C'thelli's Demonic Orphanage

12

After Feimo had left for the Church, C'thelli found herself strangely on edge, as if there was some invisible rope tethering her nerves to him. Would he be ok out there? What if he sets something on fire, or stabs Dom? God, why did you give her such a hair-greying task. She needed slack. But with her unruly children refusing to pay attention to their French lessons, the rope only grew more taught around her until it burned. 

Usually she could muster the will to put them in their place, but this time around, she couldn't. The fiery passion wasn't there. Instead, dull embers smouldered as she told them to memorise a phrase from their eastern neighbours, one that Dom had taught her, "Ich hasser kinder," before dismissing them for the day.

She needed to clear her head. Taking a step outside, she saw Hanley and Robin trying to give a flower a conscience with their magic. Meanwhile the horse snorted with disinterest. She had named her Agatha VI in memory of her previous horse, Agatha V. She went over to her, twitching her nose at the nauseating smell of her piling manure. Despite it, her hand felt the girl's muzzle. She had forgotten, without Feimo to clear the stables, the responsibility would fall onto her. Fun. It was just another reason to begrudgingly miss the damned oaf. 

Agatha's fur was soft and fluffy against her palm as she nuzzled into her with delight. Was she seriously so worked up over the demon? She could hardly believe it. Almost a hundred years had gone by without issue, but now with his entrance, everything seemed so foreign again. She was teaching everything she knew to him, and he was improving, if a bit slowly. Though she dared not dwell on it, the idea that he could replace her had crossed her mind with some level of fear.

"Mistress, C'thelli?" The sound of Hanley dragged her wrought mind back to reality. Turning, she found that Algie had joined them as the three children gathered around her.

"Have you seen, Vivi, anywhere?" Robin jumped in, her pointed hat was wrung in her hands. The devil was hardly surprised. Vivian usually was out and about, window shopping and what not. More than likely as a ploy to avoid the rest of them. She was at that age after all. Although she always wondered where she got that communication gem from, and who she was in contact with. Maybe when Feimo came back she could get him to distract her long enough for her to snoop? 

Oh, what was she thinking. She doesn't need that demon, she's been fine without him for so long! But she wouldn't mind the help... As her thoughts knotted together the more conflicted she became, leaving her heart to fester in grief. "I saw her heading towards the forest with a basket of muffins. I'd say she's going on a date," Algie mentioned causally, much to the devil's revitalised dismay.

"What?" A date! She couldn't believe it, rule five clearly detailed that any and all relationships had to be sanctioned by her. Just thinking about the ghost's disobedience was enough to boil her blood up to her ears. No amount of Earth's sweet air could cool her down. A thin layer of dust trickled on her tongue from where she had ground her teeth together. She was going to need to sharpen them again. With a long breath, she forced her words to an even level, "Robin, bring me my sword," she ordered.

With a raise of the girl's arm, a pink mist swirled around the air and into the house. Meanwhile, Algie led them to the front garden. Her purple finger pointed down the hill and past the dirt path towards the thick wall of leaves and bark. The forest was immense in both width and height. Though C'thelli herself was well travelled, she had never viewed the extent of the woods' borders. But word had it that it spanned the entirety of the southern coast and deep into the Iberian peninsula. 

"That little shrew, is she planning on getting lost out there?" she snapped with a temper rising with every word she uttered. 

It was only when her sword, still in its scabbard, floated into her hand that some comfort returned to her. Even though she had heard a few bangs and something fragile certainly smashed during its travel from her room. It mattered little to her. That would be future C'thelli's problem, or more accurately, if Robin didn't learn how to use her magic to keep the house clean, then she would rub everybody's faces in Agatha VI's messes. So really it was their problem.