Classy, Controlled Chaos - The STEAM Team Adventures

🥀 Wither [6/6] 🥀

Edward's POV:

Stars glimmered high in the sky as Sophii and I came to, waking up underneath the Weeping Willow.

I covered my mouth as I yawned, noticing that my blanket was warmer and much heavier than usual.

The panther was cuddled up against my back, playing as the big spoon.

She was contently purring in her sleep, one paw resting on my shoulder to prevent me from rolling off the beanbag we were sharing.

It was wholesome at first, but then, I felt something trickle down my forehead.

Pressing a hand up against my skin, it pulled back, leaving a strand of sticky, dark gunk trailing along with it.

Sophii's withering venom... She told me about this.

I wasn't injured, but it was actively leaking out of her paws.

Either Addison's magic had saved my flesh from actively decaying, or I was simply immune to it.

Startled at the sight of it, I wiped my forehead on the beanbag, effectively getting rid of the liquid she was secreting.

"Wake up, Sophii." I mumbled, sitting up. "I've gotta meet up with my dad today and make sure he's okay... That Permafrost gal isn't gonna play nice with him and his kingdom."

The shadowshifter gave me a sleepy meow, rolling off of my shoulders. "But it's too early to go to Northwynd..."

I playfully swatted at her muzzle. "You moron, he's in here already, silly. Did you already forget?"

She gave me a dismissive yawn, flicking her tail from side to side. "Whatever... Also, lemme clean you up. You're an absolute mess."

Before I could move, she firmly sank her claws into my clothing. Not enough to pierce through it, but enough to keep me in place.

Swiping her scratchy tongue all over my clothing, I verbally protested against her, but refused to move in fear of getting hurt. "Why are you grooming me like a kitten? I'm not a feline like you are!"

"The decaying juice got on you, and only I can
reabsorb it." The shadowshifter mumbled while she cleaned off my golden locks of hair. "Side note, you taste bitter. You should take a bath sometime."

"He isn't wrong." I recognized Tia's voice, calling down to us from the Weeping Willow platform. "Get up here, you two! We're seeing who gets knocked out from coffee first."

"Not gonna be me," My father hiccuped, clearly unafraid to reveal how tipsy he probably was. "Heh, whatever Tia makes is pretty strong... Dunno if even I can keep up with this."

Sophii and I exchanged an agreeing glance as we decided to take the spiral staircase up the tree, meeting them on the platform.

King Arthur was leaning against the guard railing, a cup of coffee in one hand.

Tia was quietly standing beside him, her tail protectively swept around her counterpart's legs to prevent him from falling over.

"Hi!" I greeted them, walking over with the shadowshifter by my side. "How many coffees have you guys consumed? Hopefully neither of you passes out soon enough, heh."

The captain went rigid, firmly patting my father on the back with one hand. "He's on his seventeenth. As you can tell, I'm a bit sober at the moment. I have no idea what coffee does to his system, but it's clearly taking effect."

"Hello, my son." The king chuckled, taking a swig from his mug. "Here to join us?"

I nodded. "Yes, but without the drinking... Now that I think of it, I need to speak with your sidekick over here."

Tia's eyes widened. "Me?"

I frowned at her. "No, it's obviously Sir Nyx, who's like, a thousand-trillion-something miles away from here."

She gave me a snarky grin. "Cut to the chase, Ed. What's up? Got something on your mind, or do you need to blow off some steam?"

After a few minutes of negotiating where we should meet, Tia and I eventually agreed to head to the outdoor balcony.

We were leaning against the outside wall of the library, staring up at the moon rising above us.

"I just need to vent to you for a little bit." I sighed, crossing my arms. "Promise me, Tia, whatever happens in this conversation stays in this conversation."

She swept her tail over her chest. "Swear on my left tail fluke... And my heart. Sorry, I mean- I swear on my heart."

I chuckled. "Same thing, don't worry."

The captain batted an eye at me before dipping her head. "Tell me what you need to, then. I won't judge."

"I'm not afraid of judgement." I mumbled, tilting my head to face her. "I'm afraid of what you'll think of me. Not just you, but everyone else. Like, what if this is what puts the end to our team? Like, you, me, Sophii, Addi, and Marsh? What if we're not... We're not gonna be united anymore?"

She shrugged. "You're starting small, it's only me here. Plus, our friends might have different reactions to whatever you're about to say. Also, what you just said was judgement. You are afraid of judgement; What we think."

Her words were surprisingly wise despite how young she was.

I know we were about the same age, but still, it was impressive in my eyes.

"So... How do I even begin?" I asked, meeting her gaze. "Like, I have so much to say, so many things to tell you... But so little time."

Her tail swept across the ground, lifting up to gently tap my nose. "Boop. What was the first thing that came to mind what happened?"

"Uhh, your eyes." I blurted out, feeling her usual glare soften. "Cobalt... Like my dad's."

Tia gave me an approving nod. "Your dad, okay... Tell me about your dad."

I gave her an amused snort. "You sound like a licensed therapist."

"Better than anyone hot-headed." She replied. "Wait, my bad, I don't mean to insult Marshall. He's a nice guy."

I went on and made a list of my worries for her to listen to.

First one was how Northwynd was going to end up; It was under Permafrost's power and no one there was safe.

Second worry was about other kingdoms taking advantage of us and using our weakened state to attack. Lives could be lost under meaningless bloodshed if we didn't work on this soon.

The third and final worry was how our team would hold together through the war... What if one of us died and the Horizon Library failed to levitate any longer?

"Pardon me, Edward." Tia smiled, slowly drawing her RipTrident. "What you said about the kingdom... Permafrost took over, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, yes she did."

"And she was the one who healed you and turned you into who you are now, correct?" She continued, an unreadable gleam in her eyes.

"Right again," I chuckled. "Thanks for listening, Tia. I really appreciate-"

She abruptly grabbed my shoulder with her free hand, squeezing it tightly. "Edward, I don't mean this in a bad way, but I'm glad this conversation ended now."

"Why?" I asked, immediately sensing something off with her. "Did I upset you? Because if so, I'm-"

The captain cut my sentence off, flicking the tip of her tail fluke against my nose.

"Our kingdom needs me."