Day1: The Awkwardness of The Raine
After a week of badgering from their students, Raine Whispers had agreed to take the week of Ghoul Break off. And they planned to sleep in for the entire week.
That was the plan until the smell of smoke woke them. They jumped out of bed, grabbing their glasses in the process. They tried to run to the door and fell when their legs tangled in their sleeping pants.
"Umm, what happened?" Raine mumbled and rubbed their nose.
They gasped as they realized two things; their voice was slightly higher, and their hand smaller. Curious, they stood and watched as their pants fell to their ankles. Their face reddened when they saw their underwear fall as well.
It didn't take Raine long to figure out what happened to them and why their students wanted them to take this week off and stay over.
They might be mad at his students if the smell of smoke didn't remind them of a more urgent matter.
Raine pulled their feet free and hurried out of their room. They hurried down the hall and used their magic to keep the thick smoke out of their face.
Raine ran into the living room and looked around. They saw the smoke coming from the kitchen area, and they could hear the voices of their students. Fright filled them as they broke into a run and burst into the kitchen area.
"Everyone!" they shouted, "There's a fire! You need to-oh!"
Raine couldn't help but feel underwhelmed when they saw the source of the smoke; their students were cooking.
Katya, Amber, and Derwin had the foresight to open a window and place a fan near it. They weren't doing much good as the smoke was simply too thick.
Raine sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose. They next made a spell circle, and a whistling wind blew away the smoke. When the smoke had cleared, the bard walked up to their students.
"What have I told you three about cooking without supervision?" Raine asked them, hands on hips.
"Sorry, O'pa Raine?" a trio of voices rang out.
Raine cocked an eyebrow as they got a good look at their students. Kayta and Derwin looked around eight, and Amber was six, close to seven at best. Like those who used rejuvenation potions, the "knocked-down" bards' hairs had grown, and the three pushed their hair back to keep it out of their eyes.
Raine sighed and looked down at their own body. They figured they were currently 14 years old and grabbed some of their hair. They frowned when they saw it wasn't much longer than usual.
Then again, Raine always liked their hair short.
Raine sighed as they let their hair go and looked at their students. They scowled when they saw the three were back to cooking, and the smoke was already building again.
"Alright, you three," Raine spoke in a parental tone. "I don't want to tell you again-"
"EDALYN CLAWTHONE! I KNOW YOU'RE BEHIND THIS!"
More surprised than startled, Raine looked over their shoulder as Darius stormed in, screaming angrily into a crow. With a sigh, the bard made a spell circle and placed a noise-canceling barrier around them and their students.
"Where's Eber when you need them?" the bard wondered.
(Gravity Falls, Oregon)
Eberwolf, undisguised at the GF Public pool, growled with content as he stretched on his beach towel. "There's no way I'm going to be there for all that drama when Dairy sees what happened."
(SC)
Raine watched as their cousin continued ranting into the crow. They then looked back at their students and cocked an eyebrow. The three had gone back to cooking, but at least they weren't making smoke.
Raine took a seat at the table and kept their eyes on their students. Or tried; they noticed a certain "knocked-down" grimwalker walking into the area.
Raine frowned when they saw the sad frown on Hunter's face. They reached out and gently picked the boy up. They put him in his usual set and gently grabbed him by the shoulder.
"You okay, Hunter?" Raine asked in concern.
"Daddy mad," was all Hunter said.
Raine couldn't help but chuckle and hugged the boy. "Don't worry, Hunter," Raine reassured the boy, "You're dad isn't mad at you. Just be sure to explain things when the week is done."
Hunter looked at his other guardian and nodded weakly. Raine smiled fondly at the boy and looked to their right when they heard a noise.
Darius had ended his call with Eda and took his usual seat at the table. From the corner of their eye, Raine saw Hunter tense, and they gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. They then look over their cousin.
Except for the height and muscle loss, Darius didn't look all that different. Even his hair was unchanged, which wasn't all that surprising; he used Abomination as hair.
Darius looked at Raine and was about to say something but was interrupted when a large tray dropped on the table.
"Breakfast is ready!" Amber announced proudly.
The two ex-heads and grimwalker looked down at their meal and almost gagged at it. Whatever the items were, Darius, Raine, and Hunter didn't know; everything had been burnt black and was misshapen.
Probably the most disturbing thing was what was in a bowl; a brown and slightly bubbling liquid.
"Is that…" Hunter gawked, pointing at the bowl.
"Toast!" Amber proclaimed, "I made it myself!"
Curious, Raine grabbed a fork and poked one of the items on the tray. Despite being so burnt, the surface broke easily, and a white ooze seeped out.
"Nope!" Darius suddenly said, and then did the famous table flip.
Raine quickly grabbed Hunter and got him out of the line of fire. They sighed as they watched the table hit a wall and went over to their students.
"Why don't you three help Hunter get ready for the day while Darius and I whip up something," the bard said as they handed Hunter to Derwin.
The BATTs, slightly shocked, nodded and left the kitchen.
Raine watched them leave and sighed. They went over to the table and looked at it. They were relieved when they saw nearly no damage on the wall and the table. The food wasn't going to be a problem to clean, either.
Rained looked at their cousin and gestured to the table. Darius got the message and grumbled as he summoned some abominations. With Darius handling the clean-up, Raine moved to the fridge to see what was left.
They frowned when all they had left was some hashbrowns and half a container of eggs. With a sigh, they gathered the items and moved to the stovetop. They found a clean pot and pan and went to work.
For the next few minutes, the two worked in silence.
"Darius…" Raine said after a moment, "I know what this week does to you. But please try not to scare anyone too badly."
"It's not my fault that your brats can't boil water without setting it on fire or risk burning something down," Darius grumbled as he commanded his abomination to return the table to its spot.
Raine frowned as they broke the egg yolk and gave them a quick stir. They wanted to argue their students set water on fire was because they used too much liquid fire. And the time they nearly burned down an entire building three times…maybe it wasn't best to think about that one.
"Darius," Raine said slowly. "I know you don't have the distractions of the last couple of years, but maybe it's time you try and get some closure."
"Stop," Darius growled warningly and low. "I told you this before. We don't need to have this conversation."
Raine looked at their cousin and noticed their balled fists. For once, however, Raine decided to be bold and continue as they finished breakfast.
"When was the last time you even visited him?" Raine asked, more to themselves than their cousin.
"Change. The. Subject!" Darius said in a threatening tone.
"And with Aldor and you on the verge of patching things-" Raine started as they put breakfast on some plates.
"I SAID…CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Darius screamed, slamming an abomination-transformed hand onto the table.
Raine wasn't startled by the outburst and looked at their cousin. Darius looked ready to attack Raine. The bard wasn't scared and stood their ground.
The sound of approaching footsteps stopped the two before a fight started, and they looked as Raine's students and Hunter came into view.
The "knocked-down" Grimwalker wore his usual "knocked-down" outfit, so Raine focused on their students. They couldn't help but cocked an eyebrow at Kayta's outfit; she wore a simple summer dress with pictures of food kissing. She wore simple, black flats, and she had combed her hair back.
Derwin also wore a simple outfit; he had on a pair of tan shorts and a black tank top. He wore white high tops and covered his hair with a red bandana.
Finally, there was Amber; the youngest of Raine's students had chosen to wear a pair of cut-off jeans shorts with pockets showing and a red top with the right sleeve hanging off her shoulder. She has two bracelets on each wrist and a choker with a red jewel. Finally, she had pink high tops, and her hair was in a messy ponytail.
"Okay," Raine heard Darius say, "Let's eat. We have a long day ahead, and if I know you-lot, you have already picked out our outfits."
(A few hours later)
"I don't know what I dislike about your students more," Darius griped, "Their horrid cooking, their below-avenge magic skills because of your teachings, or their fashion sense."
Raine frowned as they looked down at the outfit the BATTs had chosen for them. They were a pair of tan shorts and red sandals. To complete the outfit, Raine wore a white tank top under a short-sleeve, blue shirt with purple triangles decorating it.
Raine smiled as they adjusted their magically resized glasses and looked at their cousin. "I like it," they admitted proudly.
"You would," Darius mumbled, rolling his eyes. He then puffed out his chest with pride. "At least my boy has some incredible fashion sense."
Rine cocked an eyebrow and looked at Darius's outfit. There wasn't much difference between Darius's outfit and the one Raine was wearing; Darius's shorts and sandals were black, and he wore a sleeveless black shirt with a picture of a wolf taking up nearly the entire shirt.
Raine was about to say something when Hunter's voice pierced the air.
"WI-WI!"
Raine and Darius looked ahead and saw they had reached the Owl House. In front of the said house were the entire Owl Familia and Hunter's friends.
Willow waved when she saw Hunter, and the young grimwalker squeaked when he saw his girlfriend. Walked ran over to his friends as Darius and Raine joined the other "knocked-down" adults.
"Hey, Rainestorm," Eda said casually, "Not that I'm happy to see your cute face, but you're a little on the early side."
"Y-Yeah," was all Raine could manage.
The "knocked-down" bard witch was staring at their future wife with their face going red. Eda didn't miss this and grinned teasingly.
"At a loss for words, Rainestorm?" the ex-wild witch asked teasingly. "You didn't forget I was foxy at any age, did you?"
To hammer her point home, she twirled around and then gave Raine a cute pout. Raine's face got even redder as they slowly shook their head.
Darius watched this and rolled his eyes before he looked at Eda with a sharp glare.
"Woman, like I said before, we're going to talk about a few things," the ex-head said sharply.
Eda rolled her eyes and was about to say something.
"Now, Darius," Lilith suddenly said, "You said you wait until the week is over before comforting my sister."
"Yeah!" Hooty said, popping up behind Lilith. "Be good, or you and I will have a Hooty's tea party!"
Darius and Raine could only stare in shock as Llith patted the "knock-down" house demon.
"Now, now, dear," the Historian said calmly. "No need to subjugate Darius to such a fate. He is just a grumpy-pants today."
"TITAN!" Darius suddenly screamed. "Where are you hiding the mountain of empty potions vials!"
The former Abomination Coven Head looked around frantically. Raine couldn't help but join him in his search.
"Trust me, Goo Head," Eda said, sighing, "That's something you don't want to know."
"Indeed," Lilith added, "And since the Blacklights aren't due for a little under an hour, how about we start on lunch?"
"...As long as those three are nowhere near the kitchen, then I will think about helping," Darius grumbled, pointing at the BATTs and ignoring the glare from Raine.
Eda laughed as she led the "knocked-down" adults into the house. "Are you kidding? After those three nearly burned down my house for the third time, I made this place a no BATTs cooking zone."
The BATTs glared as the adults disappeared into the house and then looked at their charges.
The current couples were engaged in their own thing; Luz and Amity were just snuggling close to each other, and Willow and Hunter were just awkwardly holding hands. Gus, Vee, and Boscha were just off to the side, minding their own business. Boscha, however, was looking at Willow with jealousy.
Katya could only shake her head; the grimwalker and plant witch had been a couple for months and hadn't worked past their awkward phase yet.
The young bard sighed and looked around. She frowned when she thought she saw something move. She looked around again but didn't see anything.
Katya sighed and rubbed her head; even now, with no longer being a rebel, some habits die hard. She tried to let go of her paranoia and looked at the kids.
While Katya was searching, Boshca got bored and was making kissy faces at Willow and Hunter. Willow just rolled her eyes at the gesture and made a spell circle.
A ball made out of vine rose in front of Willow, and she fired at Boscha with a flick of her wrist. Boscha caught the ball mid-flight with the reflexes only an athlete has and made a spell circle.
Vines rose from the ground and joined the ball, doubling its size. With a grin, she sent the ball at Willow. Willow was just as fast and caught the ball. She added some more vines to the ball and sent it to Boscha.
The new dual-track student caught the ball, added more vines, and launched it at her frenemy.
The BATTs watched this go on for two minutes. The trio was impressed and shocked as they watched the ball grow in size. It was near the three-minute mark, and the ball was nearly the size of a hot-air balloon. By this time, the ball wasn't moving as both witches tried to wrestle control from the other.
Willow and Boscha's friends were now cheering them on; Gus and Hunter were on Willow's side. Shockingly, Luz and Amity were routing for Boscha.
"Should we do something?" Kayta asked uncertainly.
"...I'm not getting in the middle of that," Derwin simply relied, and Amber nodded her agreement.
The titan, however, had other plans; Boscha suddenly lost her footing and fell. Her hand jerked from the sudden movement, and the ball went straight into the air.
The group watched as the ball went high, stopped in the air for a second, and fell back to the ground.
Old habits suddenly took over, and the BATTs took out their instruments. Bard magic filled the area when they played their instruments. The vine ball stopped an inch from the ground and flew off in a random direction.
"Is everyone okay?" Katya called to the group as she called off her tambourine.
The vampire-like witch sighed with relief when everyone said they were unharmed. She did hear some moaning and what sounded like "I'm not okay" in the distance, but she ignored it. Instead, she looked at the group and frowned when she saw something; Boscha was rubbing her back.
Katya went over to Boscha and asked softly, "You okay, kid?"
Boscha, in her usual fashion, tried to put up a tough act. She turned her body so she wasn't looking at Katya and winced when pain shot down her back.
Katya shook her head and got behind Boscha. She gently put her into an upright position and softly ran a finger down the "knocked-down" dual-track student's back.
She was no healer, but she knew enough to see that there wasn't any damage. If anything, Boscha would just be a little sore from the fall. Still, Katya decided to try something her O'Pa taught her a few weeks ago.
She leaned close to Boscha and blew. Bard magic infused the air and cooled the air against Boscha's back. The three-eyed witch sighed contently as the cool air felt good on her back.
Katya did this for a few seconds before she asked, "Better?"
Bocsha looked at the witch and, with a light blush on her cheeks, nodded. Katya smiled motherly and then looked at the rest of the group.
"Well, lunch isn't ready yet, so what do you all want to do now?" she asked kindly.
"Hide and scare!" Luz screamed before anyone could suggest anything else.
The "Knocked-down" Coven looked at Luz, and she gave them her trademark, infectious smile. The smile worked like usual, and soon the entire group was on board with the idea.
"Hide and Scare! Hide and Scare!" The group chanted.
The BATTs couldn't help but smile at the cute scene and ushered the kids to the perfect place to play. A few seconds later, someone covered in vines popped out from a tree.
"I like Hide and Scare!" the man said in a high-pitched voice and punch-drunkenly. "And I will play the part of the vine-man-DUUU!"
The man let out a strange noise and then fell onto his back.
(M Corner)
If you get where the inspiration for Raine's "knocked-down" outfit is from, you win a cookie! Also, you're older than me if you get the reference. And don't worry, the identity of the "Vine-man" will be revealed later in the story.