Beatrix
Beatrix blinked a few times, still staring down at the girl, a brilliant grin on her face. She noticed the girl’s fear fade but there was something else; curiosity, maybe? Beatrix wasn’t sure. A few seconds passed and Beatrix was impatient, so she asked again, a little more slowly, “Who. Are. You?”
Hue sat up, more carefully this time, pushing her lower back up against the one armrest of the faded peach chaise lounge. The girl’s face coming very close to Beatrix’s, who didn’t move away at all, and the girl sat back comfortably. “Hue. I’m Hue, and you have no pupils.” She spoke calmly but directly, keeping eye contact with Beatrix. “Demon?”
“That’s what hurt you, we assume?”, Aurelia asked, though it was more rhetorical. Beatrix turned her head to Aurelia to listen, only to turn back to Hue nodding in agreement.
Hue furrowed her brows, thinking back, “No. Those things, arm-things did you say, they were fiery red and orange, not green.” As Beatrix stepped back, Hue looked around again, focusing on Marissa, the only one now paying her any attention. “Who are all of you? How did I get here? What was-”
Hue was cut off by Marissa’s smile; the faint white glow that surrounded her went ignored. When Marissa opened her mouth to speak, Hue was lost in tranquillity as the words flowed from her mouth. “You are in the safe surroundings of Carham House where its occupants are here to protect you. You were attacked when you tried to help someone with their attacker. It was very brave of you.” The glow faded and Marissa pulled a face of uncertainty, she was never very sure if that ever would work.
Facing Aurelia, Beatrix pouted and stomped her foot. “The demon is still out there, it’s going to get me, isn’t it?”
The glow faded behind Beatrix and Aurelia put an arm around her shoulder ushering her into the foyer, away from mortal ears. “Bea, no demon is going to get you, I won’t let them.”
“But I can’t go home yet,” she whined.
“Give it time, you will. Besides, I thought you liked staying here, living together?”
“I do, I do, but I… I don’t want to be kill-!” Before Beatrix could finish, she leaped a foot in the air, launching herself at the previously empty spot next to Aurelia. “I’ll get you,” She screamed as she attached herself to the figure who had suddenly appeared in waves of dark light. “You won’t surprise me this time.”
She hooked her wiry legs around this new man’s waist and was now thumping the top of his blonde head with the palm of her hand.
“Bea, stop it,” Aurelia commanded, her voice raised. She attempted to pull off the fairy from the tall, blonde man who was taller than her, even in heels. “Stop. It’s Serponteś, my Serponteś.”
Beatrix stopped, looked down at the parting in the man’s hair and felt herself flush. She dropped her hands and untangled her legs, allowing Aurelia to pull her back as she looked the man in the face. He seemed relatively unfazed. His unblinking, golden eyes stared back at her and his thin lips twisted into a smirk. As soon as she heard his name, she knew it was another demon she didn’t like, but this one they wouldn’t vanquish.
“Calm down. You know we won’t let anyone bad demon hurt you, Bea.”
Beatrix noticed the infliction on the word bad, noting that she was obviously implying that he was good, but she knew better. He wasn’t fooling her. “Sorry, Serponteś,” she mumbled sulkily.
“'Tith okay, Beatricth,” Serponteś responded, still with his smirk. “Entering like that wath my own fault and I know I thould not appear too near anyone to frighten.” His voice seemed ancient, something that should have been around hundreds of years ago, except with a lisp too. Bleached hands shot out to Aurelia’s waist, grabbing her and pulling her into his chest. He looked down at her. “Have you taken the day for me?”
Aurelia winked. “Just the morning, time enough just to fit you in?” Then she stood on tips of her toes, actually lifting the heels of her shoes off the ground as she held his head in both hands, pulling it down for their lips to embrace.
Aside from the somewhat passionate sounds of kissing, the only noise was an uttered “Eww” from Beatrix. She looked away, trying to find something to focus on to block out the sounds of saliva and lips smacking together.
Luckily the front door opened and an uncomfortable-looking August was pushing it open with one hand while holding up a shaking girl with the other. He made eye contact with Beatrix, who was relieved to have someone else to concentrate on, and beckoned her over. She bounced over to the girl’s other side, two feet together, each bounce heavier than the last. “Put your arm under hers and help me get her to the living room,” he told her.
Confused by the request, she looked at the girl who was almost as pale as she was, but knowing she had to try to help, Beatrix awkwardly put one arm around the girl’s back and her other arm around her chest, so her hands clasped each other under the girl’s armpit. August sighed and she wasn’t sure why. The three walked at a snail’s speed to the living room, Beatrix sidestepping those 6-7 metres to the couch to place her down, almost falling on top of her.
They stepped back and she dusted her hands off to show the effort she had put into that. August chuckled. “You know there was an easier way, Bea?”
Beatrix glared at him. “Don’t call me that, only Aurelia can.”
Holding his hands up defensively, still with a grin, he apologised. “Won’t do it again, okay?” He turned to their Whitelighter. “Marissa, I’m not sure how hurt she is, she hasn’t said a word.”
Marissa looked at Hue, who seemed relaxed and calm on the couch, before moving down to the other end of the chaise lounge, crouching in front of the quiet girl (Raven). “How are you doing?”, she asked asher hand hovered along Raven’s arm, on the opposite side to Hue. This was to try to hide the warm glow from Hue’s line of sight. “There doesn’t seem to be any physical injuries.”
Finally Raven spoke, it was with an annoyed tone, “What have you just done? What happens now?”
“Now I take this upstairs and analyse it. It could lead us to the one that Beatrix saw,” August answered clinically. He was answering the question, not who asked it.
“-What was that thing that chased me? That was a spell that turned it into a stone or whatever, right? Are you all witches too?”
Beatrix beamed. She began pointing as she answered chirpily, “They are, I’m not, I’m a fairy. And she’s a mor-”
Everyone turned to face Hue, who was fluttering her eyelashes in disbelief. “Witches,” she repeated. “You’re witches and fairies? And that thing was a… a demon, which you killed with a spell. Let me understand what I’m hearing, there’s magic in the world?!” She paused for an answer but no one spoke. “I have so many questions and no more lies this time.” She gave Marissa an intense glare.
For everyone reading:
Whose perspective do you want to read from next?
- August
- Aurelia
- Hue
- Serponteś
- Ursula
- Beatrix again
- Marissa again
- Raven again
For those with characters and reserves:
@Sophia1233, @unsungcheerio, @BlackBlood, @passionfruit, @angelic, & @Skyler2
@CerealKiller, @katabasis, @sunflower.flow, @Nil, @Yomama, @WolfGamerGirl37, and @phnx
And @fraud if you want to read and vote. (wink)