June 2025 Realmgard Short Scenes: Day 18
Kat and/vs. Friends.
Amara and Tenebella are both haughty enough that I feel like they're so similar they wouldn't get along very well, unless and until it became clear co-operating would somehow clearly benefit Kat.
Amara and Tenebella hissing at each other like cats isn't necessarily a reference, but it's definitely inspired by that scene in Spy x Family when Anya hisses at Nightfall:
Kat sighs.
She’s at a precarious moment in her life when she feels herself getting pulled in two different directions.
Literally.
She has Tenebella clinging to one arm, wanting to go downtown. And she has Amara clinging to the other, wanting to go uptown.
Neither Tenebella nor Amara are exactly great at making friends. Shockingly, people tend to find a witch-princess who likes collect ancient magic stuff and an imperious young noblewoman prone to indignation and hitting people with her parasol hard to relate to.
Kat thought she’d be able to help Tenebella and Amara make friends with each other by all doing something together. But it didn’t work out like that. They’re less interested in getting to know each other and more interested in stubbornly refusing to share Kat.
At least they’re past the point of hissing and growling at each other like angry cats.
Actually hissing. It’s been mortifying.
But, Powers help her, Kat is going to make Amara and Tenebella friends.
“I would like to —” Tenebella says, getting immediately cut off by Amara.
“Katherine, we simply must —”
“Kat!”
“Katherine!”
“One at a time!” Kat cries.
“I was told you could get us access into the University’s collection of rare books,” Tenebella says.
“No, we simply must go see the new summer dresses!” Amara counters.
Kat heaves a heavy sigh.
“Why don’t we find something you’d both like to do?” Kat asks in a gently, diplomatic tone that sounds oddly familiar.
Oh, no, Kat realises as a cold shill runs through her. I’m turning into my mother!
She clears her throat.
“Look, there’s an antique store just around the corner,” Kat notes. “Why don’t we go there? Tenebella, I’m sure they’ve got plenty of weird, old stuff you’d like.”
“I prefer to say strange and ancient,” Tenebella mutters.
“And, Amara. I know for a fact they’ve got some old Middelmerish dolls that look like something straight out of Bridgewalltonshire Priory.”
“I accept your terms,” Tenebella declares.
“Yes, a bit of antiquing sounds perfectly palatable,” Amara says.
“But I swear to Gord,” Kat mutters. “If you both find something you both want and start fighting over it, I will buy it myself!”
Amara and Tenebella blink in confusion at Kat.
“Katherine, who is Gord?”
“He’s, uh, he’s one of the bartenders at the Hammered Nail,” Kat explains. “He’s a really good listener. Talking things over with me really helps, you know? And, sometimes, if I tell him something that he thinks is really sad, he’ll give me a free plate of Chicken Bits.”
“Awww,” Tenebella and Amara say simultaneously, spurred by compassion and pity for their friend.
Tenebella and Amara exchange a glance.
“We must acknowledge this Gord fellow’s great efforts on our Katherine’s behalf,” Amara declares.
“Yes,” Tenebella agrees with a nod — incidentally, the first time Kat can ever remember her agreeing with Amara. “We shall praise him with great praise. After antiquing.”
“Naturally,” Amara says.
“Wait,” Tenebella says suddenly, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. “Kat, were you going to tell Gord about us?”
"Swear to Gord" sounds like Kat swearing without actually swearing, and I'd be shocked if people didn't use it that way in real life, but I was mostly just using it as a lead-in to Kat actually having a bartender friend named Gord.
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