#reada angst

[whispers-toarhapsody]

tag dump

[therivergirl]

Conversations at the CATS Hideout, Chapter 3

Eda and Raine talk. Reada angst. Reada fluff, Reada banter. Just Reada. There. That's the summary.

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Part one: link

Part two: link

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Raine led Eda to the two titan bones that served as support beans of the hideout's terrace. The two perched on them in silence, Raine sipping their cocoa, having developed a strong dislike for tea, thanks to Terra Snapdragon while Eda sipped on her coffee. They observed the sunrise, knowing that soon, they would have to start planning their strategy for taking down Belos.

"You know, this has a pretty nice view for a secret hideout," Eda said, "Are you sure we are safe here, though?"

"Don't worry, while that house is the only one in use, Darius owns three more houses surrounding it. No nosy neighbours here."

"Seriously? Pretty boy owns this space? I mean it has its charm but I can't see him buying it,"

"That's why we went for it. He bought it under a pseudonym, and nobody would expect that he is the actual owner. He hates it, but Eber, the kids and I like it enough."

"Well, it's not the Owl house but, it will do," she sighed, taking a bite of her food, "Oh my, Luz is not losing her touch!"

"These are amazing, " Raine agreed, "though I should've taken some of that Darius' jam, it would make them even better. Anyways, are you holding up ok?" they asked sympathetically.

"I'll...I'll be fine," she sighed. "The Owl House...I would love to say it's just a building, it would make things easier, but it's been my home for over a decade. It's been my sanctuary, a safe space, and not just for me. I raised King there, I took in Luz there. I miss those old walls and, titan, I have to admit I miss all of my stuff. But hey, my sister is safe, my house demon is safe, my kids are safe and," she looked them in the eyes, "unrelated to the house, but you are safe. That's what matters the most."

"Eda.."

"You do! Titan, Raine, when I saw you at the parade...

"Eda, about that..." they looked at her desperately.

"Yeah, about the that! What the actual hell, Raine?" she asked, flaring up.

"I was just..." they tried saying, but trailed off, looking away. It was horrible to see the hurt in Eda's eyes.

"You were just what?" Eda asked, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes, "Why did you pretend you didn't remember me? Do you know how much it hurt to see you there, seemingly barely recognizing me? Do you know how much it hurt to believe that I have lost you, but for real, forever this time? To think that someone has hurt you, that someone has messed with your mind?"

"I was trying to keep you safe!" Raine shot back.

"Raine, I'm a wild witch, I've been the most wanted criminal on the isles for decades and I managed to stay free, me just living is not safe! I could have helped! I know I'm powerless and helpless now but I can-"

"For titan's sake Eda, I'd never question your capabilities, magic or no magic! You are far from helpless, I saw what you can do back during the fight against Darius, and I'd be a right idiot to call your expertise in question after that! And that was before that," they pointed to her wings, "was a thing! Do you think it was easy to keep this from you? It hurt me too, but I was trying to keep you from being hurt more!"

"Well, congratulations Raine, you failed! I was hurt right back! You hurt me faking your own brainwashing! Great plan, Whispers!" Raine visibly flinched and Eda lowered her voice by a bit, "Dang it, sorry, that was harsh. But it...it did hurt. Do you know how much it hurts to believe that one of the people that matters the most to you in the world is gone?"

"I do! I almost watched it happen in the crystal orb!" Raine shot back, shouting as well, tears spilling from their eyes.

"What? Who-" Eda sounded taken aback.

"You," they smiled sadly, wiping the tears away, "Your...your petrification Eda...I, even after all that time," they looked at her for a moment, "you were important to me. To watch you almost turn to stone then..." Rain closed their eyes, shaking their head, unable to finish.

"Raine..." Eda said softly, her anger lessened. She almost forgot that her pertification was not only a public but a broadcasted thing. She imagined what it must've been like for them, seeing her for the first time in years, in the crystal orb, for the first time seeing her cursed form, and then the petrification...

"I'm sorry. I know, I know I messed up," Raine, their voice low and regretful, snapped her from her thoughts, "I made a bad call. But keeping you safe was all I wanted. And then it turned into trying to keep those two kids of yours as well. You claimed they are not yours yours, but I saw how much they matter to you. I hurt you, I know, I saw it at the parade, I see it now. I'm sorry. You have every right to be mad," they said and, ironically, those words made Eda's anger completely deflate, "but I am sorry. If you can ever forgive me-"

"Hey, of course, I forgive you!" she put a hand on their shoulder, meaning every word fully.

"Eda..."

"Oh come on, you know I don't hold grudges!" she smiled tearfully, "Ok, that was a bald-faced lie if I ever said one, and I said plenty of lies in my life. But I only hold petty, stupid grudges. I get it. I'm sorry I snapped, and I'm sorry you went through all that, I know how much of a pain it is to try to keep someone safe that way. I just tried to do the same with Luz and, well, you saw the results. Titan, I'm a hypocrite!"

"Well, I'd do the same thing for Derwin, Katya and Amber were I in your spot," Raine smiled.

"And I'd probably do the same if I was in yours," she snorted. "Though I have no idea how you managed to do it? Let Darius say whatever he wants about your acting abilities, you tricked me, that is for sure!"

Raine scratched their neck guiltily. It was a compliment and a reprimand at the same time, "You guessed I still cared for you," they said quietly.

"Yeah, but in a they still remember the good old days and care about me as an old friend not in a they are actually secretly still a rebel way! And it's only because I know you as well as I do!"

"Well, I guess years of pretending I'm not dying of stage fright finally paid off!"

"Which is weird, because that is one area where your acting skills still fail you!"

"Eda!" they cried indignantly.

"Hey, I say it as I see it. But how did you manage to trick the Bitchdragon," they frowned at the insult, "What? Kids are not around, I can curse. Also, between everything they saw, teaching them curse words might actually be helpful, they could let off some steam. On a serious note, how'd you do it?"

"Do you remember my old juice trick?"

"How could I forget? No way! That worked? Wow!" she slapped them on the shoulder, impressed, "You are a genius, you know that?"

"I know I can be pretty brilliant," they said confidently. That is one thing Eda always liked about them, for all their shyness and stage fright, Raine never doubted their skills. "I've played her," they paused, "like a fiddle from minute one."

Eda snorted at laughed at the cheesy pun, "Man, I want to see her face once the truth comes out!"

"I knew you would appreciate the joke, Darius doesn't. Puns are unrefined humour he says," Raine rolled their eyes.

"Cape-boy would not recognize humour if it bit him in the nose," Eda commented. "But, I guess I have to be grateful that whole fight was an act. Do you know how much I wanted to punch him in the face after he captured you? He was lucky I was unable to do this," she transformed one of her arms into a claw, "back then."

"Whoa," Raine stared at here in awe, "so, that is new, huh? Also, yeah, it's a good thing we did not inadvertently murder our allies..."

"Yeah, this is new," she moved her wings. "It's a good new."

"Could you, could I see your full other form again?" they asked, blushing immediately, "I mean if it's a personal thing, or something you don't want to do, I don't need to pressure but, you looked...amazing and-"

"Calm down, Rainstorm," Eda laughed, "It's not some taboo ask . Come on, I used it to threaten Darius about not criticising Luz's pancakes. Of course you can see it," she said, transforming.

"Huh, what do you think?" she asked, standing up and Raine didn't even try to hide that they were staring up at her. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Wow!" they took her all in, suddenly feeling very warm, "You look, titan Eda, you look fantastic! I mean, that is ok to say, right?"

"Of course it is!" she said, sitting back next to them, not bothering to turn back, "Do you think I would be showing it off like this is it wasn't?"

"How? I mean, the last time, well the last time the thing I knew is that i caused your magic to disappear and....messed with it. But before..."

"Before I would not speak a word of it because I was scared and ruined things between us," Eda said bluntly. "It was a taboo topic back then and that was a problem."

"Calamity..." Raine reached for her, gently placing their hand on her shoulder.

Eda smiled ruefully, "It's the truth. I was talking to you about facing your fears while I was the coward. I'm sorry, I should've been honest before."

"It's ok, it's been years since. And maybe I should've-"

"No, Rainstorm," she said firmly, "this one was on me. You know, facing that is one of the things that led to me being able to cope with the curse which in turn led to this," she gestured to herself.

"Really?"

"Yes, what was it, facing your fears and all that. Well, the owl beast was one of my fears. I know it's not a fond memory but if you saw my petrification ceremony, you saw my beast form before. And I was conscious at that moment, I was transformed but in control. That was not always the case. And the transformations...those sucked, titan they sucked,"

"I can only imagine," they said, "I mean, I can't, but, you get my point."

"But then, thanks to a Hooty being an intrusive but helpful little shit, I ingested sleeping nettles, faced the bastard and, well, turned out they are not that much of a bastard after all."

"They..." Raine looked at her, confused, "wait, the curse... it's...conscious?"

"Yeah, kind of. It's weird to explain, but the owl beast and I are tied for life. And they are not particularly fond of being stuck with me either, but we're making it work. I even got used to the taste of voles!"

"Wait, what?"

"It's part of the deal," she shrugged and Raine decided that they were fine not knowing all the details for now. "But yeah, I can transform, mostly, at will now. It still sometimes flares up when I'm really nervous or upset but, hell, I had two days that were an emotional rollercoaster with only a marginally more elixir than usual and I'm fine. Stuck with wings, though that might just be because I've had them out for a while. But that is fine. I've been dealing with the curse most of my life ever since Lilith...oh dang, you don't know!"

"Know what?"

"Well, Lily is the one...responsible for this," she said as if it's the simplest thing in the world.

"WHAT?" Raine looked towards the house, seemingly read to fight.

"Hey, calm down, Rainstorm, we cleared things out. After we escaped Belos, she shared the curse with me which is why I'm fine now. We still have ways to go but, we're working on it. Despite everything, she is my sister. Also, come on, I have a perfect way to get away with anything. Who needs to do the dishes? Well, Lily, seeing as you cursed me I think you owe me..." she joked, and Raine stared at her incredulously. "Oh dang, was that...too much information."

"It's a...shock. You two seemed to be in such a good place it's a strange thought she...are you really ok?"

"The two of us are fine, don't go fighting my sister, ok. I can do that perfectly well myself if I need to."

"Of course, you can. And if you're fine with it I'll try to be as well," they nodded even if they now felt slightly unsure about Lilith. But, not only did Eda fine with Lilith being around but so did her kids. And if Raine notices one thing about those two, it was that they were even more protective of Eda than Raine was. If Lilith was causing trouble, they knew Luz would be the first on her tail.

"But, honestly," Eda continued, "the kids are those who helped the most. I was not fully honest with them at first. But when they learned, they did not try to run, they didn't shun me, didn't treat me like I'm some fragile thing that needs saving or like the curse is something to rip out or anything like that. They just...took me as I am. Curse and all."

"And why would anyone do any different," Raine said, and suddenly, Eda realized they sat very close to her.

"I should have known you would be accepting too," she said sadly, "I'm sorry I-"

"Hey," they took her hand, and Eda felt her face flush, "it's ok. You were not ready then, I can't fault you for that. I'm glad you are now. Thanks for telling me."

Eda leaned a bit closer and so did Raine, she could feel their breath on her skin, and almost close the distance between them, their lips almost touching.

And then Raine pulled away.

Eda's eyes shot open, "Um, sorry, I shouldn't have! I-"

"Hey, hey," Raine squeezed her hand tighter, "It's ok. I would...I would've liked it. But not right now, with everything we have to plan. Especially with you looking like that, " they blushed deeper, "I'm not sure I'd stay fully functional and we need to, you know..."

Eda smiled lopsidedly, flattered, "Yeah, we need our heads in the game."

"But, once this is all over," Raine said, "I'm willing to give us another shot, we both changed and I think..."

"This time it would work out," Eda finished, knowing her eyes are once again filled with tears. "So, a second chance?"

"I can't think of anything I'd wish more for. Well, aside from conquering Belos," they admitted.

"Ah, Raine whispers, rebel first, romantic soul second. But it' same with me," She wiped a tear from their face and they pressed their cheek into her palm.

"Dang it, look at us, two old saps, aren't we?" she said, pulling away, but their shoulders were still touching.

"Hey, come on, we're not that old," Raine elbowed her slightly.

"My back disagrees! But we're two hot, smart, rebelling old saps. Coven heads, rebellion leaders..."

"Eda, you are not a coven head..."

"How dare you," she feigned offence, "I'm the head of the Bad Girl Coven! The best coven there is!"

They laughed and leaned on her. The pair sat like that for a few minutes watching the sunrise in comfortable silence.

"Raine," Eda said suddenly, her tone serious.

"What is it,"

"Can I ask you for something? Not a favour but...a request. It's more than that, really."

"Eda, you can ask for whatever."

She shifted so she was facing them, stared them intensely in the eyes, "You'll probably hate this but, when the fight starts, when we're up against Belos and those poor bastards that are still loyal to him, I need you to-" her voice broke and she took a deep breath, "If it comes to saving me vs Luz or King and if I can't get to them, I need you to promise me that you will save them. Please. I won't say I don't care what happens to me, I have so much to live for now, but if it's their lives on the line, I need to know they have you in their corner."

Raine stared up at her, wide-eyed, not saying anything for a few moments.

"Raine, please!" tears fell from her eyes, "Look, I'm fine with letting them join but only if I know that if it comes to it, their lives come first. I know it's a lot, but-"

She was cut off by a hug, "Yes," Raine said, "I will...I will make sure they are safe. For you. Fot them," they paused for a moment, "But only if you promise the same to me. If it's between me or my BATS..."

"I'm saving those three rascal's butts first," Eda nodded even as it broke her heart. "Ok. It's a deal."

"Those three...they were just fellow rebels at first but then..." They let go of Eda, wiping tears from under their glasses, "They are all at least 20 years younger than me They are like family. And Derwin is the only one who has some connection to his family, Katya, well, hers doesn't want to see her after she got stuck in conformatorium and Amber...we don't know where exactly she comes from. She is only a few years older than Luz and it seems like she is all alone in the world."

"It's a promise then, Rainstorm. we keep each other kids safe. she felt them nodding and pressed a kiss to their hair. "Is that ok?" she asked as they pulled slightly from a hug, only to stretch and place a peck on her cheek.

"There, we're even now," they said. "Oh, we really are old saps."

"Told you! And we're collecting kids like Pokemon,"

Rain looke at her, confused.

"It's a human metaphor which I still don't get, but I picked it up from Luz," she said making them laugh.

They leaned against her so their back was against her chest and she threw her wing around them, making them blush. This gave her an idea.

"Say, Rainstorm, how are you at holding your breath?"

"You know I'm good? Why? What do you want us to go steal?"

"Hey, I'm more than just a thief!" She swatted them playfully, "Now, two more questions! One, do you trust me? And two, Are you afraid of heights?"

"Yes and no," Raine answered, wondering where Eda was going with this.

"Ok," shs saind and scooped them up, "Hold you breath and hold on, we're going up."

"Oh titan," Raine said, throwing their arms around Eda's neck, their voice tight with excitement.

"Ready?"

"Mh-mmm!"

"Ok, deep breath, and let's go!" the two took deep breaths as she tapped a glyph she held in her right hand. As the disappeared, she soared into the sky. It was a strange feeling, flying invisible, and she felt Raine cling to her tighter. She flew through the rays of the first-morning sun, out of the bounds of Darius' estate. The area was deserted, with woods surrounding it, and low clouds engulfing the treetops.

She flew into a cloud and let out a breath for a moment, followed by Raine, they looked into each other's eyes.

"My pocket, I have more glyphs. Just tap it to activate it before we're spotted."

"Ok." they breathed and did as told. The feeling of flying was something special. It was different from flying on the staff. Being invisible while in the air was slightly unnerving, and disorientating. But they were Eda's arms and, invisible or not, those arms made them feel safe.

She landed in front of the house and the two started breathing again before she set them down. They looked at each other, both breathing heavily, Eda especially, but they felt good.

"That was...whoa, that was amazing! Exhilarating!" Raine said, their hir frazzled and their face flushed. "I won't say this around Owlbert, but it's almost better than flying on staff!"

"Well, I'd hope you'd like me carrying you around over my palisman," Eda winked, "Now, let's rejoin the others before they send a search party for us."

They walked back to the house and saw Darius waiting for them on the fence.

"Ah, there you are, we were about to go look for you!" he scowled, "Wait, why do you look like," he looked between Eda's wings and Raine's windswept hair, "Have you two been flying? Of all the idiotic..."

"Hey, hey, calm down pretty-boy, you'll get wrinkles of all you worry, like these!" Eda pointed out her own, "We used invisibility spells, like this!" she demonstrated the use of a glyph. "But it's nice to know you care," she patted him on the shoulder.

"O, right, glyphs..."

"Yeah, glyphs! Told you yesterday, I know how to stay away from authorities. And glyphs just make it even easier..."

The door of the house opened, "...those two probably just went for a walk, they couldn't have gotten far," Lilith came to the balcony, followed by Luz, King and the BATS trio "Oh, there you are!"

"Eda!" Luz and King ran out, following her!

"Hi, mommy Eda!" Amber waved.

"Hey, kids, sorry, didn't want to worry you!"

"Nah, we knew you probably just went somewhere private to talk but it took a while..." Luz said.

"Yeah, we had a lot to discuss," Eda smiled, "But now we got our personal baggage out of the way," she nudged Raine who was side-eying Lilith, "let's go and deal with Belos Baggage!"

The group walked into the house, with Eda lingering behind, Raine waiting for her.

"You coming?"

"I'm just savouring the moment, give me a sec," she said, breathing the morning air in. "Yeah, yeah, I can smell those mice, I'll go get a few later. You know I always keep my side of the deal," she said to someone. With another deep breath, she turned into her regular, whitch form, though the wings were present. "Ugh, drat, You two won't go away without this, huh?" she pulled out a bottle of alixir. "Well, cheers!" she said, drinking it all in one long swig.

the wings disapeared and Eda turned to Raine who almost seemed disappointed.

"What, miss my cooler form already?"

"Oh, you're cool this way too,"

"I know, but the harpy form is cooler! So, still like me, even if I eat mice?"

"Always," they said.

"Yey, lovebirds," Darius called them, "Are you two going to stand there all morning and gaze into each other's eyes, or are you planning on coming to join planing to stop The Day of Unity?"

"All right, all right," Raine laughed, "We're coming!"

"Partypooper," Eda frowned.

"Just. Like. Hexide," Darius said as he walked into the house.

"He is right, we should..."

"I know, I know! Rebellion to plan, palismans to carve, but, hey, We're Rainstorm and Calamity, Cats and Bad Girl Coven!"

Raine smiled back, "If anyone can do it, it's us!"

[magidragon12]

"Just tell them, let them help!"

"Stop pushing them away!"

"Go home. Maybe travel for a bit. Just don't contact me again."