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halfawitch-willow · 11 months ago

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We'll Have Tomorrow ❁ WSoH Epilogue

After the events at the Garden Grove on Halloween night, the ragtag group make their way to Eilonwy's house to recover. There, Willow explains exactly what the hybrid plant was and how it ended up in the restricted greenhouse in the first place. As well as reveals the truth about herself and her own origins... Takes place October 31st (Nobody look at me, okay) Willow Shop of Horrors Finale and Thread List @eilonwy-notjustgirl, @foreverydinger, @edward-andalasia, @blight-magic, @winndeavor, @thegcldenguard, @darius-dues, @ianthedisastrous TW: mentions of blood, mild gore, injury, neck trauma, abusive dynamic with a plant, mentions past child abuse and bullying, triggers, Willow Has Goop Trauma ((LOOK. There are 9 characters in this thread and it's nearly 30 pages long, it took forever to wrap up. But it's done, it's here, and thank you again so much to everyone who participated and helped with this monster - heh- plot!))

WILLOW

When they made it to Eilonwy's house, Willow sort of just let herself be moved around. Winston carried her in and to the master bath at Eilonwy's directions, and Eilonwy and Amity stayed with Willow to help her clean all of the blood off and get her wounds washed and wrapped. She could feel the pixie dust getting washed away as well, and by the time she was wrapped up warm and dry in some of Laurel's old pajamas -- including a pair of tattered sweatpants that Eilonwy promised Laurel wouldn't want back, so Willow could tear open a hole in the back seam for her tail -- Willow felt almost empty. All of her strength had disappeared down the drain, right as she was about to face the hardest part.

They were going to have questions. And she was going to have to answer them.

Eilonwy and Amity helped her out to the living room, where there was a weird sort of energy amongst those who were gathered. Like they hadn't quite worked off all of the adrenaline, but now there was nothing to put it towards. The three girls made their way to the couch and the moment Willow was seated, she reached out for one of the potion bottles Hunter had placed on the coffee table. She cracked the wax seal in an easy, practiced motion and knocked half of it back before anyone could blink. The blood loss was making her head pound, and her whole body felt like one big gash.

She set her bottle down with a small sigh, before opening another bottle with the same blue liquid and gesturing to Eilonwy. "It's a Lesser Healing potion," she said, voice still rough and croaky. "It'll help with pain and any minor wounds, and there's four doses in each." Willow looked around the room. "Who else needs some?" she asked, scared of the answer. If anyone had gotten seriously injured because of her mistake, she didn't know what she'd do.

"We probably need some glasses..."

EILONWY

It probably wasn't exactly a good thing that Eilonwy was relatively used to ignoring her body's pain signals at this point, but considering it kept coming in handy, she was the last person to complain about it. Remnants of adrenaline and sheer will got her back to the Lightfoots house where she let everyone in so they could start cleaning up Willow.

She told Tony to raid Ian and Barley's closets for clothes for the boys and figured they would make themselves comfortable as she and Amity went up to care for Willow. She grabbed sweats of her own for herself and Amity considering they were close in size and then she focused on each step. Getting Willow clean. Getting her new clothes. Getting her downstairs. Getting food and tea into everyone.

Her left arm and her side were pounding dully in a way that she knew she would hate later, and she didn't realize she had pulled her arm in close to rest along her side.

As they walked in, she had to comfort herself with little touches - a hand on Hunter's arm as she walked by, a squeeze of Tony's hand, a moment of leaning against Edward - and then got Willow to the couch. The question made her jump back up again, too fixed on needing to take care of everyone else.

"I can get some glasses." She moved back towards the kitchen and began to pull them out to carry back over, using her light to make a sort of floating tray since she didn't trust her left arm right then.

TONY

Tony had already profusely apologized to Ian, knowing that this was precisely the kind of thing that Ian hated. People he cared about running off and getting themselves in danger without him able to help. "Hey, at least I didn't actually get hurt!" Tony had hoped the sentiment would help but he wasn't entirely sure it had landed the way he wanted it to.

Willow was being cared for by others and Tony raided Barley's closet for some items (making sure to be choosy and pick dark colors in case anyone was still bleeding) before grabbing some food out of the pantry.

"I can cook some warm food too, if anyone wants," he announced as he set crisps and cookies and all manner of snacks down for people to grab. "Laurel must've just gone to the store before this so we're in luck." There was also a lot of Halloween candy still laying about but sweets and junk weren't exactly the best for everyone here.

"Any allergies?"

IAN & EDWARD

Ian hadn't taken long to get to his mom's house once he knew what was going on, and spent most of his time, post-outfit change, with Edward in tow, since the latter was unharmed, or at least already healed if he had been harmed, and helpful, with a little direction.

Most of that had involved redirecting Edward to where things in the house were that the people who were injured needed.

"Catch your breath and please sit down for a minute," he reminded Eilonwy in passing, because the slight flicker in her light was too familiar for Ian not to notice and she wouldn't, in fact, slow down otherwise.

"Blazey, bed," he mumbled in passing with a scratch at the dog's ears, sending her off to her bed in the corner of the living room with Cai trailing behind while he pulled open the closet door in the hallway and handed off a stack of pillows and a few blankets off to Edward to take to the couch.

"It's fine, don't worry about it right now," he pressed a kiss against Tony's, vaguely dusty, hair and absently untangled a leaf from it. He never won the 'stay out of trouble' conversation, with either Tony or Eilonwy, and as unsteady as he felt right then over the situation that was really a sidebar to the bigger problems right then.

He wanted to suggest Tony sit down too, but didn't, he wasn't injured and cooking would, hopefully, calm some of it.

"Okay, mom isn't going to be here for a while," Ian returned to the living room, glancing at the collective group of misery occupying the couch and surrounding area, "but Edward's-" where was Edward? Ian glanced around, spotting him in the kitchen getting bottles of water for people, right, okay, "has the first aid kit, mom has an Arcadian first aid kit too if you need more than your potions."

Otherwise, most of it was just damage control, wasn't it, and giving everyone a chance to relax after...well, Ian still didn't know what had happened but he figured he'd ask later.

AMITY

"I don't need any," Amity said quickly when the offer came. She gently nudged the potion back toward Willow. "You can have my share."

She wasn't without injury, persay-- but the worst of Amity's pain was all internal. Her own shame, her own guilt gnawing away, like a splinter embedded deep within the skin. She couldn't help but think about the ways she could have prevented this if she had just been fucking smarter. She hadn't seen the danger in the hybrid. She hadn't realized how much pain and fear Willow was still holding inside. Or maybe...she hadn't wanted to see it, because she knew so much of it had been Amity's doing. She still hadn't made up for it. Would she ever?

She probably should have just gone back to the dorms.

But Amity was selfish, and worried, and couldn't leave Willow alone (not again.) And so she'd gone with her, along with Eilonwy and the rest. Though she knew she was a stranger in this house-- not part of the family like Eilonwy or Tony or even Edward-- she stayed planted next to Willow's side. She'd stay quiet, nearly invisible if she could manage it. Only there for Willow.

WILLOW

Willow shook her head, and the moment Eilonwy came back with the glasses, she gently tugged the other girl down to sit with them on the couch and set the glasses down herself. "Both of you need some," she whispered, trying to ignore the shaking in her own arms as she tried to pour out some of the potion into the glasses. Winston quickly came over to help hold her hands steady, and she gave him a tiny, grateful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Winston helped passed the two glasses to the girls while Willow picked up her own bottle and curled up on the couch between them, her tail curling around her feet. "Papa still makes it with scaberry extract," she told Amity, "so the taste isn't as bad as they normally are." There were still two glasses on the table for anyone who needed some, and a few more unopened bottles besides.

She took another sip of her own bottle and leaned against Amity's side, hoping that she'd at least have a little more time for the potion to work on her throat before she had to start talking in earnest. She'd gotten a look at herself in the mirror earlier and the bruising was... gruesome, so say the least. Some of it still peaked out over her bandages.

HUNTER

"I'm fine," Hunter said reflexively.

Hunter was fine. He was always fine. That was his job, right? To be fine, to wear the helm of the Golden Guard with his head held high? He was fine. He had some bruises, but nothing serious. He'd had far worse scrapes. He wasn't about to let anyone see him as anything less than capable.

(His heart wouldn't stop racing. He didn't know why. He couldn't get it to stop.)

Not for the first time, he felt like maybe he shouldn't be here. He didn't belong here. He barely belonged here.

He stood at a distance, back pressed against the wall, watching everyone. His eyes flickered to Amity and Willow on the couch, and he wondered what his life might've been like if he'd gone to school with them. He dismissed that thought quickly, and shifted his weight from one foot to another, wincing slightly. Perhaps he'd sprained something, or just got a bad bruise, but he could take care of that later.

DARIUS

Well, it's not like he'd been doing anything else for Halloween. He'd gotten dressed up, as per the custom, but wasn't planning on participating in any other significant way. No, he was just planning for a night in, looking fabulous, grading mediocre papers.

And then he got a text.

First, was the arduous task of decoding what was either a ciphered message or just a slew of typos. He managed to get as far as "Garden Grove", heading over there to try and assess the situation. What he found was...concerning to say the least. The fact that there was no Hunter, along with nobody else, was doubly concerning. Then it was another stretch of time of doubling back, asking around, and tracking, before he finally found the abode he was fairly certain was housing the young Golden Guard, along with anyone else who got caught up in this unfortunate scenario.

He ascended the porch stairs two at a time before knocking, sharply. He didn't bother waiting for an answer before knocking again and calling in, "Hunter?" It wasn't often he used his name outright, but this seemed like a situation that called for it.

When someone finally bothered to open the door, he looked to them before over their shoulder. "Is everyone alright?"

WILLOW

Willow wanted to protest -- no one who ever said they were 'fine' was actually 'fine', Willow would know -- and try to get Hunter to come to the couch and take a dose. If he even wanted to be near her. He hadn't said a word to her until that short reply, and Willow knew it wasn't the potions that made her feel squirmy and sick and guilty.

The knock at the door interrupted her before she could even begin to speak, and Willow quirked her head curiously until the familiar voice called for Hunter and she went deathly pale. Horror splashed across her features and Willow grabbed the sleeve of Eilonwy's shirt in a death grip as she sunk further against Amity's side. Praying to a distant Titan that Head Witch Daemonne wouldn't notice her. She was trembling like a leaf, and the few house plants in the Lightfoot's living room -- who had gone quiet after Willow had ignored their attempts to sooth her -- started to writhe and fluff up defensively.

EILONWY

Eilonwy was concerned. She couldn't leave Willow, not with the way the girl was pressed up against her, but she didn't like Hunter being so far away and sounding so distant either. She looked towards Edward and tilted her head towards Hunter, hoping he would be able to go over and bring him in closer so they could see if he was really all right. Amity at least she was planning to just shove the potion down her throat if she had to (she was better at enforcing care for other people than herself.)

But the knock had her head whipping around towards the door as she began to reach for one of the glasses. The name had her looking back towards Hunter, and she was about to say something as Ian pulled the door open when she felt Willow gripping her tightly.

In the corner of the room, Cai came to attention at the same time she did, motes of light rushing towards her as little bits began to spark again along her hair. She didn't know who this man was, but Willow was scared. That's all she needed to know.

"Stay back," she barked at the stranger. Yes, she was in pajamas with her sore arm curled against her side, but that didn't change the steel in her tone as she glared at him. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing here?" She hadn't directed her light - yet - but she was ready to shove him bodily back out the door if she didn't get answers soon.

TONY

Tony started toward the kitchen, beginning simple things like mac & cheese or some soup that was sat frozen in Laurel's freezer. Easy and warm, Tony could handle making a spread that would feed this motley crew. It helped with his own nerves to get away from the rest for a moment, to focus on a task once again.

Ian would handle things in the living room, this was his home after all, and Tony doubted that anyone here would be reckless enough to leave when they had only just arrived.

He heard the sound of a door opening, an unfamiliar voice following that, and finally Eilonwy's demand filling the air. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he tried to listen in, still standing at the stove.

IAN & EDWARD

With all the motion in the house Edward had opted to remain in the living room after seeing to what all needed to be gathered. And while Willow had a cluster of attention at the time looking after her his gaze quickly searched everyone else, who by the large looked well enough, except Hunter, unsteady on his feet.

"Perhaps you should sit," Edward coaxed, gentle in his approach given how tense Hunter was, lifting a hand slowly to the other's arm to, hopefully, ground him a bit. "Are you alright, I think-" his words were cut short by that knock, and moreso Hunter's name and the sudden shift in the mood in the room, his gaze instinctively drawn to the door with a step between that direction and Hunter, just in case, given Willow's reaction and Eilonwy's outburst.

Ian, already at the door, stood there, what was initially a passive expression thinking this was simply another person involved in the situation quickly shifted to scrutiny of the brightly-costumed individual standing there. He didn't know exactly what all was going on but he wasn't too eager to let anyone inside until he knew why everyone was so upset over the newcomer.

"I really think that's a valid question right now." Ian regarded the stranger evenly, remaining in the doorway for the moment; nearly half the people in the house were already injured, he wasn't taking a chance on letting just anyone through that door. Which was why his hand twitched faintly, easily overlooked but a pointed gesture, while he waited for an answer.

AMITY

Titan's tit-- "Darius Deamonne?!" exclaimed Amity from inside the house.

But how? No, that was a dumb question. Why? Was it the same reason that Hunter Belos was now in Swynlake? What about Lilith Clawthorne? Dread, as cold as ice, washed through Amity. Once, Darius would have been one of the sorcerers that she'd want to impress but now all the Emperor's crows were flocking to Swynlake, one by one, and there had to be a reason.

Naturally, Amity's paranoid brain thought first of Odalia.

But Odalia and Darius Deamonne fucking hated each other.

Whatever-- first, Amity had to deal with the fact she'd just blurted his name and now everyone had looked at her. "He's-- he's the head of the Abomination Coven," she said, feeling her cheeks colour. "I have no idea why he's there though."

DARIUS

Alright, he'd clearly stepped into something here. Hunter had barely given any information in his poorly composed text, so he'd not been expecting such a large crowd to be waiting for him, not to mention waiting to pounce.

He put his hands up innocently to show he meant no harm. Luckily, he didn't need to introduce himself, as it seemed to be done for him. "Thank you, Ms. Blight," he said, nodding in her direction.

"I was summoned with a message warning of a "minor disaster"," he said, air quotes and all. "I'm merely here to make sure everyone is alright. Help heal any injuries. Subdue any threats. Though it seems that's been taken care of, if the state of the Garden Grove is any indication..."

His eyes flickered between all of the children, taking stock of their injuries and general state. His gaze settled on both Willow and Hunter for a bit too long before he looked to the only other adult in the room. "Is this your home? I don't mean to say you don't have the situation handled, but I'd like to help, if at all possible. Some of these children are under my care," he explained, despite none of the children referenced knowing that.

HUNTER

In this time, Hunter had forgotten that he’d texted Darius.

It had been in a panic. There had been no other adult that he felt could handle this caliber of magical disaster. Mistress Clawthorne resented him, after all. He did not know the other sorcerers in town. So, Darius it was.

But he shouldn't have had to ask anyone at all! He should’ve been able to handle this, a simple plant!

Now, Darius was here and Hunter was embarrassed, but he had to save face.

“Darius!” It came out like a squeak. He cleared his throat. “I mean. Master Deamonne. Welcome! I, uh, texted him.” This was for the benefit of everyone else in the room. “On the way to the Grove, before we knew the extent of the damage.”

He turned back to Darius. “But, as you can see, we are all in one piece, albeit a little battered, so we clearly handled everything and you can definitely not mention this in any reports you might be giving.”

He swung his arm jauntily, the visor of his helmet falling on his face as he did so. Quickly, Hunter scrambled to shove it back up, before his breathing started quickening again and he flashed an all-too-bright smile to indicate just how well he was handling this situation!

WILLOW

Willow had watched everyone react to Darius with the stunned, horrified silence of someone watching a train wreck. How the fuck had she managed to drag them all to this exact moment of time!? It was a nightmare.

She bit back a squeak when Darius looked her over, wanting to disappear, but he glanced away quickly to look at Winston who was already shaking his head and gesturing instead to an annoyed-looking Eilonwy. Before that situation could devolve any further, Hunter jumped into the conversation.

Her heart jumped to her throat when it started to sound like Hunter might get in trouble for texting Darius. To save her pathetic ass from a monster of her own creation. Hunter looked like his face was about to crack from the force of his smile, and Willow was scrambling to lean over the back of the couch before her brain could catch up.

"It was my fault!" she croaked, voice wrecked and eyes wide and scared. "I'm the one who made the plants go crazy at the Grove. They just came to help bail me out when I lost control. They saved my life, please just-" Willow was horrified and embarrassed to find more tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Please don't report this, o-or tell my dads," she begged. "They don't know."

EILONWY

It appeared at least a few people in this room knew who this man was, and Hunter apparently trusted him enough to text him for help, so she would have to take that as a recommendation. Even if he did call them 'children'.

Although she didn't care for the sound of reports one bit.

As Willow began to cry again, Eilonwy reached out to wrap an arm around Willow's shoulders from where she was standing, expanding the light around her so it provided a gentle warmth and pressure on the other girl.

"This is my home. You are welcome inside," for now. "Willow had already gathered some healing potions that everyone will be taking," she gave both Amity and Hunter mild glares at that because she knew they had a tendency to downplay things, "and then if you feel up for it Willow, you can tell us what happened with the plants. But only if you want to."

She turned to look back at him. "As you said, the issue at the Grove has been handled. Which means I'm assuming the reports in question won't be an issue." She raised one eyebrow, assuming he would get the message.

Or Ian could still kick him out of the house pretty easily she was sure. Head Witch or no.

DARIUS

Oh boy. There was a lot happening here. He watched Hunter and opened his mouth to reply before he was cut off by Willow's cries and the blonde's remarks. His lips tightened in annoyance but he took a deep breath before replying calmly.

"Nobody needs to worry about any reports. It wasn't even in the question." He did not, however, make any mention of Willow's fathers. To promise that he wouldn't tell them in this instance seemed… irresponsible at best. At least, until he learned more about the situation.

Still, he was granted entry, so that was something. He stepped inside, the heels of his boots clicking against the floor. "Now, I have the capabilities to deal with any cuts, open wounds, sores, lesions, or damage directly to the skin, if needed. Don't be humble, I didn't come here to just stand around and look pretty."

WILLOW

Willow leaned a little into Eilonwy's embrace, being sure not to put too much pressure on her ribs and tried to wipe her cheeks dry. If she had been in her right mind, she would have caught how Darius had dodged the topic of her dads, but the relief from his reassurance was so great Willow visibly relaxed.

At Darius's offer, Willow looked around the room to check everyone. She knew, objectively, that her injuries were the worst - her blood loss hadn't made her that fuzzy. Hunter's armor meant she couldn't get a good look at him -- and wow, it was weird seeing him in the armor she knew so well from watching the news with her dads -- but everyone else was mostly in pajamas and costumes now, so she felt pretty confident she was the only one at risk of bleeding out any time soon.

"I think the three of us need the most help," she admitted softly, gesturing to Amity and Eilonwy. Hunter was still breathing kind of fast, and after a moment of hesitation, Willow held out her bandaged hand towards him in invitation.

"Come get some healing potion, Lony's orders," she said softly, voice almost a coarse whisper. "Sit with us, please?"

HUNTER

Hunter was fine.

He was fine.

Darius was here and he was fine.

Everyone was looking at him now.

He took a deep breath.

There were no reports, Darius said. Eilonwy said he should drink a healing potion. Willow agreed. Hunter didn’t want to do that, because he never liked the taste of healing potions. Not that the flavor itself was bad, but because the feeling down his throat was a reminder of —

What was it a reminder of?

Hunter couldn’t remember. His head was fuzzy. He was tired. He wanted to slump down on his knees and lean his head on someone’s chest.

He didn’t do that, of course. He shuffled forward slightly and took a hesitant seat on the edge of the couch.

“Pass the potion,” he said, holding out a hand.

DARIUS

Darius kept an eye on Hunter as he moved over, recognizing the nauseous look on his face. The kid was more wound up than Adrian's hair piece (on a good day) and he was fairly certain that a single mishap at this stage would completely unravel him. So he merely needed to keep things calm.

Looking over the three indicated ladies, he nodded. "Right. Before we begin, I want to preface by saying this is a perfectly sanitized procedure and there are no untoward side effects." With that explanation out of the way, he raised his gloved hands, and from underneath his cape, a stream of purple ooze shot out, suspended in midair before splitting between the three. It hovered before spreading and wrapping around the scratches and cuts, stopping any bleeding and healing the skin. Unfortunately, any internal injuries and pain would remain.

For Eilonwy and Amity, the process would be fairly quick. Willow's wounds were much more prominent and numerous, so he moved closer to her to keep an eye on the process. One cut at a time. He looked among the others. "So. Does anyone want to give a more detailed account of what happened?"

AMITY

Amity didn't want to take the potion either. She actually-- didn't want to be here at all. Now that Darius had arrived, she felt on edge. Her eyes kept darting to the door. She had this weird feeling like, somehow, she was betraying Alador by just being in the same room as him. Which made no sense of course. In fact, if she could talk to her dad (which she couldn't), he'd probably laugh at her for the thought. I haven’t even thought of Darius in years.

Still, he was a reminder of Amity's father. And the Boiling Isles. And her own magic.

Her hands were still sticky with golem, which helped dull the pain from the burns on her palms, and up her arm. Titan's blood, she wanted to leave.

But it was Willow's soft, croaking voice that kept her from bolting like a stray, injured cat. Carefully, without even saying a word, she moved with Hunter over to the couch, then sat down. She waited until the potion was passed and she took a swig from it obediently.

Then her eyes tracked back to Darius. She glanced at Willow and leaned in. "What do you want to tell him?" she murmured. It was so inconvenient that he had showed up here so quickly... it would have been better for all of them to get their story straight.

WILLOW

Willow let out a tiny sigh of relief as Amity and Hunter both sat on the couch, and she quickly -- or, well, as quickly as she could move -- poured them both doses of the healing potion. She looked up at Darius curiously as he approached, leaning in towards Amity to hear her whisper better. But before she could formulate an answer, or even open her mouth, Darius raised his hands and Willow watched in horror as abomination clay swam through the air and wrapped around her neck, arms, and legs.

She hadn't realized this was what he meant. Stupid half-wit.

Willow went stiff as a corpse, her head tilted back as she tried not to scream at the feeling of goop on her skin. She couldn't even feel relief from her wounds being treated, there was just the scent of clay and rot crowding out her thoughts. Her tail lashed out and twitched wildly until she grabbed it and held it down in her lap, trembling. She breathed in and out carefully. In for four beats. Out for four beats. Try not to cry.

This wasn't Hexside. This wasn't the Boiling Isles. She was fine. She could breathe.

In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.

EILONWY

As Hunter sat on the couch, Eilonwy passed him the potion, passing one to Amity as well so that they would both take a sip and hopefully feel better. She couldn't be sure exactly how injured either of them were, but this was one thing she could do to help.

This also finally brought Hunter close enough to her that she could slide her hand in his and hold it tightly, ignoring the way her sore arm throbbed in that moment, trying to pull him a little bit closer to her. She wanted her people close until she was sure they were okay, and there was only so much she could do.

Once again, she was reaching for the potion with her free hand to take a swig when she paused as the swirling purple ooze shot through the air. Her light pulsed for a moment reflexively and she had to bite her lip to stop it from expanding outward.

Until Willow reacted.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Ignoring the potion (again), she reached out to try and lay a hand on Willow. She didn't even realize that she was getting warmer, the ooze that had wrapped around her own wrist beginning to dry out slightly as the light gathered more intensely around her.

WILLOW

"It's fine," Willow said, voice cracked and shaky. "I trust him. J-just don't get any near my face."

She was tapping out counts of four on her lap, lips pressed firmly together as she tried to tough it out. He was helping her. This was meant to heal. She could breathe.

TONY

Tony listened quietly through this Darius’ entrance and introduction, allowing those close to the door to react even as his muscles clenched in anticipation of another fight breaking out. Instead of saying anything he used that feeling, that anxiety, to finish making the mac and cheese and the soup so that he brought it out into the living room with a slight clearing of his throat so as not to startle anyone (especially Darius who was using abomination magic around the injured???).

“Hot food’s ready,” he murmured, eyeing up the stranger. Tony had only begun to trust sorcery and what was happening to Willow certainly didn’t ease any of that suspicion. “I know you’re taking potions but.. eating helps. If not immediately for your wounds it’ll still help settle your nerves.” He set the tray of bowls, forks, and spoons down on the table.

He hesitated there, unsure if he should join Ian at the door or try to take a seat near those on the couch as well. Tony ultimately decided on the former both because he wanted to be near his boyfriend and because most of the people on the couch weren’t people he knew how to comfort, how to help. They probably wouldn’t even want it aside from Eilonwy.

“So this is a total shitshow, huh?” He whispered to Ian as quietly as he could.

IAN & EDWARD

Ian's lips were drawn to a thin line, he couldn't say he liked anything that was going on in that room. It was Eilonwy’s home, it was his home, and Tony’s, and as far as Ian viewed the situation that extended to the people there he barely knew but clearly needed it to be that evening. He couldn't imagine his mom would mind that, although she might have had a few interesting words for the stranger who wandered in and set everything, and nearly everyone, off.

She wasn't there, and Eilonwy was fueled by her own anxious, angry energy right then, which left Ian shutting the door and keeping a scrutinizing eye on the man, cautious. He was going to assume, for the moment, he was trying to help.

But that magic didn't do much to settle Ian's opinion on the matter and he bristled, fingers twitching, at that repulsive outburst of intrusive sludge.

He glanced to Tony in silent agreement, but his attention didn't sway far from Darius.

Even Edward was uncomfortable, although, already healed from his injuries, he was skirting the edge of the room. Ian noted the reflex, the way his hand dropped to where his sword would have been had he had it with him, at Eilonwy's sharp words.

He waited, equally perplexed and unsettled by the display, pushing that aside until whatever was going to be accomplished by it had, before speaking. "I think everyone would be more comfortable if you stepped back a little," he addressed Darius, the lingering tension on that couch was obvious even without his natural sensitivity to the presence of people. And a few steps was breathing room, that wasn't unreasonable.

AMITY

Amity glanced toward Willow and instantly felt terrible-- remembering how she'd gone to her in the shop, covered in golem, and hadn't thought twice. She'd just wanted to make sure her friend was okay. She just wanted to hold her. She just wanted...

Amity looked away again, feeling shame crawling up and down her spine. It sucked that this thing that Willow hated the thing that made Amity... Amity. (Didn't it? She had a weird relationship with abomination magic this day. But at the same time, it was the only magic she knew. It felt impossible to separate that magic from who she was as a person.)

She didn't say anything, just looked back at Darius. Her gaze was guarded, bordering on hostile. If he tried anything else without a proper warning first, at least she could, maybe, stop him.

WINSTON

Winston didn't know what to do, felt like he was at a loss. The only other adult in the room and, unlike the shorter man, one who had neither magic nor the know-how to fix any of it. So, he did the best he could to comfort, to hunt for things that could make the kids feel better - blankets, warm drinks from the kitchen, help Tony get the food - anything to feel useful.

He, to be quite honest, doesn't even notice when the children start to protest at Darius's actions. He's in the kitchen, leaving a voicemail for his office to let them know he'd not be in for a day or two.

At the...purple goop that was meant to help, meant to heal Willow, however, he has to put his foot down. There's terror there, true terror, but before he can, Willow tells them its okay, just don't go near his face.

Winston still didn't like it.

"That's enough," he says, voice calm, but quiet, firm, and gaze unwavering from Darius. "You're trying to help. I understand that but they've...they've been through a lot tonight. Give them space, please. Willow," he says, no longer addressing the other adult but gaze never leaving him. "You're okay, darling. Breathe. He's done."

HUNTER

Suddenly, Hunter felt defensive of Darius.

He wasn't sure what came over him. But everyone bristled, ready to lunge at Darius, all on the defense, and Hunter just felt -- well, he'd been the one to call Darius, hadn't he?

Hunter cleared his throat.

"He's just trying to help," he said. His fingers tightened around the health potion, and he could still taste it on his lips. He gulped, feeling eyes on him, and trying to look anywhere besides Darius. "I'm the one who called him, and I didn't do it on a whim; I did it because we needed someone who's dealt with magical incidents at the level. Or, I thought."

And then, because he still felt like this was his fault -- Willow's outburst, the sudden metaphorical daggers thrown at Darius --

"I'm sorry. If you have any issues with him, direct them to me."

DARIUS

Darius was attempting to focus on the task at hand. After all, healing through abomination magic was not a widely practiced technique, as one needed a deft hand to keep control while speeding up the body's natural processes.

He didn't notice Willow's panic at first, only the first voice calling out at him to stop. Then step back. Give them space. All of these commands and distrusting looks being hurled at him while he was trying to concentrate.

Before he could speak however, Hunter did first. He didn't look away from his work but the words settled upon him, upon everyone, leaving a blessed silence that allowed him to finish what he started. Pulling his hands back, all of the ooze pulled off of Willow, coalescing over his palms.

"Thank you, Hunter. That should be enough. I could be doing more," he said pointedly, "but clearly some space is required." With that, he took a few steps back. Another faint glow came from beneath the gloves as the ooze, now streaked with dried blood, began to spin rapidly, seemingly cleaning itself.

"You'll likely need supplementary healing in the coming days, but at the very least, all of your wounds have closed and there should be no more bleeding."

WILLOW

The moment the abomination ooze pulled off of her, Willow slumped like a puppet that had all of its strings cut and curled into herself. Her arms wrapped around her stomach tightly as she breathed through her mouth, forehead pressed to her knees.

This, more than anything, made her feel exposed. Weak. She felt like Willow the Half-Witch. Willow the Mudbreather. Weeping Willow. All of the false-courage she'd gathered over the months fled and left her trembling.

It was the press of Amity's knee against hers and Eilonwy's flickering light at the corner of her eye that made her reach out and snap her courage back up before it could disappear completely, dragging it back by the metaphorical tail.

She took a deep breath, let it out, then slowly uncurled until she was upright again. "Thank you," she said softly, voice a little raw and shaky. "I feel better now. I'm sorry I freaked out, I should have understood what you meant to do and prepared myself better. I apologize for worrying everyone."

It was almost clinical, and she knew she sounded like she had when she was sat in front of Principal Bump's desk, coughing up abomination slime her teacher had shoved over her mouth when she failed to make her own lump of clay so much as twitch.

Willow was still hugging herself tightly, mostly to hide the way her arms were still shaking. "I'll answer any questions you have, now," she said, meeting Darius's eyes but speaking to the whole room. "The best I can, at least."

EILONWY

Eilonwy could feel the clawing edges of her temper wanting to break free. She wanted to let the light go, wanted to shove Darius back until he was far away, the rest of them safe inside a shield of her own making until Hunter stopped shaking and Willow could breathe and Amity relaxed and she felt like she had the space to let everyone calm down in their own way. She didn't. But the temptation was there.

She was still running hot enough that the abomination clay couldn't fully settle against her, cuts closed but only barely so it wouldn't take much to open again by the time it was pulled away.

Darius's comment made her want to snap back at him that next time he should know to explain what he was doing before using unfamiliar magic around people. But Hunter's own defensiveness and his defense of Darius had her swallowing those words back as well. (Darius could probably read the sharp glare in her expression.)

But Willow was still the priority, and she gently rubbed her hand along Willow's back to try and provide a little bit of comfort.

It meant that even with the way she had to swallow back the temper that burned just under the surface, her voice was gentle as she said. "It's all right. Can you tell us about the plant? It seemed to care about you." Even as it was killing her, but that wasn't that strange to Eilonwy.

WILLOW

It did care about me, Willow wanted to say, and another rush of grief came over her. All those plants in the greenhouse, all gone because of her stupidity.

"It was a hybrid," Willow started, "between the Whisperers and Vampire Roses we kept in the restricted greenhouse. We keep all the more dangerous magical flowers back there, and I was in charge of them while Flower was away." Because I'm a Garden Talent, she added mentally, but couldn't bring herself to say aloud. Despite knowing she would have to.

"We usually take precautions to keep them from hybridizing, but I... I cut my hand on the watering can, and it got in the Whisperer's bed. I came back the next morning and it was there. And then it started talking. It wasn't violent or anything like that," she defended weakly, "at least not at the beginning. By the time it got bad enough for me to notice, it was too late."

TONY

Tony Rydinger had grown a lot in the decades but mainly over the last few years. One of those growing pains was learning to trust magic, particularly sorcery. He had been a Mundus and the curse had wrapped around him in ways he had had no ability to fight and he had seen time and time again how magic could cut people deeply. Especially those he cared about.

Willow was now one of those people.

He bit his tongue for most of the conversation but as Willow explained what had happened with the plant he grew restless, a sort of twitchiness seeping into his bones that he couldn’t quite contain. Composure be damned, he was scared.

“So it started… feeding off you?” He didn’t know much about magical plants, only that the name ‘Vampire Rose’ gave a particular conversation and he’d seen the way the hybrid had clung and cut into Willow

“Willow, I don’t know if you should go back to the greenhouse for awhile.” Or ever. “Though we should probably call Flower…”

IAN & EDWARD

Edward had made his way steadily closer to the couch, the entire bounce back and forth of the conversation and the tension drew him to the obvious action; making certain he was closer to the people who were injured, just in case.

He remained silent, most of the questions that crossed his mind were answered without his voicing them, but he wasn't comfortable. There really wasn't any way to be right then, so he settled for lingering at the side of the couch since he couldn't do much else.

Ian was listening, he didn't know most of the people in the room more than in passing, but there were a lot of things he could see weren't being said; between Hunter, Darius, Willow, Amity.

He decided not to focus on that.

Magic flowers and bloodthirsty plants probably weren't as outlandish as they might have been elsewhere, but he still felt uneasy hearing the bits and pieces of that story.

"At least not for now," he added to Tony's suggestion; he'd have to text his mom anyway so she didn't walk into the situation unaware when she got home, but she wasn't going to bat an eye at how occupied the house was. "Everyone looks exhausted and I don't know everything that's going on, but if nobody is in immediate danger it's better to just stay put and rest some." He reasoned, although he still wasn’t sure about Darius, given the push of his efforts, but he was less suspicious than he was cautious.

Ian nodded to the mention of Flower, acutely aware of how tense Tony had gotten as the conversation had continued, and stepped away from the door to give him a little nudge, grabbing his hand an instant before he called Blazey over from where she was pacing at the scent of that strange magic.

WILLOW

"There's nothing left in the greenhouse anyways," Willow said quietly. "I-" she choked on her tongue, tears welling up in her eyes. "Sorry," she murmured, wiping them quickly.

"It wasn't feeding on my blood until the end, we have bloodmeal for the Vampire Roses that was working. It... The roots went deep. I could feel it at the end, it was pulling magic from the ground and-"

Willow clasped her hands together tightly, watching them tremble in her lap. "And from me," she said softly. "I've... I was sleeping in the greenhouse a few nights a week. I think that's why it got so attached." Her tail curled into her lap and Willow held it tightly, like a child clinging to their teddy bear. "When I... I was getting ready for the party, a-and I got nervous, and it didn't want me to go where it didn't know I'd be safe. It freaked out and- and that's when I called Eilonwy."

Willow looked to the group. "I'm so sorry I put you all in danger like that," she said wetly, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. "I can't repay what you did for me, but I'll try to be deserving of it."

EILONWY

Eilonwy remembered the feeling of dry dust swirling in the air as she picked up her stolen sword and was sure that was true. The devastation they'd left behind would be a conversation for another day.

For now, it was more important to stay focused on Willow, on making sure she was steady.

"Hey, you did exactly right. I'm glad you called me and that we could be there for you. You don't have to do anything to deserve it - we're your friends. That's what we're here for."

What was a little life threatening danger between friends after all? This was Swynlake. They were lucky that no one had died this time around, and they were already sitting together afterward. That was what mattered more to her. She wanted to be the person that people called for help and knew that she would come.

She wanted to ask about the pixie dust, but she couldn't help glancing towards Darius, not sure if that was the kind of thing he should know.

DARIUS

Darius didn't realize the full extent of Willow's panic until he finally pulled away, his lips twitching into a frown as he watched her curl in on herself. He didn't understand what had necessarily caused the reaction--after all, he knew Willow had taken abomination courses at Hexside. However, he also knew from her parents that her experience at the school had not been the most pleasant.

"You're fine," he replied simply. "I will be more communicative in the future."

From there on, he hung back but listened carefully, taking in every detail and trying to fit the puzzle together. Unfortunately, elemental magic was not his forte. And he certainly wasn't going to approach Head Witch Terra Snapdragon of all people to fill in the blanks. He'd rather let the "Vampire Roses" have their way with him.

But finally, he did ask, "Is this your first time discovering a natural talent in earth magic?" After all, this was the first he was hearing of it. But you would have to have a certain level of specialty in order to bring life--a seemingly sentient life--to something like that.

WILLOW

Willow almost burst out laughing.

It was the exact same thing Amity had suggested, back in August after they faced the fear demon. It was the obvious answer, and the easiest. To have an earth specialty, like her Dad. But no, nothing was ever that easy for her.

"Not... not quite," Willow said softly. Instinctively, she reached out towards Amity, bumping her fingers against the other girl's thigh and breathing a little easier when her thin fingers laced inbetween her own. "I, um. I discovered recently that the information my fathers were given about my birth parents wasn't... entirely accurate." She took a deep breath.

"I was born on the Boiling Isles, but only one of my birth parents was a sorcerer," Willow said, voice trembling. With her free hand, she tucked her curls back and behind one pointed ear. "The other one was a fairy. I have a Garden Talent."

TONY

"Never apologize for what happened," Tony added to Eilonwy's sentiment. He didn't want Willow to think that she'd done anything wrong by asking for help. He stepped forward slightly, not fully leaving Ian's side but enough that he felt a little better about the distance. "You needed us and now you're going to be okay. That's all that matters here, Willow."

Knowing that Willow was a mixture of sorcery and fairy magic caused Tony to send Ian a sidelong glance. It wasn't quite the same, of course, but he knew that if anyone could understand what Willow was going through it would be Ian. Being a mixture of two seemingly opposing sides that caused one's magic to act strangely to both halves. "Once again I'm the most boring member of the group," Tony joked quietly, not even sure anyone but Ian would hear him.

Now he was sure she would be okay.

"Now if you people don't start eating food and drink your healing potions I'm gonna actually have an aneurysm. Forget monster flowers, that'll be what does me in."

WILLOW

Willow looked up at Tony with wet eyes and after a moment, gave him a small giggle and a smile. Then more giggles came, that turned into gasps, until Willow was stifling little sobs into her palms, trying to catch her tears with her fingers. Her tail coiled tightly to her knee and Willow wanted nothing more than to curl up in a little ball on the couch. It felt like she was a dam that had cracked and fissured finally starting to crumble. The pressure was agonizing, and though she knew (hoped) she'd feel better once the wall came down, the weight of it all threatened to crush her first.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I shouldn't have lied, I just- I was an awful sorcerer, and I thought maybe I could be an okay Mundus." She laughed, wet and tinged with almost-hysteria. "I was pretty awful at that too, huh?"

She was clearly a terrible fairy as well. It had never been an issue of her magic, it was just Willow. The half-a-witch Mudbreather who was destined for failure.

TONY

Tony winked at Willow when she started to giggle but blanched slightly as she started to sob. It hadn't been his intention by any means to make her cry but the dam had to burst at some point. It wasn't sustainable to hold everything together with white knuckles and trembling fists, as he knew all too well. There were times that you couldn't be perfect, couldn't keep the pieces together all alone.

Tony crossed the room to kneel in front of Willow, ignoring everyone else in the room then. "You lied to protect yourself, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes there are no perfect solutions, sometimes lying's all we've got, but you're going to be okay."

He reached a hand up to squeeze her knee, a saddened smile gracing his features. He wasn't the best with advice but he knew that feeling, knew how much of a vice grip telling lies and half-truths could have. He'd done it for over half a century both willfully and not.

"You weren't awful, Willow. You just weren't doing what you're gonna be best at. We'll get this all figured out."

IAN & EDWARD

There was a little too much familiarity in that story to be comfortable, Ian noted, which was all the more reason he felt like he needed to listen. He didn't know Willow, not nearly enough to understand how to comfort her yet as well as he would have liked to, people weren't the same in needs like that, she had a bubble of people who did know her there around her. But there was a part that, best intentions and all, they didn't understand entirely.

"You're not an awful sorcerer," Ian ventured, leaving the door, Blazey taking that as the signal to cross the floor and sit herself down right next to Tony, big brown eyes on Willow waiting very patiently in case she was needed there, resting her nose on the edge of the couch just within reach.

"Or an awful anything, really, you're just something a little different and it's hard to piece that together right at first," he offered a smile, but it was a hint somber, "you're just not...a human sorcerer; you don't have to apologize for things you didn't mean to happen because of it."

Ian chuckled, softly, trying to keep his tone level, delicate. "If I still did that I'd be exhausted all the time," he reasoned, "you're really not alone in that, trust me, I went through that same feeling for a long time, and a lot of mess and magic going sideways because of it."

He paused, not wanting to crowd her with so many people already there. "You go from here, right, you've got a lot of people who want to help." That's what made the difference, didn't it? Not being alone.

EILONWY

Eilonwy shifted closer to Willow, sliding her hand around until she was able to hold Willow a little bit more as she started to cry. She was also familiar with those moments when feelings exploded beyond the barriers you had in place to control them. It felt like it happened to her all the time, although the number of people who witnessed it were still incredibly small and mostly in this room.

"I'm pretty sure everyone in this room has lied about at least one important thing sometimes. Sometimes you have to until you know it's safe enough to tell the truth. Especially an important truth. This was big and important."

She couldn't help glancing at Ian, Tony, and Edward. After all, they knew some of her biggest secrets, and even they didn't know everything. Some things were too big to share until there was no chance of hiding them anymore.

"But Ian and Tony are right - you weren't awful. You just weren't those things. Human sorcerers work with magic one way and mundus live around magic a different way. You're brand new to finding out how your magic does work. If what we saw tonight is what you can do when you're brand new, the magic you can do once you've had a little time to learn and experiment is going to be incredible. Give yourself time, okay? We're here to learn with you. I promise."

WILLOW

By the time the three of them had finished talking, Willow was crying so hard she'd gone mute. All she could do was take little gasps of air as she wept, each breath shaky with the weight of all the emotions from the... well, from the past several months, honestly.

She didn't know how badly she needed to hear all of that until someone had said it.

Willow leaned into Eilonwy's embrace, tucking her face against her shoulder to try and hide the way her face went all splotchy with color when she cried. Boscha had mocked her enough times about what an ugly crier she was. Her hand stayed laced tightly with Amity's, while the other fisted tightly on the couch. Blaze nudged against her fist with her nose, licking her pale knuckles softly, and Willow released some of the tension. She could feel the crescent-marks she was digging into her palms with her own nails, and tried to relax a little more.

"I'm sorry," she warbled again, voice weak, because every time she tried to say ‘thank you’ it got caught in her throat. They were being so much kinder than she deserved. ‘Thank you’ didn't feel like enough.

EILONWY

"It's okay," Eilonwy said, leaning more into Willow to try and provide as much comfort as she could. The light that had been so angry and defensive earlier had softened, wrapping around Willow like a gently warmed blanket.

"Now, come on, if we don't eat something Tony's going to give us all the saddest eyes and it's both annoying and effective," she teased gently, squeezing Willow yet again.

She wasn't really hungry herself, but she knew sometimes it was easier to do these things with company. It felt tough to let go of Hunter's hand, but she made herself do it so she could take the bowl of food that Tony handed over to her.

In what, for her, was a gesture of conciliation, she looked over to where the adults were still standing. "You're welcome to join us as well, if you wish." But she wasn't moving from this couch until Willow was okay. She didn't care if that took all night.

WILLOW

Willow tugged weakly on the hem of Eilonwy's shirt. "Drink your potion," she muttered wetly.

HUNTER

Hunter listened. That was all he could do really. He was in no place to make any judgment about magical ability. He knew he was nowhere near as strong enough as he needed to be, and the longer he stayed in Swynlake, the weaker he seemed to get. So, when he looked at Willow he didn't see a failed sorcerer, or a strange mixture of magic.

He saw his friend. His crying friend, who pressed her face into Eilonwy's shoulder.

Okay, technically Eilonwy was between them and Hunter couldn't really see anything or even really offer any consolation.

"I don't think you need to apologize," said Hunter, once Eilonwy had let go of his hand. (He stretched his fingers out a little, the absence of her touch magnified.)

"Magic isn't as black and white as we sometimes make it out to be, you know? You're not just good or bad at it." He shook his head, then added earnestly. "I must say, though, this is a fascinating turn of events -- your magic sounds very special."

DARIUS

Well, the news was certainly surprising. But other than a pair of raised eyebrows, he did not betray this in his expression, which remained neutral throughout. If anything, an insightful individual might be able to notice the tensed muscles and darted eyes of someone who really didn't know how to handle a crying child. He hadn't been able to when they'd first met, and he certainly couldn't now.

Luckily, her friends seemed more than capable. It was good, to know she was surrounded by so many supportive people. When Hunter spoke, he finally looked back, watching him. What he had to say sounded familiar--very familiar. Something similar had been said to Darius when he was growing up and struggling in Hexside. By someone he'd been close to.

At last, he cleared his throat. "Hunter is right, as is everyone else. While an unexpected development, it's not something that can't be worked with. Magic, no matter how unconventional, can always be mastered with the right tools."

He took a step forward. "That being said, it's nothing to be concerned with right now. For the time being, everyone should eat and rest."

AMITY

Once again, Amity was useless.

There was so much she wanted to say. In her head, she turned to Willow and an epic speech came out, and each word was a powerful incantation, which would heal Willow’s wounds, smooth over her scars, wipe her cheeks, and turn back time. She could stop Willow from ever thinking those things by– telling her way way way sooner that she wasn’t useless or weak. That she was strong, in her own special Willow way.

It’s my favorite way. I missed it, so much– I missed you, I love you, you’re my Willow, and you don’t have to be like anyone else–

The speech didn’t come out.

Everyone else’s did. It was easy for them, because they hadn’t let Willow’s hand slip from their grasp when they were young. They hadn’t turned their back on her. They hadn’t ignored her in the halls. They hadn’t walked past her, when Boscha was throwing insults. They hadn’t grit their jaw and said nothing over and over and over…

Here she was, saying nothing.

Who really was the useless one, huh? Amity was. Who really was the weak one? Amity was.

She swallowed, her eyes falling to her own burned hands. She pressed her fingers into her palms. When she finally looked up, Willow was sniffling, but looked relieved, and Darius was taking up the reins again as the adult in the room. There was a moment of silence, for Amity to fill. She desperately wanted to fill it. She wanted to tell Willow something, anything. Please, something, anything.

She glanced at Willow. “We’ll be here for you, Willow,” she murmured– her eyes falling again shyly, and she knew it wasn’t enough and she knew that Willow might not even believe her.

At least she had better friends now. Friends who had never hurt her. Friends she deserved.

WILLOW

Willow had honestly expected the worst from Hunter and Darius. It wasn't anything they had done wrong, it was just... they were from the Isles, just like her and Amity.

When she'd told Amity, the discovery had been fresh and she'd been desperate to tell someone, anyone, who might understand her confusion and her fear. Fairies were pests on the Boiling Isles, and the ones who did try to survive on the Titan were much different than fairies like Flower or any of the others Willow had met. The librarian from Hexside had been a fairy and she was terrifying, crueler than several of the teachers.

(Willow wondered now if that's what she would have turned into if she'd stayed in Bonesborough. Bitter and vicious and mean. Deeply and desperately alone.)

Willow had regretted telling Amity almost the moment the words had left her mouth, but Amity had stepped up and reacted... well, as well as she could have considering how awkward things had been between them then (and still kind of now). It had turned out okay. Now...

Hunter told her she didn't need to apologize. That her magic was special.

Darius had agreed, and treated it like she'd just chosen a new specialty that she could perfect. Not a lost cause at all, just a -- forgive the pun -- late-bloomer.

Amity promised to stay.

And Willow let out a relieved breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and smiled. It was small, and her face was blotched with ruddy color from crying so hard, but it was genuine. The plants in the room, few as they were, brightened as Willow took a deep breath and felt the pressure wash away. They sung to her, wordless and gentle, and she let it fill her up.

She'd been caught at the end of her free-fall, and now she could sink into the arms that had caught her.

"Thank you," she said earnestly, voice wet and rough. She sniffed, reaching for some of the napkins Tony had brought over and wiped her face off before she delicately blew her nose. It didn't help much, but she felt a little less gross.

Okay, she still felt like she'd had a significant amount of blood drained from her by an evil sentient plant, followed by an absolutely exhausting emotional gambit, but like, her nose wasn't snotty any more.

The napkin got tucked into the pocket of her borrowed hoodie and Willow looked over the spread of food Tony had made and actually saw it for the first time. It looked amazing, and she was starving. She rested her hand on Tony's and gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she said again, meaning more than a few things. While she reached for a small bowl of food, her tail wrapped around the glass that held Amity's dose of potion and held it up to her. "You need to drink too," she said softly, rubbing a hand over Amity's knee before passing the other glass to Eilonwy.

"If you think Tony's sad eyes are bad, I just cried mine out so they're really effective," she tried to joke, but her voice was still strained and wet so it probably didn't work. Willow nodded to herself when she saw most of Hunter's dose gone, giving him a soft, gracious smile before passing the bowl in her hands to him and grabbing another one for herself.

EILONWY

Hunter and Amity's support was something Eilonwy had never doubted because she trusted in them after everything they'd gone through. Darius...surprised her a little bit more. She wouldn't soften her stance on him for awhile longer, but it was enough to make her a little bit less defensive of his presence.

The joke did make her chuckle and she gave Willow one last squeeze before unwrapping her arm so she could take the glass. Finally, she drank the potion, feeling the way it trickled down her throat and along her veins to continue the work of patching her together.

It would still be a long time before her ribs stopped aching. The potion helped.

She glanced over at Edward, giving him a small smile to try and communicate that it was okay for him to relax and come closer. Ian wasn't far, and she knew he would be by Tony so they would be fine. The rest of her friends were here with her.

She could live with that.

Quietly, she began to dig into the food in front of her.

TONY

Tony’s shoulders relaxed a hair as the others piped in. Willow needed that, needed the support, and Tony needed to see the light enter her eyes again. There were people that Tony had known for longer, of course, but the little time that their paths had crossed was all he needed to know that Willow was one of those people who would leave a lasting mark on him.

Now that the curse was broken he hoped he could return the favor.

“If you don’t like the food I need you all to pretend you do,” Tony joked. “I may have gotten off scot-free but a wound to my pride I don’t think I could survive.” He turned his head to wink at Ian and smirk at Eilonwy as he caught her eye as well.

“You all need to get better, dammit, because this is gonna be a killer goddamn story someday.” Levity thy name, tonight, was Tony Rydinger. At least now that the danger had passed and Willow seemed to be accepting she might be on the mend. The road wouldn’t be smooth, no, but it would be long.

IAN & EDWARD

Edward moved near enough to offer Willow a smile, there was very little left unsaid so he didn't have much to offer other than his presence, and he wasn't straying, but he did relax once it was clear everyone else was beginning to settle, there, together.

He of course was sound enough on his feet to tend to whatever was needed to let them relax, and that was what he intended to do.

"Tony is quite right," Edward mused, and it would, once the long night was behind them. Hopefully a story to look back on as a catalyst.

Ian turned his attention to quietly texting his mom, gathering a blanket or two for once fatigue set in to gnaw at everyone, casting a glance towards Darius and Winston in passing. "You should sit down too if you're staying," he suggested evenly; the weariness and sharp emotions needed time to lull.��

"If anyone needs anything else I think we can handle it between the three of us," Ian gave a nod to Edward and Tony and another encouraging smile to the battle-worn cluster on the couch; a moment to catch their breath was probably the best thing he could offer to help at that point.

AMITY

The Blights used to have family dinners. But they were conducted like business meetings. Everyone sat and before you could eat, you had to report about your day. You had to share the good and the bad. Odalia liked to interrogate you too, if she felt that she had to– question after the twins about why they weren’t getting better marks in class– bother Amity about exactly how long she was spending in the labs, or what social events she was getting invited to. There had always been something to criticize. Either she wasn’t putting in enough effort to network with other important families, or she wasn’t spending enough time assisting her teachers, or practicing for grudgby, or in the labs, or the studio–

Dinners were exhausting. And this strange little affair was nothing like them.

Even though they were all tired, even though Willow was still sniffling, the atmosphere was warm. Amity didn’t even eat at first, mostly because she was distracted, her eyes flickering from person to person as she peered at their reagents. They smiled and those smiles brought new colors to life. Eilonwy’s hope and comfort glowed like embers. Tony’s words had texture– fuzzy and soft. Like a soft animal that curled up on your lap.

Amity didn’t even want to eat, honestly. She would be fine watching, and wondering if this was how it always was when Tony, Ian, and Eilonwy got together to eat. Like a real family.

She ducked her head though when she thought she saw Darius looking at her, and she didn’t want to be scolded for not eating. So she just ate quietly, having nothing else to add. But she was happy to be there, even if it was a happiness that she kept all to herself.

HUNTER

Hunter hadn't realized how hungry he was till he started eating. He needed to pace himself, but it felt like there was a ravenous black hole in the pit of his stomach. It was also then he realized how tired he was. The health potion must've hit, surging over the adrenaline rush and calming his frayed nerves. All he wanted to do now was close his eyes and rest his head on Eilonwy's shoulder.

He did not do that of course. Because there were two other people on the couch, though the idea of just resting and having all that warmth and weight around him was tantalizing almost. But he did sigh, leaning back and letting his always perfect posture slack for just a second.

"Thank you," he said, holding up the bowl in acknowledgement. "This is... nice."

DARIUS

As everyone began to eat and turn their attention away from him, Darius began to relax. But just as quickly, a shiver of awkwardness traveled up his spine as he realized he didn't know what to do with himself. He wasn't much interested in the food--he'd already eaten and simply did not desire mundus food--but he also didn't want to just sit down. Despite the boy's (whose house this was?) insistence, he was fairly sure he would not be able to just make himself comfortable. It was becoming obvious, from his unscathed body and his extravagant outfit, that he had not truly been a part of this experience. That he didn't belong.

Not that he needed to, but it did make his remaining presence a bit strange. With all eyes off him and the danger passed, he slipped away into the kitchen to give everyone their much needed space.

WILLOW

Willow still grieved.

Silently. She grieved the hybrid, whose only crime was loving too much. She grieved all the plants that had died in the greenhouse, burnt to ash with the scorching intensity of her magic.

Most of all, Willow grieved herself.

She grieved for the little girl alone in the back of the class with a useless wand, tears gathering silently in her eyes. She grieved for the teenager pressing herself as close to the wall as possible as the boiling rain came down, crying through each stinging touch against her back or calves. She grieved for the woman too scared to go out into the market on her own, frightened at the thought of being out in the world as such an obvious easy target.

She shouldn’t have had to live through all of that for Willow to be where she was now, but she had. Willow had survived it all to end up on this couch, surrounded by friends.

And now that scared, helpless little girl was no more.

‘Thank you for making it this far,’ Willow thought as the conversation went on around her. The familiar feeling of her Papa’s healing potion kicking in and picking up where Darius’s abomination clay left off lulled her into a sort of half-sleep, and Willow curled up against Amity’s side as soon as her bowl of food was done. Her awareness drifted in and out as the night went on, and soon the room was quiet. Willow could hear a distant conversation happening in the kitchen and someone had draped a blanket over her. Amity had curled around her back protectively, one arm around her waist, and Eilonwy had ended up draped over her front with one hand out towards Edward curled up next to the couch. Hunter had slumped over so his head was resting on Eilonwy’s shoulders and Willow had managed to throw her legs over Eilonwy’s lap and shove her cold toes under Hunter’s thigh. Tony and Ian were on the nearby couch, tangled together, with their two dogs splayed out on the floor between them all.

For the first time in almost six years, the idea of falling asleep surrounded by so many people didn’t terrify her into restlessness. She felt safe and sleepy, instead. Willow nuzzled into Amity’s shoulder, a small smile on her lips, and stroked some of Eilonwy’s blonde hair back from where it was tickling her nose.

Surrounded by her friends, Willow fell asleep, and in the morning, the house was surrounded by vibrant fall blooms, and not one of them could speak.

#willow shop of horrors #c. eilonwy llyr #c. tony rydinger #c. edward andalasia #c. amity blight #c. hunter belos #c. ian lightfoot #c. winston deavor #c. darius daemonne #p. sunflower #p. perennial #p. flowercrown #p. plight #p. daylily #p. lavender #p. winlow

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