"Why go back? What's left up there for you?" Home is Here (Closed)

They started walking down a path. Baxtor smiled at his wedding ring. "Nova would have love you, you know? They were always so in fairies even as witch." Baxtor starts blushing and twirls think of his husband. "They are such a gem in this world."

Farah smiled pleasantly at Baxtor's comments, considering with interest that Nova had been friends with Luna while also being a witch. Had Luna known? "I'm awfully sorry, and I don't mean to pry, but… has something happened to them? You seem to discuss them in the past tense very often…"

Baxtor sighed a fiddled with his ring. "Nova never came back from war… they are alive they just can't reach us here. I haven't heard from them in months, makes me think the worst." He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky with a soft smile. "We told them the risk, but they need to get revenge. They're stubborn, but their strong. Makes me think of…what was that song?" Baxtor chuckled and with another deep breath started to sing.

Oh, violence does call me, I've answered before
I've made many enemies, I've settled my scores
But I did grow weary and I settled down
And proudly bore the weight of my crown

Farah frowned apologetically and listened to his song with great interest. It sounded familiar, but she had no idea where she would've heard it before. "I'm sorry… hopefully they return one day. I'd love to meet them. Who exactly were they seeking revenge against, again if you don't mind me asking?"

A long paused occur, and then came the phrase"…I'd rather not talk about them." The word was said with both anger and fear. As if them was a horrible slur, as if saying their name could be worse than slaughtering an entire village. That's because to him it was. . Baxtor shook his head an contained singing his song.

I lived on my lonesome away in the far
Where there was no violence to trouble my heart
I'd hung up my sword, and I'd raised up my hoe
And I lied as I said that I never would go

After a moment, they arrived at a small village of witches, but not as one may think. The air was light and warm, not a drop of darkness. The sound on soft grass and a nearby water fall closing in, everyone was simply being. The laughter of children, as they dances with ribbons and wands. Some even greet Farah with a warm smile and waves, even some blood witches were so kind.

Farah dipped her head respectfully. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She strode along, listening appreciatively to his song. As they entered the village, Farah waved back at the children tentatively. She relaxed a bit seeing the warmness on their faces. They were only children after all. "Where did Emerisa say Saul was?"

Right on que, Emerisa was outside the med tent waving at the two. She greeted Baxtor with a hug and and Farah with a wave. "Go on in, he just woke up. We'll give you two some space. Bax, I need to talk to you about something." Emerisa and Baxtor walked to the side and as she said, Sal was resting in the tent on a cloud as a bed with warm food next to him on a night stand.

Farah spared a cordial wave for Emerisa before she bolted to Saul’s side and took his hand in hers. “Saul?” she asked softly.

The Specialist’s eyes flew open, and he pulled her down into a tight embrace. “Farah Dowling, don’t you ever scare me like that again, do you understand me?!” he demanded, his voice uncharacteristically shaky.

“Saul…” Farah whispered, clinging to him and inhaling his scent like it was a drug.

Baxtor and Emerisa came back after an hour to tell them the news. Baxtor walked in the tent to see the two, smiling at their reunion. "So you must be Saul?" Baxtor said with Emerisa walking on the side, leaning on the tent.

"How are you mate?" Emerisa asked for clarity. She wanted him to be fine simply for him to get the hell out, but did care for his well being in general.

"I am," Saul replied, sitting upright and addressing Baxtor's question before shifting to face Emerisa and answer hers. "I'm worlds better now that she's here."

Farah held his hand tightly. "As am I," she murmured, looking down at him lovingly. "Thank you for finding him."

"That's so cute, it's sickening." Baxtor pushed Emerisa, she chuckled. "What?! Aroace over here!" Baxtir sighed I stepped closer with a sad expression.

"Guys… I'm sorry to say this but…we can't get you home." Baxtor rubbed his arm in shame, before Emerisa cut back in.

"Someone closed up every whirlpool and portal to the Otherworld, not even a vision bubble to simply see what's going on is blocked. Someone has blocked of outside magic."

Saul chuckled and Farah blushed at Emerisa's first comment, but when Baxtor spoke, they both immediately deadpanned. "What?" the male asked, rising from the bed and slipping his arm around Farah's waist. "You're saying… you can't get us home because… someone doesn't want us home?"

Farah lifted her gaze and murmured quietly. "It very well may be Rosalind," she whispered.

Saul's expression hardened.

"We're doing what we can, but the barrier is strong as shit…. we already have 3 injured trying to break it." Emerisa said with pain in her voice. Baxtor held his hands together as the feeling of guilty snuck in him.

"I'm so sorry you two, I really am." Baxtor said sincerely. Within seconds, a young boy started running towards the tent.

"EMERISA!!" He pushed in the tent "Emerisa! A fairy…Cassandra…dead!…" within heavy breathes he explained a fairy came through and attack a witch.

Farah and Saul exchanged an immensely panicked expression. They were both thinking the exact same thing, and finally, Saul said it out loud: "Rosalind."

"I don't doubt it," Farah whispered back. "But how did she get here?"

"The same way we did?" Saul suggested.

Farah's eyes closed briefly, and she sighed heavily. When she opened her eyes, she knelt down to the boy's level and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry about your friend. Could you take us to her, please?"

He nodded and pull Emerisa's hand. The four run towards a small crowd to see a fairy, injured and threatening the near by folks, and a witch…lifeless on the ground. Rage filled Emerisa as she summoned her sword and order everyone away. "You are leaving here alive, you bastard." She said, sword high in the area. To anyone's surprise it was a not a Rosalind, but someone she sent off, gods know why.

Farah clung to Saul desperately. "Oh, gods… Ben?" She ran to his side and knelt in front of him while Saul stood back, numb at the sight of his friend. "Don't hurt him!" Farah cried to Emerisa. "Please! He's our friend!" The male earth fairy looked over at Farah, and she immediately noticed his eyes were an unnaturally grey color. Farah inhaled slowly and lifted her fingers to his temple. "Ben? Ben, can you hear me?" she asked worriedly. "Ben?!" She used a small amount of magic to remove the spell someone had put on him, and his eyes turned back to brown.

Ben gasped and winced immediately, the wound on his leg finally making itself known to him. "Farah?" He looked past her. "Saul? What happened? Where am I?" His eyes slid to the dead witch, Emerisa's poisonous glare, and Farah's panicked face. "Oh no…"

"Ben," Farah whispered, shaking her head. "What did Rosalind do to you?"

"You know it was her?" Saul asked, unable to take his eyes off of Farah.

"Positive," the mind fairy replied. "I sensed her magic in him the second I touched him." She rose to face Emerisa and Baxtor. "He didn't kill her on purpose. It was Rosalind acting through him. She's the zealot you want. Not him. Please, get him help for his leg. Please!"

Emerisa only saw red, only felt bloodlust. "That was a beloved mother and wife!! You except me to just let that slide?! How fucking dare you! I shoul-" but before she could finish, Baxtor stood in front of her. His golden eyes met her once emerald and turquois eyes now ruby red. "Baxtor, step aside." Baxtor planted his hoof deeper in the soil.

"I don't think so. Emerisa please, don't do this." Baxtor was regretting his next choice of words, but knew it would help. "Remember Nova's garden? Remember what they told you?" Emerisa blink, her eyer changing back to heterochronic colors. They started to tear up, lower her sword that turned into a group of butterflies. She sighed and wiped her tears, leaning to Baxtor with open arms. He hugged her and held her close.

"You're a dick, you know that?" She made them both chuckle as called a med fairy to take Ben to a tent and another to take Cassandra's body. She looked to Saul and Farah. "You two, come with us." Emerisa commanded as she and Baxtor walked them to her private tent.

As Emerisa yelled at Farah, Saul instantly stepped in front of her to protect her. Both of them were tense as the scene played out between Baxtor and Emerisa. Farah was prepared to use her magic again if need be, and Saul was ready to do anything necessary to protect Farah.

They sighed with relief together as Emerisa's sword dissolved into butterflies, and Farah watched with interest. Weaving their fingers together, Farah and Saul followed Emerisa and Baxtor to the tent. Farah glanced over her shoulder, worried for Ben, but her curiosity quickly won out. "How did you do that magic?" she asked.

Emerisa didn't feel like talking and Baxtor knew, so he answer for her. "It's a light sword, it's power is contained in little butterflies that form into any weapon their master chooses. Emerisa has a love for swords." They got to Emerisa's tent, where she laid in her bed and gave Baxtor a brush. He untied Emerisa's long braid and fluffed up her bouncy, curly red hair. Baxtor sat next to her and brushed her hair as she relaxed her head on his lap.

"Saul has an affinity for swords as well," Farah murmured, elbowing him lightly with a small smile. She ignored the face he made and instead, she watched the seemingly intimate scene, curling into Saul all the while. Her Specialist wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. Farah's hair was a very important part of her appearance, and she considered anyone touching it to be a vulnerable and intimate act. "Why did you want us here?" she finally asked.

Esmerisa sighed and stood up, her poster strong and orderly. "I understand you're friend had know control of his actions, that I can forgive. However, your friend still need to pay. An innocent young woman died today because of him. He's staying here in our village until we have a final decision on what to do." Emerisa remembered what Nova taught them about holding their ground, and that she did.

Farah's eyes showed her desperation. "Please, don't. Ben did nothing wrong, it wasn't him at all in there. The only part of him that was really him was his physical form. Rosalind manipulated his mind. She's a zealot – despising Burned Ones and blood witches, and she won't stop until they're all dead." She paused for a moment, and Saul rubbed her back to signal he supported her as she kept going. "We'll help you catch Rosalind. She's a manipulator, and she tricked me into…"

At that, Farah abruptly stopped. Saul understood and cradled her gently. "It's alright," he murmured.

"…It still doesn't change what happened. A mother of two is dead, a wife on 5 years is dead, he must pay the price." Emerisa paused for a moment then smirked. "If it wasn't for Nova, I would have killed him… but I'll think of a more civil punishment. He won't die or get hurt, but justice is needed." She laid back down in Baxtor's lap to relax. "My decision is finally."

Farah shook her head. "I'm telling you it wasn't him! Let us help you. We can all track down Rosalind together, then you can have her pay the price. That will be justice, not the punishment of an innocent man. His body may have been the weapon used, but it wasn't him in control."

"Rosalind being any closer here will put to many more people in danger. I've made my choice." Emerisa sat up to braid her hair and put in bluebells in. Night rolled by and Emerisa placed her crown on her head. She grabbed a candle and walked out her tent, guiding the three to a hill with the rest of the village. Emerisa understands what needed to be done, and Farah's pain.

Farah abandoned Saul in favor of walking beside Emerisa. "Please tell me what's going on," she insisted. "I want to understand. And I don't want anything to happen to Ben. Or Saul. Dear gods, take me if you want."

"Look, this hasn't happened in a centuries…after tonight I'll let him go, but he is never to set foot in Hexa again. Same goes for you and Saul. Better?" She walked a picked up her pace to reach the hill. Cassandra's body was on a bed of bluebells surrounded by candles. People gathered around to start the soul crossing ceremony. Some held matching candles, some matching flowers.

It surprised Farah that Emerisa's decision slightly upset her. She'd grown quite fond of the place, and now she didn't want to leave. After Cassandra's funeral, she would speak to Emerisa privately about her feelings. "Is there anything I can do?" Farah murmured.

"Yes, there is. You can fucking leave." Emerisa turned to Baxtor. "Look I know the work you and Lux do and I'll support you guys to the end, but they gotta go." Baxtor sighed and nodded.

"I understand…I'm sorry." Emerisa smiled and lightly punched Baxtor arm.

"This ain't the first time dumbass, you're fine." Baxtor and Emerisa started laughing together.

"Please don't make me go," Farah whispered.

Saul looked at her in shock. "Farah? What are you talking about?"

Farah smiled sadly at him and turned to face Emerisa. "I don't want to leave. I think I've fallen in love with this place… I'd like to learn your magic."