Céleri Raves

On the Gondola back to the hotel, Amy had to hold back a snicker as she glanced at Caleb on the other side of the boat. While on the one hand, the Oni knew it was a very serious condition and sympathized a great deal with Caleb struggling with his phobia; on the other, it was still hard not to find a very fit man lounging in a boat and clutching onto the handle of an umbrella for dear life, not just the tiniest bit funny. She held her hand up like she was suppressing a cough while she wiped the smile from her face.

They had been lucky, and Arietta managed to have the little black umbrella Caleb was currently double fisting. Caleb had made mention of how hard the one from the hotel had been to find for Noemi, so Amy had half expected them to be out of luck, only for Arietta to come through. Maybe it was her easy access to the bazaar, but Amy found it increasingly curious that the shopkeeper had something for going out in inclement weather on an island where it didn’t rain when they never left their shop.

“They know more than they let on. She probably knew how the mask worked and what might happen and prepared for it.” The oni mused, head in her hands as the sound of water lapping at the side of the boat washed over her. “In that way, she is no different than Reyna or Lucian, but neither of them would have prepped an umbrella for Caleb, I don’t think.”

She looked back over to Caleb, who was drumming his knee up and down, head down, as his knuckles were white around the umbrella handle. The oni gently tapped his knee, a look of concern across her features, “How are you holding up?”

The master slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers, “Oh, you know, managing…It’s worse right now, I think, because I really pushed myself earlier. Normally, it would be easier with the umbrella.”

Amy tilted her head in sympathy and asked, “So what’s this like compared to the normal sensation?”

Letting out a slow breath, Caleb concentrated on speaking and then responded, “Normally? It’s like…the most oxymoronic experience. You go outside, the most open place there is, and suddenly you feel like there are walls closing in on you. It gets hard to breathe, it’s like the world is spinning. Your heart starts trying to escape your chest, and your muscles don’t want to work properly. The biggest thing is oxygen; losing control of your breathing is the reason most people pass out during a panic attack.”

Amy’s eyes drifted to the gently swaying fabric of the open umbrella. “And the umbrella helps?”

Caleb nods silently before expanding, “Don’t know if it would work for other people, brains are weird. Tricks the mind into thinking there’s a ceiling above me, so I’m not ‘out in the open’. Brain isn’t dumb though, it knows I’m outside, so I start to panic, but the sense of control just…” He takes one hand off the umbrella and gestures vaguely around him, “I feel more like I just finished running on a treadmill without cooling down, body on fire, lungs and heart pounding, but manageable. Right now, I’m just in so much discomfort from earlier that it's not that much of a saving grace.”

Still curious, Amy pressed, “I figured with them being called panic attacks, they happened because you were scared; you make it sound primarily like a physical thing.”

Caleb gives a choked laugh in response, “The physical stuff is because I’m scared. Scared out of my mind. My brain is constantly screaming at me that I’m going to die. And I know, like I know that’s ridiculous. But the brain makes that connection, and trying to get it not to do that is pretty difficult.”

Amy nodded, “Have you seen a therapist for it?”

Glancing to the side, Caleb smiled ruefully, “Yeah, a few, not for more than a session each, no, the first one I probably gave three, but after that…yeah.”

Interest piqued, Amy arched an eyebrow, “Bad therapists or something else?”

Caleb sighed, “They weren’t bad, I just wasn’t interested in doing the work to get better at the time. I only saw them because Mira or my Dad encouraged me to. Truth being I just didn’t care enough to get better at the time.” The master drummed his fingers on the umbrella handle, “Not sure how this compares to you having recently traveled back in time, don’t see how it can hold your interest.”

Amy smirked as the Gondola jolted as they hit the dock, “I mean, definitely fascinated by it, but more interested in keeping your attention elsewhere while we were in transit. You looked ready to collapse. Thought the distraction might help.”

Caleb looked around, and sure enough, they were back in front of the steps leading to the hotel, which he had hardly noticed while trying to explain things to the oni. A small smile crossed his lips, “I suppose I should suspect nothing less from my grand vizier.”

Stepping off onto the dock, the Oni reached out and pulled Caleb off the boat, “Nefarious scheming comes part and parcel with the role, don’t you know?”

“Where’s your smart talking animal sidekick, eh?” Caleb smiled and pulled the umbrella against his chest, “Isn’t that mandatory for the role as well?”

“God, don’t give Lucian any ideas. Next thing you know, next round I’ll be walking around with a wisecracking animated dildo.” Amy tried to say it with a straight face, but as Caleb snorted in laughter, her own composure broke, and she started laughing as they made their way up to the entrance of the hotel.

Still laughing, they were surprised to see the bar by the entrance occupied. Maddy and Lily were sitting on the stools as Stella was behind the bar, shaking a drink. The imp was the first to see the two enter and called out, “Hey! Can I get you two a drink?” The slur in her words made it evident that she had already had something.

Exchanging a glance, Caleb and Amy walked over. Maddy was nursing a shimmering brown drink with a heady foam; meanwhile, next to her, Lily had her head pressed against the bar, eyes unfocused with a tall glass of some golden cocktail in her hands. The flower on her head looked slightly wilted.

Glancing around, Caleb closed the Umbrella and looked back over at Stella, “What exactly is going on here?”

Stella gave a toothy grin and her tail curled in and made a heart, “We’re just having a toast.”

“More than one by the looks of it,” Amy commented as Stella poured herself a Trinidad sour into a martini glass, and Lily took another drink of what the Oni assumed was some sort of spritz, “What are we toasting?”

Lily was the one who answered, raising her glass from her lips, “Being fuck ups!” She then took the remainder of her glass and downed it in one, before tapping it against the side of the bar. Stella took the glass and began preparing another drink.

Caleb wasn’t sure how to take that response, but if anything, Lily seemed in a better place than she had that morning, so maybe it was a good thing?

Seeing his concerned expression, Stella smirked and chuckled, “Lily’s flower makes her say what’s really on her mind, right? So I had the thought, if she’s boozed up, she’ll do that anyway. No need to worry about any dang ol thing.”

Maddy lifted her glass and swirled it slightly, “So we’ve been down here since dinner, just y’know, drinking and avoiding thinking about anything too hard.” Lily raised her newly filled glass that she received from Stella in response and clinked it together with Maddy.

Amy leaned over the bar and began to speak to Stella, so Caleb leaned in to whisper to Maddy, “So things went ok then?”

Maddy glanced at Caleb and then gave a sad half smile and a shrug, “About as well as they could go, given the circumstances. We…bonded over shared experiences.”

Caleb glanced between Maddy and Lily, not fully understanding but giving a nod, “Well, that’s alright then, glad it worked out.” he kept his voice low, but apparently not low enough, as Lily turned to face him.

“What are you whispering about over there, Mr.Master, huh?” The plant woman rose from her seat and wobbly walked towards Caleb. As she approached, Caleb could smell the liquor on her breath, making him wonder how much she had had. Lily went right up to him, jabbing a finger into his chest, “Fucking Caleb, always…always fucking listening, always keeping secrets.” Her finger dragged down his chest, pulling his shirt with it.

Caleb set down the umbrella and then took Lily’s hand gently in his, “Hey, sorry, I’m not trying to keep secrets. I was just worried about you after this morning.”

“Worried about me?” Lily looked up at Caleb, her mouth hanging slightly, “That's…really really rich coming from you.” She stumbled forward and was practically clinging onto Caleb now, gripping his shoulders as her enhanced breasts pushed against his chest. Caleb’s eyes shot over to his date, only to see Amy and Stella both watching bemused.

Trying to help her stand up straight, Caleb held onto Lily’s shoulder’s “Hey, you know I care, right?”

Lily frowned and reached over, grabbing her glass and downing a large portion of golden effervescent liquid before slamming it down and wiping her mouth, “Not enough to respond to me, though.”

Wincing, Caleb frowned, “I don’t know if we should really be discussing this while you’re intoxicated.”

Maddy, not knowing what Lily meant but sensing the distress in Caleb’s voice, reached out and gently took Lily’s shoulder, “Maybe, that’s enough for now.”

The plant woman shook her head frantically, “No, no, no, I’m a fuck up, right? Not gonna- gonna-” she paused, seeming to lose her train of thought for a moment, “Not gonna, hold back any more.” And to everyone’s surprise, lunged at Caleb’s mouth, kissing him heatedly with a trail of saliva dangling between their lips when she finally retracted her tongue from the master’s mouth.

Caleb had been too stunned to react, Amy had her head in her hands, Stella gave a raucous whoop, and Maddy’s face was crimson as her face was stunlocked in a shocked expression. There was a solid beat before Lily’s eyes widened, and with a heave, she vomited right onto Caleb’s feet.

Jumping from her stool, Maddy grabbed Lily and began to guide her towards the bedrooms, calling back and speaking so fast that her words blurred together, “Itwasniceseeingyou! Ithinkit’stimetogo! Haveagoodnight!” She yelled hurriedly

Stella smirked and then gave a stretch before grabbing her drink and beginning to saunter off, “Well, I’d hate to interrupt your date more than I have. Don’t wear him out too much, Amy. I need him nice and randy for my turn.” The imp licked her lips before darting off towards her room.

Caleb gave a beleaguered sigh and looked down at his shoes, covered in unmentionable liquid, before looking at Amy, “I’m gonna change my shoes, then maybe a quick bite for dinner, do you think, before we head up.”

“Wow, not even gonna apologize for kissing another woman on our date?” Amy raised her eyebrow questioningly and then burst out laughing as Caleb began to struggle to reply, nudging him with her shoulder, “Joking, I don’t care about that. It’s fun to watch you sweat, though.”

“Ha ha,” The master replied dryly.

They separated for a short amount of time, Caleb changing his shoes before meeting up with Amy for dinner. It was mostly a silent affair. Caleb was exhausted from the day’s events, and Amy’s mind was bogged down, recounting everything they had seen. The silence was finally broken on their way back up to the Master’s Suite when the Oni turned to the master.

“Hey, Caleb? I know I mentioned maybe doing more stuff tonight, but I’ll be honest, after the visions I saw…I’m pretty much the opposite of horny. Like trauma sober.”

Caleb laughed and scratched the back of his head, “Yeah, I mean that only makes sense, I think, after the day you’ve had.”

As they walked to the door, Amy found herself speaking up again, surprising herself, “I hope that’s not too disappointing.”

Raising an eyebrow, Caleb opened the door and then took a moment to figure out what to say, “Amy, I really enjoyed being together with you this afternoon, and if you want to do it again, I’d love to do it.” The master stretched, “Though maybe on a day I haven’t had repeated panic attacks.” He joked before continuing, taking Amy’s hand, “And if you didn’t want to do it again, I’d be good with that too. Like, if there’s one good thing I can say about this experience, Amy, it’s I’ve made an irreplaceable friend.”

The oni felt the aching pain in her chest again, and it was like an electric shock as Caleb took her hand, causing her to pull away and avert her eyes from his, “I um…” She took a deep breath, “Thank you, Caleb.”

Caleb smiled and began to walk to get changed, and as she watched his back, Amy felt her mind wander to all the things she had seen in that vision, “Caleb?”

The master turned, shirt halfway off, “Yeah?”

Amy felt shy all of a sudden, “I know I said no sex, but could you maybe…hold me tonight when we lie down?”

Caleb blinked, having expected something maybe a bit more weighty, and casually said, “Sure, anything you want.”

Amy just nodded and headed to her dresser to get changed, feeling that pain in her chest again.

As the evening passed into night, Arietta was at her desk in the Sabotage shop when, fading in like starlight, Reyna appeared. The wild-haired assistant made a big show of almost tripping as she stuck the landing. She didn’t say anything, and Arietta didn’t look over to her, but eventually rolled her eyes and exasperatedly turned on the assistant, “What do you want, fox? Don’t you get tired of keeping up that facade?”

Reyna raised her hands and gave a cat-like smile, “Oh, I suppose I can let my hair down a bit.” With a twirl, Reyna’s form began to shift and distend before squishing back together. Her form was still short, but the extra curves were gone and replaced with a thin, lithe figure. A crimson flared tail sprouted from behind her, and two prominent ears stuck up from her hat.

The assistant gave a little shimmy, “Oooh, yes, it’s like taking off a heavy coat. I feel all fresh, fine, and fancy free,” She jumped and kicked her heels together before leaning in towards Arietta

The witch frowned, “Why bother changing appearance in the first place?”

“As far as the contestants know, Reyna, the assistant, is dumb, clumsy, and a little pathetic; the extra weight and curves really sell the bimbo thing I got going. Some bumpkin tipped them off that I might be more malicious than they thought, but that’s so much less damaging than if they thought I was competent.” Reyna crossed her legs in an elaborate walking pattern as she approached the desk, “Besides! That’s enough about me, I came to check in on how you’re doing deary!”

Arietta grit her teeth and flipped a card over, “I’m doing just fine, fox.”

Reyna held up her hand in front of her mouth in mock surprise, “Oh really? My, aren’t you a trooper. The British wish they had your stiff upper lip.”

Arietta’s temple throbbed, “Is there a point to this visit? I’ve done as you’ve asked and will continue to man this shop until the competition is done. There’s no need for social visits.”

The fox girl pouted, “Oh, and to think I came here out of genuine concern. I mean, it’s all out there now, you know? Everyone knows how our boy Lucy came to be. Shame that witch hunter never found the actual one he was looking for.”

The shopkeeper's fingers tensed and wrapped into a fist, “Please, stop.”

“I mean, they didn’t get it fully wrong, now did they?” Reyna’s red eyes were wide, staring at Arietta, her pupils thin slits as her face split into a sharp-toothed grin, “Catching the grandson is almost like getting a close shoe on a toss.”

Arietta’s knuckles were white, and her eyes clenched shut. “Stop…” her voice leaked out, pleading.

“I mean, if the witch hadn’t been so obviously sniffing around trying to find him herself, maybe he could have led a full life. It’s almost like it’s all her fault.” Reyna’s head leaned in, and her voice dropped to a low whisper at the end before darting back, “But, you know all this. So I thought I’d check in, friendly like”

Arietta opened her eyes and looked at Reyna with exhaustion throughout all her features, “Are you done?”

Reyna tapped her cheek, “I suppose for now. Though as things unravel some more, I imagine I’ll be doing more check-ups.”

As the assistant turned to go, Arietta raised her voice, “Lucian and those contestants are not as incapable as you assume; you cannot possibly think you’ll get away with all this.”

Reyna cocked her head and sneered at the shopkeeper, as her own body returned to its normal shortstack appearance, tail and ears retreating, “You know, even if that were the case, I rather do think I will. Arietta, it’s kind of my whole thing.” With a flick of her wrist, the assistant faded from view again, leaving the shopkeeper alone and feeling older than she had felt in a long, long time.