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While he talked, Belladonna had worked through a few more pieces of fruit and lettuce, entirely too grateful for the food. With a small gasp she looked up, suddenly aware that she had never properly thanked him for the food. It was a small gesture, but it was still something that Mort had done for her. Uncertain of whether this was ok or not, the witch set down her fork and reached across to place a light hand on the very edge of his knee.
"Thank you for the salad... Its very tasty." Worry flooded her and she let her hand linger for a moment longer, before she pulled it away. Yet the moment she left him she wished she had stayed. Belladonna bit down on her lower lip, hating how vulnerable she was but not brave enough in this fragile moment to do much else but look down at her salad. She chewed her lip a moment more before she speared another piece and nibbled on it to avoid talking for a moment longer.

But the silence stretched out before them and after a moment Belladonna finally looked up at him.
"I... I'm sorry too. But I don't think... I don't think I understand everything. Why do you have to kill humans? I'm not saying we should coddle them but... I just don't understand how destroying them will make things better. If anything, it'll only make things worse." This was the bone she wanted to pick with him? "What if The Hunters find out? They'll kill you! All of you and I just..." Her voice hitched on a strangled note she couldn't finish, so Belladonna only shook her head.
"But you still thought those things and believed them, right?" She hated asking, she hated it more than anything but after a week without words, what was Belladonna supposed to say? That everything was alright, that she totally forgave him for being so cruel, for continually doubting her and not even being able to put any sort of faith in her? Maybe she had let her melancholy overtake her, but it didn't mean she would totally give up her own thoughts and feelings just to have him back.

Though the witch was still hungry, all this talk of killing was putting a sour taste in her mouth. Though she nibbled a bit more on a piece of fruit, after she'd finished it she set her fork down. The look of worry on her face would not ebb, even when Mort confessed that he'd rather not kill anymore humans than he already had. It was a comfort to know he disliked it, but that simple fact didn't change anything. If what he said was true, it seemed as though the Horseman would force them into killing more humans, regardless of Mort's wishes.
And suddenly, a word sprang up that the witch hadn't really heard before. Initiate.
One who had been initiated, given special access to a select group for following certain guidelines. Instantly Belladonna hated the word, for there was nothing noble about it. Death Knight meant he was fighting for a cause, to help others who were weaker than the Knight, but Initiate? No. It sounded closed off, cloistered in being better than others.

Though Belladonna wanted to scold him a little for wanting so desperately to be a hero, she instead heaved a sigh. Carefully she set the container of half-eaten food aside, all the meat pushed to one side. Neither slowly nor quickly, for she had grown steadily more comfortable with him, Belladonna rose and shuffled herself forward. It was awkward and she'd surely get dirt on her knees, but that didn't matter. Both hands reached out and pulled Mort into a hug, where Belladonna sighed again. It felt so good to touch him however she wanted, even if he still felt distant so close to her.
"What part of me dating you don't you understand? I'm your ghoulfriend, and we've been together for over three months. So maybe others don't have to worry about such horrid topics as us, but that doesn't matter. Mort, I am here for you and I want to be with you no matter what. I don't care if you're always at your best for me or not. I don't want some pretend Mort. I want you."
Hecate, how many times had she said this? She was starting to feel like a broken record, a little neglected but the witch sighed again and shook her head. It didn't matter, because she'd repeat herself as much as needed.
"I can't be there when you go out and be a Death Knight. And I know talking helps. I don't grow tired of your stories. I grow tired of you not trusting me."

Though she kept her hands on his shoulders, the witch leaned back to look him in the face. For a moment she only looked at him, worried and still a little hurt to know that he thought her so petty as to only want a happy version of him.
"Besides, we have plenty of fun together. What about your scavenger hunt before Prom? That was great! And Valentine's Town? We had a blast!" Mostly. Those damn cars still made Belladonna cringe on bad days. In any event she gave him a tired smile, before it cracked into a laugh. "Besides. Do you hate me now that I'm so... Boring?" A hand waved at her outfit and less than exuberant demeanor.

A small, surprised "Oh" was Belladonna's initial surprise, though she did not resist to being pulled into his lap. Instead she opened her arms and wrapped them around him, her fingers digging into his back to keep him close. She hated his shaking, so the witch tried to hold him tight enough to keep it at bay, but it kept on until she wasn't sure if she was the one who had begun to shake too or not. Having him so close and so broken and so vulnerable was heart wrenching to the point that Belladonna felt tears bubble up and she had to bury her head into his hair to keep from sobbing.
This was all so difficult and painful, so daunting and they were just two small little sparks of light caught in the forest. At any moment a wind could blow past and snuff them out, or they could catch a nearby leaf and burn up the whole place. It wasn't a metaphor the witch was willing to share, but it was one that she knew the outcome she would hope for.
With a deep breath she brought a shaking hand to his head and ran her fingers through his hair.
"I know, I know..." There wasn't enough laughter in the moment, enough strength within her to tell him it had only been meant as a joke, to prove her point, so she only nestled herself closer. "I know you mean it... Its just so hard and this road so difficult...I know you trust me, I just... I'm sorry."

As always, Belladonna second guessed herself. What could be said to make this all better? Had she finally realized there was nothing she could say that would fix this? Being an Initiate, killing humans, fighting against ruthless, bloodthirsty Hunters wasn't something she, or anyone else, could fix with a simple word or hug or kiss. A little phrase reverberated in her mind, but Belladonna couldn't suffer not having that phrase returned, especially in this moment, so instead she only continued to stroke his hair. With little else to do, Belladonna only mumbled a small "Its alright, its just a new moon... Things will get better. We'll make them better." Before she bit her lip to keep herself from crying.
It had been a phrase from her Grandmoonie, something the woman had told the little witchling when her sisters teased her or when a pet ran away. Something to soothe and quiet, though often sung, yet the witch had no voice in which to sing currently. Had she tired, she would have shattered at her own failure. Such fragile things could not hold any more failure in that moment.

For whatever reason, just feeling the zombie breath, however slowly and shakily, against her made Belladonna feel a bit more comfort. It was silly, as he didn't need the action, but as something that calmed her on a regular basis, to know he too was using the simple action made her feel better. At least a little. And right now, a little was more than enough.
When Mort pulled back, Belladonna set a soft, tired smile on his face so he could feel some comfort too. Unfortunately the smile did not stay as she spotted the blood and instead it was replaced with a suddenly worried look. For a moment a hand pressed to the side of her neck, afraid it was she who had done the bleeding, as it usually was. But when her hand only came away slightly spotted, smudged and with no new blood, the witch instead softened considerably. So touched was she by his own deep expression of emotion, that the tears she had fought back spilled over.
Both hands reached out to brush the blood away from his face, fingers fumbling and clumsy as she hastily blinked away tears that clouded her vision. It didn't fully work to the point that one hand wiped at her eyes, only to smear a bit of red onto her face. When he licked his thumb, the witch looked down at her bloodied fingertips and palms and eventually popped one finger into her mouth.

The taste wasn't something she liked, so much so that it made her face wrinkle in distaste. The witch shook her head, making her curls bounce around her for a moment before she looked up at him. One last finger brushed away one remaining spot of blood, her little smile still trying to push its way through.
"Eclipses are much shorter, so this'll all pass soon." With all the blood now drying on her hands, the witch waited one moment more before she pressed both hands to his face. It seemed suddenly scary, as though it were the first time all over again, but Belladonna leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to him.
"Retribution? Well, be it as it may, next time do not wait so long." The tears had stopped momentarily, but more trickled down with her next words. "I thought maybe you were done with me..."
After all, she was a lot to handle along with all his own worries. Always overly dramatic, always wanting more, always demanding and so trivial. The witch wouldn't blame him for wanting a simple life free of such a ghoul as herself.

"You found Binx?!" The witch asked she hastily brushed away tears from her face, her heart suddenly in her throat. Binx had most likely said awful, terrible things! Far worse than she could ever have considered or even dared to speak aloud. So when Mort told her exactly what it was Binx said, Belladonna didn't even bother to cover up the gasp. "Selfish? What a horrid thing! I am so sorry. You're not selfish." The witch blinked and bit her lip. Selfish, no. But certainly a little driven to the point of blocking out everything else. "I don't want anyone else to have me though...I don't want to have to share you either."
But I have to. With Medea, with her idiotic cause.
Yet those words were not spoken and instead the witch smiled the tiniest bit. "You're not slow. You just take your time!" As for relying on someone, Belladonna's cheeks burned up in a sudden blush, her smile strengthened just the littlest bit in any regard. For a moment she couldn't speak, so she only gave him a dopey smile for a minute longer before she shrugged.
"Rely on me all you like!"

The blood had left a tangy, metallic aftertaste in her mouth that the witch wanted out, but wasn't sure what else to do. The food behind her was completely forgotten and it wasn't as though she were going to reach for it in any event.
"I've never seen that before... Was it... What was it?"

Despite his assurances that the exchange with her familiar had been alright, Belladonna was still not convinced. A bit of her old self resurfaced for a moment as the witch leaned forward, her eyebrows drawn down over her eyes. It was meant to a look that meant serious busy, but it mostly looked like a kitten trying to look fierce and failing miserably. Or... Cutely?
"What else did he say? Was he being nice? He didn't try to scratch you anything, did he? Did he immediately tell you where I was?" It had been a while since she had been able to flood her zombie love with such silly, irreverent questions. It was... Surprisingly nice!
For one tiny, moment the witch breathed in the imperceptible scent of normalcy. It smelled like the forest and Mort and the soft scent of her clean, comfortable hoodie that not acted as the strangest comfort blanket.

"So you cry blood? Like a vampire!"
Like Melusine! Immediately transported back to the last memory of the dead ghoul, Belladonna remembered what it was like to cry blood, all sticky and thick as it gummed up her eyes and trickled down her face to pool on the metal floor below. It was most likely a wretched thing to have left behind, but the witch was glad Melusine had given them a little bit of a problem, even if it was something as small as a bit of blood in their damned chamber.
"Yes, a bit..." The witch added as she looked into the eye the boil motioned to. It was hard to see as his sclera was black, but the little spots of red stood out stark and clear against the vivid green. It was a little sad, quite a bit touching but mostly curious. Lips pursed as the witch looked at her dearest Mort, trying to decipher exactly why he had felt the need to cry. And after all her thought, after all the possibilities, Mort had to go and pledge himself to her.
It startled her that he had essentially picked up on what she had been thinking, so the only natural response was to cry a bit more. With a small sob the witch let her face drop into the crook of his neck, where she placed a shivering kiss before she nodded into him.

"And you'll always have me too! All of me, whatever you want!" The hand not held by Mort's grabbed the front of his shirt where she clung to him, as though she might be blown away by the soft breeze. She just felt so small and fragile and needy. "I didn't give you my pin half-heartedly and I know you didn't do the same for me. So both those promises still stand!"

At that reply, Belladonna huffed a sigh and tried to intensify her fierce face. It still wasn't really working.
"Binx can be a bit fickle, yes. But what I mean is... Did he talk to you like a child, or angrily or did he pretend as though chatting with you was a pleasantry? He has strange moods, you know..." Strange moods the witch only vaguely understood in that strange way that couldn't be named or given words to. It was only what she knew and that would have to do. And when he mentioned the thoughts Belladonna most likely had, her face dropped its fierceness and took on something neutral. Uncertain of exactly what it was Binx had said, it was best not to give anything away least it cause more harm.
"I doubt it. Binx and I have a very different set of thoughts. And I would never want to hurt you."
Though she had gleaned from what the cat said, Belladonna had figured her familiar was fond of Mort, had approved of him. Regardless, she would be having a very intense talk with him that night when she got back to her dorm. "Maybe... But zombies get all the best movies. Vampire movies are never scary. But zombies are!"
Its ok Mort. Belladonna preferred zombies too.

The coolness that surrounded the witch suddenly opened her chest and for whatever reason, she could breath easier. Though a few tears still leaked out, she didn't sob or even get altogether too emotional after that. It was just his promise of himself, the only thing she had wanted, that had been enough to send her over the edge once again. They had made so many promises to the other, they all felt like the same thing after a while. Be happy, just come back, stay safe. Just a soft wish for the other's well being.
Yet at the mention of being a good luck charm, the witch pulled back quick enough to catch the smile, though her face was serious.
"I am a fabulous good luck charm." She told him, the hint of a smile on the outskirts of her mouth. But it scurried back as her serious face took its place. "But you can't take me with you on your duties... I have to wait here, like a boring princess while you get to go out gallivanting."
She pursed her lips for a moment, a little ashamed of herself for letting that particular grievance slip out, but there was no way she could alter it now. Instead she looked up at him, that small smile fighting so hard to resurface.
"At least let me come along if I can, alright?"

"Snarky. He was being snarky." Belladonna nodded in a knowing manner, her mouth tilted into not a frown but neither a smile. Yes, a chat would be the least of what she would have with Binx. Though she couldn't possibly guess what he had told Mort, she knew deep down, whether she wanted to admit it or not, that everything Binx had said was exactly what she had wanted to say. Yes, she could show her anger to Mort, but she couldn't lay him open like that. She couldn't possibly accuse him of thinking her the liability, regardless if it was true or not. Of not putting his trust in her because he found her weak, his casual way of hurting her because he might not really care. Of his insistence that he didn't need help when she was practically on her knees, begging for the opportunity to be of service to him.
Still, the witch gave him one last, long look before she nodded and diverted her gaze. Just for a moment she needed to believe she was a good person, not the coward she'd become who was so scared of being alone that she'd take anger over a harmful truth.
Instead she swallowed the little lump in her throat and dared to look back up at him.
"Thank you." Belladonna mumbled with a smile, not prepared to combat the image of herself in a cardboard box. All the witch could think of was her with cat ears, because kitties loved boxes. Even high and mighty Binx couldn't resist the pull of an empty box.

Also thankful for his agreement to take the witch along with him, Belladonna heaved a small sigh. Maybe it wasn't much and couldn't really give her much access to anywhere else but what he deemed 'safe zones' (because Hecate knew he'd never willingly put her in danger), it was still something. And even this small admission was much more than she could have ever hoped for.
"A token of favor?" Momentarily thrown off course, the witch blinked at her boilfriend before a sheepish smile grew on her face. Oh, he was good. Playing right into weaknesses for ye olde romanticism. A finger tapped against her chin as Belladonna angled her head back to look up at the trees that surrounded them, eyes unfocusing as she reached the dull, darkening grey of the sky. Any moment they'd be plunged into the darkness, would have to use the witch's magic to find their way back from the maze of trees. But, nestled in her lover's lap, all cozy and cool with things finally looking up, the witch couldn't be bothered to tell him they should hurry inside.
"Hhhmmm. I would love that. But I'm just not sure what I could give. Something small, easily carried with you. Like a ribbon you could tie to your arm or a dried flower you could keep with you, pin it to your shirt with my school pin." And that was just her gift! Traditionally princesses gave a small item, but knights gave sweet kisses on the hand or a won tournament. "What would you like most?"