Just one more chapter after this one!

~3~

Sticks cracked underfoot as they gracelessly hobbled along. As his strides were longer than hers, he led the way. She tagged along like a shadow at his heels.

If they continued this way, they'd end up in the river. Staff strapped to her back, Vivi finally broke the silence, unable to watch him aimlessly navigate her forest forever. "This is all your fault."

Julius stood stock still in a dead halt, and the Witch ran directly into his back face first. He whirled around, forgetting the necklace binding their hands, and he nearly lost his balance. He kept his cool as well as expected. "Me?! You're the thief who stole it in the first place! Let's count your offenses, shall we? You stalk me, steal my property, threaten me with violence—"

"If I recall, you lunged first," Vivi quipped, patting at her injured nose. All she could smell was his rose-scented hair product. It was over-powering to say the least.

Unamused, Julius let the breath out through his nose. He glared at her through mere slits of his dark eyes. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. And regardless, your outfit is criminal."

"You take that back!" Vivi was almost guilted. For a second anyways. She hissed. "Will you stop dragging us in circles? You're making me dizzy."

"Circles nothing – we're going back the way we came," he said, disturbed by her accusation. Julius looked around them and recognized the trees bowing overhead in an arch. Weren't they like that coming in?

He stopped walking again, but this time she was prepared. When she stumbled into his back, she turned her head in time. Vivi was annoyed he was obviously using landmarks that were hardly unique to find his way. She said as much. "We're going to die out in the middle of nowhere because you don't know how to get home. Are you a child?"

Julius let out a huff. "Look, we wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't stolen from me—"

"Oh, enough already, you've given me a headache," she whined.

How could someone be so guiltless? So whiny? So infuriating? Julius hadn't remembered having so little tolerance for someone in all his life. He pulled a face as he tried to stilt his height as much as possible to dodge some low-hanging ivy. Traversing the forest was nearly impossible with one hand let alone having his useless one attached directly to a hundred twenty pounds of pure evil. He pointed out his ire in an accusatory way. "Fine, I pose a question to you. If your magic is so powerful, oh almighty witch, why can't you simply undo the spell? Hm?"

His mockery of her ability bruised her ego something fierce. Vivi easily ducked under the ivy and hopped over the bush of burrs he hadn't missed. The little barbs were stuck all over the base of his fancy fur jacket. It gave the Witch an ounce of satisfaction. "If I could reverse the spell, I would've. Magic isn't so simple."

Julius had a retort on his tongue, but they both quieted at a sound coming from their right. In another second, Luke's voice carried through the trees, scaring the birds out of their perches overhead. It was the carpenters approaching. Julius watched the Witch's face grow pale. She took charge of the lead, pulling him in the opposite direction.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Julius tried to brace himself, but she had an advantage of angle. His arm was twisted awkwardly, and the only way to right it would be to cut in front of her. With the way she was plowing ahead, that wasn't going to happen. Julius did his best to keep up. "Slow down – if we head back, we can get out of here! The carpenters will know the way out."

Vivi didn't turn to acknowledge the sense of his proposal, her steps only quickening. She was nimble as a deer despite her grey hair. "Are you crazy?! I can't be seen! We're leaving. Immediately."

Julius wasn't having it. He latched onto a tree trunk in passing, and the necklace connecting them did the rest. The Witch was forced back and stopped. She glowered. He calmly stated his case. "If you want this thing off, we have to get back to the shop. We can follow them back to Garmon. We're going that way."

The Witch considered this until Luke sounded much closer. She shook her head stubbornly. She snapped her fingers, and Julius' hand was suddenly hot – very hot. He yelped and released the trunk to see she had created sparks where his hand had made contact, forcing him to let go. With unnatural strength, she pulled him along as easily as a dog on a leash. "Then we're taking the long way. I'm not getting caught because of you."

Julius couldn't do much except struggle not to face plant. He promised himself he'd have a bath and moisturizer therapy after all of the raw poison ivy he came in contact with along the way, but he managed to stay fast behind the Witch. She strode without hesitation, cutting an easy path through the foliage as easily as if she was swimming through calm waters. If it hadn't been for the necklace binding them, it would've been impossible for him to follow her pace.

He watched the colorful fall leaves begin to thin until the trees petered out to shrubs. They passed through a familiar wooden gate, and they were standing on tame grass. She had done as promised. They were free of Fugue.

"Well…" Julius took a deep breath of relief. In the open air within sight of his home, he had a clearer head for exactly the situation he found himself in. He was bound to a witch who wanted him dead. Which certainly helped organize his priorities. He straightened his posture. "My turn to lead the way. It's quite a hike, so do try to keep up in those heels."

"Will we make it before two?" She suddenly asked as they started down the path.

Julius didn't wear a watch, so he had no clue. It was an odd question to ask anyways. He gave her a weird look. "No idea. Making demands now?"

The Witch didn't say anything – a welcome surprise. He attempted to shrug this off and focus on walking. He hated to admit it was strange to walk so close beside someone. He wasn't used to it. Their hands almost connected, it made him think of Molly. Her silly grin she'd get when she spoke. How easily flustered she got. She was so easy to tease and the most fun for it, too. He might've ruined that now though.

He watched the sea passing by, the coast following them on their left as they took the footpath. How had things become such a mess today? Maybe this was the universe giving him a sign it was too early. That was a big step. Saying love. A necklace wasn't going to guarantee it would be received well, but a part of Julius hoped it would. Certainly couldn't hurt anyways. But those sorts of worries were pointless now. Because if it was anywhere near two, he had missed their date. Accident or not, Julius had stood her up. The idea of Molly standing all alone in wait for him made him feel ugly. It was the worst feeling in the world.

He felt a gentle tug on his arm, and he realized the Witch had stopped walking. He turned his head in annoyance, ready with a sharp quip for her but silenced upon seeing her face. She was staring at the farm. Molly's farm. The fields flooded with beautiful roses, chrysanthemums, and cosmos.

"She likes flowers," she stated.

It was almost a question, and Julius felt compelled to answer it. Even though she didn't deserve the knowledge. "Yes. They're all she ever grows. Molly makes perfumes."

What's with this woman? Julius wondered, studying her serene expression. She was violent and horrible and nosey, but she seemed to know Molly. Or at least something of her anyways. She must not have known her very well though if she didn't even know about her perfume business. This shock seemed to reverberate from the person at his side, lost in her thoughts, wondering how a best friend couldn't know much about her best friend at all.

They had lingered a little long, so Julius jangled the necklace between them, the pendant revolving around the chain at the upset. Vivi snapped out of it, looking annoyed. "What? Why are you staring at me like a fool? Aren't you supposed to be leading the way?"

Julius uttered an irritated growl but didn't give her the benefit of a better reaction. He took advantage of the fact he was a couple heads taller than her and extended his stride to make it especially difficult for her. He heard her set her pace at a clumsy jog as they made their way up the mountain, only a little sorry for enacting such a punishment.

Once in the appearance of the district, Vivi cowed behind him in hiding. Julius allowed her as he attempted to ignore her altogether as they entered the Accessory Store with his key. It was a debacle getting it out of his back pocket that just so happened to be on the most inconvenient side, but it wasn't much longer before the lock clicked open. He pushed the door and was prepared to greet his boss, Mira, but he was surprised to find the place empty. The door shut behind them.

Given the opportunity, Vivi stared at the shelves and shelves of beautiful pieces in the cabinets around them. Julius pulled them around the counter, and he stooped down to look for a tool box. Doing so put Vivi's nose at the glass counter, and she peered at the rings displayed there. They weren't all ugly like Molly's ring. Some were red and white and orange. A topaz ring caught her eye in particular, and she let out a little 'ooo' of admiration.

Julius heard her and looked up, ready to retort whatever insult she spit at him. She surprised him yet again when she poked her finger at the glass. "Your human body ornaments intrigue me. Do they have magical properties?"

If they did, I'd wish for a witch who could undo spells, he thought wryly to himself. The secret barb brought a smirk to his lips. He lifted the tool box to the counter and unlatched it as he talked. "Of course not. Unless you consider beauty a magical element then… I suppose they do."

"This one looks very old," Vivi insisted, still pointing at the topaz she liked. She wondered if she could persuade him to part with it if he thought it was out of season. He seemed to be the shallow type to do so.

Julius frowned as he stopped what he was doing and looked to where she gestured. A cursory glance gave him his answer. "It's not old; I made it last week."

Wait, what? Vivi looked closer, trying to find flaws now. But try as she might, the work was exquisite. It was hard to imagine how he created such fine detail in the embossing. She hardly noticed her own fascination, but Julius recognized the admiring stare and was humbled by it. Her wide orange eyes met his. "You are talented."

She almost said 'tacky,' but it fortunately came out sincere for a change. Julius was trying to make sense of her and was beginning to put the pieces together. A witch scared to death of being found but ferociously protective of adventurous Molly. Hm. He realized he never learned something since introductions had been skipped in lieu of a brawl. "Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious by now?" Vivi tooted her own horn, a sneer evident on her face. "I'm Molly's best friend."

Julius didn't remember Molly ever mentioning having a singular best friend let alone mentioning anyone remotely close to this girl's description. He ventured for something specific. "What's your name?"

"What?" Startled, Vivi lost all interest in the jewelry and was back to her abrasive self he had first met. She defensively folded her arms over her bust. "Witch. I am Witch, and a witch is what I am. That is what you must call me."

Back to that weird vernacular. Julius noted she was distancing herself with an icy gaze. He let it drop, producing the pointed hammer he had been searching for. Beckoning her over to a sturdier surface, he set the necklace upon a lead block between them. Vivi looked down at it and back at him as if daring him to miss the clear target of the little clover pendant. Julius felt his insides twist at the sight. He'd never destroyed his own work before. He gave her a pointed look. "I kind of hate you for this."

With only a hint of hesitance to begin the arc, Julius's second attempt had him swinging the hammer down full force. They both winced, awaiting the distinct clang as the chain crunched underneath the tool, but the sound never came. Instead, the hammer was repelled a hair before impact by green light. As if thrown against an opposing magnetic field, the hammer flew back and clear out of Julius' grip. Both of their heads whipped around to watch as it sailed behind them and crashed with a mighty explosion of glass into a display cabinet against the wall. Shards of glass crumbled to the carpet with hundreds of rings and gems and bracelets all spilling to the floor.

Julius broke the stillness first. "You're paying for that."

"Pfft," the Witch snorted, waving her free hand in admonishment. "I don't have any money."

Deflated, Julius threw a hand over his face and held it there. He nearly mussed his makeup but caught himself. A part of him was relieved he didn't have to break the necklace, but this created a new problem. If physical force couldn't tear them apart, what would?