The Golden Gift

Chapter Eleven, Oleander's Company

Hunter's Perspective

The door opened to the sight of an apparently clumsy person, a witch with similarly tan skin and a minty shade of green hair. Their outfit was built for style over comfort, with a tight silk mint binding over their chest and a black leather jacket slightly covering the dark green jeans they wore. What a strange collection of clothing all on one person, but I guess it all came together by the magic of weird gender-dysphoric fashion. Their eyes were an emerald hue of green, and they had a pixie cut that looked cooler than Raine's. Is this the older sibling that Edric told me about? Everything about them including their golden chain piercings seemed to indicate it, like Raine had been greatly influenced by their fashion and mimicked it while also adding a unique flair. What a pretty person. "Oh heyyyy Eddie! Back with your boyfriend? Need a condom or something?" The very old but strangely "hip" acting person said.

Edric groaned and covered his red face. "No! Gross! I'm just here for Raine! You're such a weird uncle aunt cousin thing-." Edric groaned more as said "uncle aunt cousin thing" ruffled his hair. I smiled and glanced into the house. It didn't seem like anyone else was there. "Oh Raine! Uh, Raine's busy." They said and I looked at them with a flat face. We both knew they were lying. "Well could we come in anyways?" I asked and they nervously smiled. "Oh yeah come in, make yourselves at home little dudes." They said and opened the door more for us. Ruru eagerly sped past us by jumping between my legs. I watched the little fox run into a bedroom that was out of my view. I walked in and looked around the new environment curiously, taking in everything it had to offer. There was a small spiral staircase in the corner of the room with fruiting vines wrapped around it, something from a fairytale. There was a large bookcase beside it, followed by the mostly closed bedroom door, and a seating area that served as a living room. It had lots of soft pillows and rugs, and a window veiled by a pale green curtain.

I looked towards the dining area, which had an archway as an entrance. from what I could see in the dining room, there was a beautiful painting of Raine and their older sibling. It was of two mermaids playing together in the night ocean, sparkling brilliantly as they splashed around. It looked so alive and realistic, their eyes shimmered with life. It was a truly lovely and talented painting, forever left in time and space. I took my gaze off of the artwork and looked at the finely carved dark wooden table, along with a matching set of chairs that had red padding to add comfort. There was a lovely centerpiece vase full of as assortment of colorful flowers that tied it all together. What a lovely home, from what I've seen so far. I made myself at home by settling on the couch and looking around at the various decorations and clutter. There were lots of little details in their little home, like music books in their bookcase, or a little bird themed clock, some pots with blooming flowers inside. It was so full of peace and tranquillity.

I stopped visually exploring my environment when Edric and the cousin, who I think is named Oleander, sat down across from me and got settled. "So who's this little boyfriend of yours?" She asked and I blushed slightly. I wasn't anywhere close to thinking of having a boyfriend, it was so embarrassing to even hear that word. "Like I said, he's not my boyfriend. Anyways, his name is Hunter and he's here to take something back that Raine borrowed." Edric explained, trying to put it nicely so that their cousin wouldn't think we're sort of chasing them. They nodded and smiled nicely. "Well Raine is out at the market right now, you could wait until they come back if you really wanted." They offered and I nodded eagerly. I really wanted to get Rascal back. "Would you like some tea in the meantime?" They asked and quickly got up, seemingly nervous and antsy. "Sure, I'll have Earl Grey." I said, stating my preference that I had been taught by my uncle. He always gave me that tea, and only that tea. I think he had an addiction, and I just thought it was okay. But it's the only flavor I've ever tried, and I'll stick with it.