“I can’t believe I agreed to this wager,” Kali grumbles in ghoulish before letting out a hiss as his head is pulled with the hairbrush when it hits a tangle. “And watch it! You’re gonna rip all my hair out.”

Sunshine giggles and holds his head with her free hand, being careful while working through the snag with the hairbrush. “Maybe if you brushed your hair more,
I wouldn’t have to get through all of these tangles. Now shush and let me work.”

He rolls his eyes with a pout but sits as still as he can, wincing every now and then when she hits a new tangle, but he keeps his mouth shut. He was second-guessing that whole wager, but at the same time, he truly thought Annie wouldn’t have been able to shock him. He was more attune to earth than he was with his fire or water, and electricity doesn’t conduct through earth. He should have been able to ground the shock as soon as it started, yet he couldn’t. Then again, this was his little sister. He remembered how powerful she was even as a baby and toddler, how often his dad had to do damage control when she called the fire from the hearth.

“Where’s Annie? Why isn’t she here?”

“She’s got a meeting with Imperator this morning, then she’s getting your dress. You’re gonna be so pretty when we’re done with you!” Sunny giggles, brushing through all of his hair now that it’s tangle free before sectioning it.

“And you’re here, why?”

“Annie wanted me to do something with your hair to go with the dress and makeup.”

Kali groans and rubs his hand over his face as he slouches in the chair. “Nothing too girly, please.”

Sunshine gives his hair a light tug, making him tilt his head back as she leans over him with a wide smile. “Trust me, sugar. You’ll look good no matter what I do!”

His eyebrow arches in question, and he sighs again as he sits back up. He really had no say in any of this, so he had to trust her.


As Sunshine set to work, carefully parting his hair and braiding from his scalp down on one side in a loose french braid, finishing it with a small elastic, she pulled off of her finger. She was just starting the second when there was a commotion outside, loud laughter and talking followed by a small yelp and a growl. More laughter, and then the door opened, and Annie walked in, a smile wide on her face as she laughed loudly and waved to whoever was outside in the hall before closing the door and sighing lightly.

“I see you ran into the guys, eh Doll?” Sunny chirps with a laugh. “They’ve been obnoxious all morning!”

“How is that any different from how Dew usually is?” Annie turns and smiles, walking over and draping the dress over the edge of the bed.  Kali looks at it with weary eyes.

“Because it’s not just Dew. It’s all of them. Aeth, Swiss. Even Rain’s been abnormally not quite today.” Sunshine finishes the second braid and takes a moment to look over her work, making sure they were even and his shorter bangs hung just so over his forehead. Annie nods and looks at Kali with a warm smile.

“Hey Kako. Looking so handsome already! Thank you, Sunny.”

Sunshine smiles and fusses over his bangs a little more before stepping back. “It’s more fun with your hair. When can I get my claws on it again? I’ve been itching to since the Ritual!”

“I’d let you, but it wouldn’t last long,” Annie replies with a soft blush. Sunshine shoots her a knowing and teasing look, biting hard at her lip to keep from saying anything. The diverted energy makes her bounce lightly on the balls of her feet.

“Why does it look like she’s a tightly wound spring toy waiting to burst?” Kali leans over and whispers to Annie. The witch just laughs and shakes her head.

“Because she is.”

She turns to the ghoulette then, raising her eyebrow in question, and Sunny lets out a small squeak, face scrunching lightly before she groans and bounces forward as she starts speaking quickly.

“So what, Doll? Got a hot date with an equally hot cardinal? I can still do something small. Don’t you wanna be pretty for your date? I mean, is it a date? It doesn’t matter. You’re pretty no matter what, but I wanna braid your hair so pleeeeeaaaasssseeeee! And spill the details! I’m dying to know!”


She ends, out of breath and waving her arms in a little excited dance with a wide smile on her face. Kali looks from her to Annie, his own face scrunched in bewilderment, not used to seeing any ghoul be as over excited and hyper as her. Annie just laughs and flushes deeper, reaching out to grab hold of Sunshines hands, giving them a small squeeze.

“Calm, first of all. Secondly,” she continues to smile, looking the ghoulette in the eyes. “Breathe. In through the nose, nice and slow. And back out through your mouth, just as slow. You’re way too excitable. In…..and out….”

Annie breathes with her, the calm look still on her face, and after a few repetitions of the deep breathing, Sunshine is visibly calmer even though her eyes are still bright with curiosity.


“Not gonna let this go, are you Sunny?”

“Nope!” The ghoulette bounces on her feet again.

“Do you really want to make Kali sit through girl talk, though? We’re torturing him enough with this makeover,” Annie giggles, looking over to Kali who’s still sitting on the chair looking lost. He blinks when he hears his name and turns towards her in question.

“What's up, Solros?”

“Sunny, why don’t you go see what’s taking Cirrus so long while I help Kali change?”

Sunshine pouts but nods before skipping out the door, closing but not latching it behind her. Annie sighs and rubs her forehead. Picking up the dress, she turns to Kali with a smile, holding it up. He looks at it with his brow raised once more before making a soft noise as he shrugs.

“At least it’s not pink.”


Rolling her eyes, she lays it back down on the bed before motioning him to start stripping, her back still to him. She hears him stand, followed by fabric hitting the floor and the rustle of his belt and jeans.

“You know I wear boxers, right? I’m not fully naked. You don’t have to stay turned away.”

“It’s the polite thing to do. And no, I, uh, didn’t know that.” Annie flushes and bites at her lip as she adjusts the dress and gathers up the hem to help him get it on. “I’m, uh, used to not looking when Copia changes if he doesn’t duck into the bathroom to do so because he doesn’t wear anything under his pants.”

Kali laughs at that, shaking his head. “Why does that not surprise me? That he goes commando. You’ve been here, what? Almost three months? I figured by now you wouldn’t be so shy around him to still turn away.”

Annie looks over her shoulder at him, keeping her eyes on his face, and his smile falls, seeing her sad looking expression.  “What is it, Solros?”

“We haven't really…done much of anything. And it was only recently I let him see me without clothes. I’ve yet to see him without pants on.”

Kali’s face softens, and he gives a small smile. “Well, there’s no rush. You do things in your own time.”

“It’s….it’s not that I don’t want to…” Annie sits on the edge of the bed, wrapping her arms around herself as she looks towards the floor. “Because I do. I want to take that next step with him. But every time we get to that point, I panic. I freeze up, and I just…. can’t. I hate it.”

“Annie,” Kali sits next to her, resting his hand on her knee. “It’s okay. I’m sure the Cardinal understands.”

“He does.. or at least he says he does. But I know that he’s frustrated with it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know he is wanting. I’ve seen how excited he gets. There’s this extra glint in his eye. And then I back out, and it’s gone, and I see the frustration, even though he tries to hide it. It’s there, in his eyes. I’ve even…caught him pleasuring himself minutes after assuring me that it was okay, that he was okay waiting. He wants me, and I constantly let him down because I’m too scared. Why am I so scared when I love and trust him with all that I am?”

Kali pulls her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest, only realizing then that she had tears rolling from her eyes. He kisses the side of her head, smoothing his hand over her hair, and she wraps her arms around him. He felt warm against her skin, and she let his familiar scent of sandalwood, pine, and allspice soothe her.

“Solros,” he says softly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “You’ve been through something horrific. There is no shame in feeling as you do. Tell me. What exactly do you feel before it becomes too much?”

“Overwhelmed. Unsure. Scared. I’m fighting with myself. This bond we share, the pull in me. It begs and yearns for us to finally become one. But the fear… I know I have nothing to fear with him. So why is it there?” She sighs and bites harshly at her lip, pulling back enough to wipe at her eyes. “It gets to the point where I wish he would just…just..”

“Just what?”

“Use me, like they did. Even if he did that, I know it wouldn’t hurt. Not like with them. But then at least he could finally get the pleasure he craves.”

Kali sighs and brushes away loose wisps of hair that are stuck to her tear streaked skin. “He never would. You know that. Annie, can I ask something?”

She manages a small smile as she looks at him, reaching up to wipe at her eyes again. “You just did, but sure.”

“Haha, very funny,” he prods her side with a smile before turning serious. “When you two…make out… He lets you lead and set the pace, right? Doesn’t really lead much? Cuz that sounds like something he would do, his way of making sure you were comfortable and making it so nothing seemed forced.”

Annie nods slowly. “Yeah, he does. Sometimes, he'll start kissing me but then back off and let me lead. And I appreciate it, for the most part. Nothing feels forced, but I don’t know what I’m doing. Like, kissing, I've pretty much got figured out. But the rest? I’m at a loss.”

“So, tell him the next time you’re ready that you want him to take the lead, to take over and guide you through whatever it is y’all would do. You have talked to him about this, right? All that you've been feeling?"

"Mostly. Not as much as I just did with you. I'm sorry."

He smiles and nudges her gently. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because you're my brother. I doubt you wanted to know any of this."

"Yeah, I'm your brother," his finger hooks under her chin to draw her gaze up to him. "But I'm also here for you. No matter what. Do I want to know about your sex life? Not necessarily because yeah, you're my little sister. But sex is not something we shun here, so come to me if you need someone to talk to or get advice from. Shit, this is probably the best place you could be for advice with things like that. Any of us really could give you advice."


Annie breathes out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Maybe not Sunny, though. She might get too excited and scare you away. Seriously, no other fire ghoul is as excitable or hyper as her."

Annie laughs louder at that, a wide smile lighting up her face. Seeing her smile and laugh made Kali smile widely before he pulled her in for another tight hug.

"I love you, sis. Now and for always."

"I love you, too, Kako."

"Now then," Kali sighs as he pulls back. "I think we've put this off long enough. Ready to see your big, tough brother in a dress?"

Annie laughs softly, giving her face one more swipe with the back of her hands as she smiles. "Are you? Tough, that is. I knocked you on your ass with one touch."

"True." He stands and helps her to her feet, watching as she gathers up the dress again before helping him slide it in and in place. "If you'd used that trick when…. Well.  The fight would've been over in seconds. So why didn't you?"

He turns so Annie can tighten the lacing on the back, not able to see her deep frown as she works. “I…froze. I didn’t know what was going on, who you were. No other ghoul has ever tried to hurt me before. And, truthfully, until that night they came for Lilit, came for us, I’d never had to fight anyone.”

“But you need to fight now, Annie.”

She sighs and rests her hand on the tied laces, her voice barely a whisper. “You’re right. I might be good with my magic and my craft, but I don’t know how to fight, how to defend myself. I’ve survived by acting on instinct, and that just won’t cut it anymore. You showed that.”

Kali turns and takes hold of her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. “I’ll teach you. Magic. Hand to hand. You can beat the daylights out of me as long as it takes until you can fight back with confidence.”

Annie laughs and shakes her head. “I’d end up holding myself back for fear of hurting you.”

“As if you could.”

“You forget, I knocked you on your ass with one touch. I've slapped Mountain so hard his head jerked to the side. I could very easily hurt you.”

His eyes search her face, narrowing as they look behind her as he thinks for a second before turning back to her with a slight nod. “Well. What if someone was able to sneak up on you? What would you do then?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if you’re walking alone in the halls and something comes upon you again? Grabs you, tries to hurt you. What would you do?”

“I… I don’t know. And that only happ–” She’s cut off by an arm wrapping around her neck from behind, pulling her back forcefully. Annie’s eyes widen as panic swells and she reaches up to try and claw the arm off, struggling against the hold but it’s no use. It’s only when the grip loosens and Kali grabs hold of her arms and gets her attention back to him that she realizes it was Cirrus behind her that had grabbed her, smelling the soft scent of cotton and honeysuckle. Tears well in her eyes and she takes a shaky breath.


“You fly, you don’t fight. If that was anyone else what would you have done?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Cirrus releases her hold on Annie before pulling her into a tight hug from behind. “We’ll help you. All of us. We know you can do it, Annie.”

“Alright,” Annie sighs after a moment. “Alright, you guys are right. But it’ll have to wait until after the solstice. I’m frazzled enough as it is thinking about how to approach these covens on top of…everything else.”

“Deal. Now, you go lay down, take a bit to relax. I’m gonna let Cirrus torture me in the meantime.” Kali leans forward and kisses her cheek lightly.

“Makeup isn’t torture. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it and ask me to do it for you every day,” the ghouette teases with a wink.

“I’m only doing this cuz I lost a bet to my sister. This will be the only time I have any sort of makeup on me.”

Cirrus giggles and grabs her bag, setting it on his desk. “Yeah yeah. You say that now. Just wait until you see how pretty I can make you. You’ll change your tune in no time, honeybunch.”



Annie smiles as the two continue to banter, moving to lay on his bed. The pillow is soft and smells like him and, while not as comforting as the incense and leather she loves, it helps relax her as she watches Cirrus fuss over Kali, the ghoul doing his best to sit still and not make faces as she works.

____________________________________



“You look like a whole different ghoul, Kali,” Cumulus laughs softly, an amused smile on her face as she takes in his appearance for the first time, shifting to lean against Aether who’s smiling on the couch next to her. “The blue looks good on you.”

“Yeah… thanks Cumulus,” Kali shifts nervously, biting at the inside of his lip, casting his eyes down. He felt a little embarrassed all dolled up like this, literally felt like a living doll after the torture of having his hair braided and the makeup put on, but a bet was a bet and he’d do anything for Annie.

“Who’s the new–” Swiss starts to ask as he enters the common area, stopping in his tracks and cocking his head to the side as his eyes rake over the ghoul before a slow wide smile spreads across his face. “Well I’ll be. You don’t look half bad, amigo. What’s the occasion? Got a fancy date?”

Annie giggles lightly, biting on her lip to try and keep her smile smaller. “He lost a bet against me.”

“Never bet against a witch,” Swiss winks at Kali before turning to Annie. “How’d he lose?”

“he thought that I couldn’t shock him and make him fall on his ass.”

“Shock?”

Annie nods. “Know how I always zap Dew when he’s being a pest while I’m baking? Kali here thought he could take it since it doesn’t bother Dew anymore.”

Swiss chuckles and shakes his head. “Oh, it bothers him. Just not the way you’re thinking.”

Annie goes to ask what he meant when the gremlin in question comes walking in, tossing something in the air in front of him before catching it as he takes in the room, eyes going from Aether and Cumulus on the large couch and the goulettes on the love seat sitting sideways with their legs tangled together before stopping on Annie and the dress wearing ghoul next to her. “What bothers who? What are y’all doing in here any…ways. Why is he in a dress?”

Swiss winks and throws his arm around Dews shoulders, pulling him close with a light headlock. “Because you, sweet boy, won’t let me dress you up all pretty and fancy like that. Can’t you see it now? Lovely shade of red, your hair all done up and lips painted, ready for kissing. Or other things.”


Dew sputters, his eyes widening as he changes through several shades of red at Swiss’ words as he drops what Annie now saw was an apple. Dew swings and elbows at the multi-ghoul who lets him go with a light shove before running across the room, jumping on and then over the back of the couch between Aether and Cumulus making them dive out of the way with a shout and a grumble. Dew chases after him, swiping with his claws out as he cuts Swiss off but he drops to a slide just barely dodging. Annie watches with wide eyes and Kali leans over to whisper to her.

"They know what they're doing, as often as they tussle. You see how fluid their movements are? No hesitation?"

 
Annie nods and watches closer. Swiss has a wide grin on his face, easily dodging and countering Dew who also has a bit of a crazed smirk on his face. Both were quite obvious having fun much to everyone's annoyance.

"With enough practice we can get you just as confident. All of us."

"Bloody hell!" Aether shouts before Annie can reply as Swiss and Dew vault over the back of the couch again, the latter kneeing the broad ghoul in the process. Quicker than Annie had ever seen Aether move, he launched himself from his seat, grabbing both the rambunctious ghouls by the back of their necks, slamming them face first onto the floor with a low growl, pinning them there as they froze, him kneeling on one knee between them.

"You've done it now, boys," Cumulus giggles,  adjusting herself on the couch.

"You two know not to pull that bullshit down here," Aether says in an eerily calm tone, his grip tightening on the two who groan. "Knock it off and behave while Annie is here or I'll give you double duties between practices."

“Yeah, sorry, Pops,” Swiss chuckles nervously, relaxing under Aether. “Got a bit carried away. Won’t happen again while she’s here.”

Aether turns to Dew who’s simply scowling, his lips pressed tight together and hands clenched into fists. Aether leans down, tightening his grip once more, and after a second, Dew relaxes and looks away, mumbling his agreement.

“Good. Now go be good hosts and get some drinks, yeah? And no more rough housing.”


Aether looks at them again before releasing his hold as he gracefully stands, brushing off his shirt and flashing Annie a smile. “Sorry ‘bout that, love. Boys will be boys. Can they get you anything to drink? A snack, perhaps?”

Annie smiles and bites back a laugh as she shakes her head, watching as the two slowly stand up and brush themselves off. “No, I think I’m okay for now. I am thinking, though, we could use some music. What do you boys think?”

"Ooh music! We've got a radio, or we've got a record player! The guys have guitars in their rooms, too!" Sunny pipes up from her spot on the love seat, a wide smile on her face. "What do you want to listen to?"

Annie shrugs. “I don’t know. What do you guys think?”

Swiss pulls out his phone and seconds later music is heard coming from the paired speakers in the common room, filling the area with a soft sound as he bobs his head to the beat, digging through the cabinets for something to snack on. Annie listens, swaying slightly with the music. She didn’t recognize it. Why would she? She was still new to so much, but the man singing had a pleasant voice and she decided that she liked it.

“Ed? Really?” Cumulus calls over. “Bit tame for you, no?”

“Eh,” Swiss shrugs, digging through the shelf before pulling out a container to look at it. “Figured Annie might like it and based on her smile and swaying, she does. Was thinking maybe we could watch a movie? Anyone want some popcorn? If not, I'll find something else.”

Annie looked over towards him but a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned towards the doorway seeing Rain come to a halt, the man behind him bumping into his back from the suddenness of it. His eyes flick around the room, finally landing and lingering on Kali who’s moved to chat with Aether, a smile on his face. Just as quickly as he stopped he turned and walked back down the hall, Seth looking confused before jogging to catch up. Annie just watched after with her own confusion before turning back to Swiss, eager to try some popcorn.



____________________________________



Annie enjoyed the rest of her afternoon with the ghouls. Swiss had made a large batch of popcorn and they had gathered together on the rearranged couches to watch a movie. Annie was captivated, watching the moving images on the television with wide eyes. The modern world she found herself in never ceased to amaze her.

Rain eventually rejoined them, Seth in tow. Annie made a note to talk to him later; his eyes looked red like he had been crying and she was worried.

After a second movie, Dew, Rain, Cumulus, Sunshine and Kali taught Annie how to play 'Uno', a game she quickly picked up on and found herself enjoying. Annie, Rain and Cumulus were the first to score out and sat watching the others intently. The fire ghouls each had narrowed eyes, holding their cards close to their chests. Sunshine laid down a green 3, Kali a blue 3, and Dew a blue draw two. Sunny groaned and when it was her turn again she played a reverse, which Dew countered with his own. Kali watched them, Sunshine with 4 cards left, Dew with 2 and himself with two. It was going to be close.

  
"Uno," Kali said as he laid down his blue 7. Dews' eyes narrowed as he grumbled, laying down his own card as he called out 'Uno', and Sunshine laid down a wild, calling out yellow.

Kali couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face, something Dew noticed, making his eye twitch.

"Don't you fuckin dare," he growls.

"Sorry, Dew," Kali smiles widely as he lays down a 'WILD-DRAW 4'.

Dew clenches his jaw and begrudgingly draws four cards, his face growing harder and more angry with each chard.

"Fuck! Look at this bullshit you made me draw!" He shouts, showing the wild card, reverse, skip, and yellow 9 cards he drew to the other ghoul. "Why didn't you get her in a reverse, huh?"

"Because I wanted to use this card on you, Dew. It was just calling your name, begging to be laid down just for you." Kali teases with a sensual whine to his tone as he smirks.

Swiss cackles from his spot on the couch, his head thrown back as Dew's face turns red once more and he throws the cards at Kali before moving to launch himself over the table to get him.

"Dew."

The gremlin freezes hearing Aethers warning growl, one knee on the table top and his arm outstretched.

"This isn't over," he hisses as he lowered himself back into his seat, narrowing his eyes at Kali who gathers the cards to shuffle them. He deals between himself and Sunshine, the final two since Dew is way past the score limit. Sunshine has the next highest, almost to the limit and Kali sits at 60 points away.


"Ready Sunbeam?" Kali asks, looking at his cards as he rearranges them, his face schooled into an easy smile.

"Oh yeah. Don't think you are, though, Sugar."

The top card is laid from the deck when they're ready, a red 5, and the showdown begins. Back and forth they lay down their cards or pick up new ones be it to play or from a draw card. There's a period where neither can lay so their hands grow until, finally, Sunshine smiles widely.

"Draw two, draw two, reverse, skip, skip, reverse, draw two, draw two, skip uno, out!"

Kalis' mouth drops open in shock as she lays down her last card, throwing her arms up in the air with a wide smile. Dew laughs loudly from his seat as Kali draws the designated cards. After the third he sighs and tosses his hand down.

"Well that gets me over 60. Good job, Sunny."



As the cards were cleared and put away Annie glanced over at Rain who had moved to one of the chairs, sitting sideways with one leg draped over the armrest with a book on his lap that he was sketching in, his face looking bored. His eyes flicked up to her and he quickly looked away seeing her watching him as he turned the page, an action that made her curious so as the others discussed what to play next she made her way over to stand behind the chair, looking down as he started a new sketch.

"You okay, Rain?" She whispers as she leans over, watching him. He nods in reply. "What are you drawing?"

He looks up at her a moment before gesturing towards the table where the others sat, pencil moving once more as he draws in

"Can I see what you were drawing before?"

His hand hesitates on the page and he looks up at her again seeing her kind smile and he sighs, the faintest blush creeping over his cheeks as he closes the sketchbook and hands it to her as he shifts to sit properly on the chair. Annie rounds it and perches on the now free arm rest as she flips through the pages.

"You drew all these?" She asks, her smile widening. His blush deepens and he nods slowly. Annie looks at the drawn lifelike images of the ghouls, both masked and unmasked, of Copia and Seth and random siblings. Her brow furrows at the next one; it looks like Aether but also not, with him sitting while reading a book. His skin was shaded dark gray, eyes colored in so they looked dark purple. He had dark horns sprouting from his forehead that arched back over his head with details erased in that looked like faint constellations along their length and his face looked sharper, more stern yet gentle as always.

"What..?"

Rain panics slightly when he sees what page she's on, his mouth opening like he was going to say something but no words came out. He waves his hand over towards Seth who looks over with a raised brow before moving from his spot at the counter to come over.

"Yeah? What's up, hun?"

Rain points at the drawing before moving his hands quickly in random shapes and gestures. Seth nods along and Annie looks at him with confusion.

"He's… having a rough day, so he's non vocal right now," Seth explains to her before doing his own series of hand gestures that Rain nods at. "Wait here a sec."

Annie watches him walk over to Aether and speak quietly before they both walk back over.

"It's okay, Rain," Aether says softly with a warm smile. He holds his hand over Rain's shoulder, waiting for his nod of consent before lowering his hand to rest. "She was bound to see one of us like that at some point."

"What are you talking about?" Annie asks.

"Remember that day I showed you my claws?" Aether asks, turning to her. "When I had to re-suture your back?"

Annie nods. "You said you guys kept a glamour on. So, this sketch… is it you without it?"

The ghoul smiles and gives a slight nod. "It is. Would you like to see?"

Her eyes widen slightly with his question and she looks from him to Seth who's got a smile on his face before turning back to Aether.

"It's not against some kind of rule, is it? To…to show me?"

"We're in their space, Annie," the man says. "They're allowed to. I think they kept their glamour up for you, to not overwhelm you. Right, Aeth?"

"Yeah. It can be a bit much if you're not expecting it."

"Maybe…maybe some other time. I'm curious, but I've got so much on my mind already. I've seen claws and fangs, but the horns might be a bit much right now."

"Don't forget the tails," Seth says with a grin. "They've got those too."

"And Cirrus has wings," Aether adds with a nod. Annie blinks at him, unsure she heard him correctly.

"Wings?"

"Yeah. Each ghoul is unique be it by skin, horns, tails or other traits," Seth explains. He looks over to Rain who gestures with his hands again before pointing to his neck. "Rain has gills, like a fish."

"Really?" Annie looks to the silent ghoul with amazement and he nods with a shy smile before he takes a breath and holds it. As Annie watches, thin lines appear along the side of his neck and when he exhales they move to let the air out. They quickly disappear once more and he breathes like normal.


"What are we talking about?" Kali asks as he walks over to the group. Annie sees Rain look away and bite at his lip before moving his hands towards Seth.

"Giving her some inf-" Seth starts, translating what Rain was trying to say.

"Info on ghoul traits," Kali finishes with a smile.  "I remember how to sign, but I'm a bit rusty."

Annie looks between them before looking back at Rain. She sees him glance over at Kali before quickly looking away, resting his hands on his legs as he nods.

‘Was he nervous about Kali?’ She asked herself, turning back to her brother. He had an easy smile on his face but she saw a sad emotion reflected deep within his eyes. ‘These two need time to actually talk to one another. Maybe…’

“Hey, does anyone know what time it is?” She asks, looking around for a clock. Swiss pulls out his phone and turns on the screen before showing it to her.

“It’s about quarter to seven, sweetheart.”

“Oh.. Oh! I need to get going then! I didn’t realize it was so late already.” She hands Rain his book back, smiling warmly to him before she stands with a stretch. “Kali, Rain, would you two walk me back? At least to the main hall.”

Kali looks at her with his head leaned to the side slightly before giving a slight nod. “Sure. But Rain doesn’t have to come. I can walk you.”

“I want both of you to. Please?” She turns to Aether next, seeing his worried look. As he’s about to say something she cuts him off, low enough just for those nearest to hear. “It’ll be fine. You trust me, I trust them. We will be fine.”

Aether sighs and nods. “Alright, love. If you’re sure. You have a good night with Copia. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Annie smiles and gives the ghoul a hug before turning to the other two by the chair. “Ready boys?”

They look at each other nervously before turning back to her with a slight nod. Rain stands and follows after Kali who follows Annie out of the room after she says her goodbyes to the others. Once they reach the main hall she slows and ducks into a spacious alcove, grabbing the two to pull her in with her.

“Alright. Both of you need to talk, and have not been given the chance. Here it is.”

Kali looks at Rain, the slightly taller ghoul looking away as he takes a deep breath. When he looks back his eyes glisten with building tears and he opens his mouth but no words come out.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Kali whispers.

Annie reaches over to rest her hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Yes, you do. Just listen to your hearts. Both of you. I can step back into the hall if you nee-”

“No!” Rain says suddenly, reaching out to hold her free hand. “No… stay. P…please.”

Annie nods and holds his hand gently. “Alright. I’ll stay. But only if you two talk to each other. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get you guys alone again any time soon.”



Rain looks from her to Kali, biting at his lip.

“Rain, I-”

“Kali-”

They both try to start at the same time, each pausing before giving a small laugh. Kali reaches up to rub the back of his neck nervously. “You first, Rain.”

“I.. I’ve missed you,” Rain barely whispers. “All these years.”

“I’ve missed you too. Not a single day went by that I didn’t think about you, or…or..” Kali chokes up a bit, swallowing the lump in his throat. He blinks and a thick tear falls over his cheek, smearing with it a bit of the eyeliner had on. “I never got to tell you how sorry I was, Rain. Like, I know I said it that first night I was back but. Really, I’m so…. so sorry. I will never not be sorry. I can understand if you can't forgive me for what I did, or if you hate me. Just know that…that I will do whatever it takes for you to trust me again. To…to not be scared of me anymore."

Rain watches him with a pained expression, biting on his lip as Kali begins to cry silently. His breath hitches and he squeezes Annie’s hand for comfort, swallowing before he speaks, his breath low and shaky.

“You…you almost killed me. I thought I did die, everything was so dark for so long. I have to see the scars every day. For why? What happened that day that turned my sweet Liko into a horrific raging monster acting like he lost his mind?”

“I…” Kali sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know. I was fine and then…then something snapped in me. I was flooded by memories and emotions and I couldn’t contain it.”



“Kali, when exactly did this happen?” Annie asks slowly.

“October. 2002.”

“Was… was it around the 14th?”

The two ghouls look at each other before turning to her, giving slow nods. Annie’s shoulders fall and she turns her eyes down, reaching out to hold Kali’s hand as well, squeezing both of theirs tightly. “Ég biðst fyrirgefningar í þessu síðasta verki.... Endurheimta. Ég elska ykkur öll.”

“What..?”

“It was Mothers last words. ‘I ask for forgiveness in this last act.... restore. I love you all.’ I felt a flare of her power, but it was weak and I didn’t know what she meant, and then she was gone. You said you suddenly remembered everything? About how you saw things that night with your dad? All those years of repressed anger and rage at what you thought happened crashed over you all at once, more than you could handle.”

“But she died in 2001? Why did it take a year? Wouldn’t it have happened when she passed?”

Annie shakes her head. “Not necessarily. Not with how weak she was. She released the spell but it took time to reach you since she didn't know where you were, and when it did it happened all at once.”


Rain shakes his head, looking away. “It doesn’t matter. You still almost killed me, Kali. And I’m still scared of you, even though you haven’t had anything like this happen since. Knowing what you were capable of then, seeing what you’re capable of now after you attacked Annie and we had to fight you…”

“I apologized, profusely. It was a misunderstanding. We figured it out, you saw it yourself!” Kali sighs and rubs his forehead. “I was wrong. I admit that, and I’m trying to atone for it. She has already forgiven me. Can you?”

The water ghoul sighs and leans against the wall, looking down at the floor so his hair covers his face. His hand trembles as he holds Annie’s tighter, his breathing ragged.

“Rain..?”

Kali takes a tentative step closer, reaching his free hand out. Rain flinches away, halting Kali’s movements for a moment before he continues to gently brush Rain’s long dark hair from his face.

“Please, Rainbow. If not now, then ever?”

"I never stopped loving you," Rain breathes out, looking up at the other ghoul with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Never. I'm still scared of you. That will take time. But I forgave you long ago."

Rain reaches up to cup Kali's face, thumb brushing under his eye as his lip trembles. They look at each other, both blinking to clear their tears.

"I never stopped loving you either," Kali whispers, stepping closer. They each let go of Annie's hands to wrap their arms around each other in a tight embrace as they begin to cry into each other's shoulders. Annie steps back from the pair to give them some space, wiping at her eye as she watches them, so happy they were finally given the chance to talk to each other unbothered by the rest of the ghouls. She hoped now that they could move forward. That they all could.

“I’m happy you were able to love again, Rain,” Kali says softly, pulling back just enough to rest his forehead against Rains. “I only want happiness for you, and you seem so very happy with that human.”

Rain nods best he can with their foreheads pressed together, letting his eyes slide closed. “Seth. He’s been there for me. Probably the only one who really knows me now, more than the pack at this point. I’d still be lost if it wasn’t for him.”

“I’ll have to thank him, then,” Kali smiles, finally standing tall with a small smile on his face. He reaches up to stroke Rain’s cheek once more, eyes drifting over his face like he was seeing it for the first time.

“What are you looking at?”

“You,” Kali laughs softly, tucking his longer black hair behind his ear, fingertips trailing down the length of his jaw. “You aged well. You were cute before, but now you’re drop dead gorgeous.”

Rain's face lights up with a blush and he turns away, a shy smile curving his lips up in the corners. “You’re…you’re not that bad looking yourself.”

“Nah,” Kali laughs. “I’m a shit show compared to you. Always was, always will be. I mean, c’mon.” He turns to Annie with a smile. “You see it too, right? He’s way better looking.”

Annie laughs softly, shaking her head as she leans against the wall with her arms lightly crossed over her chest. “Asking me to choose between my brother and best friend. That’s just mean. Both of you are handsome, don’t ask me to pick one over the other.”

“Aw, c’mon Solros.” Kali reaches down to hold Rain’s hand as he walks over to Annie, slinging his free arm around her shoulders. “Pretend you didn’t have your handsome devil of a Cardinal. Who would you choose between us?”

The witch rolls her eyes and looks up at him, tightening the cross of her arms. “Out of you two, or out of everyone?”

Kali looks at Rain who shrugs, also curious. “All of us, then.”

“Aether,” Annie says with a wide teasing smile. The two ghouls look at her with slightly shocked expressions before Kali breaks out in loud laughter, shaking his head.

“Really? You’d choose him?”

She shrugs and nods. “I like him. He’s…calming. A little more so than Rain. He’s handsome, but you all are. Dew, I love him too, but he’s too annoying sometimes. Mountain has Lilit, I would never get in the way of that. Swiss is nice, but not serious enough I don’t think. Kali, you’re my brother, so as much as I like you, you’re instantly out. And Rain… Honestly if Aether wasn’t around and you didn’t have Seth you would probably be my pick. I always felt safe with you. You’re definitely my closest friend amongst the ghouls.”

“What about the girls?” Rain asks, genuinely curious.

“I’m not really attracted to women. But, including them- Sunshine is too hyper. Love her but she can be a bit much. Cirrus is nice, but I haven’t spent as much time with her as the others so I can’t really give a good reason. Cumulus is a sweetheart, but I see her as more of a mother figure than anything.”

“She certainly is very motherly,” Kali nods with a small smile. “A lot of us don’t have mothers, be it here on Earth or back in the pits, so it’s nice having someone like that.”

Annie’s face falls lightly and she gives a slight nod, drawing her lip in to worry it with her teeth. The two ghouls look at her, concerned by her nervous gesture and the worried, almost scared look she had in her eyes.

“Solros? What is it?”

She shakes her head, looking away from them before forcing a small smile. “It’s nothing. Just… sad that.. that ghouls have such hard pregnancies with so many risks. I never knew my father, and those I had weren’t in my life long. But I couldn’t imagine it if I didn’t have my mother…. I should go check on Lilit before I go back to my rooms.”


“I thought she was doing better?” Rain asks, tilting his head to the side with a puzzled look on his face wondering why Annie would think about Lilit now.

“She…is. But I’d still like to check on her. I’m just worried.”

Kali sighs, his shoulders falling as he looks at her. “Still won’t tell us what’s going on with her? I’m worried too, you know. And I hate being kept in the dark. Is she still sleeping all day?”

“I know. But she’s okay. I promise, she’s okay. Aether and I are monitoring her daily and ensuring that… that everything is going well.” Annie rubs her forehead lightly, letting out a soft sigh. “And yeah, she’s still sleeping most of the day, especially now that she knows she doesn’t have to do anything other than stay on bed rest for the time being. That alone has been a big help in getting her energy back. And she’s been keeping her food down, so that’s a win.”

“I don’t know much about witches or hexes but to be sick so long after banishing one? Just how bad was it?”

“Bad,” Rain says, still mulling in his thoughts. “I was there, with Cirrus, Sunny and Mountain. I saw the hex myself, felt the energy from it as it fought the banishment. She may be little, but Lilit is strong just like her sister.”

Annie nods with a small smile. “She should be okay for tonight. Aether will go to her before bed. Are you two okay now? This was supposed to be about you two talking, getting things sorted and off your chests. Not what this devolved into.”

“Yeah, Solros. I think we’re good. Rain?”

The other ghoul looks over and gives a small nod, giving Kali’s hand a soft squeeze. “Thank you, Annie. You’re right, we needed this. There’s still a lot to work through, but this is a start. And I’m grateful for it.”

Kali smiles and pulls Rain in for another tight hug which he readily and happily returns. He looks over Kali’s shoulder at Annie, his eyes sharpening with a brow raising. Annie looks at him with confusion, her eyes widening when he silently mouths, ‘She’s pregnant, isn’t she?’

She’s unable to respond in any way before Kali pulls back, reaching up to pat Rain's cheek before turning to his sister.


“Ready to get back to lover boy?”

Annie shakes her head, a smile quickly replacing her shocked look as she laughs. “You need to stop teasing me, Kako. But yeah, I’m ready.”

Stepping back into the hall she holds out her hands for the boys, each taking one. Rain is on her left and Kali on her right as they walk her through the halls and upstairs to her shared chambers with Copia.

“Thank you for walking me,” she smiles, turning to them.

“No, thank you, Annie,” Rain says with a smile.

“Yeah,” Kali nudges her arm. “You’re the best sis ever. Thank you for helping us get together like this.”

Annie leans over and pulls her brother into a tight hug, kissing his cheek as she pulls back. “Thanks for being a good sport and wearing the dress all day. It really does look nice on you.”

He flushes deeply and huffs, pursing his lips lightly. “Yeah yeah. Only for you, Solros.”

Annie turns to Rain next, pulling him into an equally tight hug, turning her head to whisper only for him to hear. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t,” he whispers back, giving her a gentle squeeze before pulling back. “You have a good night with the Cardinal. We’ll see you later.”

“Good night, boys. Take it easy when you get back, and if anyone gives you shit for being together, direct them to either me or Aether.”

“Will do. Night!”

“Night!”

Annie watches as they walk back down the hall, Kali reaching up to start taking his braids out as he laughs at something Rain said, seeing even from the growing distance how red his face got. She shakes her head and sighs, turning to unlock the door, hesitating before opening it. Rain figured it out. She trusted he wouldn’t say anything but it still brought new worries about. Only a few more weeks, then it should be safe. Then she didn’t have to keep this secret anymore.



Finally opening the door she’s greeted with a wonderful scent and looking to the kitchen she sees Copia hard at work at the stove, boombox on and playing soft music as always as he cooks and seeing him so eased in his element made her heart flutter.

Nothing else mattered at this moment, not once she closed the door on the rest of the world and the troubles out there. Tonight she would focus on her. Focus on him. And maybe, she thought as she walked over and wrapped her arms around him, kissing the back of his shoulder as he looked down at her with a loving smile and a warm greeting, just maybe… she could finally be brave.