Chapter Text
The Owl House had been bustling for weeks, a continuous ebb and flow of friend after friend - wishing its inhabitants well. Raine had grown used to this routine, their presence in the house no longer a surprise. This felt all too right, living here with Eda and their loved ones, a scenario they’d both only dreamed of a mere two years prior.
But the wounds of recent memory still remained uncomfortably fresh. Though used to their new routine, it was their reflection that had taken some getting used too. Occasionally catching glimpses of themself in one of the home’s many recently replaced mirrors, their new set of scars stretched across legs and arms, even their cheeks had become the subject of some rather curious ones. They’d rub at their cheeks with their hands, attempt to will away their newly-permanent tear tracks, both the scars and their memory remained stubbornly.
Poor Raine. You tried so hard, didn’t you?
Newer memories had blissfully aided to numb rotten ones. Thoughts of Eda kissing their blemishes, taking her time to appreciate each and every single scar, never failed to make their heart flutter. Memories be dammed, to an extent they could view their scars as ‘cool’, visual proof of their fight and survival. They’d won.
That was what they reminded themself now, flattening down their crumpled shirt against their chest, brushing back their hair in the mirror. Luz had made a joke about them looking like a human rockstar. Mascara tracks, green hair and all. They cupped their cheeks again, felt where the scars were slightly raised, huffed. It was just them now, there would always be that cruel reminder of how those scars came to be, but that time would pass. Titan bless it was all over.
They’d been busy prepping tea in the kitchen when they first caught sight of Hunter. They’d always maintained this sense of guilt when thinking about the young prodigy. They hadn’t even been in the Emperor’s Castle for more than a week before they’d caught onto the dubious nature of his presence and role there.
The teen had been overworked, with eye-bags that could only match that of someone well over 20 years his senior. His confidence and wit was unmatched, yet they saw how easily it cracked under the Belos’ cruel gaze. How quickly he flinched at sudden movement, how easily he agreed to do what he was told. Raine had felt their heart twist whenever they’d spotted the teen around. Always holding back a comforting gesture, a question or a talk. Something was deeply, deeply wrong here.
Their time as a teacher had allowed them to catch onto these signs with ease. A sense of intense protectiveness over their student’s wellbeing, pushing them to provide support without faltering. Yet, when it came to Hunter, they’d faltered.
His loyalty to his uncle was not to be tested. They knew from the way he’d watched upon all the coven heads with an ever attentive nature. No one here was his friend, at least to him, and if one of them fell out of line he would be the first to let Belos know without question. Less it spare him whatever treatment caused him to flinch now.
An inability to reach out had made them worry. They could tell that Darius had felt the same way. He’d grown fond of Hunter, mere weeks before his sudden disappearance from the castle entirely. Darius had paced around their secret base in a frenzy the night of their failed attempt into the Emperor’s mind.
“We should go out and look for him. Titan knows what he saw in there! He’s not one to run…” They’d both eventually agreed to hold onto the hope that he was safe with Eda.
They’d chosen the rebellion, they’d chosen the Isles, and come the Day of Unity all thoughts of the Hunter’s wellness had dissipated when the Isles first fell.
But now it was over, Belos was dead, they hoped they could make up for lost time. Get to understand who Hunter was truly, now that the nature of his torment had been throughly squished beneath the sole of their boot.
“Already groups have started to work on some of the larger cities, we’ll have to monitor some of the smaller villages and towns of course - Titan forbid they get missed. Oh, and the arm-“ They grinned as they overheard Darius’ voice teeter down the long hallway, pushing the tea aside. A series of clacking heels against wooden floorboards eventually led to Eda popping her head around the kitchen door. She greeted Raine with a smile, closely followed on by Darius. “Well, the arm is a separate case- Raine..”
They laughed as they moved towards him, he granted them a similar reaction, hugging them tightly and patting them on the back. They watched as his vibrant green eyes roamed over their face, relieved smile gently fading. “How are you-“ They cut him off.
“I’m fine.” They hastily reassured as he let them go. They had initially greeted him shortly after he’d been freed by the Collector, he already knew of their scars and the meaning behind them. “I know, it’s just-“ He paused, before turning his head behind to greet the other set of footsteps following him.
And there Hunter stood, taller than Raine had remembered, they hadn’t seen him in well over a year. His hair now dusted his shoulders, his stance less rigid and more relaxed. However, this was not what Raine was instantly taken by.
Hunter had always looked ragged and worn, his unkept appearance constantly being a cause of concern. But now, pale pink scars dusted his cheeks as well as arms. Long, torn looking things, their patterned appearance was all too similar. Midway through greeting them, Hunter also appeared to have this realisation, mouth slightly agape as he inspected their own cheeks and arms.
Titan, did their scars connect?
Raine noticed, realising that where their scars ended on their own arms, Hunter’s would often begin. As if Belos and consumed them both in tandem.
“You- you have-“
“Yes.” Raine prompted the teen, he had suddenly paled, whatever sign of healthy rosiness to his cheeks dissipated in an instant. Raine felt their heart twist. They shouldn’t be surprised, they knew that, yet it never failed to shock them. The thought that Belos had put Hunter through a similarly horrific experience. Mere hours under Belos’ control was enough to shake them to the bone, how long had Hunter been subjected to a similar pain?
“Here, let’s sit.” Eda’s soft voice snapped the duo out of their shared intrigue. The tone of the visit had suddenly shifted, a solemness now tainted the air. Raine internally cursed their inability to lighten the mood in that moment, but they were so stuck. And so, they nodded shortly, their mind briefly flicking back to the tea, they approached the counter to the sound of distant discussion between Hunter and Darius.
“Rainestorm, you okay?” They diverted their eyes away from the likes of chipped cups and saucers. Eda rested her hand comfortingly on their back, her voice soft and sincere. They nodded again, turning back towards to tea. “Yes, it’s just, I didn’t know that he… was also possessed, I’m assuming.” Eda grimaced with them. Being witness to more than a few nightmares over the past weeks, with further bound to follow, piecing together the snippets of Raine’s time as a vessel for the Emperor caused her blood to boil. She wondered if there were ways to kill someone over and over, in a satisfyingly torturous loop.
“He’s so young. I can’t imagine-“ they trailed off, hands tightening on one of the mugs. Eda continued to drift her hand up and down their back, “But can imagine, to an extent, you know? You both went through similar stuff, both kicked his ass in similar ways…” She winked, “perhaps it might be good to talk it over, now you know you’re not alone.”
Raine caught Eda’s eyes and sighed. Talking with Hunter would be the best option. Not only giving them the opportunity to get to know each-other for who they truly were, needed seeing as Hunter now lived with Darius, but also the opportunity to provide comfort. Past anxieties over discussing the topic again aside. They granted Eda a soft smile and nodded more firmly. She grinned back and kissed their cheek, before helping them set up with drinks and snacks.
“Right so, Blondie, tell me what it’s like living with ol’ grump over here.” Eda easily slid back into her casual, joking persona. Darius rolled his eyes fondly and eyed Hunter with mock intent. Hunter laughed weakly, his eyes darted back to Raine for a moment, before focusing on Eda. He eased slightly. “Ah, okay, well it’s been… interesting?”
“Interesting?” Darius held a gloved hand to his chest, enacting being in shock, Hunter smiled fully at this. He could relax.
-
At some point Eda had pulled Darius away, something about a particular patch of graffiti she couldn’t quite reach. Darius had gone willingly, eyeing Raine solemnly, before he turned sharply on his heel and followed Eda. By all means the afternoon had gone by fine, what had initially started as a small visit had undoubtedly stretched with Raine, Eda and Darius falling back into that dynamic similar to their Hexide days, filling Hunter in, ensuring to let him know as many embarrassing tales as he wished. But Hunter could never stop eyeing Raine’s scars. His eyebrows would sometimes pinch, he’d be right on the verge of asking a question, but would take note of Eda and Darius’ presence and think better of it.
Hunter has never been great and concealing his emotions, especially now that he lacked that clunky mask he’d always adorned. Darius and Eda had caught on quickly, made up some easily breakable excuse, and promptly disappeared. How it was just Hunter and Raine. No longer did Hunter hide that curiosity they’d seen bursting at the seams for the past hour.
“You were possessed? By Belos?” He uttered the name quickly, practically spat it out and away. They nodded, noticed that slight shake to his shoulders, attempted to exude as much of a grounding presence as they could. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
In all honestly, the time of their possession had been painfully hazy. They could feel him everywhere, his voice echoing against their skull, they watched as their hands twitched and grabbed without their command. There was a ghoulish wrongness to the time spent under Belos’ control. And it had been far too long.
“I’m not sure.” They sighed, eyeing their cold tea. “It was hard to tell.”
“It really was.” Hunter responded, his stance mirrored theirs, but his voice wobbled. Raine didn’t think that they were quite at a hugging point yet, but the look of distress on Hunter’s face as he rolled over these events in his mind made them want to reach out regardless. They didn’t.
“I think, whenever I, he, spoke. That was the weirdest bit.” Hunter continued.
“Yeah?”
He nodded affirmatively, “Because I could hear myself, speaking, but it wasn’t…Yeah.” He didn’t know how to continue, his hands had fallen to his lap, throughly clenched together. He averted his gaze. Raine felt the positioning of them sitting opposite each-other at the kitchen table wasn’t helping the situation. They wanted to talk to him, not interrogate.
“Hey, why don’t we move somewhere else?” His eyes snapped up to meet theirs. They smiled softly and tilted their head in the direction of the living room.
The soft plush of Eda’s deep red sofa, paired with the room’s general cozy ambiance, did help to set them both at ease. Regardless, Raine was amused to find both them and Hunter rigid in the way they sat, not quite taking to the laziness prompted by the room. Nerves were still too high for that, but the sofa was better.
“I think the weirdest part was the speaking too.” Raine told Hunter, he perked up, and they instantly knew that the way to comfort him the best was by allowing him to feel understood. “There was a constant fight going on in my head. At the start, he would always win, my body was a toy to him.” Hunter leaned in, wide eyes watching Raine, empathetic frown a-place. He understood exactly, his hands crossed across his body.
“After I fought back, and he decided to leave, it took a moment to realise my body was my own again. I could only really tell it was my own again because the pain he left me with suddenly felt much sharper.” They gestured to their chest and the rest of their body, “Where I could feel him, where he caused the most.. damage.” Hunting down Belos across his castle’s twisted interiors has been agonising.
“When I woke up properly I had to stay lying down for a while.” Hunter said, also vaguely gesturing to himself. “Because of that. And other stuff.”
Whatever the ‘other stuff’ was in question, Raine was unsure wether or not to prod. Hunter’s eyebrows had pinched, his clutch tightened. They decided against it.
“I guess, I couldn’t fight off Belos like you could. I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t.”
Raine paused, their surprise and concern instantly betraying them, causing their face to fall. Hunter noticed this, “I know what you’re going to say, that it wasn’t my fault. And I understand that, everyone tells me that.”
“They’re right to tell you that, Hunter.” They comforted, knowing that they were doing so in vain. They could see by the teen’s worn expression that whatever argument they could make in that moment would never ease the guilt he currently harboured.
“He did a lot more than just talking when he possessed me. He attacked my friends and I couldn’t-“ He winced, inhaled sharply. Tentatively Raine held out a hand of theirs, a suggestion to ease Hunter’s now shaking ones. He caught their eyes, and shook his head shortly. Their hand returned to their lap in understanding.
“I’m not sure if you ever saw, I was never great at hiding her, but I had a palisman.” He declared quite suddenly. Raine nodded, gave Hunter a small smile.
“Yes, the little red cardinal, Darius mentioned her to me a long time ago.”
“Yes. Flapjack.”
Raine laughed softly, “Like the human food?”
Hunter looked down, Raine allowed their smile to falter again. That little cardinal had not joined him and Darius on their visit. Pieces fell into place, a mournful puzzle finalised in their mind.
It wasn’t my fault.
“Hunter.”
He looked up at them, took in their sorrowful expression. They wanted to hug him desperately in that moment, offer him more than seemingly plastic words. He’d obviously heard them a million times before. Hunter had fallen into a defeated silence, the knowledge of Flapjack’s fate known and understood. They sighed deeply, and allowed them both to sit for a moment.
“Tell me, what was she like?”
He looked slightly surprised at that, hurriedly wiped at his glassy eyes and red cheeks. “She, ah…” he paused, and breathed in deeply, “She was always very happy, even when I didn’t want her around… which was a lot when I first met her.”
Hunter turned to them, “I imagine, you being a coven head, you probably knew what Belos did to palisman.” They nodded slowly.
“…I do.”
“Yes, well, I was usually there when he did that. One of my main jobs was to make sure he had a constant supply…” That guilt returned. Thinking over all Hunter had been through, they’d lived under the same turrets as him for a time, and they’d done nothing to prevent what he’d endured. They were unaware that Hunter had had to watch as Belos sucked the life out of palisman after palisman, the deaths of familiars over and over, even the thought made them recoil. But they couldn’t do that now, nor could they ponder over that guilt, they could only move forward. Be there for Hunter now, make up for what they hadn’t done.
“When I first met Flapjack, that had been my first thought, to hand her over.” He winced.
“But… I couldn’t. She’d stuck with me, and she’d cared. And I’d liked having that. I’d been so lonely before. I couldn’t bare to watch Belos eat them after Flapjack came along.”
They shivered. “I can imagine, I’m so sorry Hunter.” Hunter stared at his lap, they mulled again over the fact that he was probably used to being told this.
“You know, the bond between a palisman and a witch can never truly be broken. You’ll always carry a part of her with you.”
He perked up at this, “I know, and she’s still here with me, and she’s still found ways to help me. Quite literally too…”They smiled as well, capturing onto this moment which clearly brought him joy.
“It’s just. I want her here.”
“I know.”
Hunter sighed, clutched his hands, and shook his head, an attempt to wear away the heavy emotion.
“He’s scum.” He then said bluntly, sitting up straighter.
“He most definitely is.” Raine agreed heartily, staring down at their own scars, talking note of the equally brutish ones on the teen next to them. “He lived as scum, and he most definitely died as scum.”
“Luz told me that you were there? When he died?”
They hummed in agreement.
“I stomped on him.”
Hunter’s eyebrows raised significantly, he leaned forward. “Stomped on him? Luz told me the boiling rain-“
“Yes, the rains turned him into literal scum, and then I stomped on him. It’s like, slamming the door shut on his way out. My poor boots.”
Hunter sat slightly agape, “Point being-“ they continued, “He’s long gone, Hunter, and he went about as pathetically as he could.” Hunter sniffed slightly, and grinned softly.
“And now-“ they gestured to their cheeks, to the scars on their arms, “We look like human rockstars. At least, that’s what Luz said.” Hunter laughed at this, it eased Raine to see a genuine sense of safety and relaxation return to his expression.
“Very itchy human rockstars.” Hunter groaned, still smiling. They winced alongside him, knowing that whilst the scars healed fully they had a tendency to become aggravated, “Eugh, don’t.”
“Itchy human rockstars, with nightmares.” Hunter now listed.
“Oh the nighmares.” Raine cursed, sighing deeply to Hunter’s laughter. Perhaps it was strange, to laugh over their shared torment, but Raine couldn’t think of a better way to handle it. They should try laughing at Belos’ disgusting features more often, ponder over that satisfying squelch beneath their boots. “You know, there are some wonderful enchanted teas you could try. They won’t rid nightmares, but they’ll provide calm in the evenings.”
Hunter seemed pensive over this, but his happiness didn’t falter.
“Thanks - but, breathing techniques seem to work well for me. Gus taught me one, it really works too, I can show you sometime?” Raine nodded in appreciation.
“Thank you, Hunter, that would be very useful to know.”
They’d both eased back into Eda’s couch by now, Hunter snuggling back up into one of the worn cushions. They were about to suggest getting something to eat or drink, before Hunter quite suddenly sat up.
“Raine…what did happen to your palisman?”
They were slightly taken by this, and took a moment to decide how to respond.
“You don’t have to, I’m sorry I shouldn’t of - it’s just with the coven heads Belos tended to…”
They could see that stress return again as he tripped up on his words. Raine wavered their hands slightly.
“No, no, Hunter, Belos never took my palisman.”
They watched as his shoulders dipped with relief, but now his expression was one of curiosity.
“I kept her hidden, disguised her as my violin.” They summarised, Hunter gawked again.
“That’s something you can do?”
“Well, yes, it’s an old bardic technique, to make our magic as strong as possible. Uncommon, though, I knew very few bards who actually made use of it.”
“Wow.” Hunter leant against the red velvet again, staring into space slightly, before his eyes snapped back to Raine’s. “That’s very interesting, I’ll have to ask Dell about it next lesson.” Another reason Hunter had visited, to discuss his and Dell’s carving lessons with Eda.
“Oh do, I’m sure he already knows about it, he can probably give a better explanation than I can.”
Hunter then chose his next words slowly, still eyeing Raine with questioning. “So, if your palisman is safe, where are they?”
Raine tried hard not to let their emotion show, less it worry Hunter again, they averted their gaze. “She was badly hurt.”
“By Belos?” He was quick, his gaze a mixture of concern and anger.
They gave Hunter a slightly pained smile, met with a singular nod. “Hm, in a way.”
“Can I… see her?”
“Of course.”
-
Raine returned, cradling a white clunky bundle of cloth, Hunter eyed the piece with concern. Gently they placed the bundle on their lap as they took a seat, weary hands slowly unfolding the cloth to reveal their palisman’s shattered pieces. Hunter’s breath hitched.
“She… a confrontation I had with Belos, I was desperate.”
Hunter leaned over, and was relieved to see the palisman in question appeared to be fine. A rosy-wooden fox, large ears frozen upwards and attentive. Unseeing and unhearing, but very much intact. It was the staff, if it could even be called that, which was destroyed. Hunter chose not to question the situation Raine had been placed in to bring themself to do this.
“I don’t want to awaken her, don’t want to risk it, not without her staff.”
“What’s her name?” Hunter gently pushed the bundle more fully into Raine’s lap as he sat back. They took their little palisman into their arms, comforted by her solid stature.
“Calliope.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, when she was younger, Eda took visits to the human realm. She tried to keep it secret, but eventually spilt it to me…” If only she’d let more slip they silently concluded. Stroking Calliope’s carved fur, longing for it to soften and move with breath under their care.
“For one of my birthdays, she’d brought me a book about human mythology. She tended to bring me a lot of human books, I remember hearing the name within there. Musical connotations, it suited very well.”
“She’s very beautiful.” Hunter told them, earnestly.
They gently returned her to the bundle, “Thank you, she took me ages to carve.” They vaguely remembered carving her at 14, shortly after Eda had introduced them to Owlbert. Both of their moms had discussed the possibility of them carving a palisman with Dell, they’d sat alongside him for hours gently whittling away. He’d been impressed by their patience, more so impressed that Eda had befriended someone so calm. They’d laughed at that, they were certainly calmer than Eda, but met her at her level in terms of mischief. This, Dell could believe.
“I’d like to crave that good someday.” His eyes still remained locked on Calliope’s still form.
“With Dell as your teacher you’ll surpass me in no time.” They informed him warmly, Hunter was a hard worker, it would be nice to see him put that energy into an activity he genuinely enjoyed.
“Would you… like me to fix her?” They raised their eyebrows slightly, eyed Calliope’s staff. Their eyes met Hunter’s, his excitement and earnestness was undeniable.
They hummed gently, smiling, picking up Calliope’s bundle and setting it into Hunter’s lap. He gasped slightly, bewildered. “Of course you can.”
He handled Calliope even more gently than they did, like she were glass and not wood. “Obviously I’ll have Dell to help, so you won’t need to worry, she’ll be in good hands-“
“I know she is Hunter, I trust you with her.” Their heart melted as they watched Hunter gently cradle Calliope, they sensed it was not their wooden fox he was envisioning in that moment. Hunter wrapped up Calliope and her bundle, making sure all the individual pieces and splinters of wood were present, before clutching it to his chest.
“Thank you, Raine.”
“Anytime.”