Day 3: Tension in The Raine
"Wait, you and Aaldor aren't getting back together?" Raine asked, genuinely surprised by this.
Darius growled in response as he finished getting Hunter ready for the day. "For Titan's sake, Raine, I don't know where you got that idea. No, I have no plans to get back with that hack! So, just drop it."
Raine glared at their cousin and retorted rather pointedly, "Well, excuse me. I just wanted the cousin who helped me so much to be happy. Is that so wrong?"
Darius growled again and looked at Hunter. "Little Prince. Could you go and wake's songbird's brats up? We need to talk about today's plans before we leave for the Owl House."
Hunter must have sensed the tension before his father and Raine as he nodded awkwardly and hurried out of the room. Darius watched his son leave and turned his attention to Raine.
The bard could tell what their cousin wanted and summoned their violin. They pulled a few notes, and soon, the room was under a soundproof spell.
"Raine," Darius growled, "You all witches know that my parents died around this time, then that hack dumped a few days afterward. So, I ask again, how did you get it into your head that I wanted to get back together with ALADOR BLIGHT!?"
Raine sighed and looked Darius right in the eyes. "Because I saw the looks you been giving him, and thought you finally forgiven him. And it's like I said, I just wanted you to be happy."
Darius stared at his cousin, gauging his body language. He could tell Raine was sincere, and in a way, that made him just a bit madder. He took a few calming breaths before he next spoke.
"While I appreciate the gesture, please keep your nose out of my affairs. I don't tell you how you should do things with your love life, do I?"
Raine cocked an eyebrow and wanted to tell Darius he did meddle in their love life months ago when he told Raine to be upfront with Eda. However, before they could say something, they felt their spell vibrate and knew what that meant.
So, with a snap of their finger, the spell disappeared as Hunter returned, followed by the half-asleep BATs. The four took seats on the couch, and the "knocked-down" adults walked up to them.
"Okay, we're due at the Owl House shortly," Darius said bluntly, eyeing the BATs. "You said something last night about wanting to help someone?"
Derwin, the most alert of the three, nodded and replied, "We want to help Cat."
Raine and Darius looked at each other. They had met the young witch belonging to the famous Oldstone family yesterday, and neither was against the idea. However, they weren't comfortable with having the current kids go there without someone watching them.
Darius or Raine could take them, but that would make them an hour late.
So the question on the ex-coven heads' minds was how to get the BATs to the healing house without having to detour massively.
"Have no fear, Steve's here!
Startled by the familiar voice, Raine screamed and jumped…into Darius's arms. The former Abomination head glared at Steve and then Raine. He turned around and dropped his cousin unceremoniously onto the open floor.
"Sometimes, I wonder how you ever worked up the courage to lead a rebellion?" Darius said dryly.
Raine just glared at their cousin and got to their feet. Then, both Raine and Darius looked at the ex-scout who suddenly appeared in their living room, and Darius cocked an eyebrow when he saw what the ex-scout was wearing.
The loveable scout was wearing a pair of tattered black pants and black footwear. He had on a dark tan sweater and was also wearing a matching bandana. Finally, he had a backpack with a red umbrella on it.
Darius shook his awkwardness and said, "How did you get in here?"
Steve gave the ex-head a cheeky grin and said, "Steve knows nothing but Steve still acts."
Darius just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked at his cousin's students/kids.
"You brats don't mind keeping this fool company while you visit the Oldstones?" he asked exasperatedly.
Derwin, Katya, and Amber exchanged looks and then looked back at Darius, nodding.
"Good, now get ready," Darius said bluntly. "We leave in under thirty minutes."
The BATs got up and hurried to get ready. Darius watched them disappear into the apartment and then looked at Steve. He wasn't surprised to see the ex-scout had disappeared when he wasn't looking, and he sighed.
"How did that woman ever put up with that buffoon?" he asked.
"I think that's a question better left unanswered," Raine piped in awkwardly, and Darius agreed with them from once.
(SC)
Willow, Gus, and Darius weren't having a good time; the "knocked-down" plant and illusion witches were grumpy because they weren't hanging out with their favorite human and grimwalker. Darius was in a foul mood because that hack was walking with him.
That left Raine and the Blight twins somewhere in the middle; the three could sense the tension between the two abomination users, and it was starting to get to them. They felt that if something didn't break soon, someone just might snap.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when a teenage demon walked past them. The demon was bored, so they decided to play a small prank on the group.
They made a spell circle, and suddenly, Aaldor tripped when his pants fell to his ankles. With a cry, the inventor reached to grab anything that would keep him upright. Unfortunately, the thing he grabbed just happened to be Darius.
Darius felt something grab him from behind and push him forward. The two abomination users had a nasty meeting with the ground.
Raine looked over and became slightly worried when they saw the two on the ground. They took Willow and Gus by the hands and walked over to the two abomination witches.
"What happened?" they asked the twins.
Emira and Edric looked at the bard with concerned eyes, and Raine understood they didn't know what happened. Raine offered them a comforting smile as he let out of Willow and Gus's hands.
They were about to ask if Darius and Alador were okay when Darius screamed, "Will you get off of me, you hack!"
Startled, Alador quickly scrambled off Darius, and Raine saw some abomination goo where the two fell. The abomination inventor hurried to his feet and fixed his pants.
Darius got to his feet and growled, grabbing Alador by the shirt's collar.
"What was that all about?" Darius asked angrily.
Raine couldn't help but worry slightly. Darius was mad; nearly as mad as that time a half-crazed witch attacked Hunter, thinking the young boy was Belos. The bard quickly intervened before something drastic happened.
"Darius, please calm down," Raine pleaded. "It looked like it was an accident."
Darius snapped his head in Raine's direction, and the bard couldn't help but flinch when they noticed just how angry Darius actually was.
"Accident or not, I could have gotten hurt just now," Darius retorted, waving a hand.
Raine looked at the ground and watched as the abomination goo disappeared. They gasped when they saw a piece of stone sticking up from the street. The piece had a jabbed edge and looked sharp enough to cut someone.
Raine did the math quickly, and they realized that Darius would have cut his cheek if he had fallen on the piece. Alador also saw the piece and looked at his ex-boyfriend regretfully.
"Darius," Alador apologetically said, "I'm sorry, but it was an accident. I would never hurt you."
Darius growled and looked away. While he knew what his ex was saying was true, he was still mad and decided it was best not to be around Alador. So, wordlessly, the ex-Coven Head stormed off in a random direction.
"Alador…" Raine said softly.
"Please, Raine," Alador replied, "Just leave me be for a while."
Much like Darius before, Alador headed off in a random direction, not aware that his kids were trailing behind him.
Raine sighed and rubbed the back of their neck as they looked at Willow and Gus. "Sorry, you have to see that," they said meekly. "How about I treat you to something nice? What would you like?"
Despite the unease in the air, the current toddlers wouldn't pass up a treat. They grabbed the bard's hands and began dragging them down the street. Raine couldn't help but chuckle as they realized where the "knocked-down" witches were taking them.
"Kids will be kids, even if they're transformed teenagers," the bard muttered lightly.
As the trio of witches was hurrying to the toy store, Raine saw a new potion brewing store. They cocked an eyebrow when they saw the name was "Witch Rockets' Rocket Potions."
A quick peek at a display stand near the store confirmed that the potions were indeed rocket potions. Raine frowned at this and made a note to bring this up with Darius at a later date.
They didn't know much about potions. However, Raine did remember Lilith saying that rocket potions were powerful and hard to control. They also remembered hearing rumors that the Potion Coven wanted to reclassify the potions as bombs.
Soon, the trio reached the toy store, and Gus and Willow rushed into the place at full force. Raine laughed at the energy and began looking around.
Raine couldn't help but admire the place. The store had a large selection of toys from the demon and human realms. They continued looking around, searching for a toy for Luz.
"NO PICK ON GU-GU!"
Raine groaned as he knew what that shout meant. They power-walked in the direction of the shout and soon found Gus and Willow. The bard could feel some anger bubbling up in them as they looked at the scene.
Gus was on the floor holding his right elbow and tears in his eyes. Willow was in front of him, her eyes flashing green as she defiantly stared at two demons.
The two demons had cat-like features; the adult female had graying fur and red eyes. Her son also had gray fur but was darker, and his eyes were blue. The demon boy was clenching a toy close to his chest.
"What's going on here?" Raine asked as they got beside the kids.
The female cat looked at the current 14-year-old condescendingly. "Are you watching these two?" She asked condescendingly.
"Yes," Raine replied calmly.
The female cat turned up her nose, and Raine had a feeling where this conversation was going.
"Then I would like you to know those two "downers" are ruffians and need to be thoroughly disciplined before they return to their natural ages," the demon said condescendingly.
Raine mentally groaned as they looked at Luz's friends. Willow was still glaring daggers at the demon, and they got a feeling something more was going on.
"And why would I need to do that?" Raine asked, a hint of suspicion walking its way into their voice.
"Because," the demon snobby. "My son was just minding his own business when that petty illusionist came out of nowhere and pushed him to the ground."
"NO!" Willow shouted. "Gu-Gu pushed!"
The bard studied the "knocked-down" illusionist and then turned their attention to the demon and her son. The boy in question looked about nine, maybe ten years old, and was nearly double the size of Gus.
Then there's the scene itself; if what the demon said was true, wouldn't the demon boy be on the ground? Raine looked around as they tried to collect their thoughts. They then saw it; a small crystal ball, and Raine knew it was for security reasons.
An idea formed in the bard's head, and they looked at the demon.
"I don't think what you have been saying is entirely true," they said calmly, and the demon looked at him angrily. "Before you say anything, Miss, let me explain. If what you said was true, wouldn't your son be on the floor then?"
Raine watched the demon and saw some of her confidence waver. They nearly grin as they continue to press.
"Unless your son got up and then pushed my kid to the ground things you have been saying just don't add up," Raine said calmly. "But if you want to settle this matter, I saw a crystal ball recording everything. I could request to see the recording, and we could see how things really went."
"Y-You can do such a thing," the demon stammered.
Rain pushed up their glasses in such a way that blocked their eyes.
"Miss, I know I look different at the moment, but I'm Raine Whispers, head of Foreign Trade. As such, I have to approve stores like this so they can carry human realm's items. So it's well within my power to get something as simple as a crystal recording."
It looked like the demon was about to panic, but she just put on an air of superiority and grabbed her son's hand. She began to leave, which didn't the son didn't like, and dropped the toy as he tried to get free. The mother wasn't having any of it as she hurried out of the store.
Raine made sure the two cat demons were out of sight before they slumped slightly and grabbed their chest to try and calm their rapidly beating heart. They also took a few calming breaths to steady themselves and looked at their charges.
"You doing okay now?" they asked softly.
Willow looked up at the bard, some traces of anger still in her eyes, but she nodded. She then went over to the dropped toy, and Raine realized it was a blue cardinal plush.
They smiled as they realized who Willow was probably buying the toy for. They turned serious as they looked at Gus and got down on their knees.
"Gus, can I see your elbow, please?" they asked gently.
Gus looked at the bard and slowly removed his hand. Raine was relieved; it was just a scrape and wasn't bleeding. Still, they decided to head to the checkout desk and see if they had anything they could use to clean the scrape.
The scrape was nothing to worry about, but Raine didn't want to take the chance that it could get infected.
(SC)
After the incident with the demon and her son, the rest of the time went smoothly, and Raine brought some cheap plush toys for the other kids. The group was leaving the store and happened to see smoke rising from a building down the street.
Curiosity getting the better of them, Raine made their way to the building in question. They were surprised to find the Witch Rockets building smoking from the inside. What was more surprising was the Hopkin "men" standing near the shop, looking completely dumbfounded.
"Umm, James, Jacob? What's going on?" Raine asked awkwardly.
Hearing the bard's voice seemed to snap James out of his trance, and his face twisted with absolute terror.
"No time to take, whoever you were again!" he said hastily and then hurried down the street. "C'mon, Jacob, we have to catch the out-of-control rocket cart!"
Jacob sighed and hurried after her dad, muttering, "I'm starting to think my family's weirder than these witches."
Raine watched the transformed human disappear down the street, sighed, and looked at his charges.
"Sometimes I wondered how this Family hadn't caused the entire island to sink."
(SC)
After nearly five minutes of just wandering the streets, Alador found a bench and took a seat. Then he stared at nothing for the next two minutes, worrying his kids.
"Daddy, otay?" Edric asked his sister worryingly.
Emria frowned as she crossed her arms and tilted her head. She really didn't know how to answer that question.
She was starting to think this might have been all for nothing. Emria wanted to knock her dad down thinking it would help him relax and problem work through some of his problems. But now, she wasn't so sure, and she wished there was something she and Edric could do.
Thankful, the titan once again saw fit to throw his favorite family a bone.
"Alador, Alador Blight is that you?"
The Blight family looked up as a familiar witch walked up to them with a smile.
"Nora Siren?" Alador squeaked in surprise, standing, "It's been a while since I last saw you. How are you doing?"
Nora let out a sigh and replied, "Busy. Skara has gotten a bad case of the fire flu and has been grumpy because she wouldn't spend this week with her friends."
Alador nodded and frowned as his old friend's words sunk in.
"Will she be okay if you're out and able," the inventor asked worryingly.
"Don't worry," Nora said, smiling warmly, "Her girlfriend is watching her so I can do a few errands.
Alador nodded and looked at his old business partner. Maybe it was the effects of the rejuvenation potion, but he couldn't help but find Nora pleasing to the eyes.
Alador's behavior didn't go unnoticed, and the twins exchanged glances. Emria and Edric suddenly grinned and giggled into their hands.
They turned to their father, and Edric made a spell circle. He pushed his hands forward, and a small burst of wind came from the circle. The wind hit Alador's back with enough force that he stumbled forward.
Alador grunted as he fell forward, but Nora was able to catch him before he had another meeting with the street.
"Are you okay, Alador?" the bard asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Y-Yes," the "knocked-down" inventor replied, slightly flustered for reasons he couldn't understand. "I'm just all tentacles today."
Nora laughed at the joke and that made Alador slightly more flustered as he pushed himself off the bard.
"Well, I think I better be going," Nora said kindly. "It's not fair if Skara's girlfriend got sick because I was taking so long with my errands."
Alador nodded and said, "Yes. But before you go, would you l-like have lunch when this week's done and your daughter's better?"
"I would like that," Nora replied, smiling warmly, "Despite what Odalia did to you and your family, I always did like spending time with you."
Nora walked away, and Alador waved her goodbye. He sighed once she bard was out of sight and looked at his children.
"Don't think I wasn't aware of your two did," he said scoldingly. "And if you don't tone down the prank, I might have to ground after the week is over… for a month. I don't think I need to tell you what that means?"
The twins gasped as they understood what it meant and decided to stop with the pranks for the moment.
Alador smiled and was pleased that his message got through to his kids. He decided he wasted enough time and that they should be getting back to Raine and the others.
So, he reached out his hands, and his children each took one. Before leaving, however, he looked in the direction Nora went and smiled slightly.
(G corner)
Me(Shushing the reader): Don't tell Steve I went into my corner of TOH Fandom when I wasn't doing a Holiday theme story.
Steve(Also shushing the reader): Don't tell the boss I already know.
Me(Looking over my shoulder when I heard a noise but saw no one): But real talk now. I don't know if I might extend the Alador/Nora in this or DL: P2. So let me know what you what you think.