Arcana's Path Ch. 04

It was also the first time she'd managed to not get knocked around by overweight and sweating fans. Kitty wasn't doing anything but standing there with a bored look on her face and crossed arms, but somehow it was enough to create a portal of empty space all around them.

Which left her all the space to shamelessly imitate every move that Ardet-lili was making on her stage.

Technically speaking, it was culturally inappropriate to dance along. It wasn't the way that things were done here. However, Arcana didn't really care at all.

Ardet-lili's concerts never lasted long, either. Mostly because she never bothered to get a permit for them, or follow any of the rules or laws of a place. Especially if that was culturally expected of her.

Thus, she was going to enjoy the hell out of herself before the police turned up to shut it down.

Even if it meant Kitty was standing there thinking how lame her new girlfriend was.

Arcana faltered, glancing sheepishly at her.

The woman rolled her eyes, "Don't stop on my account, nerd. Ya promised to make it up to me later. Just means I'm a-goin' ta get less sleep."

She grinned sheepishly at the thought of it, and tried to get back into the rhythm again. Ardet-lili's voice wasn't just decent for an idol, it was magically bewitching. Side-effect from being one of the most powerful sex magic witches in the world.

Made it easy to lose yourself in the beat.

Kitty might have a cruel way of saying things, a way of never quite saying what she meant, but she was incredibly sweet hearted. She didn't lie and pretend to be enjoying herself, but she wasn't discouraging Arcana from having a ball.

Arcana had not a clue what she had done to deserve this kind of loyalty from the woman, but she adored it. When she didn't stop and wonder why it was happening.

Ardet-lili froze up, mid-lyric, and stumbled.

Arcana looked around frantically, and saw what the woman had seen, and cursed, grabbing Kitty's hand, "We need to leave. Right now."

"Eh?"

"Too late, kittens."

The crowd was tossed back in all directions as Raz appeared with a flash of smoke and wind, ever the showman. He pointed a finger and Kitty stared at him, "Aw, hell."

"Kneel!" Rasputin yelled.

Arcana's eyes watered as she failed to resist the spell, hitting the ground solidly, as did the entire crowd. Everyone except Kitty who looked down at her in surprise, "Eh... What you doin'?"

"Not on purpose!" She hissed and stared, "How did you not feel that?"

The wizard strode over and grabbed Kitty roughly by the chin, looking at her eyes, "I said... Kneel."

Kitty's knee slammed into his balls with a violence that made even Arcana stare in horror.

The wizard folded up and his spell holding the crowd dissipated. Arcana stumbled upright woozily as everyone began to scatter again, screaming and running and not understanding what had just happened.

The punk put her foot lightly on Raz's chest, rolling him onto his back before leaning down on her knee, "You know, you're a right dickhole. Last time ya got shat out by a dragon. This time, it's me. I'm not the nice one."

Arcana flinched as Kitty laid in the first punch. She couldn't watch beyond that. She hadn't expected it, hadn't wanted it. She didn't know how to tell her girlfriend to leave him be.

She was so far beyond disturbed.

She didn't dare to watch as she heard the awful sound. Felt the spray from the blows hit her.

It didn't help that she knew that Rasputin was immortal and would be fine by the next morning. It should have helped, but it didn't.

All she wanted to do was throw up.

Kitty let out a tired groan, sort of satisfied and sort of just exhausted. "Well. That's out of my system. You going to stop pretendin', now? Dickhole?"

Arcana looked over at her girlfriend, trying not to burst into tears. She saw the bloodied knuckles, the red spatter on her clothes, and... And a block of wood lying on the ground. "What...?"

The woman cracked her hands painfully, and shrugged, "Bastard took off the moment I hit him in the crotch. Ya didn't notice the magic?"

She looked down and poked the piece of wood gently, and looked up at Kitty. "When did you realise? Exactly?"

"Faces don't feel like a fence."

Arcana cocked her head, "Then why did you keep... You were..."

"I was annoyed."

She cringed, "You were scary."

"I didn't feed a living person to a dragon."

She blinked and cocked her head, "I... Scared you? When I did that?"

"You fed a person to a dragon! My dad never even fed people to dogs. He threatened it, but he never went that far. I know you weren't going to kill him but... Yeah, you freaked me out." Kitty flicked her hair.

Arcana shrugged sheepishly, "So... We've both done things. Um... That doesn't really..."

"Make anyone feel better." Kitty agreed and re-clenched one of her fists briefly, "This stings. Any idea where your asshole of an ex is? Or why I felt absolutely notin' when he made a whole crowd kneel? 'Cause that was whack."

She smiled at her, "Oh, that's simple. He made everyone kneel by bending their will. I forgot. Yours doesn't. Still not sure if that's weird, creepy, or sexy."

"A-ha." Kitty said disbelievingly.

Arcana smiled at her and brushed her cheek, "Any way, after seeing that for the second time, Raz is probably off sulking somewhere. Planning to skin you alive or something similarly bitchy. So... I wanna run away?"

"Lilith was supposed to do sometin', weren't she?"

She sighed, "I doubt she got what she needed from the concert. Things were just getting going when Raz interrupted. Unsurprisingly, she took off the moment she saw him. But... Getting home seems like a great idea. I've hexed the crap out of the apartment just for Raz. He can't break in."

Kitty shrugged, "Came with the army or whatever. They goin' ta send us back? Or kidnap us?"

"Not until they're ready to move Marduk back to China." Arcana sighed and winced as she had an idea. "So... How you handling all the weird magic stuff?"

"I am not taking another ability whatever. It was a fun idea. Just... No."

Arcana shrugged sheepishly, "I wasn't... Um... I'm going to freak you out. So... This world... Isn't exactly the only world?"

"Figured. Demons have to come crawlin' in from somewhere, right?"

"Actually demons come from our world. We make them with all our own selfish desires..." Arcana explained, "But never mind about that. So, there's another place, where... Faeries hang out? Um... We can take it as a shortcut. Because I can't teleport that far, and even by dragon it'd be a two day trip."

Kitty crossed her arms, "Fairies."

"... Yes." She cringed, "Suppose faery tales makes you sort of not want to believe it... But uh... They're real. Not the tales. Faeries. I'm not pulling your leg. They're also scary as shit. They do things for fun, no other reason. No morality. Nothing to stop them at all."

Her girlfriend frowned, "Huh. Sounds kinda fun. Also like it's goin' be a total trip. How do we... Go to another world? Wow. Ya make me say the strangest shit."

Arcana took her hands in hers, and smiled at her, "Um... Try and keep your mind blank."

Then, she kissed her.

---

Kitty blinked away the stars, and found herself... Somewhere fucked up.

She didn't really have the words to describe wherever the hell she was now. It weren't Japan. That place had skyscrapers and houses with pointed roofs. This place had skyscraper-sized trees and houses that looked like magic mushrooms.

The ground wasn't paved or bitumen, either. It was mostly thorny vines that looked like it was about to slash the shit out of her ankles if she moved.

Arcana looked around, her face confused in a way that made Kitty feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"You're lost."

The woman shrugged sheepishly, "Sorta? I asked for them to open the doorway, but usually there's someone here to... Negotiate for passage. Like a toll."

Kitty looked down, "They pissed because I'm here? Because I'm normal?"

"Huh? Oh. Mundane. No, faeries like that." Arcana shook her head, "They really enjoy giving mundanes a taste of power and watching them go completely out of control. Like I said, no morals. The whole world is a game."

"Ah." Kitty nodded slowly and crouched, looking at the vines. "This is a game. Wonder what the rules are."

Arcana made a tired sigh like Kitty had completely missed the point of what she was saying. She probably just hadn't understood it, yet.

Kitty didn't know why they were being messed with, but she knew a game that was designed to hurt when she saw it. She'd seen her father put together too many. Been caught in too many.

"You don't got no pet dragons or whatever, do you?"

Arcana shook her head, "Dragons can't cross the wall into Otherworld. Why?"

"Fire." Kitty shrugged, looking carefully at the vines.

The woman frowned, "Oooh. You're mundane. They like playing with mundanes. The price for passage is solving this puzzle? You might get hurt. I don't like this."

"Not just this. Games come with more than one puzzle." Kitty stood up again and kissed her lightly, "Chill, Arcana. Do I look worried?"

"You didn't look worried after Raz literally pulped you."

She shrugged, "Jerks are jerks. This is sometin' else. We're supposed to be able to solve it. It ain't a proper torture unless there's a way out. Hope's a real bitch."

"Do I want to know how you know all this?"

Kitty shrugged and lied, "Ever seen a slasher film?"

"Don't do that. I like your honesty." Arcana said angrily, and pouted, "Eugh... Guess we have to play. This wasn't exactly the Otherworld I wanted to show you. They have fun stuff here, too."

She glared at Arcana, "Since when can you tell if I'm lyin'? You crawl inside me head or sometin'?"

"You suck when you lie to me." Arcana sneered and then shrugged sheepishly, "You... Look guilty."

Kitty smiled at her, "If it weren't all thorns, I'd have some fun wit' ya. Ah, well. Thorns, ankles. This some shit about makin' a sacrifice to go on a journey?"

The woman was too busy blushing to answer Kitty's suggestion. She didn't know how an Otherworld was supposed to work, but she sort of figured most things would be magic over here. Or someone was spying on them.

Either way, she just needed to make a symbol or something.

Kitty pricked her finger on a thorn, and let a single drop fall to the ground. Seemed movie-esque enough.

They were instantly surrounded by creepy laughter right out of one of those films. It was like a hundred kids running around in circles, laughing and giggling, unseen.

Arcana sighed heavily as the thorns pulled back, curling up into the ground. "Well. This was fun. Totally. Can we just go back to a normal way of bargaining for things?"

Kitty chuckled at her and took her hand, "The laughter. Is that just a way to creep us out? Or is that them?"

"Both?"

A boy with blue hair appeared in front of them with an audible pop of golden sparks. He looked like he might be a uni first-year. He giggled and then held up a hand and the laughter stopped. He gave a small bow, "We couldn't resist teasing her, seeing her. It has been entertaining, Miss Astria. Don't hold it against us."

"Irquinan." Arcana replied stiffly, "Meet, Kitty."

"We're well aware who she is, Daughter of the Magics." The boy replied with a giggle, "We do wonder though, if you really know who she is."

"Huh?" Kitty exploded angrily.

The boy held up a hand, "You don't want to threaten any of us here, little girl. We find you interesting, so you live. If we find you boring, you will die."

Arcana winced and begged forgiveness, "Kitty didn't mean anything by it. She doesn't know about faeries, or the way they stalk people in our world. Didn't know you existed at all."

Kitty crossed her arms.

The boy laughed softly, "She is interesting. Our kind have been fascinated by her since before she was born. We can allow her the occasional trespass."

Arcana breathed a sigh of relief, and squeezed her hand. Then she looked at the blue-haired boy, "What do the Fae ask for, in exchange for passage through your world?"

"You wish to go home." Irk-whatever stated, "This, we can allow. It is but a day's walk from here. We will guide you, through our paths. But we will want something for the invasion."

Kitty scratched her head, "Didn' she just say that?"

"This is the contract, little girl. Don't interrupt again, or I will claim your face as my own." The blue-haired boy said matter-of-factly. It was a weird way to phrase things and she felt like she didn't want to find out why he chose it.

"A price will be paid, a prize will be offered, and a game will be played." Arcana said slowly, as if quoting something. It almost sounded like a... Chant. Maybe they were doing magic.

The boy smiled coyly, "The price has yet to be paid. The prize has been given. The game is the life. You have no idea what is happening here, Daughter of the Magics. The price will be paid. You won't be happy when it is."

Arcana's face screwed up and Kitty looked at her, feeling uncomfortable. Waiting for her girlfriend to explain whatever the hell the kid had just said.

The freak turned to look at Kitty, "She is the Bride. She will pay the price."

"What the fuck?" Kitty burst out, unable to contain herself.

---

Rin was tempted to fall into the bath when Violet hugged her. She felt like maybe a shred of her life felt better having the annoying witch close at hand.

That maybe she could bear to see another sunrise.

All the same, she couldn't change the fact that what Violet wanted and what she wanted wasn't the same. If she gave herself to the witch that way, and wasn't genuine about it, they'd both just hate themselves. And then each other.

Instead she helped Violet clean herself, and true to the witch's word, she didn't find a single head wound. Maybe it was just a nosebleed. Yet... There was a way she'd said it that felt like Violet had been lying to her.

Then, she helped the witch into her own dressing gown, and they headed to the lounge. Violet snapped her fingers and made the fireplace appear again, before settling down. The woman leaned her head against the wall and seemed to lose herself, just staring at Rin.

She coughed nervously, "Creeper."

"You're beautiful. Just memorising you." Violet smiled without regret, "World would suck so much more without you in it."

Rin rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Now, what was this heavy conversation you couldn't have in the tub? Or are you planning to take off and hope I forget it?"

"I never want to leave. Just so you know." Violet teased, "Feel like there's room enough in your bed for two? This couch wouldn't be that comfortable to fall asleep in."

"Stop it." Rin glared.

The witch shrugged, "I'm more than happy to pamper you. But if you're going to threaten stupid things, like trying to run away, expect me to get all sappy."

"And you're avoiding the conversation." Rin glared, "Don't think you can sidestep things by making me embarrassed, Violet. I'm not running off to my bedroom this time. Why is the cute little thing so panicked by you?"

Violet sighed, "Damn it, Chelsea... Rin... I got hurt. When the accident happened. Like really badly, hurt. Had to re-learn how to walk, hurt."

She stared in surprise, "Wow. Well, she left that bit out."

"Because I didn't tell her." The witch replied, "Chelsea is a good kid, but she's also stupid. She... Doesn't understand things. She'd feel the need to try and fix me, and probably kill us all in the process. She can't control her magic, and she has enough to make most of us shit ourselves."

Rin shrugged, "I'm going to pretend I understand that it's scary. But she did seem like a sweet kid. What would she feel the need to fix?"

"Me." Violet winced, biting her lip and obviously struggling to find the words to say.

She reached out, taking Violet's hand and squeezing it reassuringly, "Some things can be tough to say. Has this got anything to do with why you decided to suddenly try and make me better?"

"Sorta." Violet croaked, "I... I... I don't have... Time. To fix everything. To make up for my mistakes. I just didn't want you to make the same ones I have. Not that you could. But... No time. Not anymore. It made me deeply irrational."

Rin shook her head, "Still not there, sorry. But take your... Time. I'm listening. Trying."

"I didn't feel like rules could hold me back anymore." The witch nearly whispered, "Like I didn't care if they applied or not. I could break them, and there was nothing anyone could do. Because they can't. I'm me, and I am the Big Bad Witch of everyone's nightmares. Fuck 'em all. I will make people smile, and be damned with the consequences to me."

She blinked, "That does not sound very Big Bad Witch, to me."

"Oh, I am. I know every curse in the book, Rin. Hell, I wrote half of them myself. They call me Violent because I fought a war for you and yours, Rin. I fought in it, and I fucked everyone else. I was a soldier once. No. Soldiers serve. They follow orders. I was just a butcher." The witch was crying openly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Rin felt her stomach turn, "There was a secret war?"

"Not that secret. Just had more sides to it than you'd expect." Violet winced, "Forget the war. That's not important. Just... I'm scary to my own. Things I've done that I can never forgive myself for. So I tried to make up for it. Became a teacher. Then a professor. Professor Waterhouse of Magical Conjuration."

"I am now picturing you in a frumpy jumper, and struggling not to laugh." Rin tried desperately to keep her face straight.

"Glasses, too." Violet giggled, and then went back to crying. "He died, Rin. He died, and I of all people lived. Life isn't fair. Media crucified me for surviving. He was a prince, and I was a weapon. He should have survived. I should have died in his place."

Rin winced, "That... Hurts. That you believe it."

"It gets worse." Violet took a deep breath, unable to look her in the eye, "I didn't actually survive."

Her stomach dropped, "I'm really being haunted?"

"No." Violet punched her lightly, but didn't look up. "I... I got hurt. Badly."

Rin stared at her as the horror dawned on her, "You're running out of time. No... Please... Violet... I don't want to hear this. Not now. Not right now! I need you. I need you to be my annoying little witch. I need you to be there when I wake up. Dragging me into the sunlight, kicking and screaming. Please..."

"Every moment." Violet said firmly, "I will drag you out of bed with pancakes and fireplaces. With pizza and movies. With every tea that I can scour from this earth. I swear I will take care of you, Rin. You're stuck with me."

It rang hollow.

Her hands cracked as she held onto the couch, physically stopping herself from sprinting to her bedroom and locking herself inside. All she wanted to do was cry and lock herself away.

Let the dark close in, and take the pain away.

"Rin... I know you never will... But I love you." Violet whispered through her tears, "I will always love you."

A tear ran down the side of her face slowly, as she tried to get control of her hyperventilating. She was feeling dizzy and like she'd been in a serious fight.

"This isn't fair." Rin managed, "Why you? Why can't the universe give me this one fucking thing? Why does every goddamn thing have to turn to shit the moment it gets good?"

Violet shrugged silently.

It wasn't fair, at all. Rin knew that right now the witch needed her to say something. They'd finally admitted what was wrong. The missing piece to the puzzle. They'd confessed their love openly.

Rin needed to say something, anything.

Instead, all she could do was think about herself. Think about how she couldn't watch the witch fade away. Couldn't get through a single day without her by her side.