Chapter 5: My Familiar
Disclaimer: I do not own PPG or Norse figures. Etc. Etc.
•••000•••
How long Blossom had been in the room with the celebrating pair she couldn't say. One thing she was sure of though was that strangely enough she enjoyed the sight of the happy duo. A sharp stinging sensation forced her back to reality.
"Well it's nice to see you've got it to work. Just make sure no one sees them before we leave the castle." Getting up and walking to the door she unlocked it before slipping out into the hallway.
Brick didn't seem to notice her departure until the door was opened and cold air flooded back into the room. "Hey what about the other two?"
'At least he's got enough sense not to shout out what they are.' Blossom paused turning to face him. "Could you hold onto them for now? I can't really hide them on the way back to my room."
"Ok I guess." reaching up to scratch the back of his head he stared at Blossom for a moment. It looked as if he wanted to say something but quickly changed his mind. "Later Pink." he stepped back into the room closing the door.
'What a relief.' Blossom sighed as she made her way down the halls back to her room. Once there she locked the door. Delicately digging through her closet she brought out a soft velvet box. From the looks of the box anyone would presume it contained some sort of shirt or other clothing materials. Instead it was filled with an assortment of medical supplies. She pulled out one of the small bottles and a few white bandages. Opening the bottle Blossom rubbed some of the thick cream onto her hands hissing quietly as the stinging increased. Her hands were already beginning to blister, the skin a bright feverish pink.
In some part of her mind she knew she shouldn't have done what she did. She should have let him figure out how to work the sword on his own but on some fool-hearted whim she had helped him. And look where that got her, both hands were covered in second degree burns. Even using them to open the door had hurt. Not to mention the damn bottle, gauze, and bandages she had to wrap them in. 'Note to self, get easy to open containers for medical supplies.'
Once both hands were thoroughly coated in salve and wrapped Blossom slipped the box beneath her bed. Walking to the closet she decided to start looking for the things she would need for the trip. She grabbed a large grey bag and began dusting it out, checking for any critters that may have taken up residence since last she used it. Once satisfied she placed it on her bed. Returning to the closet Blossom dug out several different tops and bottoms from the back. Most of them were from her few trips to Muspell and would be a good choice for warmer climates, which she knew they would be traveling. Along with those she packed a few pieces for cooler weather, though she honestly didn't have to since she was immune to the cold. She packed an assortment of items she would need into the bag as well. When she was done the large grey bag was bulging at the top and nearly impossible to close. Blossom decided to remove some of the less important items until she could secure the top. Honestly she really wouldn't need such bulky winter clothing or jackets.
By the time she was done it was already past nightfall and Blossom decided to get ready for bed. Once she finished her shower she sat in the middle of her large pink bed. She had nearly forgotten about the little stone from the Valkyrie's. It had been in her possession for nearly half a day already. All the while it had been feeding off of her icy powers and was now the same hot pink the dagger had been. 'How much longer must I wait for you?' Expecting no response from it she tucked it into her clothing once more. Rolling over to face the window Blossom stared out over her misty home. The soft rumble of thunder put her at ease and before long she was asleep.
When the morning came Blossom woke to the feeling of something hard plucking at her hair. "Few more minutes Nubem." she murmured swiping a hand over her head to shoo the birds beak. When the pestering continued she rolled over pulling the feathery frame against her chest. She drowsily opened her eyes when, instead of cold snowy feathers she grabbed hold of fiery red ones. "Accendo?"
"About time you woke up." Blossom's head whipped around as soon as the deep throated voice reached her ears. There leaning against the back of her door was Brick. It took her a moment to realize why he looked so out of place besides him being in her pink room. Moments later she realized that the bulky clothes he had been wearing when he arrived the day before had been replaced by his usual arab attire. Where she was accustom to long occasionally thick tops and bottoms Brick wore light breezy clothes. Over his shoulders was a dark red sleeveless vest that showed off his admit-ably muscular chest and arms. A cherry red bandana like material wrapped around his waist covering the top of his light red pants which fell loosely to his ankles. His long fiery red hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. She always wondered how he could wear so little without being self-conscious. Then again everyone from Muspell had always been rather full of themselves. His piercing crimson eyes were glaring daggers into her as he pushed off of her door. "What happens to your hands?" the way his voice dripped in accusation told her he already knew the answer.
"No idea what your talking about." Why was she so blatantly lying to him? For some illogical reason she didn't want to say it was his fault.
"Oh really?" nearly growling in sarcasm, Brick made his way over to Blossom's bedside. Before she could move away he grabbed hold of her arm, pulling one of her hands out from under the sheets. "No idea what I'm talking about huh?"
She refused to look at him as he unraveled the many layers. When he caught sight of her feverish skin his grip on her wrist began to tighten with each white strip that fell. Grinding her teeth so she wouldn't cry out or yelp in pain she continued to face the window. Accendo let out a piercing shriek, flapping his wings madly. 'Damn. I forgot he was there.' Blossom knew the bird must have seen her anguish and scolded Brick for his grip immediately loosened. She felt a cold finger tracing over the outline of her palm. 'Brick associated with cold? Now there's a first.'
The bed shifted then, he must have sat down. Turning the smallest of fractions she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. It was obvious that he was irritated but there was another emotion on his face that Blossom didn't like one bit. It was the same look he had worn after the incident. The one that was always hiding just beneath the surface. One that made her blood boil, made her want to freeze him solid just so she could throw him out the window. She had always been a nice person in younger years but once THAT look had clouded the faces of the people surrounding her, she changed. For a while she had become an ill-tempered, resentful little thing. The first year and a half after that occurrence had seen her as the most violent, malicious inhabitant Nifilheim had ever seen. Even the jotunns of Muspell would have cringed in fear of her murderous wrath. It was the one thing that could without a doubt set her off. The one emotion that would turn her into the demonic little entity that even Hel's darkest inhabitants feared. Pity.
A feral snarl erupt from her throat startling the boy beside her as she ripped her hand from his grasp. "Get out of my room." One look into her glowing pink eyes had Accendo darting for cover, Brick on the other hand stayed put.
"I'm just trying to help." Leaning over he reached for her hand once more. "No need to get bitchy."
"I don't need your pity!" Snarling loudly she jumped off the bed landing with and uncharacteristic thump. "Now get the fuck out of my room!"
"Or what?" standing up on the opposite side of the bed, Brick crossed his arms over his chest trying not to look surprised at the sudden vehement display of hostility. "Besides who said it was pity?"
"Just get out of my room." The murderous glint in her eyes darkened as she pointed towards the door, her voice dangerously quiet. "NOW!"
He looked uncertain for a moment as if trying to decide whether he should push his luck and stay or get out while he still had the chance. He seemed to decide on the latter as he stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him. He wasn't afraid of her, not nearly so, but neither did he want to get into a fight so early in the morning especially after finding out he had accidentally hurt her the day before.
Breathing heavily in frustration Blossom yanked the medical box out from under her bed. She hastily ripped at the bandages already on her hands shredding them to bits. Slathering both in more ointment she wrapped them back up. When she was done she tore through her closet carelessly dressing herself in her lightest clothes. Looking into the mirror she realized she was wearing clothes very similar to what Brick had worn. The only difference was that in place of the vest she had an off the shoulder top that stopped just a little below her breast. Snarling loudly she snatched up the small pink stone tucking it into her clothes. Making her way to the window she slipped out rocketing into the thick mist a dark pink trail blazing behind her.
Reaching a tall rock formation she stopped. The mist was nearly nonexistent here as if knowing what the area was used for. The angry heat inside of her had reached unbearable levels boosted by her scorched hands. In some small part of her mind she knew Brick had only been trying to apologize for hurting her but she just couldn't stand the pity. It was always there whether he knew it or not. Even the other occupants of the castle, they all looked at her with that same underlying emotion. Nix was one of the only two who didn't look at her that way. The thought made her growl, hands glowing with energy.
The wind swirled around her speeding up to dangerous levels as she reached towards the thundering clouds. Snow began to fall, darting about in the wind. Within moments the light snowfall became damaging hail, blasting craters into the frozen soil. The pink light in her palms flared to darker shades as she shot out fluctuating blasts of ice. The jagged trails, unlike normal ice, flexed dancing on the wind currents like frozen serpents. Twisting and turning in dizzying displays the streams of ice arched towards the clouds. The heat inside of her burned to new levels the higher the the ice climbed until she felt ready to burst into flames the same way Accendo often did.
A sharp stab like the flaming sword of Muspell pierced her chest burning like acid. It flowed through her body in waves until she was ready to collapse. It felt like a part of her very existence was being torn from her by the roots, burning, searing it's way through her veins. Throughout this her body remained a rigid statue frozen in place even as power continued to flow from her hands. Tremors racked her to the core then as she finally collapsed with a bloodcurdling shriek. It was a few seconds before she realized the sound had not in fact come from her. Glancing up into the stormy clouds, Blossom watched as the tendrils of ice continued to twirl on the winds swirling into a large sphere.
In a blinding flash of pink the ice exploded, millions of shards hurtling in every direction. From the center of the explosion a dark black object fell, in a matter of seconds Blossom was racing to catch it. Her muscles screamed in agony as every step tore into her but she refused to stop. Something inside of her encouraged, no, DEMANDED she catch whatever it was before it hit the ground. Diving forward she plowed into a snowdrift with a flurry of white as she caught the black object.
Once she dug herself out Blossom plopped down crossing her legs the object clutched tightly to her chest. Dusting the accumulated snow off of whatever it was the girl was shocked to find feathers. Once the snow was completely removed Blossom found herself holding a large bird. She had never seen anything like it before. It's sleek feathers were as black as midnight and softer than the finest silk. She assumed it would be warmer, after all it had come from the explosion. But instead of heat she felt cool feathers beneath her palms. A soft twittering sound reached her ears as the birds shifted in her grip. With a soft trill the birds eyes slowly opened revealing rose pink orbs near identical to her own.
Blossom gasped softly, feeling for the pink stone. 'I knew it.' The stone was gone. This beautiful bird in her arms… she couldn't believe her eyes. Was she dreaming? All those years of trying, waiting and finally now, when she least expect it here she was staring back into rose eyes. 'My familiar.'
•••000•••
Ok this chapter like just appeared. I seriously just pulled it out of thin air. I didn't even know what I was writing about. But hey, Blossom got her familiar and the trip should be starting in the next chap. I just gotta magic that one up too since I never actually had an idea for any of my chapters beside the general plot line. He he oops ^_^'
Well please review and tell me how it is. Thanks again.