"... Maybe placing all of your hope into your sister getting your sister was not the wisest choice."
A voice spoke out to the group on the construction site, drawing their attention off to the side where they noticed a cloud of inky black darkness. It swirled and shifted constantly, maintaining no consistent shape whatsoever. A silhouette appeared in the darkness, piercing through it, and was undeniably a humanoid shape... but not. It was far too bony and skeletal to be a human, and that was not counting the giant horns coming off the being like it was some type of demon. Slowly the darkness faded and revealed the being's true shape. To put it frankly, it was a skeleton in a dapper black suit, with massive antlers that would belong on a demon of a deer. He hovered a distance away from the group with one hand behind his back, and stuck out his other hand as if he was holding something... and then a wine glass appeared in black fog and a bottle of wine appeared above it. It poured wine into the glass before it disappeared.
"For the children of the great and magnanimous James..." The skeleton trailed off before the glass of wine he was holding floated in the air. The strange being finger quoted the next part, "... Vanburen. You all are not as nowhere near as foxlike as he was. The man would stab his own brother in the chest before letting anyone see him as unintelligent!" Before he loudly chuckled, grabbing his wine... and when nobody else laughed he dramatically placed a hand on his chest.
"Aw... everybody's a critic... or are you all under the impression I'm an enemy? Or God forbid in league with that Triple Goddess? Trust me, she hates me more than she hates you all."
Georgie didn't much care for whatever Sabrina had to say. She can spew whatever nonsense about not hating her and loving her all she wants, but she doesn't believe for a moment that it's true. There's only one thing she said that got Georgie off the floor.
If we just pull together, we can solve this and never have to deal with this again. So... just open the door and come with me. We need you."
She could careless if they needed her, but she needed this curse gone to get back to her life. She used the bed to drag herself off the floor. It took her a moment to stumble to the door, but she opened it for Sabrina. Bits of vomit stained her nightgown and covered her mouth.
"It wasn't locked."
She kept it short, letting her into the dark room, before going to the en suite bathroom. The bright lights gave her a headache, but pushed forward to the shower and turned it on. Cold water hit her scalp and drenched her hair. It woke her up, giving her the energy she needed to get her arse moving. She turned it off, wrapped a towel around her hair, then brushed her teeth and washed her face at the sink. Once refreshed, she undressed in her room, no qualms about being mostly naked in front of Sabrina. She changed back into her black sweater with roses on the sleeves, a black skirt, and wool tights.
"Where are we bloody going and what's the plan?" she asked, putting on her snow boots and winter coat. She grabbed a comb from the sink, combing out the kinks and wet curls. She pulled her hair up into bun on top of her head and hoped she didn't get a cold from wet hair in the winter.
The aching in his chest relaxed a bit as the thrumming of the hellhounds disappeared further in the distance. Blu slowly let go of Oscar's arm, feeling calmer at his reassurance. It wasn't much, but it helped Blu subdue his anxiety and regain control over his emotions. The ominous aura that smothered him was beginning to fade too and Blu sighed, overcome with relief. At least for the time being. This was not the moment to freak out and cause a scene.
They continued on a bit further, the intention of their steps more inconspicuous and stealthy. The abandoned resort loomed ahead as they approached it. A group of bats flickered within the light of the moon. The willowy trees with their contorted leafless branches swayed madly against the howling winds. It was a shocking scene, with the resort at the center of it all, like a haunted house from a horror film. The resort was classically spooky with its old wood, dusty handrails, and cracked windows.
Blu could sense the spirits that roamed these hallowed grounds. He could sense spirits, the friendly, malevolent, and the neutral. Lucky, these spirits were not the source of their current issue. Blu followed closely behind the group as they stepped onto resort proper and he could hear voices coming from inside. Justin look a peak first and his question caused Blu to freeze. He hadn't even thought about Georgie and Sabrina back at the manor. He had hoped they went with the other group before it was too late. What if the hellhounds got to them when they were alone? He shivered at the thought.
Oscar's suggestion to Ezra seemed, dangerous. Forcing them all out at once could backfire, surely. One misstep and they would be in all-out combat. Finally, Blu felt himself up to the task. He could be useful. Quietly, he crawled around Oscar and settled next to Ezra, looking at him with intense purpose.
"My melodies..." Blu began, lifting up the Ocarina held around his neck and showing it in the moonlight. It was an odd-looking thing, tribal, old, and sturdy like an heirloom meant to last the ages. "...have a sway on others. In fact..."
For a moment, Blu was feeling a sense of elation. He had never so openly discussed his majik with anyone. It felt freeing in a way that it might be of good use here. He continued, a tone of confidence seeping into his voice as he went on, "I recently discovered that I can target individuals so only they can hear it."
Blu paused, looking out into the expanse of the forest darkness with a spacey expression. He started biting his fingernail, lost in deep concentration as he continued speaking, more to himself than anyone else. "Yes...yes...I could lure her with a song. No one else inside would hear. I just need to know which person this Healer is, have a good look at'em. I need to be able to picture this person in my mind's eye if my majik is to work on them."
With a newfound sense of purpose, fear leaving his body like a broken dam, Blu lifted his head slowly and got a peak into the room from outside the dusty cracked window with cobwebs. He looked at the faces present in the room, none familiar. He knelt back down, clutching his vessel flute. "Which one is the healer? Once we move into position, I can proceed with my melody."
Ezra rubbed his chin at Oscar’s suggestion. Forcing them out would offer them an easier chance to get an eye on the healer, but then it would alert the others that something was going on. It would put them on edge, heightening their senses like a rabbit when it sees a fox. Blu shifted over to him and began to explain to Ezra how his abstraction worked. Ezra eyed the ocarina held up by James’s ward, gaining a bit of understanding as to a potential ulterior motive for James wanting Blu around besides sheer “magnanimity”. How much sway could the musician hold over other people? Ezra filed the thought away for now, knowing that the woods was no place to interrogate someone willing to help them.
Blu’s idea was a strong contender. The only problem Ezra saw with it was that if the healer just suddenly stopped whatever she was doing and walked outside in a daze it might provoke some of the other Wiccans to follow. However, if they were distracted to go somewhere, like how Oscar suggested, at the exact same time Blu charmed the healer, then perhaps…a plan began to formulate in Ezra’s mind.
“Good idea, Blu,” he said, patting the man on the shoulder. I’m just worried if you lure her away that someone might follow, but if we do something on the other side of the resort to get the others to check it out while you start playing we might be able to avoid any tagalongs.” Ezra looked over at Justin and Oscar. “Something like faulty sprinklers, but a little louder. I figure you two can think of something good.”
However, getting Blu close enough to get a look at the healer might be tough to do without being spotted.
“Would a drawing of her work or do you have to see her? I don’t wanna risk you getting spotted,” said Ezra as he dropped his spells and felt a weight lift off of his shoulder. He grabbed a stick and his bracelet glowed as he cast a combination of spells to allow him to become a perfect sketch artist, using the snow as his pad, but the spell fizzled. Too far of a stretch. “Shit. Well, unless anyone has a pen and a notebook we can forget that. Arabelle, did you actually see her face anyway or was she just wearing one of their stupid animal mask getups?”
East Aaraminta - Construction Site
Tansy’s hand massaged away at wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes as Shane and Trisha declared that they didn’t have Georgie’s number despite knowing for a fact that they’d been included in the yearly Happy Birthday group text Tansy would send out for their distant sister. A thousand retorts flashed through Tansy’s head as Trisha took the opportunity to jab at her, but she let the bullets dump to the ground knowing that they’d just fire through the empty void inside of Trisha’ head. Tansy unzipped her jacket to help dissipate the heat. She tugged at the sweater of her collar and smiled at her sweet, younger sister.
“Of course, Trisha, you’re right. I shouldn’t have blamed you for not keeping track of Georgie,” she said sweetly. “And we really shouldn’t point fingers anyway.” This was all Georgie and Sabrina’s fault after all. “I’m sorry if my little outburst caught you off guard.”
She was about to move to help Tuyen prepare when a voice like loose bits of gravel being scraped over concrete pierced the air. Tansy turned and took a step back as a cloud of darkness swirled and revealed a skeletal man dressed like a slick businessman with massive devil horns protruding from his skull. Tansy had heard her siblings speak of the weird entities they had dealt with or their father had mentioned in his writing, but she’d never witnessed any of the things first hand—excluding the only time she ever saw Dominion, but even the brilliance of the light shining from the entity was so blinding that she couldn’t even truly recall what she had seen.
Fear was the first feeling that hit Tansy and the snow kicked up around her as she subconsciously began to manifest Dominion’s Majesty. Her eyes ignited with golden light as her jacket rippled in a nonexistent breeze. Behind Tansy’s head a crack in reality formed, heavenly light illuminating her as it carved a glowing crescent out of thin air that began to expand into a circle while accompanied by a distant beating of a wing before the skeleton mentioned James. The wings stilled and with it the breeze stopped as the light around Tansy diminished, leaving only the glow of her eyes and a thin ring hovering behind her skull. She was still afraid but it no longer seized her, allowing the woman to take one defiant step forward.
“If you know our father so well then you would know it is not smart to insult him,” barked Tansy, her voice accompanied by a choir of other voices that boomed together in unison. “Who are you? How have you invoked the Triple Goddess’s ire?”
On and on it went. The longest sound in existence. He'd phoned back twice just to make sure. Hopefully it meant they'd already left and the house had been emptied. Either the Vanburens would have some good luck, or none whatsoever.
Shane turned to face his siblings, Tansy already reconciling back into her saccharine demeanour. Reminiscent of a werewolf turning back into a human after terrorising an entire town.
"No one's answeri-" He'd sought to push past Tansy and Trisha, avoiding another pointless argument that wasted time. Instead, he'd been interrupted himself.
Shane was hardly the most emotive guy, but the contrast in voices was felt even by him. It's words like sandpaper to the senses as he turned to face a cloud of the void. Instinctively, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his gun. Realising a second after that it was liable not to do much against the horned skeleton that emerged from the shadows.
"For the children of the great and magnanimous James... Vanburen. You all are not as nowhere near as foxlike as he was. The man would stab his own brother in the chest before letting anyone see him as unintelligent!"
Despite internally acknowledging it's unlikeliness to be of any use, Shane kept his gun trained on the skeleton while it spoke. It paid him no mind, indeed it seemed to be more interested in putting on appearances as it summoned and drank from a bottle of wine while laughing like an old family friend.
“If you know our father so well then you would know it is not smart to insult him. Who are you? How have you invoked the Triple Goddess’s ire?”
Until Tansy spoke up, Shane hadn't even been focused on the figure's words. Only his grandiose actions and mannerisms. It reminded Shane of the type of men James occasionally had surrounded himself with at his parties. The types who wore "eccentric millionaire" like badges of honour to live up to. It would figure Tansy would find her nerve as soon as James was brought into it however, her previously timid response fading as her powers activated. With the bright glow and chorus of voices, it was more likely than ever that her previous explanation of her abilities was downplaying at best, or a lie.
Regardless, her bright glow reminded Shane of his own abilities. It was still taking getting used to. Still aiming his firearm at the skeleton, Shane began to glow a deep blue. Prepared to throw up a defensive wall to protect Trisha and Tuyen behind him if need be.
"Aw... everybody's a critic... or are you all under the impression I'm an enemy? Or God forbid in league with that Triple Goddess? Trust me, she hates me more than she hates you all."
Shane wished Oscar were here. He knew a little of the types of strange beings they may encounter from James' writings, but he'd hoped they wouldn't factor into the Vanburens personal issues of removing the curse. All Shane could do currently was speculate, or at least not reveal he knew less than he really did. The horns and skull, maybe he was an enemy of the Triple Goddess, but that didn't rule out a connection to The Horned God?
"You might not be an enemy. But firstly, we aren't friends. Make no mistake on that subject." Shane's voice, low and direct in counter to his sister's haughty tone. Almost unconsciously weaving with and against her to project defiance against a being whose power they had no way of gauging.
"We're running out of time. If you're here to help somehow, answer my sister's questions then do what you're here to do. Otherwise..."
Otherwise, do what you're here to do. Shane could only hope he wasn't as big a threat as he assumed. Considering the 'trap' plan seemed to have bottomed out some time ago.
The group had left so quickly that Arabelle had only the time to grab a pair of winter boots, gloves, and wool socks from her car. It had been annoying enough to put them on with one arm, but tying them had been another difficult challenge. Enough of a challenge that Arabelle kept an eye on her laces as well as the snow covered ground of the woods. Her coat was buttoned once at the middle, and her lame arm kept a hold of the lapel to keep it from blowing open. The cold was enough to convince her that she should have stayed at the manor, but when a gold streak struck the ground a mile ahead, followed by a malicious scream, Arabelle froze in place. As much help as she could be on this mission, she definitely felt like she should have remained behind. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as Justin told the group that their position had been discovered.
Turn back? Would they make it to the cars before the wiccans were upon them? She glanced over at Ezra, who stood close by and glanced her way too. For a brief moment she made herself remember the image mirror at the construction site. Practice, in case they needed to bolt with the mirror he brought with him. She admired the thought. Oscar was the first to answer. She felt her shoulders sag in relief. She’d all but forgotten that the other group was meant to get the wiccans attention. Hopefully that was the cause. Ezra motioned for them to crouch, and Arabelle tried her best to get as low as possible with one functioning arm. She pressed a hand against the ground so that she could push herself back to her feet. The cold began to seep through her glove quickly as she listened to the smart Vanburen. A nod of agreement was her only acknowledgement, her mind focused on the distant earthquake-like sounds of hellhounds paws hitting ground. Nearby she could hear Blu’s murmured prayer.
Justin motioned for the group to hide. She released a slow breath as she got back to her feet to keep her cool. She followed Ezra into the bush and crouched close to him, inching ever closer as the hellhounds blew right by them. They were closely followed by the wiccans, and Arabelle only dared to peek out of a gap in the bush to search for the blonde healer. Thankfully she was not among them.
While Arabelle was thankful that the woman with the hellhounds had taken the other group’s bait, she was still nervous as they approached the wiccans home. Nervous enough that when Justin literally floated over to a window, she wasn’t the least bit impressed. He carried bad news with him when he returned. Her lips pressed into a tight line. Did the leader know the skull was with Georgie? Even if it was in her pocket dimension? Or were they just going to raid their poor, trashed manor again?
Wildly enough, Arabelle found herself nodding in agreement when Oscar suggested she speak with the healer alone. While it was horrible to think of the others distracting the wiccans that remained behind, she wanted the healer’s treachery to remain a secret. Blu appeared on the other side of Ezra. Arabelle looked over the young Vanburen’s face as he explained his abstraction and chewed on her lip in thought. It could work. She’d just have to hope that the healer was the only blonde left in the resort.
Ezra seemed to be thinking the same thing. She wasn’t happy to hear that half of the group would have to cause a scene in order to make this work, but it was a better shot than sneaking inside and risking exposure.
Arabelle was already looking Ezra’s way when he turned to ask her for a description. “No mask, thankfully. She must have taken it off to look for the skull.” She turned her attention to Blu and tried her best to describe her. “The healer is a little taller than I am. She appears to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Her hair is platinum blonde, almost white, and her eyes are a bright blue- almost grey.” Arabelle’s hand fidgeted by her side as she tried to explain the healer in more detail. “She has… a small nose. Nice cheekbones. A septum piercing… and she was wearing dramatic black eyeshadow. Her eyebrows are brown, though.” She trailed off, giving Blu an apologetic smile and glancing between him and Ezra. “Is that, uh, enough?” She then glanced at Justin. “Did you see a woman in there that fits the description?”
A grating voice replaced the ringing that had previously been in Tuyen’s ears, causing her to slowly turn around. The shifting darkness was too similar to her shadow for her to entirely believe it was real. The true form was like something out of her imagination… A hallucination then. One feeding on her thoughts of the current situation.
Or not?
Out of the corner of her eye Tuyen watched Shane raise a gun towards the skeleton, overpowered by the light that Tansy seemed to someone. She squinted to allow her to still see and turned back towards the unwelcome visitor. Her shadow was eerily silent in its presence… Perhaps because it had no need to create hallucinations when something just like them was already there.
Was it an apparition? That seemed most likely from what she knew. She didn’t trust it and was glad that the Vanburen’s seemed to feel the same way. But who was this? Magic hadn’t come back so long ago… how come James Vanburen seemed to know so much, and had acquaintances like this.
”Can you stop fucking glowing,” Trisha complained, forcing herself to get over the shock of seeing a weird skeleton man who came out of the shadows. It frightened her, but that just bought out even more nastiness from her… And deep down somewhere she trusted Shane to protect her. A disgusting thought, to trust family, but it was there. She narrowed her eyes at the skeleton. ”What are you, some kind of supernatural stalker? Just because you knew our dear father doesn’t mean you can just show up spouting nonsense as if you know everything.”
Tuyen took a step to the side, so she was still behind Shane but able to see around his glowing figure that had blocked her vision. She wanted to be ready, just in case, because she couldn’t just summon up her abstraction in advance.
All of the questions she’d want to ask had already been said by Tansy and Shane. So she just kept a steady gaze on the skeleton, keeping her voice neutral. “Don’t take us too lightly.” As if she had any confidence in the rest of their ability to take on something like this if it came to it, with their lack of supernatural experience. “Just because you knew their father doesn’t make you trustworthy.”
It was directed to the three Vanburen’s as well, just in case - to not trust what it said.
“Georgie was shaken by today’s events but she’s smart, and Sabrina knows what she’s doing. I’m sure they’re with Tuyen’s group by now,”
"So now what? We just sit on our ass?" Penelope said.
"Unless you got a better idea," Maxine said.
... Elect a new leader. One with a fuckin' brain. Penelope said, with a roll of her eyes.
The last thing that Justin wanted to do was come off as if he was doubting the Vanburens... but he was, on the inside, praying to every deity out there that Ezra was right. Because if Morgana gets there with just the two of them... he was certain that they would lose more than just the skull. He wasn't some sociopath that was going to prattle on about "the needs of the many", so if the Horned God got out but Sabrina and Georgie were okay; so be it. It wasn't like they won't be able to put him back.
Getting back on track; Ezra warned them either way and hopefully, they would get out of the line of fire before the crazed leader of the Wiccans gets there. Maybe the healer could convince Morgana to return. Justin was half-listening to the Wiccans, trying to figure out which one was the healer. He kind of recognized a few as the ones that charged through the wall and he gave chase to... and a bunch of others he has never seen before (and one was naked and it burned itself into his gay mind). Confirming his theory that there was more than they thought.
Which was not good.
The other half of Justin was listening to the Vanburen's chatter... just a little bit less than the Wiccans because he was hoping to find something useful. Blu could lure somebody to a place... which was the most perfect abstraction for this situation! Arabelle began to explain what the girl looked like and if the stakes were not so damn high Justin would had make a snippy comment about Arabelle having a crush on the healer.
"Do you want the Goddess to stop giving us gifts?" Tegan injected.
Penelope was silent.
"You know, when the Goddess is pleased, she makes us happy. How do we know that the Goddess would be pleased if we dispose of my sister?" Tegan added.
"Have you forgotten that I'm in charge when Morgana's not here?" Kelly finally stepped up and spoke. "Keep talking and we're going to be sacrificing you next, Penelope."
"Kelly!" Thea spoke, waving her hand to accentuate her point. "Human sacrifice is off the table. We agreed on that."
That was her, it had to be her. "Yeah, I see her!" Justin said in a hushed tone. Now, according to Ezra, all they had to do was draw them out. Now, Justin had an idea... he focused on a sprinkler right above them, but the last thing he wanted to do was act without consulting the Vanburens. He floated down and faced the group.
"Those idiots are right under a sprinkler... but before I do anything I want everyone to be on board with a plan."
East Araminta - Construction Site
“If you know our father so well then you would know it is not smart to insult him,” barked Tansy, her voice accompanied by a choir of other voices that boomed together in unison. “Who are you? How have you invoked the Triple Goddess’s ire?”
The skeleton faced Tansy and did not move, flinch, or even show any type of emotion. Even despite the light show, he held his glass of wine. A small chuckle was elicited from him before he took a sip of the wine... and the wine went nowhere except all over his suit. Not that it phased him in the slightest. Mr. Skeleton sighed as he said.
"Insult him? Why... I would never," The Skeleton said with a chuckle. "I have a question of my own, but it isn't fair to expect an answer to a question without giving one. To answer your second question: I helped defeat her brother, and to answer your first..."
The skeleton floated off... almost as if he was thinking of something before he sighed. Then answered the question... except it was probably not the answer Tansy was looking for.
"I don't know."
He sighed yet again.
"Your damn father stole my name... I have all these memories, except they're all alien to me. I don't know if they're mine, someone else's... it is quite confusing, I say. What I do know is that your father... your father is...."
He chuckled.
"... Is a bit of a dick." He laughed.
"You might not be an enemy. But firstly, we aren't friends. Make no mistake on that subject."
"Not yet." The skeleton flatly answered.
"We're running out of time. If you're here to help somehow, answer my sister's questions then do what you're here to do. Otherwise..."
"Oh, but I am here to help," The skeleton said, "You see... while your bastard of a father incorrigible scum; I don't believe in sins of the father. No one with a functioning mind does. However, your bastard of a father is very... messy. He left mess after mess for me and others to clean up. Which is why I'm here."
He opened his arms in a welcoming display.
"It's not fair that you all have to shoulder the burden of your bastard father's fuck up after fuck up. You all are very inexperienced in the world of magic thrown into it head first. You will not survive without the assistance of a master such as myself.... so consider me..."
Tansy scoffed, amplified by a few dozen other sounds of derision. The ring of light behind her brightened ever so slightly as the bony wine connoisseur immediately proceeded to insult her father after, she supposed tongue-in-cheekily (although could that phrase bet used for a skeleton?), insisted that he would never insult James. Yet with each “bastard” that came out of the skeleton, Tansy felt the light behind her increase like a bulb being hit with a power surge. She heard the distant beating of wings that heralded a desire within her, urging her to subjugate the skeleton here and now to serve as an example for all of those who go against her wishes.
Except the skeleton was right. She hadn’t the foggiest idea how any of this worked, why she could call upon it, or what she was actually even calling upon. Her siblings had spotted off some mumbo jumbo before that didn’t quite go over her head so much as it dented against her skull and fell down at her feet so she could kick it under a table where it would easily be forgotten about and never acknowledged. The spotlight on Tansy snapped off as she closed herself off from Dominion and pulled her hands to her heart. She bit her lip and swallowed her pride, choking on it briefly as she turned her head and gave the snow a look so hateful it could’ve melted. She had dealt with men who’d hated her father before. This would be no different except for how she could confirm that this stranger, unlike those rich banquet backbiters, actually had a spine.
“You’re right. We are inexperienced with magic. I will admit that we might even look like a bunch of sheep who have lost their shepherd,” said Tansy, thinking about how they’d all been incapable of getting a young woman out of a house. The shake in her voice firmed up as she continued, glancing back at Tuyen. “However, I’m used to dealing with charlatans. It's quite easy to claim expertise over a subject when those you are speaking with know so little about it. And didn’t you mention that your memories might not even be your own? I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if you’re really a master…”
She put her finger up to her lips and waited in a mockery of his own dramatic pause, flourishing her arms in a similar welcoming display as punctuation.
“...then prove it.”
Outside the Sunrise Resort
“Is that, uh, enough?”
“Should be, right Blu?” said Ezra, hiding the mild tinge of guilt he felt after Arabelle described an almost total stranger better than he could’ve described his ex-wife.
When Justin confirmed that he saw the healer Ezra felt a wave of relief, happy to know that this little hike hadn’t been a wasted excursion. The faster they were done with this the faster they could reconvene with the others, get out of the woods, get out of the cold, and, most importantly, get out of his father’s ridiculous hunting coat that smelled like a mix of deer musk and stagnant cologne. Ezra huffed quietly to himself as Justin pointed out that the Wiccans were all under a sprinkler. He’d hoped for something a little grander, but the kid apparently still had to itch his urge for school boy pranks. Maybe after they pulled the fire alarm they’d try and recruit some of the Wiccans to join their pen fifteen club.
“Fixated on that idea, are we? Well considering the water damage they did to our dining room, I do feel like it’s deserved,” said Ezra. He could hear in his own voice that he sounded a bit tired, perhaps even annoyed. He blamed it on having channeled his Abstraction for so long, but didn’t bother to justify it to the others. “So, trigger the sprinkler, let ‘em scamper, and Blu draws out the healer? It’s not a perfect shot but it is a shot. It’s better to take it now than wait for one that never comes.”
Trisha snorted, not bothering to hide it as she relaxed slightly. She immediately felt much more amicable towards the strange guy. Anyone who spoke shit about her father at least had their head on right. Not to mention it was pissing off Tansy and making her all strangely glowly.
”You’re right about our father being a bastard! He was a piece of shit, even if some of us are too blind to see that.” A glance at Tansy. ”Just cause he stuck it in our moms doesn’t mean we should have to deal with this mess.”
“However, I’m used to dealing with charlatans. It's quite easy to claim expertise over a subject when those you are speaking with know so little about it.
Tansy's words were clearly pointed at her, the look in Tuyen's direction told her that much. She took a shaky breath, trying to ignore it. She didn't survive a world destroying abomination to be taken down by a few words by a sheltered rich girl. Though the words hit too close to her deep seated insecurities, and were completely true
She wished Justin was here. She was too much of a coward to deal with this herself. He'd actually know what to say.
But she definitely didn’t trust the skeleton. Losing his memories, or claiming they were his, was an easy excuse to avoid saying who he was. She knew what it was like to not feel like your thoughts were your own… but that didn’t mean she’d so easily accept it.
“...then prove it.”
“Before that,” Tuyen stepped out so she was close enough to lunge and pull Tansy back, just in case. She would rather put herself in harm's way, if he chose to prove himself in a dangerous manner. “Answer a few of my questions. You say you don’t know whose memories you have… but also seem confident about your relationship with James Vanburen. How do you know that if they aren’t even your memories? How do you even know that he stole your name? Not to mention, how can you be sure you’re really a ‘master at the world of magic’? You’re clearly… not blind,” She paused, gaze flickering from a spot in the floor to the skeleton. “But that doesn’t make you an expert. Tansy is right, it’s easy to fake knowledge with words.”
She forced a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes, as if those words weren’t a pointed jab that had stabbed deep. They were always going to turn on her anyway. It was easy to be a coward and internalise everything as if it didn’t affect her. People looked for reactions. She really didn’t want to be here (she definitely didn’t belong here). But confidence was simple to feign with years of appearance, Tuyen’s expression not changing for a moment with each darker thought that crowded her head.
“Answer the questions, then prove it.”
Outside the Sunrise Resort
"Those idiots are right under a sprinkler... but before I do anything I want everyone to be on board with a plan."
“I’m on board,” Oscar nodded. It had been his suggestion after all… and with Blu offering up his help, the parts he couldn’t figure out himself were solved. It wasn’t perfect but it was relatively easy as far as plans go. He couldn’t help giving Blu a thumbs up and grin, while making a mental note to write down what he’d said about his abstraction later. And to question him on it.
“Hey, it’s a pretty good idea,” he laughed quietly at Ezra’s tired complaint. “It’s an easy way to get them out without risking hurting them, which wouldn’t be ideal for the whole diplomacy angle.”
Oscar smiled, a bit too cheerfully for someone who’d trekked through the wilderness in way too cold temperature. The snow made this whole thing much easier. “I’m not sure how much water is still in the sprinkler system… but I can easily fix that. Not exactly lacking in liquid around here.”
He moved closer to the window, ready to peer up so he could actually see the sprinkler Justin had mentioned. Then he looked at Blu and Justin. “I’m ready to go when you both are.”
Things were really starting to take shape and Blu found himself utterly thrilled to be involved. True, he was still kind of scared of the whole situation–warranted–considering their lives were in peril. But, Blu was always a person who had a vexation with usefulness, so this opportunity was not lost on him. In fact, it gave him the strength to take hold of the situation and show bravery. At least, for now.
“Would a drawing of her work or do you have to see her? I don’t wanna risk you getting spotted,” said Ezra.
Blu looked at him, contemplating. Unless it was an exact portrait, unlikely. "No." he said solemnly, "I don't think so. It's toooo...abstract."
Then when Arabelle started describing the woman in curiously extreme detail, Blu shook his head again, apologetically. "No, that won't do either...."
Blu, looked away for a bit, lost in his thoughts on how this would work. Then an idea came to him once Justin said he saw her inside. His eyes danced with a newfound rush, "A picture." he said suddenly, in a shuddered voice as not to alert the witches inside (whom he could hear talking). "If one of you might use your mobile to capture a photo of her, I believe that should do the trick."
"Just lead the way to where we shall her lure her. I'm ready."
Blu nodded at the team, showing his resolve. It was time to commence their strategy.
It was an odd feeling. Standing, pointing a gun at a talking Skeleton who seamlessly dodged answering anything of weight. Not a few days ago, Shane was working in a warehouse in the morning and drinking himself into a stupor in the night. He quietly holstered his gun, if only because logical thinking had caught up to instinctual reaction and he'd fully accepted a nine millimetre would do little against an... Undead?
"It's not fair that you all have to shoulder the burden of your bastard father's fuck up after fuck up. You all are very inexperienced in the world of magic thrown into it head first. You will not survive without the assistance of a master such as myself.... so consider me..."
"... Your guardian angel."
They knew little of magic, that was true. Even Oscar was going mostly off written text instead of practical experience. But, Shane knew enough to distrust anyone who placed such emphasis on their importance to someone else's being. Particularly if that person was a magical creature who'd evaded any kind of concrete answers.
The thing was about as slippery as mercury, no doubt just as toxic.
Yet, despite that, he was swaying his sisters. Trisha, expectedly, perked up when the creature started badmouthing James every other sentence. Tansy, also expectedly, was unimpressed for those same reasons but seemed willing to trust the Skeleton provided he gave some tangible proof of his abilities. Fair request, but even if he was as powerful as he claimed, that still didn't make him trustworthy.
“-But that doesn’t make you an expert. Tansy is right, it’s easy to fake knowledge with words.”
“Answer the questions, then prove it.”
She was breathing quicker, she was shaking just slightly. She was projecting a stronger front than she really felt. But, she wasn't wrong. She didn't seem to trust their "Guardian Angel" anymore than Shane did. Trouble was, playing along with this things game was costing them time. If Georgie actually did manage to show up, they'd have made no progress and really would have to rely entirely on this Creature.
"We're running out of time," Shane reiterated, glancing at the watch on his wrist, "If we want to get set up in time, two of us'd better get started on the trap. Other two can stay and grill... Him."
It wasn't an easy call to make. Tansy didn't get along with any of them, same could be said for Trisha. But Shane and likely Tuyen were the heaviest hitters who could probably deal with the outcome of the Skeleton not playing ball. Probably. They'd be less likely to get taken in by the Creature's bold claims and promises of strength. Commanding or even politely asking them likely wouldn't work. Instead he gestured towards the construction area.
"I'm gonna move some of the machinery, if someone could cut the tarps for the tunnel Tansy was talking about, that'd be good."
With that, off he went. Sure that both sisters would reject the idea outright to remain with the Skeleton-Man-Creature-Thing. As long as Tuyen, their magical expert, remained with the magical creature, that was fine with him.
Getting twenty-five percent of the plan done was better than zero.
Thankfully, Georgie was able to find some type of reason for what Sabrina said and it got through to her. Sabrina sighed in relief when Georgie came to open the door, but she hasn't changed much as she inserted a little snide comment towards her. Sabrina ignored it, as she had half-smiled because she was able to convince Georgie. Though Sabrina could smell the liquor on her, and that smile turned into a smile of hiding rage because she had to resist going into her sister for her lack of foresight and intelligence.
"Where are we bloody going and what's the plan?"
"We're going to the construction site of the rehab clinic," Sabrina said, "The plan is to use the skull to lure them into a trap and ambush them, like how we discussed during the meeting you ignored-" Sabrina couldn't help but insert the passive aggressive comment, but she grabbed her wrist. "-but we need the skull, so just come with me and I'll drive us there!"
There was no time to waste, but Sabrina felt her phone buzz in her back pocket and saw it was from Ezra... she didn't even need to open it to know that it was warning her that the Wiccans were coming. Great. Sabrina knew that she would be screwed if the Wiccans had come here, so they had no time to waste. Sabrina grabbed onto Georgie's wrist a little tighter and said,
"... And the Wiccans are on their way here."
After the last word left her lips, Sabrina immediately darted out of the room fast as she could carrying around a drunk person. The faster they got out of here, the less likely Sabrina would have to deal with the cult. They made it to the garage and Sabrina pressed the button that opened the door as she moved.
"Alright, get in the car because we don't have no time to was-"
When the garage door opened, an orange bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of the garage, Sabrina immediately jolted and fell on her ass. "Jesus!"
When the flash faded, it revealed the Triple Goddess, dust and other debris spun around her as her three faces faced Georgie. She raised a finger at Georgie... and a powerful gust of wind flew into the garage, strong enough to send even the heaviest person flying like they were a piece of paper.
"GIVE ME MY BROTHER, THE GODDESS COMMANDS YOU!"
All three voices spoke in unison.
East Araminta - Construction Site
“...then prove it.”
"Ah, yes," The skeleton said before he utilized his abstraction. Smoky black darkness appeared in his hand as he turned his palms upwards. He kept facing Tansy as the darkness faded, and a rather old and worn fedora that had to look like it was centuries old. He held the top of the hat in his hand as he reached into the hat with his other hand - an observant eye could see the smoky black darkness he used to conjure the hat, very faintly, however - and reached into the hat. For a second, he shifted around into the hat, before pausing with an "Ah", accentuating it. Then he pulled out...
... A stuffed rabbit by its ear. Not just any stuffed rabbit, a white rabbit that was so covered in dirt that it almost looked grey. It was heavily damaged, and it was missing its other ear.
"... Tada," The skeleton dryly said. "Enough jokes; calling myself a master is a misnomer... as anyone with even the slightest idea of magic knows that there's no true way to call yourself a master. Magic is fluid, and ever-changing with the thoughts and feelings of other people. Hell, even with this conversation; we may have spawned a new monster. Heh."
The hat disappeared, and his glass of wine reappeared. "If you wish to stop the cult; you have to stop the Triple Goddess. You could eliminate them all, and she would just learn and try again something later. She is a very cunning being... but she desperately wants her brother back; otherwise, the other end of her power will remain sealed away."
He raised a finger,
"Speaking of power; hers is the ability to control anything natural; in its purest form. Water, fire, earth, air... et cetera, et cetera, but if it's been altered or refined by man in any way; she cannot control it. Its strength scales with the belief and admiration of her little witch cult. She also can teleport anywhere with open skies via a bolt of orange lightning that also scales in range, which I suspect should allow her to teleport..."
A bolt of orange lightning appeared in the distance. Which happened to appear, from their perspective, from the direction of the Vanburen estate.
"... Anywhere in Araminta."
He stared in that direction for a few seconds, before he added, "Well, that's unfortunate. Well, I guess I'm going to have to cut this meeting a little short, but before I go..."
The inky black darkness appeared again, forming a massive portal into jet blackness that was large enough to fit a human being into. The entity reached into the darkness again, digging around before he said, "Ah!" Then he pulled out something peculiar.
It appeared to be a statue... a woman coated in stone, with a shocked looked on her face as she lay on the ground. It appeared as if she was screaming, holding onto her face with both hands... and slowly the stone began falling off, chipping away piece by piece and revealing brown skin.
"It's been centuries and James still can't clean up a single god damn mess on his own, but you know what they say..." The Skeleton said as he put his hands behind his back, and floated towards the portal. Right before he faded away into the darkness, he added,
"... The more things change, the more they stay the same."
The portal dissipated, and the only thing left behind was the rabbit that he pulled out earlier.
Shane went off to do set up, which Tuyen agreed was a good idea. She gave him a slight nod and stayed with the skeleton… Just in case something happened.
The skeleton gave them a bunch of information they already knew (defeat the Triple Goddess not the cult, a point Justin had already empathised) and then a bit that they didn’t. It wasn’t enough to prove he was trustworthy, especially with the strange rabbit trick, but it was useful anyway. Her inability to control anything man made gave them an advantage in their chosen location - since a building site was filled with objects she couldn’t control. And the lightning-
Fuck.
Tuyen froze, gaze stuck on where the bolt of lightning had just been. This was bad. This was her fault. She should have stayed in the mansion until everyone was out… A shiver ran down Tuyen’s spine. Vivid images of lightning filled her vision, booming thunder punctuating blood curdling screams. She couldn’t move because there was no threat to move against. She was stuck. In the back of her mind she knew this wasn’t real, but it felt it, sounded it, and it was so hard to ignore.
What a failure. Once again she was going to let people die.
No, she was just jumping to the worst possible outcome. She wasn’t at the mansion, it was impossible to actually see this or know. She was just too used to things going wrong and her shadow knew that. It was showing her this. She had to ignore it.
Slowly, Tuyen forced herself to turn away from where the lightning had been and shoved shaking hands into her coat pockets. Each breath she took felt like glass was scraping through her lungs. She’d only managed to drag herself out of hallucination a little bit, enough to barely function. It was only with so much experience that she could even get out of it without help.
“We need to go back.” Tuyen’s gaze, devoid of emotion as if her voice wasn’t shaking and screams weren’t still ringing in her ears, moved to Trisha, then Tansy, before finally settling on Shane in the distance. She didn’t pay attention to the fact the skeleton had disappeared and a stone woman had materialised in his place. It wasn’t important right now. “If the Triple Goddess is at the mansion, the wiccan’s will be too. There’s the person who can travel through mirrors… We should get in contact with her. Driving won’t be fast enough. Can any of you contact her… or anyone else in the group. Anyone will do.”
She paused, brain slow to realise she could contact someone in that group. If his phone was even on. “I’ll phone Justin, but I don’t know if he’ll pick up. It's best we all contact someone.” She didn’t care if she didn’t seem professional anymore. Not that she ever had. It was hard enough to react well to a situation like this without a fucking shadow whispering in her mind and forcing hallucinations on her. After everything today, she was doing well. Being able to talk was doing well.
Tuyen turned away and pulled out her phone. After a bit of fumbling she found Justin’s contact, and called him. The monotonous ringing against her ear piercing through the auditory hallucination she was still stuck in, muffling it in an almost comforting way. It gave her a chance to think of what to say on the very slim chance he picked up.
“Huh,” Trisha turned her head towards the mansion, as if it wasn’t that big a deal. She genuinely couldn’t care less and wasn’t about to help solve their problems. She was much more concerned about whatever the James hating skeleton had left behind. “Looks like Georgie’s finally going to up and die just like our dear old father. Be a shame about Sabrina though. Well, it’s not my problem, can’t do anything about it.” She then kicked the stone woman’s side. “What the hell is this? Did we have another sibling?”
"If one of you might use your mobile to capture a photo of her, I believe that should do the trick. Just lead the way to where we shall lure her. I'm ready."
"But isn't it what the Goddess wants, Thea?" Kelly said to Thea. "She doesn't want us to sacrifice rabbits and goats forever; she wants a virgin burned in this flame."
"Well, good fucking luck findin' one of them out here," Penelope said. "Everyone in Aramina pops their cherry once they hit middle school. And if they don't; they'll be suckin' balls for drugs."
"Grow up, Penny," Thea said.
Justin could hear them conversate, but at this point; he wasn't that worried about their conversation as he was unable to gain anything useful or of value (at least they have some morals). Oscar and Blu gave the go-ahead but Blu wanted a picture of their girl - he wasn't fully sure of Blu's abstraction but surely there's a point to this or something. Justin paused, and pulled out his cellphone - feeling like a creep - and focused on Thea, and snapped a quick picture of her. Afterward, after a few presses of his smartphone, he showed it to Blu.
"This."
However, afterward, he slid the cell phone into his pocket and focused on the sprinklers above them. He remembered reading something that smoke doesn't activate a sprinkler system but instead heat... and who else brings the heat other than Justin Liao himself? He focused his telekinetic ability on the sprinkler and hopefully, this will work. His flaming aura surrounded the sprinkler before it was immediately extinguished by the spray of water. The Wiccans screamed and shouted out of surprise.
"Oh, for fuck sake; not again!" Penelope shouted.
"Ayyyy, chica, this is the first shower you've taken in months." Maxine said.
"At least I'm not wearing clothes." Samantha nonchalantly said.
"My hair and makeup are ruined! I've had enough of this!" Thea shouted before she stormed out of the place.
There was something scary about listening in on the witches conversations. Discussions about killing animals and sacrificing virgins brought a chill through his spine. And the mere fact that he himself was a virgin made Blu feel all the more anxious about getting captured if something went wrong. Darkness settled in nicely, and a brisk gust of cold night air caused his long hair to blow wildly. Steadying his posture while still crouched, Blu gripped his hair up into a ponytail and then held it tight with a hairband.
Smoothing out the remainder of his hair behind his ears, Blu watched carefully as Justin took a secret photo of their target, this healer named Thea apparently. He wasn't really sure, to be honest. But once Justin held up the digital photo to him, Blu studied it, his eyebrows furrowing intently. He pictured her face in his mind's eye. Her blonde hair and blue-ish grey eyes. There was something ghostly about her look that struck Blu as her image seared into his head. Once he was sure he had truly understood her visage, he looked to Justin and then the rest of the team and nodded.
At first, Blu wasn't sure what was happening. He trained his eyes on Justin, who seemed quite focused on something through the window. Perhaps his own magic was at work. Must have been, because shortly after Justin's concentration fell, the sprinkler system inside the abandoned resort went off suddenly. The witches began to scream and whine about getting wet, and once Justin nudged him to act, Blu whispered to them.
"I'll try to lure her to that brush over there", he said, pointing to the location. "Let's hope she isn't the resistive type. My magic doesn't work on everyone."
With one final nod of confirmation, Blu used the opportunity to quietly move to an isolated spot on the other side of the building, settling himself inconspicuously within a brush.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Blu replayed the image of the Healer in his mind. He felt her presence as if he were part of her, and then, bringing the ocarina to his lips, he began to play.
The tune emanated from him like an iridescent aura of light, a stream that flowed from his chest, into the house and then connected itself to the Witch's chest like a tether. The melody was striking and hauntingly beautiful, otherworldly even--something you might hear at the gilded gates of heaven as it reverberated around him. This was no ordinary ocarina. The music that played was almost like a chorus, slow, dreamy, and ghostly.
His comrades would be able to see this tether of light and even hear the accompanying melody, though it would not affect them on a supernatural level; however, they may appreciate the angelic beauty of the song and finally witness his magic for the first time. But for certain, the siren's song would have no direct effect on them, Blu made sure of that. The only ones he barred from hearing the melody were the other witches, still squealing away about their wet hair and clothes, to preoccupied to notice how Thea suddenly became enthralled. Not zombie-like, but more, enraptured with an unnatural curiosity.
As the tune continued, Thea would find herself seeking out the source of the melody, to get closer to the song and be fully enveloped by its beauty. She might seem confused, wondering why she was suddenly hearing this mysteric and mystical tune. But it is that insatiable enchantment and intrigue of the song that made it so irresistibly difficult not to follow. Blu felt their connection, his innate empathic sensitivity enhanced as his magic bonded him to the woman. If it worked, Thea would walk out of the resort and come right to him like a moth to a light.
His comrades, seeing her exit, would only need to follow.
Tansy bit her inner cheek to keep herself from tossing a verbal blow back at Trisha as she echoed the skeleton’s sentiments regarding their father. She gave Shane little more than a side-eye as he suggested that some of them proceed with the plan that fell apart the moment their family had left the manor thinking that Georgie would cooperate without some kind of coercion. Only Tuyen picked up for her sibling’s slack. Tansy is right. Tansy already found herself growing fond of their supernatural expert. The other probing questions helped cement in Tansy’s mind that Tuyen was at least serious.
“Ah, yes,” started the skeleton as he apparated a cloud of darkness in his hand. Tansy’s eyes widened as she took another step forward. She didn’t truly understand how her Abstraction worked, as it almost functioned instinctively like breathing or blinking her eyes. Basically she could make people do what she said and take control over them—but basically people, excluding her family, already did what she said and were controlled by her. They just did things more efficiently now. If the skeleton could act as a sort of mentor and help unlock a bit more of her potential then she would gladly accept, even if it came with listening to him casually hurl insults about her dead father.
“Tada.”
The light faded from Tansy’s eyes faster than if she’d opened a present Christmas morning to find a hideous outfit awaiting for her underneath the wrapping paper. She frowned at the skeleton as it began its lecture and fixed him an annoyed stare, only proving that she had paid any attention when she jumped at the flash of lightning appearing in the direction of their manor. Her face contorted into a look of confusion and disgust as the skeleton popped a statue out of a portal that began to shed its stone to reveal skin before both the skeleton disappeared.
“Whatthefuck!?” shrieked Tansy, more upset by the whole vaguity of the situation than the weirdness of it all—artists posing as living statues at exhibits had been so commonplace a few years ago that it had been the most normal part of the whole experience. She threw her head back and groaned, her head rolling towards Tuyen as the girl took charge. Tansy immediately lit up as the severity of the situation hit her. She almost reached for her phone before remembering that in her own stupidity she’d broken it. Cursing silently, she looked for her siblings. “Shane! Shane?” Naturally, he was gone exactly when Tansy and the others needed him.
She turned to Trisha, expecting her sister to already have her phone in hand. Instead the young lady was kicking at the statue and muttering about how the life of her own two sisters wasn’t her problem. Tansy’s face flushed with so much anger it was almost purple. She stomped up to Trisha, clamped her hands down on her favorite sister’s shoulders, and squeezed as she guided her away from the statue that potentially was a long lost sibling. One thing at a time! thought Tansy. She hated having so many spinning plates.
Tansy had a few inches on Trisha but she wasn’t some powerhouse. The girl probably could wiggle away, but that would actually require her to do anything which was apparently impossible. Tansy glared down at Trisha, so close to her sister that she would be able to feel the anger in her breath.
“Trisha—!” The rage burning inside of Tansy caused by her callous family member vaporized so quickly that it was scary, replaced by her typical singsong fakeness as Tansy’s death grip turned into a gentle rub on the shoulder that was anything but reassuring. “Don’t worry, I’m here. I want you to know that I understand what you’re going through. It’s okay to feel like you’re powerless and that you can’t do anything. Fortunately—” a dangerous smile flashed across Tansy’s face—“that’s exactly what you need to keep doing.”
Tansy had already decided it was pointless trying to argue with Trisha, and Sabrina (and, yes, even Georgie) were in danger. She disappeared from Trisha’s view, replaced by a light so blinding it was as if the girl was being swallowed by the sun. The others would see Tansy’s eyes turn into burning orbs of gold as a glowing “halo”, not too dissimilar from the skeleton’s dark portal, hovered behind Tansy and grew. The snow on the ground began to blow away from the two in short pulses lined up with the heavy flapping of wings. A warmth cut through the cold air and swept across Trisha who still had a chance to look away, although Tansy would try to stop her. Trisha would begin to feel something try to lull her to sleep, only instead of it being like she was gently getting rocked in her mother’s arms it was as if she was being smothered by a pillow.
"You will call Oscar and ask Arabelle to mirror us home," commanded Tansy accompanied by a thousand other disappointed voices as she attempted to command her own sister with her Abstraction, the halo burning brightly beyond her.
It was beautiful, really. Shane didn't appreciate the show, but he'd been given the best seat in the house. A slight bump on the site that let him bare witness to the orange lightshow around the home he'd grown up in. No doubt the home that also contained two members of his family, at least.
The realization didn't hit him immediately. Instead, the colours danced across his sunken broken eyes. As far as he was, he could feel the heat radiate from the light, burning his skin as if in accusation. Like the judgement of some deity falling upon him. Felt its power, its anger, its danger. Only then did he start running.
'Move.' Synapses firing back to life, veins coursing with adrenaline. Like an addiction being fed, other than alcohol. In Shane's mind, his options had decreased to a singular course. Car wouldn't make it in time.
“Ezra said if the Wiccans show up or if something goes wrong to give him or Arabelle a call. Supposedly she can use the mirrors to open a gateway if we need reinforcements or to retreat."
It'd have to do, hopefully they were speaking concretely and not hypothetically. Shane's cheeks were red, internally he felt like a precise machine, externally he was like a beast. Exhaling steam as his shoulder collided with the door to the Foreman's Office and he spilled inside. There it stood, like salvation. The dress mirror with the blanket still laid at its feet. A grunt escaped Shane's lips, then he was a machine once more. Lifting the mirror up with his hands clasped on either side, he began manoeuvring out of the office, internally thankful he hadn't been working in the factory this morning.
He got closer and closer to the group, meeting a sight that was stranger and stranger. The skeleton, gone. A petrified corpse on the ground. Tansy and Trisha were arguing. Shane didn't care. He was busy keeping the mirror aloft, though was more so dragging it at this point, shielding the mirror itself using the stand and wooden frame to bare the brunt of the snow laden gravel.
As he reached everyone, he spun the mirror around so the reflection was facing them. Tuyen was already on the phone. Good. He looked over towards his sisters, ready to shut this petty crap down and get mobilized, when he had to shield his eyes from yet another offending light show.
This time, from Tansy. One hand covered his face, the other flailed out before grasping the mirror, making sure he didn't knock it to the floor in his newfound blindness.
"You will call Oscar and ask Arabelle to mirror us home,"
It was like a choir, singing out in a register that scratched the tip of your brain. The kind that makes dogs lose their minds. Shane wasn't even the target and it felt like an assault on his senses. This was her definition of "creating a light"? He should've known.
"STOP, DAMMIT!" Shane yelled, heightened tension necessitating even him emoting beyond quiet contempt. In all honesty he wasn't even sure his outburst would register among everything.
It was all falling apart, like the world was ending.
Shane kept his eyes squint shut, removing his hand from his face and outstretching it to grab Tansy. If this were how The Vanburens went out, he wouldn't spend it passively watching his siblings tear each other apart. Hopefully, Tuyen would get through soon to Arabelle. Would be a shame for the family to tear itself apart before creatures beyond comprehension got a chance to do so.
Crouching out in the brush and waiting for Justin and Oscar to start the show, Ezra couldn’t help but feel like a jerkass teenager playing ding dong ditch again. Would the “witches” melt when the water hit them? The soft sound of sprinklers snapping to life immediately stifled by the shrieks of the Wiccans getting drenched made Ezra pretend a mean-spirited chuckle was a quiet cough into his fist. For a moment he almost forgot that earlier that day these people had destroyed his property and, perhaps more importantly, endangered the life of his family. The juvenile thoughts faded from Ezra’s head as he sternly fixed his gaze on the door and waited for Blu to do his thing.
Blu’s melody drew Ezra’s attention away. The song was unnatural but not unpleasant and for a moment Ezra was so enraptured by it he almost forgot to panic about how the Wiccans might hear before remembering what Blu had said, although quickly that thought was snuffed by another worrying about how Blu knew that some people were the “resistive type”. The young man seemed harmless enough. Surely it was all on the up-and-up? Ezra squinted as he saw the song take form in a mystical light as if he was experiencing synesthesia. It was beautiful. Yes, surely Blu was to be trusted.
Unless the song is just making me think that, worried Ezra, who reasoned that if he thought that it meant he wasn’t being controlled by the music before immediately realizing that magic broke logic and as far as he knew Blu’s power was making him come up with arguments to convince himself that he wasn’t currently being enchanted.
The healer emerging from the building pulled Ezra’s attention away from his own spiraling. Even when disheveled by the impromptu shower she was prettier than he’d imagined a cultist to be and the light of Blu’s music swirling around her chest gave the healer a kind of etherealness. Ezra nodded at Arabelle to follow and quietly walked through the woods to join Blu in the brush. He held his hands up as the healer was pulled into the woods by Blu’s song to show that he meant no harm, hoping that the presence of Arabelle would stop the healer from bolting once Blu’s Abstraction wore off.
“Your friends really should’ve picked a better place to squat. There’s a reason this resort is abandoned. One moment it’s the sprinklers going off, next thing you know the roof collapses. Here. You’ll catch a cold,” Ezra shrugged off the camo jacket, happy to be rid of the ridiculous thing, and extended it out towards Thea as a peace offering. In his other hand was a handheld mirror he’d removed from the coat moments prior. “I’m Ezra Vanburen. I’ve been told by a mutual friend of ours that we both might have the same opinion when it comes to your group’s current leadership. If you would come with us I am sure we could manage to come to some sort of agreement that would leave us all quite happy—at least those of us who still have some sense.”
“Arabelle, if you would,” said Ezra as he inverted his grip on the handheld mirror. The bracelet on his wrist glowed a faint orange as the broken wire puzzle twisted and condensed, pressing the leather strap into his wrist. Meanwhile, the mirror grew from several inches across to nearly a few feet—large enough for an adult to crawl through once Arabelle turned it into a portal to link them to the group at Tansy’s construction site.
Tuyen swore under her breath, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. She should have gotten Oscar’s number before they split up. Static screeched in her head as she tried to figure out what to do next. Driving was only an option if they wanted to get there when it was too late… hopefully one of the Vanburen’s with a phone had started calling a sibling in the other group.
“I didn’t get through-” Her hopes were dashed as soon as she turned around to tell them, a blinding light stopping her from even figuring out where they were. She squinted her eyes and took a moment to figure out if this was another hallucination, or if it was real. Real. It hardly targeted her psyche, and there were still screams from her shadow ringing in her ears. The grating sound of a thousand voices just filtered through. Once she adjusted she could see what was going on… Shit.
"You will call Oscar and ask Arabelle to mirror us home,"
Ready to mouth off at Tansy about how she didn’t understand, Trisha fixed Tansy with a seething glare that soon found its target a blinding light rather than an annoying sibling. She found herself unable to look away, mouth falling open in shock. What the hell was this? The light was smothering her, voices that reflected a tone her mother had taken far too often scraping at her will. Without any thoughts she found herself taking out her phone, unlocking it, and calling Oscar.
"STOP, DAMMIT!"
“What the fuck?” Trisha snapped out of it to a phone ringing a brother she hated, slamming the hang up button as soon as it was picked up. Her phone slipped out of her fingers as she looked at Tansy’s with tear stained eyes, watering from the bright light that had been blinding her only moments ago. “What did you do to me, you bitch? Did you just use fucking magic on me… I swear to god I’m going to kill you.” She lunged at Tansy with trembling hands, chest heaving with anger. ”Fuck you!”
“Stop!” Tuyen snapped, shoving herself in between Trisha and Tansy. She was much shorter than both but it was enough to stop Trisha from jumping at Tansy, and hopefully Shane could hold back Tansy if she tried anything. At least he had gotten the mirror over, it was one less thing to worry about. “We don’t have time for this. I couldn’t get through to Justin, so one of you needs to call.” Fuck it, that hadn’t gone anywhere yet. She shouldn’t depend on others and didn’t have time to babysit. She looked up at Trisha, eyes narrowing. “Give me your phone.”
”Hell no-”
Before Trisha could finish complaining, Tuyen bent down and took the (thankfully still unlocked) phone lying on the floor. She’d never normally do something like this but… watching this argument wasn’t getting them anywhere. In the moments it took for Trisha to react Tuyen had stepped away, moving behind Shane in the hope he’d be able to stop his younger sister as she changed the target of her rage to Tuyen.
She took a shaky breath as pulled up the latest call. Once again the sound of ringing hit her ears, over the muffled sounds the shadow refused to let up on. Hopefully this time it would get through.
Outside the Sunrise Resort
As they’re plan went into action, Oscar manipulated the snow on the roof of the villa into the pipes - so the sprinklers actually had something to dump on the unsuspecting witches. After that, everything went smoothly. Blu started up a beautiful, if eerie, piece that had the healer coming towards them. Oscar found himself following easily, while pulling out his phone out of curiosity to see if he could find the name of the song itself (though he could just ask Blu about it later).
He didn’t get a chance to look it up before his phone lit up.
Incoming Call - Trisha
Well that was a surprise.
“Hm, Trisha, why-” click. The call was hung up instantly.
If it had been any other siblings Oscar probably would have shrugged it off, but Trisha? She hated his guts, why would she ever phone him?
“Hey Ezra, don’t want to derail but I just got a call from Trisha,” Oscar jumped in after Ezra was done saying things Oscar hadn’t understood. He’d be more likely to find a reason for Trisha’s calling… Though it seemed Ezra already planned for them to go to the building site, going by the mirror. “Guess it’s alright since we’ll be there soon - oh she’s calling again.”
Oscar took a step further into the woods to pick up the phone, responding in a hushed tone. “Do you need something, Trisha?”
“This is Tuyen.”
“How come-”
“That’s not important right now. The trap isn’t going to work out, the Triple Goddess is already at your family’s mansion and your siblings are still there. We can’t get there fast enough in a car, we need the mirror teleporter to come here, and then take us back. We already have the mirror with us.” There was a pause on the other end of the call. “If you can, you should all come too. I don’t think we have a choice about where we fight the Triple Goddess anymore.”
“Got it,” Oscar nodded, lowering the phone and turning back to everyone else as if he hadn’t just been told that everything was going to shit. “So that was Tuyen, with some bad news.”
He glanced at Justin first, then looked at Ezra and Arabelle. He didn’t even pay much attention to the healer - in his mind, that plan was already out the window. Diplomacy? They didn’t have time for that.
“To keep it short, the Triple Goddess is at the mansion and so are Sabrina and Georgie. Tuyen says to send Arabelle to take them to the mansion because the trap plan’s not going to work.” He frowned, trying to figure out how they knew the Triple Goddess had gotten to the mansion. That was interesting information… Wait, not important right now. “Oh, and that we should go too if we can.”
