Chapter 26: Witchcraft
Gothy had been used to a lot of things. Ignored by her mother. Hated by her half-brother. Perceived by VKs and other residents on the Isle as nothing more than a vanity object. Poorly received by her clients. Struggling with the past 24 hours because forces had pulled her first true friend away.
But struggling to keep your thoughts straight about your confused feelings while you were bathing in a witch's house? That was new. Gothy didn't understand what was going on as her heart struggled with things: her sister Cassandra out there, the unusual kindness Amity Blight-Noceda had towards her, and Crystal's latest behavior towards her. Gothy wasn't sure why, but for some reason, Crystal's transition from drunken flirtiness on first meeting to unusual protectiveness (not to mention that Gothy was losing track of how much time she had spent primarily with Crystal during the trip) was putting Gothy on edge.
"I must be out of my mind…" Gothy muttered as she stepped out of the owl-footed bathtub. She froze when she realized her red tunic dress was no longer where she had left it on the bathroom counter. Footsteps could be heard from the guest room connected to the bathroom.
"It's only me dear," Gothy heard the kind voice of Amity Blight-Noceda. Gothy let out a small sigh, but she wasn't sure if it was out of relief or disappointment. At this rate, she had gotten used to witnessing Crystal coming out of a guest room's bathroom without a sense of decency. Gothy wrapped a towel around her and stepped into the guest room. The first thing that she noticed was her dress lying on the bed. For some reason, a glittery layer of dark red lace with patterns of owl and flowers had been added on top of the simple fabric, and sleeves had lengthened although the straps had been removed.
"I did some adjustments to your dress for the festivities." Amity was by the room's vanity mirror, placing a basket full of pink magnolias, white chrysanthemums, red daisies, multicolored lilies, and red roses. "I also thought you'd like to have some help for putting your hair in a French twist. A lot of the young girls here like to add flowers in their hair for festivities."
Gothy found herself partially petrified. "Uh… thanks." She grabbed the dress and rushed behind the room's screen dividers. Fancy mahogany with paintings of golden barn owls and purple otters; one of these days, those women would have to explain the otter obsession. Gothy tried on the dress, unsure of what to think when she realized the dress had also been enchanted so it fit her, nearly giving off her curves when she stepped out of the screen dividers.
"Are you alright?" Amity gently reached for Gothy's shoulder.
"I don't know… You're very kind but… the way you're kind… I'm not used to it! It's so…"
"Motherly?" Gothy felt herself stiffen on the chair facing the vanity when Amity gave out the correct guess.
"I guess."
"I don't blame you." Without warning, Amity had taken a hairbrush and gently brought it up and down Gothy's dark locks, still wet from the bath. "I've been where you were. Our mothers both valued their selfish desires over their own children. Yours valued her youthful beauty and mine valued her social status." With her spare hand, she pointed at her green-dyed hair. "My green hair? My mother wanted all her children to have green hair. My siblings were naturally green but she had me dye my brown hair."
"Why is it still dyed?"
"Well…" Amity shrugged. "I was a HUGE fan of THE GOOD WITCH AZURA growing up; I dyed my hair green in this shade to match that of the main character. Plus, Luz likes it. And we swore to never let Amar dye his beautiful locks." After numerous brushes, the witch tightly pulled the girl's hair and began twisting it. "Yours have a very nice natural color. Like star-less night black."
Gothy blushed a bit. Amity finally applied the final touches before pining up the dark locks. "Thanks, I guess. I have my mother's hair."
"Nah, I've seen some pictures of Gothel under the effects of the sunflower. You might not be aware of it, Gothy, but when mortals resort to magic to keep themselves young, the magic removes the natural aspects of their features. Your mother used magic to stay young, and though she did look young, it made her looks superficial compared to her natural ones." Amity moved forward to hold up Gothy's chin up while she started placing in flowers onto the dark locks. "You may have inherited her genes, but not their effects. Which is why if I had to picture you standing to a youthful Mother, your beauty stands out naturally, in and out."
"Thanks… Ouch!" Gothy yelped when she felt a thorn hit the skin behind her ear.
"I'm sorry! I could have sworn I cut off the thorns of that rose!" Amity pulled out the rose and used her circular hand gesture to pluck it off.
"Can I ask something dumb?"
"No questions are dumb. Well, except from Luz, but hers are adorable." The woman chuckled.
"Why does your inn 'smell like love'?" Gothy air-quoted the warning sign she had seen at the Stranded Hearts Inn.
"Oh, that! Weird story there. A client accidentally dropped her case full of Amortentia Potion. Dozens of bottle scraps everywhere and we found out the hard way that abominations aren't highly recommended for swiping potions off the floor. The liquid stains were removed, but not the olfactive stains. After a few months, customers began to think that we intended to have the inn smell like individual love interests, so Luz and I just rolled with hit…"
"Wait!" Gothy almost fell off her chair in a freak out. She'd have fallen butt-first on the ground if Amity hadn't caught her and helped her back on the seat. "The inn… smells like somebody you love?"
"Well that's how the potion works. I don't recommend using it, though: its effects are powerful but superficial. It doesn't give the consumer real love from the one who procured the potion, but the potion's fragrance makes anyone sniff out what they find very appealing."
"So, kind of like the perfumes of the Spa of Scents at Macabretown?"
"Not quite." After putting the last flower in Gothy's hair, Amity sat down on the bed so her eyes could be at the same level as Gothy's. "When you fabricate a perfume, you specifically calculate and organize which ingredients to combine for creation as if you were the matchmaker for a marriage of fragrances. The potion's fragrance, on the other hand, is chaotic. Nothing is added to it to make it appealing, but its arousal qualities sort of… create a simulation in individual arousals. The moment they smell the potion, the brain struggles to process it until it figures out in the sniffers' memories what are some pleasant fragrances, they associate with the people they are truly in love with. Take me for instance."
This time, Gothy couldn't resist chuckling. "Let me guess. The inn smells like your wife?"
"Hilarious." Amity amusingly rolled her eyes. "But yes. When I step into the inn, it smells like Luz, and when I think of her and pleasant fragrances, I think of paper, wisteria, and espresso."
"Espresso?" Gothy frowned.
"Wow, you're strange at reception. You didn't blink at my relationship and now you think that espresso is the strangest fragrance that comes to my preferences in arousal?"
"To be fair, you gotta be an obvious bookworm if you like the Azura series, and come on, you got a wisteria tree planted in your garden. So yes, the espresso is a mystery."
Amity chuckled. "You are peculiar. And yes. Paper because one of the first things that pulled me towards her was our love for the book series. Wisteria because we turned the fear-inducing demon Grom into a wisteria tree during our first dance. Espresso because during the festival celebrating the 6th month foundation of Witchachusetts, we finally kissed for the first time."
"Did she drink espresso before the act?"
"No." That was all Amity had to say, but Gothy's best guess was that it translated into 'for me, she tasted like coffee'. It seemed strange, but Gothy thought it more relatable than Leona Ernst claiming that children smell of dog poop.
"The inn smells of thyme, ambrosia, and lavender to me," Gothy admitted. "But it doesn't make sense. I'm not in love with anyone."
Amity looked at the door before then frowning at Gothy. "I thought you were an item with the Goblin Princess."
"What? No! I mean… she tried to flirt with me but she gave me boundaries! She's not… I can't… Oh shit…" Things processed and turned the gears in Gothy's mind.
Thyme. The scent of the only shower gel, hand soap, and shampoo that Jareth bothered to provide to his only daughter. The scent of the lotions that Crystal had let Gothy and Audrey use when they were sleeping over in the castle. 'Why thyme?' Gothy had asked. 'Because it kills off germs and medieval peasants say that it chases nightmares.' Surprisingly enough, Gothy had slept well that night before she woke up to find Crystal watching her slip.
Lavender. The scent that Crystal had when she had stepped out of the shower and engaged in the conversation with Gothy back in Macabretown, about her insecurities when being flirted with and her problems with her half-brother. Obviously, the lavender lotions that the Deetz family procured from the Spa of Scents was strong.
Ambrosia. The scent of the flowers that the Trolls liked to use for their party punches. The same punch that caused Crystal to give some weird love confession to Gothy while under the influence.
The world suddenly stopped turning for Gothy.
"My god… Crystal liked me all this time… And I like her."
Later
It was sunset by the time the festivities started in the main plaza of the town. Magic-users were casting spells that caused lights to fly into the star-less evening sky, illuminating it with golden colors. An assortment of people was out, dancing in the open, drinking by the outdoor cafés, or playing games at the stands.
"Gothy?" Amity waved her hand in front of Gothy's face. The latter's expression had been frozen for nearly hours. "GOTHY!"
"Uh?" Gothy snapped out of her daze.
"I'm worried about you. You haven't said a word since we left the house." Amity helped Amar sit up on the table and let him play with the skeletal plush animal she had just won for him. Gothy realized that the skeletal plush animal was that of an otter. For a kid, Amar had dark tastes.
"What am I supposed to say? I don't even know what to do! All this time, I've been dismissing her and now I find out that I actually like her! Do you realize that getting such sentiments wasn't in my agenda when I made it my goal to find my sister? It never occurred to me that I might get involved as such!"
"Join the club. Do you think that when I was slightly younger than you, it was in my agenda for my only source of happiness in my entire childhood to be my first crush on a female human?" Amity replied in a dry tone. "And Luz was ridiculously oblivious for nearly a whole season! Take it from someone with similar experiences!" The two of them stared at the plaza's marble Venus flytrap fountain, where Crystal was chatting with Luz Blight-Noceda and some other folks with musicians. Luz was holding on to a Spanish guitar and adjusting the strings. Unbeknownst to Amity and Gothy, Crystal and Luz were engaged in a rather similar conversation.
"So, what's stopping you from fully telling her?" Luz asked Crystal. "You know, without being drunk?"
"My senses," Crystal responded flatly.
"Your… senses?"
"I may be the Goblin Princess, but I've made it clear I'm nothing like Jareth. You know how shamelessly he pursued the one who refused him, stole some of her blood without consent, and created me. I'm a pathetic hedonist… and I've been breaking out of it ever since I met Gothy Gothel. Everything in her is special… and I don't deserve her."
"You don't know unless you tell her."
"What would be the point anyway? Even if she did return what I feel for her, I'm a Fae. A Fae with delayed aging; I mean, for fuck's sake, I'm practically in my thirties but I look like a teenager! I can't just ask her to throw away her mortality for me!"
"You can't surrender your immortality?" Luz guessed.
"Fae aren't immortal. Sure, we age slower and live longer than humans, which preserves our youths, but there's still the list of stuff that can kill us." Crystal sighed. "Besides, she only wants her sister's love. There wouldn't be any room for mine." Unknown to Crystal, Luz sent a wink at her wife. Amity nodded and started dragging Gothy into the open space as some of the townsfolk started gathering for the next dance.
"Ask her to dance."
"Excuse me?" Crystal choked.
"Ask your chica to dance with you!" Out of nowhere, Luz pulled out one of her glyph cards. She tossed and tapped it onto the ground, creating an immerging pillar of ice that pushed Crystal towards the dance floor. Amity and Luz must have had a telepathic communication, because the next thing yo knew, Amity 'accidentally bumped Gothy' when she 'casually turned to talk to Sarah Sanderson', leading Gothy to tumble as well. Both girls ran into each other. "I'm so sorry!" They blurted.
"Did I hurt you?" Crystal helped Gothy back up.
"No… no, I'm good."
They realized too late that they were right on the middle of the dance floor, in the midst of the various. By the fountain, Luz Blight-Noceda started playing some soft jazz tunes, leading the musicians to follow along.
"You… want to dance?" Crystal quietly asked.
"Well… It's not like we can just leave." Gothy chuckled nervously.
"I guess." The Fae smiled. She kept a gentle hand on Gothy's waist while the other took her right hand. Though Gothy hadn't done much slow dancing in her life, she had seen the poses performed by the few sappy couples on the Isle, so she knew where to place her spare hand and follow after Crystal's steps while Luz Blight-Noceda sang the Spanish version of Frank Sinatra's 'Witchcraft'.
Luz: ¿Están esos dedos en mi cabello?
Que astuto vienen aquí miran
Desnuda mi conciencia
Es brujería
"Gothy? Why are you looking at me like I'm a goblin?" Crystal asked as she gently spun Gothy during their dance.
"I don't know," Gothy admitted.
Luz: Y no tengo defensa para eso
Ese calor es demasiado intenso para eso
¿De qué le serviría el sentido común?
Gothy felt like her heart had turned into a rock, weighing her chest down to perhaps crush her bones. Was it even worth the risk? For all she knew, Crystal could wind up being just like all the other VKs who had three second crushes on Gothy just for her looks.
Luz: Porque es brujería
Brujería malvada
Y aunque sé que es estrictamente tabú
"I… never really slow danced in my life," Crystal said quietly. "It always reminded me of the drugged peach affair and Sarah wound up in a sparkling dress, slow dancing with my father in his fancy ball illusion."
"I guess it's slightly creepy," Gothy said. "I mean, when your dad did it. Did he force you to learn it?"
Luz: Cuando despiertas la necesidad en mi
Mi corazón dice: sí, de hecho en mí
Continúa con lo que me estás llevando a
"Princesses are always forced to learn fancy dances," Crystal shrugged. "I was either uncomfortable when Jareth gave me lessons or too drunk to even notice when I had parties… Dang, I haven't had any booze in a while and you put me at ease. Is that… creepy?"
Luz: Es un tono tan antiguo
Pero uno que nunca cambio
No hay bruja mejor que tu
"Of course not!" Gothy shook her head. Probably not the best idea since they were dancing. Witches had been releasing small balls of lights into the air for the slow dance, making it look like golden stars flying back into the dark sky. For Gothy, it caused her to see lights spinning around her, giving the vibe of the spinning world. "You're not creepy. I mean, it was a rough start, but…"
Luz: Porque es brujería
Esa brujería coocoo
Y aunque sé que es estrictamente tabú
"But what?" Crystal asked as they kept dancing, deviating away from the center of the dancing crowd and closer to the shadowed corners of the plaza. The floating lights seemed to act as a curtain, it's as if no one in the party noticed that they stopped dancing.
"I… just don't know what to think. I'm not used to being…" Gothy was losing track of herself. Her dizziness made her unable to realize that she spilled out the rest of the sentence out loud. "…in love." Gothy got her senses back and saw a longing look coming out of Crystal's brown eyes. Compared to Gothy's, they actually happened to have mismatched brown colors that Gothy hadn't realized until the floating lights reflected on them. While a hand still rested on Gothy's waist, the other went to gently caress her chin, slightly lifting it so both chins could be at the same level.
"Gorgeous in and out…" Crystal sighed with a smile. "I still can't believe how you turned my world…"
"C… Crystal?" Gothy couldn't understand it, but every cell in her muscles shivered.
Luz: Cuando despiertas la necesidad en mi
Mi corazón dice: sí, de hecho en mí
Continúa con lo que me estás llevando a
Having no experience as such in the past, Gothy didn't know how to react when Crystal moved in and placed a gentle kiss on her mortal lips. In a matter of seconds, her beating heart could have destroyed her ribcage and immobilized her arms as her hands rested on Crystal's shoulders. She had to hold on since she couldn't feel her own legs. Gothy wasn't sure if it was enamored bliss or insecure fear that overwhelmed her the most while Crystal kept kissing her, protective hands on her and lips taking a breather for ten mere seconds before pressing again.
Luz: Es un tono tan antiguo
Pero uno que nunca cambiaría
Porque no hay bruja mejor que tú
In the end, Gothy's insecure fear took over. Crystal had gone from gentle pecks to nibbling Gothy's lower lip. Then the kissing got a bit bigger; more passionate.
"No…" Gothy pulled herself away from Crystal. "I can't…"
"Gothy…" Crystal tried to reach out for her.
Luz: Que tú
Que tú
Ooh, eres una buena bruja
"I'm sorry! I can't!" Gothy ran off into the streets, taking the route back to the Stranded Hearts Inn. She just couldn't do it. The fears were just overwhelming her. What if her emotions were false and she wound up like Mother Gothel, going fling after fling, only caring about the vain pleasures until she got saddled with children she didn't love? What if Crystal changed her mind and saw Gothy as a mere plaything? What if Gothy was forced to choose between her sister and her possible crush? And Audrey? Gothy had managed to learn first-hand about the things Auradon didn't tolerate. What if her first real friend turned her back in disgust because of Gothy's newfound love?
Gothy was too distracted by her fears while she ran that by the time she was a few feet in front of the closed inn, she only realized that she had been followed when someone slapped her on the face, knocking her on the ground. Gothy regained herself and felt the blood trickling on her face. Whoever slapped her also gave her three nasty scratches on her cheek.
"Look at what you made me do! I scratched that smelly, pretty face of yours!" Leona Ernst stomped her foot on the ground. With the few lampposts illuminating the street, Gothy noticed that Leona was now sporting a blonde wig and still dressed entirely in black. She lacked the gloves, however, revealing the total of six long, lean clawed fingers she had, her right claws coated by Gothy's blood. As if to taunt Gothy, Leona opened her elongated, sharp toothed mouth and used her forked tongue to lick the blood off her nails. "For a filthy child, you taste good."
"What's with your accent?" Gothy noted that for some reason, the German accent Leona Ernst had in their first encounter was replaced by a Norwegian one.
"Seriously? This is your first priority?" Leona muttered. "You're like the imbeciles out there who ask if I prefer my mother looking like Angelica Huston or Anne Hathaway! Can nobody be neutral-minded these days?"
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Gothy struggled to get back up. She cringed when she tried to rub the blood off her face, pain taking in. Leona's scratching was very similar to those of a wild animal, it's a miracle that the claws hadn't pierced through Gothy's skull. "Heck, I don't really care what you hope to look like in the scales of vanity! You still sound like the savage monster I met earlier who tried to eat a child!"
"Thank you, that's the nicest thing any nasty child has ever told me!" Leona gave an elongated smile at Gothy. Just how many teeth did that witch have yet could pass off as a regular-toothed human when the Glasgow Grin was closed.
"You're such a hypocrite… I mean, why do you even exist if your species hates children? And isn't the whole ordeal stupid? A child witch who kills human children just because of personal hygiene problems?"
"A lot of people ask that since a lot of witches in this county support interspecies relationships. Here's the catch though…" In less than five seconds, Leona's arms suddenly elongated themselves, causing a series of disturbing bone-cracking sounds as she grabbed Gothy by the neck and shoved her onto the wall. Gothy groaned as she felt the six claws threatening to pierce through her skin and crush her pipes. Leona pulled herself forward, causing more bone-cracking sounds as her arms reached their usual lengths.
"See, my type of witches come directly out of Hell. Why in this strange chaotic of good and evil that the universe has invented, I don't know and I don't care. You just know when you were invented for a purpose, and I was invented to follow my mother's footsteps. Spread admiration and terror as the leading model for our sort of witches and purge the world of children so their souls can be further tortured in Hell!"
"Gee, and I thought children were the epitome of innocence!" Gothy chocked out a sarcastic joke.
"What, the human parasites who are sinful the moment they are breastfed? The brats who constantly whine, break your stuff, expect the world to focus on them, are spoiled by parents, and expect life to be full of cupcakes and rainbows? The brats who smell like dog poop after each bath, which makes walking outside unbearable? Yeah, I suppose they're innocent for idiotic humans!" Leona practically shouted. "You aren't even an exception! I know what you are from your stench! A brat from the Isle of the Lost!"
Gothy's brown eyes widened in shock. "How…"
"What, you think that because I was born in Witchachusetts, I don't know that dog poop stench is stronger when it comes from the West? Do you know how often I stalked children coming from the station with their refugee parents and I have to vomit in the woods because the ridiculous Auradonian soap they used all their life makes me gag because the brats smell like a thousand piles of dog poop? You're from the Isle, you probably barely had a decent bath in your life! You started taking longer showers since you left and I can tell you're a hair neat freak! You don't stink as badly as the child I lured in this morning, but I smelled a portion of dog poop coming from your hair!"
"Uh… thanks?" Gothy choked.
"You're welcome." Leona partially calmed down, but she still kept baring her teeth. "But my problem with you isn't your stench but that you stabbed me while I was doing my purpose!"
"Oh, sue me if I have standards!" Gothy spat some blood at Leona's face.
"Exactly! And when I sue people, I kill them! Well, I do pull strings in advance, so I know specifically where to send those I kill in Hell!" Leona cackled. "Bad part, I might rip off some flesh when I bite you to death on. Good part, in a matter of weeks, I can go to Villainapolis and watch the next high-grossing flick from the Porn Studios! Staring Gothy Gothel from the Isle of the Lost! The creepy moth really knows how to handle the souls that my mother and I sued! I lost track of all the DVDs I purchased!"
Gothy now felt like she might hyperventilate. Getting killed by a witch for petty reasons was one thing, but getting her dead soul sold by that same witch to some freak who'd take advantage of her 'pretty face'? That just made her running away from a kiss pathetic.
Leona forced Gothy on the wall, one hand practically pulling her hair while the other clenched underneath her chin, exposing her bleeding neck. The young witch prepared for the plunge until she suddenly dissolved into a shower of purple glitter. Gothy choked and looked confusingly as the glitter disappeared and all that was left of Leona Ernst was a purple plush otter toy.
Crystal was ten feet away from her, and judging by her position, she had KO-ed the young witch with a crystal ball. The Blight-Noceda family came running in from the street.
"Here you go, Amar." Crystal sweetly gave the toy to Amar. "An evil witch tried to hurt Gothy. I turned her into a toy. You can hurt it as much as you want."
"Thank you." Amar smiled as he took the toy and showed it to Luz. "¿Puedo llenarle la barriga de arañas, mami?" (Can I fill its belly with spiders, Mommy?)
"Crystal…" Gothy coughed out some more blood. Crystal gently scooped her in her arms, causing Gothy to blush underneath her bloody cheek.
"It's over. Come on, let's get you inside."
Later
A lot of alcohol rubbing and stitching had been applied on Gothy. After taking a bath and getting ready for bed, Gothy noted the scars that were beginning to appear. It was rather ironic when she saw her reflection in the vanity mirror: her cheek and neck would have permanent scars yet the injuries' colors barely stood out on her skin. She wasn't disfigured (and Amity reassured her that she wouldn't get some side-effect infection) but Gothy couldn't understand why gaining scars barely did a number on her appearance the way massive stress and hormone problems could lead to acne in adulthood. Gothy touched the stitched scars on her cheek. They even felt like real skin, only causing her to cringe a bit.
The bedroom door swung open and in came Crystal with two cups full of warm tea. Gothy didn't even jump in startlement. At this rate, she was used to Crystal's occasional lack of etiquette in door knocking.
"Ms. Luz made us some chamomile tea before we got to tuck in." Crystal handed one of the cups to Gothy. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit better." Gothy took a sip of tea. "It's kinda weird, but I'm actually OK with being scarred for life." She let out a small chuckle. "At least now I don't have to worry about being seen as a vanity object."
"If it comforts you in any way, I actually have a fondness for scarred chicks. Stirs away from the stereotype that women are delicate." In one gulp, Crystal drank all her warm tea. "Amar stuffed his new toy with tarantulas and black widows. And turned it into one giant voodoo doll! He's creepy and ridiculously adorable!"
"Did you just get a child-hating witch murdered by a child?" Gothy smirked.
"Who cares? No more needles to find in the haystack. Besides the Grand High Witch is merciless; I doubt she'll even care that her own offspring is dead!" Crystal took a sniff of the flowers that had been removed from Gothy's hair and placed in a small pot on the nightstand. "You honestly got into Ms. Amity's nice side. She really likes you."
"Uh, about that…" Gothy felt her grip tightening on her cup. "I'm sorry if I ran off… I got scared…"
"I don't blame you." Crystal sat down on the bed, the glitter in her hair flashing a bit as it pounced. "I mean, who wouldn't be scared? My list of flings is countless, but in the end, none of them have ever been emotional. Even I can't tell what scared me the most about being in love. Obviously, I kept telling myself I'd never be like Jareth. Some Fae royal bitch who acts like the opinions of a teenage mortal he pursued 'out of love' were inferior to his 'love for her'. Fae blood runs in me, but I could never force some lover to give up mortality just for me. And I certainly would never give up my immortality just for love. Selfish, I know."
"No, not really." Gothy finished her tea. "I mean… if it had been me, I never would have asked you to give up that part of you."
"I'd have to watch you grow old and die." Crystal looked morbid. "I look half of my actual age. I'd look and feel younger if I reached the typical human mortality rate. Sounds too morbid…"
"You're talking to Mother Gothel's kid." Gothy sat down next to Crystal. "Try spending time with her and she makes you appreciate the mere concept of age."
The moonlight glowed through the night's purple clouds and sent some lovely beams through the open window. Gothy chuckled to herself and touched her cheek's scars. "I just went through a near-death experience and despite everything, it caused me to re-evaluate myself. I mean, freaking out that people might only see me like Mother Gothel? Mock who I am? Between running away and getting scarred for life, running away was the dumbest thing I ever did! Terrified of love? Maybe a bit…" Gothy paused when she noticed that Crystal was frowning at her. "What?"
"Reassure me that you're not going to resort to near-death to undergo self-discovery," Crystal said quietly.
"I won't!" Gothy shook her head. "It's a one-time thing!"
"Good." Crystal reached out and placed her hand on Gothy's cheek, gently stroking over the scars. "Do me a favor, Gorgeous. I know you're independent enough to stab people, but don't get yourself in so many situations where it comes a cliched 'rescue the damsel' flick, OK?"
"I won't."
"I mean it."
"So did I."
"Good." Crystal's spare hand cupped Gothy's other cheek. The dark-haired and partially scarred beauty merely blushed as she returned the Fae's gentle kiss. It was a good thing they were sitting on the bed; Gothy felt her legs shaking by the time Crystal pulled away. "Not as blissful as the first one, but still the way I felt it."
"A bit strange?" Gothy asked.
"No. Happy." Crystal kissed her again. "Like just being with you actually makes me think that for the first time in my immortal life, someone loves me. For the real deal."
If this was real bliss, it sure as hell took over Gothy, provoking her to pull Crystal into a hug and deep kiss that accidentally pulled Gothy's head down on the pillows. Enticed moans came out from both of them as their kisses deepened, the hug tightened, and Crystal managed to flip Gothy so they could change positions. Gothy practically saddled on Crystal's lap as the Fae moved from kissing her strictly on the lips to her scarred cheek and neck. They were so caught in the embrace, they didn't realize that Amity Blight-Noceda accidentally walked in on them to witness Crystal's hold on Gothy going lower than the waist.
"HOLY ABOMINATIONS OF THE BOILING ISLES!" Amity's exclaiming voice caused the girls to stop their activity. "I'M OVERJOYED THAT YOU TWO FINALLY WORKED THINGS OUT BUT WAIT UNTIL YOUR TRAIN GETS FIXED FOR SEX! WE HAVE A BEYOND UNDDERAGED CHILD IN THE HOUSE!"
"Sorry, Mrs. Blight-Noceda!" Crystal and Gothy innocently apologized.
