Hestadil Shorts

Oblivious

"I wonder who'll get married next." Sophie said aloud, voice wistfull. They were at the real party that she'd planned after Tedros and Agatha's wedding. Agatha had despised all the formalities, so they'd planned a much smaller get together with only their closer friends.

Agatha had been failing to hide her beaming smile all day, and had officially given up by this point. They'd pulled out leftover cake, and Dot had concequently showed up at their table.

"I bet it'll be Hester and Anadil." Tedros said, face also plastered with a joyful grin. (He hadn't let go of his queen's hand all day.) Agatha nodded agreement, and Dot giggled.

"What?" Sophie asked, holding the cucumber slice she'd been lifting to her mouth still. She waited for the indication that he'd been joking, but it didn't come. Agatha glanced at her. "You alright?" She asked, eyebrows drawing together slightly.

"What do you mean about Hester and Anadil?" Tedros looked over at her, expression bordering amusement.

"I mean that I think they'll be the next couple to get married." He helpfully explained, starting his sixth slice of cake.

"Wait a moment. Do you mean they're together??" Sophie asked, staring at the others. Tedros snorted. "You couldn't tell?"

Agatha looked dumbstruck. "Sophie they've been dating for years." Sophie's jaw dropped.

Tedros was laughing his head off. "Sophie, even I could tell they were together. How in the world did you miss it?"

Even Dot had looked up from her cake now, surprised. "I thought you knew all about this kind of thing, Sophie." She said with her mouth full, earning herself a glare from Sophie and a snicker from Tedros.

"Maybe you're all reading into it too much." Sophie said with a sniff. Agatha shook her head in pity.

"Hester! Anadil!" Sophie called across the palace's central gardens where they'd held the party. Tedros raised his eyebrows.

A few moments later, Hester was making her way to their table, Anadil following closely behind her. "What is it?" Hester asked, slightly annoyed at having been called over by Sophie, who she generally avoided.

"I have an important question." Hester looked at Tedros, who was watching them, eyes gleaming with excitement. Which did not go unnoticed by the witches. Hester flicked her eyes back to Sophie expectantly.

"You and Anadil aren't together, are you?" Sophie asked, finally lifting her cucumber slice to her mouth. She was ready to savor her victory.

"What?" Hester said it more as a statement than a question. Anadil had finally looked up, face reserved. It was always hard to tell with her.

"Like, romantically. You and Anadil are not dating. You're not in love, you don't kiss, you don't feel butterflies. You know." Sophie waved her hand about as she attempted to explain what "together" meant to Hester, who was growing more unimpressed by the second.

"She knows what you meant, Sophie." Anadil said, a smile hidden in her voice. Tedros's idiotic grin had returned. Dot grabbed one of Sophie's cucumbers, turned it to chocolate, and offered it to Agatha who accepted happily. (She now had a chocolate stain on the white silk of her wedding dress, and had convenientely folded the fabric to hide it from Sophie)

Hester looked over at Agatha, questioningly. "She's serious." Agatha answered.

"No, we are." Hester responded.

"What? Like romantically? You're dating? You kiss? You feel butterflies?" Sophie asked, confidence melting away to shock.

Hester turned to look at Anadil, who shrugged in response. So Hester sighed, turning back to Sophie.

"We are romantically together. We are dating. We have kissed. I've got no comment on whatever the hell 'feeling butterflies' is, but whatever." Tedros began laughing again, ecstatic at Sophie's floored expression.

"Seriously?? Why have you been hiding it?" Sophie asked incredulously, trying to remember if she'd ever seen any signs of romance between them before.

"We haven't been hiding it." Anadil responded, amused. Hester just looked confused. Agatha was snickering, Tedros was wheezing (he really did relish Sophie's moments of failure) And Dot was grinning, turning more cucumbers to chocolate for Agatha. Sophie continued to gaze at the witches with wide eyes.

"Well, now that that's cleared up." Hester muttered, turning around and taking Anadil by the hand to walk back to their table.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, okay. So they've been together for years, I completely missed it, I get it." Sophie snapped, frustrated. And then a look of realization dawned on her face. She turned to look at Tedros.

"You said you think they'll get married?" She'd gone from annoyed to excited in half a second. Tedros shrugged.

"Actually..." Dot started, gaining the attention of the other three at the table. "Hester's been wanting to propose. I know she's got a ring. But I think she's too scared." Dot giggled, glancing across the garden at her covenmates (who were both cackling at a terribly morbid joke Anadil had made).

"She has a ring?" Agatha asked, voice squealy in a very Sophie-like way.

"Hester? Scared?" Tedros asked, shocked.

"Mhm. She can jump into life-threatening situations without a second thought... but the idea of proposing to her girlfriend who will absolutely accept is terrifying to her."

"Hm..." Sophie murmered thoughtfully. Agatha saw the twinkle in her eye, and shared a horrified glance with Tedros.

"Sophie, no."