Huntsmen VS Croí Dearg

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

Exactly what was he proposing, nothing. His sister was the one that wanted to continue helping and use the witch for information. Hansel would rather wash his hands of this whole mess. So when Gretel chimed in and took over he really didn’t care and just listened. Well, at first. His head leaned back, brows furrowed in disbelief as he looked sideways at his sister. ‘Sanctuary’ he mouthed, shaking his head at the idea. Protection to the woman that literally was willing to watch her die the night before. The ceiling is where his gaze went up as he tried to bite his tongue, thinking this was a terrible idea.


“That’s right, you did shoot her in the leg.” he said, taking up the sorceress’s side to show he was not on board with this plan. His idea had been more you tell us information on the quacks and we say your dead sort of deal. Not come along with us we’ll protect you. Friendly terms? More like neutral ground and waiting for the other to leave. Hansel sort of slumped against the counter and let the women talk as clearly Gretel had this plan already in her head and really wasn’t consulting him. To his dismay, the sorceress was on board and now they were three. Breakfast was something he really didn't want now that he was rather in a bitter mood and a part of that was because he hadn’t slept yet. The door flung open and stepped in the long haired thief, Rapunzel.


“Who wants to go visit Ariel and see her get her legs back?!” A vial with a bright yellow liquid that sort of sparkled was held in the air to be shown off. Rapunzel was proud of what she had stolen for Ariel. A remedy to her problem, well sort of. It would get her legs, but if she got wet her tail would return. Rejoicing in her success however was not going to happen. A giant smile quickly faded into a frown as the blonde looked down and the sorceress came in view. “What the hell?” she spat, eyeing the two siblings like they were the enemy now.


“What the hell is right, heard of knocking?”


“Fuck you. You two have been on their side this whole time. That is why four seal bearers are dead now.” Rapunzel had felt like it was too much of a coincidence that wherever the siblings went that group of four showed up, they were rats. A long dagger was pulled from behind her back, but Hansel was quicker with his pistol. A warning shot was fired above her head before he aimed it at the woman, who froze in mid action.


“She is under sanctuary.” You could hear a bit of mockery in his tone towards his sister as he used her words from earlier. Unlike the other two in the room, he really didn’t care if he got on Rapunzel’s bad side or not. “Not that it is any of your business, but she had just agreed to give us some intel on the enemy. That was before you rudely barged in. Now put your dagger down.” Hansel had zero patience and his gun stayed pointed at Rapunzel until she complied and slowly put that dagger on the table.

 

[pyreshadow]

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Gretel
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Gretel was smiling with a bit of satisfaction from how the sorceress ended up -finally- agreeing to help them. Of course, she could tell that Hansel wasn't exactly pleased with the idea of protecting her but it'd help the rest of the Huntsmen out. If she had information. If she didn't, then the deal would change. Another berry was popped into her mouth before she walked over with the bowl and held it out for the sorceress to take. "You need to eat too you know." Gretel spoke with a small smile despite the surprised look on the other's face. When Morgan hesitated still, the brunette just set the bowl down beside her and walked back over to the table to get some of the cheese she had pulled out earlier. She was about halfway cutting it when Rapunzel made herself known by bursting in to the room announcing something about Ariel and her legs. The room seemed to get a little tense as Morgan froze in what she was doing, a salve mostly finished and the last leaf that needed crushing in her hand. She was staring at Rapunzel with a calm look but she had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.


"Rapunzel-" Gretel wanted to say something along the lines of what Hansel did but he beat her to it but things were getting heated quickly. The other Huntsman was getting the wrong idea about them and assuming they were working with the demon. "Rapunzel, you need to calm down and listen." Gretel spoke in a calm tone herself but also a warning tone though she cursed the fact that she wasn't armed. Being bedridden the past few days, there hadn't been a need to have her weapons on her. Thankfully Hansel took care of it before the other woman could do anything with that dagger of hers but the tone he used caused her to send a half glare, half pout his way.


"My, my. You work quickly to keep your word, don't you? Guess that means I should be starting as well." Morgan's voice showed she was pretty impressed by Hansel's show against one of his own. "You're the one that's protecting the seal bearer here, aren't you? You've done an incredible job at keeping them hidden from their sight but it won't last much longer. We have not been able to locate the seal bearer, that was why Ursula and I came after the witch hunters in the first place. We chose to follow them because they just happened to be there during the time when we found the first seal bearers and they were easy for me to track when I shifted. Nothing more. It was easier to keep track of them because we assumed they would lead us to the other seal bearers and they did. This time it was different because you've hidden yours away oh so well. Chernabog isn't pleased." Morgan paused as her eyes darted to the side, having been almost finished now applying the new salve to the wound. The thought of the demon still sent her mind worrying about what might come but now wasn't the time to think about it either. "He is coming here himself to find the seal bearer. I imagine the Queen will be by his side as they seem inseparable. So, if you're going to be getting your little mermaid her legs back you might want to do it quickly. We got the letter some days ago and he didn't bother to tell us how long it would take for him to arrive."


"So...the rest of them are all here already." Gretel spoke quietly and when Morgan nodded here head, she continued. "And because you've pretty much failed to deliver another seal bearer, the demon himself is coming?" Again Morgan nodded her head and a worried look crossed Gretel's features instantly. How exactly were they supposed to deal with a demon when they had a hard time handling the other group together?

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

The two eyed each other suspiciously before the pistol was slipped back in the holster. Arms crossed in front of her chest and Rapunzel tapped her foot impatiently, staring daggers at Hansel and then turning her hostile gaze to the sorceress when she spoke up. The anger bubbled a little more inside at the mention of the witch hunter keeping his word. Only a simple shrug was his response as he didn’t like going back on his word. The bed was actually calling to him and he dearly wished the other huntsman would leave so he could rest. That wasn’t going to occur now that she was indulging in their request and giving up some information. The compliment had no effect in warming up Rapunzel to the idea of working with the sorceress, though she knew that wasn’t purpose of it. A head tilted to the side as she nodded and took in the information.




“Oh, I know I’ve been doing well and that is because these two have had nothing to do with it.” Rapunzel taunted, not caring that the witch hunters’ little pet were backing up their story. A dirty look was sent the thief’s way, which she responded with a little smirk to rub it in more. That was quickly wiped away by the news the demon was on his way and her head attention snapped back on to the witch. In astonishment her jaw dropped open as she watched Gretel eat up this information without any hesitation. “You’re friend his on his way and now you decide to tell.” A coarse laugh followed as she shook her head as if she would believe the broad was on their side suddenly. A snort of disgust left her lips as she looked at the two siblings. “AND you two! You two are famous witch hunters and here you are gobbling up whatever this bitch says!” An accusative finger was pointed at the witch as the other waved in the air dramatically as she spoke. The whole scene made Hansel roll his eyes.  


“The Queen needs to be informed that Chernabog is on the move.” Hansel said dryly, looking over to his sister and ignoring the blonde, which upset her even more.


“This witch needs to be burned or whatever you two do. My seal bearer is in danger because of this purple hair freak.” Rapunzel bounced on her feet because she was so worked up over the situation. Being so skeptic was never really her style, but this was a special case and she was under a lot of stress. Hansel was finding it hard to even be in the same room with the other huntsman.


“We’re not burning anyone you hysterical long haired freak.” Hansel was sort of surprised he was sticking up for the sorceress, but Rapunzel was really getting on his nerves. “Why don’t you get a second opinion and find Ariel. Gretel can go with you and answer any questions you have.” This was a bit of payback for her having them stick around and help when he didn’t want to. “While you’re out, we’ll work on a letter to send to the Queen.” Four huntsmen beat three squabbling and he hoped that if Gretel went a long that Rapunzel would have less of a chance to persuade her against the witch.   

 

[pyreshadow]

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Gretel
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There was a pout on Gretel's face from Rapunzel's choice of words towards them but there wasn't much she could say in that regard. The truth was, if they had known where the seal bearer was Gretel wasn't so sure she would have kept that information a secret the night before due to how Ursula had her brother. So...in truth, it really was better that they were kept out of the loop of things. Besides, the most important thing was the fact that the demon was coming here and he could very well be here now or soon. "That demon is not my friend." Morgan snapped at the long haired woman, quickly tying off the fresh bandage with a fierce glare on her features now. She had half a mind to whip up a potion to make the other woman's hair all fall out or something just for the comment alone but it wasn't anything personal against her it seemed. Rapunzel had something against the siblings as well as she was snipping at them for keeping the sorceress alive as well. A small sigh left Morgan's lips as she decided the other Huntsman was a nuisance and nothing more. In a way, she sort of wished it was just the siblings again as she could handle them and keep her cool more than she could handle Rapunzel.


Gretel's mouth opened to respond to her brother, already nodding her head in agreement but Rapunzel was still going on about how Morgan needed to be killed. Again, her mouth opened to try to calm her down but Hansel ended up saying something she hadn't quite expected. "Ye-what?" Sure she agreed with getting the second opinion but why did she have to go with Rapunzel? She stared hard at her brother for a few seconds, knowing this had to be payback for keeping the sorceress around. There was no way she was getting off the hook for that one. A small sigh left her lips before she turned to the other Huntsman. "First of all, Rapunzel. Get it through your head that we're not killing...hey, what's your name anyway? Can't just keep calling you witch or sorceress." Gretel ended up pausing and turning her attention to the lavender haired woman that was slowly getting to her feet.


"...Mim." Morgan hesitated a moment before she ended up saying the name most people knew her by, not wanting to give her real name out. Not to people that she didn't trust and that hated her. Gretel watched her for a moment as she tried to put weight on her bad leg, only to let out a small breath of annoyance when she realized she couldn't fully.


"Right then." Gretel actually felt a little bad for the witch, just the tiniest bit now that she was actually helping them but she didn't regret it. The sorceress deserved it for having put Gretel through all that hell. Shaking the thought from her head, she turned back to Rapunzel and placed her hands on her hips. "Mim's under our protection now, meaning she's not going to die so get that through your head. She's already given us important information that the Queen will need to know, so Hansel's right about that. Whether you choose to believe that or not is up to you." Even though she said that, her tone and smile was gentle as she stepped closer before making a motion towards the door. "Come on though, let's get going to see Ariel okay? If you don't trust us, then trust in her. We can explain what's going on to her and see what she has to say about it." Gretel made the suggestion, though she was really hoping the redhead wouldn't have the same opinionated thoughts as Rapunzel did.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

The choice was ultimately up to Rapunzel and she found comfort in that. A groan of annoyance came out of her as Gretel was exchanging pleasantries, getting to know the witch more. To say if she did believe the sorceress, apparently Mim, now was not the time for small talk. The blonde rolled her eyes, wishing the siblings weren’t around because a different scenario would be playing out. The witch was always going to be witch to her and she sent the other woman a dirty look as Gretel stated they were going to intervene if she tried anything, in matter of speak. The only reason she was letting this lie for the time being was because she did need to meet Ariel.


“Let’s go then.” she said, defeated for the moment.


“Bye now.” Hansel was sarcastic as he waved them off, sighing loudly in relief when the other huntsman was out the door. Never had he thought that he’d be happy being left alone with Mim. An odd name, though he felt there was more to it because she had paused before giving it out. A sigh of content left his lips, now that the woman that was causing conflict left. The loaf of bread and cheese was placed on the table, along with a dull knife. “Help yourself.” A gesture was made towards the food before he went to start rummaging in one of his bags for a blank piece of parchment to write one. His penmanship was rather on the messy side, but it would have to do for time sake.


“Any more beneficial information you’d like to add?” he asked, starting the letter. To make it look better, he went slower, concentrating on making it as neat and legible as possible. That way the Queen wouldn’t have to try and decipher his writing. A hand ran through his hair and he rested his head against it as he gave up on the idea of getting any sleep.


Briskly, Rapunzel made her way to the last place she last saw Ariel, not caring if the younger witch-hunter was struggling with the pace she had set. The two were no ally of hers as long as that witch was kept around. The only reason she had stopped in the first place because the little hut the two had been residing in for the time being was along the way to the sea. Rapunzel’s arm swung to help her momentum as she was practically in a light jog to get to her destination. An irritated growl was let out as she cast a glance over her shoulder to see where Gretel was at. The meeting location came into view and her eyes scanned for the waters for any sign of red hair.

 

[pyreshadow]

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Gretel
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Gretel gave a small nod to the other woman before turning to glance over her shoulder at her brother. Mim was, essentially, ignored for the time being and she just waved to Hansel before following Rapunzel out the door. The pace that was set by the other Huntsman showed that she didn't care to be near or deal with them at the moment. Was it so hard to believe this could be a good thing? Sure, it wasn't the best of circumstances to have a witch in their custody but there was little choice in the matter. Not that Gretel should have just offered up such protection without consulting Hansel but that was beside the point. They needed information and it was the best way she thought of that could lead to getting information; and it worked. So what was the problem? They had an upper hand now so there wasn't a need for Rapunzel to act all high and mighty just because they made the sorceress. Glancing up for a moment, she blew some hair out of her face before her arms crossed over her shoulders.


"You know, acting like that isn't going to solve any problems here." Gretel spoke, half tempted to call the woman childish for being the way that she was. The only thing that stopped her from saying anything further was that as they neared a certain part of the beach, a spec of red among the blue of the ocean caught her eye. She slowed to a stop and eyed the water where it had been moments before. Ariel emerged closer to them a few seconds later, a golden trident tied firmly across her back with a golden chain. Her top was nothing but an indigo-colored, intricate designed seashell bra but in her hand was the tunic that she had been wearing when she first went in to the water. When she spotted the two of them, a bright smile spread across her face and she was quick to wave her free arm before diving once more to swim to them faster. When she emerged again, she was on the edge of the sand now and pulling herself closer to them a bit excitedly. Again, she waved to them before unhooking the trident and laying across her lap for the time being. "It's good to see you, Ariel. How have you been?" Gretel asked with a growing smile, already feeling some relief from seeing the other Huntsman. Although when the redhead started making hand signs that she was quick to recognize as the sign language she spoke, she silently laughed before tapping her forehead lightly. Her finger then went into the sand before she began to write in it so they could both read.


Father didn't want me coming back after everything that had happened, so today was a bit hard. I had to sneak out of the castle but he still gave me permission to use the trident. So I know he's just worrying a bit too much. Overall, things have been getting steadily better though." Ariel gave the brunette a reassuringly smile before ending up looking over Rapunzel with a bit of a more hopeful look in her eye. "I hope all was well with you?"


When the room was filled with silence after two of the hunters had left, Morgan let out a small sigh of relief. It was far better without the other there, at least the witch hunters were reasonable....wow. She never thought that that thought would cross her mind. Shaking her head slightly, her gaze darted towards Hansel when he spoke before dropping to the food next. It reminded her of the bowl that Gretel had given to her so she bent to pick it up and popped one of the berries into her mouth. They really were't as bad as the rumors said they were, although her leg would beg to differ. That was her own doing in a way. "Not for what you're writing in that letter, no." Morgan replied quietly as she sat down in the chair once more. She ended up eyeing the note that he was writing a bit more curiously than she had intended to, even leaning on the table some. When she realized it, she leaned back in the chair and focused on the bowl of fruit instead. They actually trusted what she said? She could have been lying about it, waiting for her chance to escape when her leg was feeling a bit better.


"I can't understand you." Morgan spoke softly after a moment of silence, her eyes staying on the berry she was playing with in her hand. "Of all the things I've done, especially to your sister despite whatever reason I had, I know how much you want to kill me. But you don't. You're even fighting with one of your own now because you're agreeing to keep me around. I could just be lying to you about the whole thing, Chernabog coming, agreeing to help you, everything. I don't get why you're being so trusting of what I tell you." Even if it was the truth, Morgan still didn't quite understand why that was. She stole a glance at him just to try to gauge some sort of reaction from him but for the most part, her eyes stayed glued on the berry in her fingers.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

Childish was exactly how the naïve young girl was acting and Rapunzel rolled her eyes while mocking Gretel when she spoke. The two were complete imbeciles. It was moronic to put their trust in the sorceress. The one that had the brunette on her death bed and helped kill the four seal bearers. When it came to saving her own skin, Rapunzel knew the sorceress would flip flop around just to save her own skin. That was the only reason they got that tidbit out of her, so she could stick around for a bit longer. Another low irritated groan came out as she tried to ignore the other woman’s presence. The red hair was like a beacon and almost immediately picked out when the mermaid came to the surface. A gleeful smile crossed her lips and she made haste for a different reason. The blonde was eager to tell about her findings. A glare was shot towards Gretel over her shoulder as she greeted their friend.


 


“Hi Ariel.” she tacked on, a brow furrowing together at the hand gestures being made. Moments later it was clear that she had been trying to communicate and she looked down at the sand and read what was being written. There was a slight nod to show she was getting everything as she cocked her head to the side to get a better angle at the words. A dirty long was sent to the brunette again, it lingered a bit. “We discuss all that is not well in a bit, I haave exciting news for you!” Rapunzel had a giant smile when she turned back to Ariel and the vial was held up in the air to show she had been successful. “Now there are conditions as these things sort of always have. You’ll get your legs back and it is sort of a win win in a way, you will be able to go back and forth from your legs and tail. The catch is when you get wet your tail comes back. If it rain or you smell water on you, well you know.” There was a bit of a shrug when she trailed off as they all knew what that would lead to. Rapunzel turned to see behind her, making sure they were indeed still alone before looking over both women. “Still up to you if you want to take it, but you need to take it on land for it to work. Probably have to go back up in the grass where there is a bit of coverage in case anyone comes wandering around these parts.” A patch of grass where the tree line began was pointed at to show where she meant they’d have to go and then she looked over at Ariel for her answer.          


 


The sorceress’ presence was being ignored as he put down what she had told the three of them earlier down as elegantly as he could. A task that was harder to do than normal as his mind was hung up on catching up on sleep. Mim’s voice broke his concentration and their blue eyes met briefly before hers went back the fruit between her fingers. The piece of fruit was eyed as he was beginning to question why he trusted the sorceress. After all he normally didn’t trust anyone besides Gretel. That is when it clicked; he was really just following his sister’s lead on this one. That might have been a copout in a way as he had trusted her the night before. Hansel leaned back in his chair before he answered.


 


“Lack of sleep most likely, clearly making me have poor judgment.” The joke was to lighten the mood or to hide the fact he really didn’t have any good reason to put his trust in her. A finger was put up in the air as he added to his lack of reasoning. “This was also more my sister’s doing. All of it really, not just the trusting you part.” By all of it, he meant helping the Queen and being one of her huntsman, continuing after all their failures. Yes, he had agreed, but he most likely would have ignored the letter from the get go at the mention of a demon. “Everything just lined up with your behavior, which we noticed from the beginning was sort of odd, you pulling Wendy off of me when I had just killed one of your own. Makes me think you don’t totally align or want to be a part of what they are, which you’ve also said. Ursula seemed pretty desperate for information when before you guys waited it out. Story just matches up and I guess that could be all a hoax? I dunno, guess where going out on a limb here. Anyway, why did you even stay? At no point did I threaten you’re life or say we’d do any harm to you if you chose to leave instead of helping. A letter going off to the Queen that will most likely have her beef up her forces doesn’t seem like a great tactic either. So why stay?” There was a slight shrug to the situation as he looked her over, it being his turn to see her reaction now.    

 

[pyreshadow]

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Ariel
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Ariel noticed the way that Rapunzel was looking at Gretel every now and then and it caused her brows to furrow slightly. Did something happen to them in her absence? Was it bad? She wanted to ask about it but Rapunzel wanted to talk about the better topic first and foremost. Which was just fine with Ariel since she was eager to know if there was even a chance for her to be able to walk on land again. The vial that was held up was eyed with a tilt of her head but the more that Rapunzel explained about it, the more the smile on her face grew. She'd be able to walk on land again! There was even the possibility of her going back into the sea whenever she wanted as well, which honestly wasn't such a bad catch. Although getting caught in the rain and having her legs change to a tail would be troublesome. It would be worth it though. "I really want to take it!" Ariel was quick to write into the sand before she turned a smaller smile to Rapunzel. "I can't believe you were able to actually find something to give me this chance. You have no idea how happy this makes me! I'm okay with the risks, it's well worth it to be able to walk on the land again. Eric...he wouldn't have wanted me to sulk and I know that if I stay with my father that's what I'll do. There's still so much that needs to be done and...Ursula..." The grip on the trident tightened a little as Ariel thought about how much she wanted to make Ursula pay for taking the man she loved from her. It was a thought she never thought would cross her mind but the sea witch was vile enough to bring out the worst in people. "Please..."


"You'll get your chance, Ariel. Just keep your chin up, okay?" Gretel kept her comforting words short and simple but it was enough to cause the redhead's smile to come back. She was quick to nod before eyeing the grassy patch that Rapunzel had pointed out. The brunette followed her gaze before looking over the other woman and making a motion towards it. "Help me with her for a sec, would you?" She asked in a way that tried to keep things friendly, despite how childish Rapunzel was still acting towards her. Any sort of glare or anything was just ignored as Gretel knelt down to take one side of Ariel; once Rapunzel had the other half, the two of them lifted her off of the ground and very carefully brought her over to the patch of grass not too far away. Somehow it had seemed so much closer before though. Thankfully Gretel was better, otherwise she wasn't so sure if she could have handled that the day before. Once Ariel was on the ground and the vile was in her hand, Gretel sat down next to her and watched her for a moment. "Are you nervous?" She asked after realizing that Ariel was still staring at the vial even after a few seconds had passed. A sheepish smile crossed the redhead's features before she slowly nodded and looked over to Rapunzel. When she didn't see anything she could use to write in the ground with, she ended up taking the other woman's hand to write on that instead like she had before.


"How long will it take for the effect to take place? Should I wait until I'm completely dry first before I drink it?" She wrote out the couple of questions then looked up to the other woman expectantly, with a gentle but still nervous smile on her lips. She was also pretty excited too about getting her legs back, thus the whole asking how long it would take. The sooner she got her legs, the sooner she got used to the feeling again. Which meant she'd be able to continue practicing how to fight properly with the trident on land instead of just in the sea.


The joke seemed to not be an answer Morgan had expected to hear, so she ended up looking his way again with a slightly confused look. It was brief though as he clarified a bit and it did make sense; Gretel had been the one to come up with the terms but that didn't mean he had to listen. If he didn't agree with it, why would he put up with it? It just made her more confused as it was pretty annoying to not be able to read him. In a way, she was glad that he pieced it together on his own that what she was saying was the truth and she didn't have to actually spell it out. Ursula being so desperate was just because she wanted to save her own skin though; Chernabog wasn't going to be happy that they hadn't located the next seal bearer so him coming here meant they were essentially screwed since they were messing up with their mission. Not that she had to worry about that anymore. "Mm." The hum of a noise left her lips to show she was listening but her eyes never left the fruit. "It's not a hoax, I was just trying to find out why you actually listened." The fruit was finally popped into her mouth before she leaned back in the chair, her gaze going from the table to look over Hansel as the tables turned to her. Why did she stay? That was a pretty good question, one that she was still debating with herself even at times.


"It's not like I can run away anywhere right now." It was a partial truth, given the state of her leg but she could still shift into a bird and just fly somewhere else. So it was more an excuse than anything and her brows furrowed slightly when she realized it. "Well...I guess that's not right." Morgan's arms crossed over her chest slightly as her focus went again to the table. "Maybe I did lose too much blood last night so I'm not quite thinking straight like I'm supposed to. The only point of me being here is because in the end, my information might help your cause. Maybe I just wanted to do something meaningful with my life after everything that's happened, to prevent the demon's rise since I know how much damage he can cause. Maybe I thought you both would still try to kill me even though you said you wouldn't so long as I gave you information." Morgan shrugged her shoulders lightly as a couple different possibilities she had been thinking about were voiced out loud. "Honestly, I don't really know the real reason why I stayed and I've been trying to figure it out since last night. The more I think about it, the more unsure I become but...even though I know how much you hate me, I know that a part of the reason is...I feel safe here. Maybe..." maybe Morgan was just trying to find some place to actually belong instead of being alone in that house of hers like she'd been in. Not that she could say that out loud. She ended up nibbling on her lower lip to keep her from talking more before letting out a small sigh. "Sorry, I talked to much. Did you finish the letter? The sooner you send it out, the better since we don't know exactly when he'll be arriving."

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

Hansel titled his head to the side and gave her a look as to say really. The sorceress had more options than she was giving herself and she could have easily left earlier. A smirk, which was quickly hidden, came as his joke was sort of stolen and used with her in his place. There was a small nod to show he was listening as he went back to the letter in front of him. There wasn’t much else to add so he wrapped up while she figured out loud why she stayed. The last sentence felt odd and he looked up from the parchment to stare at her in a bit of disbelief of what he heard. She felt safe? Did he hear that correctly? The letter was pushed forward to show that he indeed was finished with it, but wasn’t going to send it out until the women folk returned, since they were the ones really calling the shots at the moment. The sounds of their high voices bitching that they hadn’t gotten to read it in his mind was too real to risk hearing it in real life. Hansel leaned back in his seat to get comfortable once more.


“Going to wait for Gretel and Blondie to look over it, not like we can do much if Rapunzel doesn’t start cooperating anyhow.” he said, shrugging the worry to the back of his mind. The bearers he didn’t really want to think about or discuss so he changed the subject back. “Did I hear you say you feel safe earlier?” There was a small laugh of nervousness as he did not know how he truly felt about that. “My sister and I must really be awful at our jobs, huh.” he teased as he stretched out onto the next chair, creating a bridge with his legs. His hands folded on his stomach, truly as comfortable as he could get. “Soooo. . . .” he trailed off, not really having anything to say or ideas for small talk. It wasn’t because of who he was talking to, but that he just wanted to shut his eyes for a bit. “That is a pretty unique power you have there. Can you change into just about anything?” Sleep wasn’t an option, so his weak attempt to keep a conversation going was to avoid dozing off while his sister was out.


A smile grew when it was clear that Ariel wanted it, despite the risks. A nod to show she understood the predicament the little mermaid was in. Despite how much she loathed the other woman right now, there was no big fuss made when they had to work together. Rapunzel carried the other half of Ariel, one of the redhead’s arms was draped around her neck while she was lifted by her waist and one arm went to carry the tail. This was no small feat. Even though she had carried the mermaid before, she didn’t expect it to be that difficult. The blonde was out of breathe by the time the softly put her down in the grass, but before she could catch it, a bunch of questions were being written on her palm. Ones she didn’t quite know the answer too. In thought, she cocked her head to the side and she looked up trying to recall the conversation she overheard the witch having.      


“Good questions . . .” Rapunzel nodded, still breathing heavily. Her foot tapped impatiently as she tried to think of the answers. A smile was forced before she began to speak, “Well you see, sort of stole that. So I don’t know all the details, except for what I overheard.” Her shoulders tensed up as she gritted her teeth together as the truth came out. She didn’t want Ariel to think any less of her for not having the answers. “I would wait until you’re dry as she specifically told the man that wanted to purchase that the mermaid would need to be on land. As for long as it takes to take affect, we will just have to wait and see.” There was a bit of nervousness as she spoke and she shrugged slightly, as she had nothing else to give the mermaid. The potion would work, she was sure of it. How and when was just a mystery.  

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━┓
Ariel
┗━━━━━━━┛​

Ariel waited patiently, still smiling up at Rapunzel even as the other woman seemed a bit hesitant to answer the questions. This ended up causing Gretel to eye her a bit more but the brunette didn't say anything since she wasn't sure what the questions were to begin with. When she mentioned stealing the vile though, Gretel ended up staring at her more in surprise and the smile turned to a more puzzled one on Ariel's face. "You stole it?" Gretel questioned her even though she knew it wouldn't be answered. A hand touching hers caused her to look down at Ariel as the mermaid was trying to wave slightly; almost as though she were trying to keep Gretel from questioning it to begin with. The brunette could understand that considering how much Ariel wanted to walk on land again but still. Here Rapunzel was being so childish and rude about their own decisions yet she goes off stealing from people. What gave her the right to say anything to begin with? A half glare was sent towards the blonde but a nod was given to show she wasn't going to pry further on the matter. So Ariel's focus went back to what Rapunzel was saying, even if it wasn't all the information. At least it was something. Looking down at herself, she huffed a little since she realized it'd be a little bit before she'd actually be fully dry. Not too much longer though, just a bit.


"You seem to be doing much better now, I'm really glad to see the cough is gone. But what about the not so good news?" Ariel wrote into Gretel's palm, so she shrugged her shoulders lightly in response.


"I wouldn't say it's bad news, Ariel. Blondie is overreacting a bit about the situation." Since they'd be here for longer than she thought, Gretel sat down next to Ariel and crossed her legs to be more comfortable. Ariel looked at Gretel with a slightly confused look as she wondered why Rapunzel was called Blondie instead of her name but she didn't say anything about it. "We were paid a visit by Ursula and the sorceress last night, demanding the whereabouts of the seal bearer. To keep a long story short, there was a fight and we ended up capturing the sorceress, who in turn was convinced to heal the damage she caused to me. As of right now, she's under our protection -Hansel and I- because she agreed to give us information on the others in exchange for it. Blondie doesn't like that." Gretel kept a close watch on Ariel's features to try to gauge the mermaid's reaction to the news. Surprise and a bit of worry was mixed in to her features before she turned to Rapunzel.


"If she's offering information, why don't you like it? Wouldn't it help us in the long run? I mean, I can talk about Ursula and give you all her info but the rest of them I know nothing about. Knowing is half of the battle so it could put us at a good advantage." Ariel wrote into the thief's palm before looking up at her with a wide, curious gaze as she wanted to understand both sides of the story before making any sort of judgement on the matter.


Morgan eyed the letter again as it was pushed forward but only for a moment before she settled back in to the chair more. Another berry was eaten before the bowl was pushed aside. It might be a while before the other two returned but if he wanted to wait, then so be it. She wasn't going to say anything further on it. When he repeated some of her words though, her eyes widened slightly in surprise for a moment before they quickly dropped to the table. "It's...hard to explain why all things considered but yes, you heard me right. I don't know why I feel that way, I just do. Last night I was scared-" especially when she had been pinned down but that was all the more reason she played it off so well. "-but today I'm not." Morgan played it off with a shrug before nibbling on her bottom lip slightly. She shouldn't feel safe when she was around two witch hunters but...she did. It was odd but it was just how she felt. As he trailed off some when the topic died, Morgan shifted slightly so she could rest her arms on the table and then her head in her arms like they were a pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable position but it worked for the time being. When he ended up asking about her power, she stared at him in surprise for a long moment as she hadn't expected him to ask anything about her. It took another moment longer for her to realize she actually needed to answer him instead of just staring.


"Um..." well that wasn't the best way to start. Morgan cleared her throat a little before staring at a particular spot on the table as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "I can change into almost anything, yes, but I can't imitate another human. There are also limitations that I have to look out for as well." Like not being able to stay in larger beast forms for as long as she'd like because it wore her out faster. Again, not that she'd say that out loud since they weren't exactly friends here. "I have a preference for birds though." Why she said that, she couldn't be sure but it came out anyway. Stealing another glance at Hansel, she ended up shifting slightly to dig into one of her pouches until a much smaller one was produced; it was silver in color with a black string keeping it firmly closed. She moved in the seat just enough to be able to set the pouch close to where Hansel was before settling back to how she was moments before. "If you mix a little bit of that with some water, it'll give you an instant energy boost. It acts as a stimulant and an energizer, so if you aren't going to go to sleep any time soon you might want to use some. But not a lot because the taste can be very potent." Not that she'd tell him it was bee pollen, since most people would probably react negatively if they knew what it was. Maybe after he took it...if he did.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

Ironic that Mim was likely the witch they were going to hunt if they’d passed up on helping the Queen. It was funny how things worked out like that, though they ended up letting her live. Silence filled the air and he’d given up all hope of having a conversation after it stayed that was for too long. His attention went to his hands and he started picking at his clothes. Not that he exactly blamed her for avoiding the question; they weren’t exactly on the best of terms.


When the word ‘um’ broke the silence his gaze went up and back on her, a surprised look on his face. Opening up and actually telling him a bit about the power, even how little it was, was surprising. Hansel figured that she would try and brush it off. Nodded, a bit impressed with her abilities and it made a little more sense now how they didn’t notice her presence since she preferred birds. He watched as she started digging for something and a part of him still didn’t trust her one bit. The little silver pouch was eyed suspiciously and then his face wrinkled in confusion for a moment when it was revealed it was meant to help him. A small laugh was let out as hadn’t realized it was that obvious he was tired.


“Do I look that bad?” There was a nervous laugh that followed as the instinct not to trust was fought off. The offer was tempting and since last night she had been proven to be trustworthy. Hansel swayed his head like a scale as he debated about the options in front of him. Sleep was the choice he’d rather go with as it just would be nice to have a break, but when the girls returned he had a feeling that they wouldn’t give him that option. “Thanks.” he replied, accepting the offer of help before standing up to get a glass.


“Why birds?” he asked while taking out two glasses out of the cabinet and sitting them down on the table, one closer to Mim. “Figured you might want some, sleeping on the floor couldn’t have been that great.” There was water in a canteen and he poured it once it was clear if she wanted any. A dash of the mixture was added to the water and he swirled it around to blend it in to the drink. “Now is this like something you can sip on or best to just take it like a shot?” The canteen wasn’t far away in case he needed to chase it down and get rid of the taste.


The two were having their own little private conversation, which made Rapunzel huff in annoyance. The fact that Ariel couldn’t communicate any other way wasn’t what was getting under skin. The fact that she knew the sorceress was going to be brought up in a matter of seconds was what was eating at her. Surely enough, Gretel voice broke the air. A groan left her lips as she could tell the witch hunter had been just waiting to fill in the mermaid on the topic. Rapunzel sat down and got comfortable against a tree, on the opposite of Ariel and the furthest she could be from Gretel. A soft scoff escaped as she rolled her eyes at how the situation was played down. A glance was spared when she felt Ariel take her hand before she sent the witch hunter a nasty look.


“Having us trust her could put that group at an advantage too. She could be playing a double agent, just meant to spy on us or lead us in the wrong direction. A trap. Possibilities are endless. Sorry I’m not buying her sudden change of heart load of crap.” The remark was more shot at the witch hunter since they were so readily to trust the woman out of the blue and after all she had done. Someone should really remind the siblings of their profession, which is killing witches. Now they have one under their protection and are even getting a little upset if one was stolen from, because witches have such great morals. “She is responsible for killing two seal bearers herself. Now you expect me to put the person I’m supposed to protect life on the line and trust what she says. No, not going to do it.” Rapunzel shrugged having said her piece on the matter. They wanted to be fooled by her little act, so be it.

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━━┓
Madam Mim
┗━━━━━━━━┛
​

"A little bit." Although the main reason Morgan could tell was because she'd been watching over the siblings for a little while now. Picking up on the smaller details was something that she had to do whenever she was watching the people she'd end up taking from. A nod was all she gave as thanks before her head settled back in to her arms on the table. She was surprised again when he asked his next question; it made her wonder if he was really curious or just wanted something to talk about. Or maybe there was still the possibility of him and his sister hunting Morgan so he was just gathering information...but she didn't think that was quite right. Her mouth opened to answer but stopped when a glass was placed in front of her. "I'm pretty sure the floor was more comfortable than how you were sitting all night. But thank you." There was a hint of teasing in her tone since she knew she could have attempted to sleep like he did. The floor was the safer option since it gave enough distance between then and let her stretch out properly. Even if it wasn't the most comfortable of places.


The cup was eyed when he added in the powder and once he was done, she went to go and do the same with her own glass. "Try it first and see if you can handle the taste. If you can, sip at it; if you can't, drink it as quickly as possible. It works the same no matter what, it all depends on your taste." She explained as she stirred her own glass to make sure it was mixed fully. Once it was, she ended up just downing the water in a few sips to get it over with. The taste of bee pollen was one that she didn't particularly like so if she could avoid it then she would. Which just left the question about her choice of birds hanging in the open. "A bird represents absolute freedom. They can freely roam the earth and the sky, some even being able to swim in the water. Wherever they want to go, they can just spread their wings and go without a care in the world. No one is bogging them down or holding them back from what they want to do; they just do it. There are other things that they can represent too depending on the bird of course but for me, it's the freedom that I love. That's why I tend to shift to birds more often than other animals." Morgan still wasn't quite sure why she was being so honest with Hansel but the words came out before her mind could process she was speaking. The kind of freedom the birds had was one that Morgan always wanted for herself but couldn't have. There were too many variables and really, she did have fun messing with people for a while. She wasn't thinking that it was the best for her anymore though.


Ariel kept her gaze on Rapunzel softly as the blonde began to speak her own thoughts on the matter; all too quickly she could tell that the two other Huntsmen weren't getting along in the least anymore. It was a bit saddening to see when they were supposed to be working together to fend off this demon. Stealing a glance at Gretel, it looked like the brunette had something she wanted to say but she was holding back to allow Rapunzel to speak her mind. Ariel wasn't sure what was going to happen to the two of them but she swallowed down a bit of her growing nervousness. The shrug from the blonde was enough for Gretel to step in again. "I don't expect anything from you at all, Rapunzel. You have your own thoughts and opinions on the matter, even if they are wrong. The only things that I trust are my brother and my gut, and right now my gut is telling me that she's being honest with us. There was never a 'sudden' change of heart as she'd never been fully involved with the others of her group in the first place. She stopped that child from killing Hansel when it would have been easier for their group to just let it happen, she stopped Ariel from continuing her scream by throwing in the salt water even before we knew that Ariel needed salt water. From the beginning, she just didn't put as much effort in like the rest of them." Gretel paused for a moment when she realized how passionately she was trying to defend the sorceress. It caused her brows to furrow slightly as it confused even herself before a frustrated sigh left her lips.


"Think whatever you want Rapunzel but if you lay a hand on her, you'll regret it. I may not trust her but I trust my instincts and they're telling me to believe her words. There were opportunities for her last night to have killed both myself and Hansel but she didn't. I can't say anything about the fact that she killed two seal bearers and no I don't like her very much for putting me through the hell that she did. But she has information, legit information, that we could use and the Queen has the right to know." Gretel continued in a softer, more serious tone as her arms crossed over her chest. Her gaze was calm but her eyes held the fire behind them that she felt. Hansel may not even agree with her but Gretel trusted her gut so that's what she was doing. At this point, Ariel was looking back and forth between the two women and a small huff left her lips to blow some red strands out of her face. They both seemed to have very different opinions of this sorceress so she wanted to meet her. Looking down at herself, she realized she was just about dry so now was as good a time as any to take the potion. So she popped the top off and downed it in a gulp, cringing slightly at the bitter taste. Even her face showed she didn't like it so much but as long as it worked, it was worth it. The now empty bottle was set beside her and now it was just a waiting game for it to take effect.


Quickly waving her hands in the air to get both women's attention, she gave them a smile before starting to write in the air for both of them to see. It was a bit more difficult since it wasn't anything solid for the to look at but it worked out all right. Or at least she hoped so. "We shouldn't be arguing among each other, you know. We're allies and even if we don't agree with something, we're all still striving towards the same goal: stop the demon and protect people. If this witch is really playing a double agent, we'll know soon enough and we can just prepare for it. Don't give her too much information about what we're doing or where the other seal bearers are. That way she can't give anything back to the others in her own group. And if Gretel is right then we'll also find out in time to see just how trustworthy she really is."

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

The mixture was rather bitter and gulped down to just get it over with rather suffer by sipping it. The mug was set down on the table when the contents were gone and pushed away as if that would take away the taste that was linger in his mouth. A slice of bread and a piece of cheese had been cut for a snack during the explanation he received. The mixture was starting to work already and he could feel the energy returning to his body. Gross, but effective. The explanation of birds was rather deep, when he simple expected I like flying to be the answer. Freedom on the other hand, not so much. The way she spoke about freedom so adamantly made it seem like she was craving it. Lack of freedom never really had been a problem. No parents and no money issues, not like Gretel am him were rich, but there certainly weren’t struggling. Nothing really boggled them down and kept them from doing what they pleased, imagining life being the opposite was unsettling. This was just speculation, but the detailed explanation backed up the theory.










“Freedom, huh? –” There was more to that sentence, but his attention was drawn to the door as he thought he heard something outside for a brief moment. A moment of silence went by to make sure he was just hearing things. Part of him wanted it to be the girls returning. As nice as the little boost of energy he had was, he just wanted some actual time to relax and not worry. Enjoy the fact that is sister was well for a moment before they jumped back into anything, not that she was going to let that happen. A sigh of frustration escaped as he leaned back in his chair and a hand ran hand through his hair. There was a meek smile on his face as his gaze went up to meet the sorceress. “That had nothing to do with you.” he said softly, not want her to get the wrong idea at all.      

 


A pile of crap was what the other was spewing. Don’t expect her to do anything? The comment from the brunette made her scoff in disbelief at how delusional she was being. It was the exact opposite, they expected her to let this new little alliance continue and take this once known enemy’s word. A gut feeling, that is all she could come up with as to why and take anything the sorceress said seriously, because of a feeling. Some common sense needed to be beaten in to her thick head. Simultaneously both women’s arms cross as neither of them was coming to an agreement on the matter. The potion Ariel had taken had gone unnoticed as Rapunzel gaze bore into Gretel and never left until she saw hands waving in the air.  An exasperated sigh escaped as she watch the words be spelled out in the air.

 


[SIZE=11pt]“Fine.” She slapped her thighs in defeat as there was no point to continue on about it. Rapunzel was starting to get outnumber and she was sure in the end that she would get to say loud and proud, ‘I told you so’. What a glorious moment that would be. “Keep her the hell away from me still.” she mumbled. The sorceress still freaked her out and this was still a horrible idea. The seal bearer would be kept secret, from everyone still. Gambling really wasn’t her thing. A soft hue pink started coming off from Ariel and Rapunzel’s eyes grew two times the size. The cloud swarmed around the legs and then slowly dissipated, revealing two legs. “It worked.” The words were quiet as she hadn’t really known what to expect. “Well you probably want to get dressed.” There was a giant smile on her face from the potion working before she got up to give the mermaid some privacy. [/SIZE]

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━━┓
Madam Mim
┗━━━━━━━━┛​

Morgan eyed the man across from here when he repeated the word, her brow rising a little. Was there something wrong with wishing for that? He and his sister had it so easily but not everyone had such a luxury. It wasn't like a witch could just live peacefully in a town or city without any care in the world. If they tried, all hell would break loose and they'd end up either hunted or run out of the city. Even the nicer ones that tried helping people were thought of the same. Turning her gaze away from him, a soft hum left her lips when he tried to say it didn't have to do with her. As much as she wanted to believe that, there was something that made her doubt it. Though that could very well be the fact that she didn't trust easily even if she worked with people. Her mouth opened to say something about it but closed promptly when she heard something that she recognized right away. The sound of a growl that could only come from the two Dalmatians that hung around with Cruella. Instantly Morgan attempted to stand up, ignoring the pain she felt in her leg from doing so.


"Hansel-" before she could fully finish saying his name, the door was slammed against hard as the growling grew more intense. Morgan flinched, having never been on the side against the group before. Using the table as a means of keeping her balance, she took a couple steps back right before another slam on the door caused it to break in. Cruella, or rather her wolf formed, stalk in to the room on her hind legs. The werewolf was taller than Hansel, fur thick and dark, with gold eyes that almost seemed to glow. Those eyes locked on to Morgan for a moment, the growl running deep into the creature's throat as she snarled at the sorceress. A step in to the room and a swift amount of wind spun around her, covering her as her body shifted back into her human form. The Dalmatians were soon by her side and the glare on her face rested on Morgan for a long moment.


"Well, well. So Ursula wasn't lying after all it seems." There was disappointment laced in her tone before her eyes slowly turned to look over Hansel. "You have one chance, boy. I'm not playing around with you today so you'd best be snappy about it. Where is the seal bearer?" Cruella demanded, pointing a finger in his direction as her nails extended out into her claws in a warning. Even if he didn't answer, he would soon as the others were right outside. There was no where for him to hide, especially since his bratty sister and that other Huntsman weren't around to help. The two Dalmatians were each eyeing the two in the room, one low growling at Morgan while the other was doing the same towards Hansel. They were both ready to pounce whenever Cruella gave the command though she had plans on taking all the fun if it came down to a fight. She kept her eyes on the man, watching as he seemed to be backing up just like Morgan had been. He was trying to keep the distance by using that table as a means of blocking, or at least that's what it seemed like to Cruella. That caused her to chuckle a bit as she let a soft cooing noise leave her lips moments later. "Now, now, I don't like that. You best not test my thin patience." Right as she spoke, she rushed forward and grabbed the table to make an example out of it. Her nails dug in deep and using the strength of her wolf side, she lifted it off the ground and flung it to the other side of the room. As it shattered against the wall, Cruella swayed her hips a bit as she focused back on Hansel. "I asked you a question. This is your last chance before I get the answers out of you with means you may not like. Although, if you really want to keep up that silent act I'd love to try some new techniques on you. See how long you last with my claws tearing you apart." her tone grew venomous as she stalked closer, looking ready to pounce at any moment while her pets stayed close to her side.


When Rapunzel finally gave way and agreed, a smile grew on Ariel's lips as she nodded her head. Even if Rapunzel didn't agree or didn't like it any, she was still glad that for now there wouldn't be any more bickering among each other. "That's fine, I'm pretty sure she won't have any problems keeping away from you with that horrible attitude of yours." Gretel shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, not at all liking the way that Rapunzel was acting from the moment she got there. When they first met, the brunette had thought they would get along just fine but first impressions just weren't everything. The pink hue that began to surround Ariel's legs distracted her thoughts and she turned to look the mermaid over wide-eyed. A quiet gasp of surprise came from the redhead as her eyes closed as much as she wanted to watch what was going on. A few seconds went by before the hue disappeared and instantly Ariel opened her eyes. She was so close to squealing in delight and it was hard to refrain from doing so. She didn't want to hurt the other girls though so she bit her lip slightly to keep from making any sound. Her toes wiggled as she leaned closer to get a better look at them. "Wow, that's...amazing." Gretel's words were barely a whisper as she stared in shock.


At Rapunzel's suggestion, Ariel quickly nodded her head and she reached for the clothes that had been brought with. They reminded her of what she wore when she was traveling with Eric and that both made her comfortable as well as a bit sad. Those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind since it wouldn't do them any good for her to think negatively. It only took a couple of minutes for her to get dressed and get used to standing on her own again. Gretel stayed by her side though in case she needed any help but Ariel was fairly stubborn in not accepting any. Once she was standing on her own, her arms out slightly to help with her balance, she nodded once again before writing in the air more slowly so they could see. "This is absolutely fantastic! I'm so happy to be able to have my legs again and help you guys with what's coming. I know it's what Eric would have wanted and...I promise I'm not going to back down again if I see Ursula. I want to do my best." Ariel smiled to the two women gratefully before she walked over to give Rapunzel a quick hug. "Thank you so much for making this possible." She wrote on the blonde's hand to make sure she could read it before looking at Gretel.


"Well. That's another plus for us now. We should start heading back to show Hansel the good news." Gretel spoke with a gentle smile of her own on her face, the smile growing when she saw how quickly Ariel nodded her head in agreement. Then the redhead looked to Rapunzel for a moment and squeezed her hand gingerly as she was still just so thrilled about everything. With a pep in her step, she walked over to where the trident was and picked it up to situate it against her back once again. The tie was easy enough to tear off if she ever needed it and would leave her hands free for the time being. Just in case.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

A frown formed when it was clear that Mim was going to take it personally, his earlier sigh of frustration. When in reality it was really meant for his pain in the ass younger sister. Not that he was going to rag on Gretel to complete stranger, though she was being irritating more than usual. Hansel ran a hand through his hair as he noticed she was about to respond and thought he was going to be told off. A growl caught his ear, but he didn’t think any of it since it was probably just an animal outside. Mim hadn’t said anything yet and instead she was suddenly trying to stand. Now he had gone and done it. Hansel was preparing to have to try and calm down an angry woman when he started to address him, but was cut off by the door being slammed into. Immediately he jumped to his feet in time to have Cruella break down the door and come stalking in. Hansel looked up at the tall beast, backing up ever so slowly as she addressed the sorceress. The Dalmatian was creeping closer was eyed as he took a few more steps away. His pistol was in its holster, but he needed to get further away.


Hansel tried just doing that as she made her demand that he give up the seal bearer. One of her nails grew into a talon and stretched out towards him. Jaw clenched, he sent her a dirty look to show he wasn’t going to give up any information. Not that there really was any to give up in the first place, making things easier. The table he was trying to use and put between the two of them, but Cruella caught on. The table flew in the air, making him wince ever so slightly as it came crashing down, killing the only idea he had. The handle of his pistol was gripped as she cornered him. Truly there was no place to go, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The notion he’d give in was shrugged off as he said simply, “I’m not telling you anything.”


“Oh, yes you are.” The child’s voice was sinister and there were dark circles under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in days. The sword she carried dragged on the floor, leaving a long line carved into the wood floors. Wendy was completely lost without Hook and it showed that she was becoming unhinged. Lighting struck out near the cabin and lit up her face briefly. Suddenly there was a crack of thunder. This was the first time Hansel had noticed the weather changing and it was doing it drastically. Wendy’s attention didn’t stay long on the witch hunter as her gaze slowly turned to the sorceress. Fire that was there before from Mim saving Hansel had been relit and it was raging in her eyes. The grip on her sword tightened vengefully stared the purple hair woman down.


A smile was forced as at least one of them was ready to tackle about anything. The hug was returned and Rapunzel smile turned genuine. Helping someone in a pinch is what she did best. The idea of getting back to Hansel and the sorceress was exactly her priority, but the blonde nodded in agreement alongside Ariel. The gentle squeeze was returned and she waited until the trident was resting on her friend’s back and everyone was ready to go. There was no pep in her step like Ariel though. Part of her was still pouting ever so slightly that she had sort of lost the argument. The sky was suddenly growing darker, like a huge storm was on its way.“We need to pick up the pace!” A crack of lightening came at the right moment to emphasis the urgency. A worried look riddled her face as she turned to the brunette. “We just might be carrying a mermaid if we don’t make it in time.” Rapunzel started in a slow jog until it was clear that they were coming along and then she started sprinting for the safety of the hut. The boom of the thunder almost deafening and she stressed that they were going to make it in time as they still had some ways to go.

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━┓
Cruella
┗━━━━━━┛​

Cruella's eyes narrowed when Hansel announced he wouldn't tell her anything. Before she could really comment on it though, Wendy's voice broke out through the air; it was dark and held such venom that it was surprising it was coming from a child. Normally Cruella wouldn't care at all about such things but considering she was a child, the way she was behaving the last few days was a bit...worrisome, even by her own standards. Losing Hook made her lose her sanity and there was a smidge of worry that the girl would end up turning on them as well. Thus why Cruella was putting effort into keeping the girl happier in the sense that she wasn't being bogged down by anyone. Especially now that the sorceress wasn't going to intrude any further. The sorceress was eyed again and for a moment, the two just stared at each other silently. The crack of thunder and brightness of the lightning caused Morgan's eyes to turn away towards the door. Her features were scrunched up in what might be read as worry but it was still hard to tell with how hard it was to read her.


"Mim, darling." Blue eyes snapped back to Cruella when she spoke with a fake innocent smile on her face. "I don't know your reasoning for abandoning us but this warning is for you. You know he's coming and he will not show any mercy to you now that you have betrayed us. I actually can't wait to see the look on your face when he's here."

"I bet it'll be as interesting as yours when he finds out you know nothing about the location of the seal bearer and have yet to deliver anything." Morgan shot back, eliciting a dark glare from the multi-color haired woman. Little did Cruella notice that the sorceress had been digging in to one of her pouches to mix together two different powders as she spoke. The moment that she saw Cruella lunging forward, Morgan threw her hand up in the air and the dark green powder shot out into the air in a mist. Cruella froze as she wasn't sure what was going to happen; which, at first, nothing did until Morgan grabbed the water from the table and threw it into the air next. The mist crackled and stretched further out before exploding into a dark haze in the room. Morgan was quick to cover her mouth and darted over to where Hansel was since he was close enough. "Use this." She held out a cloth and motioned to her own covered mouth before taking his hand in her own. "We don't have a lot of time, come on." Coughing could be heard from near them; both Cruella and Wendy would be struck by a fit of coughing due to the mist that they inhaled. It wouldn't last for very long though since it wasn't as potent as Morgan would have liked to make it but it would give them enough time to leave the house. Instead of going towards the front door, Morgan headed to the other room and to the window that was the closest to them now. It was hard to walk quickly but she was biting through the pain to give them a better head start. The only problem was...where was Ursula?


"Hurry up, climb out. Be mindful though, Ursula might be around as well if they're getting this antsy." Morgan let the warning leave her lips quietly before peeking through the room to try to see the other women. She could barely make out Cruella's form hunched over slightly, still coughing and trying to claw at the slowly fading mist.


Ariel sort of stayed beside the other two women, trying to get used to the feeling of walking again. Thankfully she still remembered how even after swimming for the past few days; probably because it had been instilled in her for so long with Eric. Thankfully that wouldn't hinder the other hunters any more than Ariel already had; they went out of their way to help her and she'd make sure she returned the favor. Although the fact that there was now lightning and thunder circling the sky caused her to frown. What was the chance of that happening right now? Before she could think too long on it, she felt a hand in her own and looked over to Gretel; the brunette was worried and was ready to voice her concerns when Rapunzel seemed to do so instead. "For the first time in a while, I actually agree with you." Surprise laced Gretel's tone but she quickly pushed the feud of theirs to the side. The most important thing would be getting Ariel back to the house without getting wet. "Come on, Ariel. We need to hurry!" The redhead was quick to nod her head in agreement and the two of them began to run after Rapunzel as she led the way. It wasn't long before the house was in sight but it was still a pretty far distance. Gretel was just hoping that they'd make it without having to pick up a mermaid in the process again.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

No other words, but creepy could describe the child. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the sound of her chilling voice. All eyes had left him for a minute and went to the sorceress, though that didn’t seem to be a good thing. On the contrary the two of them seemed to be getting more riled up, enough to launch an attack. Wendy was in the air with the sword high above her head, ready to be brought down on her victim of choice when the air Mim had acted. The dark haze blocked her view of her target and the coughing brought her back to the ground. Knowing exactly what the witch’s concoctions were capable of, Hansel had backed away from the mist, shielding his face with his forearm.  Look of surprise on his face couldn’t be hidden when Mim made it to his side. He figured that she would look out for herself and make a run for it. The cloth was taken quickly as he covered his mouth and let her guide him to the other room. The coughing the only indication that the other two were preoccupied enough not to follow.


Hansel didn’t need to be told twice to climb out the window. The cloth was stuffed in a pocket in case if he needed it for use in the future, which seemed likely. The window was slid open quickly and he crawled through it, landing on his feet. The area was scanned for the last one, Ursula, but there was still no sign of the sea witch. “Here I’ll help.” Both hands were held out for her to take and it really wasn’t an option. Help wanted or not, he helped her out and held her in his arms. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but we’re faster this way.” Hansel heading towards the back of the hut, away from the front door, hoping that would give them a slight advantage.


In the time it took for both of them to get out of the window, Wendy had flown out the front door. “U-ursula get’em!” she yelled in between coughs. The raven haired woman turned away from the sky in confusion and looked at the raggedy child. “T-they went oout the Win-dow.” A finger was pointed where they should have come out of. A small growl of frustration left her lips as the she went to cut them off. Ursula rounded the corner in time to see the two trying to make a run for it.


“Where do you two think you’re going!?”


“Why couldn’t that bitch have stayed home?” Hansel huffed, still trying to put as much distance as he could behind them. A strike of lightning struck the ground, sending him reeling back. “What the hell.” Another strike came down, making him have to back up even further and closer to the cliffs. Ammo was short as he only had the pistol and not his usual shot gun. A couple of throwing knifes, but that would hardly do any damage and he was literally being backed into a corner. “You got any ideas?” he asked, looking to Mim quickly, who he was still holding. Ursula was closing in and Wendy had finally stopped coughing and was soaring in the air directly towards them.

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━━┓
Madam Mim
┗━━━━━━━━┛​

Morgan shifted to her better leg after realizing she was staying too long on the bad one; her gaze kept going to the other room where the coughing was still going on. The longer it went on, the more it meant they still had time. When she realized Hansel had gotten through the window, she stepped closer ready to climb out as well. "What?" Morgan stared at Hansel for a moment, a bit wide-eyed as she hadn't expected him to offer the help. He was just full of surprises but the angry growl coming from the other room made it so Morgan couldn't question it. She hoisted herself through the window with his help and was expecting to be on the ground. Yet again, Hansel surprised her though when he ended up adjusting her in his arms rather than putting her down. "H-hey! Put me down-" Morgan was in the process of trying to argue, her cheeks flushing red without her even realizing it. She struggled slightly and even smacked his chest lightly but his words echoed in her ear. He was right, this was going to be faster since she couldn't run. Her hand rose like she wanted to smack his chest again but instead a tsk left her lips. She couldn't say anything else and just shifted the tiniest to try and hide her face from him. Not that it helped any since she could only hide it against his chest and not even for all that long either.


Wendy's voice shot out in the air and it was clear their time was just about up. They didn't even really get very far -from what it felt like anyway- before she felt Hansel slow because of the last of the group. Morgan finally turned her gaze towards the woman in time to see lightning striking down at them. How Hansel managed to avoid both strikes with her in his arms, Morgan couldn't even begin to understand but she was getting close to arguing for him to put her down. If he could just escape, then....her thought trailed off when a loud, angry roar shot through the air and startled some of the birds that were nearby. They shot out into the air and flew in the opposite direction of where the hut was. That could only mean that Cruella was free of the mist as well then. Morgan's grip on Hansel's cloth tightened slightly as she looked from Ursula to Wendy, both too close for comfort. She had to think fast but the only thing that she could think of might not be the best for them currently with how close they were to the edge of the cliffs. "You might not like it but...just be ready." Without really explaining what she meant, Morgan fumbled with a couple of her pouches to bring out brightly colored pouches, each housing a different powder; red, orange, yellow, and a light blue powder were quickly mixed together and rolled in her hand. Somehow it created a small, thick ball from the heat and once it was solid enough, she tossed it towards Ursula and Wendy.


A few words were whispered under Morgan's breath and right as the ball hit the ground, an explosion shot out in all directions like fireworks. Smoke rose up in the sky and a fire was left behind from the blast but it should have been enough to stop the advance. Or so she thought. A deep, fierce growl sounded from the side and the sorceress turned in time to see Cruella in her wolf form lunging towards them; claws were extended and ready to strike without a care in the world of anything else. Out of instinct, Morgan struggled a little to get out of Hansel's grasp enough to try and block the strike from hitting him at the very least. A gasp of pain left her lips when she felt the claws dig in to her shoulder but she bit that pain down quickly. With another pouch in hand, she used the powder in that one to temporarily blind Cruella. Quickly the wolf shook her head, trying to get the powder out of her eyes. It took a second to realize it wasn't going to work, so she just slashed out wildly and thrust her body where she last saw the pair. The force was enough to knock the two of them the last tiny stretch over the edge; any sort of cry or scream that they had given was muffled by one that was much closer to Wendy and Ursula.


"HANSEL!!" Gretel screamed out her brother's name, the grip she had on Ariel's hand dropping instantly as she felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. They had just made it back, thanking the stars that it hadn't rained just yet when they noticed the door had been broken in. Each of the Huntsmen had followed the noise to the back of the hut where the cliffs were, only to see the sorceress and Hansel plunging over the side of the cliff. It looked as though Mim had been holding on to Hansel, while Cruella -still in her wolf form- was a few feet away curled up and still trying to wipe at her eyes. Ariel was sending a glare to Ursula, as she now knew the sky and the odd weather was the witch's doing. Her hand held a part of the trident for easy access but she didn't move either; her eyes drifted to Gretel as the brunette's body started trembling, tears already running down her face.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

A glance was spared to look down at the woman in his arms with an unsure look on his face. That wasn’t really helpful, what was he supposed to be preparing for exactly? Hansel’s gaze didn’t linger for long as he kept backing up, watching the three approach. Ursula was in striking distance. One of her slimy tentacles was slipping out from underneath her dress, holding all his attention, until the little colorful ball dropped in front of the pair. The explosion made him back away further, right up to the edge of the cliff. Wendy little out a high pitch scream as she wasn’t quick enough to doge the explosion and had burns on her the right side of her body. A low growl had Hansel turning to find Cruella and the sudden squirming in his arm distracted him as he looked down in confusion. Her legs were released, since she wanted out that badly. Or that was what he thought, but she blocked the oncoming attack. The arm that had been left around her tightened as he pulled her closer in and away from Cruella, ready to try and carry her off why the group was in a disarray.




Mim was nearly back in his arms when Cruella started swinging claws out and there was no time to dodge the beast as it rammed into his side with such force he went reeling backwards and over the cliff. The fall was so far if felt like he hit the ground instead of a body of water. The impact had him in a daze as it felt like his head was splitting open. Pushing pass the pain, he started swimming back up. The sorceress was surprisingly enough the first thing on his mind when he reached the surface. The water was wild, with large white caps that slammed against the shore. His eyes scanned the water in search for purple hair and when he found it he swam over and scooped Mim up in one arm to help hold her above water as he started doing the side stroke towards the shore line.


Ursula heard the scream and turned to find the three girls’ witnessing the witch hunter fall to his death. A sinister smile grew on her face, seeing that the brunette was present. A crack of lightening went down near the group of three. Rapunzel had been stopped in her tracks at the scene. The siblings weren’t her favorite people in the world and sure, she thought they were dumb, but she didn’t expect it to go bad so quickly, wait yeah she did. A small huff happened, but she swallowed her words when she saw the reaction Gretel was having to losing her brother. The lightening had been enough to snap her out of the trance of not knowing what to do, realizing now they were the ones in trouble. “We should get out of here.” There was a concern look on her face. The I told you so speech would follow when they were out of harm’s way, but the wind suddenly started to pick up now. Ursula and Wendy were now stalking over to them, still need answers on where the seal bearer was being kept.

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━━┓
Madam Mim
┗━━━━━━━━┛
​

The fall was long, something that Morgan should have expected but at the same time she was still in shock. How things turned out this way when all she wanted was to find her freedom in the first place. It would have been better if she had just stayed home after reading that letter. Crashing through the water's surface hard was what kept the thought of 'what if' from going any further. The intensity of the storm made it harder to find the surface or even be able to swim to it easily. Morgan first attempted to shift into something that could breath in the water, to swim more easily than her own human body. However, it didn't really work the way she had wanted as the pain wracking her body was too much. When she realized it, she quickly stopped and began to focus on getting to the surface.


The first time she made it, she got maybe a breath in before a wave took her back under. With only one proper leg, it made it harder to swim but she'd be damned if she let herself go this way. Ignoring the pain altogether, she broke the surface again and looked around to try to find the witch hunter. Of all things, why she was thinking about him still instead of her own safety was something she couldn't understand. She wanted to know he was safe, as safe as they could be given the circumstance. Right as she was about to think the worse, she turned in time to see Hansel pull her close before starting to swim towards the surface. There wasn't time to think about how flustered she was by the closeness again but there was a lot of questions about why he'd come to help her. It was just another thing she didn't understand but she wasn't going to say anything since the help was appreciated; instead her focus went to helping him as best she could.


It was a struggle to get to the shore but eventually they were able to; or at least as much of a shore as it could be considered. Ominous, raggedy rocks jutted out from all around the sliver of land they made it too. It wasn't much but it was enough to be away from the crashing waters and the possibility of drowning. A coughing fit came as the sorceress pulled up the last little bit, then just rolled over to her side. "Why?" The word was barely a whisper, one hand clutching her chest while the other reached out to try to hold her throbbing leg. "Why did you help me? You could have been killed!" They both could have but Morgan wasn't really thinking about that right now. "Why would you..." Morgan's body shook as she trailed off, both from the way her body was freezing and from the not understanding. Although, a part of her knew she would have done the same for him for whatever reason since she had been looking for him.


Rapunzel's words of leaving, running away while they had a chance, hardly registered to Gretel. All she could think about was Hansel going over the edge and the image replayed in her head. Again and again. The trembling of her body was from a few things: fear, loss, hate, and a lot of anger. Slowly, her red and puffy eyes tore away from the cliff to send a fierce glare towards Ursula. She was the one stalking towards them, Wendy on the ground and Cruella still trying to get herself to see. Clenching her jaw slightly, Gretel quickly moved her hands to her guns but was stopped before she could draw them out.


"Hey-" The brunette was about ready to snap at Ariel as the redhead was the one to grab her wrist. Before she could say anything else though, Ariel -using all the strength she could muster- began to drag the younger sibling away. In the process she took a hold of Rapunzel's hand as well but she figured the blonde would run as well since it had been her idea. An angry growl, likely from Cruella- sounded as they ran as fast as they could to get away.


"I still can't see." Cruella was in her human form now, sniffing the air a bit to try to get a sense of the direction they had gone. "He'll be here soon, hurry after them. I'll take care of Wendy and meet up with you soon. Damn that sorceress, interfering like this. If this is a permanent thing, I'm going to find a way to resurrect the bitch and kill her again myself." Cruella was more grumbling at the end from her annoyance as she talked to Ursula. After a moment, she crouched down in a more feral-like position and made her way over to where Wendy was. "Wendy, darling. Come here." Her arms were outstretched towards the girl in as friendly a manner as she could muster. There was a growing soft spot for the child but she wouldn't risk herself for Wendy either.

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

The waves were large and kept threatening to pull them both back under every time they came crashing down on the pair. Felt like a never ending quest. The water in front of him seemed to go on and on as he tried to reach the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. It was exhausting and once he could, he collapsed onto the ground and rolled over onto his back. That had been too close to comfort he thought while looking up at the dark sky, lightning and thunder was still happening. A sigh of relief escaped. They were out of there, not in the way he would have exactly picked, but they were safe. A whisper, something he didn’t quite catch, pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked rolled to his side to face Mim, clearly slightly confused until she clarified. His mouth opened to respond, but closed quickly. The answer to that question he didn’t really know. The sorceress had put his sister through agony. He should have let her drown.


“Not sure. I should hate you for what you did to Gretel, but I just don’t.” The sorceress seemed lost in the world, with the way she spoke of freedom. Hansel felt she didn’t exactly realize what she was getting herself into when she joined up with that group. Least thinking that made partnering up with her easy, but he did believe it to a degree. “Could ask you the same question, after all you blocked Cruella’s attack and didn’t leave me to cough up a lung back in the hut.” Now that he put more thought into it was weird, but he figured not to put too much thought into it. Hansel eyed the wound on her leg and shoulder, they needed to be treated. The fact that she was cold hadn’t gone unnoticed, but unfortunately he couldn’t help with that.


“You’re cold and those need to be taken care of.” The wounds were gestured to as he found his footing. There was hesitation in his movement as he remembered how much she fought when he first started carrying the sorceress. “You’re not going to start smacking me in the chest again if I pick you up to carry you out of here, are you? Think it is fair to say we both have taken enough of a beating today.” There was a bit of a grin on his face, as he was merely teasing and coyly asking permission this time around.


A light scoff escaped as she was going to have to do this alone. Wendy was already crawling into Cruella’s arms, sobbing about the burns on her arm and leg. Ursula wished that it was the little girl and not the Captain that had been killed, she was hardly useful. “Yes, I’m going.” she chimed, another crack of lightening lit up the sky as she was off to follow the three that actually thought running away would work. The younger sibling was the key to stopping them. The reaction the brunette had when she was squeezing the life out of her brother was still vivid as she had enjoyed watching the panic in the younger female’s eyes. A strike of lightening, to get them to stop, came down in front of them and she got close enough for them to hear her shout.







“Naïve little girl, where is your big brother now?” A cackle followed the dig as she kept closing in. “You really thought she was on your side? How do you like paying for your stupidity? Bet life is going to be lonely now.” The blonde had turned around, face beat red since she had been right all along. Ursula stopped a few yards away, not worried they’d get away. If they tired she’d just strike them down with a bolt of lightning.

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━━┓
Madam Mim
┗━━━━━━━━┛
​

Slowly Morgan brought her gaze to the witch hunter again with a slightly confused look. His words were exactly why she was confused in the first place; he should hate her, and the truth was she wouldn't have blamed him either if he had just left her. But he didn't and he didn't even have a real reason for doing what he did. He turned the tables on her though and brought up what she did for him. It caused her to glance to the side as she thought about it. Truthfully, she hadn't even realized what she was doing until it was already done. When that bite of pain dug deep and told her. It seemed she was in a similar boat as him when it came to not really knowing the reason.


"I just acted, there wasn't a particular reason...I don't think. I just knew that I didn't want anything to happen to you, I don't know why though. It's...odd." Morgan admitted after a moment of silence, pulling her legs up closer to her body. She felt a bit more on control of herself despite the shivering and wanted to try to get a better look at her leg. Hansel's sister had remarkable aim it seemed, the wound having been reopened due to the swimming. Clicking her tongue, Morgan started to wonder if any of her powders made it. Only her thoughts didn't continue as Hansel pointed out the things she wasn't planning on saying: that she was cold and needed to tend to the wounds. He was a perceptive one, obviously given his profession.


Right as she was about to answer, her mouth quickly closed when he teasingly asked if it was all right to carry her this time around. Her cheeks flushed a dark red, more prominent against her pale skin. Quickly she looked away with a pout crossing her features. "I-I was just surprised earlier, I wouldn't have hit you if you had told me." Morgan quickly tried to explain, stealing a glance his way before focusing back on the ground. "I'm...not used to being around people that aren't trying to hurt me all the time. Well, I guess people in general too. I won't do it again so do whatever you want." It was clear she was still embarrassed by the idea of having to be carried but she wasn't going to struggle either. They needed to find a better place to rest and her walking on her own would slow them down.


The lightning caused the trio to instantly stop in their tracks. If Ariel could speak, a curse likely would have left her lips since she knew it could only be Ursula. The redhead was quickly trying to think of a way around but the feel of Gretel pulling her arm away caught her ear. Ariel tried shaking her head, wanting desperately to say 'don't get dragged in to her words' but the brunette was already touching her gun. Gretel whirled around with a glare so fierce it would cause even the bravest of men to shiver.


"Don't you dare talk about my brother, slimy bastard. You don't know anything!" As much as Gretel shouted the words, anger heavy in her tone ans posture, she wasn't sure what to think. She saw the sorceress holding her brother. Did that mean...Mim sacrificed herself to take him out too? Why go through all that though when she could have just taken them out. Unless...she thought that they'd give up some information? Gretel bit her lip as her thoughts were starting to grow more wild and she was about ready to burst out in tears again. "It's a lie...it has to be a lie!" What was she wasn't sure but she wasn't going to let Ursula get off without shooting her again; and again, several times if she could manage.


Furiously, Gretel pulled out her guns and was so close to firing. So very close! Yet right as her fingers were on the triggers, all of a sudden both guns were yanked out of her hands by some kind of invisible force and tossed a short distance away from them. Gasping from the sudden movement, Gretel stared at where the guns ended up some distance away before turning when she heard a deep voice speak. "Strange. I cannot grasp control just yet." A white-haired man with blood red eyes clear as day even from the distance they were stood a few feet away, angled just between the trio and Ursula. He was staring at his hand with a curious look before he finally looked up at the Huntsmen first. There was a look of disinterest given their way, then slowly his gaze went to Ursula with a more bored expression, only the slightest peek of disdain for the witch showing in his eyes. "You have not found what seals me yet, sea witch. Why have you not taken care of the seal bearer?"

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel

“There was no time to really discuss it.” he pointed out. Two brows rose at her reasoning and a chuckle followed, only to fall away. Timorously he averted his gaze away from her, being one of the many that would have made life difficult in the past. For the first time, dare he say, there was a bit of guilt he carried from his profession. Not that he dwelled on it. Many lives were saved from what Gretel and Hansel did. The shore line was jagged rocks that the waves rolled over, trying to swallow up. The coast stretched on for a while and a soft sigh escaped as he looked over the path that had to be taken. A long exhausting day was in front of him and he was pretty much useless without any of his weapons, all back at the house. “Right. Let’s get a move on.” Hansel put one of her arms around his shoulder while the other looped under her legs, trying to be as gently as possibly.


The rocks were slimy with moss growing on the tops, making it slippery and even that much more important that he watch were he stepped next. Also, it made it more difficult and time consuming to get off the rocky shoreline. A few time it had caused him to lose his footing and trip. An apologetic look was sent the sorceress’s way each time for the bumpy ride she had to endure. Halfway through, he found a place that was out of site from where they’d have fallen, tucked behind a larger rock to block the wind and safely away from the water and not as rocky. Mim was put down gently.


“You need any help with those or are you alright with me collecting firewood?” The air still held a chill in it and Ursula still had be to around because the storm was active. Lightening and the boom of thunder were about every thirty seconds to remind them that their enemies weren’t far. Hansel leaned up against a rock, taking this chance to get a breathier.


One of her ear splitting cackles ensued at the pathetic insult. It only proving that she had gotten under the witch hunter’s skin. Ursula rolled her eyes playfully and shrugged ever so lightly when called a liar. All of it was lies, but the two were dead so there was no way to prove it now. The guns being drawn were more of annoyance. At this stage she had an advantage and a boom of thunder came to remind the pest of her place, but to her surprise the guns went flying in the air. The light that had been in her eyes became dull as she knew he had arrived.  Slowly, her gaze turned to the white hair male, with blood red eyes. A chill was sent down her spin as he demanded an answer for not having another seal bearer dealt with. Immediately, without thinking, her eyes landed on the long hair blonde, the one causing all the trouble as she was much more secretive.


“Seems as they’ve gotten better at hiding the bearers. The male witch hunter took a trip over the cliff because he refused to give anything up and I was just in the process of starting to interrogate these three. The blonde thief is the in charge this time around.” A playful smirk was on her face as she eyed Gretel when she mentioned her brother. Ursula went a bit white as the Red Queen made her appearance, lips pursed and not looking happy about the events at all. There was something a bit more unnerving when it came to that woman, maybe because she seemed harder to please and be the one to decide to get rid of them on a whim.


“Are you saying there more efficient than you four?” The Red Queen’s head tilted to the side as a small tsk left her lips at the pathetic excuse. An arm of hers wrapped around his affectionately, linking the two lovers. The color of her lips was bright red and was the focal point of her make-up. In a way it had her match the white hair male as his eye color was a similar red. “Perhaps they should have been hired since all of you are proving to be useless when it comes to accomplishing your task.” A soft questioning hum left her lips as she looked over to her man to see what he wanted to do next.  

 

[pyreshadow]

┏━━━━━━━━┓
Madam Mim
┗━━━━━━━━┛
​

Morgan did her best to be as cooperative as possible when she was picked up; and by cooperative, it was more 'not struggling' than anything else. It was almost instinctual to hide her face once again against Hansel's chest and hope with every passing second that they'd find some place to stop soon. This was nerve-wracking for her and she could feel how much her heart rate was picking up because of this even as she tried to keep it steady. So long as he didn't notice, it was fine though. She had already explained too much of how she felt about things so not having to go into more details would be preferred. Although, she did want to complain -a lot- about the bumpiness of the walk since he had almost fallen multiple times. If he fell, it meant they'd both be screwed in a sense since he was carrying her. After the third near trip, she sent a half glare up to him but kept her mouth shut tightly to not say anything. It wasn't his fault, it was the way the rocks were and he was doing his best to walk. So all she could do was sigh and keep her eyes closed, continuously hoping he'd find a place soon.


Finally, after what felt like an eternity later, Morgan felt a different type of movement and she realized she was being set down. Her eyes glanced around the secluded area, not realizing she was nodding a bit at the choice. It was the perfect spot to make a makeshift camp for a little while, to get their bearings together. It took a moment for her to realize that Hansel had asked her a question, having only caught the last little bit of his words. "Oh." Morgan scratched the side of her face slightly before she went to unhook her belt of pouches. "No, it's all right. I'll be fine doing this on my own so you can look for the wood." She tried sounding as reassuring as she could, though a part of her doubted she'd reach the whole wound on her shoulder area. It all depended really. Plus, her powders...a quick smile was flashed towards Hansel as if to emphasis it would be all right before she started opening up a couple of pouches to check the contents. The first two were duds as the water had gotten in and made the powder unusable. Those weren't so important for what she needed though so she didn't pay much attention to them. The main ones were for healing purposes and most of the powders and herbs were still intact.


A bit of relief washed over her before she quickly went to start working on mixing the different powders and herbs she'd need, making sure to have enough for both wounds. It cleaned her out of most of them as well but it'd have to suffice for now. Ever so carefully, Morgan set the mix aside to let it soak up and turned her focus to her arm. The easiest way she could think of to get to it was also going to be the hardest, so she'd just have to suck it up. While holding her breath a bit, she slipped her arm out of the sleeve and pushed her collar aside so that she could get her arm free of the dress she wore. The sleeve hung limply at her side now but her whole body shivered from the cold that it brought about. She'd definitely need to hurry if she wanted to try to warm up some. So her focus settled on the claw wounds along her arm so she could clean it up first and then try to get the salve on as much of it as she could reach. It was a struggle to say the least since she couldn't reach some but at least she was getting most of it.


Crimson eyes turned back to the Huntsmen when Ursula spoke about them, almost instantly noting the way that the brunette seemed to get more infuriated at the mention of the male witch hunter. They must have been the siblings that Chernabog had heard so much about. What a shame he hadn't gotten his hands on that pair before his love's vile sister got her hands on them. The thought came and went rather quickly since the Red Queen made her presence known as she walked over to him. Chernabog eyed her briefly, for a split moment a tender look crossing his features before it went right back to its cold, stoic state. "It matters little now how useless they appear to be. I can feel it...like a distant whisper running through my body. The seal bearer is close." Chernabog announced, his eyes rolling closed before he took in a deep whiff of the air. Slowly his head turned in the direction of where he could sense the one holding him back from getting more of his power back.


"You and Cruella will be given one last chance, witch." His eyes opened slowly, still looking towards where they needed to be now that he had an idea of where to go. "Get rid of these hunters once and for all. All of them." There was an emphasis on the last few words as he had taken note of how one had already been dealt with. The nuisances were getting in the way too much now and he was getting tired of it. Bringing his gaze back to the Red Queen, he reached his free hand out to stroke her cheek gently as he spoke to her. "Come, my love. We must take care of this problem on our own."

 

[SparkleBreaker]

Hansel
​

Firewood it is then. Without a word, he got to work. The rocks didn’t offer much, but some wood had washed up, not enough to make this camp last for long. Lot of it was damp too, making Hansel not look forward to try and light this thing. A few logs, that were mostly dry, dropped to the pile he was starting when he looked over to where Mim was working on bandaging herself up. A sigh escaped, the woman was pretty stubborn. Hansel nervously scratched the back of his neck, knowing the woman probably would be opposed to him helping clean the wound, but clearly she needed it.

“Here. Let me help. That way it won’t get infected.” It really wasn’t a question as he figured she would say no if given the choice. Sitting next to her, he crossed his legs and held out his hand for Mim to give him whatever she was using on the wound. “Don’t make me use the voice I have to with my sister.” he teased, gesturing for her to give it up already so he could make sure it was properly taken care of and no infection would happen.

Ursula watched the two interact, before they weren’t as lovey-dovey. His red eyes met her purple ones and a shiver went up her spine. One last chance. The three of them couldn’t screw that up. The sea witch bowed her head in respect and to confirm that she’d do as told. Then the light came back in her eyes and her stare turned to the three women. “Oh, it will be my pleasure.” she chimed, grinning from ear to ear. This was going to be fun, now that they didn’t need to let them survive to find the bearers. The lightning bolt came down with more purpose than just to scare. The blonde hardly acted in time, but she saved the other huntsman from certain death, pushing her out of the way of the bolt.

A scream of surprise escaped Rapunzel as another lightning strike came down right in front of her, nearly frying off her toes. “We need to get out of here before she electrocutes us.” It was a redundant comment, but she wanted to make sure that Gretel was thinking of going after the sea witch. As if Ursula had read her mind, she started chiming in about Hansel.

“Yes, run away. Be smarter than that stupid brother of yours.” This was just to buy time for Cruella to catch up. The woman had sickening like for that child. Wendy grew creeper by the day since Hook fell in battle. Truthfully, Ursula sort of missed the Captain. Their certainly was an air about the woman and she was efficient. That she would give her. “Or are you going to be dumb enough to pair up with and let me lead you to your death. Come girl, I’ll be your friend. There is nothing fishy here to worry about.”

“Ugh, there is a lot of fish to worry about.” A branch swung in the air and took Ursula by surprise and knocked her over and on to her ass. “Gretel and Ariel we need to go! I really want to live to see another day.” The sea witch was already getting to her feet and she hadn’t a clue where the other two would be lurking.