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As the familiar chill left her, as Belladonna watched Mort back away from her, that little quirk of his smile staring at her, a deep numbness took over. It rose from the ground and encased her feet, effectively halted any attempt she wanted to make forward, to beg him to stop. Am I not enough?
All his words echoed in her mind, bore the witch down until she collapsed onto the ground, the heels of her palms catching the dirt, stinging with the sensation of being so horrifically brutalized over the day. Her vision took on a oddly translucent, pale blue hint as the edges of things began to blur, so that the witch was not afforded the final sight of her love handing his soul over. All she could see were a mixture of blues, one last little glow of green and her sight exploded.
The sight of Red and Caelius was enough to make anyone silent with curiosity and equal parts fear over what would happen, but it was not a scene to inspire hope. Everything about it took and demanded and took more. It was not enough to ask for sacrifices, even more had to be taken as the Hunter's weapons were ripped from them. It all happened like a dream, too bright in color and too strange to honestly be happening. But it was. In all its unfortunate glory, in the scared and hurt faces of the Hunters who fled through the portal, in Red's triumphant stance as she addressed those who drew close enough to question her… It was all true.

A pain exploded in the witch's chest as she pulled in a breath that dulled it, made it fade, even a little. Still on the ground, she let her gaze fall down to her mangled hands and fallen cards. They stared up at her, fallen to the dirt like she, scuffed and tattered and in need of repair. A shaking hand, one of her own that looked foreign to her glassy sight, reached out and picked up three that remained face down. A heavy sense of deja vu rested on her shoulders, expressed interest in her actions. The cards were turned over and pictures looked up at the witch. The first, her past, was Strength, a task to be overcome with willpower and ingenuity. The second held a man with four branching paths, The Magician, which meant choices, knowledge and new beginnings. And the final card, one Belladonna had loved so dearly, was The Lovers, locked in a passionate embrace and meant something beautiful in her future.
A sob choked her, made her drop her cards, which dissolved into little tendrils of pink FEAR that returned to her being. With nothing to hold onto, Belladonna stared back out into the field, searched for a friendly face. Ofelia and Clover had returned to their home, she had not been given the chance to say goodbye to them. And even if she had been given the chance to say goodbye to Mort, it had been hurried, lackluster. The moment had not gone as she had planned, she did not get to see the surprise on his face when she spoke of her love for him. And he had returned his own not with words, but with actions that left her shattered and numb inside.

The realization of exactly what had happened made her cry out, made her double over and scream into her hands. It was never fair, it never had been and it never would be. Mort got to play the hero and get his wish and the princess got to go back to her castle. But it would be an empty victory, hollow and lonely. He had pulled her from the depths of despair with a smile and a laugh, had protected her and eased her fears. Belladonna loved Mort, and he loved her, but it had not been enough to keep him. He had given to her time and time again, had let her coax him out of his own sorrow, but this was one time he had denied her wish. This time he had put everyone's best interests first, and now he was gone for her sake.
With her forehead pressed into the ground, Belladonna cried and despaired even though she had been instructed not to, because there was no one to help her up, no one to carry her back home for she was now all alone.

Watching Red hold Circe at bay was unsettling... it was amazing... and it was paralyzing.

Just as paralyzing as that sickening sound of organic matter being strewn apart. Not crunchy like a bug and not hissing like FEAR. It actually made the half beast cringe.

No... Jack no this was not... this was not good- oh Jack don't THROW the body-

Okay she threw the body-

No, Bul wasn't sympathizing for Cael, not in the least bit. In fact, it made his ultimate objective that much more clear- take out H like Nox had once said. HOWEVER, it was not going to be any easier nor were relations between Deus and Halloween about to get any easier. Some would see this fight provoked by the insanity while he was certain the majority would see it as something to avenge. Great. There went any chances of hoping to get their help- ANY.

Mei.. Mei he had to go see Mei. She too had stood by during the fight. When he approached her, he clearly looked worried. She could probably tell what was having him stirred. There was plenty to celebrate by seeing Red again but there was plenty to also be scared shitless about. Particularly if Red KNEW what they were trying to do alongside the hunters.

"Red."

Her voice took a rather unusual tone to it - warm, affectionate - as the nurse approached the potentially dangerous she wolf, her arms extended in greeting, implying that perhaps she would have rather liked a hug in the near future. If so, Cricket did not initiate such a thing.

"You appear to be doing as fiercely as ever." she noted, tone light, friendly. Cricket seemed to have suddenly had an elevated mood. False Red or not, this was her best friend in some image - one she had been pulled away from in too short of manner. She would make due with what she had to work with.

Red looked her way, and as soon as she did, Selene perked in what could only be described as the kind of smile a puppy gives someone who just started paying attention to her. But it was gone in an instant, and she was back to shyly hiding behind Moira, and being distantly glad to see the woman back, alive again. Cricket was there now, and things were.. well, things were fine without her. So she hopped slowly away, before anyone could notice.

When she moved silently away from Red and the other professors, Selene heard the cries that made her heart ache with familiarity. They sounded familiar, even though she'd only heard them once before. They sounded familiar, only because she'd made them once before. They ached her to her core, and Selene rocked with the feeling, moved to find the one who cried for her loss.

When she found Belladonna, Selene dropped down to the ghoul, and wrapped her small hands around her. She couldn't pick her up, or move her, but Selene did her best to brush her hands across the ghoul and try to comfort her as best as she could.

"You're not alone." Selene didn't try to tell the ghoul everything was going to be all right. She didn't try to shush her or stop her tears. She said nothing that a normal comforting soul might have tried to do. She just told her the only thing that she knew she could give. "I'm right here child. Cry as long as you want, but I won't leave you alone."

She didn't know exactly what Belladonna had lost, but she could feel, in her heart, and even in her bones, that this was where she needed to be.

"Whatever they say, what ever you are. You're Red. That's all I wanted." She looked to the teachers one at a time and back to Red before nodding before moving away from the group and out among the other students.

Gene dismounted Frost, giving him a good ear rub, before standing next to Danny, saying nothing for a long while. She just stared at the abomination in front of them. It didn't feel right - as if it were a being composed of more than Fear. Her fingers slipped into Danny's hair, softly stroking it as she watched the thing they called Red.

That thing attacked Halloween and Hunter. That thing had been comprised of Insanity mere hours ago. Red didn't belong in their world; she belonged in this place. She knew Danny felt that too, and continued to soothe the demoness.

This day had been hell, and she got the feeling it wasn't over.

Noises first, irritants, and then a familiar voice. It couldn't be-

- Was it?

Even as she told him and called him by name, even as she ushered everyone home, even though she moved exactly like the way she always did -

- Arel was confused. If this was Red-

- Then who was the figure he had just seen asking for help back there?

And yet there was that promise. To go home. That this was all over. He let her lead, because it felt okay, it felt right. The students were safe, and the Hunters - well, he hadn't been so fond of them anyway, and it would make the entire tense Hunter-slash-bogeymen issue a little more manageable.

He closed his eyes and let himself be followed. It was fine this way. It was nice, for a change, to not have to worry so much.