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[b] “Well, Miss Matthews, everything came out okay with your scans. No major tears or fractures to be seen, but you’ll need to follow the usual treatment for dislocations.”[/b]

[i]Great.[/i]

The doctor before her set down a small stack of instructional and medical papers. Arabelle glanced over them quickly. Fortunately for her, she wouldn’t have to come back for any treatment. She didn’t see anything about seeing a physical therapist but she had an inkling that at least one appointment would be recommended. Arabelle would politely refuse.

[b] “You’ll only need to wear the sling for a few days. I want you to wear it for two nights while you sleep with a pillow tucked under your arm for support.”[/b] The doctor continued as she helped Arabelle stick her arm into the fabric trap. Arabelle couldn’t feel a thing in her shoulder, but she knew that it would have hurt to move it without the painkillers.

Once the sling was properly secured, the doctor held up a bottle before slipping it into a paper bag, along with her instructional papers. [b] “Take one pill in the morning and one at night with water and crackers for your stomach. There should be enough to last you until your shoulder is doing better. The papers have information and resources for physical therapy, but you can also look up treatment exercises online through our website.”[/b]

[b] “Unless you have any further questions, I think we’re all wrapped up here.”[/b] The doctor finished with a smile. Arabelle nodded before pushing herself onto her feet.

[color=804061] “I don’t have any questions now, but if I do I’ll contact a PT.”[/color] She smiled at the nurse and took her goody bag, stuffing it into the hand that poked just barely out of the sling. [color=804061] “Thank you, Doctor.”[/color]

The doctor returned the smile. [b] “It’s my pleasure, Miss Matthews. Let me help you with your cardigan.”[/b] Arabelle watched her with an awkward silence as the doctor turned to the chair by the door. She took a step forward, just in time to prevent the doctor from also picking up the (super fucking weird) ram skull hidden underneath.

Arabelle cleared her throat and scooped it up with her good arm before clutching it to her chest. [color=804061] “Sorry, it’s a- um, a family heirloom. Just want to make sure it doesn’t fall.”[/color]

[i]I can never come back here again.[/i] Arabelle thought as the doctor raised an eyebrow.

 [b] “[i]Mhm[/i]”[/b] 

[i]Yep. Never coming back.[/i]

The doctor placed her cardigan over her shoulders, said a short goodbye, and led her far enough out of the wing that Arabelle could find her own way out. Arabelle would have flushed in embarrassment if she hadn’t seen Ezra down the hall.

[color=804061] “Let’s go before they admit me to the psych ward.”[/color] Arabelle muttered to Ezra before she continued towards the exit. She wanted to get this ram skull back to the estate as quickly as possible.

[hr]

Arabelle returned to the estate with too much on her mind. As she walked inside, her body shaking without her coat to protect her from the winter night, Arabelle immediately headed for her coat in the closet closest to the door. Thankfully the Vanburens were already gathering for a family meeting and missed the awkward display of Arabelle shuffling the coat over her shoulders. She wasn’t sure how she was going to manage wearing a sling for four days if it was this difficult to wear for an hour.

She could hear the whistle of a kettle from the kitchen. Tea time, right. Who would be making tea without a servant to help? Arabelle figured it was Georgie. She never missed tea time. Arabelle headed down the hall and towards the kitchen, but it seemed that she’d just missed the Vanburen sister. She was hoping not to miss the beginning of the meeting. Although what she had to say would be enough to explain why the cult attacked in the first place, she wanted to know what the others thought had happened first. Well, unless Ezra explained her hospital visit for her before she made it out there. Into the cold, cold night. Arabelle took a breath to compose herself as she made a hot mug of tea with honey to sweeten it. She sipped it on her way towards the others, anxiously pondering their reactions to her side adventure.

She stepped into the freezing air just in time to hear the beginning of the speech.

Arabelle stood a few feet from the circle with her back to the warm light of the estate home. She listened to the ghost facer’s opening lines. He seemed experienced enough to know what steps to take next, and even though he was young… too young, she listened to him closely. To hear that they already knew where the cult had its base was surprising. Arabelle honestly didn’t think the family was smart enough to put in that detective work. Especially within such a short amount of time. She glanced towards Shane for a moment and wondered if she underestimated the hermit, but she also figured it was partly because of Justin that it happened so swiftly.

They hadn’t even put a tarp over the hole in the estate yet. Was that what they were doing instead of working on repairs? Arabelle pressed her lips into a tight line. Was she the only one that cared about the state of their home?

By the end of his monologue Arabelle was fully ready to step forwards to explain the ram skull shoved between her elbow and ribs. Maybe even to object to fighting the cult without reason as well. Unfortunately the other Vanburen’s beat her to it. She was glad to hear one Vanburen was already against the fight. It wasn’t surprising that Oscar was taking Justin’s advice sincerely, since the Vanburen had invited them in the first place. Yet her eyebrows rose as Oscar described the abstractions of the wiccans. He had a point to strike first. Did he really think the others were capable of it? She hadn’t been around to see them in action, but based on her knowledge of their character she was only sure a few of them could hold their own in an offensive position.

[b] “There’s also a healer.”[/b] The other expert, Tuyen, mentioned, and it lit a lightbulb in Arabelle’s mind. The healer was the woman that gave her the ram. Arabelle realized that she didn’t even remember her name. She blamed that tiny mistake on the shock of dislocating her shoulder. 

[b] "Going to have to put that cult down. Sooner or later."[/b]

Shane’s gruff voice sent shivers down her spine and Arabelle turned her head to give him an incredulous look. Was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting? Yes, they’d broken into the estate, wrecked it beyond simple repair, and attacked them with water, fire, and [i]hellhounds[/i], but from what she gathered from the healer, they were extremely misguided. It didn’t warrant any bloodshed. His first words were enough to leave Arabelle apprehensive of what he had to say next. Still, she found herself surprised by his capabilities as he mentioned maps, the knowledge of a few of the wiccan’s names, and the possible locations of a few. It was enough to make Arabelle consider the quiet, brooding Vanburen in a different light. Perhaps he was capable of all of this before the experts arrived. How much else could he figure out on his own? Arabelle was now considering how much time Shane may have spent in his father’s study, before or after his passing.

Arabelle watched Shane as she finished voicing his thoughts and retreated to the edge of the balcony. He may very well have convinced most of the Vanburens to fight before she could get a say in. Before any others could follow after him, Arabelle took a breath and put her mug into her sling hand. It was time to make her own stand. She kept her head high as stepped her way into the circle, reaching for the ram skull under her arm. As soon as she’d taken her place among them she held it out into the center of the group by its horn.

[color=804061] “This is what they came here for.”[/color] Arabelle stated plainly as she looked at each of them. [color=804061] “The Horned God,”[/color] Arabelle tried not to visibly shudder as she spoke his name, [color=804061]”is sealed within this skull.”[/color] Just saying it aloud sent shivers down her fingertips, up her arms, and to the back of her neck. His voice was an eerie caress across her mind that threatened to scatter her thoughts. He was still trying to convince her to set him free. 

[color=804061] “A woman within the cult- the healer, spoke to me before I escaped. I confronted her in a room where she was searching for this. She is against this Morgana and the Triple Goddesses plan to release him, saying that most of the wiccans are misguided and unaware of what they are doing. What she said could be a ruse, I know, but she still gave this to me for protection.”[/color]

She turned towards the Liao ghost detective.

[color=804061] “Why would she hand this over so easily if it is what her leader wants? If this healer is truly against their plans, she may know a way to stop the cult without violence. She could tell us plenty more about this Triple Goddess and any weaknesses as well.”[/color] Arabelle glanced at Shane on that note to prove she’d been listening before she spoke to the other Vanburens in the circle. [color=804061] “I think we should try to contact her before we make any hasty decisions.”[/color]

Finished with her speech, Arabelle lowered her arm and looked down at the skull. She was careful not to look into its empty eye sockets. [color=804061] “We also need to decide what to do with [i]this[/i] in the meantime.”[/color] The corners of her mouth tugged downwards in what could only be disdain.