#the bird is a green heron! it’s the species of this particular luce mutant

[skyliv]

BLEAARRRHGGHH FNAF JUMPSCARE SFX im thinking. this is rlly rushed because my actual thoughts are wayyyy way too strange and everywhere to properly explain. yup.

“Are you sure you’re alright with me waiting in here?” A sweet voice chirped from the suburban home’s quaint living room.

“Of course!” Agnes responded from her kitchen, her back turned from the connected room. She waved her hand over the beverage in front of her. The insides of Wanda’s spell were quite mysterious to her, that did surmount to her reason for being there, but she found a side project. Ever since the town bloomed with color, something happened with one captive… Lucielle Ardei.

The young woman plopped right down on the edge of the main couch, careful not to disturb the peace of the room. She was definitely the type of woman to ask a million questions. Agatha could tell, not just by the demeanor, but more so her thoughts being more prone than an open book.

She was a sweet thing, fitting into Westview just enough, even if her puzzle piece was a bit frayed. Finally in color, Agatha could really inspect her. Curly brown that bordered on maroon puffed up right at her shoulders, framing a round face and just barely brushing her forest green collared shirt. It was layered over a dark purple shirt that mirrored Agatha’s skirt and similarly dark pants. The witch’s own outfit almost bordered on gothic, and she wouldn’t dwell on it, she just wanted to thank her own powers for allowing her to split from that god forsaken neighbor persona.

What she was mainly proud of, however, was being able to get Lucielle inside. A week or so back, when the town was still cast in grays, she put up a flyer under the guise of her husband- The husband she didn’t have. It was for a bird watching event in her yard, it was a miracle she could read Lucielle’s town character enough to ensure she’d be the only one showing up. And with her closer, she could sense something under that blanket of scarlet mist in the air.

Agnes stepped back into the living room, letting her eyes sweep across the floor to see how the new era spell changed its layout. It looked like it was right out of a cottage, dark antique furniture surrounding an ornate fireplace. She holds a small silvery tray, with a pair of teacups and a steaming pot. “He should be out soon, sweetheart,” She assured as she set the saucers on the coffee table. “I could only convince him to be on time if there was alcohol involved.”

Lucielle feigned a smile, cautiously reaching for one of the two lavender teacups. “Well, you’re probably far more hospitable than him,” She says with a tilt of her head, looking up to the witch with a more genuine smile. With the faint narrowing of her eyes, she looked quite proud of using a term that’d confuse any other brainwashed citizen. Agatha brushes her long skirt forward when she sat on the other side of the velvety couch. She lifts her own teacup, and merely blows on it once before taking a sip.

“Oh, I’ve never been praised so sweetly!” Agatha chuckles, waving her free hand, “Maybe you can enlighten me about whatever birds you’ll be watching.”

Lucielle had to let her tea sit for a few moments, blowing on it much to even be able to stomach it. The sip makes her smile when she’s flooded with its sweetness. Agatha smiles as well, her head raising as she practically looks down her nose at the other woman.

The tea was a potion, of course it was, one that’d allow Agatha to see through the spell. That’s when her eyes widened as Lucielle’s appearance appeared to materialize right in front of her. It wasn’t much, but even with her limited knowledge, she could grasp the idea of this girl as a mutant. Thin maroon feathers grow between her curls, and further down they begin to shift into iridescent slate blues. Her brown irises are now a sharp yellow, and faint cream markings surround her eyes. That’s where her interest in birds came from, Wanda’s spell plucked her mutation and crafted it into just another background character’s personality.

It took everything for Agatha not to snap into action right there. Her face falls slack as she takes this revelation in, but she quickly calms herself when Lucielle looks back.

“I do hope the tea is to your liking,” Agnes saves her staring with a comment, and sets down her cup. She can’t help but lean closer after crossing one leg over the other, and her eyes narrow with a faint smile. That smile just grows when Lucielle nods.

“It’s wonderful! I just hope I’ll find where to buy the bags,” She snickered, before sipping again. The warmth of the drink warmed her heart; quite literally, causing her to shudder slightly and ruffle her feathers.

That’s what did it, Agatha pounced as soon as the mutant finished her tea and returns the cup. She cast her hand to the side and swiftly snapped her fingers, summoning wisps of violet smoke to surround Lucielle’s wrists and ankles. Just at the snap, it was like she was snapped out of the Westview curse as well, causing her to yelp with surprise. She tenses up, her hair and feathers puffed as she sits rigid against the couch.

She wasn’t sure how to feel, the snap brought on a sense of panic from the binding spell, but also one of an innate freedom. “What in the- Miss Harkness what are you!?” Her avian squeaks are cut off by quick tutting sounds from the witch.

“Nothing to worry about! Promise!” The witch’s voice has devolved into her Agnes persona as she attempts to console the mutant.

“Is- Is this your house? Why can’t I remember coming? My wings, my bag, my-“ Agatha’s expression tightened at Lucielle’s panicked pleas, she considered putting her back under the spell… But this was more fun. She sends a band of mist to cover the bird’s mouth, before laughing herself. Lucielle responds with a whine, her heart racing like a rabbit’s in a trap.

“I’ll explain, I’ll explain!” Her more devious explanations have devolved into a fit of giggles. She sits back, leaning her back and an elbow on the velvet behind her, leaving her free hand to gesture Lucielle closer. The coaxing caused the spell to tighten, to jerk her seated stance to lean a bit closer. “I can promise you’re safe, dearest, you’re safer here than out there!” Rather than a slower, more menacing movement, she ruffled Lucielle’s bangs and scattered the brown feathers. “I just have one request: sing me a song, my bird, please?” Agatha’s sharp gaze appeared to soften, but not by much, and its quickly replaced by her smile growing. “You are just the darndest thing… How I’d love to know more about you.”