"Ehem." The physic mage cleared her throat.
The clock already struck way further than midnight, however, the creator stood awake, consumed by her troubles, and lost in deep thought. As she pondered over the many ways she could escape her predicament, a sudden interruption jolted her back to reality. Startled, Felicia turned to her side, eyes darting at the short mage. With a raised eyebrow, she looked at Sarah, wondering why she hadn't gone to sleep yet.
"So, when was the wedding?" Giggled her friend, she leaned closer to Felicia.
"P-pardon?!" The creator felt her breath catching in her throat, her eyes widening in reaction. Her heart rate quickened, and she shifted a step away from Sarah, taken aback.
"I've heard everything." She sang. "Can I be your bridesmaid?"
"Great, now this."
Felicia's veiny hand rubbed her forehead with a heavy exhale, "Perhaps you can stop using your telepathy without my permission. You're violating my privacy." Her voice was stern as she spoke, with a slight hint of annoyance in her tone.
The creator's attempts to ignore her lack of experience in love were futile, as the reality of the situation was too potent to keep hidden away. Despite her expertise in a plethora of areas, her inability to grasp something as basic as love continued to baffle her. Her mind was a labyrinth of confusion and curiosity, as she longed to understand the mysteries of this abstract concept.
"What useless feelings you had, embarrassing."
"I know you like him." Sarah, who seemed to comprehend the creator's manner, insisted.
"Apologies, cannot do at present. Give me a break." She begged, gesturing a pleading palm to the teasing mage. "I don't have any feelings towards that mortal." She muttered.
"Oh yeah? What was that 'I wish that weren't true' thing?" The telekinetist hands laced on her waist, her ears caught lies. "Kinda romantic if you ask me. You're natural, you don't have to worry anything!" She grinned widely.
Felicia's lips parted, but no words came out.
A glimmer of hope sparked within the creator's heart, as Sarah's words gave her a newfound sense of sanguinity, maybe she wasn't so bad as she harshly judged herself. However, Felicia quickly realized that it was too early to let her guard down just yet, as she knew that love was not something that could be rushed or forced. As much as she wanted to be quick and settle it down for good, she needed patience.
Or maybe it was just a charming untruth.
Or maybe, Felicia considered the possibility that Sarah's words of encouragement were nothing more than sweet nothings intended to provide a false sense of comfort. Manipulators were everywhere, capable of manipulating themselves to believe what they wanted, rather than focusing on what was truly at hand. It was a vicious cycle of feeding into delusions, believing only what provided satisfaction or a sense of happiness, rather than facing reality and the truth.
"You're head over heels for him."
"What do you want?" The redhead snapped, turning her entire being toward Sarah, narrowing her eyes in a tense reaction. She grew upset, feeling her mind disturbed by this exchange. Deep down, she longed for Sarah to stop toying with her emotions, yet she knew that the help she offered was a valuable asset. She struggled to reconcile these conflicting feelings, as her pride and ego prevented her from accepting help from anyone.
"Just say you love him!" The mage raised her voice.
"I can not."
"Why?"
"He's a mortal, Sarah!" The creator let out a deep growl, frustration and worry gnawing at her insides.
She couldn't shake off the memory of the rules that were set at the Eternal Afiat - the strict code of conduct that governed the behavior of all immortal beings. Sylvia's words echoed in her mind, warning her of the dire consequences that awaited the werecat.
The creator couldn't help but feel haunted by her thought. She had unwittingly led the werecat to a sanctioned love, one that went against the very tenets of the Eternal Afiat. She knew that the werecat was unaware of the severity of her actions, but that wouldn't matter to the other immortal beings. They would see her transgressions as a grave offense, one that demanded retribution.
"There's more fish in the sea. Why did you go for a mortal?" The voice uttered.
"Shut it." Replied the creator in her mind.
A sudden wave of guilt that washed over her. She had known the risks of meddling with forbidden love, but she had ignored them in favor of the werecat's happiness. Now, as the consequences of her actions loomed large, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made a mistake.
Was it so wrong to love?
"He's.. not?" Sarah asked, crossing her arms as she shrugged.
Golden eyes scowled down at the dual-colored hair girl.
"If he can die like a mortal, then he is a mortal." Fingers pointed at Sarah with each word spat out, her body stiffened. The anger that overcame Felicia seemed to materialize out of thin air, leaving her puzzled and unsure.
"It's against the rules."
"Ugh, forget the rules. You're not on duty! They would never lay a finger on you!" The mage insisted, putting up her effort.
"Lay a finger? "
"Won't lay a finger? "
"They even chained me up."
Oh, how Felicia longed to unleash a torrent of words upon Sarah, like a raging tsunami, recounting the events that transpired in their kind's city. The weight of her emotions, the anger and resentment, pressed against her chest, desperate to be released. She wished to tell Sarah everything, every tiny detail of the horrible acts she had committed, of the pain she had caused and the euphoria she felt. Her desire to confess her sins was so overwhelming, it was as if she was holding her breath, ready to let loose and reveal all.
She meant it, the pain, the taunting, the horror. She definitely meant it.
"Come on, one day you'll regret when you lose him. I know very much he is your type."
Eyes rolled and mighty Felicia sighed, she knew she was intelligent and wise enough. She couldn't let Sarah know yet, she would run off like a scared cat. Even worse, to her chief boyfriend. Which as always, Felicia despised.
"I can't." Felicia said, "I just, can't." She insisted, palms wide.
"Are you seriously worrying about that? What a dummy!" Sarah smacked Felicia's shoulder, a loud sound stemmed between them.
"Shh! You're gonna wake them up!" The creator whisper-yelled at the mage, finger on her pale lips.
"Don't shush me." Retorted the physic mage.
As the heated, meaningless argument between Felicia and Sarah escalated, a sudden silence fell upon them. Felicia, visibly distressed, rested her elbows on the wooden rail and leaned forward, her fingers tightly gripping the hard, coarse surface. Sarah, on the other hand, inclined herself and rested on a sturdy wooden pillar, her gaze fixed on Felicia with a look of concern. The mage seemed to be worrying about the sturdy creator rather than furious.
After a few moments, the redhead broke the silence, "Till now... his origins are beyond my expertise,"
Sarah's eyes softened at the sight of Felicia's pained expression. She felt a pang of sadness for her dear friend, whom she knew was struggling with something deep inside of her. Nonetheless, she let the creator finish herself.
"I can't... find where he came from... nor what he is. He relied on me."
"Every day he questioned if I already knew how he got those feline ears growing on his head and his swaying tail." She confessed. Remembering the ways how Mocha would suddenly peek his head through the door when Felicia was sitting at her work table, either drawing, writing, or even researching, he would interrupt assuming Felicia was investigating him.
"Well, you must've had some conclusions or theories right?" Sarah shrugged.
"Certainly, but it was not substantial enough."
"Tell me your thoughts, come on."
Shoulder relaxed, the creator give in to the mage.
"At first I scrutinize for surgical scars or marks. Guessing that he was just a failed experiment judging by how undersized and stunted his body is. But the marks he had were scars from battles, no stitches or injections."
"What if he was one of us before? Maybe something had happened?"
"Indeed I thought about that as well, I considered that he may be interrupted during his bestowing. Or infected by the corrupt. I am not detecting any of the dark, nor the immortality."
"Me neither. It's odd."
"Upon that, I decided to stick to that theory. Because he had marks under his eye, for some reason. His histories were not so enjoyable, a bit unfortunate like the rest of mark holders." She turned to Sarah, and pointed at her own skin markings under her right eye. "Like me and your Atlas."
"Arthur." Sarah corrected.
"Right, Arthur."
"That's a decent one. Maybe start to on that more?" The physic mage suggested. "Didn't you go see Sylvia? Did you ask Sylvia about him?"
"I forgot." She bluntly lied.
"Huh... I see."
A few minutes later, a theory perked up into her the creator's wise yet dark brain, "Or perhaps... some healers mess up with him using potions." She breathed, looking at her rough hands. "Perhaps..."
Sarah's attention was now caught on Felicia's suspicious words, her eyes focused. Her body leaned closer.
"Why... did you... say that?"
"Healers, you know them. They... can develop various potions for various purposes, it is endless." She muttered, she couldn't help but be consumed with thoughts of Naomi's potions. She had seen all kinds of healers in her travels, and the ones who had something to hide always seemed to be the most dangerous. The forbidden recipe that had been mentioned was a powerful tool in the hands of a corrupt healer, and Felicia shuddered to think of what kind of harm they could do to unsuspecting travelers.
"They would target anyone for their unethical potion exhibition, making sure it works how they wanted."
"And they sell." Felicia said out loud, her eyes had been staring at her palms too long, it made Sarah uneasy. A feeling of unease crept upon Sarah, causing her to shiver. She hated healers.
"Have you dug out some information on his parents? Maybe they can link to him."
"Regrettably, his mother has passed."
"Oh, I'm sorry. His father?"
"Unknown."
"Hm, I see that already you're eager about him, I don't know what he got on you but it's working." Teased Sarah. "You should be together, you already been there for him, didn't you? I saw how you comfort him, you're alright."
"Enough of the difficulties I brought to him." She held her head low, reminiscing about the issues, she was the main problem.
"Look, Felicia. Either you regret trying or not trying." Ignoring what her stubborn friend mumbling about, Sarah remained on her track to motivate her helpless romantic friend.
"What if he doesn't feel the same?"
Sarah could only give a deadpan face to Felicia.
"What?"
"You're serious? I've heard more before you come burst down the door! He completely devoted himself to you!"
"He is drunk! He does not mean a single world!" With a menacing stance, she straightened up and smacked her hand on the wooden pillar, poised for a fight with Sarah. Bits of bark scattered off like confetti.
Another round of quarrels occurred, this time Felicia promised herself she wouldn't back down.
"Are you dumb??" She shouted, in disbelief. "Did you know that drunk people tend to express their true feelings?!"
"Perhaps, not all." She scowled.
"When are you going to put down the ego of yours, huh?"
Felicia shot a glare at Sarah, her eyes seemed to pierce through her like sharp daggers. Memories of the bitter fight in the forest with Danial flooded her mind, making her feel even more burdened by the assumption that she was selfish and self-centered. It seemed like everyone around her was adding to her problems - Naomi, Sylvia, Arthur - and to top it all off, the entire city seemed to be on a manhunt for her. And now, Sarah had joined the chase, too. It was as if the universe was conspiring against her.
"I want my best friend back,"
"I'm right here," Her deep voice boasted, echoing through the deserted town. Arms spread wide as if to emphasize her presence to seep into Sarah's naive brain.
"My old Felicia, the humble one, the caring one, the helpful one." Sarah did not weary her sarcasm.
Their eyes locked, and Felicia could feel the inky liquid dripping around her brain like the syrup on drip cake. Her triangular marks started to turn their shades, not to mention her sunset eyes were now the color of bloody roses. She could feel her wings slowly tickling her spine, she could feel her arms weighted by her claws.
She could feel her teeth, starting to pulse. Hungering for the sweet flesh of a beating heart.
"Felicia." Warned Sarah, her hand flared with dust of magenta behind her. "You don't want to wake up lover boy."
"Damn it, curse Sarah." The distorted voice mocked.
Felicia's striking red hair swayed back and forth as she shook her head, trying to shake off the strange sensation that had taken over her body. Her eyes blinked rapidly, almost as if they had a mind of their own. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and brought her hand up to her head, gently massaging her temples until she felt in control again.
"I need to fix the bartender's door." She excused herself, walking away. Leaving Sarah alone once again.