Chapter 33: Raffina: Mais la Malédiction! by kirbymanx/huskynator
Raffina.
That's all to be said. Everyone knows her already. She's one of (if not) the most popular kid in school after all. But to risk being redundant: she's beautiful, graceful, kind, strong, talented in mixed martial arts, school grades, and cosplay. A role model to all. She kicks all kinds butt.
"AIIEEEEE!" And all things accidentally kick her butt in turn. "Hisss..." She winched. Rubbing the booboo, gritting her teeth with one eye closed. She's scanning the basketball court for the pleb who carelessly bounced the basketball with ferocious force to get back at later…
Several pointed at the one who did it. "Sorry, it was an accident." They said. She begrudgingly accepted the apology, and through the stinging Raffina calmed down and continued on. It made playing ball a little harder though.
Sometime later:
"Scylla... I am not gonna dignify that with a response." Raffina hid her newest necklace from her sticky-fingered associate in her clutch.
"C'mon, Raf." The centaur-like dog girl whined as she still wagged her tail at the shiny necklace she desperately wants to hold.
"Do you miss the nurse's offi-" SLAM! "OW!" Someone suddenly and swiftly has opened a door and hit Raffina's most abused body part at a velocity that hurts.
"Oh, Miss Raffina, my bad. Are you alright?"
"I…. aaaaah… hrmm... will be." She put her hands where it hurts. "Thank you for uffff… for the consideration." She politely said.
"Perhaps next time don't stand NEXT TO THE DOOR KUMAMAMAMA!"
"I…" That person riled up her anger, but with a deep breath she kept it in check. "I always try. Hehehe." She tried to have good humor about it. "Good day to you, Principal Akuma." She watched him hover off.
Turning her head back at Scylla, who found herself entranced by her rich friend's brilliant jewel necklace. Raffina unamused lifted Scylla's up by her chin to make watch the frown on her face.
"Oh, sorry, Raf. Need to go to the nurse's office for you bu-"
Sometime later:
"Hey, Jaan? Can you make your hands go big again?"
"Sure thing, Yoko. Ja-Ja-Ja-JAAAAAAAAAAAA~" The half-genie magically enlarged her dominant hand, Jaan's trademark party trick. Jaan's angel friend's mouth was agape in wonder.
"Oh~" A noise Yoko let out in amazement at the literal magic at work. "You could really give a mean slap to someone like that." She said with a little worry.
"Heh, yeah…" Jaan wound up a slap that wouldn't hit anyone. "Gotta be careful where I ssswwing-"
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOooooooooooowwwch!"
"Eep!" Jaan recognized that voice and those perfect pink locks bouncing from around the corner. She accidentally thrashed Raffina from around the corner. She was, unfortunately, walking backward due to conversing with her clique. What are the odds?
Jaan jumped into Yoko's arms in fear of physical retribution the strong pinkhead is very capable of in a rage. She teleported herself and Yoko downstairs.
"Owieowiehisssssssssssssss." Raffina calmed down. "Fifth time th- OW this week."
"Fifth total, or fifth major one?" Mummy inquired.
"Does it matter?!" Raffina snapped back.
"Oh, do be careful Raffine, you'll get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that." The wrapped-up living dead person cautioned. Raffina immediately relieved the tension in her face, the best she could anyway.
"I can always cover those wrinkles up." Raina casually shrugged
"Thank you, Raine, though I hope it won't come to that..." Raffina hissed some more. "I will get that twerp whoever she was!" She clenched her fist. "I hope she got her jollies waiting for the perfect time to inconvenience me."
"No offense, but you were walking backwards."
"She's got a point, Raffine. I doubt it was on purpose. You're too paranoid over this." Raina is very exhausted about this topic. She knows what she's gonna say next.
"I don't care! Even if it wasn't someone doing it on purpose it's still part of this forsaken curse on me."
"There is no curse…" Raina said so softly that her sister didn't pick up on it. No magic doctor has ever detected such a curse in her. Yet Raffina is ranting about this supposed curse stewing in her being.
"Ow, this is almost as bad as that bowling ball hit." The rich girl whined as her sibling and friend winced at that memory. "I can't take this anymore! It hurts! Sitting hurts! And I need to cosplay as some characters while they're still relevant, but skin-tight is a no-go as it stands now!" It still hurts.
"Why don't you go visit Miss St. Azriel?" The mummy suggested.
"Listen, just because you get to be alive after being dead doesn't mean I want to chance it." Raffina's tone was less than pleased.
"But she helped me be more alive than I already was after my death. Maybe she can counter curse your bad luck?"
"I don't know, Raffine, I wouldn't chance it with that short creepy witch." Raina cautioned her sister.
"Same for her partner in crime." Raffina muttered. "I hate that guy."
"I wouldn't discount them like that. Who better to ask about butt-related magic than your only magical classmate? She could probably make your butt very lucky. I doubt that genie girl would work on your bu-"
"Let's drop this subject please." Raffina demanded. "People might overhear us. I got dignity to maintain."
F2 - North Hallway
Magic. Not something unheard of in this world. But it's rare. An estimate of someone being born with magical power is less than one percent. This is taking inherently magical beings out of the equation, who are rare in-of-themselves.
Despite magic being rare, children are still being taught how to ward it off in case they get unfairly afflicted with a curse. It's possible to dispel with force of will.
And if force of will doesn't work, get a magic-user to dispel a curse for you.
This is where a specific room in Primp High School comes in.
This school lacks a bit in terms of the amount of students. It leaves a handful of classrooms on floor 3, for example, empty. The same goes for this supply room, which the staff just let students have.
Raffina sighed and entered.
F2 - The """Forgotten""" Supply Room
"Did you hear that?" A male voice asked, echoing around the corner of this inconvenient narrow hallway to the actual supply room.
"I'm not deaf unlike you. This better be a customer." A female voice said like a bored teenage intern.
Said intern voice is both magical and moderately psychic. She's gifted, to say the least. And she has to be able to help her with this curse she's suffering from. Well a professor could too, butt considering her curse it's less humiliating to ask a classmate.
Raffina walked around the eerily lit corner. Remnants of this room's former purpose still remained with the mostly empty shelves. The majority of the room was taking in with an ominous symbol drawn on the ground in a circle, unlit candles put in a pattern around it.
Relaxing music was playing on a small high-quality wireless stereo, but said relaxing music made it more unnerving. Raffina is a toughie though. She made eye contact with the boy and girl, each sitting on a cushion each. They put their board game on hold.
"Welcome to our corner, what do you need from my magic?" The short junior class girl politely asked in a bored tone. "Except if this is about this "Popoi". Can't do that. Sorry about that."
Feli
Rookie Diviner, Oracle & Sorceress
"And take that stupid trenchcoat and those ridiculous shades off, Raffina." The junior class boy said. Irritated.
Klug
Magic(less) Researcher, Translator & Obnoxious
"Ugh." Raffina groaned. She only complied concerning the hat and the shades. "I got a problem and I don't want any lip from either one of you. Keep this meeting private and I shall pay you handsomely." Rich girl Raffina showed off a wad of cash fresh from the ATM.
Fellow Straight-A student Klug did his best to bite his tongue. He pulled out a book. "What do you need our help for?"
Feli looked less impressed at the cash but she dug into her bags. "Need your fortune told?" She pulled out a crystal ball. "Need a hex?" She made the ball float. "Did you lose something?" She shows off some weird bent iron sticks. "Need to speak to your dead grandma or something? I can try to channel her. Or do you wanna be imbued with a spirit like Marvett's bunny or that laughing girl's clown?" Feli held some unlit incense candles.
Raffina reluctantly explains she needs a curse dispelled, and why.
"UHYAHYAHYAHYA!"
"Pffffhahahahaha!"
The smart cookie boy and the goth-lite girl laughed respectively.
"Yeah, laugh it up. If you don't want as much money for curing my butt."
The darkroom kids laughed even harder.
"You need our help with that?" Klug coughed in laughter.
"Fufufu. You got the best possible curse you could deserve, faux-model." Feli added.
"Like how frequent a problem is this for you really?"
Feli perked up in attitude. "Like, do you go to kick a football, but you kick your own butt instead?" She snickered.
"Uhyahyaaaa!" Klug cackled. "Do you buy boots in pairs of three? Two for your feet one for your butt?"
"Tell me something, how much effort? Does it hurt to be this hip?"
Klug laughed hard at that one. "Wow! That's very clever for you, Feli!" Feli ignored the implied condensation just this once. "My turn!"
5 minutes of rump roasting later…
The duo laughed so hard and Raffina was trying so hard to practice patience. But Klug & Feli don't make it easy for her.
"Steps outside for some fresh air, a bee stings her in the-"
"ARE YOU DONE! DO YOU WANT 300 CREDITS OR NOT!"
"Do you mean 300 each, the both of us?" Klug asked.
"…Sure." The two immediately curbed their laughter. Klug more so than Feli.
"Fufufu. Let's see." Feli searched her bag for her diviner sticks and Klug searched for the spells. "Okay, Four-eyes, look up spells, or curse, whatever, that are butt re-snrk."
"Hrrrrmng!"
"Snrk. Searching right now."
"I'd ask you to sit down, Pinkhead," Feli informally said walking up to Raffina, her diviner sticks enchanted so Feli can easily recognize a curse. "but I can think at least think of two reasons why you wouldn't. Or shouldn't for that matter."
Feli just stood there, behind Raffina. Pointing her sticks at her fellow rich kid's [euphemism]. It's as fun as it sounds.
"Huh?" The pinkhead raised an eyebrow at the noise the short purple-haired oracle made. Even more eyebrow-raising is when she pointed at every other possible body part. She frowned. "Stop searching, Klug."
"What!? Why?"
Feli turned her torso towards her friend(?) and pointed her thumb at Raffina behind her. "Because dress-up girl here is pulling our leg. There's no such curse to be found."
"No, I'm not! My butt is cursed!"
"Say that again." Feli said with a smile.
"My butt is cu-hrrrrngh!" Raffina frowned and Feli grinned, she never gets to have this much fun. Klug too.
"Does she have a different curse on her that could use removing?"
"Only one where all cake tastes the same. Want me to dispel that? That sucks."
Raffina totally lost her cool while Feli kept her's. Mildly clairvoyant Feli looked into the future of her own power and is confident Raffina won't lay a finger on her. "You're pulling my leg, you little twerp!"
"I'm older than you." Feli mumbled unfazed. Klug cowered a little.
"I am so cursed!" Raffina bent down to be closer to Feli's level.
"You got a curse, but it has nothing to do with your butt. You just got bad luck." Feli backed off and sat back down on her cushion. "Want me to dispel that sucky cake curse," She suggested again. "Need my services for something else, or…" She appropriately waved her arm about.
"Then I must have a bad luck curse!"
"Didn't you hear me? Your curse makes all cake taste the same." Feli repeated.
"Do you think this is some kind of video game?!" Hey, Klug found some backbone. "You can't just increase or decrease luck with a spell. Luck is a construct made by sentient beings to descr-I shouldn't have to give the dictionary definition of luck! And I won't."
"Then what would you call a butt pain curse!?"
"Misery conspiring against your butt."
"Very logical." True.
…
…
"…400 credits if you'll find some solution for my problem."
Klug's eyes widened, he does need some cash, and that's more than just some. He immediately flipped through his book. "Feli." Klug signaled for Feli to come in close for a trade secret discussion.
Raffina impatiently tapped her foot.
Feli didn't seem fully on board with that spell. "Got a better one?"
"This should be the best option. It's...psst psst." Klug whispered.
"Hey!" Raffina shouted. "I should know what magic is gonna affect me."
"Shut up! Let us talk." Klug said. He kept explaining things to Feli.
"Hm… Alright. Sit on that cushion." Feli instructed Raffina. Raffina complied, she winched a little as she sat down. "Explain the spell, Klug."
"This is a rough translation." Klug began reading off. "Spell: Butt Repulse: Snrk."
"Pfufufu~"
"Grrr…"
"Uhm, do I need to explain more?"
"Just cast it already!"
"Good, straight to the point."
Klug cleared his throat. "Ready, Felicitia?"
"Ready." Feli nodded.
"Good! Warm-up your magical prowess!"
Feli's hair started supernaturally waving, as if it was in the wind, but there's no major source of wind in this room. "Warmed up!"
"Triangulate where the curse should take effect!"
"Targeting her butt!" The shadow on Feli's face grew in size.
"NONO! WAIT! Warm-up some more! Target her whole body, just to be safe!
"Ugh! Fine… Ready. Read me the spell!"
Raffina was admittedly astounded at the teamwork on display here. She could feel the magic in the air as she was taught in SPaRC (Supernatural Prevention and Recognition Class). They aren't scamming her like she thought as a possibility. The candles lit around them.
At the moment she was taking in the magical fireworks. Magical lights swirled through the former supply room.
"TɈυd γzɒl ɿυoγ ʇʇo," Raffina jumped a little at the foreign tongue Klug suddenly spoke. It was unnerving (not that she'd admit that).
"TɈυd γzɒl ɿυoγ ʇʇo," Feli repeated it in an otherworldly tone. The features in her eyes disappeared! Just white glowing, godly eyes!
"ИoiɈɒviɈom lɒɔiϱɒm," And Klug's just standing there as if it was normal!
"ИoiɈɒviɈom lɒɔiϱɒm," Wait, is this normal kind of magic and the SPaRC professor hasn't covered it yet?! Should've researched more.
"Иiɒϱɒ γɿqƨ lǝǝʇ ll'υoγ!" Klug threw his arms up in the air as he shouted!
"Иiɒϱɒ γɿqƨ lǝǝʇ ll'υoγ!" Feli finished repeating Klug and sent the magic to Raffina.
A lot was rushing through Raffina's mind, but as the rush of magic invading her body slowed there was only one thing on her mind.
"Oh… I… I feel great!~" Raffina smiled, she threw a few punches and kicks into the air. "Oh, La-Ti-Da~" Her mood softened.
"You're welcome~" Back-to-normal-sorceress Feli said semi-sarcastically.
"This is a new one to us." Klug stepped up. "What you're feeling is an immediate effect, bu-"
"And what an immediate effect it is." The rich fashionista rudely interrupted to be pleased with herself.
"BUT, the actual intended magic effect should slowly settle in. Keyword: Slowly. It will take time."
"How much time?" Raffina asked while casually performing a backwards somersault kick to just burn a little energy.
"We don't know." The only boy here said a little irritated. "Give it time, your problem will fade." Klug said in confidence.
"Ohohoho~" Raffina unwittingly(?) annoyed the spellcasting duo with her rich girl laugh. "Very well~" She pulled out her purse. "Here, 500 credits for you both." She playfully tossed the wad at Feli. "Ta-ta~" She merrily hummed as she showed herself out, hat and shades back on.
The two stood there as they heard Raffina's humming and footsteps until the door was closed. They swiftly checked if Raffina was far down either hallway. She was. The two closed their door.
"So can you tell me what that actual spell was?" Feli asked.
"Energetic Beverage (which can also be translated Butt Repulse). Based on the description we effectively pumped her up with a liter's worth of a very potent energy drink all at once. Exactly what she deserves." Klug said, happy with himself.
Feli was less impressed, even if she agreed that phony Raffina deserves to be jipped. "That much effort for something that'll wear off quickly? There has got to be a more mana efficient way to do that. Hm… we could make a lot off of this. Let's work on that." Feli commanded as Klug meeped. "Also let's avoid pinky like the plague for the rest of the month." She changed the subject.
"A-Agreed."
SMACK! "It should be over soon!"
STRIKE! "It should be over soon!"
PUNT! "It should be over soon!"
"…Raffine, I think you've been scammed."
"Nonsense, Raine. This will be over soon! I just know i-" SITS ON A PLASTIC SPOON! "OWHOWHOWHO
Authors' Notes:
HUSK: Because Raffina. The inspiration for this beautiful chapter is Raffina. She's so wonderful, and this chapter shows why I am certainly certain.
Also, this Feli and Klug would high-five each other, they would've here, but it didn't make enough sense.
This was supposed to be Chapter 34, but Ware is having a difficult week.