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“You know the worst part of being a witch,” Lilia stated irritably, her face scrunched up in thought. “All the misconceptions and rumour mongering.”
“That we talk to goats,” she snarked, earning a giggle from Alice across the fire.
“That we’ve all got an extra nipple,” she said dramatically, a smile gracing Jen’s lips in response.
Just then, Rio looked up at them, twiddling her knife carelessly between her fingers. Her eyes, wild and sparkling with something that could easily be interpreted as madness or amusement alike. There was a lump in her throat as she spoke, almost uncertain of herself, despite the confidence she often projected.
She took in a breath.
“You guys don’t have extra nipples? I’m covered in nipples,” she stated dryly and rather quickly, eyes flickering between her companions as if to gauge their reactions, moving her hands as if to expose herself and prove her point.
Lilia merely looked at her in disgust.
“You wanna see?” Rio asked.
“No, thank you,” Lilia replied curtly, looking rather disturbed, which had Alice and Jen chuckling from their respective perches.
Rio smiled awkwardly, as she watched the conversation continue. A weird warmth that had been missing for some time sitting like an elephant on her chest. Strangely, she found herself content to sit there in silence, adding a comment every once in a while to remain relevant, as her eyes drifted back to the woods where Agatha had been carefully observing the teen.
“Check this out,” Lilia said rather boisterously, a while later, shaking Rio out of whatever trance she seemed to have slipped into by the fire.
“What is that?” Jen asked.
“Vampire bite,” Lilia said, almost smugly, as she exposed her neck like a rare artefact.
“Right before I knocked out his other tooth,” she said, her finger raised in the air.
Rio glanced at her, intrigued by the anecdote, before her eyes were quickly pulled away by the figures emerging from the woods. She seemed to see them before the rest of the group, as Lilia continued to regale her adventures with her vampire lover, and the other witches giggled in amusement, while probing her for more information on her rather uncharacteristic tale.
Alice saw them first, jumping up from her perch next to Jen and crushing Teen in a hug.
“Teen!” She cried affectionately. “I’m so glad that you’re ok.”
“It was no biggie,” he stated awkwardly, with a tight lipped smile, despite the fact that what had conspired between him and Agatha in the woods, was clearly far more than they were letting on.
Agatha stalked over quietly. Her shoulders, stiff and arms crossed tightly, blending into the shadows uncharacteristically, as the others fussed over Teen.
Rio looked at her intensely.
“Come sit next to me,” Alice said kindly, gripping the young boy’s hand protectively, as she led him to her spot next to Jen.
Agatha pursed her lips, scanning the circle tersely with fake bravado, feeling immensely out of place amongst this so-called coven. Placing her hands into her pockets, she pivoted confidently, as she sank down next to the one person that she knew felt safe.
Rio was sitting on the floor, beside a conveniently placed log that she’d elected not to sit on, as if she’d anticipated the move that Agatha would make. She watched her as she sat. Eyes, boring into her. A depth, flickering, all too inappropriately in her gaze.
Agatha’s heart thumped.
She found herself becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they weren’t quite alone, and the intimacy of their gaze was almost too revealing. It was at a point where, even she was struggling to hide how she truly felt.
To her relief, and relative chagrin, Teen broke the silence, distracting the troublesome green witch.
He placed his hands excitedly in his lap, as he sat cross legged beside Alice, who was leaning almost too closely to Jen, who looked more … well- Agatha wasn’t sure what was going on there. Although, she knew that she’d certainly be looking into that later.
“This is nice,” he said, with a smile.
“This is weird,” Agatha butted in haughtily, but strangely felt quite the same.
Teen merely looked at her smugly. She narrowed her eyes at him, as the nerves began to build. She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him after their conversation in the woods. For a boy with a sigil, he sure did like the idea of finding out the truth about everyone else, despite the fact he could give next to nothing in return.
“I have an idea,” he said.
“Go on, kid,” Lilia probed him in a dry yet encouraging tone. “You almost died, so I think it’s fair you have a say in what we do for once.”
Alice and Jen nodded, as Teen flushed bashfully at the comment. Clearing his throat, as he started to explain.
“I was just thinking, you know- that- well- Uh- Since we’re all here, and there’s a bit of a break between the trials… because I was uhm... injured. Maybe it would be nice to… get to know each other.”
Agatha rolled her eyes, knowing his game, and equally eager to get it off track, as a result.
“Well, I don’t know about you, hon,” she said with a dramatic flourish. “But you’re a bit too young for me, and - just between you and me, I don’t really swing that way.”
She winked salaciously, to add to the joke. Teen squeaked in embarrassment, as Lilia shook her head.
“Stop being vulgar, Agatha,” she chided.
Agatha looked at her in expertly crafted bemusement, a twinkle in her eye.
“What,” she retorted defensively. “It was his wording, not mine.”
“God, can you not stop being an asshole for two seconds, Agatha,” Jen snarked.
Agatha scowled.
“Can you not stop being an asshole for two seconds, Agatha,” she mimicked childishly. “A double negative, Jennifer. My - how the mighty have fallen.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“I know! But, hey - at least, I speak proper English-“
“-It isn’t even grammatically incorrect, you idiot. It’s just redundant-“
“-Mm, like your potions skills-“
“-at least I have skills! Unlike some people, who lost their powers, being greedy-“
“Oi!” Agatha squawked. “That’s rude!”
“Guys,” Alice pleaded, placing a hand on Jen’s arm, as Teen looked at Agatha with a similar sort of plea.
Agatha and Jen merely glared at each other. The silence, stretching between them like a stalemate.
“I have an idea,” Rio said quietly, as she looked up.
Half of the group jumped at her statement, scarcely having forgotten that she was there in the fuss of the last while.
Rio looked at Agatha intensely following her statement. Agatha only scoffed, refusing to meet her eye. Refusing to engage with the fact that this would lead to a conversation beyond mere banter and veiled desire hidden amongst bitter words.
“Let’s play a game,” Rio said.
“Let’s not,” Agatha replied.
“I think it could be fun,” Alice chimed in, with Teen’s approval. “After all, maybe the trials would be easier, if we knew more about each other… less surprises, you know.”
“I’m not opposed to the idea,” Lilia drawled.
Agatha gritted her teeth at their statements, outwardly avoiding looking at the cause of her current chagrin.
“Fine,” she snarked, crossing her arms firmly. “Go ahead and play your stupid game! See if I care!”
Jen snorted.
“I think I’m in, just because the idea has Agatha so riled up.”
“How mature of you, Jennifer,” Agatha drawled, scowling, as she finally looked over at the meddlesome witch beside her. “Well then, sweetheart, what’s the plan? Because I don’t think the road is going to let us sit here forever. Tick Tock, honey!”
Rio’s face fell, and Agatha felt a piece of her heart splinter at the expression. Fingers itching to reach out and reassure the other woman that it wasn’t what she meant. They’d spent so many years in this purgatory of manufactured hatred, pretending to fight instead of confronting the truth. Rio had been… used to be… no, was, Agatha’s whole world. It was a rare sort of connection. The kind where they understood each other almost better than themselves. Anticipating their needs, as Rio continued to. Agatha found herself wondering what it was all for. Why did they continue to fight this? What did it do besides cause each other pain?
“Truth or dare, Agatha,” Rio said to her, bringing her back to reality like a freight train.
Suddenly, her eyes were blurry. There was a hand on her thigh, digging in with nails as sharp as knives, that grounded her in a painful embrace with reality.
“It’s your turn,” Rio said.
“What?” Agatha replied.
Her eyes, swimming with the whirlwind of emotions rushing through her brain. Rio smiled at her softly, and Agatha almost forgot they weren’t alone. Rio never smiled like that anymore. Genuinely. Unmasked. The dropping of the facade she carried as death, reserved for her and her alone.
“For the game, sweetheart,” Rio said softly, a distant sound of a gasp, echoing from one of the onlookers, but frankly, Agatha hadn’t the heart to care.
Agatha held her breath. A fog, descending upon her mind in her uncertainty. The truth was troublesome, she knew as much. She abhorred telling it. A fact of which Rio was well aware. Agatha was naturally daring, she didn’t shy away from danger, but the idea of Rio having that kind of power over her, sent a chill down her spine.
“You can be in control if you want to,” the dream state version of Rio had told her, when she’d first laid eyes on her again.
Maybe this was her chance, she thought.
“Truth,” she said definitively.
Rio’s eyes shone with the weight of her submission, the relinquishment of control by that simple phrase, ricocheting in the space between them. Rio took a breath, speaking softly.
“Do you-“
“-I do,” Agatha said affirmatively.
Rio looked at her, head cocked to the side slightly as if she was uncertain. Shoulders, stiffening, in preparation for the final blow. For the backtrack. Backlash. Perhaps, even mirthful amusement that Rio had assumed as she did.
“I didn’t finish my question, Agatha.”
“You didn’t need to,” Agatha said, in an eerily measured tone. “I knew what you were going to say. And… I do. I really do.”
“This isn’t fair.”
“But I do.”
“Let me finish.”
“Rio,” Agatha reached out, brushing the other woman’s hair softly, as Rio looked up at her vulnerably with wide eyes. “Please, let me say this.”
Rio shook her head, wriggling away defensively, but Agatha held her firm, gripping her shoulders bruisingly. Rio started to shake.
“I haven't asked my question,” she said, uncharacteristically frantically. “Please, Agatha, you don’t know what you’re saying.”
Agatha pulled her towards her, gathering all the threads of nervous energy as she bundled her in her arms. Her hand, softly caressed the back of her head, reminding her she was here. That she was present. She wasn’t alone. It wasn’t a figment of her mind.
Touch. Touch was what Rio needed. Words only went so far. She felt her breathing heavily against her. A tremble, wracking through her body, as uncharacteristically heavy tears streamed down her face.
“I’m here,” Agatha said softly.
“You’re here,” Rio said shakily, pulling back to look at Agatha with her wide, tear filled eyes.
She touched her face, and Agatha indulged her. She knew this was what Rio needed. She knew Rio better than she knew herself.
“And you’re real,” Rio breathed.
“I am.” Agatha said, with a watery smile.
Rio paused, before pulling back firmly and looking at her with a glint in her reddened eyes.
“I thought you hated strawberries though?” She said.
“What?”
“Strawberries.”
“Yes”
“Well, you’ve always hated them. Unless that was a lie… of course. But that would be breaking the rules of the game.”
Rio smirked, as Agatha looked at her with more confusion than ever.
“The hell do strawberries have to do with anything?”
“Uh,” Rio said cheekily. “My question, duh! Do you like strawberries?”
Agatha’s eyes shot open.
“What!” She hissed, glaring at the green witch.
Rio smirked, cocking her head to the side playfully. Agatha huffed, but it lacked its usual snark. Truthfully, it would have been infuriating, if Rio didn’t still have remnants of tears staining her cheeks, and the adorable gleam in her eye, that she’d missed so dearly.
“What did you mean, My lady?” She teased.
Agatha rolled her eyes, affectionately shaking her head.
“Only you would turn a love confession into a bloody joke.”
Rio smiled widely, warmth blossoming in her chest, as she dramatically retorted to her lover.
“A love confession! To a pineapple?”
“You JUST said it was a strawberry.”
“I forgot.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient.“
Rio smirked, taking her hand seductively.
“Do you know what happens when you don’t tell the truth in this game?” She asked slyly.
“You have to do a dare,” Jen interrupted helpfully.
Rio and Agatha spun around quickly to see four pairs of intrigue filled eyes looking at them intensely. Teen let out an irritated groan, that seemed rather uncharacteristic of his usually pleasant demeanour.
“Jen!” He whined, so loudly, that it was bordering on yelling. “Oh my god - shut uppppppp! You’re literally ruining the BEST part. This is better than like - any fanfic I’ve read like ever, and like dude - I have been in a lottttt of fandoms.”
Lilia shook her head in amusement.
“I don’t really know what a fandom is, kid. But I’m with you. Shame on you, Jennifer.”
Agatha huffed, rolling her eyes.
“Are you done, you creepy little voyeurs? Because I was kinda in the middle of trying to kiss this handsome witch here.”
“Who says you’d be the one to initiate, darling?” Rio purred.
“Can I dare you?!” Teen interrupted excitedly. “Like because of the game-“
Agatha looked at him wearily. Rio huffed out a laugh.
“Teen,” Agatha said tiredly. “I love you to pieces, kid, but you’re gonna wanna skip the next part.”
“But-“ he pleaded.
Agatha glared at him. Teen looked at her with big eyes, and Rio could feel the moment fading.
“Whatever happened to that little spell book of yours, dude?” She asked.
“What?” Teen squeaked, frantically patting down his clothes to find it. “What about it?”
Rio cackled a little too excitedly. Agatha looked at her suspiciously. Rio just winked.
“It’d be SUCH a shame if it went missing,” she said slyly.
“Rio,” Agatha warned.
“Agatha,” Rio smirked, pulling her close enough that her breath brushed over the other witch's lips.
Agatha growled in frustration.
“Hey Teen!” Rio said, maintaining eye contact with her lover.
“Go fetch!” She shrieked gleefully, as she tossed his book down the road, not quite explaining how she got it in the first place and sending the boy hurrying after it in a panic, as a result.
“Take adult supervision!” She added, as she cupped Agatha’s face.
Agatha merely looked at her in amusement, unable to find the strength to scold her, as she looked into her eyes.
“Now,” she said cheekily. “I believe I was owed a dare.”