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Though she knew it was mostly for show, Belladonna at least had the wherewithal to look sheepish and duck her head with a blush. It was nice to know that his impulses were a bit more thought out than just an impulse, but the whole little speech he gave certainly made her heart pound harder in her chest. It was just so sweet and loving. D'aawww~
"Just because you don't have a beating heart doesn't mean you aren't in possession of one." The witch replied with a small smile as she gazed up at him. "So don't forget that. If you ever doubt yourself, just trust your heart. Its there."
Now kiss me. Do it. Doooo ittttt. Belladonna though as she blinked very, very slow. Of course, only the witch would have such lofty, romantic ideas about things. This would certainly be interesting.

"How singular!" The witch exclaimed with a finger to her cheek. Hhmmm. All the possibilities it posed! "Does it feel like a normal arm? Like when its attached? I mean, err... Hm. What I mean is, when you've got it on, can you feel things touching it?" Belladonna wasn't at all used to this sort of technology. Skellyphones and laptops, sure. But those were easy and came with instruction manuals. A self-constructed arm didn't. It held so many possibilities, both good and bad. If it failed, what would happen then? Hopefully it would be easy for Mort to just start over, but how could it be when he mentioned it was expensive and still fairly unknown. It was all a bit... strange to the witch.
She much preferred things mystical that while, mysterious in their ways, still had a very definite quality of life to them. Technology seemed absent of that, at least it always had before. Thor sang, hm? Maybe he did more than just sing...
"Ooh! You'll have to try it sometime! I'd love to see what its like to be as tall as you!" She replied about the whole picking up thing. That and it would be lovely to be so close to him.

Belladonna heaved a heavy sigh and took one of Mort's hand in her own. She waited a moment more before she looked up at him and swallowed her fear.
"Because I fought a Hunter."

OK. Nevermind. Belladonna thought to herself as she heaved another short, stilted sigh. Honestly, she should have known that the moment she dropped that particular bomb that any sort of romantic notions would have ceased. It was unfortunate, and really something she should have fought harder to stave off, at least for a few more moments of happiness. Oh well. Too late now.
Belladonna opened her mouth to explain a bit more at the short 'what', but quickly closed it as he posed to her a great many questions. On one hand she was glad that he didn't appear angry or horrifically upset or anything, just intensely curious. Yet on the other hand she also felt a small stab of hurt that he wanted to know only what had happened and not bother to worry if she was alright.
(Obviously she was alright. She was here in his room with him, wasn't she? But still. It was the thought and all...)

With a wave of her hand Belladonna attempted to silence him and dropped her eyebrows into a concentrated stance of thought. Finally she took a deep breath and started the story.
"It was a bit ago, I was wandering the school. I was bored and I remembered that random hallway you told me about. I know I shouldn't have, but I just... I just wanted to see if I could find it. I haven't really seen a Hunter and I... I was curious." Maybe she should have waited to ask him whether he really wanted to be her boilfriend until after this story. After this he certainly wouldn't want to keep with such an impulsive, silly girl.
"And then I forgot what I was looking for until I wandered out into this forest with a big, broken down house at the end of it. I guess it was Haunted, but I didn't go in. I was about to when this girl came up behind me. She looked so normal. Would you believe she didn't wear a single black thing? All white and swirly. Yuck." Belladonna visibly was dismayed by the girl's outfit, but she shook her head and began again.

"Um, she was small... With curly red hair, but kind of ginger-y red, not pretty red like mine. Freckles too. And she had this huge lance! It was massive and a completely unfair fight, I'll have you know. She wouldn't have won if it wasn't for that stupid lance." For a second Belladonna froze. Oh batshit, had she told him that she'd lost? Whoops... Hopefully that wouldn't anger him any...

The look of indignation that crossed Mort's face caught on Belladonna's heart and sent her stomach dropping down in her body. Uuugghhh, why was she such an idiot? Why had she even bothered to go looking for trouble? Why did she bother telling Mort? (Oh wait, because they were, yanno, in a relationship and you generally told your significant other about your life. Huh, fancy that.)
Anyways, Mort had begun to talk so Belladonna listened to him, though she looked a bit petulant as if he were getting onto her for the fight. He hadn't, but she was sure the lecture was about to start at any moment.
"Yes, I think so. She was very rude. She wouldn't chat or give me any information or anything. She just attacked. Well, actually I slapped her hand first. Then she knocked me with that big stupid lance. So I slapped her face." Now it was the fun part, getting to talk about how well she had done in the fight! Oh. Wait. "She hit me twice more with her stupid weapon, which I am fairly positive was talking to her. I couldn't hear it, but she kept looking at it and as a Reaper, I know these sort of things. Anyways, after that she did some sort of... Charging thing and I blocked the attack, but it really, really hurt. I learned a new healing spell, but I didn't do it right, so I wasn't doing well... After that, I ran. She tried to chase me, but gave up so I just ran until I got back to school..." She let her words trail off but the little growl and clunk of Thor distracted her from her own worries as he pulled her forward.

With a scramble Belladonna crawled into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder, sure to hide the giant sigh of relief.
"Oh Mort, you fought her too? That's awful! Did she beat you too?" Now Belladonna curled a hand into the front of his shirt and looked up at him with a dismayed face. "I'm sorry I didn't wait... I just... Everyone I know has dealt with Hunters. Except me. And I... I thought maybe if I found one, I could beat them. And then I'd at least win one battle for us, for Halloweentown. But I didn't... I did wretched." Gosh, was she supposed to drop all this information? They'd be official for what... Two days? Whatever, she needed to talk to someone about all this, and if not Mort, who? It had to be Mort. Besides, they could be friends AND going steady.

"Well, I had to run away. I simply couldn't give her the satisfaction of winning. Plus I wasn't sure if my body would reappear here in Amityville or stay at that house." Though it might be smart, Belladonna still didn't really see the honor in running. She saw the sense in it and would do it again if it really came down to it, but it certainly didn't mean she liked it. At least for herself. "Well, if you fight next time hopefully I'll be there to tell you to get out of it." The witch paused for a moment and looked up at him. "Unless of course you're winning." A wink was bestowed on him, but the easy smile quickly faded into one of worry as she listened to his tale.
The more he talked, the worse it got. It was easy to get angry, to fight hard when one believed they were nothing but horrid creatures, human in form but monstrous in spirit. But when he told of this little ringleted girl... And her sister, who had died from a Halloweener... Well, it certainly put things into perspective.
Belladonna had a sister that she cared for. Maybe not as much as this girl had, but certainly her love for Hemlock grew each day. So what if one of these Hunters killed Hemlock? What would Belladonna do then?

It was simple.
She would take revenge in whatever form she could. She would make them pay. So, on one hand, the witch understood where they came from.
But on the other hand, it also seemed like a bit of a misunderstanding. Wasn't there someway they could work this out? Why hadn't they tried before?
And with a few quick deductions, Belladonna was back to hating the Hunters. They should have tried to fix things before they had just jumped out and tried to kill Halloweeners. It was their own fault for being so silly. The Halloweeners only reacted to the attack, it wasn't their fault.
Maybe her logic was flawed, but it still didn't matter. This was getting ridiculous.

But a quick squeeze on her waist brought Belladonna back around and she felt Mort shudder beneath her. Sure to be gentle, she placed a kiss on his cheek.
"I promise by the light of our moon not to go looking for Hunters. Alone." If she took someone with her, that was another matter entirely. Maybe she could take Mort and they could patrol together, like a crime fighting duo who are secretly dating! Well, it wouldn't be a secret, but that didn't stop Belladonna's imagination from spinning out of control.
Yet a harrowing thought stopped the happy spiral and she looked at Mort rather seriously.
"There are crueler Hunters than the one I met?"

Well, at least that was slightly reassuring. Still, Belladonna was glad she hadn't taken the chance and gambled poorly. With her luck she would have guessed that she'd respawn in Amityville, then have permanently died. It would have been awful! But that was all done and now she knew. Perhaps next time she would take someone else with her, that way it might be a more even fight. Hmph! That would show those good for nothing Hunters!
"Ah, that is where you are wrong my darling." Belladonna replied with a sly smile. Did Mort know nothing about witches? "While yes, the sun is more consistent in its light source, the moon is still always there. Just because its light comes and goes means nothing. Its cycle is still consistent, it will always come back. Honestly, promising by the light of the moon is a very important promise for a witch."
The moon was one of their goddesses, one of their guiding lights. It was mysterious and dark, yet powerful and full of light. It came and went but was always there and though others may not know its intentions, they were still good.

"Do you think they are perhaps compensating for their lack of any real power with their overly large weapons?" Belladonna mused with a tap of finger to chin for a moment before she frowned.
Sometimes, people did just want to watch the world burn. Sometimes they only wanted more misery for the misery they had found. Which was entirely wrong, since everyone could find happiness if they worked hard enough. But often, misery was easier. Anger and hurt and all those negative feelings were just a simpler path, they were straight and narrow and very much easily traversed. Happiness was muddier, harder to travel on and very hilly.
Maybe Belladonna would get to lecture a Hunter one day about all that? Ooh, how delightful that would be!

The lingering kiss brought a blush to Belladonna's cheeks that Mort could probably feel as a sudden warmth, but she smiled and had to resist the urge to press her cheek back and never let him go. It was such a simple gesture, gentle and sweet and it made her get a little giddy. But she pouted instead and cast her eyes down.
"I figured you'd get mad at me if I told you it was with a Hunter, so I just decided to wait. It took me a long time to reason that it was better you knew. I'm glad you didn't get really mad..."
She was also glad she didn't have to beg for forgiveness. That would have been just unbearable!

To drive the point home, Belladonna gave him one last very sad, puppy-dog look. But she couldn't hold it and instead laughed it off.
As for the whole, 'whoops, didn't mean to insult your whole race!' thing, Belladonna waved her hand.
"Oh its alright. If you were talking to anyone else, you would have been right. But because its me, it was right but also slightly not." She laughed a little, then leaned in. "Do you have any other questions about witches?"

As for questions, she had a few of her own. To show this she bounced in his lap a little as her hands came up under her chin in wonder.
"So tell me about your trip! Was it good? How was your Mom? Does she totally hate me? Mort, I'm sorry but I think she hates me." Oh Hecate, why had she said that?! That was totally and completely the wrong thing to say. Wrong, wrong, wroooonnngggg.
"Didn't you meet her boilfriend or something? How was that? Do you have any friends back home? Did toy make any more? Tell me everything!"

Then, before she realized she shouldn't say anything, Belladonna blurted out: "I made a new friend!"
Oh, no! Stop! Gene and I promised not to tell him!
"She's an Undead too! A zombie! All purpley and cool looking!" Whew, dodged that bullet.
At least it was still a truth. It would be pretty easy to talk about the very lovely zombie ghoul and cat the witch had met a few days ago.

With wide, curious eyes Belladonna listened and quietly filed away everything he said. It was him, so it was important. So she'd remember it. Maybe.
At the mention falling back into a schedule when at home, Belladonna knew all about that. When she had been forced to return home, she had quickly fallen back into her normal routine. Wake up latest of all the family, get the crappy breakfast left overs, stick around in time for lunch, mope and whine or wander the house until dinner, fight with her sisters, maybe her parents if they were feeling up for it, and then be upset for the rest of the night.
It was best she was back at school. For many reasons.

Distrust? Belladonna could live with distrust. It wasn't easy (seriously, who could distrust such a sweet, innocent face?), but she could handle that. Trust could be earned much easier than hate could be mended. As for the analogy, she laughed at that.
"Is it because of my boobs? I suppose that's what a mother fears... A father with a shotgun would fear a boil with a car, or maybe a leather jacket... But for mothers, it must be different." Still, Belladonna couldn't help but pout a little. "Well, I hope she decides to like me soon. She's so pretty." Because yes, that obviously meant she was a fantastic person. It was useless to argue against Belladonna logic.

Hell's Hoard Bank... Hell's Hoard Bank... Hey! "My parents work with Hell's Hoard Bank! There's a guy they know there that always answers their calls and they like him a lot! I wonder if its this Boring Zak guy?" Ooohhh, wouldn't that be just too hilarious? What a small world!
Blacksmiths? He knew blacksmiths! How very singular! Belladonna hadn't ever even seen the inside of a blacksmith shop (They were usually full of dirt and dust and coal and things that very horrifically stained clothing), so to say she was curious would have been quite an understatement. "That sounds lovely! Please yes! I would say I'd show you my friends back home too, but I don't really have any. They all moved away and our house is kind of far away from anybody else. Witches and wizards like their privacy." For whatever reason. Belladonna had never figured it out, she liked society and company and people. They were fun!

Yay! Yay! Question time! The witch took a deep breath and plastered her favorite teacher smile on her face.
"The moon is important because it acts as a calendar. It shows the cycles of the seasons and the days and months. It changes and is fluid and is mysterious, but still sheds light in the darkness. It rules the night and can be scary, or helpful. And Hecate is my goddess! She rules the Hearth and protects all witches. Some witches still work from the hearth, but she was still the first witch, so we pay respect to her." It wasn't a bad name to shout her name every so often, instead more of a compliment.

Still, the witch waved a hand in show of her own questions.
"My turn! Um, I hope this isn't too... Personal or anything... But since you're a zombie, do you remember anything of your previous life?" Belladonna's fascination with humans would probably only ebb once she'd actually seen them, but until then she was curious about them. Not in a 'they're cool!' way, but more of a... Interest in their ways. A dull interest, mind you.

At all this stereotype notion, Belladonna couldn't help but frown a small bit. That was mean! To prejudge someone, or judge them based on crazy notions of... Well, it was unfortunate, but she'd done it plenty of times, she was sure. But still. It hurt, even if only a little... If anything, Belladonna wasn't loose! How could someone think she was loose when she wore layers and layers of clothing! It took a good ten minutes to get all those petticoats and corset laces undone!
Well, it took Belladonna ten minutes. Maybe if someone ripped them off it would take a shorter amount of time... STILL. That wasn't the point and she was certainly not going to get all caught up in some strange fantasy right now!
As for the mention of "we" and winning Ms. McNeal over, Belladonna let that go and only gave him a smile. Bah, she'd worry about it later.

"I've never meet him, so I couldn't say. But next time I talk to Papa I'll see if that's him! He's always talking about how friendly and helpful this Zak person is, so maybe its the same! What a coincidence!" The witch giggled in a carefree manner, but secretly thought to herself that there was no such thing as coincidence. It simply didn't exist. Things happened for a reason!
"Hhhmmmm. I suppose that was a bit of a silly question to ask." She conceded with a slight pout. Maybe she should think of something more interesting to ask... "What's it like to sleep in the ground? Is it scary? Isn't breathing weird underground?" Wait! He didn't have to breath so that wasn't an issue!
As for the whole water thing, well... It certainly wasn't everyone cup of tea. Belladonna liked a nice, steamy shower but she certainly didn't expect everyone else to. "Fire is bad too, right?"
Unless they were aligned with it, fire seemed bad for everybody. Witched included!

Back to witchy talk!
"Yes! A hearth is a fireplace. Back in the old days, when witches were just discovering magic and how it worked, spells were always done either over the hearth or over a cauldron, which was over a fire in a fireplace! But as we got stronger, we were able to branch out and do more. Hecate was the one who discovered our form of magic and founded it. Now we can do whatever we want, but there are still some witches who follow her rules exactly. They're very traditional, but I've only met a few. They're nice, if a little... Strict."
And it was true! They were lovely witches capable of gorgeous feats of magic, but they rarely left their homes and never went out into nature. Boring!