"Wormwood! You scared me!"
The raven perched on the rotunda's banister was looking down at the frazzled princess, smirking in that way that just about every animal back at the castle found punchable, and right now Sofia was starting to understand why.
The annoyed princess balled her fists and huffed, turning her back to her guest in favor of looking around the room some more. Wormwood raised a brow at her.
"What, not scared I'll caw like an alarm and tattle to someone that you're down here snooping through things that aren't yours?"
Sofia looked back at him, her baby face looking amused in mock offense, and he found her nonchalance annoying.
"Of course not, were friends."
That line alone was pushing him to do it, but he still needed Sofia. Greater though, was the need to bite back her assumption with some scathing comment. He flew down to be on level with the princess, a familiar little blemish wormed its way into his gut, and came out like hot bile.
"Yet still you realized that I knew something was amiss, didn't you? Yet you didn't seem too keen on coming to me for assistance. What, can't trust the little backstabbing raven anymore? Can't say I blame you."
Sofia stopped in her tracks and fully turned her attention to him. She looked hurt, genuinely hurt. Wormwood panicked and for a moment assumed his comment cost him his chances of getting help. That Sofia would reject him as coldly as the imaginary Cedric he always thought about did.
"Wormwood…, you don't really think that about yourself, do you...?"
Her question caught him off guard, and he looked back at the princess, beak gaping like a fish, eyes a-panic. He recognized the vile feeling in his stomach, but assumed it was birthed from Sofia's irritating assertion of friendship, he meant to offend her. He reassessed his words in his head, the self loathing in them transparent now. He's offended many people and animals with his awful commentary, but himself? It was new, and what's more it actually did hurt. But where did it come from?
"Wormwood…?" oh drat, he still hasn't spoken has he? "Are you okay?" she reached a hand out, and Wormwood almost squawked in his thrash to get away from it.
"No, I-" what was he saying? "I meant, why didn't you come to me for help!?" Wormwood's whisper was harsh, and his thoughts scrambled, but he had to get this conversation away from his feelings before the princess sat him down.
"I didn't want to get anyone else involved, it could be dangerous." Sofia accepted the change in topic, but the raven knew she wasn't done with the previous one. Great, he had a personal therapy session with princess don't-repress-your-feelings to look forward to.
"Of course, ever the considerate princess aren't you? Well, whether you want me or not, I'm helping," Sofia was about to protest, but the raven shushed her. "You're not the only one to notice something wrong with the old man. I was under the same spell as Cedric and the others, until Winifred released me," panic was setting into Wormwood's voice, all the confusion and helplessness he felt for the last couple hours was finally overflowing. "But now that she's let me go, I have no idea what she wants from me, or why it's me she wants something from!" he tried to collect himself, not wanting the princess to see him a complete mess.
Wormwood took a deep breath, getting to the point of his confrontation. "But for me to come to you for help isn't something she's expecting. Your autonomy to ask her questions alerted her to the fact that you aren't under her spell. She doesn't know that you realized something's wrong with Goodwyn, let alone trying to help him. She'll be keeping close eyes on me, expecting me to make a move against her, but not you." when was the last time he felt this excited? This hopeful? It was like scheming with Cedric in the tower, except with someone who possessed some sense of subtlety.
Sofia seemed to be taking it all in, good.
"Wait, but how do you know she isn't onto me, Wormwood?"
Sometimes her questions were just annoying. The bird sighed. "I kept her attention on me as much as I could during her story so she wouldn't notice you. So far, you're safe."
Sofia lit up, and he regretted how sincere he sounded. "Really? That was really nice of you, Wormwood, you didn't have to do that."
It was the second time Sofia's words left the raven speechless. He wouldn't make a fool of himself twice however, and tried to keep his response curt, "yes,er-well… of course I had to- It was only practical to keep Winifred's attention away from you so that I could-" the girl's grin only got wider, "oh, zip it!"
"Alright, Wormwood," Sofia's amusement was wiped away, looking far more serious about what she had to say, "we'll work together to figure out what's wrong with Mr. Goodwyn, but for now let's get back to our rooms," she looked around at the various skulls that lined the shelves, some animal, others mythical, some human, "I don't like being out in the open like this."
The raven agreed, but looked perplexed at the princess who attached herself to a beam like she was making to climb it.
"What are you doing, do you want to get caught already!?" he hissed at her.
Sofia stopped,"I can't go back up the way I came, the stairs are too loud."
"Then how did you get down here to begin with?"
"I shrunk down."
Oh, of course she did-wait, what?
"I'm sorry, what did you do?"
Sofia laughed, and cupped her amulet to show him, like the power was on display inside the gem, "my amulet lets me shrink whenever I want. It's one of its powers!"
Wormwood just sighed,"I'd be shocked, but I think after chasing you around as a cat with a dog and bunny in tow, my weirdness expectations from you are a little exhausted." that made her laugh. Wormwood never really thought himself funny, and according to the princess' irritating rabbit and friends, no one else did either. Back at Hexley Hall, making Cedric laugh was easy, maybe because being cruel came easily to Wormwood himself. A dead fish stuffed into a school bag, a firework potion under a professor's desk. Maybe making Cedric laugh was just an excuse for him to be awful. Maybe he was always using him.
"Anyway," the bird continued, "just shrink down again, I'll carry you up, I'm much quieter."
Sofia shrank down, and Wormwood was quick to snatch her up, careful not to pinch any part of her or hit anything along the way like he did with her annoying rabbit. That brought a smile to his face.
He dropped her off right at her door, and turned back to his and Cedric's room as the princess grew back to her original size, but Sofia called out to him, making him look back.
She looked around, then at Winifred's door, and leaned in close to him, "if you can, try to get Mr. Cedric to go herb picking with you, when you're alone, tell him you're going to get some yourself and meet me at the recreation center." she opened her door and walked in, looking back and winking to him, "bring a basket!"
Her door closed, and Wormwood expertly opened his from practice, and perched himself at Cedric's headboard, trying to make-do with the sweltering heat. Maybe he should've left the door open to let out some of it.
Damn it.
hey im really sorry this is so late, my moms boyfriend stole and broke apart my computer but i got it back
also finally the team up
sorry i wish i had something better to write under here but im so frazzled over finally getting to post so here you go
