longer.blue

An Invitation 2/3 Marisa sat back down at the table after having helped Pleat put the dishes into the washer. She wasn't crazy. The place where she grew up. The house her parents had… all of it, gone? …Good riddance. That wasn't all though, it was the entire continent... Haruka scooted forward, sitting up in her chair as the air shifted a bit. “Alright then! Now, since everyone is here, save for Danielle and Cattleya, Shiola and I have come to a decision and wanted to see who might be interested in enjoying themselves with us on the night of the 28th?” A few confused looks were all that scattered around the table, seeming to be the theme tonight. Pleat and Bridget started whispering, Xetaru was trying to laser Haruka with their eyes, and Ashling sat just looking rather pleased, probably because she looked up the answer. “‘Enjoying themselves'? Are you going for a night on the town? Eating at a fancy dinner?” Marisa asked, pulling Haruka's attention to herself. She shouldn't have spoken, shes not a part of the coven. But then why is she even here? Haruka's face practically started glowing as she failed to keep her excitement in, however, almost starting to resemble Ashling. “You… could call it eating… though I'm not sure I'd call it fancy.” “The food will be quite delectable though.” Shiola commented loudly, prompting a quiet blush from Haruka. Xetaru's silence broke next, their lightbulb starting to shine brighter. “Wait, the 28th… that's the full moon isn't it? … I thought that was going to stay a ‘just you guys’ thing…” “Well, it was, but we thought maybe trying a group session might be nice.” Slowly, the others at the table seemed to connect dots, leading to gasps, followed by some deep thinking. If it's just a group thing for them, then Marisa really has no need to go, but- “Sure...” The words quietly came out of her mouth like a failed whisper, and all of the other sounds in the room went silent once again. All eyes were on Marisa, but it wasn't the same as last time's expectant gazes. This was nervousness, and shock. “... if price is an issue I can pay for my own food or ingredients... or... whatever-” “You are ABSOLUTELY-” “-NOT allowed!” Xetaru interrupted Haruka, who immediately started her war back. “Are you kidding me?! You've practically JUST MET HER!” “I just said that we enjoy getting to have her around, Xetaru.” - Shiola “That's about OUR comfort level with HER! THIS is about HER comfort level with US! How do you not see the difference?!” “It's been months!! She can make her own decisions! And besides, I'll be there to make sure she's safe!” - Haruka. Marisa's confidence in having accepted this offer is quickly dwindling. “You want her with YOU?! She'll be traumatized! Not that putting her with Shiola will be any better. You know what? Fine, but 1. If she says yes, I'm supervising, and 2. YOU tell her what it is. Right now.” Haruka placed a hand to her head, deeply breathing, the fight in her dying, but the heat in her gaze still burning just as hard. “It's really okay… I don't have to.” “Marisa, listen to me.” Marisa froze as Haruka looked her dead in the eye more directly than she had been all night. That was when Marisa noticed that this whole thing wasn't to invite the Coven. “**It'sa hunt. Shiola hunts. Me.**” … oh fuck. “Every other full moon, we take on the partial guise of animals, and… usually we ask the others to have a space. You do not have to join if it makes you uncomfortable. However, I would be delighted to have you, if you're comfortable with that kind of thing.” Xetaru's eyes glared at Haruka, who, unfazed, looked back at them, cold and undaunted. Marisa's eyes drifted over to the other end of the table, where the owl fae's look into Marisa had deeply changed, no longer hunting, nor toying. Instead, her look held stars in her eyes, the invitation was for her. Why? What had she done to deserve it? What had she done to deserve an invitation from any of them? The only reason she was there in the first place was to get her ritual to work on her, not to hang out, or play games... Haruka's face took the heat from Xetaru and looked back with a kind of stoic firmness that countered every excuse that she could come up with. The way she's been doing all night. “... okay” “... okay what?” Xetaru asked, heavily in disbelief of the words she gave. “Okay, I'll join. You're alive, healthy, and I've seen what you can do with the portal that returns me here. I trust you.” "A-are you serious?! You don't wanna take a bit to think on it?" "I mean I'm willing to try anything once or twice.." Xetaru let out a weighty sigh of exhaustion just as a pair of arms slid around Marisa's collar. Her head slipped in close, causing the hair on Marisa's neck to shoot up. “Oh, this will be perfect~ Another treat~” “Shoo Shiola! No! Not for another week!” Haruka shouted failing to hide the excitement that was clearly getting to her too. “Would anyone else like to join?” Everyone else politely declined, making Marisa a little more nervous, and EVEN MORE nervous when they all said they'd join Xetaru in watching. She was going to be on display. Again…