Stealing the Black Cauldron///A Descendants Applyfic///CLOSED

Chapter Five: Short Sight

"So..." Gracie let out a nervous sigh, standing at the broken bridge- the first threshold of their goal.

She looked at Hannah, who was shifting about, a hatchet in her hand. It didn't look natural for her at all. Gracie wanted to ask her a question, but she wasn't sure the reaction she'd get.

The girl wanted to ask, "Why are you helping him?"

Instead, she asked, "Why 'Gumbie'?"

Hannah and CJ both looked at her, then looked up to the bat hovering above their heads. Hannah's little pet, which she smiled at.

"Well, I found him a few years back. He was alone... and I saw why. He'd lost most of his teeth during a hunting accident." Hannah reached her free hand up, and the bat fluttered down and placed himself on her hand.

"Normally, that would be a death sentence in the wild." She smiled at him and reached her hand out to let Gracie see the fluffy creature better. She didn't need to say the rest as Gumbie adjusted himself, hanging upside down from her finger- his tiny claws clinging to her sleeves.

"He's my best friend." She said contentedly.

CJ smiled, giving her a slight nudge. Hannah laughed a bit. "One of my best friends." She corrected herself. Gracie couldn't help but smile at how warm Hannah's voice sounded.

Carefully, Hannah flicked her wrist and Gumbie flew up, hovering above them once more. "Alright, just wait for me here, okay?" She called out to the bat.

She looked back to the sea. "Any moment now, Father will-" Her words were interrupted by a death rattle in the air. It was similar to the sound that the horn made when Hannah brought down the border.

The sound carried shadows with it, misty smog rushing past the trio and to where the bridge once was. It didn't seem real, or stable, with the waves still visible under it. It swayed with the wind, quickly replacing each stray stream of smoke with another.

Gracie inhaled sharply, her human form flickering into something more skeletal that the two demon-spawns noticed. "That can't be safe."

Hannah shrugged a little. "No idea, really. Let's go!"

CJ grabbed his friend's arm before she did something stupid. "Hanny, we haven't even come up with a plan." He sighed.

"Yes we have. We get in, get the Cauldron, and then use its magic to leave." Hannah said simply, tilting her head.

He stared at her for a moment. "That's not a plan." He tried to look annoyed, but with the way Hannah smiled at him - embarrassed yet amused -, he really couldn't.

Gracie watched the two and the way they smiled at each other. "Okay," she said, getting their attention. "This idioso has a plan." She pointed to herself proudly. CJ narrowed his eyes for a second, his mind pondering what she just called herself.

"We get over the bridge super quick - don't make any noise - then, once we're in the streets, we shield ourselves with the darkness."

"That would mean no shiny and colorful things." CJ said, glancing Gracie's rainbow-like outfit up and down.

Hannah shrugged. "I've got a spare cloak." She hummed, taking off her signature red cloak and tossing it to Gracie. The girl fumbled it for a moment before finally grasping onto it. She gave a crooked smile to Hannah, bright with the excitement this heist would bring.

"I'll go grab the other one real quick." The demoness said, glancing back in an almost nervous manner. She turned and rushed off.

Her blouse had a somewhat open back, showing the back of her shoulders and upper back.

Gracie could see a bruise scar lining them.

Her smile dropped for just a moment as she quickly tried to rationalize it in her mind. The Isle was dangerous and full of crooks and gangs. Surely she got it from one of those.

She bit down on her tongue. Who was she kidding? It was rare to see a VK with parents who put aside their evil and spiteful ways for a child. She glanced down at where her leggings stopped, showing just a bit of her ankle. A jagged scar ran across it, and there was more of it up to her knee.

She knew this from experience.

"CJ?" She said, glancing over to the son of Chernabog. "Why is all of this happening? Like, what does the Horned King want?" She asked.

CJ stared off for a moment. "He wants to watch people suffer. He wants power and for people to kneel before him. He wants to rule forever." He decided.

Gracie furrowed her brow. "Why? What's the point of ruling forever if you have to be a monster to do it?" She inquired, wrapping the cloak over her shoulders.

"People like him..." CJ trailed off, his mind bringing the face of his own father. "They don't see it that way. I don't know why they don't see it, but either way, I don't like it."

Gracie opened her mouth to say more. She wanted to ask about Hannah, about why she was doing this- and why he was doing this. But he gave a quiet shush and Hannah ran back to them, and black cloak tied around her shoulders.

CJ nodded at her, giving a quick smile. "You look pretty good in black." He complimented, to which Hannah gave a cheerful giggle.

"So, the rest of you plan?" She asked.

Gracie stared for a moment, as if trying to understand whatever was going on in their minds. She blinked a few times, registering that she was talking to her.

"Oh! Right, the plan! The idioso almost forgot while you were off!" She said with another bright smile.

"Anyway, when we get to the castle, we'll use the underground system to get into wherever they're holding it." She finished. "With that, we use the Cauldron's magic and we're off!"

Hannah gave a little clap. "Perfect!" She cheered.

Gracie beamed just slightly, though she felt terribly unprepared with that plan. It wasn't as great as she hoped it would be. She wasn't sure if it would work, or if it even made sense the way she kept rambling on.

Still, the fog in her mind didn't show in her eyes. She smiled wider. "Alright, vamonos!"