Chapter Text
It started out as an average school day on the day of the incident. An average, painfully slow, school day.
As per usual, Eda walked down the halls of Hexside with Lillith and Raine. Lillith held her head high and her posture straight as she made her way to class. The rhythm of her steady, deliberate steps rang out off-beat from Eda’s excited ones. The younger Clawthorne would run ahead, slow to wait for them, separate to briefly greet another student at random, all with no real pattern or reason. Raine walked at a more even pattern like Lillith’s. Their stance was more relaxed than hers though, since they were more focused on hanging out with their friends than avoiding a tardy. They participated in the conversation only occasionally, adding their opinion or giving an interesting fact whenever it was relevant. Most of the time they stayed silent however, content to just exist alongside their friends.
(Watching the sisters bicker about random things was free entertainment for them anyway, and they preferred to witness the chaos instead of actively participating in it.)
Yes, it started out as a normal day at Hexside. Unlike her usual routine, however, Eda was actually going to class.
“Lillyyyy,” Eda complained, “You know that I normally eavesdrop on the beast keeping class this period. I don’t want to sit through another potion class full of stuff I already know.”
“Yes, I know that, but I don’t care,” Lillith said simply, ignoring the pleading look her sister was giving her. “Tryouts are two months away, and it’s time you start thinking seriously about your future. No more sneaking around, okay?”
“But I am thinking about the future! The Emperor’s Coven uses every magic type, but at this rate all I’m gonna know is glorified chemistry! If I start working on multiple magic types early, I’ll be a step ahead!” Eda had a determined smile on her face, but it fell when she saw Lillith’s disapproving look.
“Really? Or is that just an excuse to keep running around like a delinquent?”
Eda pouted and crossed her arms. Raine had to cover their mouth with one hand to hide their laugh at the ridiculous expression. Eda’s head turned a full 180 at the sound.
“Don’t- don’t make fun of me!” Eda stammered, her face growing warm.
“Sorry, sorry! That face was just so stupid,” they said, not unkindly, as they held back more laughter.
Eda stuck her tongue out at the bard. Raine flicked her forehead, earning themself another lighthearted glare.
Lillith groaned. She had officially been forgotten in the conversation. It was beginning to become a recurring theme whenever the trio hung out. Lillith and Eda would talk for a bit, usually escalating into a minor argument. Raine would say something that would distract the sisters from their fight. Eda would ignore Lillith in favor of goofing off (or jokingly flirting) with Raine, at which point Lillith often just tried to find a way out of the situation. There was only so much pining she could handle in one day, especially since neither of them seemed to be able to figure out the other’s feelings.
Lillith didn’t resent Raine for taking up most of Eda’s attention, nor did she discourage Eda’s not-so-one-sided crush on them. Eda and Raine were both her friends, and she did her best to be a good friend in return.
She just felt a little left out. That’s all.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Lillith sighed in defeat and rested a hand on Eda’s shoulder.
“Please, just… avoid getting in trouble for one day?”
Eda opened her mouth to give a witty response, but the bell’s screaming cut her off.
Lillith practically jumped at the sudden sound, and readjusted her bag on her shoulders. “Titan, I’m gonna be late. Bye, Raine,” She waved politely to the bard and gave Eda a death glare. “Go to class. Please? (Mom will kill me if I let you skip again).”
“What was that last part?”
“Nothing! See you at lunch!”
With that, the oldest of the trio ran down the hall so that she wouldn’t butcher her perfect attendance. Eda and Raine just stood together for a moment, watching her go, before Raine spoke up.
“I guess we should go too,” Raine said, summoning their instrument case and folder of sheet music. “Let me know how potions class goes!”
“Wha- you’re taking Lilly’s side? I feel betrayed, Whispers!” Eda feigned a hurt expression, leaning against the wall like she needed something to support her from the “shocking” development. She rested the back of her hand against her forehead dramatically and put her other hand over her heart.
“Get over it, Clawthorne,” they scoffed, punching her arm lightly.
Eda returned the gesture. After a small laugh from Raine, Eda pointed to the instrument in their hand. “What are you working on now?” She asked, definitely not procrastinating on going to class.
“Right now we’re on our strings unit.” Raine held up their violin case as they spoke. “I already knew the basics of playing from my old school, and I’ve kind of been teaching myself already anyway, but we’re working on using instruments to cast complex spells now! It’s a lot of work, more than you’d expect actually. Each note has a specific magical energy attached to it, so it’s the rhythm and order of the notes that determines what spell you’re casting. So not only do you have to know the notes themselves, there’s very little room for error in the actual style of the playing. Everything has to be painstakingly intentional. Not to mention…”
Eda watched their face absolutely light up as they explained bard magic. Even if she didn’t really understand the logistics of it, the excited way Raine explained everything made Eda want to listen to them forever. It could be the most boring topic in the world, but as long as Raine was the one talking, Eda would be captivated. She couldn’t help it when a smile of her own made its way onto her face.
At some point, Raine switched from explaining magic to telling some anecdote from a previous class. At one point during the story, they laughed at their own joke and wiped a tear from their eye.
Too wrapped up in her own thoughts, Eda didn’t notice as Raine’s story slowly decrescendo off to silence. She didn’t even realize that she was staring until Raine gave her a worried look.
The bard adjusted their glasses, more from a subconscious habit than an actual need to reposition them on their face. They looked away as soon as Eda met their gaze.
“Sorry, Eda. If I’m rambling too much, that is. Most people think bard magic is dumb, anyway-“
Eda almost panicked. She cut Raine off with a wave of her hand. “No no no, it’s fine, that was super interesting! Maybe I’ll sneak into a bard lesson sometime and teach myself how to play something.” Her smile grew bigger as she thought aloud, “We could start a band.”
Raine’s face started to heat up at the idea, but they covered it up with a sarcastic comment.
“Woooowww, spying on me in class? Stalker.”
Eda’s eyes widened. “Am not!”
The pair laughed and lightheartedly shoved each other until the bell interrupted them with its ear-piercing screaming. Raine was startled by the sound, but Eda remained as nonchalant as ever.
“ Aaaaaand now we’re late. Looks like you’re a fellow delinquent now, Rainestorm,” Eda joked lightheartedly, “Welcome to my level!”
“Shut up, Calamity.” Raine gave her a mischievous grin as they turned to go. “See you at lunch!”
Before she knew it, Eda was alone once more in the hallway.
With a sigh of defeat, she leisurely walked to the potions room. Just because she was going didn’t mean she would be on time. She had a reputation to uphold, after all.
—————
Raine hurried down the hallway. They weren’t full on running, but they were definitely speedwalking faster than what was typically allowed. They weren’t worried about that though, nor were they worried about the fact that this is the first time they’d ever been late to class.
No, the only thing on Raine’s mind was none other than Eda Clawthorne.
‘She wants to start a band with me,’
A giddy smile formed on their face as they approached the bard classroom door.
—————
By the time Eda arrived at the potions room, she was ten minutes late. She slammed the door open, and suddenly twenty pairs of eyes were on her.
The teacher, a demon with dark green hair and one horn, crossed their arms and plastered on an annoyed smile.
“Miss Clawthorne…” they started a reprimand, but quickly realized it would be futile. “…Please take your seat.”
“Mx. Hana, hello, glad to be here,” Eda responded, shooting finger guns at them while walking over to her place and sitting down.
“Don’t call me that.” They watched Eda suspiciously as she sat down, but then turned their attention back to the lesson. “Now, like I was saying, today’s lesson is on love potions!” With a flick of their wrist and a circle of yellow light, a cauldron and various ingredients appeared in front of every student.
Eda immediately perked up. A love potion? Now this could be used to cause all kinds of chaos!
She wasn’t the only one interested. Excited chatter filled the room. Eda’s brain ran at a hundred miles an hour, forming all sorts of schemes and pranks that she could do with the potion. Her daydreaming was cut short when the teacher cleared their throat, calling for attention. Silence fell almost immediately, but the palpable anticipation in the air continued to grow.
“Before we begin making the potion, there are a few things we need to go over from your textbooks.” The teacher was interrupted by complaints from most of the class, and they patiently waited for them to stop before continuing on.
“First of all, the basics!” They clapped their hands together excitedly, reaching for their own pre-made potion. Inside the small vial was a brightly colored concoction of swirling pinks, purples, and oranges that practically sparkled in the light from the window. As they spoke, they paced around the classroom, allowing every student to get a closer look at the potion.
They continued on with the lecture, but Eda started to lose focus. Why would she want to listen about making a potion when she could, you know, actually make it?
After a few minutes of mayhem-filled daydreaming, she zoned back into reality when the sounds of her classmates preparing their ingredients hit her ears. She followed suit, adding and mixing along with the teacher’s demonstration.
Each ingredient was carefully labeled, and Eda made a mental note of each one and its amount in the potion. For future reference.
Soon enough, Eda’s cauldron held its own brightly colored love potion. Eda looked proudly at her work, and when the teacher was distracted she filled a small vial. She sneakily hid the vial in her bag as her mind turned back to the prank she was planning.
When the teacher came back to check on Eda’s progress, they were pleasantly surprised with the results.
“Well done, Miss Clawthorne!” They said after inspecting the potion. “We’ll make a potions coven member of you yet!”
Their tone was bright and cheerful, but Eda couldn’t help but feel a little sick to her stomach at the comment.
”Thanks,” she muttered.
The teacher smiled, then turned to address the class. “It looks like we’re done just a bit early. Leave your potions, I’ll deal with them for you properly. You may go to your next period.”
As the students filed out of the room, excited chatter filled the air. Eda shook off the sinking feeling from her teacher’s comment as she finalized her love potion scheme in her mind. She all but ran to the cafeteria with a skip back in her step.
—————
The lunchroom was crowded, like always, filled to the brim with potential targets. Eda scanned the cafeteria, her grin widening as her eyes landed on a perfect trio of victims.
“Odalia!” She greeted, waving as she walked over. Her expression was kind, but her voice held nothing but thinly veiled contempt for the green-haired witch.
Odalia looked up from her argument with Alador and Darius, her expression souring when she saw Eda.
“What do you want, Clawthorne?” She asked, not even bothering to hide the venom in her voice.
Eda dropped her bag on the bench and sat across from the three of them. Dramatically, she took out the love potion and slammed it down on the table. The sudden sound caused several students at neighboring tables to glare at her, but she didn’t care.
Odalia looked unimpressed.
Eda looked around for a moment. She spotted Raine about to sit down at their usual table, and waved them over.
“Calamity!” Raine hurried over, Lillith close behind. “What are you doing?”
“Yes, what is this about?” Odalia snapped.
Eda smiled a smug smile, holding up the potion with one hand. Lillith groaned, recognizing the look on her sister’s face all too well.
Eda tossed the vial in the air. It flipped once, then twice, then a third time, before she effortlessly caught it.
“Who’s ready for a bet?”