Baxor turned around and sighed. "Rain, remeber what I said about sneaking up on people?" Rain looked at Baxtor with the same sad eyes.
"Sorry Dad…" They looked back Farah. "I'm Rain, its nice to meet you." Rain floated towards Baxtor. "Brooklyn and Yumi made cookies!" He egar wanted Baxtor to follow him to them into the kitchen, so Baxtor did. THe was a huge batch of shortbread cookies on the contour with a glass rose tea set displayed. Yumi and Brooklyn were still there, but with two more people. A pale skin shapeshifter in a somewhat human form with long brown to purple hair sipping tea with Yumi, and a short white hair girl in all black drinking Monster Energy with Brooklyn. Again, a homey vibe with a bunch of teens…well being teens. They have music playing, the kind where you disconnect from the world and just be.
Farah nodded a greeting. "Hello, Rain," she murmured, slowly growing accustomed to the new beings she was encountering. Brooklyn… That was the potion girl in her room from earlier. Finally, she heard a familiar name. "Who is Yumi?" she questioned, stepping into the kitchen and inhaling the scent readily. "It smells like Alfea's kitchen…"
"Well, since everyone is here. Farah these are my kids. Brooklyn, Yumi, Mukoro, Tiara, Rain, and… where is Isabella and Diamond?" Each child wave at their name being called. Brooklyn point up to the ceiling to show two girls, one with black hair and blonde strips and the other half black half blue, stuck on the ceiling upside down. They both looked nervously at Baxtor.
"Hola, tio…" Isabella said with a nervous smile, looking at Diamond for help. Baxtor smiled and chuckled.
"Not gonna ask, just get down before you get hurt."
"Hello," Farah greeted them all at once when Baxtor was introducing them. "These are all your children?" When Brooklyn pointed up, Farah's gaze followed, and her eyes widened. "Oh… hello girls," she greeted quietly, immediately taking a liking to their adventurousness. It reminded Farah of herself when she was younger – before she'd attended Alfea. "I can use my magic to help them down, if you like," she offered quietly.
"Oh no, Diamond can do it on her own." Like clockwork, Diamond took Isabella's hand ant flip themselves around and safely landed on the ground. Baxtor grabbed a cookie and offered one to Farah. "And they aren't my biological children, they're all runaways. We take in kids from terrible lives and they live carefree here, plus we help with their PTSD and trauma." Brooklyn smiled at Baxtor's words and hug Isabella. "Some decide to stay, others choose to move out. Speaking of, guys I'm heading to Hexa to see Emerisa. Be safe and stay out of trouble. That means you two." He looked dead straight at Isabella and Diamond. Diamond huffed and crossed her arms, Isabella snicker.
"Si Tio Baxtor, we'll stay out of trouble." Isabella smiled so innocently. Diamond rolled her eyes and agreed.
Farah listened curiously. Some of the things she'd experienced under Rosalind definitely have led to trauma and PSTD – not that Farah knew it or would acknowledge it. She'd been tricked by her ex-headmistress one too many times, and as she began to experience the happiness of the others while also knowing Saul was now here too, she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to leave anymore… It would be a conversation she had to have with her Specialist when she saw him, which from the way it sounded would be soon. "It was lovely to meet you all," she said kindly.
Baxtor grabbed his tote bag already pack, until he heard a creaking sound. He turned to see Isabella and Diamond gone along with a plate of cookies and an open vent on the ceiling. Tiara and Brooklyn start laughing and Baxtor looked up. "Get down here up two!" Tiara called down for a moment and sighed.
"I'll get 'em. Nice meeting you." They said as they ran past them to go upstairs. Brooklyn slid a small box towards Farah on the table along with a can of Monster. Inside was a spiked bracelet made of Monster cans in Black and Green with lace and chains. As a parting gift.
Farah watched them go with amusement, and she slowly took the gift. She laughed quietly and slipped the bracelet on her wrist with a "Thank you!" called to Brooklyn's back as she left.
With that, Farah turned to Baxtor with a determined expression. "Take me to Saul, please."
Baxtor nodded at lead them back to the cauldron room. The past moon water was back in the cauldron, but there was a opening inside showing an enchanted forest. Baxtor stepped up on the edge of the cauldron and went inside, landing feet first on the ground "Hop in!" He shouted at Farah as he stepped a few paces back to give her room to jump.
Farah's eyes widened at the sight and that Baxtor knew so easily what to do. She hadn't figured this would be his first time "hopping the cauldron" as Emerisa had stated it. She repeated Baxtor's movements and shrieked as she fell, using her magic to guide her down slowly so she landed on her feet as well.
They started walking down a path. Baxtor smiled at his wedding ring. "Nova would have love you, you know? They were always so in fairies even as witch." Baxtor starts blushing and twirls think of his husband. "They are such a gem in this world."
Farah smiled pleasantly at Baxtor's comments, considering with interest that Nova had been friends with Luna while also being a witch. Had Luna known? "I'm awfully sorry, and I don't mean to pry, but… has something happened to them? You seem to discuss them in the past tense very often…"
Baxtor sighed a fiddled with his ring. "Nova never came back from war… they are alive they just can't reach us here. I haven't heard from them in months, makes me think the worst." He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky with a soft smile. "We told them the risk, but they need to get revenge. They're stubborn, but their strong. Makes me think of…what was that song?" Baxtor chuckled and with another deep breath started to sing.
Oh, violence does call me, I've answered before
I've made many enemies, I've settled my scores
But I did grow weary and I settled down
And proudly bore the weight of my crown
Farah frowned apologetically and listened to his song with great interest. It sounded familiar, but she had no idea where she would've heard it before. "I'm sorry… hopefully they return one day. I'd love to meet them. Who exactly were they seeking revenge against, again if you don't mind me asking?"
A long paused occur, and then came the phrase"…I'd rather not talk about them." The word was said with both anger and fear. As if them was a horrible slur, as if saying their name could be worse than slaughtering an entire village. That's because to him it was. . Baxtor shook his head an contained singing his song.
I lived on my lonesome away in the far
Where there was no violence to trouble my heart
I'd hung up my sword, and I'd raised up my hoe
And I lied as I said that I never would go
After a moment, they arrived at a small village of witches, but not as one may think. The air was light and warm, not a drop of darkness. The sound on soft grass and a nearby water fall closing in, everyone was simply being. The laughter of children, as they dances with ribbons and wands. Some even greet Farah with a warm smile and waves, even some blood witches were so kind.
Farah dipped her head respectfully. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She strode along, listening appreciatively to his song. As they entered the village, Farah waved back at the children tentatively. She relaxed a bit seeing the warmness on their faces. They were only children after all. "Where did Emerisa say Saul was?"
Right on que, Emerisa was outside the med tent waving at the two. She greeted Baxtor with a hug and and Farah with a wave. "Go on in, he just woke up. We'll give you two some space. Bax, I need to talk to you about something." Emerisa and Baxtor walked to the side and as she said, Sal was resting in the tent on a cloud as a bed with warm food next to him on a night stand.
Farah spared a cordial wave for Emerisa before she bolted to Saul’s side and took his hand in hers. “Saul?” she asked softly.
The Specialist’s eyes flew open, and he pulled her down into a tight embrace. “Farah Dowling, don’t you ever scare me like that again, do you understand me?!” he demanded, his voice uncharacteristically shaky.
“Saul…” Farah whispered, clinging to him and inhaling his scent like it was a drug.
Baxtor and Emerisa came back after an hour to tell them the news. Baxtor walked in the tent to see the two, smiling at their reunion. "So you must be Saul?" Baxtor said with Emerisa walking on the side, leaning on the tent.
"How are you mate?" Emerisa asked for clarity. She wanted him to be fine simply for him to get the hell out, but did care for his well being in general.
"I am," Saul replied, sitting upright and addressing Baxtor's question before shifting to face Emerisa and answer hers. "I'm worlds better now that she's here."
Farah held his hand tightly. "As am I," she murmured, looking down at him lovingly. "Thank you for finding him."
"That's so cute, it's sickening." Baxtor pushed Emerisa, she chuckled. "What?! Aroace over here!" Baxtir sighed I stepped closer with a sad expression.
"Guys… I'm sorry to say this but…we can't get you home." Baxtor rubbed his arm in shame, before Emerisa cut back in.
"Someone closed up every whirlpool and portal to the Otherworld, not even a vision bubble to simply see what's going on is blocked. Someone has blocked of outside magic."
Saul chuckled and Farah blushed at Emerisa's first comment, but when Baxtor spoke, they both immediately deadpanned. "What?" the male asked, rising from the bed and slipping his arm around Farah's waist. "You're saying… you can't get us home because… someone doesn't want us home?"
Farah lifted her gaze and murmured quietly. "It very well may be Rosalind," she whispered.
Saul's expression hardened.
"We're doing what we can, but the barrier is strong as shit…. we already have 3 injured trying to break it." Emerisa said with pain in her voice. Baxtor held his hands together as the feeling of guilty snuck in him.
"I'm so sorry you two, I really am." Baxtor said sincerely. Within seconds, a young boy started running towards the tent.
"EMERISA!!" He pushed in the tent "Emerisa! A fairy…Cassandra…dead!…" within heavy breathes he explained a fairy came through and attack a witch.
Farah and Saul exchanged an immensely panicked expression. They were both thinking the exact same thing, and finally, Saul said it out loud: "Rosalind."
"I don't doubt it," Farah whispered back. "But how did she get here?"
"The same way we did?" Saul suggested.
Farah's eyes closed briefly, and she sighed heavily. When she opened her eyes, she knelt down to the boy's level and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry about your friend. Could you take us to her, please?"
He nodded and pull Emerisa's hand. The four run towards a small crowd to see a fairy, injured and threatening the near by folks, and a witch…lifeless on the ground. Rage filled Emerisa as she summoned her sword and order everyone away. "You are leaving here alive, you bastard." She said, sword high in the area. To anyone's surprise it was a not a Rosalind, but someone she sent off, gods know why.
