C'thelli's Demonic Orphanage

7

"Hanley, can you stop gawking at my things and help me with this?" C'thelli moaned. She dropped her hammer with a heavy thump. The lichen stood in the doorway with his mouth agape as he brushed a hand over a suit of steel plate armour. The hallway was full with her souvenirs from a Griffin's claw, an Angel's halo and many more. Even Satan's dagger found its way to her home, although that one was kept out of the children's reach with extreme prejudice.

A single strand of hair came loose from her braid of the day, and tickled the side of her face. An exasperated swirl of air blew it away as she got to her feet and surveyed the scene. Ignoring the ache in her knees, she took in the room that had once been her office. She wasn't surprised to see Hanley's awe. 

This small area that overlooked the front porch had housed much of her essential work, including managing finances and monster hunting jobs, as well as acting as a miniature museum of some of her older adventures. None of the children were allowed in here without her supervision. But now it was empty, barring a half-finished bed frame strewn across the floor. Courtesy of Hanley and his 'abilities'.

As for the Lichen, the young plant boy had adopted a fascination for the suit of armour, his twig-like fingers patted the metal helmet like a puppy. "Tell you what, help me with this and I'll consider letting you trying it on. Deal?" The bargain was heard and accepted with a gleeful cheer that resulted in the lichen rushing to her side. 

He sporadically put the slats together with a deft expertise and a pinch of magic that left a number of vines to twist and curl until the bed frame stood strong. A natural perfume wafted from the boy's handiwork, leaving her completely dumbfounded.

"Why couldn't you have done that from the start?" she demanded. Her gaze snapped to the window with a tinge of panic as the golden evening glimmered in her eye. How long had she been up here, fiddling with this junk? How much progress could Algie have made? So long as the beast was in the oven, she could take over the cooking once all of her things were moved into her room.

"Because you were too stubborn to let me use magic?" Hanley responded with a confused shrug. He wasn't lying. She truly wanted the two of them to tackle the problem with their own two hands, and now that that memory swirled in her head, a dissatisfaction crashed into her like a raging flood. 

It was a long and tedious affair, from manoeuvring through the pile of knick-knacks to practically dumping them onto her bed. In between these actions a few minutes of precious time was dedicated to helping Hanley into the armour and tying the straps, until the little knight wobbled under the weight of the steel cocoon.

But something felt odd. Every time she turned back to the pile of items, she couldn't help but notice that some of her things like Satan's dagger remained on the top of the small hill of souvenirs. But hadn't she just stored it in her room? It only took her a couple of seconds before she figured it out. 

"Robin!" She cawed, and in an instant, the young witch rounded the corner with an innocent smile.

"Yes, mistress, C'thelli?" she asked sweetly upon her approach. She carefully stepped over the helmet just before Hanley snatched it up. Yep, she was definitely behind the infinite pile trick. It was in the way she carried herself, stiff and pure as if she were a saint. She tried to adopt the eyes of a puppy too, but unbelievably, only Feimo had a talent for that stunt.

"Why're you adding to my chores?" C'thelli asked. The dagger pivoted in her waving hand whilst she observed her ward.

Confusion crossed her features as she thought about her response, "Because... I'm the distraction?" she wondered aloud. As the words sailed across the air, a terrible sinking feeling anchored inside her, fizzling into an anger that set the black weapon ablaze.