Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.
Chapter 10
Dolls. Boom. Back.
Effie sat silently, deeply involved in Annabellina. Duo was watching her questioningly out of the corner of his eye. He was also watching Drusilla warily out of the corner of his other eye. His eyes were getting pretty sore.
"What are you reading?" He asked finally.
"Annabellina."
"Wha-"
"Don't get her started," Saxen said. "Trust me." Duo glanced from Saxen to Effie and shrugged. He glanced a Dru and nonchalantly slid to the other side of his chair.
"Now, now, my burning star. I've had a lovely taste and shan't do it again. We must be role-models for Miss Edith, mustn't we?"
"Miss Edith?" She held up an extremely decrepit doll that appeared to be blindfolded. The look he gave her would have made Freud doubtful of his own sanity.
"What's up with Miss Edith?" Effie asked, sliding Annabellina into Frank, who helpfully rose to the side of her chair. Drusilla stroked the doll's hair.
"She's our special friend. She's very delicate, must be loved, must be pitied. Miss Edith needs me. We understand each other." Effie seemed to accept that answer, because she motioned to Frank who dropped Annabellina back onto her lap. Duo stared, eyebrows raised.
"Okay, now how does she do that?"
"Well-"
"Effie. Don't."
Effie looked up. She was sitting on a high cliff. Waves of the sea crashed against it, the spray almost hitting her, but not quite. She looked at one of her hands. There was a strange spiral symbol that appeared to have burned into it. She was vaguely aware that it hurt. Then the sea rose up and took the form of Saxen.
"You know." She said. She held out a watery hand that seemed to have almost the same symbol on it. Effie reached out her own hand, but could quite reach. She strained, but Saxen was just out of reach. Then she dissolved back into water.
"Sacred One alert!" They all looked up in surprise to see Washu's image on the screen. Thankfully, she seemed to have run out of places she could appear to scare them out of their wits. Or disturb them.
"What's up?"
"This one is…whoa. Earth again. We've got a total streak going on."
"Sure do." Effie's voice sounded detached. Saxen and Duo both glanced at her with some concern, but directed their attention back at Washu.
"This one is the Goddess of Chaos. I have some extra info for you this time. She's a teenager."
"Helpful," Van Helsing murmured. Washu gave him a dirty look, but for some reason did not comment. Then they were warping.
"Female and teenaged, that's not much to go on." Duo rolled his shoulders. It felt nice to walk on actual ground again. It was something he wish he got to do more often.
"Oh, come on," Effie shrugged, "how hard could it possibly-" she stopped as they rounded the corner and came face to face with a massive high school teeming with students "-be?"
They walked in shock towards the school. How were they expected to find one girl in this mass? They started up the steps, not really sure what the plan was.
"Hey girl. I am totally digging the 'do." Effie turned to see another girl with short, styled blonde hair and bright blue lipstick leaning against a handrail.
"Thanks. I like your lipstick." The girl laughed hard and stuck out her hand. Her fingernails were covered in dark, chipping nail polish.
"Tabby."
"Effie."