Post by Zuyuri on May 28, 2019 5:27:58 GMT
"So, let me get this straight, you took care of the Spider's Web all on your own?"
"Okay, not entirely alone. We had a backup. Yang was a freaking powerhouse all on her own."
"So long as you two had something safe."
"What about you, Shadow? Are you healing up?"
"I may need a hair wrap if these damn muscles start aching. Cheaper and faster and a day spa visit."
The laughter was shared amongst the two cops. It was finally starting to grow dark with the change of seasons. The early night times of winter were going away, replaced with the slight tint of orange-red. This was the only time the red sky ever came over Bellerouge now. The apocalypse was over. The Demon King, the Devil himself, was dead. His killer was out of the hospital, but not without the assistance of braces attached to his legs so he could walk, not run. He was being treated by his best friend to a simple summertime sit down.
The Lafayettes had bought a cottage on the fringe of the suburbs. According to Sunshine, it had been an inheritance gift. The place looked like something from a kid's storybook wit its thatched roof, red brick chimney, and even a water wheel that flowed a steady stream nearby. Yet modern touches were added like a few solar panels hidden beneath patches of grass and a wiring box hidden by the water wheel. A few wards dangled outside the house and the smell of voodoo charged incense burned outside. It added a smoky tang to the sweet tea and plates of slightly burned pecan pie.
"Riku's still learning to bake," Sunshine had said apologetically. "I taught him apricot tarts the other day. Thomas shooed us out of the kitchen."
"Wait, you taught him in the Nevermore?" Shadow asked. After a while, he laughed. "Your family is watching him intently."
"Hence the rush to move out here," Sunshine chortled. "A longer commute to work, sure, but it gets away from the family," she teased.
Shadow scooted his plate back. "Where is Riku, anyway?"
"Working," Sunshine rolled her eyes. "He's very particular about some of his potions," she pointed to a shed on one side of the wall. A tarot card was placed up front. A sign the shed was to be off-limits in case anyone tried anything funny.
Shadow tittered, "You know, most people hold B-B guns for robbers You guys have wards and potions...no one in their right mind is going to steal from you."
Sunshine laughed. "Hey, you have wards in your apartment! They keep out baddies just as well."
Shadow slumped. "One thing I didn't miss in the hospital was one going off at every little thing. The wind would just go slightly and my room would flash red." He stretched and glanced back to the horizon. "Well, I've had fun. Really. But I should get home. Between PT and paperwork, I've finally got some meaning back."
Sunshine patted her partner's hand. "Hey. You'll be back kicking ass with us as soon as you're healed." She gave him a genuinely kind smile, one that reached her green eyes. "I'm proud of you. Before, you would have gone back up and made that torn muscle heal another three to six weeks."
Shadow smirked and pulled his hand away. "I'm proud of you, too, for being the badass cop I knew you were while I was gone."
They both set their plates on the table. When Riku was done with whatever voodoo spell he was concocting, he could pick up after them. It was also not that long of a drive from their cottage to the Frog Prince complexes. It was only twelve minutes to the police station. For Shadow's apartment, it was only ten minutes provided traffic was good. Memorial Day weekend, though...not so much. Sunshine opened the door of her silver-beige car to which Shadow climbed in and buckled up. The car smelled of lemonade air freshener. He would have joked that Sunshine was overtaking the car, but as he looked at the sights, he realized there was a fair share of damage from Riku's side where he was sitting. At least he didn't just have to blame the quills poking holes in the plush seats.
He stared out at the city line as Sunshine drove down. Bellerouge was steadily growing in size, and with tourism now declaring it 'THE TOWN THAT SURVIVED THE END', more people were streaming in. The mainstream Gothic crowd was still a regular sight. The areas where Lilith had targetted her victims were becomign tourist attractions. Non gifted humans tried to make a quick buck by saying they could still "feel the demonic presence". Shadow tried hard not to laugh whenever he heard announcements for those on the radio. Sunshine dialed the knob to a regular station and he glanced at her. The days of carpool karaoke while on patrol when she was still a rookie was always fresh. He didn't know what was being played, but he mumbled incoherently to her singing along to the melody. It was like the apocalypse never happened. Like she hadn't been alone. It made him jealous how she could rebound so easily, see the light in the darkness.
The Frog Prince apartments appeared soon after weaving through the lighted streets. Shadow leaned out of the car, thanking Sunshine for the ride. She lingered until he was up the stairs without agony before driving off.
Neither one of the cops would have predicted the vampire leaping onto the hood of her car, forcing her to swerve off the main street into a side road.
____
Sunshine came to, blinking as she recognized the room. The ceiling was slightly arched, covered with small paintings. The motifs had a common theme of nature and suns. Well, the ceiling had been the only paintings that hadn't been reached when she redid her loft for resale. The staircase was still the same, even without the LED lights she had kept. The window overlooking the French Quarter was still there, but someone stood with their back to it. Someone with fluffed, curly black hair in high volumes. Streaks of silver ran through the raven curls.
A sharp tug against her scalp jolted her more awake. She recognized the hiss and the taunting gleam in the cat-like eyes of the vampire who crouched in front of her. A wad of her hair was being held by the vampire, who pulled off the brown leather jacket, stained with patches of blood, revealing her well-toned Amazonian body. Unknown scars crested her skin.
"She's gained weight, Gothel," Jasmine muttered, glancing to the fluffy haired woman.
Gothel looked the blonde over. Yes, there was a slight increase in skin bulges that could have implied weight gain, but there was something else. Her gray eyes flashed for only the briefest of moments before she paused. There was no need to drink the blood. Yet. There was a far better pain that could be committed here. Make it two pains, but one step at a time.
"It's not extra weight. It's...a little something you wouldn't not in the mood for."
Jasmine snarled. "All this trouble and you just decide I can't eat her?"
Gothel strolled over to a drawer. From it, she pulled out something that glinted coldly in the moon's light. The hourglass shape of the metal curved. The hilt had a carving etched with a snake-skin pattern. At the top appeared a cobra with ruby eyes. Gothel held it out to the exact angle of the moon. "No need to fuss, Jasmine. I don't remember you being this on edge with her before..."
"BECAUSE SHE KILLED MY MATE!" Jasmine howled. "Stabbed him in the chest with a table knife! He couldn't be put together!"
Sunshine's eyes widened. It all happened one right after the other. It had been a month since she had escaped Thorn Manor with Shadow. She had been minding her own business when she heard a cackle. That cackle had been from one of the vampires that had tortured her. Back then, she had no training on what was appropriate to stake a vampire with. The steel had a dangerous reaction with the vampire's metabolism, causing him to literally explode. It had been an absolute mess. Yang had asked what the heck happened as Sunshine was trying to cope.
The blonde stared at Jasmine with as hard of a glare as she could muster. "If you think scaring me into submission is going to work, you're wrong." In truth, she was still scared. Vampires still haunted her. Worse, these were the same ones that had tried to kill her before. Well, one of them. Gothel was still new to her. But one look of the older woman made Sunshine's skin crawl. She knew Jasmine, and that made her a threat. She wasn't bound by shackles like before, but rather cloth. She worked on the knots with her fingers. The fabric wasn't old, which made it difficult.
Gothel arched a finely plucked eyebrow at her, silently daring her to continue her 'tough attitude' talk.
Sunshine floundered. "I...I used the last of my sun power to save the world. Were you here when Disparion was around?"
"The one-eyed Devil." Gothel answered in disdain. "Yes, yes, we all know the story. We all know how his bastard son turned on him using the power of the sun lily. A power that I have held onto for years." She strutted over to Sunshine after pulling something else from the drawer. The yellowed pages of a journal were revealed. Sketches were made of a lily blooming, yellow wafts billowing out. Over it was a drawing of a pair of hands. One side had a gnarled, wrinkled hand. As the yellow ink touched the other hand on the other side, the wrinkles were gone, replaced with something out of a manicurist's poster. "I found the sun lily when it was first grown...but it was stolen from me."
Sunshine glared at Gothel. "You had no right to the flower! It was meant for my family alone!"
Gothel reached up and held one of Sunshine's golden tresses. She pressed it against her face, smiling. It was unsettling watching an old lady cradle hair the way a baby cradled a child's security blanket. It was more unsettling when Jasmine picked up the hair and followed suit. The two women played with the golden locks. Gothel was getting closer and as she did, the sleeve of her dress fell. A bracelet was wrapped around her wrist...made of blonde hair.
Sunshine's hair
"Eighteen years, and I find it again," Gothel laughed, "together again, my flower." She looked at Jasmine, glaring. "Don't just stand there toying with it, bring me the hairbrush and the dagger!" Jasmine did as she was told. Gothel took the brush and dagger and picked up the very edge of Sunshine's hair.
"Shouldn't we activate the power?" Jasmine asked.
"And have you burn without completing the ritual? I don't think so," Gothel snorted. But as she brushed the ends, she frowned. "Odd. Something else in here."
Sunshine smiled to herself. Dorian's little trick of the moon power was on her side. She closed her eyes and started humming. The melody was something she picked up from a music box her mother had given her. It was a Seddon heirloom passed down from family to family. Sunshine's great great great great great grandmother Valeria owned it. As Sunshine hummed, her hair took on the silver sheen it did. Gothel recoiled as the color change began. Jasmine, who hadn't let go of the hair, started to doze.
Gothel glared at Sunshine. "What did you do?!"
Sunshine shrugged, a cocky smile crossing her face. "Befriended an Unseelie. Gave it to me as a thank you for saving him."
Gothel gaped at her for a long time. This was not the same trembling Seddon child. This child was pouring confidence and was covering her fear with levity. SXhe had made a deal with the vampires about this girl. The spell she had perfected years and years of was ruined. All she needed was the power of the sun. The power would have been cleaved perfectly; the vampires had it and would be free to roam in the day, immune to sunlight thanks to the sun lily's power being absorbed, and Gothel would keep the youth she sought for years. Now the girl had both the sun and the moon on her side. She set the knife down, this time in the shadows.
"Jasmine, it seems we have to change our plans," Gothel grumbled. "Go out and have some more fun. I'll keep our guest safe and secure here until dawn."
__
It was the longest night for both women, young and old. Sunshine had been able to distract herself by playing with the knots of cloth behind her back and humming to herself. The untying was messy, but as she felt the cotton slide off her wrists, she knew she was free. She kept her arms against the pole, feigning exhaustion from behind tied up. Gothel had started to grow tired, but she was able to go to the kitchen...Sunshine's original kitchen...and take out a pack of instant brew coffee. The smell was enough to make Sunshine shake. She should be brewing that in the offices or in her own cottage. And what did Gothel mean by "something Jasmine wouldn't be in the mood for"? She hadn't felt any different. A bit moody maybe, but that was the one difference she could truly notice.
Jasmine came barreling in through the window. The vampire looked healthier and brighter. Her lips were painted ruby red and her teeth were gleaming as she grinned. Her eyes fell to Sunshine, but when she saw that the blonde wasn't flinching or even simpering, she frowned. That wasn't right at all. This girl had grown bolder. That blasted moon power.
"Just in time," Gothel said. "I've figured out the solution to our problem!"
"And what's that?" Jasmine asked.
"You'll find out." Gothel scooted out of the chair. The brush was back in her hand...and that was it. "But first, go and make that special brew for Sunshine. An apology for inconveniencing her. It seems we can't take the Seelie's gift of the sun without stripping her of the Unseelie present she treasures." She came to sit behind Sunshine. She ran her fingers through her hair gently. "I told Jasmine to not mess with it too much. No matter, nothing one hundred strokes can't fix." She lay the brush on her hair and began brushing it. Sunshine shifted uncomfortably. Just a hundred strokes wouldn't take long. Right? She could be at the offices and tell everyone what happened.
Jasmine put the special brew in the coffee maker. It whirred and clunked. The water bubbled inside. The roast soaked int he steam, filling the room with its earthy smell. As the smell got to Sunshine, her entire body went slack and her once emerald green eyes darkened. They were nothing but black pits. In the daze, she sang her Seelie power incantation. Gothel grinned and brushed faster. Her elderly features disappeared the minute the golden hair was touched, leaving behind a woman about in her late twenties or early forties. The dagger was dug at the very end of Sunshine's hair. The blade didn't saw or cut. Instead, whatever gold light was in the hair drained. Starting at the ends, Sunshine's hair went from blonde to black.
"Ninety-nine...one hundred," Gothel said in triumph, putting down the brush.
The black haired Sunshine was immobile. Her hair hung around like shadows. Gothel stood up, handing the dagger to Jasmine. The vampire touched the blade once, and as she did, her ashen skin became mocha once more. The only way people could tell her true heritage was by her teeth when she grinned. Besides that, she blended more into the world of Bellerouge than the rest of her clan. Well, they would still be there if the Others Unit hadn't killed them all. The smell of the "special brew" disappeared, replaced by only the smell of coffee. Jasmine and Gothel looked over.
"What happened?" Jasmine asked.
"A little spell I learned, along with simple hypnosis," Gothel twirled the dagger playfully. "Now she can hurt as well as heal. Perfect revenge for hoarding power that doesn't belong to her. I get my immortality, you get to watch the woman who killed your love suffer." She snapped her fingers. Sunshine's black hair turned to blonde. As Sunshine moaned feebly, the passive-aggressive nature returned to Gothel. "Well, I brushed your hair, my dear, no luck in the powers, even though you quite frankly deserve them. No hard feelings?"
Sunshine forced a grin. "Yeah...of course not."
As the two women let her free, complete with her confiscated keys, she frowned, staring at a lock of her hair. There was some tiredness as well, but she'd worry about it later when she got to work. Her old street was still familiar, heck, even her old car was sitting pretty. There was no way they'd let her go without taking something...
"Okay, not entirely alone. We had a backup. Yang was a freaking powerhouse all on her own."
"So long as you two had something safe."
"What about you, Shadow? Are you healing up?"
"I may need a hair wrap if these damn muscles start aching. Cheaper and faster and a day spa visit."
The laughter was shared amongst the two cops. It was finally starting to grow dark with the change of seasons. The early night times of winter were going away, replaced with the slight tint of orange-red. This was the only time the red sky ever came over Bellerouge now. The apocalypse was over. The Demon King, the Devil himself, was dead. His killer was out of the hospital, but not without the assistance of braces attached to his legs so he could walk, not run. He was being treated by his best friend to a simple summertime sit down.
The Lafayettes had bought a cottage on the fringe of the suburbs. According to Sunshine, it had been an inheritance gift. The place looked like something from a kid's storybook wit its thatched roof, red brick chimney, and even a water wheel that flowed a steady stream nearby. Yet modern touches were added like a few solar panels hidden beneath patches of grass and a wiring box hidden by the water wheel. A few wards dangled outside the house and the smell of voodoo charged incense burned outside. It added a smoky tang to the sweet tea and plates of slightly burned pecan pie.
"Riku's still learning to bake," Sunshine had said apologetically. "I taught him apricot tarts the other day. Thomas shooed us out of the kitchen."
"Wait, you taught him in the Nevermore?" Shadow asked. After a while, he laughed. "Your family is watching him intently."
"Hence the rush to move out here," Sunshine chortled. "A longer commute to work, sure, but it gets away from the family," she teased.
Shadow scooted his plate back. "Where is Riku, anyway?"
"Working," Sunshine rolled her eyes. "He's very particular about some of his potions," she pointed to a shed on one side of the wall. A tarot card was placed up front. A sign the shed was to be off-limits in case anyone tried anything funny.
Shadow tittered, "You know, most people hold B-B guns for robbers You guys have wards and potions...no one in their right mind is going to steal from you."
Sunshine laughed. "Hey, you have wards in your apartment! They keep out baddies just as well."
Shadow slumped. "One thing I didn't miss in the hospital was one going off at every little thing. The wind would just go slightly and my room would flash red." He stretched and glanced back to the horizon. "Well, I've had fun. Really. But I should get home. Between PT and paperwork, I've finally got some meaning back."
Sunshine patted her partner's hand. "Hey. You'll be back kicking ass with us as soon as you're healed." She gave him a genuinely kind smile, one that reached her green eyes. "I'm proud of you. Before, you would have gone back up and made that torn muscle heal another three to six weeks."
Shadow smirked and pulled his hand away. "I'm proud of you, too, for being the badass cop I knew you were while I was gone."
They both set their plates on the table. When Riku was done with whatever voodoo spell he was concocting, he could pick up after them. It was also not that long of a drive from their cottage to the Frog Prince complexes. It was only twelve minutes to the police station. For Shadow's apartment, it was only ten minutes provided traffic was good. Memorial Day weekend, though...not so much. Sunshine opened the door of her silver-beige car to which Shadow climbed in and buckled up. The car smelled of lemonade air freshener. He would have joked that Sunshine was overtaking the car, but as he looked at the sights, he realized there was a fair share of damage from Riku's side where he was sitting. At least he didn't just have to blame the quills poking holes in the plush seats.
He stared out at the city line as Sunshine drove down. Bellerouge was steadily growing in size, and with tourism now declaring it 'THE TOWN THAT SURVIVED THE END', more people were streaming in. The mainstream Gothic crowd was still a regular sight. The areas where Lilith had targetted her victims were becomign tourist attractions. Non gifted humans tried to make a quick buck by saying they could still "feel the demonic presence". Shadow tried hard not to laugh whenever he heard announcements for those on the radio. Sunshine dialed the knob to a regular station and he glanced at her. The days of carpool karaoke while on patrol when she was still a rookie was always fresh. He didn't know what was being played, but he mumbled incoherently to her singing along to the melody. It was like the apocalypse never happened. Like she hadn't been alone. It made him jealous how she could rebound so easily, see the light in the darkness.
The Frog Prince apartments appeared soon after weaving through the lighted streets. Shadow leaned out of the car, thanking Sunshine for the ride. She lingered until he was up the stairs without agony before driving off.
Neither one of the cops would have predicted the vampire leaping onto the hood of her car, forcing her to swerve off the main street into a side road.
____
Sunshine came to, blinking as she recognized the room. The ceiling was slightly arched, covered with small paintings. The motifs had a common theme of nature and suns. Well, the ceiling had been the only paintings that hadn't been reached when she redid her loft for resale. The staircase was still the same, even without the LED lights she had kept. The window overlooking the French Quarter was still there, but someone stood with their back to it. Someone with fluffed, curly black hair in high volumes. Streaks of silver ran through the raven curls.
A sharp tug against her scalp jolted her more awake. She recognized the hiss and the taunting gleam in the cat-like eyes of the vampire who crouched in front of her. A wad of her hair was being held by the vampire, who pulled off the brown leather jacket, stained with patches of blood, revealing her well-toned Amazonian body. Unknown scars crested her skin.
"She's gained weight, Gothel," Jasmine muttered, glancing to the fluffy haired woman.
Gothel looked the blonde over. Yes, there was a slight increase in skin bulges that could have implied weight gain, but there was something else. Her gray eyes flashed for only the briefest of moments before she paused. There was no need to drink the blood. Yet. There was a far better pain that could be committed here. Make it two pains, but one step at a time.
"It's not extra weight. It's...a little something you wouldn't not in the mood for."
Jasmine snarled. "All this trouble and you just decide I can't eat her?"
Gothel strolled over to a drawer. From it, she pulled out something that glinted coldly in the moon's light. The hourglass shape of the metal curved. The hilt had a carving etched with a snake-skin pattern. At the top appeared a cobra with ruby eyes. Gothel held it out to the exact angle of the moon. "No need to fuss, Jasmine. I don't remember you being this on edge with her before..."
"BECAUSE SHE KILLED MY MATE!" Jasmine howled. "Stabbed him in the chest with a table knife! He couldn't be put together!"
Sunshine's eyes widened. It all happened one right after the other. It had been a month since she had escaped Thorn Manor with Shadow. She had been minding her own business when she heard a cackle. That cackle had been from one of the vampires that had tortured her. Back then, she had no training on what was appropriate to stake a vampire with. The steel had a dangerous reaction with the vampire's metabolism, causing him to literally explode. It had been an absolute mess. Yang had asked what the heck happened as Sunshine was trying to cope.
The blonde stared at Jasmine with as hard of a glare as she could muster. "If you think scaring me into submission is going to work, you're wrong." In truth, she was still scared. Vampires still haunted her. Worse, these were the same ones that had tried to kill her before. Well, one of them. Gothel was still new to her. But one look of the older woman made Sunshine's skin crawl. She knew Jasmine, and that made her a threat. She wasn't bound by shackles like before, but rather cloth. She worked on the knots with her fingers. The fabric wasn't old, which made it difficult.
Gothel arched a finely plucked eyebrow at her, silently daring her to continue her 'tough attitude' talk.
Sunshine floundered. "I...I used the last of my sun power to save the world. Were you here when Disparion was around?"
"The one-eyed Devil." Gothel answered in disdain. "Yes, yes, we all know the story. We all know how his bastard son turned on him using the power of the sun lily. A power that I have held onto for years." She strutted over to Sunshine after pulling something else from the drawer. The yellowed pages of a journal were revealed. Sketches were made of a lily blooming, yellow wafts billowing out. Over it was a drawing of a pair of hands. One side had a gnarled, wrinkled hand. As the yellow ink touched the other hand on the other side, the wrinkles were gone, replaced with something out of a manicurist's poster. "I found the sun lily when it was first grown...but it was stolen from me."
Sunshine glared at Gothel. "You had no right to the flower! It was meant for my family alone!"
Gothel reached up and held one of Sunshine's golden tresses. She pressed it against her face, smiling. It was unsettling watching an old lady cradle hair the way a baby cradled a child's security blanket. It was more unsettling when Jasmine picked up the hair and followed suit. The two women played with the golden locks. Gothel was getting closer and as she did, the sleeve of her dress fell. A bracelet was wrapped around her wrist...made of blonde hair.
Sunshine's hair
"Eighteen years, and I find it again," Gothel laughed, "together again, my flower." She looked at Jasmine, glaring. "Don't just stand there toying with it, bring me the hairbrush and the dagger!" Jasmine did as she was told. Gothel took the brush and dagger and picked up the very edge of Sunshine's hair.
"Shouldn't we activate the power?" Jasmine asked.
"And have you burn without completing the ritual? I don't think so," Gothel snorted. But as she brushed the ends, she frowned. "Odd. Something else in here."
Sunshine smiled to herself. Dorian's little trick of the moon power was on her side. She closed her eyes and started humming. The melody was something she picked up from a music box her mother had given her. It was a Seddon heirloom passed down from family to family. Sunshine's great great great great great grandmother Valeria owned it. As Sunshine hummed, her hair took on the silver sheen it did. Gothel recoiled as the color change began. Jasmine, who hadn't let go of the hair, started to doze.
Gothel glared at Sunshine. "What did you do?!"
Sunshine shrugged, a cocky smile crossing her face. "Befriended an Unseelie. Gave it to me as a thank you for saving him."
Gothel gaped at her for a long time. This was not the same trembling Seddon child. This child was pouring confidence and was covering her fear with levity. SXhe had made a deal with the vampires about this girl. The spell she had perfected years and years of was ruined. All she needed was the power of the sun. The power would have been cleaved perfectly; the vampires had it and would be free to roam in the day, immune to sunlight thanks to the sun lily's power being absorbed, and Gothel would keep the youth she sought for years. Now the girl had both the sun and the moon on her side. She set the knife down, this time in the shadows.
"Jasmine, it seems we have to change our plans," Gothel grumbled. "Go out and have some more fun. I'll keep our guest safe and secure here until dawn."
__
It was the longest night for both women, young and old. Sunshine had been able to distract herself by playing with the knots of cloth behind her back and humming to herself. The untying was messy, but as she felt the cotton slide off her wrists, she knew she was free. She kept her arms against the pole, feigning exhaustion from behind tied up. Gothel had started to grow tired, but she was able to go to the kitchen...Sunshine's original kitchen...and take out a pack of instant brew coffee. The smell was enough to make Sunshine shake. She should be brewing that in the offices or in her own cottage. And what did Gothel mean by "something Jasmine wouldn't be in the mood for"? She hadn't felt any different. A bit moody maybe, but that was the one difference she could truly notice.
Jasmine came barreling in through the window. The vampire looked healthier and brighter. Her lips were painted ruby red and her teeth were gleaming as she grinned. Her eyes fell to Sunshine, but when she saw that the blonde wasn't flinching or even simpering, she frowned. That wasn't right at all. This girl had grown bolder. That blasted moon power.
"Just in time," Gothel said. "I've figured out the solution to our problem!"
"And what's that?" Jasmine asked.
"You'll find out." Gothel scooted out of the chair. The brush was back in her hand...and that was it. "But first, go and make that special brew for Sunshine. An apology for inconveniencing her. It seems we can't take the Seelie's gift of the sun without stripping her of the Unseelie present she treasures." She came to sit behind Sunshine. She ran her fingers through her hair gently. "I told Jasmine to not mess with it too much. No matter, nothing one hundred strokes can't fix." She lay the brush on her hair and began brushing it. Sunshine shifted uncomfortably. Just a hundred strokes wouldn't take long. Right? She could be at the offices and tell everyone what happened.
Jasmine put the special brew in the coffee maker. It whirred and clunked. The water bubbled inside. The roast soaked int he steam, filling the room with its earthy smell. As the smell got to Sunshine, her entire body went slack and her once emerald green eyes darkened. They were nothing but black pits. In the daze, she sang her Seelie power incantation. Gothel grinned and brushed faster. Her elderly features disappeared the minute the golden hair was touched, leaving behind a woman about in her late twenties or early forties. The dagger was dug at the very end of Sunshine's hair. The blade didn't saw or cut. Instead, whatever gold light was in the hair drained. Starting at the ends, Sunshine's hair went from blonde to black.
"Ninety-nine...one hundred," Gothel said in triumph, putting down the brush.
The black haired Sunshine was immobile. Her hair hung around like shadows. Gothel stood up, handing the dagger to Jasmine. The vampire touched the blade once, and as she did, her ashen skin became mocha once more. The only way people could tell her true heritage was by her teeth when she grinned. Besides that, she blended more into the world of Bellerouge than the rest of her clan. Well, they would still be there if the Others Unit hadn't killed them all. The smell of the "special brew" disappeared, replaced by only the smell of coffee. Jasmine and Gothel looked over.
"What happened?" Jasmine asked.
"A little spell I learned, along with simple hypnosis," Gothel twirled the dagger playfully. "Now she can hurt as well as heal. Perfect revenge for hoarding power that doesn't belong to her. I get my immortality, you get to watch the woman who killed your love suffer." She snapped her fingers. Sunshine's black hair turned to blonde. As Sunshine moaned feebly, the passive-aggressive nature returned to Gothel. "Well, I brushed your hair, my dear, no luck in the powers, even though you quite frankly deserve them. No hard feelings?"
Sunshine forced a grin. "Yeah...of course not."
As the two women let her free, complete with her confiscated keys, she frowned, staring at a lock of her hair. There was some tiredness as well, but she'd worry about it later when she got to work. Her old street was still familiar, heck, even her old car was sitting pretty. There was no way they'd let her go without taking something...