Chapter Text
It is day two since they had arrived.
Vee remained in her disguise as Luz and kept away from the new arrivals, watching them from the rims of the walls of each room. Observing them in silent admiration.
They all seemed like such good friends. They were Luz’ real friends. This whole time, Vee had posed as Luz and made friends with her face. Although Vee liked Luz, she was grateful for her generosity of lending her a face, she was also envious.
Vee liked being Luz. Not because it was Luz, it could have been anybody. It just so happened that Luz was the one that lent her a life. A life where she wasn’t Vee the basilisk, Vee the victim.
The first day and night had been a lot for all of them and Vee had been too busy helping Camila make temporary beds in Luz's bedroom to really take in who they all were.
Too busy to notice the Golden guard.
On the second day she could scent something. A strong scent of something, something similar to her- no, well, almost. Selkiedomus? Palistromwood? Stonesleeper? The palistromwood she figured must be from the palismen. Maybe it was because they were many and so close together in the house? Vee wasn't entirely sure but had sniffed out that there was for sure something else there too.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Gus’ little smile in her direction. Vee’s impression of him was that he was an easy-going guy, and around her own age. She thought perhaps he and her would make quick friends and happily returned his smile with one of her own.
There had been no time to properly introduce each other yet. They had arrived yesterday night, the morning was full of toast and orange juice. It was only now they could actually say hello. And Vee had looked forward to it.
"I didn't know Luz had a twin sister. Vee, wasn't it?" Gus extended a friendly hand to her and she shook it awkwardly. It wasn't this boy who smelled so strangely.
"Um.. I'm not her sister, not really." Vee stroked her hair, making sure it didn’t poof her ears out like it would do sometimes when she was nervous.
"Oh?" Gus tilted his head at her. Luz had assured her that they were all friends and trustworthy. And she did trust Luz... But before she could explain it to him, she saw him. The Golden guard.
Memories of him staring into her cage flashed before her eyes. How could she ever forget red eyes like that, starting blankly at her into the dark of her prison.
And now he saw her too. In flashes, she saw him as who he truly was - the boy on the other side of the bars, who often came down with his uncle to keep him company.
Vee backed up. "Y-You!"
Hunter raised his eyebrows at her from where he stood by the kitchen counter. He had never met her before, to his knowledge anyway.
"What's the matter Vee?" Luz asks from where she sat by the table. Vee leaped behind Luz, grabbing hold of her arm like the handle of a shield. "Woah-Wowah!"
"Th-That's the Golden guard! That's- That's him! He's a bad guy!"
"Oh! No, that's Hunter- I mean, yes, he's the- was the Golden guard." Luz explains in a soothing voice but it did not help Vee.
Hunter’s expression changed into something tense. Gus looked over at him from across the room, but couldn’t offer any support from where he stood.
"He works for Belos!" Vee's voice cracks with fear as she whimpers.
Hunter holds his hands up. "I am-"
"Get out of this house!" Vee hisses, but only sounds scared and willing to fight him if she had to. Hunter lowered his hands. He was not going to fight her and he was sorry to see the state he put her in with his presence alone.
Willow gets between Hunter and the basilisk. "Easy! Hunter is a friend. He doesn't work for Belos-"
"Is that what he told you?!" Vee could feel the panic raise to levels beyond her stability.
She morphed, desperately clinging onto her doppelganger form. Her face distorts and she hisses over Luz' shoulder at him.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Gus gasp and step away from her.
Did they not know she was a basilisk? Had Luz not told them? Oh no, was he scared of her now? Vee didn’t want to scare anybody.
Camila comes into the room with urgency at all the sounds of panic, gesturing her hands for everyone to calm down. She comes to Vee, who quickly slithers into Camila's arms to hide and sniffle.
"Camila he's bad! He's from the castle!" She cries. She was finally safe, away from the castle and it's prison. This was her sanctuary, her safe space, her refuge... And now he was here too.
Camila turns to look at Hunter, who freezes with fear.
"No! Mama! Wait wait wait! Hunter is not a bad guy." Luz gets between her mom and her friends. "Lets.. Lets all just calm down alright? Hunter is a friend Vee, he wouldn't hurt you."
Vee scrunches her face together in anger. "How can you say that?! Do you know what he's done?! I have seen him walk down to our prisons with Belos!"
Luz was taken aback.
But Hunter found his voice: "Do you think I wanted to? I did not have a choice. My uncle- I was desperate to appease him."
"Oh, how awful for you Golden guard!" Vee spits. "Just like how we didn't have a choice either, you mean?! Locked up, used for his experiments! I know he made you fetch us when we escaped! You lead the scouts on the hunts!"
Hunter looks away with discomfort. "I'm sorry."
"Oh you are sorry?! Sorry?!" Vee trembles with anger as the tears burn her eyes. "I bet you are! You villain!"
"Vee.." Camila hugs her and Vee turns her contorted angry face in at Camila.
Camila brushed Vee’s blueish-blonde hair and hushed her.
The room fell quiet and Vee became painfully aware of how loud her sniffles had become.
"I-I can't be here." She sniffles and manages to get back into her doppelganger form, stroking tears from her eyes, Vee leaves the kitchen.
Hunter watches her run away into the dark hallway and up the stairs. He looks down at his hand resting on the counter, not meeting the looks his comrades were giving him.
Camila says something to Luz before following Vee to comfort her.
Luz places a hand on his shoulder. ”She’ll come around.”
“Yeah.” Says Gus and Willow, giving him smiles and assuring nods. But Hunter remains silent and contemplating.
Amity looks towards the stairs Camila climbed up too, wondering if this sort of thing was even forgivable.
Vee was told they split the group into two, for sleeping.
Hunter had offered to sleep elsewhere, to give Vee the space for safety that she desired, away from him.
Vee was disappointed to hear that Gus had decided to join him in the basement. He had seemed like just the type of person she’d have an easy time becoming friends with and now her quick way into the new friend group was none. There was Luz, of course, but she felt a little awkward around her. Having pretended to be her and all.
Vee breathed out.
She was grateful to have a room where she would not have to accidentally bump into Hunter.
Now, Luz' room was the girls' room. Vee never had this before. At least not as herself. At camp she had friends and freedom for the first time in her life. But that was as Luz. Everything was easier as Luz. Luz wasn't afraid of Hunter, he was her friend. As Vee, Hunter was someone who reminded of her captor and abuser.
The memory of Hunter briefly looking into her cell flashes before her mind's eye again. His red eyes absently staring at her in the dark before Belos calls for him, like he wasn't seeing her; just some beast in a cage. Each time it flashed, the memory of him became clearer and scarier. The strange expression he held as he gazed at her. It wasn’t disgust, perhaps curiosity. Morbid? She couldn’t tell.
"Thanks." Vee said the first night it was just them girls in one room. "For, y'know, splitting up like this. I was asking Camila if I could sleep with her in her bed but... I did want to be with all of you, too."
"Aw, it's okay Vee. We get it. This is really hard for you." Luz stroked her arm to comfort and Vee smiled into the pillow she hugged.
"But it was Hunter's idea to split up." Amity added, hoping to give Hunter some good credit, but Vee furrowed her brows. "I think you should know he feels terrible. I understand he has done bad things in the past, and none of us are asking you to forgive him."
"Sounds like there's a but in there somewhere.." Vee muttered.
Amity smiles gently. "But.." She says and Vee hugs her pillow tighter as Luz rests an arm around her. "He doesn't want to be the person you remember him being. I have been a bad person too, and I am trying hard to change. People can change, if you give them a chance to."
Amity eyed Willow, who half-smiled at her.
"I was a bad friend to Willow, I bullied her. I was very mean to Luz, too."
"That's a bit different than assisting in imprisonment." Vee huffs. “Besides, I don’t owe him any chances of anything.”
Amity turns to Luz helplessly. Vee had a point.
"Ah, Vee, that's true but forgiveness is part of healing! Or you'll never move on." Luz tried and Vee shrugged her arm off.
"Luz, you're a good person. And your mom has really helped me a lot. But you do not get a place to talk to me about forgiveness or moving on. Not about this. He hadn’t even told you! I bet he didn’t even remember until now. My pain wasn’t even worth remembering!"
Luz' shoulders sloped. "No, of course, I just- I just don't know what else to say to fix this. I know he's not a bad person and I know you are hurting."
"Maybe it's not your place to give advice then?" Vee returned.
The cheery mood went cold. Vee cursed inwardly and turned down to face her lap. Her claws had come out and her ears hung down sadly. She was messing things up already, this was her one chance of making friends as her true self, as Vee the basilisk. And it wouldn’t work out because everyone were in defence of a boy who supported Belos.
Luz sucked in her lip. "Right. Yes, you're right. Sorry."
"I know you're just trying to help Luz, but please don't, I don't want it... I just wanted to-“ She looks up at the girls, who is watching her with pitiful eyes. “I'm going to bed."
And Vee climbed up the bunkbed to her own space. Her nest. Her safety.
Vee was not being able to hear what the whispers of the other girls was. She didn't care! Whatever, let them whisper.
She fell asleep, pressing the pillow over her head.
Vee was surprised that the girls still wanted to include her the next morning. As though her spat last night hadn't turned them off from making her a part of the group. Which was a relief! She had been worried they would be mad at her or something. But things were fine. Breakfast was- Fine… She couldn’t eat with Hunter there so she made excuses to eat later when he sat down with Gus.
"I have to get ready for school."
Camila gave her a knowing look but allowed her the excuse.
Gus was more difficult, he was always by Hunter's side. She felt bad for causing the split like this between them all - the girls were making effort to include her, and the boys were doing their own thing (often in another room).
When they all were in the same room, though, building a portal door was the hot topic.
Vee mainly followed with Camila on errands or went to school in Luz' place on the third, fourth and fifth day - trying to give the group of friends a space to get together without her, since she was always the reason they split apart in the house. She couldn’t stand avoiding them the whole morning and Hunter seemed to be awkward about the whole thing too. He lined himself up by the wall or wherever was furthest from her. But she always felt his eyes peering at her, and when she turned to watch him she could catch his eyes dart down or away.
She hated that he was there.
But she also hated school now.
School.
How long would she get to stay in school? Until the summer break. After that Luz would pick things back up again. Camila had told Vee she could enrol as her own person with Luz, after the spring break coming soon, if she wished to.
Camila was the best.
Vee wasn't sure how to be somebody different. She had made friends with people as Luz. It was going to be difficult making friends with them again from scratch. But perhaps this was just the life of a refugee? On the move, not having a proper background, starting over and over.
And even if she did manage to build a new life with a new face, the friends she made could never know she was a basilisk. The whole situation with Jacob Hopkins taught her what humans did to (what humans would call;) mythical beasts. The supernatural creatures. Beings from the demon realm.
Vee had spent time reading books and watching movies. She learned what funny ideas humans had about the topic. The movie that stuck out the most to her was E.T. And it became the staple of reference to what the consequences of being discovered was. If you had see E.T, you had seen them all. They followed a pattern of behaviour: Capture, imprison, experiment… Humans liked to take things apart and learn that way.
Strangely, she got really into horror movies. The monsters there were, yes, feared. But they were in control. They were the strong ones. Maybe it wasn’t the best representation for her to view as role models (given they’re often killers and villains) but they still provided her with a sense of belonging in the human realm.
And it gave her inspiration on how to defend herself, visually, should she ever need to.
She could smell him before she saw him. The palistrom wood in particular was strong, and she frowned at the scent of him like a smoker standing too close.
Vee was taking out the dishes from the dishwasher when Hunter came into the kitchen.
”Um.” Said Hunter upon seeing her, but she had the feeling he knew she was there. Alone. “Hello.”
She stared at Hunter. Before, she would always leave the room when seeing him entering and she was on her own, but this time he looked so- not pathetic. Apologetic... Apprehensive, she looked him up and down. He wasn’t there for anything, so he must be there for her.
Vee couldn't place why he smelled. For all she knew, he had showered and changed clothes. But the faint scent was still there. It was a good thing it was. She could always smell his presence that way and hide if she needed to.
Camila and Luz had assured her that Hunter couldn't touch her or harm her. If he did, they'd take care of it. They promised.
And this first week and a weekend, she had noticed Hunter trying to make himself smaller and passive when she was around. She thought maybe it was a ploy, but when she found courage to challenge his gaze he would dart his eyes down to the floor in shame. Which... She wasn't sure what to think of.
But they had promised, and despite her better judgement she was curious of what he wanted. And you got to keep promises, or your word means nothing. At least to Vee.
He just stood there, waiting to be spoken to or told to leave.
"What do you want?" She asks brashly, turning back to the dishes.
Hunter raises his hands and gapes a few times before finding his words. "What can I do to make things right?"
"Nothing."
Hunter lowers his hands. "Okay. I understand."
She throws a glare at him and closes the dishwasher lid.
"For what it is worth, I am sorry. And I am not asking you to forgive me."
"Good. Because I wont."
Hunter nods, he inhales and tries to stand a little straighter. She cautiously watches him, but realises he's just trying to gather courage.
It annoyed her that he did it the same way she did. Breathing in..
"I will be better than the person I was." Hunter says as firm as he can and finally dares to hold her gaze back. "I don't want to be the Golden guard. That person-"
"You." She quickly corrects. "That person was you."
"You're right. I'm just ashamed that it was."
"You should be."
It felt good, it did. She knew someone like Luz would take the moral high ground and be graceful, not take pleasure in watching him squirm. But unlike Luz, Vee was deeply wounded and traumatised by Belos, and Hunter had assisted. Part of her did know that Hunter probably wasn't as bad as she had thought he was, but she was angry at him! And she couldn't punish Belos, he was dead now. And she needed to- to- Augh!
It was petty, perhaps.. But she was hurting and Hunter was right there. She had a right to be upset, angry, spiteful and downright vicious if she so pleased.
And for some reason Hunter was allowing her to be rude and mean to him. He could easily take her down, sure it would have consequences but... She knew he was smart and strong. Yet, there he stood, letting her bare fangs and claws at him. Like he knew she needed it. Like he knew he could handle her anger. Vee resented him for his kindness.
Hunter nodded, no longer meeting her eyes. Vee shrugged and growled. She almost wished he was a bad person. That he was going to smirk all evil at her at any point now and show her that he was just manipulating everyone to think he was a good person.
But he didn't.
He was just some... Scrawny awkward boy.
"Well... I have said my piece. I will leave you be now. If there is something I can do for you, let me know."
"...Right."
"May I call you Vee?"
"Yes? Of course, that's my name. What else would you call me? Number five?"
"No! No, I just... Wasn't sure I had earned addressing you by name yet."
Vee shrugged. "It's just a name."
Hunter shook his head. "Not to me. It matters to me."
Vee blinks at him. Uncertain what he meant but still understanding that he was trying to show respect to her.
He bowed to her like she was a gentry lady and left the kitchen. Leaving her confused with a lot to think about.
Usually Vee would eat elsewhere, before or after everyone else. She didn't want to eat with Hunter present.
But... Tonight she would. At Dinner she remained by the table and nobody made a comment about it, but she did see them smile at one another. And Hunter's sigh of relief didn't escape her either.
They were talking about exploring a bit past the front yard tomorrow. Luz wanted her to join. If Luz, Amity and Willow was with, she didn't mind it. She would have to get used to Hunter being a thing in the house now anyway - and he wasn’t doing anything to her, he barely spoke when she was around. Maybe it was manageable?
And she didn't want his presence to disrupt her peace any more than it already had, so she would have to grow a resilience to his red eyes watching her from whatever corner he had slunk into.
She was not going to be chained by fear any longer. She didn’t want to be afraid of that skrunkly boy. So what if he stares? So what if he’s there?! He wasn’t even doing anything! And he’s not Belos! He just reminds her of him! She was not going to be afraid. No! She was strong!
Besides, Hunter seemed to understand something in her that she couldn't verbalise and maybe that’s why he let her be so hissy at him. Not that she'd ever tell anyone that.
But part of her appreciated it.
Vee had stayed up with Camila for a bit. "You alright Vee?"
"Yeah.. Yeah, I just... Yeah I am."
She hugged her. "You're very strong." She reminded her and Vee leaned into the hug.
"I want to hate him." Vee said.
"I know."
"Do you think he's a bad person?"
Camila sighs. "No... I don't think so. But I don't know him very well. I have only.. Hmm.. Amity is the one I have spoken to the most, as of yet. It has only been seven days."
"Mh.." Vee transforms into her basilisk form.
"Ah, have you thought about what you want to look like after summer? Or.. During?" Camila nudges her.
Vee smiles. "Yeah, but I can't decide." It made her anxious to think about who she was outside the safety of looking like Luz.
If she wasn't Luz, she was just a victim basilisk refuge. She didn't want to be that. She didn't want that to be all of who she was.
"That's alright. Take your time. We can always enrol you late, too."
"Thank you Camila."
Camila smiles and hugs her again. "Go to bed. I will clean up here."
And Vee leaves.
In the hallway she smells him. She hides and watches as Hunter walks alone. Vee frowns. What is he doing up? Maybe restroom? But he passes it by. Besides, there's one in the basement.
She follows behind him, watches as he goes to the kitchen- to Camila.
"Oh- hello Hunter."
"Hello."
"Did you need something?"
Vee lingers out of sight. If he hurt Camila she would end him where he stood.
Hunter is quiet.
"Well?" Camila prompts as nicely as she could muster but Hunter looks a little frightened of her anyway.
"I um- I just wanted to know if there's anything I can do to help out more?"
"Oh, no, it's alright. I wouldn't feel right having you do more chores than anybody else."
"I'm the oldest." Hunter says, daring to steel his eyes into her, like she's a queen and he's a knight. "And tomorrow.. Everyone are excited to explore. Especially Gus. I know there are chores to do, I was thinking I could take on theirs so they can spend more time outside and have fun."
Hunter pauses, fidgeting where he stood.
"And.. Vee. I know she avoids hanging out with the whole group because of me. I don't think that's fair, so... I thought.. I can keep busy tomorrow, give her a chance to be with all of them. I can come along another time."
Camila tilts her head and takes a seat by the table. Hunter remains standing until she gestures for him to sit too. Luz had told her Hunter was a child soldier but it both unnerved her and broke her heart how he tensed up around her.
"Hunter, Vee should get a chance to see that you're not a danger to her, if you tag along she can see you in a different context. And, you know, she already agreed to come along - even with you there."
But Hunter is disappointed to hear it. He wanted to give Vee space.
"Also, Hunter: The chores I gave you kids were not.. orders. They were just-" She tries to think of something but lands on simplicity. "Responsibilities. I only asked you pick up after yourselves and don't leave wet towels in the bathroom, that you put the dirty laundry in the basket. They’re hardly even appointed chores, just-"
"If you show me where the river is, or the washing basin, I can do the laundry!"
Camila grimaced. River??
"No, um.. That’s nice of you but with so many girls in the house.."
"Huh?"
"There are- Never mind. Thank you for offering, but I can do it. Just collect your own laundry in the basket. I can show you how to use the washing machine sometime, but you kids have only been here for seven days now, I think?" Camila tries to give Hunter a reassuring smile but the boy isn’t looking at her. Her smile falls sadly. “Luz told me what happened, I am still catching up on all the details but-“
"I can clean the floors. Or the windows! I can sort your books, or I can-"
"It's quite alright." She says softly and Hunter’s expression strains, like it made him nervous to not know his place in the house.
Hunter, distressed, tried to find ways to argue without arguing or upsetting the authority figure.
"I.. I understand. But I would like for you to give me the responsibility, before the others, if there is anything that comes up. I want them to have fun. They have lost a lot. As you mentioned; they need the break. Even if the chores aren't particularly heavy, I would like it if you gave them to me. And me alone, so if something isn't to your standard you can punish me, not them. Please."
"Punishment? No- There's no punishment. And, sweetheart, you lost a lot too, Hunter."
"No." Hunter says quickly, looking down. "No I... I didn't lose as much as they have."
Vee blinks and makes herself known to them both. "You lost your uncle, right?"
Hunter immediately stands on alert, facing her. Arms down to his sides like a soldier. When he saw it was her, he also lowered his head.
"I did." He says quietly, Vee's piercing eyes were asking him to be honest, she wanted to know if there was a part of him that still felt loyal to Belos. A lump formed in Hunter's throat as he looked down at the carpet. "He was the only family I had but he wasn't a good person. I loved him, but I also.. feared him. And I know it's not an excuse for how you were treated. By me. By him." Hunter swallows down the lump as best he can. "I mourn him. But I am glad he's gone, too."
Vee's heart sinks and Hunter looks up to check if what he's said was hurtful or not.
She was crossing her arms and looking out the kitchen window. He couldn't detect any disbelief.
Hunter breathes out and bounces his fist at his hip as the silence continued.
Camila stands to reach out to him but he flinches away a the sudden hand, gestures it's alright when she looks shocked at his reaction and smiles politely.
"Vee. I will never be able to forgive myself for how much I wanted his approval - at the cost of myself, of others, of you. I don't want to be forgiven and forget it. If you hate me for my past, that's alright, I hate it too. I'm not trying to be a martyr about this either I'm just... You get to be angry with me. Even if I am not who I used to be anymore. Because I understand. You are allowed to feel-" He sighs. "I'm not going to stand here and pretend I know exactly how you feel, but I do get it to some degree."
Vee breathes out through her nose. With her breath leaves the weight in her stomach.
"I don't know what to feel about you Golden guard, I don't think you are a bad person but I don't... You're not safe. And this house is my safe space- you're ruining it."
"I understand, I'm sorry for it." And a thought pops into his mind. Whenever Belos was upset with him, he'd punch something - sometimes Hunter if he was too close. "If you need or want to punch me, you can do that! I can take it."
"I'm sure you could." She scoffs with a hint of annoyance that it was probably correct, he could take it. She whiffed a scent of the palistromwood air around him.
"No punching!" Camila butts in.
"Right." Hunter sighs.
It would be so much easier if Vee would just punch him, get it out of her system. Maybe she was a bit like Willow? A physical person. Punch something, feel better! Though Hunter had never seen Willow punch a person out of anger, but he could imagine it.
Somewhere in him he knew punching people was bad, but he was just so used to fighting (And Belos moods) that it felt normal to him. In retrospect... He knew that wasn't a good thing. Hunter just never had a break long enough to ponder on just how messed up his sense of normalcy was. And truth be told - he wasn’t ready to reflect on his life just yet.
Vee sees Hunter's disappointment. She didn't want to hurt him, it made her uneasy. Vee was relieved that she felt unease about that. She did not want to become like the prison guards, punching at someone who couldn't or wouldn't fight back.
That was not strength.
And Vee wanted to be someone strong. She wanted her reflection to be somebody confident enough to not turn to violence.
Vee looked Hunter up and down. She still wanted to take him up on his offer in some way though. Just not in a way that actually hurt him.
"You can do the laundry I was gonna do later.." Vee looks at Camila. Vee didn’t really have any chores, she had just taken it upon herself to do laundry and dishes after she came home from school as a gesture of appreciation to Camila - Vee didn’t feel like Camila should do any cleaning, with all the labour she does for her and everyone else (she was the breadwinner and stand-in parental figure for everyone, that was tough!).
Vee figured she could tell Hunter to do those things while she was in school.
Hunter turns to Camila quickly, relieved Vee gave him a chance to reconcile. "May I?"
Camila gapes a few times before reluctantly agreeing. "Sure- but it's laundry. The girls- Oh well, never mind then. If you are so determined I suppose so..." Everything Camila said earlier had to be shelfed for another day, then. Hunter was determined to make Vee feel safe with him in the house, and if letting her bully him did that- Was it bullying? She did not condone it one bit.
But in Hunter's eyes she could see something that begged. 'Please. Let me help her.'
"I will do laundry." Hunter says politely and affirmatively.
Vee scoffs. "Good luck."
Hunter huffs. "I've done laundry before."
"Not like a human."
Hunter knits his brows and tilts his head. Vee just grins, she would show Hunter how to do laundry and she was delighted in imagining him being compromised with the girls' clothes.
The next morning, Hunter did not feel compromised. He didn't even bat an eye at underwear. It was all fabric to him and the washing machine wasn't too difficult for him. Which disappointed her.
Gus was very excited about the machine and was peering in at it from under Hunter's arm and snug past them both to touch it as it rumbled.
Gus had more sense about the whole underwear situation. He did not want to see or touch any dirty lundry other than his own. "It feels invasive."
"How so?" Hunter asked.
"'Cus it's- y'know.. Intimate!"
Hunter tilted his head, confused. "It's just clothes. They have to be cleaned."
Gus scoffed and nudged his arm. "This is one of those times I told you about, where you're a little off the social mark."
"Oh." Hunter sloped.
"It's not a bad thing. It's good you aren't bothered. Others would've been bothered. But it's good you're not!" He slaps Hunter on the back, grinning.
"Oh!" Hunter smiles. "Oh alright then." He turns to Vee in her Luz' form and smiles. "I got this. You go have fun. Unless there's anything else I must know?"
Vee shakes her head. "No. I showed you were the laundry lines are. When it's done, press this button and it pops the lid open, take them out into the basket and hang up the big stuff, the clothes goes in the drier, the instructions are on the wall."
"Got it." Hunter salutes, happy Vee is talking to him now.
Hunter takes a seat on a stool to stare at the laundry spinning around.
Gus watches for a bit too.
"So... Hunter you're coming?" Gus asks.
"Mh? No. Chores must be done."
"You can wait dealing with it, right? It's an hour until it finishes. And Camila said we don't have to do all the chores right away."
"But if I do all the chores today, we have more time after." Hunter smiles at them both. "I can come along another day. You go have fun at the park."
Gus pouts. "Alright..." He could tell this was just an excuse for.. something.
Vee feels a pang of guilt as she watches Hunter sit on the green plastic stool, staring into the swirling machine. He dutifully remains by his post and would be there until it was ready to take out.
The thought comes to her that this is what he does, that it is what he’s always done: What he is told.
Hunter’s red eyes shone in the dark as he turned, only for a moment, into her cell.Vee held her breath and shrunk into the furthest shadows of her little space to hide from him.
He didn’t poke her with his staff, he didn’t smirk or sneer. Just watched with something of a 'glad that’s not me' in his eyes.
Belos called for him and he quickly snapped away towards his uncle, catching up to him just in time for a basilisk to shriek out that they would kill them all.
"Don't bother with those vile, soulless, creatures, Hunter."
"Yes uncle."
Vee had closed her eyes and hid under her hands as best she could. One day all of this would be gone, she would escape.
She would never have to see any of this ever again.
She lingers on the stairs as Gus gets upstairs.
She thinks to herself that Hunter looks so tired and worn. Despite his figure being stiff and just as she remembered his soldier composure to be, he smiled softly at the tumbling water, like he was as worn out as the socks in the machine.
Vee follows Gus upstairs, returning once again into her Luz' shape when she sees herself in the hallway mirror. Her ears were puffing out.
She was wasting magic energy on staying transformed, but she was worried they wouldn't approach her if she didn't look like them, like Luz. She wanted them to like her, despite herself she clung to her doppelganger form as Luz' twin sister. They liked Luz, after all. Maybe if she had her likeness, they would like her too.
She remembers Gus' fear the second night, when she had yelled at Hunter. His fear and surprise.
At least now they knew.
Camila was at her job, the others were at the park. He could do this. He had decided that one chore was to vacuum the floors in the kitchen, it got dirty quickly with all the cooking that had to be done now and Hunter thought to himself that Camila shouldn’t have to deal with a messy home. The least he could do as thanks was keep things tidy for her.
Camila wasn't very good at telling them what to do. But that was okay! Hunter could tell himself what to do in her place! He was good at figuring out what Belos needed by being as observant as a hare in a fox pit. If you wanted to not get hit or in the crossfire of the emperors' bad mood, you just had to be vigilant and thread carefully. With trial and error, you would learn the patterns; just as you learned which floorboards creaked the loudest. And if you did something wrong, of course you got punished. You messed up!
Hunter had no clue what Camila was really like. But she was a mom, so that was probably.... Similar? Maybe?
Authority! Anyway. Great! He could do this.
He could show Camila he was useful and reliable, so that if anyone else did something bad he could take the heat off them. And maybe then he could earn Vee's trust, too.
Hunter was planning out a schedule in his head on how to do all the chores before anyone else had a chance to. Not to steal the spotlight, he fully intended to share credit if Camila asked.
It was about earning his place.
Flapjack chirped and seated upon Hunter's shoulder. "Yeah," Hunter replies. "I'm good."
The other palismen decided to follow him around too. Which Hunter was surprised by, but he did not hate the company.
Palismen were easier than people, and unbeknownst to him he could do something nobody else could - he had the ability to speak with all palismen, not just his own. He thought everyone could.
He had seen where Camila had kept the cleaning supply, he had seen Vee and the girls use them before. His duties today as the laundry was washing was to vacuum. He had never used it before but had seen them press a button to make it go. It did not start when he pressed the button. He scratched his head and tried to vacuum without any suction. It didn’t work. He was worried he had broken it and put it back as he found it, taking out the broom instead.
Hunter had yet to learn about plugging things into the wall.
Then he cleaned the surfaces around the house, even shelves.
When the laundry was done and he hung that up. The clothes he folded into neat piles, he wasn’t sure which clothes went to whom but most were Luz’ anyway so to Luz’ room they went.
While he was in the bedrooms delivering clothes, he made the beds too, but avoided Vee's bed as it just didn't feel right to touch her sacred space. He did not even peer in on it, worried she might be able to tell somehow.
As he exited the girls’ bedroom he turned to his left to see Camilas office.
Deja vu shrouded him as he remembered the rare occasions Belos’ office was left open and he could sneak in to look around. He wasn’t even snooping (much), he just wanted to be in that big office his uncle sent so much of his time in. He had only been caught once and paid for it with a chipped ear as Belos struck out a needle of goop as Hunter had run out of the office to hide somewhere. Only coming out after Belos’ soothing voice promised not to hurt him again and was let go with a stern warning and washing the big entrance with a tiny scrub.
Camila wasn’t a bad person. She was a lot like Luz.
The palismen all gathered by him. “Maybe she has some useful books in there…”
He then entered Camila's office.
"It's alright guys I'm not going to pry or anything."
Hunter assures the palismen when they buzzed, meowed and meeped at him.
“I’m not snooping. I won’t touch anything! Maybe I could just… Get to know who she is. If I know what Mrs.Noceda likes, I could do a better job helping out.”
The palismen argued but he rolled his eyes, what did they know? They didn’t have parents. Parents had to be appeased or you wouldn’t get the benefits of- of…. Good things!
The office was a mess. He did not touch anything that looked important. He only tidied it up so it wasn't as messy. He used to do it all the time for Belos. Wherever he looked, he could see beast of the human realm in little photos. He had only seen photos in the context of pulling memories out of someone and wondered if these were memories or something different. The photos did not have the texture or feel to it that memory-photos did.
There were also an immense amount of photos of Luz. Hunter smiled at them fondly.
”Maybe she’s always been like this, huh?”
Hunter spots the palisman egg under a warm light. He smiles at it too.
”You’re in luck, you know. Luz is pretty great. If yooouuu like annoying and kind people, then she’s going to be right up your alley.”
He could have sworn he heard the egg hum back at him in reply and he only chuckled back at it, shaking his head.
Hunter turned towards where the other palismen were. The computer screen had a mesmerising square that moved across the screen and kept missing the corners. The palismen watched it as Hunter moved around the room. Now and then he heard them groan in unison at the square missing a perfect corner fill.
A book about kids being different neurologically lay on Camila’s desk. Hunter flipped through it just a little, reading a few pages before he caught himself snooping and patted his cheeks to make himself stop. He turned around and came face to face with a family photo.
Manny, Luz' dad, stared back at him with a kind smile.
Hunter greeted it politely with a nod. "Hello sir." He said. "Um.. Your daughter is a good person. She's very kind. I'm happy I met her." He had nothing else to say to the man. But he was grateful and hoped that the memor- er, photo, could hear him somehow.
Hunter left the office and went to the basement to take out the rest of the laundry in the drier, hanging them up to dry on the rows of lines in the basement.
After cleaning everything he huffed out and took a break on the upstairs couch.
Flapjack found his way onto his chest and Hunter promised to only close his eyes. But fell asleep nearly right away.
And the other palismen gathered up onto his body, snuggling as his stonesleeper lungs became a furnace of comfort for them. He scented like home, a forest from long ago.
The park was a small playground two blocks from the Noceda residency. Gus was having the most fun. He was over the moon delighted about the concept of a playground, things that was just standing in an area for the sole purpose and intent to entertain you - for free! The swings and anything that spun around was his favourite things.
Back in the demon realm, playgrounds were meant for kids to have a safe place to practice avoiding the horrors of the Boiling Isles. A slide was made out of fangs and a tongue, so you could play pretend on how to avoid getting eaten.
But here?
Here you just slid down for the purpose of fun itself.
Luz and Vee sat on-top of the monkey bars as Amity and Willow spun Gus around as fast as they could on a merry go round.
"So.. How are ya Vee? My twinsie!" Luz came shoulder to shoulder with her twin.
"Oh! Uh, good?"
"Yeah? Mom told me this morning Hunter is taking your chores. I didn’t even know you had them."
Vee hugged her knees. "He asked to do the laundry."
"I know.. But you can't punish him forever."
“It’s not punishment.” Vee turned to her sharply. "You just don't get it."
"I-I'm just saying... Don't bully him."
"Luz. I don't hate Hunter, I'm not bullying him. I just- He- You know he gets it better than you. So maybe-" She sighs. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being a jerk to him.. I just cant help it.."
"You're not a jerk!" Luz backpaddles.
"I am. Luz.. I can be two things at once, just as he can be. I am being a jerk, and I am traumatized. He can be someone I fear and he can also be.. a nice person. Now, anyway. Now he is."
But Luz, who grew up with evil vs good in the books of Azura and all kinds of media, it was difficult not to trip into good/bad thinking - that you were either good or you were bad.. Luz knew Vee was right about things being grey and not black-and-white. There are always layers to situations like this.
But Luz still struggled with the layers. Especially since she thought of herself as someone who had done something bad, and who should be punished or hated for it. Maybe she was just projecting onto Hunter? Maybe Vee was right, maybe she should bully him- No! No it wasn’t the same thing! Not to Luz. It was just different if it was somebody else.
She just wanted to be able to fix everything, to make everyone be friends. Everyone was a good person, to her. And she cared about them! She did not want anyone to be angry or afraid of anybody else.
She couldn't fix this.
But she felt responsible to be the one to figure this out anyway, somehow. She needed the help of the others.
Vee did not see how much her fear for Hunter affected him. But she did also not know what Hunter had been through. But it didn't matter, they were two sides of a coin. And the coin was Belos.
“Right, I won’t bother you about it anymore Vee. Just… Let me know how things are, okay?”
”Okay.” Vee said and Luz swung herself down fro the bars.
”Wanna go spin?” Luz invited but Vee shook her head no. It felt strange to join them. “If you change your mind we’re rrrright there!”
Vee observed Luz with Gus and Amity as they explored the playground, talking mostly about human cultures. Willow was walking around the edges looking at the weeds of flowers and plucking some to see what would happen.
The basilisks stared at Luz.
She had seen Luz' reflection as her own so many times, pretending to be her. Vee had built up a life in the suit of Luz. And now, well, soon she was no longer going to have that security.
If she wasn't Luz, all that was left was Vee; the wounded basilisk, the victim, the refugee. She didn't know what kind of human façade she wanted for herself. What did she want her reflection to be? Who was Vee, the free basilisk, anyway? Was she someone who hated and never let go, never healed? Was she just going to be bitter and resentful?
Anger had felt like strength. But was it? What if she was an ugly person.. What if the only thing that felt right was an unfriendly face? Hunter probably always saw her like this - around him she struggled to keep her shape, her emotions made her shapeshift. Why couldn't she just be Luz. Someone who was sweet and forgiving? Vee's chest filled with guilt. She did not need this extra work in her heart, it was difficult enough as it was.
Willow nudged her foot from beneath the monkey bar. "What's up, you're quiet."
"Yeah, sorry, just tired. I'm, um.. Not used to all this. I mean, when I was Luz I had my own friends. And now I'm... um... y'know, not going to anymore."
"Aha, yeah, I'm sorry it's been really rough on you since we got here, huh?"
"I didn't mean it like that." Vee says sadly and quietly.
Willow climbs up to join her. "No I know, I meant that: a lot of things are changing very quickly. Can't be easy with Hunter around, too.” Vee rolled her eyes, another Hunter conversation. great. “I guess that's why he offered to stay home, though. So you could have time with us without him around." Willow elbows her lightly and Vee sours.
"Maybe. Or he just wanted to pay back in any small way he can so he can feel less guilty." She snarls quietly.
"Can you blame him?"
"No... Look, I don't want to hear what a great guy he is, okay? I get it. He's reformed and I should just forgive him." Vee crossed her arms. Why was nobody on her side? Only Camila and- Hunter.. Was on her side.
"You know, when I first met him he kidnapped me." Willow smiled.
"Really?" Finally!
"Yeah! Changed his mind and rescued us right afterwards though."
"Oh." Or not.
"Mh!"
"I'm glad he's been nice to all of you, but I have no reason to trust him." Not yet anyway.
"I get that. I hope you will someday though."
"Maybe."
Hunter sleeping covered in adorable palismen did not help her inner conflict.
This was getting ridiculous. Vee didn't stay to watch him get flustered as he woke up. Instead she went upstairs, turned to a basilisk and crept into the bedroom but halted at the sight of it. It was clean. She frowned. He wasn't supposed to be in there! See, he wasn't as respectful as he made himself out to be!
But then she saw her bed was untouched.
And the boiling temperature in her heart defused instantly.
She hated that she was so angry. She wanted to forgive him, everyone just made her feel bad for being angry with him. She sniffled and curled in under her bedsheets.
Vee didn't hate Hunter. But it was too difficult to forgive him. She wished nobody had told her to accept him or forgive him. It would have been easier if it had just been between her and Hunter. It was much better to just... Have someone accept that it was going to take time. Why did she have to be the forgiving one?! She was the one who had been hurt!
Camila understood her needs a bit better, maybe because she was an adult. Camila let the two kids hash it out on their own terms and then let Vee seek safety in her presence. Camila was safe to talk to. Strangely enough Hunter was also... safe.. to talk to. Weird.
AND!! It wasn't bullying!
...Was it? Was she a bad person now? She didn't want to be.
She just wanted to be Vee.
Vee woke up at night time. She had missed the rest of the whole day. She was hungry and snaked down from her bed, past the sleeping girls an downstairs to the kitchen.
When she saw Hunter sitting in the dark with a glass of water she hesitated going in. What was he doing up so late- early? Was it early? She glanced at the clock on the wall: it was very early.
Hunter looked up at her. She remained in her half-Luz-half-basilisk form. His red eyes illuminated in the moonlight, just like that night in the cell.
"I'm hungry." She say quietly, not expecting anything, just stating her purpose. She had only been alone with him once before, but that was day time.
This was the dark.
Dark like the castle. Dark like the time she had seen him as the Golden guard, looking briefly into her cell and then forgotten her existence.
"Oh- right. Let me grab you dinner."
"I can do it."
"I am already on my feet." He offers again in a casual tone. He didn't plead. And Vee appreciated it, it felt like a genuine gesture, not something he did out of a sense of guilt. She had been worried he was powered by guilt alone - because that would mean she was using it against him and that was bullying, wasn't it? If it wasn’t only guilt, what was the other reason? It couldn’t just be… like… care or kindness. Could it?
Was he feeling guilty? Well, yes, he probably did. But was it only about guilt? Part of her hoped not to, the other felt like he deserved to be subservient to her forever and ever.
Which just made her feel awful again.
"...Okay." Vee takes a seat opposite of him, watching him in the light of the fridge. In Luz' clothes he just looks like some regular guy. The scar on his cheek stood out on his face and, just to have something to say, she asked: "How did you get your scar?"
"Belos did it." He said simply and took out the tray of food, serving up rice and stew into a bowl and put it into the microwave. (He enjoyed how handy all the human gadgets were.) He was not going to elaborate on it unless she asked. It was a topic about Belos, and she might not appreciate him dumping his experiences with his uncle on her.
"Oh." Vee stroked circles on the table. Not pushing any further after hearing it was Belos related.
The hum from the microwave filled the space between them.
"I don't hate you." Vee said and hunter turned from the yellow glow of the microwave to face her.
"I dunno about that." Hunter challenged. "It's okay though. I understand where that anger is coming from." it was pain.
Vee frowned. "Well, I don't want to hate you. I just feel bad. Everyone says you're so nice or whatever- and honestly maybe you are! But I- I still- ugh... Never mind."
Hunter tilted his head at her. The microwave beeped and he took out her food for her, stirring it around so there wouldn't be any cold spots.
"Don't listen to them." Hunter advised and poked the bowl over to her. "They don't get it."
"They really don't. I'm not a bully, am I? Am I like.. hurting you?"
Hunter shook his head no. "No. You're not hitting me, 'nor are you manipulating me. You're just... Yourself." His words made her curl together and Hunter lowered his chin. "Look, Vee. Your anger is justified, I meant yourself as in you have a right to express your hurt. Do you want me to tell them?"
Vee shrugs.
"I can tell them I'm okay with how you feel about me. I don't feel like it harms me or.. stuff?"
"Ugh." Vee growls. "Why are you being good to me anyway? Is it your guilt? Is that why? I remember, you know. I remember you calling us worms. You had fun."
"It wasn't fun hurting you, it was nice seeing my uncle be proud of me. And for that I am feeling guilty and ashamed. I think it's warranted that I do. I hope someday I can repent properly for it, but I do not want to forget it. People like you were hurt because of my blind loyalty to my uncle. It would be a disgrace to pretend it didn't happen and had an affect on people." Hunter stirs his water. "Besides, you don't strike me as a needlessly cruel girl, you're just hurt. That's a different kind of anger."
"Are you always this matter-of-fact?"
"Kinda?" He shrugs.
Vee purses her lips and eats. "I trust Luz, and the others. But I don't feel safe with you. You.. remind me of him."
"Yeah. I get that." Hunter looks into his glass of water.
After some silence Hunter proposes this: "What if I told you something only Luz knows. That... Really would, um, ruin me if the others knew about it?"
Vee perked her ears.
"Would that make you feel safer? You could weaponise it against me whenever I make you feel unsafe."
Vee nods. "A little bit, I think." Surprised he was willing to go that far just to make her feel safer.
She didn’t like the idea of weaponizing it. She preferred to think of it as him showing her his veins against her fangs. Hunter trusted her. He trusted her, Vee, the basilisk. The prisoner, the refugee.
"Alright." Hunter coughs, preparing himself to share.
He huffed out, preparing himself. He tapped the table with his fingers like he was taking steps back before running ahead out over a cliff.
"I am a grimwalker."
Vee's eyes enlarged. "That's what your scent is! I couldn't place it before! That makes sense-" then it smacked her, and with total horror she faces him. Hunter is sitting there, open arms and barely meeting her gaze. She looks him up and down.
"But- Who are you- What person- Did Belos make you?" She whispered.
"Yeah. I think so?" Hunter curled in on himself, his fingers stroking the wood of the table to soothe himself.
"Do you know who.. you are, well, who you're supposed to be, um, risen from?"
"Uh- not- no. Not entirely. I think it might be his brother, maybe."
Vee nods absentmindedly, only staring at him.
"They're- you are not supposed to exist anymore."
"Technically neither are you but here we are."
"But why would Belos... Make you?"
"I don't know. I was never told."
"I'm sorry."
Hunter shakes his head. "No- I didn't tell you to- I don't want pity. I know grimwalkers are- we are..."
a violation.
Vee couldn't stomach the food now. "You are an experiment too."
"We are not comparing scars here. I still hurt you Vee, I take responsibility for that. I told you so you could always use it against me if you felt like you needed to. I will not hold a grudge if you do."
Vee looks at him with absolute distraught and sorrow. She did not want to hurt him, even if he invited it or would forgive it.
"I am still angry with you." She says, feeling teary eyed. "But I do not hate you, or forgive you. But I don't want to hurt you either."
"I understand."
"Do you? I feel all sorts of things. I jump from one feeling to another- I want to shove you and hiss at you, and I want to just.... Just sit here. Too. With you. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah. It does. To me it does." Hunter nods. "I won't ever get closure with him- I wont ever be able to yell at him or tell him how he-" Hunter stopped himself. 'hurt me.' And he sighs. "I understand your anger. I am sorry I participated in causing it."
Vee sniffles. She knew that she only projected everything, that was only Belos fault, onto Hunter. The fact he gave her the space to reach any chance for closure, even if only a small bit, meant a lot to her.
He was not the person she should hate, 'nor a person she could hate. Vee had been wronged and robbed of being anything but a victim, she needed to be angry with Belos, tell him she hated him - how the fire in her yearned to eat all of his magic and destroy him. But she never could, never would. And here was Hunter; Belos nephew- grimwalker. Just some boy in the crossfire, who opened his arms and knew more than anybody how cruel Belos was, and knew that she needed to yell and be angry and hate him for awhile.
Hunter knew. And she saw it in his eyes. She saw how he knew this was healing her from something he'd never get to heal from. He extended to her, not only an olive branch to heal, but genuine friendship and understanding.
That made him her first real friend as Vee, the basilisk. He had never known her as anything else. What kind of cruel irony was this? Her first friend (as herself, anyway), who cared immensely for her wellbeing, was somebody she wasn’t ready to forgive yet.
Hunter's expression change from serious to worry. "Oh- No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just want to help-"
"You're just- Haha, you're not supposed to be the person who gets it, you of all people. This is such a mess..."
Hunter sighs and smiles softly, he moves his chair over next to her as she begins to cry and sob quietly. He decides moving down on the floor was better, be smaller, be a little closer.
"It's okay." He says, carefully patting her hand like he was unsure if he was allowed to. "It's alright."
Vee curls down and lets Hunter comfort her. He embraces her, and somewhere deep inside his galderstone heart he vows to protect her alongside his friends. He owed her that.
She sniffles and faces his brotherly smile. She pouts and puts a hand against it and shoves him slightly.
“Do you like tea?” She asks and gets up, wiping her cheeks as she gets up.
”Um, yes?”
”Good.”
They made tea and moved to sit outside at the steps to the backyard.
The air scented of freshly cut grass and dirt, the sky was changing into dawn. An orange and pink glow faded above them, colouring the grass golden.
Vee and Hunter had each a cup of tea, watching the morning welcome them both.
"You're not so bad." Vee said after awhile.
Hunter smiles at her.
They both perked up at the sound of Luz' morning alarm, an anime theme song blaring. The house behind them woke up, and both of them scoffed.
"Hey, Hunter?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for not making me feel guilty about, y’know… How I feel’n’stuff. I um... I needed to, uh.. Y'know. Hate you for a bit. I still don't forgive you, yet. But you are, ah.. I don't hate you anymore." She itches her nose.
Hunter softly hums. "Thank you for giving me a chance. I won't waste it."
Vee smiles.
"And, hey, Vee?"
"Yes?"
"If you ever need to vent or, y'know, stuff. I'm here. If anyone's mean to you, just point and I'll beat them up."
Vee chuckles. "What are you, my brother now?"
Hunter grins. "I would be honoured."
Vee rolls her eyes as she enters the house. "Whatever, blondie."
Hunter scoffs and sighs with relief. Vee shapeshifts to look more like Luz when she caught herself being only half-transformed.
"Your blonde-blue ears suit you." Hunter compliments.
Vee looks at him, then at her reflection in the tiny mirror next to the door. She shapeshifts them back. Looking them over. Yeah. It did look nice, didn't it.
Suddenly she could see a piece of herself, the kind of reflection she wanted to have. Vee had never thought about it before, but her ears did look a little bit like puffy hair.
It.. was nice.
She liked it.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Blonde. Blonde is cool." He smirks.
She laughs. "I bet you think that."
"Then I really would look like I was your brother."
"Oh my titan." She laughs, "I'd rather clean the toilet."
Camila watched them from the open window in the kitchen and smiled.
ART EXTRA:
