Arcana's Path

Author's Warning: A tiny bit nonconsensual, and uh... Tentacle porn.

---

Kitty stepped out of the shower to find Arcana waiting for her. The woman skipped over to her, put both hands around her waist and planted a kiss on her lips.

She didn't feel much like fighting it.

However, she was also kind of surprised when she felt a pill get tongued into her mouth. She tucked it into her cheek, broke the kiss before giving her another peck. "How high you tryin' ta get me? If ya lookin' for more, just give me an hour or sometin."

"Not high." Arcana shook her head, and then frowned, "Though... They are addictive. Um. I'm not explaining this, am I? This is your present. Ability points!"

Kitty took the nondescript box and looked at the multi-coloured pills inside in them, "What kind of crack is in 'em?"

"Magic." Arcana said, "I gave you one of the red ones. Swallow? Please?"

"Wow. Never expected to hear a girlfriend say that." Kitty laughed and flicked it down her throat. She felt her stomach gurgle uncomfortably, and she winced, "How is nausea addictive?"

"Snap your fingers." Arcana rolled her eyes.

Kitty lifted a hand and snapped. Then she stared in amazement at the two inches of flame floating above her fingers, "Uh... What the shit?"

"Ability points. Like superpowers inside a pill." Arcana grinned at her excitedly, "You like it, right? I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. This was the backup present, but then there was the whole thing with Raz and -"

"How do I stop it?" Kitty interrupted, "Like, not burn down the hotel room when I toss you onto the bed as a thankyou?"

Arcana snuffed it as if she were blowing out a candle on a birthday cake. Which just made it all the hotter. Kitty picked her up and the woman's legs went around her waist. She kissed her lightly, "I thought you were either born with magic or you weren't."

A tongue snaked into her mouth briefly, "Well, ability points are crazy illegal. And addictive. And burn out quick."

Kitty dumped her onto the bed, rolling up her t-shirt to lightly kiss around her belly button, "Sounds fun. Surprised you knew where to get some."

"Mmm." Arcana responded happily, "Wasn't... Looking for them. Was hoping to find Skull... Of Remembrance..."

Kitty laughed and started unbuckling her pants, "Sounds metal."

"Lets you... Talk to the... Dead." Arcana struggled to keep her side of the conversation going.

She froze up and looked up at the flushed woman, "What was that?"

Arcana pouted, "Talk to the dead. You know, ask questions for fun? Like who is going to hook up with who?"

"You can... Talk to the dead." Kitty said sitting up slowly and staring at her. She didn't want to admit it, but she was somewhere between shock and bursting into tears.

Her girlfriend leaned up and scratched at her hair in frustration. "So... Someone you know died, I guess? Talking to the dead you know isn't fun, Kitty. Mostly dead people are all anger and... They know how to hurt you. Their regrets colour things for them. It isn't nice."

Kitty swallowed, "Uh... My mum."

Arcana reached down and did her pants up again. She settled next to her, and gave her a small hug, "Well, now I regret telling you. You don't want to talk to her. Dragging a soul back here hurts them, that's why they get all angry."

"I... Get it." Kitty said hesitantly, "Seen movies, anyway. Its just... I never thought I'd ever get the chance. But I guess magic makes shit weird."

The woman smiled at her sadly, "That's a good way to put it. Nothing is impossible, but everything is pretty much forbidden. For good reasons, usually."

She shook her head, trying to refocus, but Arcana just stroked the back of her head. The moment was over.

Kitty appreciated that she wasn't being asked what had happened, but opening up seemed the right sort of thing to do. Wasn't like there were a lot of people who knew the story.

May as well show some trust, even if it was just going to get her hurt.

"I don't talk about it. I was a high schooler when she died." Kitty started and winced, "Ow. I expected this to be easier to tell you. Eugh..."

Arcana hugged her, "You don't have to."

"Want to." Kitty winced, "It was... Dad's fault. Mostly. I came home with a couple of the girls I was hangin' wit. We were laughin', drinkin', and makin' terrible rap songs. We thought we were all tough."

Her girlfriend was doing her best to keep a straight face. She was not succeeding.

"Well, guy with a limo pulls up at da house. He tells me to go get dad, and I ignore him. So one of his buddies pulls a gun. Shit's about to go bad. One of my girls goes for a knife, other runs." Kitty shook her head, "I just froze up. Wasn't expecting it."

Arcana nodded slowly.

"Dad comes out. Sees it all and barks some orders. Suddenly there's a bunch of us all, and everyone but me and my girl has a gun. I thought he'd make a smart play. Talk everyone down. Be a businessman." Kitty shook her head, remembering the fear.

"He... Didn't?" Arcana said disbelievingly.

Kitty nodded glumly, "Turns out the limo asshole had been stealin' dad's business. Movin' in to snap up the protection racket. So when he saw a gun aimed at his princess, he just lost it. Declared a war, right there and then. Shot the bastard, himself. Sent the head to the guy's group."

"Oh. Shit."

"Yeah. Shit. Our place started being shot up on the regular. Cops started askin' around, and then cops started avoidin' our territory on the whole. Waitin' for it to blow over." Kitty shook her head, "We gave as good as we got. They killed one of ours, we tossed one of theirs off a buildin'. Real statement shit."

Arcana swallowed nervously.

She smiled and hugged her, "Told you, I left dad 'n all this behind. Just me 'n the road. That's what I wanted. Now with added dragon wings and a icy-eyed magic girl. Anyway... One night, the other group decide they wanna make a big-ass statement. Break into the house. Kill a half dozen, and kidnap me 'n mum."

Her girlfriend visibly flinched. Kitty smiled at her grimly, "Me, I fought dumb 'n wild. That's when people started callin' me `Kitty' instead of Kath. I slashed one of 'em and he dumped me on the road. I walked back home. Took a couple hours. When I..."

She stopped speaking as her throat tightened, remembering it. The wind had caught her hair, her face was red and sweaty. Her jaw had been swollen from someone's lucky punch, split and bled.

She had shoved someone out of her way to enter the house. Found her dad in his chair, staring off into the air. A box fallen from his hands, the contents spilled out.

"They sent us her head." Kitty said angrily, blinking back tears.

Arcana's jaw dropped open, "Holy fuck. How are you as stable as you are?"

"I wasn't, then." Kitty smiled sadly at her and hugged her tight, "I went off the walls crazy. Tried to beat down the gang on my own. Just lucky they didn't kill me outright. Few years in prison for some other dumb shit... Letting me go down was the best thing dad ever did for me. Only good thing, really."

The woman relaxed into her, "This feels like really bad timing, all things considered... But your hair is on fire."

Kitty grabbed her tail and dragged it around to see that the threads were all aflame. Her entire length of hair was on fire, and she was touching it without anything happening. "What?"

"Ability points. You have the power over fire, for now." Arcana giggled, "Just um... Try not to light the mattress on fire? Your hair is crazy long. And I have been meaning to say, makes me very jealous."

"How do I snuff it?" Kitty glared at the flames, "I mean, sort of feel like an anime character right now. Right when I thought I might cry. I ain't exactly a candle."

Arcana put a hand to her cheek, smiling at her, "Just stop feeling like you want to burn the world down. You've got me. I've got you. That... Feels like enough."

"Are you really tryin' ta get in my pants again?"

"Sorta, yeah." She blushed and looked away before mumbling, "You're the one in a towel who got me halfway there..."

Kitty stood up, letting the smouldering towel drop to the ground behind her and walked over to a window. She shrugged and sighed, "I don't like the feelin'. The way I wanna do whatever ya like. Everytin ya like. Why are you enough for me? Why do you make me not wanna go ridin' off to some sunset?"

"I... Don't know. You make me want you with me always. Always and forever. It makes me afraid."

She turned around in surprise, "Not a... Magic thing?"

"Maybe. Might be something else. Not everything is magic, even when you want it to be. Shit happens." Arcana shrugged, looking haggard and tired.

Kitty carefully wrapped her burning hair around herself like a scarf and crouched comfortably, resting on the balls of her feet. She looked up at her girlfriend, "I do like ya. I really do. But this is too fast. Why is it so fast?"

"It's not a hex, or a curse or a demon." Arcana snapped and shrugged, "I've tried scrying and cards and every spell I can think of. I don't fucking know!"

She blinked in surprise, "You've been givin' it thought."

"I told you I was scared." Arcana looked away from her, and it felt like she'd been king hit. Whole head spinning, as she realised she was pushing away the only good thing in her life.

Again.

"Maybe the world is making up for seven years of bad luck." Kitty offered pathetically. "Givin' me something actually worth fightin' for. Worth stayin' for."

---

Arcana turned around, hanging her feet off the edge of the cheap hotel bed. "Am I? You told me a bit of your past. Turnabout is fair. You called me rich girl, and it hurt. Because there's truth in it. Some people get born with everything they could ever want."

She stared glumly at the floor, "I am the daughter of Astraea. Doubt you know the name, really. Witches curse by it. Wizards pray to her. Alchemists beg her blessing. She is the goddess of justice, and purity. She is one of the last gods to give a flying fuck about humanity or the world."

"I saw her bleed."

Arcana laughed, "You made her bleed. Witches have social media, too. You shoved my mother from a moving car. I am... Extremely jealous. It was also more stupid than you can possibly imagine. She's not a witch, Kitty. Raz, for all his faults, is the most powerful wizard in human history. Died a dozen times, and a dozen more. Always comes back, the dick. When my mother tells him to do something, he does it, but first... He shits himself."

Kitty stared at her.

She shrugged sheepishly, "Mana is our money, right? What power we can save up. Mum might try and appear human, but she isn't. She has infinite mana, just doesn't choose to use it. So, I was born to not just wealth, but literally infinite wealth. Move over oligarchs, there's someone in town who can buy you out without flinching."

"Rich don't even cut it."

Arcana shrugged at the awe, "Money is worthless. Ruins people. When I was young, I had every toy I could want. I didn't have a mother, just a bank account. I'm not asking you to feel sorry for me, I'm not saying I had a crap life. I'm saying it wasn't enough."

Kitty smiled at her, "I ain't comparin'."

She sighed and shrugged, "Probably wondering why I ended up running away from it, though. Why I suddenly realised she was buying my affection. I was six years old when I was introduced to him. To Raz. He was already the way he is now. Immortal bastard. He had no problems at all being introduced to a kid, and being told that she was his future bride, as soon as she turned eighteen."

"What the fuck?" Kitty said in surprise.

Arcana smiled weakly, "Yeah. My fucked up mother, palming me off to a wizard who is hundreds of years older than me. Not a second thought. I was too young to even realise just how fucked up it was. But it was only the first step along the journey of my life. My path, that she laid out for me, before I was even born."

"My dad wanted me to become a princess of the clan. Beatin' down and orderin' beat downs. What would a goddess want for their kid? What kinda life she expect marryin' you to a cradle robber?"

She sighed heavily, "A path, long and lonely. Messed up. Your dad wanted you to be his heir? She wanted me to be hers. To become worthy of ascension, and to become the first of a new generation of gods. Wanted me to rule the fucking world. Shape it, to my will."

Kitty scratched her head, "Coupla days ago, that woulda sounded real strange. Still does, to be honest. Ya said fucked up. I ain't disagreein'."

"I didn't get to the real fucked up part, yet." Arcana shivered, remembering it. "I didn't just run away from home, when it came time for the wedding. I told her what I was doing. You can't run from someone who can hear everything, be everywhere. So... Mum cursed me. She took most of my magic, which I didn't care about. I had my dragons. She also took most of my life. I would have lived forever, as a birthright. Instead... Well, she said that I'd die before mortals considered me old."

The woman suddenly stood up and walked over to her, sitting down beside her. "Come again?"

"We've been together for three days." Arcana's voice shook, "Forgive me for not telling you I'm probably dying. Don't know when. Curses aren't that obvious. Less predictable than cancer. I could die tomorrow. I could die ten years from now."

Kitty took her hand, squeezing it tightly, "Only ten?"

"I'm not going to hit forty, if that's what you're asking." Arcana shrugged, "She's trying to force me back. Make me into what she wants. Did you really not notice the similarities between me and a crazy cat lady? Surrounded by pet dragons?"

The woman sighed, "Why do I get the feelin' there's even more shit to this curse?"

"There is." Arcana winced and shrugged, "So much more. She ranted at me. I can't have kids. Not just sterile, mind you. That would have been too nice for my mother. If I adopt a kid, they'll die. In my arms. Guaran-fucking-teed."

Kitty grabbed her chin, "What the fuck, Arcana? What in the fuck is wrong with your mother?"

"She's a goddess. They get what they want." She said bitterly, "Even my name, Kitty. It means Daughter of Magic. That's who she intended me to be. The goddess of magic. The stuff that makes shit weird and messed up in a million different ways. She wanted me to be the embodiment of it."

The woman shook her head, "I can't believe I told her to act like a mother. Shoulda tried to brain her."

"Mum wouldn't know how to be a mother if the manual for dummies was beaten into her skull." Arcana shook her head, "But... Kinda sweet that you tried."

Kitty shook her head, "I thought my old man was a prick. If you ever forgive the bitch for cursing you, Arcana, we're over. Done. No explanations, no excuses."

"Which one of us is the cursed one?" Arcana snapped angrily.

The woman glared right back at her, "It ain't right. And I ain't never forgivin' ya mum for taking ya from me. I was hopin' to have time to enjoy us. Time ta get my head on straight. That's not what we have. I reckon rest of the world was cursed right along with you. A world without you in it, is a world not worth livin' in."

Arcana's bottom lip trembled as she watched the ferocity of her girlfriend. She sniffled and wiped at her cheeks with irritation. "Kitty..."

"Yeah?"

"... You lit the bed on fire."

---

Kitty pouted as they waited outside the hotel for the fire department to finish their thing. She was still fuming about Arcana's confession. Still angry that her girlfriend was doomed by her own mother for choosing what she wanted to be when she grew up.

She'd really thought that when it came to the darker sides of life, she'd had it worse than the cute little thing in front of her that had somehow already found a cat-sized dragon and was playing fetch with it and a rock.

She didn't know the meaning of dark.

Kitty knew when someone was holding out on her, when they were trying to hide the worst of what had happened. Whatever the witch bitch had done to her daughter was even worse than what she had already admitted.

She wasn't going to push.

Truth was, she didn't want to know. She didn't know if she could handle finding out anything else. She wanted dragons and flying, and crazy fun shit like that.

She didn't want to watch someone die.

Pink candyfloss puffed in front of her for a moment, before unravelling to reveal a gorgeous woman with red lips, and redder eyes. They had long fingernails, but they felt more like claws than delicately protected sexy things.

The woman was also wearing some gothic leather dress, which Kitty had to admit was downright beautiful, if in a cosplay sort of way.

She raised an eyebrow, "Witch?"

"Ooh!" The woman finally noticed her crouching and skipped over to her, "You must be her! Wow. You're pretty. Totally jelly. Don't suppose Arcana would let me borrow you, would she?"

Kitty stood up, glaring, "Huh?"

"Chill, sugar." The woman laughed, "Just an old friend of hers. Hey, girl!"

Arcana fell over as she froze in surprise and the dragon pounced. She shoved it away rudely and stood up, rubbing where she had hit her head. "Ow. Bad dragon. Um... Lil? What are you doing here?"

"Checking out your girlfriend, mostly." The newcomer replied, "Is she as good in bed as I think she is?"

Arcana flushed red, "Uhm... Kitty, this is Ardet-lili. Lilith if you can't remember it. As you can see, she's a total slut."

"You say the sweetest things." The witch swooned, acting like it was an actual compliment.

Kitty frowned, "Lilith. Like... Vampire queen or whatever? Like on TV?"

Arcana's hand found hers, interlacing possessively with a painfully firm grip. "Uhm... Sort of. Lil here, invented bloodplay and a whole assortment of fetishes you don't want to know about. Her magic is fuelled by sex. And she really does tend to fuck anything she likes the look of. Don't let your guard down."

"So that's a no to the threesome? Pity." Lilith shrugged, "But, you seem okay, girl. That's all I wanted to check, after I found out what you did to Raz, I expected to find you crying in a dark room. Came to cheer you up."

Kitty tensed up, "Friend of that bastard?"

"No." Lilith said innocently, "I just fuck him now and then. After a few hundred years, he's better than most boys. Knows how to take his time... And when not to. I also invented the hickey. You can thank me now, or after you've marked Arcana as yours. She likes it."

Kitty raised an eyebrow, "This thing why you'd never slept with a girl before? Its like a horny teenager on crack."

Arcana giggled, "Accurate, if somewhat mean. So what non-sex-related fun did you have in mind? Kitty burned our room down."

"Hey!"

Lilith giggled, "Music. Duh. I'm putting on a live at the park. Been a long time since you saw me sing, hasn't it? Come on. It'll be fun. And afterwards, thanks to the pent-up weebs I'll have enough mana to send you home. Away from everyone who keeps trying to use you."

This woman actually did give a damn about Arcana. Understood her, as well.

"I'm not singing." Her girlfriend growled.

Lilith shrugged, "Pity. What about you, sexy? Feel like stepping onto a stage?"

"Feel like gettin' ya teeth busted?"

The woman laughed, "Not tonight, honey. Need to save my mana for a teleport instead of some post-sex healing. Can I take a raincheck?"

"Holy fuck." Kitty swore at the implication.

Arcana smiled tightly, "Tried to warn you. Uhm... I know J-Pop probably isn't your thing, but..."

"Nerd." Kitty scoffed, and then shrugged, "You'll owe me. Lets go watch a horny demon sing weird crap to horny guys."

Her heart nearly stopped when Arcana gave her a long and deep kiss. "You're the best, Kitty."

---

"Hai!, Hai!, Hai!" Arcana punched the air as she sang along with the song. It was nothing particularly special, but she didn't really care. It was all about feeling the hyped up music and dancing along whilst pretending the world was sparkling rainbows.