Chapter 3:
Akko clung to her Mama's chest as she felt the wind blowing through her hair. She loved riding on either of her mother's brooms, but she hated heights, and if they ever went too high for her liking, she would squeeze the rider's chest just a little tighter until they got to a height that was just to her liking. Chariot took notice and shot her daughter a reassuring grin.
"Don't worry Akko, we're almost there."
Akko nodded against Chariot's back. Chariot could see a gated fence coming up. She decided to give the rundown to Akko once more.
"Now remember Sweetie, this is a very important client of mine. We need to be on our best behavior, okay?"
"Okay Mama!" replied Akko.
Soon Chariot began their descent, and the gates opened on their own. Chariot and Akko hopped off the broom and walked into the gates. Akko gasped at the large house before them. It was at least ten times the size of her own!
"This is like the museum!" she awed. Chariot giggled at her child's bewilderment before taking notice of the front door opening before them, causing the scarlet-haired witch to stand up straight. Akko looked over to see what the issue was.
Three figures had just walked out of the house, the first a rather old looking woman dressed in a rather plain dress, the next a younger-looking woman with blonde hair, and a face of disapproval, and finally, a third figure who shared the second's blonde hair, but looked a lot more kind and welcoming with a smile.
"Ah, you must be Chariot!" she said suddenly. "We spoke on the phone," she then extended out her hand in greeting, "Bernadette Cavendish, it's nice to finally meet you in person."
Chariot smiled awkwardly, not wanting to embarrass herself. She took the offered hand, and the two shook.
"A pleasure," she said quietly.
A snort came from the other blonde woman, making Chariot look over.
"So, you're that street performer my sister won't stop talking about," she said in a matter-of-fact fashion. "Surely you must realize that such magic is a disgrace to the tradition of our entire culture?"
Chariot gulped as she felt Akko hide behind her legs. She had met other witches like this. Thankfully Croix had always been there to step in and tell them to buzz off, but Croix wasn't here this time. Chariot was on her own, well not completely.
"Daryl, hush." went Bernadette. "Magic is in a bit of a slump right now, she's only trying to make ends meet. Besides, if you ask me we could do with a little excitement in this world."
Daryl scowled.
"Hmmph, I thought you had to cancel."
"Oh, that reminds me!" intervened Bernadette, "Where's your little one?" she asked, almost eagerly.
Akko gripped Chariot's legs tightly, not wanting to move from her spot; but her Mama grabbed her hand gave a look of reassurance.
"Go on then, Honey." she encouraged her daughter. "Introduce yourself."
Akko slowly walked out from behind her mother's legs, her anxiety more than apparent. She kept a firm grip on her mother's hand as she looked at all three figures with immense shyness. Bernadette almost squealed in excitement.
"Aww, well aren't you just the cutest thing?" she greeted. "And what's your name?"
Akko said nothing, keeping her grip on her mother's hand; leading Chariot to make the introduction.
"This is Atsuko," she said. "You'll have to excuse her shyness."
"I understand," replied Bernadette, who kneeled down to face the girl.
"Tell me Atsuko," she asked the small child. "Do you like magic?"
Akko perked up at the mention of magic. Back with her birth parents, she would sometimes hear stories of witches and magic that helped her go to sleep. It wasn't until she had been adopted by Chariot and Croix that she had gotten a better understanding of magic, and before long, understanding turned into fascination, which then turned into excitement.
Akko looked back up to Bernadette with a small grin before nodding eagerly.
"Wonderful!" said Bernadette. "Then you should feel more than welcome here, why don't we head on in?"
"Of course!" Replied Chariot, eager to please "If you would be so kind as to lead the
way…"
Bernadette nodded in agreement and before long the group was walking through the long
corridors of the manor. Akko could only gaze with her mouth ajar, awed at the beauty of the
house. Every other wall there was some kind of magnificent painting hung up, making the
whole house look even more like a museum.
Just then, Daryl looked back down to the tiny brunette, shooting her the evil eye. Akko
immediately took notice before cowering behind her mother's legs once again.
The one Bernadette lady seemed nice enough, but Daryl made it more than obvious that she
didn't want Akko or her mother there at all.
"Y-You have a lovely home…" spoke up Chariot, trying to make some conversation among the group.
"Oh, you're too kind!" replied Bernadette, "This was the same house Daryl and I grew up in, you know how the old families can be with tradition and all that…"
"I understand," said Chariot with an awkward smile.
Soon it wasn't long before the group arrived at the entrance to the backyard where servants opened the door for them. Among the grassy field was a set of small tables, decorated with festive tablecloths and balloons. Towards the back were a set of servants pulling three or four horses along, most likely for giving rides to the guests. Then there was the long snack table, with all sorts of food that made both Akko's and Chariot's mouths water.
Akko was brought out of her trance when her ears caught the sound of laughter, she looked to the opposite end of the snack table, and saw a group of children all chatting and giggling amongst each other. Akko found herself returning to behind her mother's legs once more.
Akko got along fine with most other kids her age, but it was only when she met with someone new that she would act like this. Thankfully Mama or Mommy would encourage her to socialize with the other children. That's how it usually was, neither of the two ever leaving Akko's side at any-
"Well, I suppose I'd better get ready, is it alright for Akko to stay here with everyone else?"
Wait, What did Mama just say? She was going away? Without her? Mama Pup was leaving her Tiny Mouse behind?
"Certainly, she'll be just fine," replied Bernadette.
"Mmmm!" whined Akko, wrapping her arms around Chariot's leg. Chariot smiled nervously at her clients before she looked down at her shaking daughter.
"Hey, don't worry Akko, I'll only be gone for a little while," she reassured the little one, "Besides, this will be a great chance for you to make some new friends! Okay?"
Akko nodded her head.
"Good, now I need you to let go of my leg, alright?"
Akko looked back to the tall blonde lady, before nodding and reluctantly letting go of her mother's leg.
"Okay, I should only need about half an hour to get ready."
"Of course! I'll have you an audience by then!" replied Bernadette cheerfully.
Chariot nodded and stepped away from their view to prepare for the show. Akko then looked back to Bernadette, who had extended her hand out the tiny brunette.
"Would you like to come with me?" she asked.
Akko looked to the hand cautiously, Bernadette seemed nice enough, but what if she was really mean like the Daryl lady? What if Bernadette was just as mean? She didn't seem like she was, but there was always a chance.
"Come now, Atsuko, I don't bite." chuckled Bernadette. "I promise, not only will you be safe, but you will have a good time in the process."
With this new reassurance, Akko took Bernadette's hand with a small smile on her face.
"Thank you, Miss…" said Akko quietly.
"No problem, dear." replied Bernadette, "Now then, let's introduce you to everyone!"
Bernadette and Akko then began to make their way to the end of the snack table where the other children were. Akko's grip on Bernadette's hand tightened as they came closer to the children. But she was with Bernadette, they would be nice to her! Right?
"Everyone! I'd like you to meet Atsuko!" Announced Bernadette. " She'll be joining us for the festivities today!"
The children stopped their chatter and looked towards the little brunette with curious eyes. At least two of them shared the same blonde hair as Bernadette and Daryl.
Akko felt herself shrink when she noticed the stares. One of them, a boy, though his look seemed to judge, was softer than most of the others. It took a while before he was the one to break the silence.
"Hello, my name's Andrew!" he greeted with a welcome smile, "It's nice to meet you!"
Akko began to feel a little more comfortable with this boy, even though it seemed everyone else was, at the most, indifferent to her.
"Wonderful!" chimed in Bernadette, "You're making friends already!" Bernadette then checked her watch.
"Right then, carry on darlings!" she announced to the children, "We'll be having a show soon!"
Each of the children ooed at the announcement before running off into the field to play a game of tag, but Akko and Andrew staying behind. Akko still being a little shy and worried about what the other kids thought of her.
"Ahem,"
Akko and Andrew looked to each other in confusion, before both turning around to face Daryl, still giving Akko that evil eye she had given her in the corridors.
"Listen you," she said to Akko, making the brunette jump. "My sister may want you and your mother here, but I certainly don't."
Akko shrank back down in fear, beginning to wish that Mama was with her.
"The last thing this party needs is some bloated parlor magician and her snot-nosed little spawn scurrying all over the place." put in Daryl. "Be sure and keep to yourself, I'll be watching you. Got it?"
Akko nodded quietly. Daryl muttered out a response before walking back to her sister.
Akko began to feel like her inner pessimism return, looks like she really wasn't all that welcome here after all. She would rather have done the long math problems than to face that mean lady again.
Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked to Andrew who was still giving her a welcoming smile.
"Don't worry, Daryl is all bark no bite, my dad says." He then leaned into Akko's ear. "We sometimes call her, 'the snipe'!"
Akko giggled when she heard this name. She had never heard of a 'snipe' before, but if it meant that Daryl was one, then maybe it meant that they were all a bunch of meanies!
"C'mon, let's go play!" Andrew said.
Akko's smile returned as she ran with Andrew to join in on the frenzy of children tagging each other.
…
"I got you!"
"Nuh-Uh!"
"Yeah-Huh!"
"Nuh-Uh!"
"Yeah-Huh!"
"Nuh-Uh!"
"Yeah-Huh!"
With the time that the two were taking to argue, Akko, Andrew, and a few others were able to sprint away from them, laughing and shouting as they did so. Once they were at a faraway distance they turned to face each other.
"Those two argue all the time," explained Andrew, "It gives us a chance to get away."
"They sound like Mommy when she's playing her video games!" agreed Akko, remembering back to the times when it would rain on weekends, and Mommy and Mama would just stay home, and Mommy would always get on their video game box with a headset, occasionally yelling about something called a "noob"or "pleb".
"Wow, your mom can do magic and she plays video games?" said Andrew, almost in awe, "Man, she must be so cool! Diana's gonna love her!"
"...Diana?" asked Akko with a tilt of her head. "Who's Diana?"
"Um, the one whose party this is!" replied Andrew, "Didn't you know?"
Akko shook her head. "My Mama just brought me along." she answered, "and Mama doesn't play video games, only Mommy does."
Andrew looked puzzled. "Aren't Mama and Mommy the same thing?"
"Not for me!" replied Akko cheerily, "I have a Mama and a Mommy!"
"Really…?" questioned Andrew. "That sounds kinda cool."
"It is!" exclaimed Akko.
Suddenly, the sound of doors opening caused the two to look over to the main party area.
"Oh, Diana's here!" said Andrew, as everyone began to run over to where Bernadette was walking into the yard with what appeared to be a smaller... tiny version of herself dressed in a fancy dress, and holding the taller one's hand.
"That must be Diana," thought Akko, "She kinda looks pretty…"
Just before going to greet them, Akko and Andrew stopped by the refreshment table to get a cup of lemonade. The two quietly sipped on their drinks.
"Hey, Akko,"
Akko looked up, just as she poured herself some more lemonade.
"So you have two moms, right?"
Akko nodded her head.
"Well… do you still have a dad?"
Akko's eyes suddenly widened. Back at home, the subject of her previous parents, the Kagaris, had always been sensitive among Chariot and Croix, it was an unspoken rule to never bring it up unless Akko herself wanted to talk about it.
If anyone else asked about the situation, Akko would immediately run to Chariot or Croix, whoever was closest to her and wrap her arms around them. But Chariot had gone away, and Croix was at work; which meant Akko had no one to go to at the moment.
"Hey...Are you okay?" asked Andrew.
Akko jumped slightly at the voice of the young boy next to her. She began to back up.
"I...I don't...I…"
"Do you want me to get the grown-ups?"
Akko couldn't respond, she just kept backing away with her cup of lemonade still in her hand. All the while the anxiety within her kept building up. She was so anxious, she didn't notice how close Bernadette and the little girl were getting, or the extended foot belonging to a devious smirk…
"Woah!" exclaimed the brunette as she tripped over the foot and fell back, letting go of her lemonade. She then ran into something, send them both down to the ground with a small thud, but not before Akko heard a splash and a yelp.
"My dress!" exclaimed a new voice.
Akko shook her head and looked up to see the same little blonde girl who had just walked out and had fallen on the ground as well. Just as before, Akko made the analogy that she was like a mini Bernadette. The only difference being that Akko couldn't really see Bernadette's eyes before, but Akko could now see that the little girl's eyes were a shade of dark blue, directly contrasting with her own red eyes.
For a brief moment, the two just looked at each other, not saying a word, that was until Akko suddenly took notice of the yellow stain on this new girl's dress, making the brunette jump.
"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered out, "I-I, I didn't-"
"Why you little brat!"
Akko turned her head to see Daryl from before, looking even more furious than before.
"I tell you to stay out of the way, and you go ahead and ruin my niece's brand new dress! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"
Akko could only stare back with scared and sad eyes.
"Now now, Daryl there's no need to make a fuss over-"
"Don't start with me, Bernadette!" interrupted Daryl, "I told you inviting that heretic would do no good, and look what's happened! She brought her little runt along, and just look at the mess she made!"
Akko's eyes began to form unshed tears. She didn't even mean to run into the other girl, yet she was getting yelled at for it by a grown-up she hardly knew. Daryl took notice of Akko's tears and brought her gaze down to the child's level.
"Don't you dare shed a tear, or I'll give you something to cry about." she hissed, "If you were my kid, I'd put you in an orphanage…"
That did it. Akko then began sniffling as tears fell from her eyes. Bernadette and the little girl took notice of this.
"Atsuko?" asked Bernadette in a caring voice, "Don't worry! There's no need to cry! Why don't we all sit down and have some cake and then-"
But Bernadette couldn't finish her sentence before Akko sprinted for the door, weeping as she did so. Bernadette then turned back at her sister, looking very angry.
"I suppose you feel better about yourself now?" she asked, "After saying such harsh things to a child?"
"Oh, get off your high horse," replied Daryl. "I've seen you yell at your kid before."
"Diana is my child!" retorted Bernadette, "And that was only an accident! You didn't have to resort to yelling!"
"Whatever…" answered Daryl, making her way to the snack table as Bernadette could only growl.
Bernadette loved her sister, but Daryl always seemed to know how to get under her skin. And yelling at another guest's child was definitely one way that Daryl did so to her sister. Still, Bernadette had to keep a clear head. After all, Atsuko wasn't the only one who had fallen down.
"Don't worry, Sweetie," she said, looking down. "Let's go inside and get you cleaned-Diana?"
Bernadette looked around, Diana had been right by her a second ago, but now she seemed to have disappeared.
"Diana…? Diana?!" She called out once more, beginning to get nervous.
She didn't notice the back door open up, and a little blonde girl run into the house.
…
Akko meanwhile could only run forward as she continued to cry, not daring to look back. She had no idea where she was going, nor did she seem to care. She just wanted to be away from everybody. Akko soon turned a corner that looked to be empty, barring a few white doors on either side. She then leaned against the wall, and slumped down, crying into her knees.
Chariot and Croix didn't mistreat Akko in any way, but they could be stern with her if she did something wrong, like one time she had accidentally pulled all the wires out of Croix's video game console, giving Croix a nasty surprise when she went to play next. But even when they got mad and yelled, Akko knew that they still loved her.
But it wasn't just getting yelled at that made Akko sad. Again, the subject of the Kagaris was one not often spoken, and while Andrew didn't mean to remind Akko about it, the mere mention of them was enough to put her into a slight panic. Daryl's orphanage comment certainly didn't help matters either.
All Akko knew was that she wanted to be with Mama, and she couldn't. And if not Mama, then anyone that could give her a hug…
"Hey, you!"
Akko looked up to see two identical girls, who looked to be just a little older than herself, who like the girl she ran into, were wearing fancy dresses and matching, devious smirks.
"You're that heretic's kid, aren't you?" one asked. "Mother said she'd be bringing her little spawn."
Akko didn't say anything but she began to look sadder. She didn't know what "heretic" or "spawn" meant, but she could tell by the way these two and Daryl had used them, they weren't nice words.
"Of course it is, Merrill." replied the other one, putting a harsh emphasis on the "it". "Just look at the way it's dressed! Have you ever seen something so plain?"
Akko put her head back into her knees, hoping that it would make the two go away.
"Oh now see what you've done, Maril?" said Merrill. "You've gone and hurt its feelings!"
"G-Go away." sniffled Akko quietly.
"Oh look!, It talks!" Jeered Maril rudely. "I wonder what other tricks, It can do!"
"Your heretic mother's a magician isn't she?" asked Merrill, who then flicked Akko's forehead rather hard, making Akko yelp quietly. "Go on then, do a trick!"
"Yeah!" chimed in Maril, who flicked Akko's forehead as well. "Do a trick!"
Akko didn't want to do a trick, all she wanted was to be by herself, yet these two insisted on sticking around and flicking her forehead; laughing rudely as they did so.
"Come on! Do a trick!"
"Yeah, you little shrimp! Do a trick!"
"Leave her alone!"
The twins stopped their flicking and looked over, Akko looked over as well to see the same girl she had knocked down earlier. Only this time, her look of surprise had been replaced by that of determination and confidence. To Akko, she looked almost like a superhero. Merrill meanwhile only let out a scoff.
"Wonderful," she muttered. "Leave it to Diana to try and ruin everyone's fun."
"You think it's fun to be mean to little girls?" replied Diana, "You two should know better after what you did last time!"
"You mean when you tattled on us to Aunt Bernadette?" answered Maril "Why are you even bothering? Don't you know that this is the heretic's spawn? Her very presence here is enough of a crime as is!"
"That's right." chimed in Merrill, "besides she wasn't even invited, she's just some tag-along."
"No, she's not!" retorted Diana. "It's MY birthday, it's MY party, so I get to say who MY guests are!" she then pointed to the brunette on the ground, "and I say SHE is! So there!"
"Just get lost, Diana," growled Merrill. "This doesn't concern-"
"I'm telling Mother!"
That made the twins stop. They remembered what happened the last time they had faced the wrath of Aunt Bernadette and the cleaning they had to afterward for punishment.
Looking at each other, they nodded and faced Diana.
"...Tattletale," they muttered before walking away. Neither one saw Diana stick her tongue out at them both. She then turned back to the brunette. Her expression changing to one of concern. She ran over to Akko, who had returned to putting her face to her knees.
"Are you alright?" she asked with a concerned voice.
Akko barely lifted her head up, making brief eye contact with Diana before looking back down. Diana smiled.
"Don't worry!" she assured Akko, "I'm not mean like they are! My name's Diana!"
Akko raised her head slightly, just as Diana reached into one of her dress pockets, and pulled out a blue hard candy still in the wrapper. She then extended it to Akko. Akko looked at it curiously. She looked back at Diana who nodded. Akko then picked up the candy, unwrapped it, and placed it in her mouth. Almost immediately a tidal wave of flavor swept over her tastebuds, which formed a smile on her face.
"Do you like it?" asked Diana. "I have a whole bunch! My Uncle Willy sent me them for my birthday!"
Akko nodded her head eagerly, before swallowing and facing Diana once more.
"Thanks…" she said to the little blonde. Diana nodded in acknowledgment before offering a hand to the brunette.
"Your name's Akko, correct?" she asked.
Akko nodded in reply. Diana smiled.
"It's nice to meet you," she said joyfully. "But…" Diana looked from side-to-side before leaning towards Akko and whispering:
"Is your mother really Shiny Chariot?"
Akko's smile was all Diana needed to let out an excited squeal.
"That must be amazing!" she exclaimed. "To have such a great witch as a parent! I've only seen so much of her show in the park. But I can't wait to see her back outside!" Diana then grabbed Akko's wrist, surprising the brunette.
"Come on!" shouted Diana. "Let's go see her show!" She tried to break into a sprint, but she felt something pulling her back, she looked over to see Akko keeping her feet in place, not daring to move at all.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Don't you wanna see Shiny Chariot's show?"
Akko remained still before mumbling something out about a "snipe."
"Snipe?" asked Diana, "What do you mean-? Oh." Diana then realized who Akko was referring to. Aunt Daryl had always made it somewhat hard for Diana to make friends with anyone Daryl considered "undesirable."
Diana then put back on a look of confidence. Aunt Daryl wasn't going to ruin this friendship! Diana was determined to be Akko's friend! She gave Akko another reassuring smile.
"Don't worry!" she said, "I'll make sure Aunt Daryl leaves you alone!"
Akko seemed to ease up, but she was still a little nervous, and Diana could tell. Maybe they shouldn't go out just yet, but what else could they-?
Then an idea popped into the blonde's head. She remembered her mother instructing her never to do it without supervision, but Diana had done it plenty of times well enough. She was positive she could do it on her own. She turned to Akko once more.
"Do you like horses, Akko?" she asked. Akko perked up.
"You have horses?!" she exclaimed excitedly.
...