14. Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
“Come on, Regina! I want to see if I can win a prize!” Hestia practically skipped through town square, dragging Delia along by her hand as Regina and Amelie walked behind them, arm in arm.
The square was done up with fall-themed decorations; piles of pumpkins lined the fences and served as statement pieces among hay bales and corn husks.
The leaves of the sugar maple trees were a lovely yellow/orange and added nicely to the ambiance, fallen leaves cracking underfoot every so often.
The air was crisp but not quite cold yet, and Amelie had chosen something slightly warmer, knowing they'd be out all day. Wearing jeans that were ripped at the knee and an off-the-shoulder dark-green knit sweater, Amelie held Regina’s hand as they walked.
Regina, never one to really change her style, wore a high-collared blouse with puffy sleeves that tapered into her wrists with lace bands and a full black skirt that brushed the ground as she walked.
Delia wore baggy cargo pants, a flannel tied around her waist, and a white tee covered by an oversized black denim jacket.
Though all three of them looked incredibly overdressed compared to Hestia, who ran warm even outside, she wore one of her dresses that Amelie was convinced was only a satin sheet, tied strategically to hide the most intimate parts of her.
“You know,” Amelie started as Hestia picked up a cork gun, taking a decidedly unladylike stance to shoot the bottles off the carnival game shelf.
“I will never understand how Hestia never flashes anyone with those dresses she wears. I would always be so paranoid that the fabric would slip in the wrong way and I would show the entire town my ass.”
Regina put her hand up to her mouth and giggled knowingly. When Amelie just looked at her in confusion, Regina smiled and sighed, shaking her head.
“She absolutely does flash people when she wears those dresses.” Regina leaned in, speaking lowly. “But she’s an illusion witch, Amelie.”
The grin faded from Amelie’s face as the realization dawned on her; she slapped a hand to her mouth and stared wide-eyed at the Divination Witch.
“No.” She gasped.
“Yes.” Regina turned her attention back to Hestia, who was now jumping up and down, squeezing a poor, red-faced Delia between her breasts.
“But how do you know that?” Amelie asked, following Regina’s gaze.
“We’ve been together for quite some time.” Regina smiled softly. “She doesn’t bother using the illusion around me anymore.”
Despite herself, Amelie started giggling, watching the crowd pass by, likely in awe of Hestia’s magical dress, completely unaware that the modesty of it all was almost entirely an illusion. At the sound of her laughter, Hestia made eye contact with the kitchen witch and hurried over, Delia in tow.
“Look what I won, Amelie!” Hestia bounced to a stop, her top remaining perfectly situated in the center of her breasts the entire time. Holding up an adorable stuffed raven, Hestia tilted her head to the side as she realized the pair watching were laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“I was just explaining to Amelie the logistics of your outfits,” Regina explained amid her giggles. For a moment, Hestia didn’t quite understand, but then a massive smile broke across her face.
“What are you talking about?” Delia asked, looking up and down Hestia’s body as the trio devolved even further into giggles.
“Have you ever wondered how Hestia never manages to flash anybody in those outfits?” Amelie asked through laughter, hysteria only increasing as she watched Delia’s expression transition to one of understanding.
“I have actually.” Delia put her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly to the side. “When I wear short skirts, I have to wear safety shorts to make sure I’m good when I bend over.”
A mischievous sparkle appeared in Hestia’s eye as she bent over and cupped her hands around Delia’s ear, whispering to her. Tears began to gather in Amelie’s eyes as Delia’s expression turned from impressed to horrified in a matter of seconds. Then, standing back up, Hestia adjusted her top.
“Yeah, my left nipple was out this entire time.”
By the time Amelie and Regina had finished laughing, Delia had already stormed off to the food section, mumbling something about getting an apple cider.
Standing up straight, Amelie took a deep breath and moved to wipe her eyes, but Regina was already there, cupping her face in her hands and gently wiping her tears from her cheeks.
“This was what I saw.” Regina smiled before leaning in and pressing a sweet kiss to Amelie’s lips.
Breathing in Regina’s scent, Amelie smiled as she pulled back, looking at the Divination Witch.
“Come on, let’s go help Delia with those drinks.” Regina mused, interlacing her fingers with Amelie’s and pulling Hestia in by her waist with her other hand.
The food stands weren’t too far away, so it wasn’t difficult to spot the tiny, white-haired death witch in line for Cider. However, as they made their way in that direction, the group passed the bakery stand.
Amelie considered going over and saying hello for a second, but when she caught sight of Rowen and Sadie arguing at the booth, a sneer overtook her lips, and she shook her head, walking right past.
“You don’t want to say hi to your brother?” Regina mused.
Amelie made a fake gagging noise and shook her head. “No way. Those two are definitely fucking, and I don’t want anything to do with that.”
Hestia craned her neck over Regina’s shoulder to peer at the pair. “How do you know?”
“It’s a sibling thing.” Regina and Amelie answered at the same time.
By the time the sun started going down, the group had settled into some benches near the gazebo to eat some of the spoils from the day.
Hestia, however, had wanted to go bobbing for apples and had since dragged Regina over to the carnival area once again, leaving Delia and Amelie to finish their funnel cakes.
“That’s my sister,” Delia commented, pointing with the tip of her funnel cake toward a couple dancing toward the center of town. Amelie followed her gaze until she came across a black-haired, curvy woman dancing with a tall brunette in a suit.
“That’s Roz?” Amelie tilted her head, examining the other woman’s features. It was true that she and Delia weren’t identical, but Amelie could still see the family resemblance. “Are you going to tell her?”
“About what happened?” Delia glanced to her side to look up at Amelie and shrugged upon receiving a nod in response.
“Eventually.” Delia sighed, taking a bite of her funnel cake. “My Aunt Selma caught me up on what had been happening on their end since Roz’s little tumble in the cemetery, and the important piece is that she knows she has the gift of reanimation.”
Amelie watched the couple dance, holding each other and swaying without a care in the world.
“I’m the one who got assigned the position of Cemetery Caretaker.” Delia continued. “So even if she weren’t my sister, I would still have to be the one to deal with what happened at the end of the day.”
Delia’s gaze softened as she watched the pair. “I’ll tell her. But for tonight… I think I’ll just let her enjoy herself.”
Amelie smiled and placed a hand on Delia’s free one sitting on the bench.
“I think that’s very kind of you,” Amelie commented. “But don’t forget, we are here to have fun too.”
Delia placed her empty funnel cake wrapper down to the side and glanced over at Amelie in question just as the blonde stood, pulling Delia with her and into her arms.
The smaller witch fit perfectly in her embrace as Amelie began to sway.
A gentle smile crossed Delia’s features, and Amelie was brought back to her first interaction with the death witch and just how much she’d softened in the last week or so.
Running her fingers through Delia’s hair, Amelie bent down slightly and brought their lips together.
It was their first kiss, just the two of them, and somehow it felt just right. In the ambiance of the Pumpkin Festival, under a sugar maple tree, Amelie mused as she kissed her girlfriend. Reflecting on just how much her life had managed to change in such a short period of time.
Delia wrapped her arms around Amelie’s waist and leaned into the kiss, but just as Amelie was about to deepen the kiss, she heard a familiar voice.
“Aw, having fun without us?”
Pulling back slightly before placing a single kiss on the tip of Delia’s nose, Amelie looked toward where the voice had come from. And making their way back toward the pair were Regina and Hestia, holding hands as Hestia took a bite out of an apple.
“We were, actually.” Amelie laughed. “I see you were successful in your mission.”
Hestia grinned and leaned in to press a kiss to Amelie’s lips. Excited to kiss her girlfriend, Amelie happily accepted, only to be hit with the feeling of wet lips and hair.
“Ah!” Amelie sprang back as Hestia threw her head back in a cackle. “Why are you wet? You don’t look wet!”
“Illusion Witch, honey. Remember?” Regina supplied helpfully as Hestia let the illusion fall away, revealing the water underneath.
“We were bobbing for apples.” Hestia got out through her laughter. “And I am not a quitter.”
Delia took several steps back, a look of disgust twisting her lips. “You stay away from me with all that.”
Immediately upon Delia’s declaration, Hestia stopped laughing, a mischievous smile plastered to her face.
“Aw. Does the death witch not like getting wet?” Hestia teased, taking a tentative step forward.
“I mean it, Hestia,” Delia warned, holding her hands up. “It’s freezing out here, and we aren’t all walking furnaces like you.”
“Aw.” Hestia took another step forward as Delia stumbled back. “But what if I promise to warm you up?”
“Don’t even think about it.” Delia pointed a finger at the redhead for only a second before the pair exchanged a look, and Delia turned and bolted, Hestia hot on her heels.
Amelie watched in amusement as Delia bobbed and weaved through the crowd, narrowly avoiding the Illusion Witch’s pursuit. Feeling a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist from behind, Amelie leaned back into Regina’s chest, relaxing into the touch.
“So what do you think?” Regina prompted, her voice light and amused. “Are you upset I didn’t tell you ahead of time?”
Amelie grinned, running her hands over Regina’s inky black ones and intertwining their fingers.
“Nah.” She responded, shaking her head. “It’s been a hell of a ride.”