Woven in Shadows (agatha x rio)

Old Habits, New Plans

Chapter Eight: Old Habits, New Plans

The clock ticked past midnight, but Rio and Agatha were still locked in Agatha's living room, the faint glow of candlelight illuminating the cluttered table between them. Books of spells, scraps of parchment, and vials of ingredients were scattered across the surface, evidence of their hours-long brainstorming session.

Rio leaned back in her chair, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, one arm draped casually over the backrest. She watched Agatha pour over another ancient tome, her sharp eyes scanning every line as if the answer would leap out at her.

"Still stubborn as ever, aren't you my lady?" Rio teased, the faintest smirk curling her lips.

Agatha didn't look up, though the corner of her mouth twitched. "And you're still as infuriatingly laid-back as ever," she shot back, flipping a page with practiced precision. "Some of us are trying to solve the problem, not lounge about looking broody."

Rio chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I'm just saying, you look good when you're this focused. Brings me back."

This time, Agatha did glance up, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Flattery, Rio Really? I thought you'd save that for more desperate moments."

"Who said I'm not desperate?" Rio replied smoothly, her smirk deepening as she leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand.

Agatha rolled her eyes, but her cheeks betrayed the faintest hint of color. "Focus," she said sharply, though her tone lacked its usual venom.

Rio raised her hands in mock surrender, the smirk never leaving her face. "Alright, alright. What have you got so far?"

Agatha sighed, setting the book down with a soft thud. "Not much. Whatever or whoever we're dealing with, their energy is too chaotic to track. It's like trying to follow smoke in a storm."

Rio frowned, sitting up straighter. "Then maybe we don't track it," she said slowly. "Maybe we lure it."

Agatha tilted her head, intrigued. "Lure it how?"

"A summoning spell," Rio suggested. "Something that doesn't just follow the energy, but draws it in. If this girl is as unstable as we think, she might not even realize she's walking into it until it's too late."

Agatha considered this, tapping her fingers against the table. "A lure spell would require a focal point," she mused. "Something to anchor the energy. And it would have to be specific tuned to her chaos, not just any random passerby."

Rio smirked again, leaning in slightly. "See? I knew you'd figure it out. That's why I keep you around."

Agatha snorted, shaking her head. "Keep me around? Darling, you're the one who came crawling to me for help."

"Touché," Rio admitted, her smirk softening into something more genuine. For a moment, the tension between them eased, replaced by a quiet familiarity that neither dared to acknowledge aloud.

Agatha broke the silence first, standing and moving to her shelves of ingredients. "If we're doing this, we'll need to get it right," she said briskly pulling down jars and vials with practiced ease. "No shortcuts, no improvising. This isn't some simple locator spell."

Rio nodded, her expression growing serious again. "I'll follow your lead," she said quietly.

Agatha glanced over her shoulder, her lips quirking upward in the faintest smile. "For once."

The two worked together through the night, their bickering fading into quiet cooperation as they prepared the spell. Their occasional flirtations, though subtle, hung in the air like the scent of lavender and smoke that filled the room.

Finally, as the first light of dawn began to seep through the curtains, Agatha stepped back, surveying their work. The spell was ready a delicate web of magic designed to pull Nessa toward them, like a moth to a flame.

"All set," Agatha said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She glanced at Rio, her tone softening slightly. "You sure about this?"

Rio nodded, her eyes steady. "It's the only way."

Agatha hesitated for a moment before nodding as well. "Then let's see what we're dealing with."

Agatha and Rio stood side by side in the center of the living room. The air crackled with tension as the spell circle before them pulsed faintly, shimmering with an eerie violet glow. Agatha's voice was steady and commanding as she chanted the incantation, her hands moving gracefully through the air to weave the threads of magic together. Beside her, Rio's voice joined in, softer but no less certain, her energy grounding the spell as it began to take form.

The room grew colder, the flickering candles dimming as the magic reached its crescendo. The pull of the spell was palpable, an invisible thread stretching outward, searching for its target.

Only just a few houses away, in the small motel room, Nessa jolted awake. A strange warmth bloomed in her chest, pulling her upward and out of bed before she could think to stop it. She clutched at the locket around her neck, its familiar weight suddenly heavier, warmer, as if it were alive.

"What... what's happening?" she whispered, her voice trembling. The sensation was overwhelming like a force calling to her, whispering her name, urging her forward. Her body moved on instinct, her feet carrying her toward the door even as her mind screamed for her to stop.

Back in the house, Agatha and Rio locked eyes as the spell concluded, its energy snapping into place with a sharp crackle. The air settled, and the candles flared back to life.

"It's done," Agatha said, her voice breathless but triumphant.

Rio nodded, though her expression remained tense. "Now we wait."