Welcome to Gaia! ::

Momentarily caught in her own little world of woe, the witch was not expecting to be noticed, let alone touched when her face took a break from its carefully constructed smile. "Oh! Oh ah... Thank you." It felt so odd to be doted on like that and the witch's cheeks flushed enough that she diverted her eyes away. "My heart is not as strong as I should like... Not as strong as it should be for him..."
She shouldn't, she really and truly shouldn't but... But the witch couldn't help but get a little more worried and start to spill her feelings on the matter. If Hel could confide in her, why couldn't the reverse happen? Besides, Hel knew the zombie as well so it made a little bit of sense... And it was just so hard to keep going some days as though nothing were wrong...
"I-I'm just... So tired of... Of something always going wrong... Of not being strong enough or important enough o-or... Just... Enough to make him smile and be happy and carefree..."

It was nice they could chat about this sort of thing! The witch didn't really have any friends she'd confided like this in, especially not about this particular subject. And when Hel suggested she give into her urges she flushed a bright red.
"O-oh, it i-isn't me th-that has the problem g-giving in..." She stammered, flapping a hand at the ghoul. Oh, maybe this wasn't the best topic they should speak on, especially since Hel did know Mort.
Therefore it was easier for her to latch onto the Valkyrie's experiences with a slight blush but a nonetheless excited face.
"Wow! Your first time, truly? Did... Did it hurt at all? Or feel odd or... Or anything of the sort?" For all her reading of scandalous novels, nothing was quite like a sensation she'd never felt. And the witch was a horribly curious creature.
But Hel's reply made her pout, just a little.
"Hearts are a funny business, and love an even more muddled up thing. Sometimes bad things happen and sometimes we make mistakes. But those mistakes are... Are still things that shape us. And perhaps what you did was not the best course of action, but you expressed your love... And that cannot be a bad thing." Besides, the world, let alone something as powerful and often convoluted as love, could not be restricted to right or wrong, black or white.

"Of all things, Grampa is right. Give your boil time and support. And stay strong, like I know you are. It may hurt, but whatever he decides will be just a stepping stone to a stronger, more wonderful you." Belladonna smiled softly and took Hel's hand into both of her's to squeeze. "Should he not chose you, you will move on. You will become all the more beautiful for your heart is scarred and must be fixed by you alone. But if he does chose you, you will find true happiness and peace. I cannot tell the future very well just yet, but this I can see clearly."

"Oh! Well if he's good then that changes matter entirely. I could certainly see how you would be worried over loosing him when you are not only vastly adoring of him, attracted to him and he is good on couches, let alone an actual bed." Honestly, Belladonna didn't at all bother to hide the little smirk that came through because it seemed silly. They were having this conversation regardless, so might as well make it the full thing! Not that the witch honestly had any parameters for the idea of 'good'. Still didn't mean she wouldn't try.
"Isn't that what most people's lives are made of? They just kind of... Write them off as something else? And honestly, darkling. Your life has not been full of mistakes or else you would not be here today. Surely you have made some right choices, even if they seem small in comparison to others." Granted, speaking in metaphors was easier than actually living such a thing, but at the same time occasionally a metaphor made things easier to understand and internalize. At least, that was what the witch hoped was happening.

"Of course! I hope you know that I am always here for you! No matter what!" She tittered a laugh along with a flap of her hand. A woman's touch was always needed, so really she was only too glad to help! But when Hel sat up the witch tilted her head at her, confused by why the ghoul was all done with cuddling. It was so nice! Hel was so cushy an warm and--
Ooooooohhhhhh.
"You are too kind, but really I am just fine I--" Unable to say no to the offer of cuddling (especially on that wonderful set of pillows!), Belladonna scrambled over and snuggled up with Hel. It was odd to have such kindness turned back on herself, especially when this all felt so strange. Her own sisters had never been this sweet and any hugs that had shared usually turned to something painful. This was just delightful!
"It is just... I-I am... Awfully worried... About.... O-over everything, really..." Belladonna began hesitantly, her fingers idly picking at her own skirt as she rested against Hel. A sigh was heaved and she promised herself not to cry. "Mort has been... Doing his best to find a cure for his Insanity, but... But I can't follow his train of thought on what he's working on, so I cannot help in that regard. And he is so... So distracted and distant and down all the time... I do what I can but... But most days I do not think I am enough for him..."

The laughter Hel gave, however choked, only made Belladonna giggle in reply. At least until the Reaper mentioned 'anywhere' and the witch blinked at her owlishly before she leaned in a bit closer.
"So does that mean... You have... Had more illicit liaisons with him?!" Oh how absolutely scandalous! And delicious! The witch gave Hel her biggest, most sparkly 'you should tell me all your secrets' eyes in hopes that she would. After all, the witch was a bit starved for attention so to hear that her friend was getting some was really quite lovely!

With such a comfortable perch, Belladonna could not help but suddenly feel at once much more at ease and much more worried. It was all a heavy burden to bear, one she'd been dealing with more and more since Halloween night. Had the witch ever told Hel about that? She suppose she hadn't since she'd be gone for so long.
"Ah... When he... When he ah...Died in the Haunted House and came back on Halloween, he came back with Insanity. It isn't too bad now, but it gets worse every day. I think... I am afraid..." She sighs and lets her eyes shut, to try to handle this with more grace than she has in her possession. "That someday soon he will... Have the visual signs." Most likely similar to the ones those odd handful of Horseman carry on their bodies, physical indicators of something wrong and off about them. Outward markings of an infestation on the inside.
As for Hel's advice, the witch looked up to her with a soft, melancholy smile.
"Insanity is a... Terrible thing. Should I tell him I am worried, that I am... Lacking in any way when it comes to him... It will only make things worse."

Here the witch tapped the side of her head with a sigh.
"One hears whispers constantly. Doubts themselves. Begins to doubt others... I hope you have not noticed, but ah... Since the the shadowlings attacked, everyone has been feeling... odd. Myself included. Hopefully it will not affect you, but right now..." Belladonna chuckled softly, hating to admit it. "Right now I can hear someone speaking very softly and I know it is not you or I. The school has been infected too, somehow... Probably the shadowlings... Ours will pass, surely. But Mort's..."
The last bit she could not say, for that would mean admitting things will get worse. That he might not get better. And to voice something that is already a constant worry would only further to make it a tangible fear that is looming too closely on the horizon.

Living vicariously through a real live person, let alone a friend, was way, way, way better than reading about it in books! Especially since all the things Hel said were oh so scandalous! The woods, a desk, even a boat. Goodness they were busy bunnies! The mention of the Reaper gardens had the witch quirking an eyebrow momentarily, for she visited those gardens fairly often. At least in the past she had, perhaps not at much recently. Maybe from hence forth a bit of caution was needed before one went gallivanting into the foliage without care... It would have been atrocious to happen upon a couple participating in illicit liaisons!
"Splinters? Did you not lay down a blanket or something? Goodness you two must be very passionate indeed! And do you not worry about someone finding you?" Or hearing them? Granted, Hel might have been different but the witch was not the quietest of types. In any regard.

Perhaps Belladonna had been hasty in her explanation of where Mort had contracted his Insanity, for it could have been anything that had done it. He'd been gone for two weeks, dead and gone, so the possibilities were rather numerous. Most likely it had been because he'd reformed incompletely in the Haunted House and somehow made it back that way... But at the same time... On that trek the witch had done the same. She'd dissipated and reformed incomplete and become a monster, but she'd been saved. Why could not the same be said for him?
There really wasn't any time to consider that for Hel began to comfort her again, kind fingers brushing through the witch's hair in a gesture she'd not really gotten to enjoy in ages. For the most part she doted on others, not the other way around. It was nice, something sweet to temper the sadness they had found themselves submerged in.
Words spoken by the fellow Reaper were kind, made the witch feel a bit more appreciated for how very much she was struggling. But Belladonna was an impatient thing and didn't really listen all the way through before she cast Hel a broken look. A time when what she said didn't matter? That was already here and now, that was already a reality. With no magical cure, the witch was left to only cast around helplessly and smile and tell him she loved him. It was excruciating and infuriating and--
"I waited for him when he first died... I shall wait should it happen again." A part of her almost said 'when it happened again', but for all her impatience, her optimism, however small, typically outweighed its opposition.

But the other words Hel said... The rational, nearly harsh way she said them... It was an odd balm. Pretty words didn't save anybody despite what the witch might think, and hollow hope was worse than no hope at all. So maybe... Maybe she could do all that. Maybe the witch could just steel herself to this fate, could wait out this storm. If she had such a friend as Hel, yes she most certainly could.
With a small, if horribly sheepish, smile, the witch reached up and placed a small kiss to Hel's cheek before she wrapped her up in a hug.
"Thank you, truly. I wanted to hear of your adventures and I told you of mine instead." A tiny, hesitant laugh escaped her for Belladonna did feel awfully terrible about that. Complaining about her own problems was never very fun, not when those she cared about had their own set of worries. But the witch was quick to brush what small tears had dared to peek out over her lashes away before she flashed a smile to the ghoul.
"Now! You were telling me something about a cottage and some land that you bought?"

"No planning! Imagine that!" It wasn't something easily done, for while she might be the passionate type herself, the witch had learned a thing or two about using caution in all situations as well as just how nice a bit of planning could be thanks to one particular zombie. Still, she wrinkled her nose at the idea of being caught. That didn't sound like fun at all! It sounded stressful!
"But what if... A teacher catches you! O-or someone you know! Then they'd see... Well... Everything!!" One hand covered her chest in dismay, or well actually just kind of pressed into it really as there was just too much to cover with one hand, and the witch looked absolutely horror struck. It was one thing to be proud of one's features, but to potentially show them off to someone you had not given permission to because they'd caught you in the middle of illicit liaisons!? Belladonna could have perished at just the thought!

For all the kind words Hel had said before, for all the sorrow they had talked over and even the few bit of tears that had already fallen, it seemed just the extension of future kindness was all it took to really get the witch to cry. With a tiny noise she dropped her face into her hands, allowing herself just one moment of weakness.
"I-I do not mean t-to cry, I-I-I just--" Belladonna broke her sentence off in favor of one sob before she curled in on herself. Just a second, just one tiny second where she could lay down the armor she'd been so carefully constructing in preperation for the day she would be alone again. Everything was just so heavy and she couldn't allow herself to cry in front of anyone. Everyone had troubles, everyone had woes and needed a smile. She could give them that... But, she just needed to let go. For only a bit.
Later she might consider why she cried in front of Hel of all people, but the witch would most likely miss the fact that it wasn't just because Hel was her friend and made her feel safe. Belladonna would be too far in her adoration of the Reaper to realize it was because she looked up to her, admired the ghoul's strength and resolve. The tough exterior was something the witch wished she could exude, but instead here she was crying like some little scareling who'd scuffed their knees.
It didn't last long and she quickly sat up to hastily wipe her tears away, a smile already plastered on her face.
"Honestly, I do apologize... It is just... I will just..." The witch took a deep breath to steady herself, blinking additional moisture off her lashes. "I fear I will need some help in the future and your offer... Made me realize such."

A dowry! The mention of such had the witch back to rights, wide eyed and curious.
"Your parents gave you your dowry? They let you have it?!" How lucky Hel was! The witch clasped both her hands together, looking half forlorn and half dreamy. "Your parents must be so kind! I am going to not only have to fight for mine, but I hardly doubt Mother and Papa will hand it over so easily! I half expect them to try and marry me off regardless!" Belladonna laughed at that, dropping the odd expression in favor of humor. Even if they did try such an outdated tactic she would flaunt propriety and do as she wished. But it was still funny.
"So you know where you want to live after school! That is most excellent! Do you know what you'd like to do? To earn a living? Is the cottage far? What kind of style will you go for? Hardwood floors perhaps? I am not good with household sewing, but I could try to make you some curtains when the time comes!" Odd that a moment ago she was sobbing and now she had returned to her formerly bubbly state.

While Belladonna was not at all going to doubt that a naked Hel would be anything but a big deal (she could totally think her friend was massively attractive, no shame in that!), the idea that anyone could just walk in and see everything... It was enough to make the witch shudder in worry. As much as she might love showing her assets off, the idea of someone without consent seeing her was not something she enjoyed. Even if it might heightened the mood. But she laughed and mimicked Hel's shrug, careful to realize that it really was a matter of opinion. And differing opinions were not necessarily a bad thing!

Thankfully the witch's little sob fest did not last long, especially since really all she needed was to know she could break. It had been building for so long that now that it had broken, it only meant it could be more easily mended. It was a weak point that could be built around, a c***k in her armor that she could better protect now that she knew it was there. For once, even something as small as a few sobs were enough.
The kiss and wrap of arms only made the witch slow her breathing to better calm herself. It might have been alright to cry, but it was no longer becoming an option. For a bit longer she would have to betray her weaknesses and ignore them.
"Thankfully, I-I am... Far too stubborn to stop trying." She told Hel, one hand rising to lightly touch at the back of her neck. After all this time with him, after all that the witch had put herself through just to see Mort smile... She was not going to give up now. That would have been the coward's way and she'd come a long way from not being such a coward anymore.

But it was the little noise Hel made along with the pinch of Belladonna's cheeks that made her cry out, the smile dropped from her face.
"A-ah! Sorry! I-I-- Ow Hel ow ow owwwww~" Once freed she shoved both her hands to her face and held the now pink skin, even going so far as to shoot a pair of large, pink, and glistening eyes up to the Reaper who only cuddled her up close.
"That was... More for my own sake, but I will take your words to heart. If I need you again, which I am unfortunately quite certain I will, you'll be the first I call." Or maybe she'd just fly out to Hel's little cottage unannounced. How fun that would be!
Speaking of cottages...
"You must have a bunch of siblings if your parents didn't notice... I am the youngest of three and they would know it was me if I did that..." The idea of being married off made her laugh and she flapped a hand at Hel. "Not anymore, probably not. Maybe if I hadn't started dating Mort they'd have tried it, but we'll see... There's still time for them to try." Not that she would have agreed to it, of course.

But hooray! More home talk!
"Hardwood floors, of course! I would have to reprimand you otherwise... What about... Big windows? And--WAIT YOU WANT TO BE A TRICK OR TREATER TOO?!" Belladonna gasped and pressed her hands back to her cheeks, astonished in the most pleasant of ways to discover this. To have such a wonderful friend as Hel as a Trick or Treater as well?! Maybe they could team up together and help each other sometimes!
"I have been considering the path myself but I wasn't entirely sure... I need to visit Luna and ask her for a mentorship, but oh what fun it would be!"

It was a good thing Hel looked away, or else she might have permanently fallen under the witch's spell. No one (save for a handful of measly humans) seemed immune to her ways and her sparkley kirakira pouting face usually did the trick. Still, Belladonna felt a bit silly so when Hel puffed up a cheek, the witch rose a pointer finger to press against the ballooned skin.
"True, but I still appreciate the offer. And in turn I extend such to you. If you ever need someone, please do not hesitate to call me. I'll fly over as fast as I can, and you must know I am an excellent flier!" Flying was such fun, so she had been careful to perfect that act when she was young. And it had served her faithfully over the years, as she hoped it would continue to do.
But it was the knowledge that Hel had eight older sisters that made Belladonna's jaw drop.
"Eight?!??! Holy Hecate in all the Seven Hells! How did you-- Were they kind-- Your parents must have-- How did you survive?!"
With two older sisters who had both physically and mentally tortured the witch as a child, the idea that there were eight ghouls who could have provided such torment was nearly an unfathomable thought. It would literally have been impossible to have survived childhood with eight sisters. And while Belladonna honestly knew that not all sisters came in quite the viscous package her's had, it was a hard habit to break. Needless to say she was vastly curious.

"Oh the ones that open outward are so precious. I am partial to big ones, make them easier to jump out for broom flying, but I can understand wanting wide ones." She clapped her hands in glee and folded them excitedly in her lap to talk about their future that seemed mutual.
"Yes! I had been considering it for a while, but last Halloween when they let us go scare the children I had such a good time! It was the most absolute fun I'd had in ages! And yes, Luna is a Trick or Treater. She is this gorgeous moth ghoul who is softly spoken and likes to collect fabrics, she is just darling!" The witch was nearly vibrating with her glee.
"What in particular do you think makes you suited for the job?" Was it something they both shared? Or something else that Hel could teach, like how to be a better prankster?! What fun that would be!

"Were they kind to you? Did they pull your hair or play mean tricks on you or say nasty things to the boil you might fancy? What about clothes? Would they share clothing with you?" These were all very important questions, for the witch's own two sisters had done all those things and more, save for being kind or sharing their clothing. It was true that the middle sister had since changed her ways, but growing up had not been the carefree experience some children are blessed with. And while it had been awfully horrid, Belladonna was glad that Hel had survived to be the hardened creature she was presently.
"Both would be so nice!" The witch chirped in response to homes, not at all in the mindset to be thinking about having her own home. With so many other pressing matters it was hard to think that far in the future when the coming week seemed littered with pitfalls and new troubles. Thank Hecate for good friends!

Being a thorn in peoples' side? Well, that didn't sound awfully fun, but the witch did have to admit, even if only to herself, that being pesky was rather fun. Not causing any sort of real trouble, but causing a bit of mischief and poking various people was always such a delight. And the whole thing would be such a wonderful way to meet new people and see all new sights!
"I do not... Think I have ever trolled anyone... I have not done much pranking I am afraid..." But the next thing Hel said had the witch going all sparkly. Once again she sat up straight and clasped her hands under her chin.
"You have to take me treasure hunting with you sometime! I have never been and I do so love treasure! Especially crowns!" The witch was nothing if not entirely too high in her own opinion. But she dropped the sparkles for a genuine smile at Hel.
"I think you would make a most excellent Trick or Treater. And should we both be lucky enough to become such, we shall have to team up every so often and cause havoc. And bring home lots of treasure to our boils."