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It had been a fairly quiet week for Esther, or Sybil now. How long had she been going by that name? A few years at least, since she had gotten away from that awful Recite priest… but she’d rather not remember.The whole traveling cabaret act treated her well. As well as it could at least, considering the nature of showbiz. Common sense told her she should probably be finding a place to settle down by now but she enjoyed floating from place to place. (Even when she didn’t need to) It’s not like this was her only source of income though. She was a witch after all, so it wasn’t difficult to make money on the side selling glamor potions or ready-made spell scrolls.She slowed her broom as she took in the scenery around her. Cypress trees, cat tails, the smell of autumn in the air, it had been a while since she had traveled along the countryside. She halted her broom to read the wooden sign that marked her destination. “Welcome to Lilloway, Home of the Silverben Swamps” “Huh, Quaint little place..” she muttered to herself. She decided to finish her journey on foot. Bella had woken from her nap and was getting antsy in her basket, besides after flying all day a walk would do Esther some good.It was surprising that such a small town like this would even have a nightclub, even more so that they invited her to perform. “Must be pretty short on entertainment if they invited a few old washups like us huh Belle?” The small dog gave an enthusiastic yip in response. Not that she was complaining, a town like Lilloway was a pleasant change of pace from Akahn, with all its hustle and bustle. Something her college self would’ve loved, with all its trade and new-fangled gadgets. Oh goodness it had to be fifteen years now she was out of school. The woman leashed up her little friend and the two set into town. The once peaceful countryside soon melted into the stirrings of a village.As they approached the village square a corkboard with a plethora of fliers caught her eye. Thinking there might be a map among them Esther approached, Bella in tow. Hmmm Fall festival, Gabby’s Glamour spells, (Got enough of those as is) Oh! A freshly posted flier caught her eye. “Madam Sybil Dupree The Songbird of the South Performing at the Silverben Saloon!. “Hmmm Guess we ain’t so washed up after all ey Belle?” Esther smiled leaning down to pet the black cavalier as it yipped excitedly. When suddenly Esther's attention was drawn to a set of large black boots that were approaching her.“Howdy Ma’am.” Spoke the owner of the boots, in a deep husky voice. Esther stood up taking Bella with her as she faced the man. He was a tall muscular fellow with copper hair & beard. His arms marred with scars from what had to be his previous tussles. That and his serious demeanor told Esther this man wasn’t to be trifled with, nevertheless she had been brought up to give everyone a fair chance regardless. It’s what Earl would’ve done. “Well Hello there.” Esther responded warmly, Bella snugly in her arms. “Names Warren.” The burly man introduced, offering his hand as a sign of good will. Esther returned the gesture noting the rugged texture of his hand. A working man.“And you must be the famous Madam Dupree, if my eyes don’t deceive me.” Warren remarked, offering a kind smile while giving Bella a gentle pat on the head. “I don’t know if I’d call it that exactly!” Esther laughed, setting Bella down once more. “No need to be so humble! You’re all the town’s been talking about lately, well’sides them swap freaks runnin amuck.” The man remarked, ripping a bounty flier off the board. Esther’s eyes were drawn to the flier, it depicted a terrible alligator-like beast with a hefty bounty listed at the bottom. Her chestnut eyes flicked from the flier to Warren, who had picked up on her curiosity. “Them beasts nothin ta worry bout Ma’am. Just a couple a wild half bloods runnin down the property value. Me an my men will have ‘em taken care of soon enough.” The man added in a vague attempt to “comfort” the women next to him.In truth Esther felt bad for those poor souls. Sure they looked a little different, acted a little different, but they didn’t ask to be that way. In the end they were just people trying to live their lives. Why should they be treated so horribly? “ So you’re a bounty hunter then?” Esther added dryly. If Warren was the kind of man to hunt down innocent people for sport then she wanted no part of him, but she had to be subtle about it. If word got around that she was some halfblood-sympathizing radical, she’d be run outta town faster than the half bloods themselves. “Looks like Warren caught a live one!” Shouted a woman from across the way. She and another young fellow approached. Friends of Warren couldn’t be good company. Best to keep subtle for now though.“Aw hush up Andy. I was just greeting this lovely young lady to our town. It ain’t too often we get celebrities down here.” At this the younger blonde headed man perched up. “You’re Madam Dupree then! The one that’s ’s singing at the saloon?” The lad piped up. “Of course you would know Vernon! There’s hardly an’evenin you don’t spend at the saloon!” At this the two began to bicker before a calm yet stern hand gesture from Warren signaled the two to stop. “If you children are done I do believe Madam Dupree here needs some direction to the Inn.” Warren implored looking at Esther with a knowing glint in his emerald eyes. “Oh! Yes actually.” She responded “Then I reckon we should show you the way so you can get all settled an’ready for the show tonight!” Warren offered, the warm smile returning. “I’d like that.” And with that they were off to the Inn, little Bella in tow wagging her tail all the way.
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That night had been tiring. Fun, but tiring. Seven Divines, she wasn’t what she used to be. Although only in her late thirties the woman had the body of an old spinster. Guess dark magic does that to a person. As she walked down the Inn corridor she wanted nothing more than to kick off her shoes, plop into bed, and cuddle up with- *BARK BARK BARK* Bella!?Esther made a mad dash for her room as the sounds of clattering and barking emanated from it. “Git back!” Whisper yelled a voice from the other side of her door. With that Esther readied her best self defense spells and threw open the door. The scene that greeted her was…unexpected to say the least.Perched atop her dresser was a young halfblood gator with her bag of holding grasped in his left hand, and her broom in the other, brandishing it like a weapon against Bella who was going bananas at the prospect of a new friend to play with. The whole thing would be pretty hilarious if her room hadn’t just been broken into and her belongings in the process of being stolen.Suddenly she snapped back into reality and so did the gator by the looks of it. He had turned to her and seemed to freeze as their eyes locked. Bella was utterly unaffected because as soon as Esther had quickly, but quietly, shut the door behind her as the excitable puppy made her way over to her mom. The thief took this as his opportunity to escape, for as soon as Bella had left the foot of the dresser he slung her bag over his shoulder and made a dive for the open window. He was a split second too late though, for as soon as he made a move Esther was quick to throw a spell that instantly shut and locked the window. With that her intruder fell face first into the window and hit the floor with a painful thud.The young gator let out a pained groan before peering up at the figure before him. Esther was a tall woman that bore richly dark skin with cool undertones. Her head dawned thick ringlet curls pulled back by a single violet headscarf, neck laced with a heavy silver necklace that boasted a pendant of pure obsidian. Her deep aubergine dress pooled beneath her imposing figure in exquisite velvetine ripples. She was hastey to take up her broom, engraved with all sorts of glyphs, holding it as a white robe mage might hold their staff. The boy gulped as the figure approached him, amber eyes flitting around the room looking for a possible escape route.“Young man, what are you doing here?” Esther spoke sternly. The halfbloods’s expression turned downcast at her tone, the same way a child might after they've been caught doing something naughty. He opened his mouth to explain but before he could a loud knock at the door startled the two. “Yes?” Esther asked as inconspicuously as she could, she put a finger to her lips in a shushing position while looking at the boy. “Some guest said they heard noises coming from your room. Came to check that you were alright.” the gruff voice of the Inkkeper responded from beyond the door. Esther sighed with relief as she thought of a story to cover for her, “Oh it’s nothing! Just a…” she glanced at the gator boy who looked terrified at the prospect of being found out. “A particularly large spider is all. I’m sorry to bother you. It won’t happen again!” She lied. “You sure Madam? You don’t need any help?” The old inkeeper asked, clearly concerned. Esther looked around the room to see the young gator now hiding behind to bed before replying “No thank you, I’ll just let it out the window.” At that the softening footsteps of the Inkeeper trailed down the hall. Esther turned back to face the halfblood, now on top of her bed where Bella couldn’t reach her new friend.“Get down from there! You have some explaining to do.” She demanded. How a strong, young, halfblood gator could be that scared of a tiny King Charles cavalier was beyond her. “Nuh uh!” The boy blurted, eyes fixated on Bella who didn’t know any better. “I’ve heard of you witches and you’re familiars! That thing could be a demon in disguise!” He spat. “A demon!” Esther chuckled. “Boy, that dog wouldn’t bite a biscuit. Now..” Esther rounded the corner to pick up both Bella and her bag. “What are you doing here and why are you stealing from me?” She turned stern again. This seemed to remind the young man of what he was here to do because before Esther knew it, his mouth was running a mile a minute trying to explain himself “Youseema’amIwasntyrtyingtostealfromyouwellIwasbutIheardyouwhereawitch!AndwitcheshavepotionsandspellsandmydadissicksoIneedtogetbacktohimbefore-” He was cut off with a hand to the shoulder. “What happened?” The halfblood took a breath, looking at Esther with big, glassy eyes.It was only now that the witch noticed how disheveled the poor boy looked. His rich curly locks strewn about his face, his pants stained with swamp mud. If he had really come to steal from her he wouldn’t have been so frantic. “It’s my Da-err freind! Them hunters got’im with a crossbow! At first he was fine! But now he's so sick he can’t hardly walk and I’m scared he’s…” the boy stopped, fighting back the tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. “You thought I might have something that could help…” Esther breathed. “What’s your name, young man?” She queried, brushing the unruly locks out of the boys face. “Timothy Ma’am… but everyone calls me Timmy” he sniffled, still blinking back tears. “Well Timothy,” she sighed picking up her broom, “It seems like we don’t have any time to waste.” Esther fixed Bella’s basket on her broom before grabbing her bag.Wasting no time she opened the window, making sure the coast was clear. With that she commanded her broom to her and hopped on, motioning for Timmy to follow. The bewildered halfblood took a few steps back, “Wait, what?” He gasped, surprised to say the least. “Hop on! It’ll be faster if we fly!” Chided the women. Timothy appeared both nervous and confused, “Wait wait wait… so you’re just gonna help me? After I, a halfblood you’ve never met, broke into your room, threatened your dog, and tried to steal from you!” He gawked, flabbergasted. Esther rolled her eyes as she grabbed the boys hand leading him to the broomstick. “Young man, if you really wanted to steal from me you wouldn’t care what I thought about it! (Probably would’ve been a little more sneaky as well.)” she assured him, making space on the broom. As much as he was grateful for her help, the boy still looked unsure. “Are ya sure that thing will hold us both Ms….” He trailed. “Dupree, but you may call me Sybil. And you don’t have to worry. I enchanted this thing myself, though you will have to give me some directions as to where you’re friend lives.” She explained as Bella poked her head out from the blankets lining her basket.Timothy nodded in response and carefully hopped up on the broom, wrapping his arms around Esther's waist. “You alright back there?” Esther checked, fastening her own bag in place. “Yes ma’am.” Timothy reassured her. “You ain’t afraid of heights are’ya?” She asked nonchalantly as they floated beyond the window. “No Ma’am.” Replied the halfblood, his grip tightened ever so slightly. “Good, cause here we go!” And with that they set off into the night.
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Pain. Inescapable waves of excruciating, gut wrenching pain. Bodie didn’t think it was possible for a person to be in this much agony without keeling over dead, yet there he was. It’s not as if he could do much thinking anyway, not between the endless shivering and the unbearable bouts of heaving. His vision blurred in and out of consciousness and during moments of exceptional lucidity he would cry out. He cried for Timmy, Marco, anyone that could either ease his misery or put him out of it. He cried for his mother. He must have looked pathetic, slurring his words, bawling like a child. Not that it mattered to him now. For in his sweaty, drooling, shivering, mess he desired nothing more than the calming, familiar touch of his mothers hand. Voices. One he recognized, a boy, he knew that boy…Timmy. But the other he couldn’t place. It was a soothing, silken voice that was feminine, yet still deep and rich. It seemed to be guiding the other. Before he could tire himself trying to figure out who this mystery woman was, he felt a cool soothing touch caress his face.“Mama?” The gator man croaked, hardly able to make out the vague silhouette that knelt over him. Stiletto nails comed through his hair as the voice crooned to him. “Mama? Mama, I’m so sorry! I couldn’t save him…” he hiccuped as the dulcet voice comforted him. “It’s okay sweetie” It cooed “I’m here now, I’m here. I’m gonna help you best I can.” Bodie grasped for the gentle voice, for his mother. He felt the woman's weight shift as his grip attempted to pull her closer. “Don’t leave Mama… please, not again.” He whimpered, longing for that soothing touch once more. “Don’t worry sweetie I won’t. I promise I won’t” the rest? Well the rest was a blur.
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After a few minutes of flying through the swamp the two whizzed past a faint golden glow, “That’s it!” Timothy shouted, fearing Esther might miss the cabin from which the light came from. The broom came to a screeching halt, before Esther could stop him the gator boy vaulted off of the broom and began running to the cabin as if the demons of Gehenna themselves were on his heels.“Wait up!” The woman hollered following behind him on her broom. The witch gathered her things (including a very shaken Bella) and entered the cabin behind her former aggressor where she was instantly hit with the acrid smell of bile and blood. Swiftly gaining her bearings Esther observed the “Friend” the young man had told her about.Strewn on the cabin floor before her was a huge halfblood gator that appeared to be in his late thirties. The man was tall, very fit and bore deep juniper green scales. Under different circumstances she might be intimidated; however, the once able-bodied gator was a pitiful sight at the moment. His statuesque frame lay shivering in pools of his own sick, his leathery skin glistening with beads of fevered sweat.“Them hunters got’im with a crossbow,” Timothy explained, “It didn’t hit too deep but I think it was tipped!” Esther cautiously approached the larger man inspecting the bandage that wrapped around his left shoulder. “Do you still have it?” She queried, “The arrow I mean.” There was no doubt the man had been poisoned, but Esther would do more harm than good if she didn’t know what exactly was in his system. Not to mention how a halfblood might react to such a poison. “Right here!” The young man affirmed, handing the bloodied projectile to her. “Okay then, go get some clean water and cloth-Oh and put a fire on! I got a feeling we’re gonna do a bit’a potion work tonight.” She ordered pointing to what appeared to be the kitchen adjacent from them.The smaller halfblood immediately sprung into action, gathering the necessaties as Esther prepped her own materials. From her knapsack she withdrew a jar of clear unassuming fluid. A potion of revealing, one of the first lessons she learned in magical healing. Careful not to knick herself, the witch detached the arrowhead from the rest of the arrow, before plopping it into the now opened jar, swishing it around a bit. The once translucent liquid quickly became a cloudy seafoam green. “What’s that mean?” Timmy chimed in, snapping Esther from her focus. Damn, that boy was fast! “Its water hemlock,” Esther explained “makes sense since y’all live in the marsh. The stuff grows all over.” The boy's face turned ashen.“Wait! Like poison hemlock!?” The halfblood gasped, amber eyes widening. “No no nonono!” He mumbled, dropping to his knees. No doubt he had heard the stories that surrounded the deadly herb, most often it affected children tempted by their flowers, or uneducated travelers that mistook them for wild parsnips. The effects were… not pretty.“Don't panic,” Esther commanded placing a comforting hand on the young man’s back “It seems to be in its early stages but we need to work fast if we want to-'' she was cut off by a violent thrashing, followed by a loud crack as an unfortunately placed wooden stool was reduced to splinters by the gator man’s muscular tail. Right, muscle spasms. A low beastial hiss escaped the man, crazed golden eyes scanning the stranger in his home. “It’s okay Bodie, it’s okay! I brought her here to help!” Timothy reassured the larger man to no avail. Only then had it occurred to her just how strong this man was, even in such a weakened state. She also realized how dangerous this could be for her, even the most gentle folks could be violent when in pain. Not to mention water hemlock was known for inducing hallucinations.“He’s not like this usually, honest!” the younger halfblood pleaded, sensing the witch’s hesitation, “Bodie’s just, not in his right mind is all! Please don’t leave!” Did this poor boy really think she was going to abandon them at the first sign of danger? He couldn’t be more than nineteen and he’d just risked life and limb to get her here, to save what clearly was his father figure. “Trust me son, I’ve seen worse than this,” she reassured, “we just need to be careful. Even peaceful folk do wild things when they're hurting, and by the divines I’m sure he’s hurting.” She began to draw various magical herbs and ingredients from her bag, preparing a makeshift ink from water and charcoal to prepare her glyphs. Now for the hard part; drawing the glyphs.“The potion is simple so I’ll talk you through it,” she instructed, “but I need to get this fever down fast. So I’m gonna use a spell, the thing is: I’ll have to get up close and personal.” Timmy gazed at Bodie, who had already fallen back into a fever induced sleep. “Do what you need to do.” He nodded. Esther grabbed a cloth Timothy had brought and gently brought it to Bodie’s forehead, wiping it down so she could place the glyphs. She dipped her index finger into the charcoal mixture, praying the man before her would stay still long enough for her to cast the spell. As if on cue he started to stir.“I’m gonna need you to be still for a bit,” she soothed, brushing away the stray bangs that had fallen onto his face, “I won’t bother you for long.” “Mama?” The man croaked, squinting at the women who knelt over him. “Oh honey…” Esther’s heart melted at the gator man’s confabulation. Her stiletto nails combed through the man’s hair as yellow eyes brimming with tears gazed up at her. “Mama? Mama, I’m so sorry!” He hiccuped, hot tears rolling down his face, “I couldn’t save him…”He clearly needed someone right now, and despite her previous trepidations, the woman did her best to offer as much relief as she could. “It’s okay sweetie,” she cooed, “I’m here now, I’m here. I’m gonna help you best I can.” Suddenly, the man threw an arm around her waist, holding her to his chest. She knew she could escape if she really wanted to, a few good kicks and she’d be free. But look at the poor man! He didn’t want to hurt her! If anything he was looking for comfort, and who was she to deny him. Besides this gave her an opportunity to get close enough to place the glyphs. “Don’t leave Mama…please, not again.” The man whimpered, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t worry honey I won’t.” She crooned, shifting slightly, “I promise I won’t.”
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Slivers of the misty moonlight slipped in through the cabin window, scattering glowing fractals of light across the kitchen. Tonight had been…wild, to say the least. It was touch and go for awhile, but Timmy did surprisingly well under the pressure, and the two even managed to get Bodie (The man’s name, as she had figured out) back to his own bed where he was now sound asleep. The younger gator on the other hand, did no such thing.Since Bodie had been stable, Timothy busied himself with any task he could find, no matter how trivial. Only now, had he found himself with literally nothing more to do than sit and wait. Esther placed her broom basket, (containing one sleeping Bella) in the corner of the room, glancing over at Timmy. The boy sat on a worn down old sofa, dark bags circling his sleep deprived eyes. The boy looked… well just terrible to be quite honest. But aside from the physical exhaustion it seemed that being left alone with nothing but his thoughts was eating at him.Esther took the liberty of sitting down next to the fatigued youngster. “You were really brave, y'know.” She commented, “even if your plan wasn’t exactly-” she trailed off as stifled hiccups escaped the young man. He had been bottling up for what felt like forever, and now he had nothing to distract him. He drew his hands up to his face in a vain attempt to dam the river of emotion. A gentle touch guided them away. Timothy gazed up at the woman, watery, amber pools of remorse met deep, mahogany eyes. “Is my- is he?” He faltered, “is he gonna be okay?”The woman paused, studying the boy’s downcast expression. “He ain’t out of the woods yet, but the worst has passed.” She reassured, “We caught it in the nick of time too.” The halfblood seemed to calm somewhat at the women’s words. “He’s lucky to have you ya’know.” She commented, giving the boy a nudge with her shoulder. Despite her efforts this only seemed to worsen Timmy’s mood. His leathery tale wrapped around his legs, (which where now in the fetal position.) “No, um he-he’s really not.” He hiccuped, finally succumbing to the flood of emotion that he had been holding back for some time now.Quiet, shivering sobs escaped the halfblood, as he cupped his face, ashamed. Esther placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder as he wept. Careful not to overwhelm him, she let the gator cry it out. Cry away all that poison that had been hurting him, all the guilt weighing him down. After what felt like hours Timothy was finally able to catch his breath. “I’m so sorry sweet pea,” she cooed, “I can only imagine you’ve got about a dozen bees in your bonnet right now…but you’ve got to understand this isn’t your fault-” “But it is!” The boy shot back, swatting the woman’s hand away, “He’s got shot because of me! Because I was being stupid! If I had just been more careful then maybe…” Timothy withdrew a little, Bodie would have tanned his hyde for snapping so rudely at anyone, let alone someone who had been so kind.“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to- you've been so kind! And I just…” he faltered, observing Esther’s expression, “You didn’t deserve that, I’m sorry.” The woman watched Timmy’s expression fall once more. “I was out fishin on the far side a’the swamp… didn’t tell Bodie where I was going, a when he came lookin for me, we were ambushed…'' he explained tearfully. Esther listened, she understood the feeling. “Exactly, ambushed.” She reaffirmed, “Listen we’re both plum wore out. Why don’t you get some sleep and we can sort this out in the morning?” “But what about-” “Dont worry I’ll watch over him.” Esther interjected. The boy nodded, still unconvinced but to tired to protest. Curling up on the couch the young man quickly nodded off. Esther withdrew a soft cotton blanket from her bag, placing it over the sleeping halfblood. “One more thing…” she mumbled.Squatting down to the broom basket, the witch gingerly scooped up the sleeping Bella, before placing her at Timmy’s side. The sleepy pup looked up at her mom, glassy black eyes protesting the move. “I’m sorry baby.” She whispered, “but he needs you right now.” The little fluff ball gave a begrudging huff before settling down at the boys side. Although neither Esther nor Timmy took notice of it, a small smile crossed the boy's face as he snuggled just a bit closer to Bella.