Woven in Shadows (agatha x rio)

A wraparound porch

Chapter Fifty-One: A wraparound porch

Agatha leaned against the banister, her voice carrying up the stairs with a teasing lilt. "Nessa! If you don't get your butt down here in the next five minutes, we're leaving without you!" She glanced over at Rio, who stood next to her with a smirk, her arms crossed. "I mean it!" Agatha added, cupping her hands around her mouth for emphasis.

Rio raised a brow and chimed in, "Yeah, and I call dibs on your room if you're not packed and ready. It'll have the best view!" Her grin widened as Agatha playfully swatted her arm. Upstairs, a muffled groan and the sound of hurried shuffling made them exchange amused glances. "She's totally panicking," Agatha said with a laugh.

Rio tilted her head, a sly grin creeping across her face as she glanced at Agatha. "You know" she began, her tone deliberately casual, "we could just say a little incantation, and all her stuff would be at the new place in an instant. Poof, done. No heavy lifting, no waiting for her to pack." Agatha stared at her for a beat before bursting into laughter, the sound echoing warmly through the hallway. "And here I thought you were all about doing things the human way" Agatha teased, wiping at her eyes. Rio shrugged, smirking. "Desperate times, Aggie. Desperate times." Agatha shook her head, still laughing. "You're ridiculous" she said, nudging Rio with her shoulder. "But I'll admit, it's tempting."

Nessa finally came barreling down the stairs, dragging what looked like half the house with her. Bags hung from both arms, one teetered dangerously on her shoulder and she even had a duffel slung across her back. "Don't say a word" she huffed, pausing to catch her breath midway down the staircase. "I'm prepared, okay?"

Rio raised an eyebrow, fighting back a grin. "Prepared for what, exactly? A zombie apocalypse?" Agatha couldn't help but snicker, crossing her arms. "Sweetheart, are you moving to the woods or opening a department store?" Nessa shot them both a mock glare, dramatically shifting the weight of her bags. "You two can laugh, but I'll be the one with extra socks when you forget yours!"

That set all three of them off, the hallway filling with warm laughter as Rio stepped forward to help her. "Come on, little hoarder" she teased, grabbing one of the heavier bags. "Let's see if we can fit all this into the spell."

As the three of them stood in the entryway, surrounded by Nessa's mountain of bags, Rio turned to Agatha with an arched brow. "So, uh...where exactly are we putting this little cottage of ours? Any woods in mind, or are we just winging it?"

Agatha paused mid-step, blinking at Rio like she'd just been asked to solve an unsolvable riddle. "You know, I...didn't actually plan that far" she admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I got so caught up in the idea of running away, I forgot we'd need to pick a spot."

Rio snorted, crossing her arms as a playful smirk spread across her face. "You're telling me we're about to teleport our lives into some random forest, and you don't even know which forest?"

Agatha gave her an exaggerated shrug, her lips twitching with amusement. "Details, details. Does it matter? Trees are trees."

"Agatha" Rio groaned, but her smile betrayed her exasperation.

"Fine" Agatha said, throwing up her hands dramatically. "Let's go somewhere quiet, secluded, and magical. We'll figure out the rest when we get there. Or—" she gestured vaguely, "—you could pick, since you're the one asking all the practical questions."

Rio rolled her eyes, but her voice softened as she said, "Anywhere's fine, as long as it's with you two." Agatha's teasing demeanor faltered, replaced with a genuine warmth as she nodded. "Then let's find our perfect somewhere."

Rio rolled her eyes dramatically, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Fine, I'll figure it out" she said with mock exasperation, scooping Agatha up into her arms before the witch could react. Agatha let out a startled laugh as Rio spun her around, planting a flurry of kisses across her face with each rotation.