A Spell to Generate Life-Force

It was a long week. Sarahi's parents were pretty put out about her being out of touch that day. If they had any idea where she'd really been, they would have been beyond livid, but Mrs. Hope was tactful enough not to bring that up when she and Mr. Swordbright talked over the phone. The pair agreed, in general, on the direction of Oro's life and some priorities that needed adjusting...and he agreed to find a tolerable position somewhere among his company's businesses to get Oro stationed. It wouldn't be anything high-paying, with his base-line education, but better than busing tables. If he could curb his attitude, it might even turn into something more fulfilling long-term...

Oro made a point of avoiding that house for the time being. He walked Sarahi home like usual, and she tried hard to keep a conversation going that revolved mostly around school, homework, music, and what they might do this summer, right after graduation. The Rabbit understood that she did not want to discuss anything that happened...but there was at least one thing they needed to revisit from there.

"You should come over tomorrow," Oro remarked as they rounded the bend from school that Friday afternoon.

Sarahi nodded with a casual smile. It had been a good day, and she had no homework for the weekend, which always made for a great afternoon. "Sure! I'll go home with Nayeli after our jog. I know your mentoring is over, but Dad wanted me to ask you--"

"Before the jog," Oro interrupted, definitely not wanting to hear anything from or about her father at the moment, "Or instead of, more likely." That prompted a curious look from the Sha'khari. "We have a fight that needs having. You're going to want to be fresh for it."

Her eyes widened, and her face fell, staring emptily at the sidewalk in front of her as they walked. "Oh. That. I...don't suppose--"

"Nope," he cut off her request before she could even finish it, "Don't you dare walk it back. You don't have a hope in Hell if you can't commit, and I'll be twice as pissed that you ever thought you did. Besides, I don't think that door would have opened if either of us had been lying."

Her tail swiped angrily against his leg. Oro took the hit and ignored it. "Wouldn't hurt to let me think you might have been," she frowned at him, "Not that I could convince myself of it. That would be more out-of-character than what you actually said." She sighed, and adjusted her backpack on her shoulders, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with...just about everything. "I thought you meant we'd have a heart-to-heart talk. Maybe an argument. But you were being literal, weren't you?"

"Obviously," the Rabbit rolled his eyes, "Since when do I talk with my mouth before my fists? Winner gets to propose, loser gets one of the healing potions. They'll probably need it," he traced his thumb along one of the scars lining both sides of his face, reminding her that he wasn't any more likely to walk away unscathed than she was, regardless of the outcome.

"Absolutely not," Sarahi scoffed, "No way are we going to hash this out right in front of her, especially like that. That is no way to propose anything to anyone. Note to your future self," she added pointedly.

"Fine," Oro huffed, "The stone ring where Organa's hut is, then. That's nice and out of the way, and I'll be going there to perform this 'ritual to generate life-force' afterward anyway. It'll save me a long walk with bruises, and you can take a rest while I'm busy. Works out for both of us."

Sarahi gnashed her teeth. "Gods forgotten, there are moments I hate you," she sighed, but finally nodded. "Alright. I'd like to change one of the terms, though. Winner has two weeks to confess their feelings. If it can't be done by then, all bets are off. You've had your chance and then some."

He gave her a narrow look. "...Fair enough." They continued down the sidewalk in an angry, awkward silence for a moment before he added, "I'll add this to the pot, too: if you win, if you confess, and if she accepts your feelings...I won't kill you in cold blood." He said it like he was offering a personal treasure. And maybe, in at least one sense, he was. "I'll probably have to eat my bat to resist the urge, but I'll manage somehow," he grumbled, that part being mostly to himself. Sarahi honestly couldn't tell if he looked angry or worried when he met her eyes again. "I'm not giving up anything for anybody...but when this is over...I do still want to be friends. It's fine if you hate me," he assured her, obviously still expected things to go in his favor, "I'll suck it up, whatever happens. Deal?"

Sarahi frowned at him, then turned up her nose and raised her right hand, "I solemnly swear to be a thorn in your paw for the rest of your days, come what may. You will never escape me."

"Heh," Oro chuckled at that as they grinned at each other, "As if I'd run."

"Yeah," the Sha'khari agreed, "Wait for me on the trail, though. I don't know if I could actually find my way back to that place on my own, to be honest."

"Sure," the Rabbit grunted, "Just keep walking until you see me. I'll be obvious." He turned back in the other direction, as they had just reached her street. "See you tomorrow."

True to his word, Oro was waiting practically in the middle of the trail the next morning when Sarahi came trotting up. He had a backpack on his back (probably full of materials from his shelf for the spell), his bat on his shoulder, and her spear in his hand. Sarahi gave him a concerned look as he offered that last one to her when she came close. "We aren't seriously going to use...," she started, hesitantly accepting the shaft of the spear.

"Fuck no," he growled, "We're having a fight, not a duel. I want us both to walk away alive. You said you would pick it up today, so I brought it along. Besides, maybe it'll make you feel better to carry it." He thumped his own bat on his shoulder. "You can't trust that feeling...but a weapon in hand does have a way of making you feel more powerful, even if you don't intend to use it. Now," he added with a scowl, "Do you have your phone with you?"

"Of course," she quirked a brow at him, pulling the little device from her pocket.

He actually looked irked with her for having what he asked for. "Great. Call up the Runepaws, then. I need them up here. Turns out, apparently, I need at least two fucking 'assistants' for this spell." Oro gave her a hard look. "I presume you agree that we don't want Nayeli here instead."

She understood then. Organa must have sprung this on him last-minute. She was pretty sure he didn't even want her around while he was working for the ghost, and now he had to include more people...and his best bet was a pair that didn't even know about his 'job'. He was, understandably, pissed.

Sarahi sighed, but nodded and opened her contacts list. "You really need your own phone," she noted, "You at least could have called them before you left the house."

"I don't know their numbers, okay?" he grumbled. Oro had never needed to call the twins, or wanted to call them, so he'd never asked for it. As soon as the phone started ringing, he snatched it out of her hand and held it up to his own ear. Sarahi could hear Kylan answer the phone with a cheerful greeting for her. "Hey. It's me," Oro grunted, and gave the Feline on the other end of the line a moment to get over his surprise, "So, did you like the model? ... Good. How would you like the real deal? ... Yeah," he answered a question Sarahi couldn't quite hear, "I need a favor. I'll owe you...a good one," he phrased it with a slight grimace, but continued, "I keep my promises. ... Thanks. Come up the lodge trail until you see us. Sarahi and I are already here. ... Nah, just comfortable hiking shoes. We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us, off-trail, but that's all you need. Snacks, if you want. ... Thanks."

He handed the phone back to her with a frustrated groan. "Fucking bitch witch," he growled, his ear twitching, then snapped, "Shut it!"

The Sha'khari shook her head. "While we have a few minutes," the asked gently, "Is there any way the rest of us can see or hear her outside the circle? I mean, it doesn't happen often, and I appreciate that...but it's really weird to be standing right here and know you're having a conversation I can't follow."

His ears twitched some more. "Nothing reliable," he relayed, pulling the necklace out from the neck of his hoodie, "This thing acts kind of like a television to her in her ring. Whatever I see or hear gets sent to her. She can speak back to me as part of my being her champion. What about that fucking diagram with the blood?" he asked suddenly, though not to Sarahi, "Yeah, I remember how flaky it was. Still better than nothing. I got nothing better to do right now." His ears twitched like her voice bothered him, though Sarahi was beginning to think it was more likely rooted in a growing dislike for the ghost herself. The Rabbit definitely regretted whatever sympathy had led him into this relationship. He hissed a sigh a moment later. "Fine, fine. Apparently it worked, kind of, because of the time of year making the connection cleaner, or some magic nonsense like that. I could make a better one, but not by drawing it in the dirt, and it'll take way more prep than I can do today. Sorry."

Sarahi shook her head. "It's not your fault. It's just confusing, sometimes."

"I know. That's why I ignore her most of the time when anyone else is around," Oro agreed, tapping his foot impatiently. They had quite a bit of a wait ahead of them.

Sarahi examined her spear for a while as they waited, watching the light play in the air at the "head", while she mulled over something in her head. "I don't really want to do this," she sighed after a while, "I don't mind fighting with you. It's kind of fun, actually. But this seems more...petty? Bitter? I don't know...more serious. Like we won't really be the same on the other side of it."

"Probably not," the Rabbit agreed, grinding his teeth, "But I need a fight, and a hard, clean win or loss, to clarify how I will move forward. I set a goal. I met it. I'm still...scared, a little...to take the next step. And then," he shot her a glare, "You fucking terrified me in there, and I can't just deal with you like some fucking jock at school. This is all I've got."

That rocked her on her mental heels. Oro had admitted the possibility of losing conflicts before, admitted to faults and limits in himself...but she had never heard him admit to being afraid of anything. Much less her. "Ex_cuse_ me?! I terrified you?! You literally promised to murder and bury me, and you're the kind of person I believe when they say that," she pointed out, "I get it. You don't want anyone to make a move on Nayeli. But you know she's not the sort who would agree to go out with just anyone, right?"

"Obviously," he snorted, "Or it would have been a helluva lot easier to ask her out. But you...fuck...you've got a real shot and you know it," he confessed with a grimace, pointing at her accusingly with his bat, "Don't even try to play it off like you don't. Yes, you're a genuine threat, and it fucking scares me," he growled, looking like he might attack her at any second the longer he thought about it.

Sarahi blinked, resting the butt of her spear on the ground again but subtly moving so that (hopefully) she could put it between her and a swing of his bat. "I...wish I was as confident as you are. Especially about that. I've been a girl all my life, you know, and she pretty clearly thinks of me as one. I can't think of a single time in all our talks that suggested she might swing that way. At best...I've got my work cut out changing her perception enough to be attracted to me."

"Fuck off," the Rabbit growled, shouldering his bat again, "Relationships aren't about sex, even romantic ones. If they were, I could fucking force one on her," he snorted contemptuously, shocking Sarahi a little with the revelation that had actually crossed his mind. But, like usual, he was being bizarrely philosophical for the base brute he presented himself as. "I thought girls were supposed to be the ones who understand that. You two talk about the world, what you like about it, what you wish would change...how you'd change it, if you got the chance. You build up and support each other. You share more with her than I do, honestly, and she's always smiling and comfortable with you in the room. Hell, I've already caught myself thinking you'd be a cute couple if I just got out of the way, and it pisses me off!" He emphasized that with a double-handed swing of his bat into a nearby tree. Gorgorond chewed halfway into the trunk before Oro yanked it back out again.

Sarahi's heart missed a few beats, and her face turned red. "Yeah?! Right back at you, you...you...ergh!!" she managed to make do with a quick stomp on the ground to vent her own frustration. "How am I supposed to approach her confidently, knowing how much it hurts you? You were the one I wanted first, and most...and still do!" she huffed, now on the verge of tears herself. Sarahi took a deep breath and wiped the moisture from her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. "Fuck...are we fighting now, or swapping pep-talks? I can't tell the difference anymore."

"Hell if I know, and fuck if I care," Oro huffed back, "That's why I need this, and for you to be all-in on it. It's clear, concrete, and gets the angry part out of the way up front," he thumped his bat in his hand this time, instead of his shoulder, "It doesn't leave lingering questions or tangled feelings. Win. Lose. That's it. I can live...or die...with that."

"Gods forgotten, I wish life was that simple to me," the Sha'khari sighed, leaning on her spear as the emotional spike passed. He could be so deep and so shallow all at the same time that she thought he must be lying about at least part of it. Sussing out which part might be impossible even for him, though.

His ears twitched, and he took another swing at a nearby tree, then pointed his bat at something in the air. "Nobody fucking asked you," he growled, "I will end you! Shut it!"

Sarahi's face burned. It was so easy to forget they had an audience...and suddenly an even more terrifying thought occurred to her. "Hey, Oro," she asked as gently as she could, "How often has she been listening to our talks? I mean...we share a lot on the way home some afternoons. Stuff I'd like to keep between us."

"Doesn't fucking matter," he growled, clearly understanding her concern, "She can't tell anyone else. She can't even tease you about it."

That was not an encouraging answer to the Sha'khari. "She can if you bring her back to life, like you're trying to do," Sarahi reminded him.

"No," Oro countered, wringing his bat in aggravation, "Because at this rate, I'm going to let her enjoy two good breaths of fresh air then kill her again. ... I told you that was a terrible label for me," he added in a softer growl, responding to some remark the ghost had made.

"What is that?!" Kylan's voice nearly made them both jump out of their skins. He and Diya were coming up the trail close by now, and the little male was eying Sarahi's luminous spear in amazement.

"Why do you have it?" came the more practical question from his sister.

"'S a fucking long and stupid story," Oro spat before Sarahi could even begin to answer, thumping his bat on his back as he turned toward the trees. "Come on. I'll tell you about it on the way. Fuck that," he quickly corrected, pointing at Sarahi, "She'll tell you about it on the way. I'm just going to sound fucking crazy cussing out a dead girl over here while we walk."

The twins blinked at him in unison, looking askance at Sarahi. "Well," Kylan remarked quietly as they all started off into the woods, "You're off to a good start..."

"...Ooooh, my head...," Diya groaned a little over an hour later, rubbing the sides of her face as they made their way up the mountain, "So, the important bits: Oro is working for a ghost who eats 'life-force', and needs us to help cast a spell so it can generate a lot of it and come back to life without having to kill babies. And you got that thing," she eyed the glowing spear, "From fighting for your life in another dimension while looking for an ingredient for the spell. You...you know how that sounds, right? The long version isn't much better."

"And after that," Kylan added, also rubbing his head, though he sounded less dubious, "You're going to have a fight over who gets to confess to Nayeli, and need us to stick around just in case you both go down, so there's someone to call the paramedics. Is that everything?"

"...Yes, more or less," Sarahi nodded, her face downcast and red with dejection and embarrassment, "And I know entirely too well how it sounds. You should have seen the way I looked at him when he told me the story, the first time he came back with wads of cash and that bat," she nodded toward the weapon on Oro's shoulder, which he thumped proudly.

For it all to make sense, she had to tell them a lot of things she wished she didn't. Even with those details, or at least as much as she was willing to provide, she understood it hardly made sense. If they weren't crazy, they were so stupid their friends probably kind of hoped they were just crazy. Diya let out a long, slow exhale. "When you call for a favor," she remarked to the Rabbit's back, "It sure is a big one."

"If it was fucking small," he growled, "I wouldn't need it. We're here." Ahead of them, the first of the standing stones came into sight through the trees.

"Hellooo," greeted the little Fennec as they stepped into the clearing, waving to them from the far side like she was welcoming old friends to a tea-party. "Welcome back! And nice to meet our new friends," she smiled broadly.

"Shut it," Oro grunted curtly, tired of the friendly act she put up. Over the months, he had become increasingly suspicious it was purely to lull him into a false sense of security, while she made arrangements for his life to be increasingly miserable. Oro dropped the pack on the ground. "What do I do with this crap now?"

The ghost winced as it hit the ground. "Gently! There's an egg in there, you know," she urged him, floating over and trying to open the pack to inspect for damages. She couldn't interact with the zippers, though.

The Runepaw twins were standing at the edge of the circle, blinking blankly. Sarahi gave them a sympathetic grin, and nudged them forward. "And this is probably how he felt when I first saw her, too," she muttered at the sense of relief that they had not arrived to an empty clearing and more questions.

Ignoring the three of them, Oro sat down with Organa hovering over him, and began arranging the contents of the pack within easy reach. "Alright," the ghost was saying, "With the kappa crown as a mortar, start by cracking the foocubus egg and grinding in..."

They watched him for about half an hour as he prepared the concoction, adding bright flowers and yellow grass, bits of bone and tiny flakes of rock that didn't look like they should dissolve in the cold mixture. It started steaming at one point, though nothing had been heated, and at another he had to work to wrench his pestle back out of the congealing mess.

"Chew that up good, and then spit it straight in," Organa coaxed, trying not to giggle at the face Oro made as he carefully ground a handful of petals between his teeth.

"Um...we're not going to drink this, are we?" Diya asked hesitantly, "I'm no pharmacist, but that doesn't look healthy."

"No, no," the ghost said reassuringly, "In fact, none of you three need to touch it, and I wouldn't ask anyone to drink it."

Kylan quirked a brow. "That's a relief...but I thought he needed 'assistants' for this? Why are we here if he can do it all himself?"

"Yes, please," Oro agreed, spitting the contents of his mouth into the bowl with a suspicious sneer, "I really want to hear that explained."

The Fennec rolled her narrow eyes as if it should be obvious. "You three will help generate the life-force, of course. A single body can't do it, and two will make too little. That's why there needs to be at least three, including the caster."

Sarahi felt her blood run cold. "Wait...you're going to take the life-force...from us?"

"Generate it through you," she corrected the statement quickly, as Oro set the bowl aside and laid a hand on his bat, "Over time. You won't even notice. I swear, no harm will come to you! In fact, you're probably going to enjoy it quite a lot. Nearly all of my past champions cast this spell at one point or another, and never described it as anything but amazing."

"How many times have you done this?" Diya asked.

"Why should we trust you?" Kylan asked at the same time. Probably the higher priority question.

She actually looked worried now. Oro was still sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, but instead of the bowl in his lap he had Gorgorond across his knees, and a look on his face that warned her answer had better be very convincing. He had not been on good terms with her ever since that incident with the Dogs...

"Look, I need you all alive," she insisted, trying to sound both confident and angry as she pointed at Oro, "Especially you. Even if killing all of you right here would bring me back to life, I have no connections in this world anymore. No resources. No means to avoid starving right back to death a month from now. So even when I take those two breaths of fresh air you promised," she frowned at the Rabbit, "I am going to need you to lean on. For a little while, at least. I swear I will break our binding with my first breath, but only because you don't seem the sort who will kick me into the street before the second. Am I wrong?"

Oro considered her with a hard, thoughtful look for a long moment...then reached out quickly to rest the end of the bat on her shoulder. Organa screamed, and her form distorted and rippled as tiny bolts of lightning struck out from the spot where the wood met her spectral form. She tried to pull away, but seemed oddly stuck to the weapon as it bit into her, slowly working its way into her luminance.

Oro grit his teeth, his growl masking the beginnings of a scream of his own. His body tensed, and his breath became more labored the longer he held her. After a minute, he didn't so much lift the bat off her as drop it to the side as his own shoulder and arm went numb. "That's what you get," he promised in a low, even voice, "For yanking my chain. If they get so much as a stomach ache, I will end you. If you kill me first...well that just means I'll be a ghost, too, and I will drag you to fucking Hell in my teeth," he hissed, picking the bowl back up with his good arm. "Now, what next?"

Organa groaned, and muttered some obscenity involving his ears and other orifices, then resumed giving him instructions for preparing the spell. Diya, at some point, had taken shelter between Sarahi's front paws, hiding her face behind her hands. "I don't like this, Sarahi," the little female whispered, at which the larger Sha'khari gathered both of the twins protectively between her paws.

"Neither do I," Sarahi nodded agreement, fidgeting with her spear anxiously, "But he's kind of stuck with her right now...and I won't abandon him." Looking down between her legs, she gave them an apologetic look. "If you want to leave right now, I won't blame you, and I won't keep you."

Kylan shook his head, clinging to her strong leg, though that seemed to surprise his sister. "Who's going to help him if we don't? The sooner he breaks away from her the better, and from what I've heard, that's only going to happen once he finishes this spell and she's brought back to life."

Diya looked a little guilty, having clearly been on board with running away just now. She blew a strong exhale to steady herself, and resumed watching Oro adding ingredients to the mix. "This guy doesn't deserve friends like us," she muttered...prompting an appreciative grin from the Sha'khari sheltering them.

"You're probably right," Sarahi agreed, "He's stupid lucky, huh?"

"And finally the Heart Aflame," Organa sighed, seeming relieved it was complete...or maybe just relieved that the ache in her spirit-body had subsided while the Rabbit worked, "Just set it in gently."

Oro carefully lowered the little burning rock into the thick liquid that now filled the bowl, and it disappeared beneath the shallow surface like ice in warm water. Its flame spread across the surface of the concoction, making the bowl look like a burning lamp instead of a potion. "Alright. Done?" the Rabbit quirked a brow at the Fennec huddled by his elbow.

Organa nodded, and waved for the other three to come closer. Taking a deep breath, Sarahi padded over to within arm's reach of Oro, sitting behind him and looking into the bowl. Diya and Kylan likewise arranged themselves around the little vessel, as if preparing to perform some kind of ritual. "Sorry, I forgot my robe and hood," Diya chuckled softly, trying hard to lift her spirits with some humor as she eyed the contents of the bowl suspiciously.

The ghost smiled, though no one else seemed put at ease. "Be as theatrical as you like, but the motions from here are pretty simple," she promised, dipping a finger into the bowl...which did not disturb the surface at all. Swiping the finger through the contents, she mimed tracing it across Oro's lips, then made an exaggerated kiss while casting eyes at Sarahi specifically.

Oro drummed his fingers on his knee. "...I kiss them? Are you fucking with me?"

"I did suggest that female assistants would be preferable," the ghost smirked, "It makes no difference to the spell, but it might to you. It's a token act, connecting their life-force to yours, which is already connected to mine. I repeat: to a one, my previous champions have enjoyed the casting of this spell."

"Then you should explain why more openly," Sarahi huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. It may only be a token gesture as part of casting the spell...but she couldn't deny getting a little excited over it, and that was not how she wanted to feel, given what they intended to do after this.

The Fennec rolled her phantom eyes. "Well excuse me for thinking it would be a pleasant surprise. I don't often get to drop those on anyone. And would you really have been comforted just by hearing the form of the gesture?"

"Not in the least," Diya shook her head, "And I'm still not. So if we're going to do this...can we get it over with while I've still got some nerve?"

Oro, though still not looking happy, seemed to agree that was the best idea. Sarahi intercepted his hand as he reached for the bowl, though. "Nothing personal, but have you ever even put on chap-stick? I can't kiss you while I'm laughing at the horror-show you've made of your face," she warned, cracking a grin just at the thought of what he might turn out looking like. Rolling his eyes, Oro scooted the bowl over in front of her.

Sarahi hesitantly reached for the burning surface with one finger. It didn't turn out to be hot. The flames even parted to keep well clear of her hand as she dipped a finger in. The scarlet contents were thick, bordering on being more of a paste than a liquid, which made the next task that much easier. Oro leaned toward her as she traced two thin lines over his lips, which the Rabbit then crimped to finish smoothing out the coat. Sarahi blinked at the results. The potion had turned completely transparent in that brief moment, if it had not vanished entirely. "Well...I guess I worried for nothing. Okay..."

She took a deep breath as Oro shifted onto his knees to reach her...and lightly pecked her lips with his. The fleeting touch left a less-than-fleeting tingle. Oro, sitting back on his heels, watched her face closely. "How do you feel?"

"Um...warm," the Sha'khari admitted with a deepening blush, lightly touching her lips with her own fingertips. She couldn't feel any trace of transfer from the potion, though she was pretty sure the scent of mint and vanilla wasn't coming from his breath. "It...does feel nice, actually," she determined at last, keeping her hand in front of her face to conceal her growing blush.

With a nod, Oro turned to give a similar kiss to Diya, and then finally to Kylan, who looked the most pleased out of the entire group...though maybe he only put on that face for Oro's sake, as the Rabbit scowled through the entire process. "Alright," he huffed, giving Organa narrow looks, "That's it, right? The spell is cast. We're done."

"Almost," the Fennec answered with an amused grin, which Oro did not appreciate.

The Rabbit picked up his bat again, thumping it in his hand. "Look, how many fucking steps are there? I want a count, now, or--"

Sarahi let out a slow exhale. Not one of pain, but a pleasant sort of tension. "What is going on?" she asked quietly, her fingers tracing from her lips down her throat to above her heart. "It's so warm. Oro..." She looked at him, half in worry and half in...desire. He could see it in her eyes, large and gleaming as they met his, just before turning an accusatory look at the ghost. "What did you do to us? I'm...so...turned on," she sighed, unable to maintain even the appearance of anger as her eyes shifted back to the Rabbit.

Looking over at the twins, Oro found them in a similar state: eyes large and shining with lust, cheeks blushing to roses, gazing at him with open desire. Diya was huddled on all fours, fighting the urge to crawl over to him. Kylan was sitting on his hands to keep from acting out the desires running through his head. Sarahi shifted onto her side and put her hands on the ground, clutching two fistfuls of grass to avoid ripping her shirt instead. Oro took them all in with one wide-eyed sweep...and clipped Organa's cheek with his bat. The hit didn't seem to affect her as much as it should have. "The fuck is happening to them?!" he demanded as the trio gasped in near unison, each carefully touching a hand to their own stinging face.

"I told you their life-force is connected to yours now, as yours is to mine," the Fennec hissed, rubbing her cheek, "If you keep doing that, they're going to feel each and every blow...and I don't think their tolerance is anywhere near as high as yours." Organa put up a hand quickly to cut off whatever venom was coming out of his mouth next. "Calm yourself, that's just a favorable side-effect...for me, anyway. The spell is working. Their bodies are adjusting to the new purpose. It won't be quite so bad after the first time...so long as you relieve them regularly," the ghost grinned, even as Oro began to catch the implications between her words. "Each release creates a surge of life-force, particularly from the male...or males, in your case. Little bonus for me. The only negative side-effect is that your seed will die in the transfer, before it ever becomes more than the basest form of life...but enough to feed me. Depending on circumstances, that might not be such a negative for you." Sweeping her hand toward the trio, she smiled broadly at the dumbfound Rabbit. "So enjoy your new harem, champion!"

"My...they...I have to..." It was the first time any of them had seen him literally speechless. Even Oro couldn't remember the last time he utterly lacked a response to the situation around him. He fell back on an old staple: "Fuck you!!" He swung the bat up into her ribs, hurling the ghost toward her hut. His friends cried out, clutching their own chests.

"Please...don't!" Diya begged, "It's...hard enough...to breathe...right now."

Sarahi nodded agreement, trying to get a grip on her breathing through her raging hormones. She had never wanted him so badly. She honestly didn't care that they were in an arguably public place, with eyes to witness...she could easily tear off her skirt and pounce him right here, if he so much as hinted he would be agreeable. Somewhere in her lust-drowning head, she knew that definitely wasn't her doing the thinking. "Oro...we've got to get out of here," she insisted, dragging herself to her feet with her hands wrapped in the hem of her shirt.

The ghost frowned at him as she floated near one more time...this time keeping out of easy reach of the bat. "So stubborn a man, I have never met," she huffed, giving him a frown and an almost pitying look to his companions. "For what it's worth, they're not going to die if you ignore them. Not for a while, anyway. But it is a stressful state to be in for days on end. I can't imagine it's good for anyone's health, even if they get used to it."

"Days?!" Diya groaned, "Oh, fuck me...seriously!" Her will (and sense of propriety) was already cracking, as her hands slipped under the waistband of her hiking shorts...

Oro...panicked. This wasn't something he could just beat out of them. It wasn't something he could talk through, or fight, or outrun. His eyes were those of a cornered rabbit, seeing the wolves closing in...

"Oro!" Sarahi screamed, clapping her palm across his cheek. She hadn't meant to, honestly. She just wanted to hold him...close...badly. But that look had scared her more than any spell ever could, and her reaction was desperate.

Fortunately, a hit was something he could take. He knew what to do with that. "Fuck off!" he barked, meeting her eyes with a furious...and grateful...glare. He was back in control...at least of himself. She didn't like what he had to say next, though, even if he started by trying to reassure her. "I don't run from anything. I'm not abandoning you," he promised, even as he shifted away from her and toward the edge of the ring, "Get down to the lodge. I'll be back with the car. We'll sort this out at home, not here."

Before any of them could argue or ask questions, he was off, taking the short route down the mountain. Gravity told him which way to go. The slopes on this side were steep, but not sheer. He only had a hop a few bluffs, no cliffs. So he made good time getting down the mountainside and onto the windy backroads. Oro didn't run track, like Nayeli or Sarahi, but at that moment there was so much adrenaline in him he felt like he could run a marathon in an all-out sprint...and very nearly proved it. Fences were no worse than stairs to him, and the occasional dog defending its yard had no time to do more than bark at his passing.

Even so...it was kind of a long way home on foot. More than half an hour passed before he reached the Hope house, hopping the fence into the back yard. Mrs. Hope, sitting in the living room in her work attire, was more than a little surprised to see him through the sliding door, and quickly moved to open it, standing in the opening to prevent him going through before he explained himself. "Where have you been?" she asked quickly with a mix of irritation and concern in her voice, "You were supposed to go see Mr. Swordbright this morning. And where is Sarahi?"

"Where's Nayeli?" Oro answered with his own question, loud enough to be heard inside the house, where he expected his foster-sister to be.

Mrs. Hope was reading his face, though...in particular his eyes...and not liking what she saw there. "Oro...dear, what happened?" she asked, more gently this time, the concern completely overwhelming the irritation, "Are you okay?"

"I asked you--!" he bit down on his anger. He was hyped up, antsy with guilt and a blazing desire to move. She was just worried. It wasn't her fault. But she was blocking his way, and that was swiftly pissing him off, making his ears twitch almost uncontrollably.

Mrs. Hope reached out to gently lift his chin, trying to get a better look at his eyes. "Gods forgotten, did you two take something?" she asked softly, "Tell me, dear. I won't be mad, but--"

He gnashed his teeth. He didn't want to explain that. Not just yet. Not to her, anyway. "Just move," he growled, and tried to shove her aside. He was stronger than her, but she got a grip on his arm firm enough that he couldn't just shrug her off.

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" the older Lioness insisted, "You're scaring me, Oro. Where is Sarahi? What happ--!!"

He cut her off with a kiss to the lips. A hard one. It wasn't until after he made contact that he asked himself what he thought he was doing. His spiteful side had gotten the better of him, at the worst possible moment. He cursed himself, even as he got a grip on the back of her head and pulled her down onto her knees. The Rabbit could already see the spell activating in her, enlarging her pupils and painting her cheeks. "What...did you do...?" Mrs. Hope asked through grit teeth, looking up at him with a mix of fear and swiftly rising want.

"...Cursed you, I'm pretty sure," he grunted, leaning down close to her face, "Now: where. Is. Nayeli?"

She licked her lips, conflicted and confused by how badly she wanted to lick his at this most ludicrous moment. "She's not here, Oro," the Lioness explained with a grimace, "She went to meet Sarahi for their jog. Nayeli called me from the Swordbrights' place when--"

"What in the world is going on?!" Nayeli's voice broke in on the conversation as she came through the front door. She was understandably alarmed to find the Rabbit holding her mother on her knees, looking increasingly frightened.

Oro let go of the older Lioness, but she caught his wrist before he could take so much as a step toward her daughter. "Don't! Something's wrong with him! Run!" The Rabbit made a little circle with his wrist, twisting hers painfully and breaking her grip. In the next blink he was nose-to-nose with Nayeli, taking her by the shoulders and putting her back against the wall.

She didn't scream. She didn't struggle. Her eyes widened in momentary surprise...and then looked only concerned for him. Nayeli took a deep breath, and waited in patient expectation for him to explain. She didn't even seem particularly surprised when he leaned in closer, reaching for her lips with his own...

Just as she closed her eyes to accept it, he whipped around the other way with a scream. "FUUUCK!" Turning again, he kicked the wall beside her furiously, punching a hole in the drywall and cracking the stud behind it. "I can't accept this! How in Hell could I ever accept this?! Fuck, I've fucked up so bad this ti--Ouch!!"

Nayeli caught both his ears in the same pinch, pulling him aside to the door of his room. "Mom...can you give us a few minutes?" she asked as she opened the door and pushed him inside. Not waiting for an answer, Nayeli closed it behind her. Leaning back against the sturdy wood, she exhaled slowly and crossed her arms over her chest while he paced and fumed on the other end of the room. "Explain," was all the prompt she gave him.

He did, and loudly enough that Mrs. Hope probably heard more of it than she missed, laced with expletives and self-deprecation. He explained what the spell was supposed to do, why he had cast it, and what it had actually done...and why he had come back to the house alone. At the worst possible time, in probably the worst possible way, he confessed his feelings to Nayeli, with teeth grit and fists clenched so tight his scarlet palms took back some of their original (lack of) color.

"For one fucking stupid minute...I thought if I kissed you...if it made you want me, like that...it would turn out alright," he admitted in a hiss, eyes full of rage directed squarely at himself. "I could tell you I went mad with panic, that I'm desperate, that...well, fuck all that. The truth is I only ever wanted you, and now...I might not have that option, so at the least I wanted you first. But the other truth...the one I'd rather cut my throat than say...is...is..." And he still couldn't admit it. It hurt too much. It wasn't even the fear that she might not want him at all, or at least not anymore. He had done something she ought to turn him away for, even by his own reasoning. He deserved that. And he would die knowing--

Nayeli broke the dark train of his thoughts with a kiss, light on his lips. He hadn't even realized she was moving across the room, he was so lost in himself. But the moment her warm skin touched his, his eyes went wide, and he took a terrified step back. "What...did...you...do?!"

"I took the step we've both been avoiding," she answered softly, though not quite gently. "I'm tired of waiting, and I...oh...wow," she blinked as her cheeks turned red and the warmth spread from her lips down through her neck, "That really is strong." The Lioness cleared her throat, squelched the sudden desire as best she could, and continued, "I have loved you for a very long time. I've only been waiting for you to say something...because I knew that was important to you. You wanted to come to me on your terms. Now...like you said...we don't have time for that. Gods forgotten," she muttered, rubbing her forehead, "How long did you say they've been like this?"

The Rabbit was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she'd kissed him after hearing his lips had been effectively cursed. Even if he hadn't been distracted, Oro's perception of time was always a little vague. "Uh...about...a little over an hour?"

She shook her head sympathetically, leaning against his empty bookcase as she fished her phone out of her pocket, "Ugh...you really are terrible, Oro," she sighed, flipping open the browser and doing a local search, "But I guess I'm not much better. Not today." Scrolling through the listings, she muttered to herself, "We're a tourist town...there's gotta be at least one that...oh, here. Okay, they close in, like, two hours. Let's go."

Oro quirked a curious brow as she took him by the hand and started dragging him toward the door. "Where are we going?"

But Nayeli just shook her head. "You've gone off on your own plenty of times, without so much as a note saying if you'd be back for dinner, much less an explanation. You're following me today. No arguments. Understand?"

Arguments seemed to be more than half of his interaction with the world...so it was telling that he just nodded, and offered no other resistance. Nayeli snagged her wallet and the car keys from her mother's purse as they made for the front door. Mrs. Hope was sitting on the sofa, clinging to a cup of coffee as she tried to recompose herself. "We'll be right back, Mom," the young Lioness promised, "Sorry...you might be a little late for work." Her mother only nodded quietly.

Nayeli all but shoved him into the car, starting it up and taking the back-roads across town. It was a long, windy, round-about route, but still quicker than trying the main strip, full of tourist drivers. Oro gave her a worried look as the blush continued to spread through her fur, and her breath seemed to be getting harder to come by. "Are you sure you're good to drive?"

"Not entirely, but someone could never be bothered to apply for his permit," she rolled her eyes, "Anyway...so, Sarahi, Diya, and me, obviously...Kylan, too? You kissed him?"

Oro nodded, and cringed...though not because of the other male. "I...may have also...roped in your mom."

"Mom?!" Nayeli groaned, dropping her forehead momentarily onto the steering-wheel. She quickly brought her eyes back to the road before she could swerve too far, though. "Oh, this is so messed up, Oro."

"That's what I said," he agreed, turning to look out the window as they wound through the mountains. "So I'm not going to complain, or argue, but I'd like to know where you're taking us. I promised them I'd come back with the car, and they'll be reaching the lodge soon, if they haven't already." She wasn't the type who would abandon Sarahi any more than he was, so he was fairly confident she wasn't trying to elope with him, but was getting anxious about how long the others had been under the effect, and whether they had the endurance to make it all the way to the lodge by themselves.

Nayeli chewed her lip, as if uncertain how he would react, if not to complain. But she relented with a sigh and handed her phone to him, keeping her own eyes on the road. "The relationship I thought we might have is all just a dream now. If nothing else will go the way I wanted...I will have this. Okay?" Oro nodded, looking at the page pulled up on her phone silently for the rest of the half-hour drive.

There was another car in front of them, still mid-service, when they pulled up to the little drive-through chapel. "Does it get worse if I kiss you again?" Nayeli asked, leaning on the steering wheel after putting the car in park while they waited.

"Hell if I know," the Rabbit answered in a surprisingly gentle tone, looking over the venue like he'd never seen a chapel before, "Kind of hard for me to see how it could, though. You ok--"

She grabbed the front of his hoodie and pulled him across the gear-shift, kissing his lips hard. "You are damned lucky I already love you," she panted after the brief exchange, releasing the stunned Rabbit and leaning on the steering wheel again. "Here's what's going to happen: we're going to get married. It's not up for discussion. Then we're going to go pick up Sarahi and the Runepaws and take them home. Our home. You are going to...relieve them," she clearly did not like the euphemism, but liked the blunt version even less, "Then...and only then...you can have me."

He frowned. "I want you first, married or--"

"You don't get to argue today," she reminded him more sharply than she meant to. Giving him a sympathetic look despite the gloss in her eyes, Nayeli elaborated, "Life doesn't always go like we want it to. Our actions have consequences. Not all of them can be amended." She wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "If this doesn't drive that lesson home for you, I don't think anything ever will. I won't get to cling to you on dates, embarrass you with my affections, or come to you in a fancy white dress covering risque lingerie. You won't get to see me swooning over your confession, crying at the sight of the ring, or even be your first girl. Yes, I'm angry, and I'm making that last one a thing. That's your punishment. But..."

The car in front of them shifted into gear and drove off, trailing giggles and rice. Nayeli shifted their car into gear and pulled forward. "Well, what a lovely couple we have here today," smiled the Raccoon inside the little box as Nayeli rolled down her window. His smile faltered a bit when he saw the streaks of tears on her blushing cheeks. "Um, this is usually part of the ceremony, miss, but...do you really want to do this today?" he asked sincerely, leaning down to observe the Rabbit on the other side as well. "You seem a little--"

"Happy," the Lioness cut him off, pushing a smile onto her face as she dried her cheeks once more. "It's a big day, and it's been kind of crazy," she admitted, also turning to Oro, to meet his eyes pointedly. "But I'm happy. Ahem...we are in a crunch, though, so the short service, please." Opening her wallet, she counted out a handful of bills and handed them out to the priest.

He looked them both over seriously for a moment...then smiled gently and took the money. It probably wasn't his first time seeing a couple trying to commit despite jitters and self-doubts. It probably also wasn't the first time a girl drove up with her dead-beat boyfriend, defiant of their parents' objections. His job wasn't to poke his nose into their history. "Alright, Miss...?" He pulled a sheet of paper out of the box beside him, readying his pen.

"Nayeli Hope," she supplied, and he carefully copied the name onto the certificate.

"Do you take...?" he looked expectantly at the Rabbit.

"Oro Ironheart," he answered in his customary growl. The Raccoon looked a little dubious at the tone, but again copied the name faithfully.

"Do you take Oro Ironheart to be your husband?" he asked the complete question as he filled out some other pertinent details on the legally-binding paper.

Nayeli looked Oro in the eyes again, smiling sincerely now. "I do."

"And do you, Oro, take Nayeli to be your wife?" the priest continued, leaving out all the usual poetic additions in favor of expedience. This was the short service, after all. Bare-bones only.

"I do," Oro likewise answered, though he looked rather more amazed than flattered at the moment, like he couldn't quite believe she was agreeing to this, much less insisting on it, after everything he had done.

The priest passed the marriage certificate to them with a pen, and they each signed next to their printed name before Nayeli passed the paper back. "Then I so pronounce you, 'Husband' and 'Wife', before the eyes of the Lion," he pointed to the embossed figurehead above the window, "You may kiss the bride."

Naturally, even in the short service, that was the one part no one ever wanted to skip...and conveniently gave the priest an opportunity to make a copy of the certificate for them. Nayeli almost threw herself into the passenger seat before remembering to restrain herself. The Raccoon just chuckled at her eagerness, a bit reassured about the sincerity of this hasty marriage. "Good luck, you two," he smiled as he handed Nayeli their copy and receipt.

Her foot was a bit heavy on the gas as she got them back onto the road, now heading for the Masked-Fox Lodge. The others had been kept waiting long enough...or rather too long, judging by how she felt, herself. The Lioness exhaled slowly, trying to keep herself calm and focused. "I hate not knowing how much of this is a spell, and how much is just my own excitement," she sighed, "Does it affect you at all?"

Oro shook his head quietly, reading over the copy of the marriage certificate like he couldn't quite believe what he was looking at. "Only thing I've felt since it was cast is pissed off," he grumbled, though he sounded calmer now than he had since he got home.

"Whew...you might be driving us home after all, then," she warned, squeezing the steering wheel a little, "License or not. Just don't give the cops a reason to ask for it." She was fairly sure, despite his reluctance, that he could drive the car, and safely...if he could just restrain himself. Her head was getting a little woozy, and her mind kept wandering into thoughts and daydreams she'd rather not be having right now...

They arrived at the lodge safely a short time later, relieved to find no crowd around the building today. Oro's relief died quickly when he spotted their friends sitting on one of the benches near the front door, being presided over by a light-brown Jackrabbit. Diya appeared to be explaining something to him, wagging her fingers as she did, while Kylan and Sarahi leaned against the sides of the bench looking half-asleep and entirely miserable.

Oro barely gave Nayeli time to park before he popped the door open. "Hey," he grunted loudly, his typically angry demeanor returning as he sensed a threat, "Is there a problem?"

The other Rabbit ignored him, but Diya looked immediately relieved, and shook her head as she continued making gestures in front of the stranger. She pointed to Oro as he approached, and the other Rabbit turned to follow her finger, quirking a brow as Oro approached. "Everything's fine," the little female assured him, looking and sounding exhausted as she did so. "He found us looking for the trail and helped us get back. His name is Rikko, and he's one of the groundskeepers, I think. Also deaf," she added as she hopped up and trotted over quickly to Oro.

Turning her head so that the other Rabbit couldn't see her lips, just in case, she quickly added, "I told him we all got sick, and already called someone to pick us up. That would be you."

"You know sign-language?" Oro grunted, never taking his eyes off the other Rabbit. He looked a little sleep-deprived, though his eyes and smile were kind...but Oro's gut was screaming at him to keep his guard up. His instincts said this guy was dangerous. Looking him over carefully from head to toe, Oro couldn't put his finger on why...but people often underestimated his strength, too.

"Yeah," Diya nodded, hugging her tummy, "We learned it as part of a campaign Mom did a while back. Wasn't a bad idea. Can we go now? I wasn't exactly lying to him, you know..." Being in this state for as long as they had, without the object of their desire even present in the area, had left them all feeling...strained, and exhausted.

Sarahi prodded Kylan as she got to her feet, coaxing him into following her toward Oro, and the car Nayeli was standing beside. "What kept you so long?" the Sha'khari asked as she passed him.

"Complicated," he grunted, nodding toward the car, "I'll tell you on the way. Get in." He noted that she didn't have her spear with her, and guessed she had left it in the ring of stones. It should be safe enough there. He'd fetch it later. Oro didn't move from the spot he was standing in until they were all almost to the car, and didn't take his eyes off Rikko.

The other Rabbit tilted his head at the hard stare Oro was giving him...but seemed oddly understanding of the cautious stance Oro had taken, and just nodded subtly. Once the other three got to the car, he gave them all a short wave and headed into the lodge. Oro exhaled in relief.

Getting them all arranged in the little sedan was a bit tricky, given the size of Sarahi's body. She needed the entire backseat just for herself, though she agreed (and managed) to squeeze down into the floorboard for the trip while the twins took the seats. Nayeli flopped into the passenger seat, as promised, leaving the driving to Oro.

"Nayeli," Sarahi asked quietly as Oro eased them onto the road, "He told you what happened...right? What's going on with us?"

The Lioness nodded, though Sarahi couldn't see that from where she was huddled. "Yeah. He's going to take care of it when we get home. Just hang in there a little longer."

The way she said it made the Sha'khari cringe, but confirmed that Oro had been honest with her. "I am so sorry," she groaned, knowing it must be tearing her friend up inside. Both of them, actually.

"...Me too," Nayeli sighed, hanging the certificate over the back of the seat for Sarahi and the twins to see. "I kind of settled things for us."

The Sha'khari blinked at the seal, then read the title...and was suddenly very awake, taking the paper and looking it over in detail. "Oh, gods forgotten," she breathed, "He finally told you?! Now?!"

Beside her, Kylan chuckled, raising a thumb where it could be seen in the rear-view mirror. Diya just rolled her eyes, huddled up against the wall and hugging herself. Oro looked anything but pleased with himself.

The Lioness smiled. "That's right. We're all official now. Thank you...for keeping your promises...and for not running off with him when you had the chance."

Sarahi was covering her face with the certificate, though trying not to crinkle it or cry on it. She and Oro still had one secret they hadn't told her yet...and even if that weren't true... "That might have been kinder, now that things have turned out this way."

"No," the Lioness answered firmly, "It's not ideal. I admit I'm angry. That's why he's not going to touch me until you three are done. But I'm not mad at you, and I'll get over the rest." Reaching back to retrieve the certificate again, Nayeli added, "Besides, we already kissed, so I'm under the spell too. Let's just deal with tonight, and talk about tomorrow in the morning. There's no taking it back even if we wanted to."

It was a long, awkwardly quiet ride back to the Hope house. They filed out of the car and through the front door in a mix of excitement and misery. Oro hung the witch's stone on a peg behind the door, next to Mrs. Hope's purse, silently swearing there wasn't a chance in Hell she was going to get to see what happened from here.

Mrs. Hope welcomed them in sympathetically. Oro couldn't meet her eyes, but she turned his face back toward her as he looked away. "You're not the only one who panicked--"

"Don't you dare fucking apologize for anything," he growled before she could finish that thought, "If you're saying you'll forgive me--fine. Thank you. It's more than I fucking deserve. Leave it at that."

But she shook her head before allowing him to follow the others into the living-room. "I'm telling you, even after what happened, I'm not afraid of you and I don't hate you. You shouldn't either."

He sighed, and nodded his understanding. She went ahead of him and Nayeli into the living-room. From there...quite the wild night followed...