Florence couldn’t believe the gall. Her lips parted in a scoff, staying open as he continued to berate her. She could feel the skin on her back aching with effort of keeping herself contained, the bones screaming to come out, it almost made Finn’s voice simmer into nothing from the concentration. Slowly, Florence gritted her teeth, keeping herself from snapping back as hard as she wanted to.

Useful? Do something useful?! At that her shoulders tensed, flexing the muscles as the bones tore free from their confinement. Huge arching things that whipped out from her back with such force that the air around it wooshed with the movement, bony frames of wings plastered with glossy black feathers flared high above her head. They were taller than herself, the angular bends above her head almost straightened as she seethed.

“Useful?!” Florence hissed. “You were all wandering around like lost sheep before I found you! She’s the only one who was useful before you met Veles.” She struck an arm out to point at Alma before quickly whipping it back to point at Finn.

“You haven’t even asked me why I won’t look at her, you just started insulting me! You don’t know anything about me!”

Lily wasn’t exactly happy that Finn was taking on these battles for her, she had been about to say exactly that to Alma when Florence had her outburst. Stumbling back a few steps in surprise, Lily stared wide-eyed at the woman and the newly developed wings that hung heavy on her back.

–

Callisto finally stopped his walking around to look over at Xevon, taking a moment to scan over him and check for any vague twitch of a muscle that might have meant injury.

“I think he is more worried about your head than your muscles, I mean-” He made quick work of talking over himself to correct. “Your physical body, I mean.” His eyes darted away before returning to Xevon and waving a hand in dismissal.

“If he thinks you are a relic, what does that make me?” He offered, an attempt to draw the conversation away from whatever blabbering he had just tried to hide. “I am not sure what is considered older than a relic.”

A sardonic laugh flew out from Florence at his words, her arms slacking at her sides as she looked from side to side, exasperated and looking to an audience that wasn’t there. Landing her gaze back on Finn again, she took a strong step towards him, poking her finger again at him.

“Attacked you, I threw a pebble at you because you were near my stuff. I would’ve eaten that cat for breakfast if I had wanted to.” Her hand fell back down.

“Oh you know plenty, huh? Because you’re so smart and all knowing.” Florence curled her wings in tight towards her torso, still gritting her teeth between sentences. She began to gesture to his wings, flailing her hand about with another laugh.

“Where do you think you got those from, hm? That Veles would just create things that gave his food powers? Where do you think he got the damn idea.” She snarled, curling her lip. “How do you think he found out about me? I left that stupid locket, I was making myself useful. I left it there to help, I couldn’t kill him. When he found it, he found me and he made it so I couldn’t leave this place.” As she went on, her eyes were becoming glossy.

“I came back here and trapped myself to help, to help Renissa, all of them! You know nothing about me!” She snapped, eyes still burning with anger despite the clear upset that was lingering behind it, her fury towards the accusations overriding everything else.

–

He made sure to keep close to Xevon, just in case anything…strange came out of the hills towards them. They didn’t know this place and Florence had spoken of creatures, he wasn’t very keen on meeting any of those.

“Fossil, how rude.” He mumbled under his breath as he peered around the hills, following Xevon’s finger towards the surrounding grasslands. With a small huff, Callisto began to step further away from the cottage, a prickling feeling of unease as he did so ran up his spine, making his muscles shiver. He was walking away from the anchor of safety, or at least the semblance of safety.

“Could you not,” He paused in his advance to look over at Xevon. “Well, fly up there and look for her? Would it not be quicker?”

She stood there after he walked away, staring into the space he had been in, chest heaving. Obviously she hadn’t given the locket wings, that would have been useless, he's right. She had given it her essence, which, if he hadn’t noticed, meant wings. But it also meant leaving other remnants in the locket, unfortunately the strongest was wings.

Eventually, Florence flexed her wings out, the motion making the bones crack against each other as she stormed off in the opposite direction to Finntello. Spoiled brat, she was decades older than the little squirt. Her chest felt as though it was going to implode, instead of talking more or even attempting to whip around and rip into Finntello again, Florence gave one sharp look towards Alma and Lily. Her eyes were still laced with anger, but not aimed directly at them.

With a harsh strike of her wings down, Florence sent herself soaring into the sky, a dull thud as the bone briefly hit the dirt before she took off. These three could stare at some dumb rocks if they wanted to, she was going to be useful.

Lily was left not only confused but rather…annoyed about the entire interaction. Whilst she could understand the frustration, letting it out like that was only detrimental. At the very least, that’s what she thought. Biting her tongue for the time being, she took up pace beside the others as they walked to the rocks.

Her head was tilted back to watch Florence turn into a blurry black dot in the sky.

–

Callisto frowned lightly, looking from Xevon to the surrounding area, weighing up the options. He didn’t really want to be left alone, but they would be scouting out from the ground for hours. With the small rises hiding some parts of the land, they’d have to walk it all.

“It would be faster.” He commented quietly, peeking back up at Xevon with a gentle shrug. “I am not completely defenceless, you know. I just do not whip out my claws very often, it is uncouth.” Callisto sniffed, tipping his nose up a little as he spoke. “Also, I do not have a proper mane and it is embarrassing. I do not like it.” He added quickly, huffing with his eyes averted towards the hills.

Lily refrained from commenting as she approached, giving the smallest of glances over towards Finntello as he spoke. Only giving Alma another small look before turning her gaze towards the rocks that had apparently been important enough to divert their path. Now that Florence was off brooding, they were stuck without a proper sense of direction until she returned. Not exactly helpful.

“What..” She began, carefully trying to move the conversation away from the touchy topic of Florence and Finntello’s outright distaste for her. “What did you feel from them?” Lily directed her question to Alma, gesturing softly towards the slate in front of them.

Whilst she could agree that Florence wasn’t a very amenable person, the outburst from the both of them was a little abrupt and explosive for her liking. On top of that, she couldn’t help but become hung up on the fact that Florence had left that talisman. So, did that mean that Veles had created hers and Callisto’s? Or had others tried to help the people trapped in the hotel.

–

Callisto steadied himself and gave an affirmative nod, accompanied by a smile. He did rather well to hide the feeling that ran up and down his nerves at the sentimental words from Xevon, determined not to fall victim to it before they had done their task. But gods, he couldn’t help his brain from spinning. It was enough of an issue trying to ignore the fact that Xevon was flesh and bone again and very much there with him, now he was being kind and it was too much really.

“I promise, I will be fine.” He offered quietly, glancing around for a moment before Xevon managed to take off into the sky. He sure hoped he wasn’t lying when he said that, that no weird thing was about to instantly come rushing down the hills. Nothing came, for now he was safe.

Lily wrapped her arms around herself, tucking them into her waist closely as she watched Alma dig her hands under the rock and tug. Prepared for some kind of dark magic or creature, anything to come springing out for them. Her muscles tensed in anticipation, her eye flicking over to Finntello and scanning over him quickly.

He was as rigid as a statue, obviously still riled up from his argument with Florence and Lily did feel mostly responsible considering it had stemmed from her mere existence. Her fingers flexed into the flesh on her sides before Lily forced her eyes away from Finn and the growing concern for his emotions. She needed to pay attention to what Alma was doing, if she didn’t and something dangerous came out then she would be caught off guard and probably be dead.

–

Callisto didn’t move from where he was for the most part, picking his way around the garden within the picket fence limits. Eyeing up the plants within it, the various herbs and vegetables that flourished despite the lack of homeowner for who ever knows how long.

He was walking past a small patch of mint, his nose leading the way really. Ever so often he would lift his head and scan the horizon, checking for the blurry image of the goddess or the more familiar form of Xevon.

Soon enough he heard the weight land behind him and Callisto twisted around to look at him, relieved he was back but also that he had actually listened and wasn’t glued to his side completely.

“Something, or Renissa?” He questioned, stepping up to him, closing the gap. Peeking around him to look at the hills, unable to see anything, Callisto looked expectantly up at Xevon.