[PRP] S.O.S.! ( Tsetsiliya & Belladonna )

[alpha lyrae]

Where, where, where is it?!

Tsetsiliya could feel the cold sweat on her brow as she dug through the brush that surrounded the reaper dorms. How could she have missed it, how? The poludnica's hands were shaking as she dug, and she'd be on her feet before falling to her knees a few feet away. She had to find it.. she absolutely had to find it!

It had started as a normal day of plant-collecting. After checking out the crevices and bushes near this dorm when she had helped Christof find his way, she had been keen to come back and collect more plantlings for her windowbox planter. Just as then, she'd found some wonderful new acquisitions (her poor little nightshade would be so happy at more company!), and she had hustled back to the dorm.

The plants had been repotted and watered, and she had washed her hands and was getting ready to sit down to her studying when she caught a glimpse of her waist.

Her heirloom chain belt was missing.

And now here she was. Digging, digging, digging. Where could she have lost it? There was a good chance that she had lost it somewhere along the way, but she didn't even want to consider that possibility at the moment. Tsetsiliya looked towards the looming dorm next to her. She could always ask for help.. she did know someone here. They had fought together in the raid, and she had seemed so kind.. perhaps she could help! But no no, could she ask her? It wouldn't be.. imposing, would it?

Trembling, she walked up the front stair and opened the front door of the dorm, peeking her nervous head inside. Belladonna was her only hope!  

[AyeAvast]

A nice long mid-morning nap had been in order since Belladonna felt she was still recovering from the Christmastown raid. Though her parents had been less sympathetic about her traumatic experience, her dear Binx had been more than obliging to cuddle her fears into submission as well as listen to her endlessly recount the romantic manner in which Braum had found her after the train wreck. It seemed that the train was the only thing really detrimental to the witch, for even their strange encounter with the ninja seemed merely a series of unfortunate events rather than a permanent scar on her emotional state. In any event, her plants needed watering, so the witch finally roused herself enough to throw on something decently acceptable and descend the reaper dorm stairs, Binx-kitty still nestled safely in her arms.

It was such a surprise to see someone she knew standing in the foyer of the dorms, but even more surprising to see someone she knew did not belong there.

"SILIYA!!" Belladonna cried, darting forward and dragging the girl into a hug that squished the little black cat between them. "What are you doing here?! I didn't think you were a reaper! I'm terrible at telling the different races, but that's ok. There shouldn't be a barrier between them. What are you doing here?!" She asked again, squeezing the girl close.

"You can let go now... I can't breath..." Binx mumbled from between them, little kitty claws trying to dig into whatever part of his witch would be felt most, but instead only being plucked from between them as Belladonna broke the hug to stand there, smiling happily and blissfully unaware at the girl.  

[alpha lyrae]

Tsetsiliya had entered the building half-hoping to find Belladonna, but she hadn't been prepared to meet her so soon. She wriggled a little against the witch's enthusiastic hug, and nearly jumped in surprise when a foreign voice drifted up from between them and her pale eyes set on a small black cat - Belladonna's familiar.

She had a point - what was she doing in a dorm that wasn't hers? What was she doing here, period? Despite how welcome she and the others had made Tsetsiliya feel, the poludnica had contributed some of that to the suffocating amount of JOY in Christmas Town. She didn't do very well living up to being a demon, going most places unnoticed unless someone was seeking an easy, compliant target.

To be honest, she quite didn't know how to take the kindness. It made her very wary. But fact of the matter was she had come in with the intent of asking Bella's help, and she had entered. There was no going back now. Hopefully she wouldn't be a bother.

"I -- I am losing m-my.." Her trembling fingers reached instinctively for her belt, but with said object gone, her nervous hands just patted the empty space. "My he-heirloom belt. I am looking for something to b-be planting.. i-in my planter, yes.. and it had disappeared." Now she felt desperate. She really hoped she wouldn't be a bother! "I-I am not knowing any other reapers.. but I have looked.. and hoping perhaps you may have seen it? Or.." The poludnica couldn't quite bring herself to ask for help outright. It made her feel very vulnerable. Hopefully Belladonna could finish the thought for her.  

[AyeAvast]

Maybe it was her intuition kicking in, or maybe it was just because Belladonna knew the type of girl Siliya was, but in any event she let a slow smile form that she hoped would make the girl feel at ease. Already she was in a tizzy over having lost her heirloom belt (Belladonna made a mental note to ask her about it in a few minutes when they began the hunt for it) and then she was nervous over asking for help in the Reaper dorms too! Now would not be the time to jump up and down excitedly over her new friend, so Belladonna only smiled and nodded once.

"I'll help you look for it!" She offered, linking her arm with Siliya's as Binx was shifted to the opposite arm to be cradled. "And planting? Do you garden? That's so lovely, I garden too. I've got a small garden club going actually, you should join! We haven't had any official meetings yet or anything, but we'll be starting up soon and could always use new members and fresh ideas! We meet at the little gazebo nearby... The one semi-covered in vines? I had to de-vine most of it myself, just enough so we could store some plants without them being destroyed by any torrential rain we might get. You know how the weather here can be!"

Chatter was easier for Belladonna than motherly nurture and while she knew the girl needed some reassurance, besides 'Don't worry' or 'We'll find it!' the witch didn't know what to say! So instead she talked endlessly as they exited the Reaper dorms and headed down the stairs.
"Where was the first place you discovered it missing? We'll go there first and work our way backwards and if we still can't find it... Well then we'll just start the heavy searching!" Heavy searching of course entailed looking under bushes and summoning Belladonna's hazmutt, Hazzy, who had an impeccable sense of smell. But that wouldn't be necessary right now and hopefully it wouldn't be necessary in the future either...  

[alpha lyrae]

Oh, thank Jack. Tsetsiliya gave Belladonna a timid nod in return when the witch smiled and linked arms with her. She didn't seem to be a bother at this time - which made the poludnica feel a little better about coming into a place she didn't really belong. The fact that the reaper had picked up on her discomfort and calmed down to make her feel at ease was very touching.

At the mentioning of her own interest in gardening, Tsetsiliya's interest perked. She hadn't met anybody here who had an interest in plants yet, and the fact that she already (kinda, sorta, a little) knew Belladonna made it a lot easier. That was one hurdle cleared.

"O-Oh yes, I very much love plants." She mustered a small smile. "I had a garden at home." Then there was mention of a garden club? Oh, her heart was doing leaps and bounds! She was glad to know that there really was a garden club in existence - she would have been interested in starting one if there wasn't, but with her people skills it probably would not have worked so well. "I-I would love to join, when you are being active, yes?"

As they headed outside and Belladonna asked her to point out where she started, she had to think carefully. As always, whenever she was in a tizzy, the details of what upset her started to muddle together. "I-I was looking over here.. along this side, yes, for new plants.." This time she took the lead, following the hedges along the side of the building. When they reached the opposite end, she pointed around the back side, and was startled to see that her hand had smoothed into that of a young woman's. Jack her poor control in times of crisis! "I was digging in these hedges.. then was moving around the back.. but I start here." She tapped her foot on the ground. A moment of silence passed, before her cheeks reddened and she looked down, speaking in a tiny voice.

"T-thank you v-very much.. for helping.. me."  

[AyeAvast]

"A garden at home? Why that sounds so delightful! I cannot believe I never thought of such a thing. Well, I suppose it was really due to Daddy. He didn't like plants very much and Hemlock and Delphinium were always saying rude things to my plants and I'm sure you know that plants simply cannot grow in such an environment. Its just too much for their little bodies!" Belladonna was speaking so much that she almost missed what Siliya was saying about her belt! Best to be quiet now...

"Here is a perfect place to start!" Belladonna chimed, letting the girl go and turning toward the ground for just a moment. "And it is no problem." Honestly the witch adored helping people. Sometimes she was afraid the others would realize how much she wanted to help and would kick her out of Halloweentown, but so long as she always helped people be scary or wear lots of black she was sure they would ignore her cheerfulness. At least Siliya didn't seem put off by it...

"So... How have you been holding up since the Raid?" Belladonna asked casually, hoping not to offend or startle the girl as she dropped to her knees and began searching every inch of the space around her.  

[alpha lyrae]

With Belladonna's smile and insistence that things were fine, Tsetsiliya's anxieties relaxed and her worried expression melted into a small smile of her own. The reaper was on her hands and knees, looking so hard for her. How could she have doubted that this was a friend?

Well, experience, for one reason - but she waved the thought off and plopped onto the ground beside her to join in the search.

"I have been.." She paused in thought. "Pretty well, I am guessing." Other than trying to rationalize why everybody had treated her so kindly, but after what Belladonna had offered to do, it was probably not best to bring up that she was analyzing their possible friendship so early on. "I have not had chance to meet with the others yet, but I am hoping they are well.." Truthfully, she was too nervous. She was afraid that all of their comradery was merely situational, and if it was then she didn't want to face it yet.

This she also kept to herself, instead grooming through the grass before crawling ahead a few feet. Streaks of dry dirt stained the front of her dress, but she didn't mind. All for a good reason. "And yourself? I admit I was worried when I could not find any of you after the explosion." This part, for what it was worth, was pure truth. She had seen others when she woke once again on the icy mountain path, but her thoughts traveled back to the Krumm Car riders she had liked best.  

[AyeAvast]

"I haven't seen anyone since either, but I'm sure they're fine too." Belladonna mused to the girl, still looking and having advanced to a bush, now picking up the leaves to look under it. One never knew when belts decided to sprout legs and walk under bushes. It had happened to the witch a number of times, though mostly with jewelry and these were usually hidden under piles of clothing or sewing projects. "Everyone seemed to handle themselves pretty well, even though... Well..." She paused, for a moment the only noise was the shifting of leaves. "Nothing. They're all ok. I'm sure. I just wonder what they're all up to... You think Alwine and Barth are together yet?" Secretly the witch had fancied they would start a romantic entanglement that would last the entirety of their days at Amityville until Alwine dashed off to become a superstar. Somehow that last bit didn't seem to fit the rest, but Belladonna was never one for practical planning.

"I've been well!" Belladonna chirruped, aware that now would be the time to get some attention for being so brave during the raid, but also certain of the fact that Siliya would need any sort of attention more. She seemed like such a fragile girl and honestly the witch felt just awful that she had left her behind and that Siliya had gone alone. So when she confessed that she had been worried about everyone, Belladonna felt the stab of guilt more acutely than normal and sat up to look at the poludnica.

"I'm really sorry we got separated after the explosion... I should have waited for you and made sure you were ok... But I just..." Here she paused, letting her hands drop uselessly into her lap. There was really no excuse for what she had done and now even if she promised to help Siliya no matter what and protect her from any strange things Amityville might churn out, it would still only be a small thing compared to abandoning her in Christmastown. "I'm sorry. I promise not to let it happen again and if you ever need anything... I'm here for you."

Maybe the girl would take it as a debt being paid by the witch, but Belladonna hoped she would see it as a true offer of friendship. After all, Siliya seemed like such an interesting person! She liked gardening and wore a really cute robe!  

[alpha lyrae]

"It-it is not being your fault!" Tsetsiliya insisted with surprise as she looked over at Belladonna. "From what I gathered from the others on the path, everyone was scattered.." She, too, stopped her searching momentarily, but instead of insisting more that Belladonna need not blame herself, she smiled.

"But I thank you." She looked at the witch happily. "I will be calling you again for anything.. if that is okay!" The moment had been sentimental and the last part blurted out from habit; as though to mask her embarrassment at being so bold, she started searching the grass again. But if it was friendship offered - nothing unconfirmed anymore, but as genuine an offer as it seemed - then she gladly accepted.

She thanked Jack that things had panned out so well.

"N-Now!" She steered the topic back to the subject raised earlier, not only to keep the moment from being too awkward (on her part anyway) but to keep the flow of conversation moving. "I am not seeing Barth or Alwine around but I am very much hoping they have come together as well." The memory of the train made her smile widen. Alwine was a very nice ghoul, and feeling encouraged by her affirmed friendship with Belladonna, Tsetsiliya wanted to visit her very much. "Perhaps we can call on her at the ghost dorms, yes?" She peeked over the bush she was searching under at the reaper for her opinion on the idea. She was rather curious on the topic, but given how Alwine was, she was not sure if she would be forthcoming about her and Barth's relationship, if anything had happened.

"I have not found anything here," the poludnica sighed, rising to her feet. "Perhaps we should be looking on the other side of the building next?"  

[AyeAvast]

Despite the girl's insistence that it wasn't Belladonna's fault she still felt guilty over it and probably would forever. But the fact that Siliya wasn't holding it against her certainly helped make it lessen by at least a small fraction. And she did have a point; Everyone had been scattered by various events and who Belladonna had started the journey with was not who she ended it with. "Of course its ok! I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't!" The witch told her with a smile, giggling slightly at the idea of lying to someone so honest and innocent as the polundnica.

"I wonder if Alwine has made any moves. Probably not. Or if she did she probably apologized for them." It was appropriate to laugh as the witch did mean it in all sincerity. "And I wonder how Colette and Rain are? And that... That blue boy. Um... Mer...Mer-something! I'm sure everyone is doing just fine. We'll see them at the play soon too I bet!" Which was true since the school play was coming up in just a few days. "Did you audition for it? I did. I tried out for Jack, but they didn't pick me." She wasn't bitter! Not one bit! "But I'm sure Shehk will make an excellent Jack. Nuk I'm not too positive on..." Not that she didn't have faith in the skin-walker... It was just his... Personality didn't seem to fit in with Sally's all too much...

"Me neither." The witch jumped to the balls of her feet, which made her teeter for a minute as she slapped her hands on her hips. "That's probably a good idea!" And with that she started walking, but kept her eyes trained fully on the ground. "So, this heirloom belt? I assume its a heirloom since that's in the name, but why is it a heirloom?" The witch was very curious about that after all. In her family, accessories to be worn weren't handed down as heirlooms quite in the same way as a Book of Shadows or kitchen-witch recipe might be.  

[alpha lyrae]

Tsetsiliya giggled appreciatively at Belladonna's comments on Alwine and Barth's relationship. She would not have been surprised if that had been the case with the poor headless ghoul, but regardless she wished her luck. Alwine seemed very similar to her, so something inside the poludnica was very much urging her to succeed.

"I was auditioning," she replied as the conversation turned to the subject of the school play. "I was trying for the part of Sally, but I was not being very much sure on how well I did.. but it is okay, yes." She smiled. It really was okay. At this point, she probably wasn't ready for something as heavy as a school play. Best not to jump in too far so soon, right?

Leading Belladonna around to the other side of the building, Tsetsiliya was once again on hands and knees, sifting through the brush. There were upturned sections where she had combed over earlier, looking for new plants for her room (which was soon to become a hot house, if she didn't monitor herself a little more). At Belladonna's inquiry, her ears perked up.

"The belt is being in my family for generations, many of them." Spotting a faint glimmer somewhere nearby, she pulled aside leaves and twig only to be disappointed by the sight of an upside down bottle cap. "It is, how you say, a charm for us. It is very much important to wear family pride on oneself always, reminding that they give to us their goals for the future." She laughed a little at how cheesy it sounded - it had sounded much better in her head. "Each poludnica in my family is having to wear it at some point, only to be passing it to their children when they are reaching school age. A family crest, if you are willing." She nodded as she said as much, and the lightness around her waist from its absence echoed in her heart. Oh Jack, it had to be around here somewhere.

"And you?" She turned towards the witch with curious eyes. "Are you having any family heirlooms?"  

[AyeAvast]

After quietly listening to the poludnica ask her a few more questions, Belladonna couldn't help but screw her lips into a very small pout and turn back to the girl. Though she didn't mean it in any offensive way, Belladonna couldn't help but notice that the girl's English was just ever so slightly off. Not wanting to be rude and mention anything about it, Belladonna instead nodded her head suddenly.
"You would have made a wonderful Sally!" In fact, the witch wondered whether she could wrangle the girl into letting her make her a dress. The thought was brought about by the idea that Sally sewed and so did the witch and Miss Siliya, while looking very pretty in her current outfit, would look just as fetching in something with petticoats... And maybe a large bow!

Belladonna trotted after Siliya dutifully, her eyes poised to spot anything out of the ordinary and not being well trained to do so. Once again she dropped to her knees, her hands jutting out from her body to do the searching since her eyes were so distracted by everything around her. And when Siliya started talking about her family and their herilooms, Belladonna was all but distracted with what her hands were touching. An excitable witch sadly only had an excitable attention span, and the story seemed more interesting.

"Family heirlooms?" The witch inquired, more to herself than to her fellow ghoul. "Sort of... Your heirlooms sound much more like heirlooms than mine do. The only thing that really gets handed down through the family is a Grimoire, or Book of Shadows. Its this giant book that holds all these really great spells and potions and what not!" Here the witch couldn't help but get very excited at the prospect of it. Grimoires were always massive, dusty old things with a million pages full of different handwriting with a million pages still unfilled. "But those aren't given down to everyone. You have to earn it... Right now my Aunt Lucy has it and in a few years she'll pick who gets it next. Me or one of my sisters..." And woe would be the day either Delphinium or Hemlock received it for Belladonna would surely curse the entire family. She was the superior witch after all!

"But we do have another type of heirloom I suppose... Its more the passing of symbols rather than the same actual object." Here she sat up straight and pointed in a very exaggerated manner to her hat. "Every witch in my family gets a hat! The hat isn't given until they're old enough that their heads will stop growing and they have established personality enough to dictate what the hat will look like!" This was probably very boring for Siliya, but Belladonna loved her witchly culture and couldn't stop now, even if she wanted to! (Which, of course, she didn't!) "Mine has a really big brim because I'm very outgoing and a star because I predict the future and you can chart the future with the stars. But it has holes too because sometimes I get too excited and do things wrong." Here the witch nodded with untold amounts of joy because after all, this was her heritage. That and she really did love her witch hat!  

[alpha lyrae]

Tsetsiliya's worry lessened slightly as she listened to Belladonna's explanation of her heirlooms. The ghoul seemed so happy, talking about her heritage, and a small smile tugged at the poludnica's lips as she searched. It reminded that her pride was important, perhaps moreso than the belt, but that still wouldn't deter her search.

"It is good that you are being so happy about your heritage." She turned her smile towards the witch directly. "And your hat is very much suiting." The star very much made her think of her companion. "My grandmother is saying that making mistakes is good for the character, yes? Otherwise we are not learning." Jack knows how many mistakes she had made, but she had learned from each one, slowly but surely. This was how she adapted to getting picked on, as well as figuring out which plants react best to what fertilizers or sunlight. She continued to pat around the hedges lining the building, and she ducked her head momentarily to check the underside of a tightly-knotted bush. "You are knowing how to do potions?" Her head swiveled back to look at Belladonna, eyebrows raised in intrigue. "I am very much interested in --" As the ghoul turned her head to look at the next hedge, something caught her eye.

A small glimmer from the bush.

"A.. Ah!" She squinted into the tangled bush, catching that same glimmer of something shining in-between the tiny branches. "I am thinking I may have found it!" The branches were lined with thorns though, and the ghoul's mouth drew into a line as she puzzled over how to get her belt (hopefully that is what it was!).