Chapter Text
They were inseparable. Whispers of a transfer student from St Epiderm drifted through the halls of Hexside rather quickly. Once they heard the student was a bard however, they lost interest. No one wanted to be friends with a nerdy bard student. Only Eda knew the real Raine Whispers. The “nerdy” bard who was quick on their feet, witty, and oftentimes just as downright chaotic as her. Eda was eternally grateful for her new partner in crime. They seemed to come alone just in the nick of time as Lily seemed to be too busy with Emperor’s Coven studying to spend time with her sister anymore. It wasn’t like Eda didn’t want to be in the Emperor’s Coven anymore, well maybe she didn’t, but Titan did Lily take everything so seriously.
Lilith, Eda, and Raine walked in a line along the cobblestone streets of Bonesborough, the latter of the three tossing a gudgby ball back and forth over Lilith's head while she studied her note cards.
Eda laughed and unsuccessfully tried to fake Raine out. “Why don’t you try out for the grudgby team with me and Lily, Whispers?!”
Raine laughed at her. “Come on, Eda. A bard on the gudgby team? We’d never hear the end of it from Darius.”
“And what does Darius know about grudgby?” Eda asked bemused. “Darius is the worst player on the team! I’d rather play with Fausty. What do you think, Lily? Should Rainedrop try out for grudgby with us!?” She gave Lilith, who had not been paying attention to their conversation, a quick nudge to the shoulder.
Lilith didn’t look up from her notes, she clicked her tongue and shook her head. “I don’t know Edalyn, I don’t really have time for this.”
Eda stopped walking and scoffed at her older sister letting her walk ahead.
“What is wrong with her?!” She shouted once Lilith was out of ear shot. Raine shrugged their shoulders, they hadn’t really gotten to know Lilith all that well. “Maybe she’s having a bad day?”
Eda rolled her eyes. “She’s been having a bad five weeks. She never wants to hang out anymore, it’s always study study study with her these days.” She kicked at some rocks below her, frustrated.
Raine thought for a second then took a deep breath. “I might know something that could possibly cheer you up.”
Eda looked at them, beaming. All her previous agitations gone in that moment. “Spill it, Whispers.”
“Come with me.” Raine grabbed her hand and took off down the path back towards Hexside.
Eda slowed down confused. “Raine, why are we going back to school? I thought you were cheering me up, school is not the way to do that.”
Raine chuckled. “We’re not going to school, we're going near school, now come one!”
True to their word they didn’t end up back at school. After crossing Wolfsbane Lane, Raine took them down a narrow dirt road deep into the trees. In a clearing sat a small rundown shack. Raine let go of Eda’s hand to present the shack to her. “Ta-Da!” They said with a bow.
“What am I looking at here, Rainedrop?” She asked confused, and slightly concerned.
“This,” Raine explained, “Is my super top secret hideout, I found it exploring one day after we moved out of the knee. Come on, let's go inside.”
Eda held Raine’s hand and allowed herself to be led inside. The dingy one room shack was considerably nicer inside. Eda suspected it was due to Raine cleaning up inside. Sitting atop of a few shelves on the walls were piles and piles and what looked like trash to Eda. She picked up a couple objects, a snail coin, a shiny stone, and a dangly black earring.
“What is all this stuff, Raine?”
Raine looked up from their book bag they were rummaging through. “Oh, those are gifts the skelecrows leave me for feeding them sometimes.”
Eda laughed “You feed the skelecrows and they leave you random junk as gifts?”
She put the snail and the stone down then stuck the black earring in her ear and admired her reflection in the glass. “How do I look?”
Raine rolled their eyes at Eda with a smile “Radiant as ever, but that earring is probably filthy”
Eda took the earring out and summoned a few drops of dew from the grass outside an open window to wash the earring clean.
“You know you’re not supposed to be using plant magic.” Raine said shaking their head.
“Who are you, Emperor Boo-Los?” Eda laughed at her own joke. “Besides in the emperor’s coven I can use all kinds of magic no need to limit myself to potions.” She finished cleaning the earring off and handed it to Raine. “Here. I think it’ll look better on you.”
Raine held the earring in their palm and looked at Eda confused. “I don’t have my ears pierced?”
Eda thought for a moment then gave Raine a mischievous grin. “Do you want your ears pierced?” Raines' eyes flew up to meet Eda’s “Right now? How?”
Eda dug through her school back in search of a small container which she pulled out after a short search. “Porcu-spine quills, and a super easy healing spell Lily taught me!”
Raine hesitated only slightly then returned her mischievous grin “Go for it.”
Eda giddily sat Raine down in front of her and summoned a porcu-spine quill. “You ready?” She asked them as she lined up the quill with their ear lobe. They grabbed Eda’s free hand and squeezed tightly “Do it!” They said with a nervous giggle. She took a deep breath and stuck the quill into Raine’s earlobe before they could change their minds. Raine tightened their grip on Eda’s hand and shouted in surprise. Before they could think of anything to say Eda swapped the porcu-spine quill with the earring and focused the healing spell on Raine’s fresh piercing. The earring glowed blue for a second then settled. “Does it hurt?” Eda asked, hoping the healing spell worked. Raine reached their hand up and felt the earring now dangling from their right ear. They let out a shaky laugh “Not at all.”
Eda shouted triumphantly “That’s right! Who’s the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles?! Me! Potions? Not a problem! Beast keeping? Try me! Healing? Easier than breathing! When are you going to teach me some bard spells, Whispers?”
Raine laughed, “Name one instrument you know how to play.”
“Well I’ll never learn if no one teaches me now will I, Rainedrop?” Eda asked with a scoff. They sat on the ground against a wall in the shack, shoulders together. For a minute they were quiet, then Raine spoke up “So, did it work?”
“Did what work?”
“Nevermind.” Raine shook their head with a smile knowing it had definitely worked.