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A loud shriek was the only warning anyone received, because what came next wasn't altogether too terrible, but it was vastly louder than the shrieking. A great clattering of pots and pans, and what sounded very similar to a table being flipped came from a few rooms down and after a few colorful expletives were thrown about, accompanied by a few additional shrieks, the noise died suddenly. If one were to listen closely, they would hear the grumbling of a very angry witch, but it eventually petered off. Should anyone care to notice, a faint smell of burnt something lingered near the room, but it disappeared quickly, vanishing into the air after a minute or so.

Things were not going well for Belladonna.
Not because anything was particularly wrong, per say, but simply because her cooking skills weren't up to par. Up to par, naturally meant they barely existed. The fact that she was trying to materialize them from thin air in an attempt to foster good will and failed therefore incited a tiny, whirlwind rage in the girl. It just wasn't fair! It was like nothing would go right for very long! Ever, ever, ever! It was so frustrating!
Yet after that little temper tantrum, she quieted. Angry for a few moments more as she huffed and puffed over her failed dish, the witch extracted herself from the counter (where she had been doing all the huffing and puffing) and instead decided to scout the halls. Because if anyone had been present for that showing, she needed to know.
Because of reasons.

A few more clicks of heels against tile sounded nearby as Belladonna methodically poked her head into every room.
When she happened upon an occupied room, her face reddened with embarrassment. Someone had witnessed her unhappy, but more importantly, they had listened to her rage.
Yet when she saw the familiar red hair and a friendly face, the witch nearly shrieked again.
Ok. Actually, she did. Just with joy this time.
"WESTY!!!!"
That was all the warning he got before she launched herself into the room and toward him, her arms outstretched in preparation for a hug.

Had West actually called Belladonna a shrieking homing beacon, she would have been, for whatever inexplicable reason, absolutely delighted by the compliment. As it were, he kept all snarky comments to himself and instead the witch bounced away from him quickly after their hug. It had been a considerable amount of time in between Scarentine's and now, so Belladonna promised not to push any limits on their friendship. And hugs were generally something only very good friends engaged in, so she instead backed up until she could lean against the counter.
"Oh not much! Just going to school, trying not to get attacked by rabid Hunters, you know the drill." A flippant hand wave showed how very boring she'd been lately. If Westy was at all interested in her love life, she could relay him with countless stories, but as she rather figured he wasn't, she could instead only talk of everything else. Which, honestly, wasn't much else.
"What about you? How have you been? Get together with that cute ghoul from Scarentines'?"

"M-mad? Me-eee?" Though she tried to play it off at first, Belladonna pursed her lips for a moment before she finally heaved a sigh. "Yes, that was me. I was trying to cook something for my boilfriend and failed. Miserably. Awfully. It looks like something one of my treats threw up."
Brains were really hard to cook with! Especially considering the witch nearly threw up herself every time she had to touch them. But it had been in the pursuit of love! Of good faith, of happiness and healing! And it had ended up burned, burned, burrrrnnneeeedddd.
The disappointment was clear on the witch's face as she stared forlornly at the tile floor, one pointy toed grinding into its unyielding surface.

Absently the witch continued to dig her toe into the floor, but once the little silence stretched out between them, she couldn't help but look up. Westy looked a little surprised, or perhaps shocked? Maybe even slightly confused, but nonetheless, Belladonna felt the sudden strain of a push she had made. They weren't good enough friends that she could ask such questions so freely. So maybe they had traveled through Christmastown together and fought together, but outside of field trips they hardly spoke. Actually, they had had plenty of interactions, but nothing that would deign them as 'close'. Yet still, she just didn't want to take the step back. They could still be friends! And good friends at that!
"So not together? Officially?" Belladonna tried to clarify, both palms pressed against the cool counter top. How strange a thing, to be with a person but not be official about it. And why ever not? Certainly they were a cute couple! What was stopping them?
Curiosity dictated the witch ask, but the emotion on his face seemed so conflicted, that Belladonna only gave him a sympathetic look, feeling awful there wasn't much else she could do.

"Yes, I had a recipe, but I think it was a bit too advanced for me. I've never tried cooking with brain before and I definitely messed something up along the way." Before Belladonna could give him an accurate account of what happened, another word caught her attention. Poison.
Why would Westy want, or ever have a need, for poison? Almost no one needed the stuff, not unless they were doing a potion where working with a particular substance could be dangerous if not treated carefully.
Sure to keep her face covered up with a playful smile, the witch flapped a hand at him.
"Poison? What ever would you be doing with poison? And if you were looking for something, you should have asked me! I am familiar with all sorts of poisonous plants." Momentarily she rocked onto her heels, just to play up this whole idea that this situation wasn't a bit deal. "It might be difficult to get you hands onto, but if one were dedicated I'm sure they could find the ingredients."

More hesitation and silence stretched out between them, uncertainty clouded the air and Belladonna almost waved her hands to keep him from being so jackdamn unsure about all this. Already she felt a little bad for having asked, and the fact that Westy was having trouble answering only made her feel worse. But just as she brought her hands forward, he replied, softly but with enough feeling that Belladonna could not stop the little tug upward of her lips. Her hands came together in front of her where her fingertips met so that she steepled her hands, but more in the motion of excitement.
"That is understandable. Sometimes people like to make things a bigger deal than it really is. Your secret is safe with me." Quickly she passed him a wink before she nodded quickly, her own face bright. Westy had asked with an upward inflection that meant he was curious, so why not brag a little? "Yes! I was trying to make brain flavored cupcakes for my boilfriend, Mort! He's a zombie and while I don't really like meat, he loves the stuff. Things have been a little rough lately... So I was trying to do something nice."
Once more she reverted to scuffing her toe against the floor, eyebrows momentarily drawn down. It wasn't bad enough between them that the witch was yet prepared to talk about it with another boil, but even the admission of a few bumps made her feel rather poorly about it. As though things were supposed to be pumpkinsunshine and black bats all the time. It wasn't true, but she couldn't help but feel a little like it should have been.

Still, the idea of poisoning a Horseman made the witch pay a bit more attention, especially when West exhibited such nervous tendencies.
"What has changed since their arrival? They have been distant, but have kept to themselves... They have not... Not bothered, have they?" Belladonna asked softly, letting her voice drop a few ticks so that she took on a more conspiratorial tone. As of yet, she'd only really met two Horsemen, one vastly kind and the other snobbish to a nearly extreme extent, so the witch could not really say for certain how she felt about them as a whole. And besides Medea, who she had placed all the blame on for the odd things Mort had been doing in his spare time, her view was really undeveloped.
"They have not... Done anything to you, have they?"

As for his last words, the witch straightened up and clapped her hands together.
"I do not see why I cannot teach you about poisons while you help me with my cupcakes." An almost wicked smile bloomed on her face at the idea of Westus bustling with her around the kitchen, decked out in a pink apron and pulling cupcakes from the oven. It was an image so wonderfully silly that Belladonna promised herself to make it come true.