The Daily Lives of The Owl Familia: P2:
Where's Raine?
Summary: With their family in danger again, why wasn't Raine there to help?
Timeline: Still on the first day of the Second Odalia Incident.
(SC)
Raine tried to reach for a glass of water and groaned when they felt a dull pain shoot their arm. The bard witch grimaced as they continued to try and grab the glass. They gave up when they couldn't bear the pain any longer.
With a frustrated sigh, the witch dropped their arm onto their bed and glared at the accursed item. They next looked at their bedroom door and waited a minute. When they saw no entering, they looked back at the glass.
Raine took a quick breath and then began to whistle. The glass became covered in their magic and shakily lifted off the stand. They grimaced as they felt their magic backlash into their body but endured it as they brought it close.
Suddenly, the magic around the glass changed to a bright yellow. The glass returned to the stand a second later. Raine turned their head and weakly glared as Hunter entered their room.
Hunter ignored the glare as he walked over to Raine's bed. He gently helped Raine into a sitting position and then grabbed the glass of water, putting a straw in it.
Raine glared with annoyance at the straw. Since giving themselves Bard's Cramp while working on a song for Eda and their wedding, their roommates have been treating them like a child.
Still, Raine drank their fill. Once he was sure Raine had enough, Hunter returned the glass to the stand and looked at the bard with worry and slight anger.
"Raine," Hunter seriously spoke, "The healers told you not to use your magic; it could make your condition worse."
Raine sighed with annoyance and said weakly, "I know, but you sounded like you were on the crow, and I didn't want to bother you." they frowned as they looked at Hunter. "Who were you talking to, anyways?"
Hunter frowned as he debated telling Raine what they just learned. The bard sensed their cousin's son's hesitation and looked them in the eyes.
"Hunter, whatever it is, I wouldn't overact," they assured the boy. "Not much I can do with this advanced stage of Bard's Cramp."
Hunter still looked hesitant, but he sighed after a moment. He knew Raine could be stubborn on certain things, and they could hurt themselves worse if they learned they were kept out of the loop and tried to do something themselves.
"I was talking to Amity just a few minutes ago," Hunter explained. "She believes The Familia is being targeted again."
Raine rolled their eyes in annoyance; it wouldn't be an ordinary day if someone didn't try to attack the Owl Familia. Thankfully, most of these attacks were done by cocky young witches looking to make a name for themselves or the Babblestones trying to get back at the Familia.
"However," Hunter continued, getting Raine's attention, "They tried to use Rejuvenation potions against us. Amity thought the target was Luz, but messed up, and instead, my Aunts were affected."
Raine stared at their ceiling as they processed this new information. Hunter waits on somewhat of an edge from his parental figure to speak.
"...How young?" Raine asked after a minute of thought.
Hunter sighed and reluctantly replied, "About eight years old."
Raine sighed and looked at Hunter. "So, what do you plan to do?"
That caught the young grimwalker off guard, and he blinked. It took all of his control not to gawk at the bard. Raine picked up Hunter's confusion and offered the boy a slight smirk.
"What?" Raine asked dryly, "Did you expect me to fly off the handle?"
Still a bit bewildered, Hunter nodded. Raine chuckled a dry chuckle.
"It's like you said," the bard clarified, "I'm in no shape to do much. I can barely lift my arms, so I doubt I would be much help. Don't get me wrong, I want to help Eda and the others, but I will only get in the way. So, I want to know what you're planning on doing?"
Hunter shook off his bewilderment and replied, "With Dad chasing that lead about those who attacked Boscha's mom, I was thinking about heading over them and lending a hand."
Raine stared at their charge and could see the hesitation in the boy's eyes.
"Go," The bard encouraged the boy, offering him a smile.
"Are you sure?" Hunter asked hesitantly.
Raine nodded and replied, "Yeah. You could ask our neighbor to check on me from time to time. They say they're a licensed minor healer, so what could go wrong? Besides, Eber should be back soon. I do have one request."
Hunter watched as one of his guardian's face became set in determination.
"If you find whoever's attacking us, make sure you let them know no one messes with the Owl Familia."
(Meanwhile, in another reality)
"STEVE!" I called into my pocket-dimension apartment. "BREAK OUT THE BUBBLY! I DONE IT!"
Steve came running out of my kitchen with a bottle of sparkling water.
"What have you done, boss?" the ex-scout asked excitedly.
I jumped to my feet and ran to my otherworld cousin. I grabbed him by the shoulders and excitedly looked into his eyes.
"I have given a negative treat to all nine types of magic from The Owl House, so I feel like celebrating," I proclaimed.
Steve got a big smile and put the bottle of water on my kitchen table.
"You know what this calls for?" he asked excitedly. "A chest bump!"
I nodded eagerly, and we both took a few steps back. With a cry, we ran at each other, but I slipped on some socks I had carelessly left in my living room. I ended up ramming into Steve's stomach hard enough that it knocked me to the ground, my head spinning. The last thing I remember before blacking out was Steve asking me if I was okay.
(G Corner)
Don't worry, I'm okay; nothing a quick healing spell couldn't fix. Now, here's some information about Bard's Cramp. A bard would get this affliction when overuse of magic would feedback into their hands, causing them to cramp something fierce.
In most cases, Bard's Cramp isn't dangerous or life-threatening. There is, however, a more advanced stage when continuing uses of one magic would cause the cramps to get worse and could even spread through their entire body if not managed. Poor Raine worked themselves to the bone with making a song for their upcoming wedding to Eda.