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Bee stumbled into the Vectomortis house hall. She was gone for once. Thank the Night Queen. But there was no telling when she'd come back. Not after she'd taken more of the Hyde elixir before Bee found consciousness in their mind. With that poison coursing through them, they were nothing but a ticking time bomb. No matter the lies SHE told to the others about her motives. Bee was beyond grateful that their friends knew better, especially after two of them had met the awful woman firsthand. Still, that didn't mean they were safe. She would just destroy and take whatever she pleased, regardless of the consequences, until this body dropped dead or she got what she wanted. That was a risk Bee couldn't take anymore. She called them strong once. She called them a beast, a force to be reckoned with, someone she once thought powerful enough to serve as some twisted herald of the dead. They'd make sure to prove her right.
They ran into the main hall to their corner. Most of their things had been packed up in preparation for the renovations awaiting the hall. Precisely why Bee never set roots down. The Econo-Coffin Inn was nice but it felt too... permanent. Bee was always ready to get up and go at a moment's notice anyway but the Inn just felt too cozy to be trustworthy. It was better than nothing, though. They were to have a room set up by the next evening.
Bee stopped inside the little blanket fort and threw the pink blanket around to block themself off from the rest of the world. Their trembling hands picked the glittery purple elixir out of their bag. One of the last ones to be handed out... With the movie canceled, there were fewer monsters around in town. Not that the movie being shown would have mattered. Given the time between Miss Hyde's first appearance and the propaganda administered towards both elixirs, there had been so much time for everyone to grab their fill. They had made extras, however. Plenty to keep up the effects of both. Bee cradled the small glass bottle in their hands.
It still didn't look very appetizing. It tasted sickly sweet the first time they'd tasted it. The Hyde elixir hadn't been much better. They should have just listened to their first instinct and stayed away from both. She'd gotten too far into their head. She hadn't transcended their dreams but they'd woken up with a determination they'd never felt before. It was HER doing. What a fool they were. What a--
Bee shook their head. The time for self-pity was not now. They uncorked the bottle and stared into the neck. Taking a deep breath, they brought the bottle to their lips and tilted their head back. Sickly sweet, glittery, purple elixir poured down their throat until the bottle consisted of nothing but air.
They took the bottle away to catch their breath. It was done. That awful elixir was gone and in greater quantity compared to the collective amount of Hyde elixir they'd consumed. This had to overpower her. It HAD to keep her at bay. Somewhat, at least. Maybe it'd make her appearances more sporadic. Sparser.
"Bee? Bee, are you in here?" Bee gasped and looked up as their favorite little hummingbird flew through the halls of the building. They poked their head out as he entered the back area where they'd set up.
"Bumble, my love!" they called. He turned to face them. "Hello, my dear."
"Hey! Are you okay? You were in a big rush to get here earlier. I cut my conversation with Papa a little short to come see you." Bumble flew up to them and landed on their shoulder. "You look... more purple." His eyes fell to the floor. "Bee... Did you take more Prudence elixir?"
"I... I had to. It kept her at bay before, it has to work again. She didn't finish the Hyde elixir she'd gotten. I took more Prudence elixir than Hyde. The effects of the Prudence elixir should be stronger now. It should keep her at bay. I just--I can't live knowing how much more powerful she's getting while I wallow in my self-pity. I had to do something." Bumble sighed.
"Well, at least it's the nice one that you took. That'll make you more like Papa! Right?"
"Hopefully. Maybe not as cuddly. But it'll be better than allowing HER out. Oh, Bumble, I'm so sorry I allowed her to get into my head like this. That I allowed her to convince me to take that horrid elixir."
"Hey, it's not your fault."
"But it is. I made that choice myself."
"You weren't in your right mind. A lot of stuff had happened and you were stressed. You were sad. I don't blame you. I'm not mad about it. I just want my best friend to be okay." Bee smiled at him.
"I'll be alright, my dear. I promise. Hopefully, this awful month will end sooner rather than later and we can get out of Beelzebub's stomach as these elixirs start to make their way out."
"Yeah! Then, we can see the sun again! And the moon and the stars and... just the sky in general!" Bumble flitted around their head. Bee laughed, holding a hand up for him to perch on. Bumble looked around at the things Bee had packed. "Where are we going?"
"To the Econo-Coffin Inn while this hall is being renovated. Events like these are precisely why I like living in a way where I can just get up and go."
"Like a bird. Kinda. We can rebuild our nests anywhere so long as we're not in danger."
"Sort of like a bird. Maybe I'll come back here. Or maybe I'll find a dormitory when they reopen the schools. I want to try to hone my magic, especially my resurrection skills. Maybe I can help more with the movies that way. You and the twins are more than welcome to come with me when I do move. Both to the Econo-Coffin Inn and into the dormitory." Bumble flapped his wings. Bee turned their head away from him to yawn. "For now, though... We're still staying in here."
"That's fine! You seem tired. Maybe we should take an early night."
"Well, I'm going to, you don't have to stay here." Bumble flew off of Bee's shoulder onto the old jewelry box. Bee laid down on the one remaining blanket they'd left lying out. Bumble made himself comfortable on their head once they settled down.
"I hope she's nice to you in your dreams," he said. Bee sighed.
"I doubt she will be... But thank you, Bumble. I think she's just a little mad I'm not as scared of her outright as I was before," they replied.
"Good. Show her who's boss." Bee laughed. "Goodnight, Bee!"
"Goodnight, my Bumble boy." Bumble giggled as he settled in. As much as they tried to fight it, Bee's eyelids slowly drifted closed. Somewhere, in the back of their mind, came an angry, annoyed growl of frustration.