Abrupt Awakening
While the manager of the Dark Moon was a little preoccupied with the unseen turmoil going on inside her own mind, her friends slash coworkers and boss were watching over her unconscious form, laid atop one of the tables. Puck's small body was as difficult for them to handle, as the little girl simply sat herself at the head of the table so she could press her palms onto the sides of Mirana's head, instantly falling into a deep slumber of her won the moment she connected their foreheads.
Selemene had her arms crossed over her chest, standing over the two sleeping girls with her foot tapping sporadically. There was a flat, empty expression over her face as she eyed them, yet each time she made eye contact with any of her employees, she would give them her trademark soft, motherly smile along their way, to assure them that nothing was wrong.
Sylla was at the opposite side of the table from Selemene, reading a book written in some sort of ancient scripture. He would at times glace at Mirana, giving a silent prayer to the younger woman before returning to the book.
Lanaya sat on an empty seat beside the young dream weaver that was helping them, making sure that neither Puck nor Mirana was uncomfortable. Sometime's she'd get reassuring pats on her back by Magina, who was pacing himself around the tense room. Looks like he's the one that needs a few pats on the back. Lanaya thought ironically.
At the barista's station sat the baker, dirtying the counter as she kneaded the dough, keeping her mind out of the current distress that filled them. Of course she had Luna's permission to use this particular spot; there was no way the older woman would just allow anyone to disrupt her spot and get off scot free. Shendel sat at the other side of the counter, her gaze fixated on the dough as she sipped the caffeinated beverage in her hand. She just sat there, her thoughts at times treading to their unconscious manager, or where the barista had disappeared off to the moment she handed Shendel the drink. Luna was definitely nowhere near them, and it somewhat concerned her. Although Luna and Mirana didn't have the best of relationships (and much to the relief of the others, they had softened up), she kind of expected to at least be standing watch over the room, in her usual hard and stoic gaze.
"So how's Elodie?" Mortred queried as she kneaded still, bringing Shendel out of her reverie. "I thought she'd still be around you."
Shendel was a bit caught off guard by the question, swallowing the drink before she proceeded to answer. "She's doing fine, actually. She went to help the Broodmother Foundation."
For a second there was a brief spark that lit in Mortred's eyes. "Oh yeah! I forgot she had a friend there."
A dark chuckle escaped Mortred's breath, somewhat disconcerting Shendel. "What's so funny?" she asked her.
"Oh, nothing." Replied Mortred, who rolled her eyes upon seeing Shendel's unamused gaze, nudged by the silent action. "It's just that, I remember the 'Broodmother' always coming at odds with my 'sisters'."
A worried expression took its place on Shendel's face when she heard Mortred explain what she meant. "Will they be alright? Should I be worried?" she prodded.
"Oh I'm pretty sure they're fine, Shen." Mortred told her, still not feeling assured. "I can't speak of her children, but I'm sure she can still kick ass, even at her age if she wanted to. She's almost like Luna in fact."
"Really?" Shendel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. Arachnia was around longer, but both her and Luna shared the same amount of notoriety." Mortred explained. "The only difference was Arachnia would often come out looking for us 'Sisters', just to liberate the little girls we abducted."
Shendel's eyes widened slightly with apprehension. "I forgot the 'Sisters' did that. Did you ever do that?"
"No." Mortred answered, shaking her head. "I was raised to know how to handle a blade, not to entice children." Mortred sighed, uncomfortable the subject as she waved her hand in front of Shendel. "Don't think too much on it, okay? All I was saying is that I'm sure Elodie's fine in their hands."
"If you say so." Shendel said as she relented, trusting Mortred's half-assed, if slightly biased judgment despite still looking unconvinced.
"Besides," Mortred continued. "We have much more pressing matters to think of right now." She nudged her brow to their manager, still in a deep slumber.
Shendel turned on her stool so she could get a better look on what was happening. "What's going on, anyway? They just came bursting in."
"I don't know. All I know is that it involves the only thing that Luna would openly help Mirana with."
"But they've been pretty alright with each other for the past few months." Shendel stated.
Mortred simply shook her head. "I'm talking about way long before we worked here Shen." Mortred stopped what she was doing, gazing to the back of Shendel's head. "A time where anything and everything Mirana did got on Luna's nerves."
Shendel nodded, but made no attempt to turn back to Mortred. Seeing this, Mortred sighed before she took she took the dough in hand and made her way towards her kitchen. The room was now missing two people, with the baker continuing her day and the barista still nowhere to be seen.
"She's been out for an hour." Lanaya commented to herself. "This is getting crazy."
A light scoff came from Magina. "More like an hour and a half." He said shakily.
Lanaya felt a hand fall on her shoulder, halting her response towards Magina. She turned and looked up to see Selemene staring at her. "Don't worry guys. People usually sleep around seven hours a day, so this shouldn't be a problem."
"But this isn't normal. She just went out when Puck touched her head." Lanaya said worryingly, her own hand running up and down Puck's back. "And now this girl's also out, it's taking too long."
"Don't worry, Lanaya. If anybody can help Mirana, it's Puck." She said with a genuine smile. "Even when she was even younger, we all knew that Puck had some connection with dreams."
"Who's 'we'?" Magina asked behind them.
Without looking, Selemene brought her other hand around Magina's neck, bringing the waiter closer to her. She looked down and smile, seeing him struggling under her grasp. "A few people in my circle, Magi. Sylla happens to be one of them."
A grunt from the old custodian confirmed the statement. Upon being released, Magina gasped for air, his face beet red from his boss' hold and from where his face ended up. He shook himself before addressing the others once more. "That doesn't really tell me much, 'Mene. What's wrong with Mirana, anyway, that you needed this kid for help?"
Lanaya rolled her eyes at the question, and giggled when she heard Selemene chuckle behind her. "You wouldn't believe it even if I showed you what was happening to her, Magi." The older woman told him.
"No, but seriously, this seems like a big deal." Shendel said as she joined the conversation from where she sat. "What's really going on? And why were we never told of it?"
"To be fair, this coffee shop is kind of built on secrets, Shendel." Lanaya said as she turned to face the waitress, who was now frowning. The chuckle from Selemene deepened it. "I'm not even supposed to know."
"Were you eavesdropping, as usual?" Shendel said accusingly. Lanaya opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she couldn't deny the fact.
"Hm, now that I think about it, I don't remember telling you about Mirana's problem." Selemene said as she wrapped her arms around Lanaya's neck, planting her chin on the part-timer's head. "How did you come to know of it?"
Lanaya felt her cheeks warm up as all eyes were now her, and she could tell Shendel was enjoying it from the knowing smirk she ha. "I, uh… actually was eavesdropping, when Mirana came to Luna's apartment late at night."
Magina chuckled at her excuse. "Wow, something is wrong with you." He commented, earning a glare from the part-timer.
"Nothing is wrong with me." She retaliated with a little bit of venom. "I'm just a curious person."
"Sure." he responded, rolling his eyes at her. His features tensed as he looked to Selemene once more. "But come on, 'Mene. What's wrong with Mirana?"
The heard the older woman sigh, still clinging onto the part-timer. "It's Atropos, kids." She said matter-of-factly, feeling the part-timer under her tense. She let Lanaya out of her grasp to face the bewildered Shendel and furrowed look of Magina, no doubt the two of them finding the truth hard to belive.
"Come on, 'Mene. Quit pulling our legs." He responded with a nervous chuckle, but the glare she sent his way made him regret those words.
"This is why neither her, Luna, nor myself have bothered you all with the story." She continued. "It is an absurd tale that not many believe."
"I still don't really believe in it, but we can't just mull around while she's suffering." Both Magina and Shendel's attention fell on Lanaya as she uttered those words. "Luna and 'Mene try their hardest to help her, so I think we all should follow behind them."
A look of guilt briefly flashed before them, Magina especially for thinking he might have offended the unconscious manager. He looked around the room desperately searching for something to change the subject. Then his eyes lit up. "Uh, you know, speaking of Luna, where is she, anyway?"
Eyes fell on him for a brief moment before falling on Selemene, all curious for the answer that had barely entered their minds. Seeing this, she sighed, patting her sides before addressing them. "Luna is off in an, important, task." She looked down at her watch. "Hopefully, she'll be back in a few minutes."
Shendel sighed, having some sort of closure. "Well, at least tha-"
"She's moving."
Sylla's first words to the room had shaken them, now already standing over Mirana, his hands already on her shoulder. They could see Mirana slowly stirring. The smiled in relief before noticing Puck was squirming in her own slumber. Sylla braced the manager's arm and shoulder, holding her in place with Selemene doing the same.
"Hold her down!" she ordered them, leading Magina and Shendel scurrying to Mirana's legs as the sleeping manager started to convulse.
It started gradually, from her fingers and toes, and slowly moved to her arms and legs. It wasn't long till Mirana started spasming out of control, only being held by the Dark Moon people, with Lanaya holding onto Puck as the little girl started convulsing on her own. The movements of her arm and legs struck the table and they to held them in place, the loud commotion causing Mortred to leave the kitchen to try and help in whatever way she could. It left her holding down the manager's torso with her own body.
"Hold on, Mirana! Just a few more seconds, please!" Selemene cried, for the first time the pain audible in her voice.
This time Mirana screamed, the cry of pain piercing the hearts of the others in the room. Like a banshee's screeching, their ears almost shattering from the sheer volume of it. It frightened them, seeing Mirana, the Dark Moon's manager, who would usually have a smile on her face to brighten their day, now screaming as if she were near death's door.
That was when they realized something off; for the first time there was a purple hue that enveloped her body. The drool that escaped her was also the darkest color of purple they've seen. Both Shendel and Magina's hold faltered for a brief moment from the sight, yet this was enough for them to be pushed off when one of Mirana's violent spasms sent them to the ground. Shendel froze, seeing the horror before her eyes while Magina got himself up, securing Mirana's legs on his own.
Their desperate cries of reassurances, for all they knew, fell on deaf ears, but it was the only thing that kept them from giving up on their manager and the little girl that was helping them. They called out to her, telling her to hold on, to know that they'll be there for her when she wakes up, that everything will be alright. Through her struggles, that she was not alone. Yet every word they uttered, somehow it only made her struggle even harder. The apex of whatever was going on inside her dreams was almost over, and it was now or never. They held her down, bracing for the impact. Then at that moment, it all exploded.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH"
They all stood back, seeing Mirana sit up on the table, her breathing slowing down as she took drawn out breaths, her gaze looking at nothing. She brought her hands before her face, inspecting the purple haze that was slowly was dissipating from her body. As it disappeared, she looked around the room, her eyes falling on the others one by one. Selemene approached the waking woman, reaching out with her hand, but Mirana flinched, afraid of the touch. Selemene didn't falter, as she brought the manager to a tight embrace, letting Mirana rest on her bosom.
"'Me… 'Mene?" Mirana asked tearfully, still weary of her surroundings.
"It's okay, Mirana. We're all right here." Selemene said, as she calmed the manager down, patting her head comfortingly.
"I'm sorry, aunt 'Mene." They turned to face Puck who had just woken up too, clinging tightly to Lanaya. "I tried my hardest, but the purple nightmare was too strong." She said, her voice filled with sheer terror.
"Its okay, Puck." Selemene said, using her free hand pat her in the head. "You tried your best, and at least Mirana's still safe and sound."
Silence filled the room, all of them either not wanting to utter a single word, or unable to, as they ponder on what the next step was. Mortred helped Shendel up off the ground, with Magina making his way toward the manager to apologize, but was halted by Sylla, holding him in place with a stern look. Both Selemene and Lanaya comforting the two that had just woken up.
"Whe-, where's Luna?" Mirana asked, earning a motherly smile from Selemene.
"She'll be back in a moment." She replied. "I had her run an errand for you when she dropped you off."
Mirana looked up to her boss, confused at her words. "For, me? What do you mean?"
"Oh, you're awake." All heads turned to face Luna, who just entered the front doors. She scanned the room, earning the wandering gaze of her peers, no doubt curious to where she's been. She only answered them with a smirk as she made her way to the manager.
"Hey, princess." She called out, but got only Mirana's lifeless gaze staring back at her. Luna sighed, seeing the state Mirana was in. "Hey, Mirana." That got the manager's attention, her eyes wavering at Luna calling her by her name without a hint of venom. "We have someone here that wants to talk to you."
The door opened as if on cue, Luna moving aside to show who had arrived, the knowing smirk still thrown Mirana's way as she slowly moved her gaze from the barista to the person that had just entered the coffee shop. Her eyes widened, tears straining them as she tried to make her way towards the figure but was held back by Selemene.
"Oh honey, looks like you've been through a lot." came the voice of her elderly counterpart.
"Mo… mother?" Selemene retreated as she gave the manager time with her mother, also with tears straining her eyes.
Her mother closed the distance between them, holding Mirana's hands with her own. Both of them struggling with words at the tip of their tongues, unable to voice their emotions. They were lost in their own words that they didn't even realize Luna's hands on their shoulders.
"Your parents would like a tour of the city." Luna said, knocking them out of their reverie.
"Fa… father is here as well?" Mirana asked them, her mother only nodding with the softest smile she's seen.
"His in your car, too tired to walk." Luna told her. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around the manager, picking her up without warning. "Let's go. 'Mene told me my job today was to be your driver for the day, and I don't have all day, so stop crying."
Without another word, Luna led them out, leaving the rest of the Dark Moon to ponder on what had just transpired with a bewildered look on their faces (barring Selemene and Sylla themselves.)
Selemene sighed, ignoring the stares she had gotten before turning to face Puck, still tired from her ordeals. "What happened, Puck?"
Puck shook her head, the memories of what had happened still fresh in her mind. "We couldn't stop it, aunt 'Mene. It was too strong."
"How will Mirana fare?"
Puck drew her gaze from Selemene's. "She tried her bestest, with us helping, but it will be hard for her." A look of determination flashed before Puck's eyes, surprising everyone. "But I won't go home until it is gone."
"That's a difficult road, Puck." Selemene warned her. "We don't want Atropos to get to you too." She picked up Puck in her arms, freeing Lanaya of her burden. "Plus, you still have school. Don't tell me you're just gonna skip it like that?"
Puck shook her head vehemently. "Not until she's free."
Puck's pout stopped Selemene from replying, instead sighing as she held the little girl in her arms. "I guess I'll call your mom about it, huh?" Puck nodded, this time with a childish smile.
"So, uh, anybody going to explain what just happened here?" Magina said, the recent events simply flashing before him.
"Maybe over some bread and tea?" Lanaya offered.
"Great timing, I had a fresh batch just finish!" Mortred said as she made her way to the kitchen.
Shendel opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped when she felt Sylla hold her wrist. "Ya all will know in time." He announced to the room. "Fer now, let's just enjoy the fact that Mirana's still here."
Shendel looked at Magina, who was still unsure himself, before the both of them turned to the oldest duo, nodding at them as they trusted their judgment. Lanaya sighed with relief, happy that things would hopefully calm down as she started on the tea.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
i apologize for this absurdly late chapter guys. for the rest of the week, i was preoccupied with a game i just installed (MASSIVE CHALICE, for those curious), so i only wrote drafts on my phone (most of the time i was unhappy with how they turned out.)
so, i hope this one turned out well, for all of us!
thanks for reading (and hopefully understanding)!
