The Places We Belong
Raine Whispers was in agony; just sitting on their staff was enough to send pain through their back. Still, they powered through the pain as they stared down cultists who dared to attack one of their girls.
"This is your only warning," Raine said in a low and threatening tone. "Step away from my child."
The cultists looked up at the bard, unafraid of them. They made spell circles and aimed them at Raine.
"We're not afraid, bard," the unit leader declared. "We saw you take the blow from the beast your girlfriend turned into. I doubt you're in any shape to do anything."
Before the cultists could fire their spells, a flock of finger birds suddenly rushed them. Startled, the group flailed their arms as the birds blocked their line of sight, their spell dying in the air. One of the cultists suddenly screamed as they were knocked onto their back.
The leader tried to make a spell circle but was interrupted when a bird slammed right into their face. They grabbed the bird to get it off their face, but something was else on the bird. They felt something struck the side of their neck as they finally got the bird off their face.
The unit leader looked at their shoulder and nearly screamed when they saw the incest on it. The bug in question was brown, about the size of a small cat with a two-section body. Its six legs spread across its body, and its fliers were stuck in the leader's arms.
"Brick bugs!" the leader shouted to his men. "Repeat before their venom sets in!"
Hearing their leader's command, the unit made spell circles and disappeared in puffs of smoke while the trees reappeared.
While it hurt, Raine raised a hand and created a spell circle. An echo came from the circle and bounced the trees, creating echolocation. The sound wave returned a few seconds later, reabsorbing into Raine's spell circle.
The bard relaxed when their echolocation spell showed them that the cultists were gone. They sighed as they lowered to the ground and gasped as a sharp pain went down their back.
Raine made another spell circle and brought it to their mouth. "They gone! You can come out!" they said, their spell making it like they were shouting at the top of their lungs.
Raine watched as Gwen came into view, Camila by her side. Raine floated over to the two. They give Gwen a slight acknowledgment, then turn their attention to the human.
Camila was shaken, but Raine couldn't find any injury on Camila. That relieved the bard very little, but they smiled slightly.
"How are you doing, Camila?" Raine asked softly.
Camila looked at Raine, and they saw some fear fade from the human's eyes as she looked the bard in their eyes. She nodded her head softly and suddenly gasped. She tore herself from Gwen's side and hurried off.
"Camila!" Raine called to the human, "Wait!"
The human wasn't listening; she was too focused on whatever was on her mind. Raine hurried after Camila, Gwen dragging herself behind the bard.
The two witches found that the human didn't go far, but what they saw didn't bring them any comfort.
"EDA/EDAYLN!" Raine and Gwen shouted.
Gwen rushed to her daughter's side and dropped to her knees. She pushed her index and middle figure against Eda's neck and held them there for a few seconds. Gwen sighed with relief, and she relaxed.
"She's fine," Gwen told the witch and human. "She just tired out."
Raine nodded but looked at their girlfriend. They frowned when they noticed Eda's hair had become grayer, but that could wait until everyone was safe at home.
"Camila," Raine said softly to the human, "Get on my staff, and we will head home."
Camila looked at Raine, uncertain, but the bard's soft smile put her fears to rest. She walked over to Raine as they lowered their staff enough that the human could get on it without aid.
Once she was on their staff, Raine gave Camila a quick hug, careful not to let it show when pain surged up their back. Camila returned the hug and didn't hear when the bard took a sharp breath.
The two separated after a few seconds, and Raine looked at Gwen. The bard frowned when they saw the older witch levitating her daughter off the ground.
"Gwen!" Raine called, a hint of doubt in their voice, "You got Eda, right?"
Gwen looked at the bard and smiled an empty smile. She made a spell circle and summoned a medium-sized rat worm from the ground. The older witch slowly brought her daughter down on the creature.
Gwen bent down and kissed Eda on the forehead. She looked at her daughter with regret before she mounted her staff. She looked at Raine and nodded solemnly. The bard returned the gesture, and together, they made their way home.
(A Few hours later)
Raine peeked in on Eda and couldn't help but smile at the sight. The wild witch was sleeping soundly, lightly snoring. To Eda's right was Camila, also sleeping, snuggled deeply into the wild witch's side.
The sight was made cuter by the fact that Eda's hand was wrapped lovingly around the human.
Raine sighed with contentment and closed the door, wincing slightly when a jolt of pain went up their back. They leaned against the door and waited for the pain to subside, breathing becoming somewhat unsteady.
After a minute, Raine felt the pain in their back lift, but it took another minute for their breathing to even out. They took one final breath to steady themselves and slowly pushed themselves upright.
"Is it too soon to take another pain-numbing potion?" Raine wondered as they summoned their staff.
The bard was grateful their girlfriend had minor healing and pain-numbing potions. However, the potions weren't enough to completely numb the pain, and their wounds still bothered them even though three hours had passed.
Still, Raine powered through their pain as they needed to be alert; they didn't know if the cultists were still around, just waiting for the perfect time to strike.
The bard slowly made their way down the halls and to the first floor. They couldn't help but frown slightly when they entered the living room and saw Gwen sitting on the couch. In the elder beast keeper's hands were the "artifact." She was looking at the piece of junk with a mix of confusion and anger.
Raine stared at their girlfriend's mother for a second, then decided to leave her be and get a report from Hooty.
"I don't get it," Gwen suddenly said, "I went through a dangerous temple to get this. And the Oracle who guided me showed me that it worked."
Raine glanced at Gwen, thinking it would be best to leave the elderly witch to her plight. Still, it wasn't long before their conscience won out, and with a sigh, they sat on the loveseat. They were careful about the wound on their back as they settled on the piece of furniture.
Still, a slight wheeze escaped Raine's lips. That noise got Gwen's attention, and she absent-mindedly looked at Raine.
The air quickly grew thick with tension as the two stared awkwardly at each other. Raine could see that their girlfriend's mother was waiting for them to say something.
"...Gwendolyn," Raine said slowly, "Tell me, do you have any specific memories about the temple?"
Gwen looked at Raine for a few seconds, then down at the piece of junk. Her face twisted through several different emotions: confusion, doubt, confliction, and finally, back to confusion. Raine watched this happen as Gwen gingerly ran a finger down a piece of the necklace.
"Gwen," Rain spoke softly, getting their girlfriend's mother's attention. "I think you were under a spell. Since you can't remember any finer details about the quest you went on, I think it was an oracle spell."
It made sense when one considered it; Raine had a few run-ins with rogue Oracles who had used spells to mess with their minds. From the look in the older witch's eyes, she realized the same thing.
Gwen slowly turned her head and looked Raine right in the eyes. The bard could see the argument on the older witch's face, but her mouth refused to work. So, instead, she sighed in defeat and looked down at the piece of junk.
The Tension built again as the two witches sat in silence. Finally, after a near two-minute stretch, Gwen looked at Raine. They nearly flinched when they saw the sadness in their girlfriend's mother's eyes.
"So even the miracle I witnessed was all because of a spell?" she inquired, her voice small and broken.
Raine sighed and reluctantly nodded. Gwen's sadness turned to guilt, and she finally dropped the junk she had been holding.
Raine felt guilt as well. In a way, they could understand what Gwen was going through. All she wanted to do was help her daughter, just like Raine wanted to help Eda. Still, intentions aside, there was one thing Raine couldn't let go, and they planned to tell Gwen that.
"I just wanted to help my daughter," Gwen said before Raine could voice their thoughts. "Is that so wrong?"
Raine sighed and leaned forward. The bard looked deep into their girlfriend's mother's eyes, and Gwen couldn't help but feel her guilt grow from the look she was getting.
"...It isn't, Gwen," Raine replied coldly. "But it's like Eda said: You went too far this time."
Gwen looked at the ground, ashamed of how she had acted earlier. She had gone over that time many times in the last few hours, and her guilt continued to rise as she realized that she should just have listened to Eda and Raine.
Then maybe that child…Gwen's eyes snapped open as the full weight of her actions came crashing down on her. She could have been indirectly responsible for hurting a child because she was too stubborn to listen to reason.
"I should leave," Gwen announced, standing. "I don't think Edalyn would want me around."
Raine watched as Gwen collected the pieces of her necklace and made for the door. The older witch had reached the door when the bard's conscience and guilt finally became too much to contain.
"Gwen!" they called softly to the older witch, getting her attention. "Give Eda a few weeks. Despite everything that happened, you could still be a part of your daughter's life."
Gwen didn't look at the bard, but from her body language, Rain could tell the older witch was silently crying.
Gwen then took her leave before Raine could say anything else. The bard sighed and slumped slightly. They were drained for the day's event and couldn't wait to get into bed.
They sighed and carefully stood up, planning to check on their girls before checking around the house.
Raine cried when they felt a sudden surge of pain, which caused them to lose their footing. They might have hit the table if Raine's Palisman, Fiddlesticks, hadn't caught them by placing itself in front of their witch.
The bard was lowered slowly to the floor, and Raine put a hand on the table for support. They took a moment to gain their bearings and smiled at their staff.
"Thanks, Fiddles," Raine said gratefully to their staff.
They repositioned their hand on the table to get up and touch something. Raine looked at what was under their hand and quickly pulled their hand away when they saw it was one of Camila's glyphs.
They watched as the glyph glowed, and a ball of light emerged from the paper as the light absorbed the paper.
"What…" Raine gasped, staring at the light orb.
(SC)
The first thing Eda noticed as she woke up was weight against her side. She slowly opened her eyes and looked to her right. She blinked in surprise when she saw Camila sleeping next to her. The wild witch was even more surprised to find one of her arms around the human.
Eda stared at the child for a second, then smiled slightly. She reached over with her free hand and gently pushed some of Camila's hair out of her face.
"She hasn't left your side since we got home."
Eda looked to her left and saw Raine sitting on her vanity chair. The wild witch frowned as she noticed something about her partner, but Camila's sudden movement caught her attention.
She looked down and saw the human fidgeting. Eda looked a little closer and saw tears in the corner of Camila's eyes. With a small smile, the wild witch gently wiped the tears away. Camila responded to the touch and settled.
"Eda…" the human muttered sadly, "Don't leave me."
Eda was caught off guard by this but couldn't help but smile with a hint of sorrow. She gently leaned down and kissed the human's head in a motherly way.
"...I thought she would be afraid of me." Eda mused to herself.
She heard a creak and looked at Raine. She frowned as she noticed they were walking sluggishly and using their staff to support themselves.
Eda's breath caught in her throat as images flashed before her eyes. She saw a man on his knees, covering an eye, blood running through his torn-up fingers. The man looked at Eda, not with love but fear.
Her father reached out as if he wanted to touch Eda, but she couldn't stand the sight, knowing she was the one responsible for her father's condition. The shame and guilt were too much. She turned on her heels and ran out of the house.
"...it wasn't your fault," Eda heard Raine say, bringing out of her flashback.
Eda blinked and looked at Raine. She couldn't help but blush as she saw how close her partner was. That feeling didn't last long as Raine reached out their hand, trying and failing not to wince.
"Eda," the bard said softly and lovingly, "Please, don't blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't bad, and I'm already healing."
Raine smiled at their girlfriend, but it only made Eda feel worse, and she looked away. Raine noticed this and sighed. They carefully sat on the edge of Eda's nest.
The bard gently grabbed Eda by the chin. Raine gently turned their girlfriend so they could make eye contact. Eda wanted to look away but found herself lost in those eyes.
"Please," Raine said softly, "Don't push me away. I want to be here for you and Camila."
"Why?" Eda asked weakly. "I put you through so much, so why would you want to stay with me? And you're part of the Bard Coven?"
Raine just smiled as they brought Eda into a loving hug. Caught by surprise, Eda gasped and blushed faintly.
"Because this is where I belong," Raine replied softly, pulling Eda away so they could look their girlfriend in the eyes. "I don't care that I'm in a coven. So, please, don't push me away again."
Eda's face scrunched up as tears threatened to fall. Raine saw this and gently wiped their girlfriend's eyes clean. Eda suddenly gently grabbed Raine's hand, startling the bard and causing them to blush slightly.
The two witches stared deeply into each other's eyes and then leaned forward. Eda turned her head slightly, and she and Raine shared a passionate kiss.
Unknown to the two witches was the human who had just woken up. She stared at her caregivers with wide eyes, then quickly looked away as she blushed. It didn't take long for her curiosity to get the best of her, and she looked again.
The two witches were still kissing, and this caused Camila's face to turn red as a squeak escaped her.
Eda and Raine heard the noise, broke apart, and looked at Camila. The human's face became so red because of the looks she was getting that she wondered why her face wasn't melting at this point.
"Squirt!" Eda exclaimed happily.
Before she knew what was happening, Eda lunged forward and hugged Camila tightly. Camila was caught off guard, but she soon returned the hug. Raine watched all this with a loving smile and joined the hug.
The three stayed that way for over a minute before they broke apart. Eda looked at the human with a smile and looked her away.
"How are you feeling?" the wild witch asked in concern.
Camila was about to answer when a low growl came from her stomach. She blushed as a shy look came over her. Eda couldn't help but smile at this cute scene and stood up.
"Well, it might be late, but how about dinner?" Eda asked, stepping out of her nest.
Raine frowned as they carefully stood up. "Are you sure you are up for cooking?" they asked.
Eda flashed her partner a cocky grin and replied, "It's just leftover, so it's no sweat." She suddenly frowned as she thought about something, then looked at Camila. "Squirt, why don't you wash up and meet us downstairs."
Camila looked at her caretaker in slight confusion but nodded. She then walked to the door, stopping to give the witches one final look. Eda offered her a smile, and Camila returned it reluctantly before taking her leave.
Raine watched the human leave the room, then looked at their girlfriend curiously. They didn't miss the message behind Eda's frown.
"Is everything okay?" they asked curiously.
Eda sighed and looked at the door. With a quick spell, she closed it softly, then looked at their partner.
"I didn't want to say anything in front of Camila," Eda said, and Raine knew it was important when their girlfriend used proper names. "But during the thing with the cultists, I saw through the Owl Beast's eyes for the first time."
Raine looked at Eda, uncertain how to react to that news. Thankfully, Eda saw this and continued before things got awkward.
"Raine," the wild witch said seriously, "Those creeps could use more than one type of magic."
Raine took a moment to process this. They gasped as their mouth fell, and their eyes widened as they realized what their girlfriend meant.
"Titan…are we dealing with a cult of wild witches," the bard gasped breathlessly.
(G Corner)
If you're worried about Gwen, don't worry; she will make a return appearance later on.