Glandus captain, and the rusty smidge got away out of the field, baring its score as null. Boscha would have crooned in victory, if only she remembered that the rusty smidge isn't the only thing that is going to make or break the game.
She looks at the time board. Five seconds. She would have laughed. She really does.... But they prioritize their attention to the smidge rather than the ball. A ball which was thrown at the last second.... With Glandus gaining one point at the last second leaving the score 13 - 1.
It doesn't matter that the score favors Hexside. Boscha damn knows they will bag the trophy that day. What she does not accept though, is being cheated on.
She might have won the war, but Madelene won the bet.
—---
Principal Bump: I am so disappointed with you two! This is the championship, I have thought as much that you will restrain yourselves! And you have dragged someone unto your activities! Truly, shame on you two!
I know I should've been sympathetic towards them, not being innocent as they thought I was, but my mind stresses that I might have escaped the whole family problem thing, but knowing that I did something wrong for Boscha to unhand the betting we had is just... wrong.
I have seen her face back then, unreadable and unreachable. That's the worse part. She should've been angry, or accusing or even demanding our bet to be called off. But seeing her devoid of such responses chills me to the bone. She just left and did not look back.
And now, I felt like an arse. Both to the twins and to Boscha. Why do I have to be the conduit of misfortune to them? Am I that unlucky today?
Amity: Madelene?
I didn't raise my head from my knees, I've done enough damage to destroy the others. I don't think I need another one to be a victim of my misfortune.
But Amity... mittens just...
Madelene: You know...
I slowly giggled, feeling her awkward pats on my head as she kneels next to me.
Madelene: A for effort, mittens. But you're not good at comforting, are you?
Amity: Well... I could recite the Periodic Table of the Titan if you want to?
Made: Mittens.. That's worse... that's like, for geniuses and I'm just this... dumbo who can't get anything right.
Amity: How so? I know Ed and Em can really be persuasive. Not even someone's genius could stop their stupidity from polluting the others.
Madelene: But I jumped the gun with them, I'm partially to blame.
Amity:.... What's a gun?
She tilts her head in confusion.
Madelene: Ugh... nevermind. Just know that I'm not really feeling it today.
Amity: Well... what's going to cheer you up then?
Madelene: Ugh, I don't know? Right my wrongs?
Amity: To whom?
Madelene: Ed and Em-
Amity: Don't bother, they can fend for themselves. Who else?
I blinked at her.
Madelene: ....You're really scary sometimes, mittens
Amity: I know. Who else?
If there's someone I need to right a wrong, it's gotta be her.
Madelene: ... Boscha?
Amity: .....
Madelene:...
Amity: Boscha. The three- eyed-
Madelene: Well I just can't help it, ya know! I feel so guilty! We have this really good chemistry and betting like what eff's! And then! And then! I ruined it for us!
Amity: Ruined what?
Madelene: Her chance at winning!
Amity: I'm really confused right now.
Madelene: I want her to win the bet, dang it!
Amity: Why?
Madelene: 'Cause it will make her happy!
Amity: ....
Madelene: ....
Amity: ... Damn. You're whipped.
Madelene: I knowwwww! Ugh!
I bury my face into my hands with a groan.
—---------
Amity: Any day now.
Boscha: Ow!? When did you get so strong!?
Amity: I'm the captain before you, remember?
Boscha: B-but- hey! Ow! Amity!
Not letting Boscha finish, Amity pulls on her arm again.
Amity: Fix this
With one final pull Amity easily flings the current Grudgby captain forward.
Boscha: Fix wh- Woah!
Losing what little balance she had left she crashes into someone kneeling into the floor.
Madelene: Oof!
Readying her bearings, Boscha saw Madelene.
Boscha: What the... ugh, why is it always you?
Her voice monotone, of course it's her Boscha thought.
Madelene: What?
Boscha notices Madelene's expression. A troubled expression, which confuses her, she won the bet, yet she doesn't look too thrilled.
Boscha: Ugh. What's with that face you're pulling? You win the bet right? Why do you look like I kick your puppies?
She is sure that Boscha is going to be mad, or at least upset.
Madelene: You're... not mad?
Boscha: Mad about what? That you cheated? That you ruined my team's perfect 14 streaks? Damn right I do.
Madelene: B-but-
Boscha: What would that do to me? Nothing. That's it. You win, I lose. Just take the damn win, Madelene and be proud of it. What's done is done.
Madelene stares at her like she's an anomaly.
Madelene:....
Boscha: Tsk, stop that! Now you look like my butt is shining. What is it?
Madelene: You just called me by my name.
Boscha: So?
Madelene:... and you look mature back there, dude. Kudos to you.
Boscha: ... If I'm not scared of Amity, I swear I'm going to kill you with my bare hands.
—--
Edric: You positive about this?
Emira: Yes! I'm telling you, I know those eyes, Ed!
Amity: Whose eyes?
Edric & Emira: Mittens!
Amity: So, you're going to tell me or what?
Edric: Nah. Just some thoughts really. Say...
Amity: What?
Emira: Ed and I pretty much agreed that if you're going to invite someone to the Knee... that, we might as well invite a friend of mine we meet. Whaddya say?
Amity: That's surprising. What's their name?
Edric: Madelene. You know, the one that went to our house.
Amity:...
Emira: Mittens?
Amity:... You figure it out then?
Emira: Figure what out?
Amity: Don't play dumb, Emira. I know I'm not the only one. Tell me you figure out Madelene's a freaking Blight.