“Did you hear what I said?”, Baxter growls. He steps further out of the shadows, his gaunt evergreen face shielded by long golden locks of hair. At the stricken silence he gets in return, he scowls deeply before casting a stare down where Jefferson barks beneath the balcony. He clenches his green fingers into a fist, and a prison of cacti surrounds Jefferson, prompting the canine’s irate growls to turn to frightened whimpers. Baxter tilts his head to the side, his eyes full of scrutiny. “Is that a…jackal?”

Panic descends upon Mara at the sound of Jefferson’s cries. She summons her scythe and slices herself free of her thorny binds and collapses just a few feet away from her beloved friend. Breathing heavily, she rushes towards him and hacks him free of his cage. Another vine slinks towards them, and she places herself between he and it, her eyes glowing lavender as she looks up at Baxter and calls out, “Leave him alone!” When he just continues to stare at her, she takes in a shaky breath, her eyes imploring. “Please. W-We’re here for the ad you placed at the Citadel. That’s all.”

“You insult my intelligence, witch, if you believe I’d fall for a lie like that. I cut all ties with the Citadel years ago.” He crosses his arms over his chest, and his vines rise beside him as if on guard. “I have a very strict trespassing rule. If you’re here for an autograph, I’m going to have to insist you leave.”

Realization dawns upon Mara. That explains the animosity. She supposes it makes sense that someone as famous as Baxter would be anxious about someone randomly showing up on his doorstep. Especially when that someone has a scythe and a fire-eyed jackal. She lowers her scythe, an awkward laugh escaping her as she tucks it behind her back. “Well, I’m not here for an autograph. Like I said, I saw your ad at the Citadel. ‘Looking for a partner, 5+ years experience.’”

“...On the bulletin?”, Baxter asks. His vines inch over the balcony, stretching into the shape of a staircase. He walks down the makeshift steps, and when he at last stands before her, the green glow to his eyes has begun to dim. “Forgive me, I didn’t want to shout. That advertisement is five years old.”

Dread pools in the pit of Mara’s stomach. Content to ignore the pointed glare Jefferson sends her way, she holds Baxter’s stare before saying, “There’s no way. It says it expires on the first of March”.

“Yes, on the first of March.” He lifts a hand to scratch at the mossy beard clinging to his cheeks. “Five years ago.”

The silence that stretches between them is a damning one. When at last Mara breaks it, her voice is just louder than a whisper. “Oh.” She rubs the back of her neck, an awkward smile tugging at her lips. “Well. You wouldn’t happen to still be looking for a partner, now, would you?”

“I’m not actually”, Baxter remarks. He holds out a hand, and a venus flytrap waddles over to them to hand him a cup of water. He takes a long sip of it, watching her over the rim of his cup before he lowers it once more. “Glad we’ve settled that. You can leave now.”

She wavers for a moment, not wanting to overstay her welcome but also desperately needing this. She walks over to a patch of grass and moss and calls out, “Well, what about a gardener? Don’t let the purple confuse you because I’ve got quite the green thu-ow!” She trips over an overgrown tree root, and as her face collides with the ground, everything dies, her magic draining the area of all greenery. She peels her face off the ground with a groan to find Baxter standing over her with his hands on his hips.

“I’m sure you make a good weedkiller.” He lowers into a beach chair overgrown, ironically enough, with weeds and takes another sip of his water.

His indifference is a little surprising, but she sees it as an improvement to dangling by her ankle over the balcony. She takes in a deep breath before walking over to him, warily eyeing his flytraps as she does so. “I do a lot more than kill weeds. There was this one time I resurrected two squirrels at my Great Uncle Faust’s barbecue, and he said it was the coolest thing he’d seen since he broke out of prison.” She pauses for dramatic effect. “And this was after he choked to death on a sweet potato, mind you.”

“Stop. Just, please, stop”, the man says with a raised hand, tiredly pinching the bridge of his green nose as a long, withering sigh escapes him. “Even if I was still hiring, the ad, which I’m almost certain you didn’t finish reading, called for a chlorokinetic. Near as I can tell, that’s the very opposite of your power set.”

Mara just shrugs before admitting, “Well…yeah. Kinda”. When he just scowls, she bites her lower lip, her confidence wavering until she feels Jefferson butt his head against her arm. She smiles and reaches out to pet him before she turns back to face Baxter. He raises an eyebrow at her, and she takes in a deep breath, straightening her shoulders as she wills herself to sound more confident than she feels. “You said you were looking for a partner with experience. And I’ve got tons.”

“I’m sure.” Baxter brings his chin to rest in the palm of his hand and sighs. “I’ve been down this road before. You’re pitching yourself so hard because you’ve stricken out with every other super because let’s face it, there isn’t exactly a market for necromantic supers. Kind of an oxymoron, don’t you think?”

Admittedly rattled by his dismissive attitude, Mara nonetheless presses on. “Only because there’s never been one before.” When he just rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his drink, she lifts her head higher, hands clenched into fists at her side. “That’s why I’m gonna be the first.”

“Lucky me. It would appear I’ve caught myself an optimist. And lemme guess, you think you somehow can help me out of my poor, unfortunate slump, is that it?”, Baxter scoffs with an annoyed roll of the eyes. He rises from his seat once more, humming lightly to himself when a potted fern walks over to him. Head tilted to the side, he lifts a hand to lightly run a finger along one of his leaves. “You know, contrary to popular belief, I’m not some desperate has-been just waiting to be rescued from the throes of obscurity. The work I’m doing here is more important than any work I’ve ever done. I’m happy.”

Inspiration takes hold of Mara at his words, her eyes brightening when she lets out, “The work you’re doing. You mean the Haunted House infestation?” At the raised brow she gets in return, she grins and makes matching finger-guns his way. “Told ya I read the flier.”

“Only just barely.” All the same, he remains where he stands, as if expecting her to continue.

So she does. Jefferson saunters over to her, lips twisted into a defensive snarl at Baxter, who returns it with a snarl just as, if not more, horrifying. She coos at the jackal to reassure him before turning back to Baxter. “I’m a necromancer. Haunted Houses, they’re kind of my specialty.” When he just continues to stare, she lifts a hand to clasp the skeleton head pendant holding her cloak in place, willing her smile to remain in place. “I know you had your heart set on a chlorokinetic, and I don’t blame you. But if you give me a chance and I promise you, I will make it worth your while.”

“...Nice pitch”, he says after a moment.

And Mara can only let out a breath before she responds, “Thank you. So. What do you say?”

A moment passes where Baxter just looks at her before several vines seize her by her ankles. They promptly drag her over the balcony and, before she can so much as blink, toss her into a bush. With a dejected sigh, she pries herself free of its prickly confines, picking thorns out of places thorns were never meant to be when a pair of fiery eyes lock onto her. Jefferson lets out a whine before he trots sadly over to her.

“Come on, Jeff.” With significantly less enthusiasm than before, she crawls atop his back and pulls out her spellbook, calling forth a communication spell. A picture of Cupid blossoms to life between the pages before it gains dimension, her eyes locking onto Mara once she makes the connection. She allows her shoulders to fall, then lifts a hand to rub the back of her neck. “Hey, Val. Can we, uh, can we spend the night at your place?”

Sadness creeps into her friend’s eyes before a small smile creases her lips. “Of course you can, honey. You remember the address?”

“I do”, Mara says. Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes when she thanks her and ends the call. Tails between their legs, the two teleport to her place in record time, being welcomed by the feathery woman with a great big embrace.

Val pulls away, tapping a finger underneath her chin when she says, “Chin up, girl. We’re gonna find you a partner even if it kills us”.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.” All the same, her smile strengthens before Val gestures for her to sit on a giant heart-sized bed, complete with pink, white, and red blankets and bedsheets. She collapses atop it with a loud groan, tucking her arms underneath her head as she casts a glance to the left. The pot of tulips in the corner droops, and her spirits fall ever lower.

She’s just about ready to turn in for the night when a thump at the window garners her attention. With a frown, she scoots off the bed and approaches the heart-shaped window in question, where she finds a beanstalk with a letter attached to it. Heart in her throat, she shoves open the screen and stretches out a hand, her fingers trembling as her eyes lock onto an elegant scrawl of letters: Be here at 2 pm. We can further discuss the matters of a partnership then.

“Oh, sweet Hades! Yes!” Mara whips her head around just in time to see Val ducking her head into her room. She waves the letter at her and squeals. “He changed his mind. He wants me to come in tomorrow.”

Jefferson snatches the letter from her hands, swallowing before she can so much as protest. Val just shrugs before she says, “I’m with him”. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Are you sure about this?”

“More sure than I’ve ever been in my entire life”, Mara assures her. She takes in a deep breath and grabs hold of her skeleton pendant, smiling. Baxter may not be anyone’s first choice, but neither is she. That alone makes her think this’ll all be worthwhile. 

A fond smile creases Val’s lips before she turns for the door, jerking her head for Mara to follow. “Come on, then. You’re gonna need a good meal and a full night’s sleep if you wanna make a good impression. You can make the rice.”

“All right.” Mara follows her, mind racing a mile a minute. She doubts she’ll be able to sleep much tonight, but that’s okay. She’s in a new city, she has her best friend at her side. 

And if all goes according to plan, she’ll have a partner that actually sees some worth in her.