Side Quest: Southside Coven- Brewing Troubles (Pt. 2 of 3)

--- Artemis Foster ---

Like every day since her eighth birthday she ignored the various eyes and whispers that followed her everywhere she went.

(You’d think after two years they’d quit staring.) She growled to herself before taking a detour towards a nearby bathroom (to get away from everyone’s stupidity.)

Thanking her luck that the room was empty she made her way to the sink before checking her appearance in the mirror, gold eyes once more familiarizing themselves with the sight that drew the attention of everyone who saw her.

She couldn’t help but yawn at the sight, making her elongated fangs all the more apparent in her reflection. (Wonder how many people realize those aren’t part of my Deviancy?)

Unlike a fair portion of her current appearance, she’d actually inherited her teeth from both of her non-Deviant parents, though unlike her and her mother’s her father’s teeth had been filed down after he’d bit a kid hard enough to draw blood in high school.

Shaking her head in amusement at the memory of her dad turning into an embarrassed mess whenever her mother recited the story of the one time someone had gotten hands-y with her. An incident that led to her father getting both his first and only detention as well as his first and only girlfriend.

Running her fingers through her two toned hair she couldn’t help but once more wonder what led to her hair changing colors in such an odd fashion, keeping her natural brown like her parents at the roots before tapering off into a color based on what spells she chose to sling in the days prior. Something her mentor had told her about, even if the older woman couldn’t figure out why her hair changed color, and burned out any dye she tried to use on it.

The bathroom door opened.

Of course given how her hair could be dyed, teeth were usually covered, and odd eye colors could be missed, none of these things were the detail that drew everyone’s attention. An honor that solely fell to the set of pointed ears on the sides of her head.

(Still can’t believe elves were real back in the day.) That had been an interesting revelation for her nine-year-old self, back before she realized that non-Deviants had probably killed them all off for a mild Anima mutation.

“Well if it isn’t the pointy eared freak herself?” A haughty voice laughed, dashing whatever hopes she had of just ignoring the small group that had entered the bathroom. (Because that would just be too easy for my life.)

Sighing to herself she turned her attention to one of the numerous students who had yet to earn the right for her to bother remembering their names.

“Oh look it’s the girl whose only sense of self-esteem is ripping into others because her social standing is that precarious.” She sniped with a smile that showed off her teeth.

“W-what?” The girl stumbled, a shocked look on her face that matched the rest of her little group.

“Since no one’s told you, let’s get something straight bitch. I don’t take shit from anyone.” She told the girl, igniting a ferocious fuchsia flame between her fingers. “Got it?”

“Y-you, you can’t, can’t use your powers on p-people…” The girl stuttered out, paling even without the light of the flame just inches from her face.

“You’re right, I’d go to jail if I used my powers on you.” She admitted in a too calm tone, before filtering a touch of magic into her eyes as she grinned, causing them to glow as her pupils became slits. “Doesn’t change the fact that there’d still be a first victim.”

“Never got why you dumb bitches always feel like volunteering for that role should I ever snap.” She smiled, snuffing the flame out with a snap of her fingers, letting the flames slip ever so slightly for a visible spark as she reeled her magic in. “Now if you don’t mind I have better things to do than watch you four piss yourselves.”

Stepping around the girls and into the hall, she couldn’t help but let out another sigh as she rolled her shoulders, feeling twice as stressed from that little… performance as she had before.

Cracking her neck with a quick twist, she started making her way through the crowd of students, her eyes drifting to the various shadows following everyone around. (At least I’ve still got my mage sight going.)

It was one of her favorite spells, and one of the first her mentor ever taught her. A spell that allowed people to actually see the magic that danced around everyone and clung to them regardless of their actual ability to use Anima. A sight that turned the dull world and people around her into a fantastical world of imagination, one that had led her to her friends as well as warning her off of a number of hidden threats.

(Still can’t believe the school has two half-demons walking around, I mean that quiet girl was one thing, but now we’ve got that prideful show-off using his powers around the school.) And that wasn’t including how distracting his clown of a shadow could be while he was making so much mischief. (One of us needs to have a… ‘talk’ with him if he’s going to be causing trouble in public like the other week. At the very least he could keep it private like the rest of us.)

Letting herself become distracted by the sea of shadows giving her the barest hints of the personalities of those they followed, she walked into a wall as she turned a corner in the hall.

“Oh, sorry! Are you okay?”

(A very talkative wall.) She grimaced, deciding that since he was apologizing and it wasn’t really his fault, she wouldn’t chew him out.

Looking up into a pair of forest green eyes she couldn’t help but freeze.

Most people had a humanoid wisp following them around, with the wisp growing in detail and clarity the stronger their host’s connection was to one source of magic or another. Even the shadows following her and her friends were mostly human in size and appearance, with her mentor’s shadow being a human sized bird-person of sorts.

The boy in front of her though... He had a monster of a shadow. A being that even hunched over stood at least ten-feet tall and six across, with a chipped and jagged axe clutched in its hands, and a scarf of shadows wrapped around its neck in hangman's noose before hanging over a jacket torn, stitched, and stained by things that scared her to even contemplate as a pair of wolven eyes stared out from the darkness beneath its hood.

“Miss?” The boy asked with some concern.

“S-sorry.” She apologized, thoroughly intimidated by the (monster) in human skin standing before her. “W-wasn’t looking where I was g-going.”

“Come on Jon, our class is on the other side of the school we need to go.” A black girl with glasses told the boy tugging on his arm as she tried to (mercifully) drag the boy away.

“R-right.” The (monster) nodded, with a crack in his voice before turning his eyes back to her. “Are you sure you’re okay, miss?”

“Fine.” She swallowed, trying very hard not to focus on the fact that the (monster’s) shadow had at no point looked away from her. A sign that even with the (kind) girl dragging him, she’d never actually left the (monster’s) attention.

“Well, if you’re sure.” The (monster) sighed before (finally) walking away and leaving her shaken.

(What the flaming fuck was that?!) She asked herself, hoping she could make sense of that (monster) walking around without anyone noticing. (Especially the coven.)

Reflexively she took one more glance at the (monster’s) shadow, and found it still staring at her. What’s more it smiled at her with a maw full of bloodied fangs as one hundred and sixty-four eyes turned to her.