Back? # **Chapter Five: There Arose Such A Clatter** *Beltane Potion Shoppe, 8:00 AM* --- Song(s): **Green Christmas - Barenaked Ladies** --- Howling winds and pelting hailstones rapping against her window roused Rhea Diaz, ex-captain of the Elacantan Royal Guard, from her tenuous slumber. She instantly knew something was amiss -- while the Magispace’s weather ranged from sun to rain to snow, it was never stormy. Downing a small glass vial filled with honey-gold liquid -- a potion that restored her strength and youth, counteracting a curse placed on her -- she climbed out of bed and headed into the hallway. A moment later, her longtime roommate and best friend, Jinx Beltane, stumbled out of his bedroom, eyelids still heavy from sleep. While Diaz was a morning person, Jinx was not. After Jinx’s brief detour to the kitchen for his morning coffee, the pair parked in front of their living room window just in time to witness the chaos in the Magispace’s central plaza. Eira’s arrival, the festival grounds’ desecration by the storm, and Burgundy, Mirina, and Fileran’s ill-fated attempts to fight back. They saw all of it and knew they had to help, however they could. The pair had lengthy histories with the Demon Lords -- they technically belonged to one of them. Fortunately, it was Lucien, who had betrayed the other four and gone into hiding ages ago. He hadn’t been much of a problem since, although it hadn’t stopped him from cursing Diaz into the form of a haggard old crone as retribution for a slight against him. Besides, Jinx and Diaz were more than equipped to handle any danger that might come their way. Although they were both retired and living relatively peaceful lives by now, Jinx was hailed as the ‘father of modern alchemy’ for his recipes and discoveries. Diaz had once led an elite legion of soldiers sworn to protect her home kingdom’s crown at any cost. The pair were helpers at heart and sprang into action. They returned to their bedrooms and donned their usual attire: a button-up shirt and jeans for Jinx and a T-shirt and yoga pants for Diaz. Jinx grabbed his healer’s kit from its resting place in his closet, and Diaz buckled her scabbard around her waist, sheathing her silver sword inside. They bundled up in their winter coats and boots in the front hall, ready to lend a hand. As they left the warm comfort of their home to brave the elements, Jinx caught himself thinking, “Couldn’t this just be a normal holiday?”