The Shadows of Their First Day
In some hidden location, four witches gathered. The four wore the same robes, but two of those cultists had some decorations that set them apart from the others.
The tallest witch's right sleeve was completely red, and on his left shoulder was a badge that looked nearly identical to the Emperor's Coven's symbol. The only difference was the cultist's badge was white and had a line running down the center.
Next to the six feet, four inches witch was a cultist with a green sleeve and wearing the same badge. It was clear from how these two badged cultists were high-ranking as they were staring down at the other two cultists.
"So, let me see if I got this correct," the tall witch said. "Not only did you lose the subject while transporting her, but you let a bard witch get the drop you."
"Supreme Commander Aphla," one of the low-ranking members spoke weakly, "It was a bard witch. We didn't think-"
"SILENCE!" Supreme Commander Aphla screamed fiercely, "I told you repeatedly not to underestimate bards!"
The two low-ranking cultists jumped at their commander's scream and fell to one knee out of fear and respect.
Alpha took a calming breath before he addressed his subordinates. "You at least get a good look at the Bard?"
The two low-rank nodded quickly and one made a spell circle. An image of the bard in question appeared a second later, and the cultist leader growled.
"Raine Whispers."
"Are they going to be a problem, sir?" the other high-ranked Cultist asked curiously.
Supreme Commander Alpha sighed angrily and said, "More than a problem, Commander Zeta. Raine Whispers is known as the strongest bard of their generation. There are even rumors of them dating Edalyn Clawthorne. I trust you're aware of her status with the Emperor?"
Zeta nodded and frowned under his hood. "Did you think this development would affect our plans for the upcoming event?"
"I don't know," Alpha replied bitterly. "But trying to retrieve the subject while it is under the watch of those two could lead to problems. So, for now, had some of our spies keep tabs on the place the Owl Lady lives."
Zeta nodded and then left the room. Alpha watched his fellow commander lift and then turned his attention to his subordinates. With a wave of his hand, a machinal staff appeared in his right hand.
The two subordinates became afraid when they saw the staff, which looked nearly identical to the staff Emperor Belos used. The only real difference was the orb in the staff; it was blue instead of red.
"As for you two," Alpha said menacingly, "You have failed, and such, you had failed the future of the Isles, and I can't overlook that."
Alpha pointed his staff at his subordinates. and the orb lit up with magic. The robs of the two low ranks began to glow, and the two only looked at their clothing in fear. The two suddenly tried to flee. They didn't even get two steps when their robes fell to the ground.
Alpha stopped using his staff and walked up to the robes. He could see something scurrying under the articles of clothing, and soon, two echo mouses emerged from the robes. The rodents looked up at their leader with human fear.
"Known that your intelligence would never fade," Alpha said bluntly. "You also will retain your lifespan. Hopefully, you can find fulfillment as pets then as witches fighting for our future."
Alpha waved his staff, and the two former witches disappeared in a burst of blue magic.
(SC)
Raine let out a big yawn as they dragged themselves through the Bard Coven's headquarters. The bard didn't have a good night; to keep an eye on the human, they had stayed over at Eda's place.
They were worried for Camila, and their worries were well-placed; the human child had woken up screaming several times during the night, and more sleeping spells were used.
Raine frowned as they thought back to the night; Eda had said she used deep-sleeping spells, but Camila continued to walk up. That had worried the bard; something wasn't right about all of this.
"Does spells not work the same way on humans?" Raine wondered.
The bard was so lost in their head they didn't see a witch round a corner Raine was passing. The two collided, but Raine kept their balance as the second witch fell into their rear.
Raine blinked as they looked down. They panicked slightly when they saw who they just knocked over.
"Head Witch Crane!" they exclaimed in shock and helped the head of the Bard Coven to his feet. "I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"
Scooter Crane, a witch barely five feet even with fading black hair, chuckled a mute chuckle and made a spell circle. Raine watched as notes flowed out of the spell and read the message the deaf witch had made.
"I have taken worse," they read softly, "But how are you doing Young Whispers? It's unlike you to have your head in the Titan's skull."
Raine sighed faintly and began walking down the hall. The sixty-three-year-old witch walked beside the younger bard as Raine explained things.
"I just had a night and didn't get much sleep."
Scooter nodded and created another music sheet message. Raine read it, and their face reddened at what the head witch was suggesting.
"N-No, it's nothing like that," Raine said awkwardly. "But you're right it does have something to do with my girlfriend."
Scooter nodded but didn't continue with the conversation as they continued to their destination. The older witch did notice something else was off about Raine but chose to let the younger bard come forth on their own.
The two bards were near the offices of the bard Coven when Raine decided to ask the question that had been on their mind since running into Scooter. Raine stopped and looked the head witch of their coven in the eyes so he could read his lips.
"Head Witch Crane," the bard said. "I know with Coven Day a few weeks away, things are crazy, but I have a request."
Scooter nodded and gestured for Raine to continue.
"As the Tearuser of the Bard Coven, I planned to have anything settled days before the parade," Raine explained. "But I was wondering if I complete my duties early, if I may leave? I have something I need to do before the Day Market closes."
Scooter didn't even think twice about the request; they nodded with a warm smile and then created a magical message.
"You are my most dedicated coven member," Raine read out loud. "If you believe you can finish your work, then you can leave early."
Raine smiled at this and looked at the head witch. They nodded their understanding, and then two witches went to their offices to start their day's work.
(SC)
Not since she was cursed had Eda felt so lost; she looked at the girl sitting in the corner of her cough and frowned. Camila pressed her legs against her chest and was staring blankly at the coffee table.
Eda sighed and looked away from the child.
Last night's events were weighing heavy on her mind. Not only everything Raine shared with her but what happened afterward. Camila had kept waking up despite Eda using deep-sleeping spells on her.
Finally, Raine used a "no dream" melody alongside Ead's sleeping spell so the child could sleep through the rest of the night.
The entire thing didn't sit right with Eda. She looked at Camila and tried to figure things out. She could tell there was something else going on with the human that Raine or herself couldn't see.
Eda was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a faint growl. She focused her attention on Camila and saw the first signs of life from the human; she was holding her stomach and blushing ever so slightly.
Eda sighed and stood up. Looks like she was making a late lunch. She began to make her way to the kitchen but stopped as a thought popped into her head.
"What can a human eat from here?" she wondered to herself, side-glancing at the human.
Because of her trips to the human realm, the wild witch knew that human food wasn't as dense as demon food. She had stolen and eaten a full-course meal, and ten minutes later, she was hungry again.
So, that begged the question of what Camila could eat without causing potential problems. Eda then remembered seeing humans eating something like eggs, bread, and milk, things they also had on the Boiling Isle.
So, with that in mind, Eda headed into the kitchen and got to work. With a mix of magic and good old-fashioned elbow grease, she had two plates of eggs, toast, and milk ready in just a few minutes.
She returned to the living room and placed the plate in front of the human. Camila looked curiously at the food, but her hunger won over anything else, and she scooted closer to the table. She took a piece of toast and studied it for a second before she cautiously took a bite.
Eda watched as the human chewed and then swallowed. She looked for any signs of trouble, but when she saw none, she relaxed and took a seat next to Camila.
For the next few minutes, the two ate in silence, with Eda keeping a close eye on the human in case any problems arose. Thankfully, nothing seemed wrong with a human, and soon, Camila had eaten half of her meal.
The human and witch were nearly done with their meals when the door slammed open.
"Hoot, Hoot," Hooty said chirpily, "Eda, your special someone's back."
The house demon returned to his spot in the door and allowed a mildly disturbed Raine to enter.
"I don't think I will even get used to seeing Hooty?" Raine muttered as they walked over to the couch.
Eda cocked an eyebrow when she saw the bags their partner was carrying and looked at her clock.
"Wow, Rainestorm," Eda said in a slightly teasing manner, "Didn't expect you to ever ditch work."
The bard gave their girlfriend a deadpan look as they set the bags on the floor. They looked at Camila and frowned when they saw her eating demon food. Eda caught her partner staring and piped in before they could say anything.
"Don't worry your pretty little head off, Rainestorm. She's having eggs, board, and milk. I see things like that in the human realm, and I have been keeping my eyes on her the entire time."
Raine looked at their girlfriend for a second and back at Camila. They couldn't see anything wrong with her, and they trusted Eda; she was the one in the room with the most experience with Humans.
"Now, Rainestorm," they heard Eda ask, "What with all the bags."
"Oh, just clothes," they explained. "We can't have Camila wearing that dress all the time, can we?"
Eda cocked an eyebrow and looked at the seven bags Raine had brought with them. One question was rushing to the front of her mind, and it didn't sit right with her. Thankful, Raine knew her well enough to know what was going through her head.
"Relax, Calamity, I used a measuring spell to learn Camila's size," the bard said, then turned a little bashful. "But can you clean her?"
Eda gave their datefriend a "really" look. In turn, Raine gave their girlfriend a deadpan look, and Eda seemed to get the message.
With a reluctant sigh, she stood up and said, "Fine. I'll wash the squirt, but you're doing the dishes."
Raine nodded and watched as Eda went over to the human. They thought Camila would be afraid of the wild witch, but the human only showed a bit of fear towards the wild witch as Eda told the human to follow.
Camila hesitated for about a second and then got off the couch. The human followed the witch, with Raine watching the two. Once the two were upstairs, Raine grabbed the plates and headed to the kitchen.
(30 minutes later)
"Gotta say, Rainestorm didn't know you knew fashion," Eda said, half-teasing, half-impressed.
Raine just gave their girlfriend a half-smile and decided to keep the knowledge that they asked a store clerk for help in picking out Camila's outfits. Instead, they turned and studied the outfit the human was now wearing.
Camila wore a pair of orange leggings and black flats. She also had on a black, long-sleeve tunic under an orange dress with a skirt that went down to the knees. Finally, she wore an orange bandana with the emblem of the Beast-keeping Coven.
The bandana was large enough that it covered Camila's ears enough that they couldn't be seen easily.
All-in-all, Camila looked very adorable in the outfit.
Looks like the food and bath had a positive effect on her; she was suddenly bashful and smiling with a small blush on her face as she stared up at the two adult witches.
This made the witches relieved; this was the first big positive reaction they had seen from the human since yesterday. It put their minds and hearts somewhat at ease seeing the human starting to show signs of life.
"But I got to know," Eda suddenly asked, "Why beast-keeping?"
Raine frowned as they wondered that as well; when they were picking out clothing, the color of the Beast-keeper was at the front of their minds.
"Just a hunch, I guess," They replied with a shrug.
Eda frowned but decided not to question it further. Instead, she looked at the human and saw that she was starting to fall asleep. Likes everything was catching up to the human, and the meal and bath probably helped speed things along.
"How about a nap, squirt?" Eda asked with a small, motherly smile.
Camila was too sleepy to argue and nodded. She made her way to the couch and, after a small struggle, managed to get onto it. Eda walked over to the couch, took the blanket off the back, and draped it over the human.
Camila was asleep within seconds, and hopefully, she wouldn't have any bad dreams waking her up this time. Raine, however, wasn't going to take any chances and cast their "no-dream" spell again.
Once they were done with their spell, Raine looked at Eda seriously. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Not a thing," Eda replied, "...If you don't count Hooty making a fuss about something a few hours after you left."
Raine made an uneasy face and at a side glance at the house demon. Part of them didn't want to know what he was doing while they were at work.
All that mattered was the Hooty didn't do anything to startle Camila too bad; the girl was still in a delicate state, and it wouldn't take much for her to regress.
(A few hours earlier)
"Hoot, Hoot," Hooty said chirpily, "If I knew I would make so many new buddies, I would have gotten myself hooked to a house a looong time ago."
Currently, the house demon had himself wrapped around two cultists, who looked battered and bruised. One was moaning as he tried to reach for the sky.
"Supreme Commander Alpha! Please strike me down and turn me into an echo mouse," the cultist moaned weakly. "This is a fate worse than being turned into a rodent!"
"AAHHH! Love you too, bestie!" Hooty san gleefully.
(G Corner)
So, I don't know if I did this right, but I was trying to go for an Eda who was less experienced with handling kids because she hadn't found King yet and was unknowingly raising him. So, I was trying to portray her as someone who didn't know what they were doing, but with just enough knowledge about humans to question a few things.