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halfawitch-willow · 2 months

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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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halfawitch-willow · 5 months

Text

Don't Feed The Plants ❁ WSoH Finale

Something dangerous has come to life behind the Garden Grove, and it's taken Willow captive. Her friends fight to save her, but will they get to her in time? After all, the hybrid needs to eat... Takes place Oct 31st 1 // What Do You Want From Me, Blood? 2 // Someone Tell Lady Luck I’m Stuck Here 3 // Long As You Don't Make A Habit Out Of It 4 // Does This Look Inanimate To You? 5 // Show A Little ‘nitiative, Work Up Some Guts Interlude // Most Innocent and Unlikely Of Places 6 // Make a Ship-Shape Showplace of Our Little Shop 7 // There's Only So Far You Can Bend @eilonwy-notjustgirl, @foreverydinger, @edward-andalasia, @blight-magic, @winndeavor, @thegcldenguard TW: blood, mild gore, injury, violence, thorns, neck trauma, hanging (not graphic but just in case), abusive dynamic with a plant, mentions past child abuse ((The finale!!! There's going to be a group epilogue down the line but for now, we've reached the conclusion! This was a huge undertaking and thank you so much to everyone who helped me bring this plot to life. You're the absolute best, I love you guys, and if I ever talk about doing a doc/thread w this many characters at once again, hit me lol))

WILLOW

Halloween was in full swing and Main Street was full of residents in costume, floating from party to party under the light of the moon. Music and revelry spilled out the door at Pixies, the bass pulsing down the whole street and flashing lights lighting up the street.

It was almost enough to obscure the way the Garden Grove seemed to be writhing.

There was a faint golden light coming through the windows at the front, and in that light shadows slithered and moved in the shop. The front door had been cracked at the knob with vines curling along the door frame. The lock was useless, now.

Most who passed just assumed the Grove was going for a Haunted House vibe for Halloween, but behind the Grove, in the smallest of three greenhouses, bigger shadows moved behind frosted glass. The few bits of light that shone out from between the vines and leaves that had grown over the glass seemed to sway, and occasionally, a figure would pass them slowly.

Under the pounding music from the party down the street, you could barely make out two male voices singing softly.

EILONWY

In her pocket, Eilonwy could still hear the faint sounds of vines slithering across the call she'd never hung up. All sounds from Willow had gone silent, and distantly she knew that she was afraid about what that meant. But she had long ago learned to let fear fuel her temper, so as she sprinted down the street with her friends behind her, she focused on one goal.

That plant was giving Willow back. Even if she had to kill it to make it happen.

As they got closer, she yanked up the sleeve of her left arm, revealing the bracelet there. With a twirl of her wrist, her long sword shimmered into existence. "Edward, here!" she tossed the blade to him, confident that he would catch it.

A twirl of her right wrist summoned her Elven sword to her hand right as she reached the door of the last greenhouse where Amity had said the plant would be and she yanked open the door. Instantly, a vine shot towards her, and she reflexively swiped down at it. Inside, she heard the plant scream.

"Give. Willow. Back. Now."

WILLOW

The scream wasn't just from the plant. Willow screamed as the sword sliced cleanly through the vine, stumbling and clutching her head. She stood across the room in the middle of the wildly overgrown greenhouse. The hybrid had spread to several of the other raised beds, smaller purple and white flowers tucked amongst the black leaves. The flowers that were being overtaken swayed and seemed to fight back weakly.

Willow looked towards the group at the door in fear, her eyes glowing green and tears tracing down her freckled cheeks. Vines were curled around her neck and arms, blood dripping down in the places where thorns bit into her skin and from where her legs had been torn up by the same vines. Her concealment stone was buried in one of the beds, and she stood before them in her bloody costume with all the parts of her she tried to hide exposed. The scars. The ears. The tail. Her.

The massive flower on the back wall shivered and twitched with vines curling in the center like rows of dark, sharp teeth. "Leave!" it snarled in Willow's voice, even though her lips didn't move. The vines tugged at her and Willow whimpered in pain as she was pulled closer to the flower. "You're hurting her!"

TONY

When Tony had seen Eilonwy make way for the exit of the party he hadn’t hesitated. There was a text message typed out, unsent, in his pocket to Ian with an explanation. Later when Ian asked he would curse that he’d simply missed hitting the send button and apologize profusely but for now he had a task at hand.

Listening to Lon’s phone had sent a chill down his spine and he hurriedly hummed the enchantment song for the blade to come magically popping into his hand. Love you, babe. I’ll see you on the other side of… whatever this goddamn plant monster is.

At least he hoped so.

Coming into the building to see a giant writing plant wasn’t the best but this was Swynlake. They got attacked by demons on a not-infrequent-timeline and magic tended to just punish them for existing in the only Magick-Friendly Community in England (a little rude but it was what it was).

“We’re hurting her?! Look what you’ve done to her!”

EDWARD

Edward, as was unfortunately often the case, had little idea what was actually happening, but his instincts tended to serve him well and Eilonwy's sudden tension was reason enough to trust her, to follow.

He felt a bit out of sorts without his own weapon, eyes going wider an instant as that vicious green appendage lunged outward, the writhing mass of devilish bloom shrieking like a nightmare.

Not nearly as a nightmare as Willow though, trapped and fearful, the sort of horror in her helplessness that struck Edward as solidly as the hilt of the sword Eilonwy passed to him as his fingers wrapped around it and drew the blade in a smooth, practiced, motion to his side.

His stance changed, the relaxed edges of it melting away into proper form, his eyes narrowed and their mirth bled away with the line of his lips drawn to a thin line.

He said nothing, he didn't need to announce his intentions; they were clear in the subtle adjustment of the hilt in his grasp and the shift of his shoulder to brace for the weight of it as his sight snapped to that rustling, leafy monstrosity.

Edward didn't know exactly what was going on but he took that step towards the door regardless, because he didn't care where that creeping, thorny creature had spawned from; it had hold of Willow and that was all he really needed to know.

AMITY

Amity didn't come with a sword. She came with herself, and her pot of golem, and all the could have should have would haves that she'd been carrying since she and Willow were little girls. They buzzed like firebees in Amity's brain on the way to the greenhouse, torturing Amity as they had the very first day she ever saw Willow. You should have apologized then-- then this wouldn't be happening now. Or: You could have destroyed the hybrid when you saw it-- why couldn't you see it would become the monster it is?

Those things wouldn't serve her when it came to stomping on monster plant ass though. Which she planned to.

She also planned to burn the motherfucker to the ground.

And so when she skid into the greenhouse, Amity opened her palms-- she'd drawn with sharpie marker the runes for fire on them. Her golem slithered out of its pot and wrapped around her hands like boxing gloves, then immediately lit with eerie, supernatural purple fire. A vine went snapping toward her like a whip. Amity blocked it, grabbed it, and lit it aflame.

"WILLOW!" she called as she yanked the screaming, burning vine, using it as a rope to try and drag herself closer. "WILLOW, WE'RE HERE!"

WINSTON

Winston, admittedly, had not been a part of the group of young adults that had come barreling into the Grove after hours. Rather, he'd been part of the night shift, and had learned what, truly, finally, had horrible control of his coworker.

At first, he'd believed the vibes and flowers were some form of Magick, done up for Halloween. But, Winston was not a stupid man, and the screaming, the monstrous voice, it all told him one thing: Willow was in danger, as were those kids.

Yes, they may have had swords, Magick, what have you, but he held an innate instinct to protect those people around him, especially if he cared about them.

In his own way, he did care for Willow. She'd become like a little sister, and seeing the way vines twined about her figure, dug into her flesh, and used her voice made him seethe.

Yet there was no trace of anger in his voice when he chose, instead, not to fight the creature, but to speak to it. Directly.

"You say they're hurting her. How? All they want is their friend back, darling. Won't you give her to them?"

HUNTER

Hunter should've known something would happen the moment he donned his armor tonight.

One did not just wear the armor of the Golden Guard. It was a mantle, a symbol.

The Golden Guard existed to protect Emperor Belos. And Belos wasn't here, but the helmet and all that it meant still weighed heavy on Hunter's shoulders.

(Maybe too heavy -- he hadn't worn it in some time -- had it always been this heavy -- had he always struggled to bear it --)

Hunter flanked the back, polearm ready, face masked. With a grunt, he slashed down one of the vines as it snaked towards his friends. He was on high alert.

WILLOW

The moment the vine caught fire, the greenhouse shook with the hybrid and Willow's screams. Willow stumbled back, grabbing the same vine as Amity, and it withered away under her touch before Amity could get too close.

"YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!" the hybrid screamed, howling in the voices of Harvey and Gilbert Park. "She's mine, you don't deserve her!"

More vines rose from the ground, thornless, and lashed at the group.

"No one is going to hurt her ever again, I won't let you!" it cried out. "I love her! She's mine!"

EILONWY

"We aren't leaving without her."

The light that often swirled around Eilonwy began to ignite into little sparks of lightning as her temper mounted. She didn't know the voices the plant spoke in and she didn't care. It was going to give Willow back. That was the only way this ended.

"Tony, there's a pouch of fairy dust in the main shop. Get it for me now." He nodded and turned to race off back towards the front as the rest of the group surged in through the door of the green house.

Mentally apologizing and promising to pay for it later, she smashed the door into the building with her sword so it couldn't be closed behind them, turning back just in time to slice through a huge vine that was aiming for her throat.

Something sharp sliced along her ankle and she winced as she reflexively stabbed down at it.

EDWARD

The words struck a bitter chord with Edward, leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth with the sort of suffocating control those voices screamed over and painted it as love. Oh how that was a distant feeling he thought he'd never recognize again, and his worry snapped to anger swiftly over it.

He didn't have firepower, didn't have magic; his reasoning was simply that. He wasn't as useful in a direct assault the way some of the others were.

His eyes pivoted swiftly, across Amity, Eilonwy, to Hunter, Winston, and settled back on the gleam of gold in Hunter's motions.

His own sword arched, steel sweeping to the thick resistance of those vibes as he stepped into the spot Eilonwy lunged from, keeping sight of Amity at his shoulder; they stood a better chance with magic if they didn't have to spend it defending themselves.

"They would do better with a clearer path," he called to Hunter, feeling it sufficed to get the point across as he turned his attention sharply to the crowding vines and his sword flashed again to reflect their eager rustling reach towards the others.

AMITY

Amity only had one mission, really: get to Willow. She would burn a path to her. She would burn the whole greenhouse down if that's what it took. She just had to-- get there. Come through for Willow now after so many years of failing her, when Willow needed her most.

And so although Amity winced with each screech of the plants, she couldn't stop. She sent another fiery punch into a thorny vine and then somersaulted forward, avoiding another as it tried to crash down on top of her. "CAN YOU HEAR US? WILLOW-- WE'RE COMING!" Amity called out.

HUNTER

Hunter nodded at Edward's instructions. He slashed his polearm across some of the vines, back-to-back with Edward, clearing a path for the others to get through.

The blade of his polearm glowed slightly, his own magic pulsing through it. This gave the blade an extra sharpness, an extra reach, as the glowing gold lashed out and swiped through a thicket of vines.

Hunter may not have completed this exact mission before, but he'd had many like it. Get to a place. Destroy a thing. Clear a path. Keep people safe. It wasn't Belos, though. But that didn't make it unimportant. It was his friends. They were almost as important as Belos.

(Or were they more important? Or was that a terrible thing to think?).

WILLOW

The hybrid screamed and thrashed as they cut their way through the vines that had taken over the greenhouse. It was starting to tire as it kept having to regrow new vines, and so the vines around Willow's neck and arms tightened as the hybrid started drinking from her faster. After all, it was half vampire rose, and vampire roses were predators first.

Willow sobbed as the pain and fear cut through the control the hybrid had over her, and the light in her eyes flickered like a dying lightbulb. "C-cut me loose," she choked out, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Stop it!" the hybrid hissed in a chorus of voices.

"Please!" Willow gasped, crying out in pain as the vines wound tighter.

"Just a little more," it soothed as the vines yanked Willow back, this time in Willow's voice. "Your blood made me, and now it's going to save us."

Willow was barely staying upright anymore, the vines doing most of the work to keep her on her feet.

EILONWY

Eilonwy surged forward into the space that Hunter and Edward were creating for her, feeling her awareness split in a dozen directions - back towards the entrance where Tony would be coming soon with the fairy dust, forward to where Amity was burning a path, to the sides where her boys were battling to protect the rest of them, off to the back where the older man she didn't know was still trying to talk the plant down and pull its attention his way.

And forward to Willow. Always to Willow who needed them.

Her ribs screamed at her as she suddenly lunged to the side to avoid a stabbing vine (she was not well enough for this - she didn't care), but that stabbing pain was distraction enough that she didn't see the thorny vine come around the other side and wrap around her wrist, digging in tightly enough that she reflexively opened her hand and dropped her sword - which disappeared a moment later into the mass of plant life.

Looking at Willow, she knew she couldn't get there in time, the plants had kept her too far away. Too bad.

Standing in between Edward and Hunter, she reached for every piece of light that she could, motes of light rushing towards her from the street lights, the gleam of Hunter's weapon, the flickering lights overhead, and even the glow of the plants themselves. Within moments she had made herself a beacon, lightning flickering around her hair and in her eyes. She shoved her hands forward and the arc of lightning lanced through the air to slice through the vine around Willow's neck, cauterizing it and igniting the plants behind her.

WILLOW

The hybrid shrieked as the vines wrapped around Willow were sliced clean through. Willow fell forward, reaching for her friends as she stumbled to her knees and failed to catch herself before hitting the ground. The severed vines around her arms and neck went slack.

"NO! NONONO MINE!" the hybrid screamed, vines rising up to try and cover Willow and drag her back.

TONY

Eilonwy had said to go get fairy dust so that's what Tony did. Besides, he wasn't magically gifted or even that good in a physical fight. Punching a necromancer came to mind at the same time he felt his phone buzzing frantically in his pocket. _Sorry, Ian!_ So retrieving something useful? Well Tony could certainly do that.

Ducking from this greenhouse under angry vines and away from the sounds of combat, he instead headed toward the bag he'd heard about. The plants in that area seemed to swell and swarm, urging him forward rather than turning him away.

"Thanks a million," he murmured as the fairy dust was literally handed to him by a very pretty flower. What kind of flower? Tony had absolutely no fucking clue but it felt rude not to say thanks. The plant responded by shoving him back out the door with the grace of, well, a very shivering flower. Now he just had to get back and hope that he wasn't too slow.

"LON! WHERE AM I PUTTING THIS?!"

EDWARD

The chaos around him registered to Edward in parts, divided in his mind by degree of urgency. With Eilonwy lit brightly and Amity a glimmer of fire and anger, Edward was held in position by the vines that swelled around them and threatened to surge from behind as they made progress forward, keeping the intruding vines at bay on the right.

He couldn't concern himself as much with the left side, counterpoint to his own efforts, he knew Hunter was there and perfectly capable, Eilonwy and Amity advancing, Winston still a blur in the corner of his eye.

When her sword was lost Edward drew his own to slice through the vines that burst forward eagerly while that dusty, rasp of leaves voice yowled from the plant and chilled him to the bone with the sound, uttering a hiss of his own at the drag of thorns across his shoulder, ignoring it the next second as Tony's voice reached him and he pivoted quickly, nearest to the other man as he rushed back through the door.

Edward shoved his boot down on a thrashing vine with a wide swing of the sword to split the others that shot out towards Tony, a spill of sticky sap spreading from the ruined, thorny bits.

"Go," Edward urged him, taking another step and leaving a thick vine falling to the floor to clear the path for him to the others.

AMITY

Amity was almost to Willow.

That was all that mattered. Not the thorns that had slashed at Amity's cheek. Not the thorns that grabbed at their black dress and tore. She kept fighting through it, burning as many plants as she could.

Willow hit the ground. Amity cried out for her again and again. "Willow! I'm here! Willow!"

Here, how many years late?

She hoped it wasn't too late.

WINSTON

Talking wasn't working. A pity. However, it looks as though the others had wounded it, enough so that Willow was now on the floor.

Now, whatever they did couldn't hurt her, theoretically.

"Tony!" Glancing around, Winston sees him coming through the door, through the vines. He's closest. "Grab the green bottle!"

He would not, in fact, be yelling the word 'weed killer.' That was like telling the person you're trying to kill that you're going to kill them.

That now done, Winston begins to wade closer, through the vines, toward Willow.

HUNTER

Hunter wasn't unfamiliar with working with a team. There were a lot of guards who worked under Belos.

But this felt different.

For one, he only really trusted Eilonwy and Edward in battle here, since he'd fought alongside them before. Amity was a wildcard; he knew she was capable, but also, he didn't really know much else about her. But mostly, he kept an eye on Tony and on the man who worked here.

The vines recoiled at his blade, but his pulse of raw magic snapped through some of the more resistant tendrils.

At the stranger's instructions, Hunter's eyes darted towards the green bottle.

"I'll back you up!" Hunter called to Tony.

TONY

Tony didn’t really wait for any permissions before barreling forward, though they did still come. Edward and Hunter (who he knew through the grapevine and little else, definitely gonna need to buy that guy a drink later) were covering his sides and he ducked under furious vines to help Hunter grab the bottle Win had pointed out.

“Remind me to only order delivery from the Grove, Boss!” He laughed despite the situation. He tried to keep the pixie dust as far from the bottle as he could for fear of it being knocked out of his hands. Besides, he didn’t know if herbicide mixed with pixie dust.

Reaching Willow wasn’t easy, Tony stumbled into Amity as he did, and shoved the pixie dust into her hand roughly. “Ahhhhh! Please fuckin’ fix this!”

WILLOW

When Eilonwy had cut the vines tethering her to the hybrid, Willow had felt everything at once. All the feelings that it had tried to smother with its own crashed into her, and Willow laid on the floor and just let it run over her. Fear, anger, pain - oh, Titan, pain - exhaustion, and all of the emotions from the plants the hybrid had tried to smother, shouting in her head. She was dizzy and trembling, but couldn't tell if it was from the onslaught of emotional distress or the blood loss.

Over it all, Amity's voice broke through, calling out to her. Willow rolled slowly onto her stomach and pushed herself up on shaky arms, withered bits of vines falling from around her neck and arms. She could hear the sounds of fighting, the hybrid's howls as its vines were cut down, and people yelling. Fighting to get to her.

She managed to push herself onto her knees and looked up just in time to see Tony make a break for her. The pouch in his hands was familiar, and she reached out with trembling hands to catch the pouch. Golden pixie dust spilled onto her fingers.

"NO, DON'T!" the hybrid screeched as Willow turned the bag out onto the floor and dropped both hands into the shining dust.

Thorny vines rose up and aimed for Willow and Tony, but a massive Wolfshowl shot out of the ground and snatched the vines in its maw, ripping into them with a snarl. Three more burst up around the group and began to attack the vines, each one easily the size of a real wolf.

Willow raised her hands dripping gold and Sunbursts and Lantern Lilies sprung up and filled the room with light so bright it was almost blinding.

"STOP IT!" the hybrid sobbed. It rapidly shifted between voices as it begged Willow to stop, crying out her name and begging with the tongues of the very people it fought against. Flush with magic, Willow glared over her shoulder at the monstrous plant and her tail lashed behind her.

"Shut up," Willow snarled, voice mangled through her bleeding and bruised throat, and the hybrid recoiled from the power there. Willow's vision burned green, but she could see perfectly clear.

She grabbed the bottle of weed killer from Tony as she rose to stand on shaky legs. The first Wolfshowl curled around her to keep her upright, even though the places where it touched her, it seemed to rot.

Willow popped the top of the bottle open with the help of the Wolfshowl and chucked it right into the center of the flower, and it *screamed*. All of the smaller blossoms that lined the room cried out and the vines writhed and twisted, and Willow stumbled past them all. She left a trail of pixie dust after her, the bottoms of her feet coated with potting soil and glitter.

"You want more blood?" she bit out, grabbing the edge of the flower bed with one hand and reaching deeper into the shrub with the other until she had the stalk in her sticky, blood-soaked hand. "Take it."

Willow, covered in pixie dust and dark blood, poured all of her fear and rage into the hybrid, and it howled as it started to die and wither from the inside out. She overwhelmed it right back, letting the stress and the terror from the past month - and further, honestly - tear it apart. The entire greenhouse writhed as they all began to wilt, even the plants Willow had conjured. They defended the other people in the greenhouse even in their final moments, making sure the hybrid couldn't take any of them with it.

Within moments, the once living, writhing mass of plant life was a dry, dead husk, with Willow in the center. She pulled her hand back and took two steps away before her legs went out and she fell to her knees again. Wrapping her arms and her tail around herself, Willow just stared blankly ahead for a moment, before she took a short, shaky breath.

And started to sob.

AMITY

As soon as the pixie dust touched Willow's fingers: magic.

That's all it was. Magic, springing to life. Magic, blooming in petals. Magic, snapping, with thorn-like teeth and a carnivorous appetite. It blossomed, it bled, it blinded everyone-- Amity had to turn away and shut her eyes when the Sunbursts and Lantern Lilies did their thing. But when Amity looked back, it was still dazzling. And Willow was in the middle of it all.

Amity no longer shouted or cried or begged. She instead said her friend's name quietly all to herself. Willow. Willow, making everything grow. Saving herself.

Then as soon as it started, it was over. The flowers shut. The hybrid died. The greenhouse was littered with its dead parts and Willow was still in the center, but now she wasn't golden with magic-- now she was alone.

Not for long though.

"Willow!" Amity reached her friend first. Maybe she shouldn't have, but her child instinct took over as Amity flung her arms around her, holding her tight. "Titan's breath, are you okay? Willow, look at me--" Amity pulled along long enough to cup her friend's wet, dirty face in her hands.

WILLOW

Willow let herself be tugged into Amity's arms, leaning against her with no care for the blood that was definitely smearing across Amity's skin and clothes. She was crying quietly, hiccuping with each little sob, and trembling like a leaf.

When Amity cupped her face, Willow leaned into the touch, looking at Amity with clear green eyes that were glassy behind her crooked glasses. Her expression crumpled into agony. "I'm so sorry," she keened, like a dying animal.

EILONWY

As Willow's light flooded the greenhouse, Eilonwy closed her eyes and reached out for every piece of it she could, the brilliant energy swirling around her before soaking into her skin. When she opened her eyes again, the sparks of lightning had faded, but she was able to stand up straighter as she ignored the dull pounding in her arm and in her side.

But they were surrounded by devastation.

A quick glance confirmed that Edward was already healing. Hunter seemed shaky, but unharmed. Which also seemed to be true of Tony and Winston. Her sword had been revealed by the withering of the plants, so she knew she would be able to pick it up in a moment, along with Willow's phone. The call was still going.

But all of that could wait as she bolted the rest of the distance across the greenhouse to where Willow and Amity were standing.

(Yes, she was vaguely aware of the ears and the tail which had definitely not been there before, but that was a side issue and she wasn't worrying about it right now.)

"Hey, Willow, it's okay, we're here for you. We're here." She slid one arm around Willow's waist and leaned against her side.

WILLOW

Willow had to lean hard on Amity as they stood, dizzy from crying and blood loss. Her legs and arms were shredded, and she could feel warm blood dripping down her chest and back from her neck.

Eilonwy rushed to her, leaning in tight, and Willow flinched. She'd put them all in danger- they should be furious with her! And she'd used her magic, let it tear through her and burn her from the inside out, and all of her lies and deceit had been laid bare before all the people she'd worried about the most.

Instead, Eilonwy murmured soft reassurances to her, and Willow sobbed. Her hand crossed her stomach to lay over Eilonwy's. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, voice rough and thick. "I-I should have- I wanted to- I'm sorry."

TONY

It was suddenly over and Tony barely understood how any of it had even begun. The truth about Tony's involvement in situations like these always tended to boil down to: Someone I care for is in danger so I shall help. Sure, he didn't know Willow as well as most everyone else standing here breathless but Tony's loyalties were still drawn in the sand anyway.

Now came the aftermath, the part Tony was not necessarily better at.

"You're alright, Willow," Tony crooned in what he hoped was a smooth tone. He kept his distance, however, not wanting to crowd her too much. He stood at a point between Eilonwy and Winston, assessing.

EDWARD

Edward had found himself occupied with a particularly angry vine thrashing to and fro, but the vicious floral appendage had shuddered and tensed when the area lit up, his eyes jerking from the sword he plunged into it to pin the writhing monstrosity to the ground and to Willow, a gleam of light everywhere but dancing around Willow at its center.

He felt the sword nearly jerked from his hand when the other plants surrounding him snagged the vine and jerked it away, twisting and rendering it broken.

Edward watched, eyes a bit wider at the magic, then troubled as Willow folded in on herself after, the wild rustling, dying thing falling to ruin.

The sword was already tucked to his side, a few steps taken towards her, but he slowed as Amity and Eilonwy caught hold of her, his attention making a quick sweep to be certain everyone else was sound and accounted for; Hunter and Winston looked well enough, the small group clustered around Willow as well.

Edward exhaled, a twinge of relief in the breath.

He looked to Hunter and Winston again then, thinking of the blood, the shakiness in Willow's stance. "She will require something to hold warmth with that much blood lost," he pointed out quietly, shock was already evident, but he wasn't certain where to locate a blanket or something of that sort for her to wrap up.

AMITY

Part of Amity wanted to whisk Willow away-- sequester her off in a room all their own. Amity would wipe the blood from her face and hands. Amity would tend her wounds and wrap them. Amity would draw a blanket over her shoulders and talk to her in a low, calming voice, until Willow stopped crying, until Willow stopped apologizing. And she'd tell her, when Willow was ready to hear it, you were brilliant. She'd repeat it until Willow believed it.

But Amity couldn't do any of that. It was selfish. Willow hadn't belonged to Amity in a very long time.

And so Amity reluctantly shifted off to the side to let everyone come closer, biting her tongue so she didn't bark at Tony or Edward to stop crowding her already. Edward at least had a good suggestion though.

"Right, um--" Amity traced the runes she'd drawn into her hand, but changed them just slightly so her hands just grew warm insteads of catching on fire. She put them around Willow again. "We should get you back to the dorms too."

WILLOW

"No!" Willow blurted out, looking at Amity with wide, panicked eyes. "Please, no, not the dorms. I-I have stuff here. I have some of Papa's potions-"

She attempted to turn and walk towards the corner where she had her rolled up sleeping bag and some other items she wanted to have at work that she didn't want anyone to find, but her legs were much weaker than she thought and she stumbled upon her first step and barely caught herself. Her tail lashed under her heavy skirts and Willow felt more tears roll down her cheeks.

What a mess she'd made.

WINSTON

Willow stumbles and Winston jerks toward her side, one stride then two, and he's got her steadied, bends and then lifts, and she's cradled carefully in his arms.

Winston didn't care about what she'd done. She hadn't done anything. "Hush, Willow, darling," he says, voice gentle as he adjusts his hold, careful, ever so careful. "We've got you."

Her costume was heavy, sure, but none of the others save, perhaps, the one in armor could have lifted her. Winston didn't mind. He'd done very little as it was, hadn't known what to do, really, save to make sure none of them got themselves killed.

That had succeeded, so now. Here they were.

"Where are the potions? Or," he glances up, over, to the group. "If any of you have an idea?"

HUNTER

In the calm after the battle, Hunter counted his heartbeats.

They were precious, he'd learned, and as each one bubbled in his chest, he grew a bit terrified, convinced it was going to be the last. But the next came. Then the next. Then the next.

He took a deep breath.

Right -- he oriented himself. There was no time to waste on silly matters.

"I'll look," he offered, and started going through Willow's things and the surrounding area. If he was looking at the potions, then he was not looking at Willow, and how small and battered she looked and how that made his heartbeat scatter even more.

WILLOW

Willow could not remember the last time she had been picked up. It must have been ages ago, back when she was small enough for her Papa to lift. She went mute in Winston's arms, feeling young and small and scared. She sniffled pathetically, and wanted to curl up under the dried up remains of that stupid plant and sleep forever.

"Blue liquid, copper wax," she called out once she could form the words, voice raw. Willow cautiously leaned her head against Winston's shoulder and after a moment, let herself sink into his hold.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to his collarbones, tears still rolling down her cheeks and stinging the cuts along her neck.

EILONWY

"We're going back to my place," Eilonwy said decisively. She certainly wasn't going to leave Willow alone, and it would be more comfortable for the group of them anyway, however many of them there were.

"Laurel will be out at the Court for a few more hours anyway which means we'll have the place to ourselves. Edward, could you help gather Willow's things? Hunter, you're the best one to take care of the potions once you find the one that Willow needs for now, so if you could carry the rest of those. Amity, if you could keep using your magic to help her stay warm and Winston if you can keep her steady, the journey isn't far. Tony, if you could get back to the house first, get the door open, get the kettle on, and get out any of the food we have in there. I have a feeling we'll need a lot."

She spoke with the confidence that she would be obeyed in this, already primed to steamroll anyone who might argue with her and yet certain that at least the majority of the group would know better.

Turning, she scooped up Willow's phone and finally ended the call that had been running the entire fight and picked up her own sword as well, giving the small twirl that sent it back into the bracelet so she had her hands free again. She didn't worry about if anyone was watching as she did so.

Then she marched over to the ruined door and stood nearby, ready to fix a shield of light into place over it until the morning came and they could get a real replacement in.

TONY

Tony felt like he stood at the edge of this group, his brain buzzing at each word that was shared by the others. It made sense, he had the least connections here within the walls of the Grove, but it was a bit disorienting to try and keep up with everything people were saying.

Eilonwy’s voice cut through the chaos and his eyes snapped to her face as she gave him instructions as it had before. He could do those things, they were very simple but he knew how much food and tea would make a difference.

“On it, Lon.” He nodded and started for the door, finally pulling his phone out to check on the constant buzzing. “Fuck!” He’d never hit send on his text to Ian. His boyfriend was clearly worried sick.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” He answered the ringing as he darted across the town to get the Lightfoot place ready for the rest of their arrival. “I typed out a text and meant to send it! I can’t, um, I don’t know how to explain it all but meet me at your mum’s house ASAP. We’ll explain everything there. I’m sorry and I love you!”

I’m in the doghouse for sure.

EDWARD

Edward was already in motion, so his attention shifted fluidly to the task at hand while Tony darted past. He paused himself to return the sword to Eilonwy to return to its magical holding spot and joined Hunter where he was still searching.

Once Hunter had sorted through things and removed what was needed Edward gathered up the rest, careful to tuck everything together carefully just in case as he rose from where he had knelt to pick up the items.

He cast another glance towards Willow, a pang of worry striking him, even though the danger had passed, because she was such a gentle soul, and the worry of the horrors of that night settling on her gripped at him.

She had friends though, they would see her through, he would see her through it with the rest, and just hope the monsters faded.

He glanced at Tony, a blur of motion and anxious energy, not the first time they'd faced trouble together and come out of it, and Hunter looking steady but so very silent and grave, and even Amity who he barely knew but admired her bravery now and Winston's compassion. When his eyes fell on Eilonwy he smiled, seeing her shine as she led always amazed him.

The monsters would fade.

Edward nodded, mostly to himself, and allowed a moment to catch his breath, as everyone else gathered themselves.

AMITY

Amity had said the wrong thing.

Amity didn't really have time to dwell on this, though later, definitely, she would. She'd wonder why she reacted so strongly. What was at the dorms that was so horrible? Were more people bullying Willow? The thought would set Amity's brain on fire, and she'd keep herself up for hours sketching out new, gruesome abominations to punish any of the made-up villains in Amity's head. She'd make them scream and cry and bleed. To make up for not doing so before-- with Boscha and the rest.

But right now, she just wanted Willow to be okay. So Amity's eyes darted to the ground, and she nodded stiffly at Eilonwy's orders.

She stepped to Willow's side, then, hesitating just once, gently put a hand on Willow's shoulder. "We got you," she murmured.

WINSTON

Willow curls up into his shoulder after a moment, sniffling, crying, and Winston’s chest aches for her. He makes a soothing noise, a hand running soft fingers over her hip, her side, just the part where he can reach. If they'd been sitting, he'd have rocked her, too, but they weren't so he didn't. "It's alright, Willow. We'll fix it," he murmurs, before diverting just attention back to the people around him.

He listens to the blonde, Eilonwy, and decides he rather likes her, her attitude and her sword notwithstanding. She has a jut to her chin that said she didn't give a shit what anyone else said; that was what they were going to do. Luckily, all Winston cared about right now was getting Willow somewhere safe and warm, the other kids too.

He does wince in sympathy, however, when he hears Tony's frantic phone call. If he needed help, uh, getting something to fix that later, might be a good idea.

When Amity comes in close, Winston shifts so she can be closer to the girl in his arms, knowing she may need it, and offering her a warm, kind smile. He doesn't know her, doesn't know anyone really except Tony and Willow (and Eilonwy and Ian, through some stories Tony has shared of them at work), but he could be the kindness they needed, the steadiness.

Once he was sure they were ready, they moved toward Tony, Hunter, Edward, and the door out.

HUNTER

Hunter looked for the potions.

It was a job he could do. He knew his potions well. He could focus on that and not the fact that his heart was still racing. (Or the fact that Amity Blight was here, and he didn't know what to make of that, except he didn't want to seem like a failure in front of her, which was a silly feeling, but a feeling nonetheless).

He clung onto Eilonwy's words, her voice really, confident and sparkling through the chaos. When he retrieved the potions and stood up tall, he nodded to Edward, and then followed the group out the door.

He trailed behind, glancing briefly over his shoulder as he clutched the potion bottles, making sure that no tendril stirred, no vine curled, and nothing lurked in the shadows.

WILLOW

Willow might have fought against Eilonwy's directions if she was still standing, though she wasn't sure what else she could do. She didn't want to go back to the dorms and walk through the party bleeding and broken and scared, and she definitely couldn't stay in the greenhouse like she had been. But curled up in Winston's arms with Amity's hand on her shoulder and Eilonwy, Edward, and Hunter in front, Willow couldn't find it in herself to protest.

She wanted to let them hold her up. She wanted to trust them.

So she curled her tail so it was hidden under her skirt and covered her exposed ear and face with her hair so at least those wouldn't be obvious as they walked through the busy streets. She couldn't do anything about the bloody lines gouged into her skin, or the dirt and pixie dust that clung to her fingers and feet.

As they left the greenhouse, Willow reached out once more to see if anything was left alive. Any of the Gazing Narcissus, or the Wolfhowls, or the Sunbursts. Even the Whisperers or Vampire Roses that the hybrid had smothered and choked out of the bed. But nothing responded to her call, no happy greeting or cry for attention, no all-encompassing adoration. Her magic had burnt it all down to the root, leaving nothing to save, and all Willow could do was tuck her face against Winston's shoulder and quietly weep.

#willow shop of horrors #c. eilonwy llyr #c. tony rydinger #c. edward andalasia #c. amity blight #c. winston deavor #c. hunter belos #p. sunflower #p. plight #p. winlow #tw blood #tw gore #tw violence #tw injury #tw thorns #tw neck trauma #tw mentions of child abuse #//hOLY SHIT YALL #p. daylily

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