Title: Egged
Fandom: The Arcana
Rating: G
Length: 664 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: ft. my apprentice Lora and a bag that they should have left at home after going to the market. Also fills the "Egg" square on my bingo card here!
Summary: Lora and Asra face off against the Devil. An egg saves the day.



They shouldn't have come here.

Lora cast a wild glance behind them, nearly tripping over a branch as they ran. Asra was still there, casting his own glance back over his shoulder. And behind them, Lucio - or not-Lucio - followed. He wasn't moving especially fast, but maybe he didn't need to. At this point, neither Lora nor Asra was certain how much was still Lucio, and how much was the Devil, oozing over whatever was left of the former Count like some kind of fungus.

Lora focused on running again - and skidded to a halt, cursing. Asra stopped moments behind them.

There was a wall. Lora was sure that wall hadn't been there before. But they were in the Devil's realm now, and all bets were apparently off.

"Lora," Asra said, eyes wide as he glanced between them, the wall, and the Devil. "It's - it'll be fine."

Lora couldn't help a slight smile at that. Even now, with everything either of them had tried batted aside by the Devil like it was nothing, Asra was still trying to comfort them.

"It will be," they said firmly. Even if Asra was lying to make them feel better, there was no reason that Lora couldn't do the same right back.

The two of them drew closer together as the Devil approached, his lips curled in a parody of a smile.

Lora's hand bumped the bag at their hip. Casting a quick glance at the Devil to be sure he wasn't watching, they slipped their hand into the bag, searching for something, anything, that might help.

They didn't hold out much hope. But then their fingers brushed against something - smooth, round, weighty. Lora had no idea what it was, but they slipped it out of the bag and held it loosely, waiting for their moment.

The Devil was distracted, talking about what he planned to do, monologuing yet again. Lora was scared of him, of course, they couldn't help it. But really, did he have to spend so much time talking?

It was working to their advantage now, though. Lora took a breath, lifted their hand, and threw.

The object they'd pulled out of the bag hit the Devil's horn with a wet crack. Lora didn't wait around to see how he would react. They grabbed Asra's hand and ran.

The Devil didn't follow them, thank everything.

Much later, when the two of them were safe back at the shop, Asra looked at Lora and burst into laughter.

"What?" they asked, frowning a little. People often seemed to get jokes that they didn't, but normally Asra, Julian, Nadia, and Portia all at least tried to explain the joke to them.

Asra shook his head, tears of mirth streaming from his eyes. It took him a moment or two to calm down enough to say, his voice shaking with laughter, "Lora - the look on his face!"

"What about it?" Lora asked. "I didn't see, I just ran." They paused, tipping their head to one side. "I'm not even sure what it was I threw at him. I just found it in my bag."

"You don't know?" Asra asked, grinning even wider. "Lora, it was - you threw an egg. You threw an egg at the Devil!" And then he was laughing again, breathless and slightly hysterical.

Well, Lora could see the funny side of it now. They could imagine it in their head: the Devil standing stock still, frozen in shock at Lora's audacity, egg yolk dripping down from his goatlike horns, maybe freezing in the snow. And the split second when it hit, that Asra must have seen...

Lora dissolved into laughter. Asra grinned at them, his eyes shining.

They still had to face the Devil again. The two of them weren't out of the metaphorical woods yet. But Lora felt that they were justified in taking this little bit of time to recover now.