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Realistic or Modern The Stitch N' Witch Club

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mikaluvkitties

Professional Unicorn Lover
One deep breath. Then another. Casper continued running the cold water over their hands, then lifted some to their face, rubbing it across the thing. Another deep breath, pacing it. Casper still couldn’t really remember that dumb acronym Emory had taught him, but it had something to do with cold water and breathing.

They needed to calm down- Sure, there were new people, but that was just how it was sometimes. It wasn’t like it was the end of the world. They were probably really nice, and if they weren’t- like they really, really weren’t- it wasn’t like Raul would let them stay.

Casper knew Emory had said something about not being mean to himself, about being fair, treating himself like he was his friend, and for the most part, Casper had been doing really good with that, but right now it felt impossible to feel anything other than stupid.

Casper didn’t even dislike new people.

At least they hadn’t let it be obvious they were freaking out when they excused themself. Sure, that wasn’t a good response, but they still felt a weak bubble of pride at it. Finally strong enough to look at themself, Casper lifted their eyes to the mirror, and they wished they were surprised by the frizzy hair and pinkness to their eyes.

They ran damp hands through their hair in an attempt to calm it, then turned off the sink, drying their hands on the towel nearby.

With one last look in the mirror, one last shaking breath, they put on a smile, weaker than they may have liked but at least genuine, then headed back to the group.

Quietly, he returned to his seat.
 
Aleah jittered her leg up and down, fidgeting with the metal spiral of her AP Bio notebook. She should have been more relaxed, probably- Emory had sworn up and down that the people here would be able to get her some answers about all the weird stuff that’d been happening this week. As soon as they got there, though, they dumped her in with a bunch of strangers and went to set up a snack table, leaving Aleah alone with her thoughts. With an impatient puff of breath, she flipped the notebook open to today’s page, marked with a bright pink sticky note.

Mitosis- occurs in somatic and germline cells. Prophase- chromatin condenses, chromosomes form as nucleus wanders down to the lakeside with rags in hand. Often, often, she is there, but today the water has no sentry. Step in at the sound of owlsong and do not stop walking until the foam lies well overhead. Be ready to flee when the chromosomes line up across center of cell- called metaphase plate.

“Here.” Aleah flinched up at the sound of Emory’s voice. They placed a bowl of ice cream into her hands. “Buckeye flavor. There’s also strawberry and mint chip in there, but I figured I’d go with your favorite.” With their usual wide smile, they settled onto the couch beside Aleah and started rummaging through the bag.

“Thanks,” Aleah mumbled, not sounding particularly thankful. As she took a spoonful, letting the chocolate and peanut butter melt together in her mouth, she watched Emory pull out a skein of yarn and a half-finished hat. She scowled. “Seriously, Em? I’m losing control of my hands at random and instead of introducing me to the guy who can fix it, you’re knitting?”

They rolled their eyes. “We’ve been through this. It’s a hook, not a needle. I’m crocheting.” They held up the hook, still stuck crossways through the hat, to prove their point. “Besides, Casper’s not in here right now… I don’t think they know how to fix it, though. Their hands just do the thing too.” With a shrug and a shake of their head, they sighed. “I understand that you’re a little out of your element here, but at least try and stay calm, okay? No one’s going to bite.” After a beat, they added, “I mean, Gloria might, but who knows with her.”

“Hrmph.” Aleah clenched her teeth down around her spoon. This Casper guy had better have some good answers, she thought to herself.

Ignoring the grumpy look on her face, Emory glanced around the room. “Been a hell of a week, though, hasn’t it?” they asked, aiming the question at no one in particular. It was pretty clearly rhetorical- everyone here had been touched by that magical surge, and since then, the town as a whole had been struggling with the fallout. Still, it seemed like a good way to get the conversation flowing (and, if they were lucky, to get their sister to open up).

Casper drifted back into the room, and Emory's face lit up. "Casp, there you are! This is Aleah- she wanted to talk to you." Aleah followed their gaze, and despite her best efforts, her eyebrows jerked up her forehead. Jesus, they're pale. Are they okay? Still, she forced a smile and a wave at them.

mikaluvkitties mikaluvkitties
 
Alyssa always hated socializing. She liked dressing up but not the occasions for which she dressed up. Aside from what her profession required, she liked to keep her interaction with people limited. Lately, it had become more and more difficult. The incident had brought many new people in the club and Aly was having a hard time in adjusting to it. She wanted to be cool and calm like Raul, whom she considered her mentor, but it was so hard. Honestly, when she saw Casper leave in a hurry, she completely understood their need to get out of there. She was feeling it too. Thank god for her new dress though, it soothed her a little to know she was looking her best.

She was sitting at the bar, knocking back shot after shot after of her favorite poison. Raul sure kept a good deal of alcohol in his home and every time, Aly visited him, she emptied at least half the stock which he then had to refill. Where did he get that kind of money?

People were milling around, talking with each other but Alyssa wasn't interested in joining them. She took out her notepad and pen from her pocket and started doodling a sigil for protection. This sigil always helped her when she was in social situations. Being an empath meant that she could feel and absorb people's emotions. Most of the time, she ended up with a lot of negativity, she absorbed it easily, so this sigil prevented that from happening. It kept an energy shield around her.

After stuffing the sigil in her jacket's pocket, she took and a deep breath and prepared herself for talking with the new people. The club members were fine, they understood her enough to leave her alone (well, except Gloria) but the new people didn't know and she didn't want to miss out on important stuff because of her anti-social tendencies. Maybe one of them could help her in some way with her mother's case. It was foolish hope. After all, how could a newbie help when people with far more experience couldn't but it was a hope nonetheless. She had to try.

She walked towards the group chatting just near the bar and joined them with a smile instead of a scowl fixed on her face.
 
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The indecipherable conversations of current and future members milling about in the sitting room at the front of the home were distant murmurs from the master bedroom. It was one of three master bedrooms, actually, set in the back of the home against the Eastern-facing wall. It was the third largest room in the entire home, and was rather expansive, though modestly furnished. The floor was a dark wood, draped in a blue and grey patterned rug, and the walls a simple off-white. There was a king-sized bed against the back wall, dressed in dark grays and topped with two pillows. Two dressers—one tall and narrow, the other short and long—were set against the wall across from the bed. In a small alcove facing East towards the rising moon, a window ran from the floor to the ceiling, a set of pastel-blue curtains drawn on either side. In front of the window sat an alter.

It was a modest alter, simplistic in nature and limited in decor. It was a repurposed wooden bookshelf, the original paint sanded away and the raw wood beneath stained a pale grey. One shelf split the piece into two halves, and it was filled with Raul’s personal journals and grimoires—books filled with notes and theories and ritualistic practices from his early days in the Wiccan religion, to present. Alongside his own journals, those of Wiccans and Witches who had gone before him, whose secrets had been left to him and him alone. Atop the bookshelf, was the alter setting itself. An athame lay in the middle, nearly twelve inches in length with a meticulously sharpened blade and a sparkling hilt that had been polished to a brilliant shine that begged to catch the moon. Upon the hilt, in fine swirling lettering, was inscribed the words “cœur fidèle”. It had been passed down to him from his mother, and to her from her mother, and to her from hers. The athame had traveled through the generations and its story could be traced back hundreds of years, though its origin was lost to time. On each of the four corners of the alter sat a candle, each a different color to represent the four elements most dear to Raul. On the left of the athame, sat a wooden carving of the goddess Frigg. On the right, her partner Odin.

The room was dark, for the sun shone on the western side, and Raul had not bothered to adjust the lights. He sat before the alter, legs folded in front of him, head bent downwards, eyes closed, and hands resting in his lap. His lips moved ever so slightly as the whispered prayer passed through them. A few lines, repeated in ritualistic fashion as he called on the goddess for patience and understanding, and the god for strength and willpower. The light of the four candles barely flickered, holding a steady flame. The minutes passed, and then an hour, and finally Raul reopened his eyes and lifted the athame from the alter. He drew in a breath, inhaling all the good of the god and the goddess, and then exhaled his concerns and his worries and his stressors. Again, he drew in a slow and deliberate breath, held it in his lungs for a few seconds, and then exhaled. He repeated the exercise a third time, before drawing the athame up and breaking the circle. The ritualistic prayer complete, Raul extinguished the candles, replaced the athame, and then pushed himself to his feet.

Leaving the lights off, his eyes happily adjusted to the soothing darkness, Raul dressed into his usual dark grey slacks and pale blue button-up, and slipped into a pair of brown oxfords. He pushed his hair back from his face, staring at himself in the mirror that rested atop the shorter of the two dressers. Deep blue eyes blinked back at him, waiting. He drew in a breath, then exhaled slowly. It was time.

Raul Barre locked his bedroom door behind him, a practice he maintained in order to preserve the sanctity of the space. He tucked the key into his pants pocket, and moved down the hall of rooms, eyes trailing the floor before his feet as he remained in quiet contemplation. This new batch of psychics was larger than usual, and different in their awakening. Raul wanted to believe that taking them all in would be no different than taking in any other group of psychics or witches, but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that there was more to all this than had yet been revealed.

Raul passed through the center of the home, which was a large great room that branched off into three separate hallways. He took the one on the left, which led to the entertaining part of the home, with two sitting rooms, one on either side of the hall. The end of the hall opened up to an even larger sitting room, which flowed quite naturally into a dining room to the left. Off of that branched a butler’s kitchen, and then an elaborate chef’s kitchen beyond that. Raul cut to the right, making a stop at the extensive bar against the sitting room’s back wall. He poured himself a couple fingers of scotch, and swirled it around in the glass tumbler before knocking it back. He set the glass aside, slipped his hands into his pants pockets, and turned his eyes on the room and its occupants.

“Hello, Aly,” Raul came up beside Alyssa, and offered a warm, friendly smile. “Quite the bunch, isn’t it?”
 
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“Just do blue. Like, right there? Bam! Blue. It’d make the little buildings really pop.”
Gloria’s fingers flicked out in an imitation of fireworks, her eyes bright as she gazed down at Laurie’s artwork. Her older sister hardly looked convinced. Laurie toyed with the ruler in her lap, a pencil nestled behind her ear. The first step of her art piece had taken ages; each line drawn and erased, deemed not straight enough. Finally at the painting process, she was still calculating which color to even start with.
The seconds ticked by. Gloria drummed her fingers along the table, standing above her sister’s cityscape artwork.
Another moment dragged on, Laurie’s lip bit in thought. “I could just start over again.”
Gloria took no further cue. She picked up a little pallet of watercolor paint, snatching the paintbrush from her sister and jamming the tip of it into the blue a few times. Color seeped into the splayed bristles.
“You’re ruining my brush,” Laurie chided. Her voice remained patient, but there was a ripple of annoyance bubbling under it all. She reached up to try to snag her supplies back, but Gloria spun away like a petulant toddler and continued mashing the brush around. Blue sloshed onto the baggy sleeve of her maroon hoodie, bunched at her wrists. She whipped the brush out of the blue muck and slapped it onto the paper.

Laurie’s jaw dropped. Paint splat over the neat lines of each building, dribbling over windows and sidewalks. Gloria broke into a proud grin, even going as far as smearing her finger through it and dragging blue in a scraggly line towards a cloud. “That’s so much better, you could-”
“Go do your cross stitch!” Laurie snapped. She stood abruptly, her heather gray tunic swaying out. Laurie yanked the brush back, bristles flattened out in every direction. Gloria sank down into a seat to get closer to the painting. She still held one blue finger in the air, eyebrows raised. Then, they folded into a scowl. “Alright, dickhead,” she retorted. “Why don’t you chill out and go sort your snack tray thing?”
“Emory did already,” Laurie growled. She shot a glance towards them, but then began taking a careful headcount around the room. Emory was here, along with their sister. Alyssa was doing her lingering by the bar, but it was typical of her. Casper just returned looking worn down; Laurie could give them time to acclimate again before offering a treat and an ear for conversation. Raul often did his own thing. It was his home, after all. But the rest? She ticked them off with a silent paranoia, assuring herself that they were accounted for.

“Hey, Lars? Laurie?” Gloria spoke up. Laurie glanced down at her, a hand absently set on Gloria’s shoulder. She busied herself by fixing Gloria’s hood, lips pulled tight in thought. They were all here. They were all safe… for now. Her heart clenched at the unknown variables that could change that. “What?” she murmured.
“I could finish this for you, alright? Make it look sharp,” Gloria suggested. She tapped the painting, eyes hopeful. Even slightly apologetic. Maybe it would quell Laurie’s upset if she made it look nice. Laurie nodded gently, eyes cast back out over the group. “Go for it.”
 
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Cody wasn't sure what he was doing in this party. Parties were where he belonged but after the accident, he had not been stable enough to even think about partying. And now here he was, in a party, with some very weird people.

Gloria Billings, the wildest girl he had ever laid eyes on, had found him at the sight of the accident. She had taken him to her sister who had given her some concoction, along with some answers, that had cleared his head.

Laurie Billings had told him where he was and what had happened here. He was one of the victims of this incident in their town and now his "psychic" powers had been...activated or something? He had not bought that strange story at first but he soon started experiencing things that he could not explain away with logic, so he had no choice but to believe Laurie.

She had offered membership of a club to him. She told him the members could help him. Well he hoped so because what he was experiencing was scary.

He had been brought to this party by Gloria. He couldn't refuse since she had helped him so much and besides, it was an opportunity to meet the members Laurie had told him about.

After coming to the party, the first thing he noticed was the number of people who looked as confuse as he did. They must be the newcomers Laurie was referring to, he thought. There were also some people who looked calm and collected. He guessed that they were the older members.

The house, where the party was in full swing, was pretty big and luxurious, he wondered who the host was. He must be quite wealthy.

People were milling around, talking with one another. Cody saw this as an opportunity to introduce himself. After all, if he was going to ask for their help, they should at least know who he is.
Where was Gloria anyway?

His head was aching a little but he ignored it and greeted the people standing in group. Just as he turned his head, he saw a breathtaking woman come towards them. She was...really really pretty. Wow. Cody had to know her name.

That problem was solved when a man appeared right next to her and called her Aly. She looked too extraordinary for such an ordinary nickname.

"Hi, I'm Cody Brown." He introduced himself to her, extending his hand.
 
Ollie was not sociable, not even in the slightest. Most of the time, if anyone attempted to interact with him, he'd snub them in a cold manner, turning up his nose and wheeling away. But this was different. He'd come here of his own volition, for the sole purpose of honing his craft. Now that he was here, he had no clue what to do, or how to approach anybody, instead sinking back into his wheelchair, looking like a pile of clothes.

This was dumb, he remarked internally, why did I even come here? Won't all of these people just get in my way? Unfortunately, his futures were coming up muddled, most likely due to the stress. He never could precognate under pressure. His studies brought him here. His precognitions told him coming here was the right thing to do. But it didn't feel right at all, he felt like a dumb, stupid martian in an earth house, not sure what to do. Like everybody was speaking some foreign language, and he had to grasp for what it all meant, his mouth forming over quiet syllables, trying to formulate an introduction. Hi, my name is Ollie. Hello, I'm Ollie. I'm Ollie, I'm new. Nice to meet you, I'm Ollie. All of it felt wrong.

Everyone, for lack of a better word, looked superior. The homeowner in particular was one of the most beautiful men Ollie had ever seen, in the Greco-Roman sense. It made Ollie's dysphoria spike high up, but he pushed it down. A man is not judged by the fullness of his beard or body, but that of his heart. He'd read that one someplace.

He'd brought his sketchbook with him, though Ollie wasn't a very good artist, and he knew it. At ten, he'd wanted to be an astronaut. What kind of astronaut doesn't have any legs? He frowned, looking over various drawings of his lizard, Edgar Allen Poe. ('Eap' for short, pronounced like 'eep'.) Edgar never judged him, not in the same way a person would. Edgar didn't understand things like disability and disease, hence why he was Ollie's best and only friend.

He began to draw the lady just across from him. (Laurie MothSav MothSav ) She did have a good face for drawing, and Ollie did it as much justice as he could manage. Not a realistic portrait, but definitely not an unflattering one, either.
 
Maika hadn’t necessary wanted to show to the meeting that day, she hadn’t wanted to deal with new people and certain current members. Sure, she had always had some issues being around people and sometimes being in the club, but it had also been something good for her. She wasn’t particularly close with anyone like other members were. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be close, but she feared what could go wrong with any friendship she made. It was a stupid way to feel and she knew that, but she still struggled as a whole.

So she had gone and she had felt slightly unhappy because she would have much rather been collecting her herbs and working on her healing and gaining more knowledge. Instead she sat at the bar holding onto her crystal eating the snacks. If she was eating, then she couldn’t talk and maybe that was a good thing.

So, there she was eating the snacks and quietly observing those who were around and those who had just arrived. Her eyes had looked for Casper but there was no Casper in her vision. Instead she saw Alyssa sitting and drinking which wasn’t a bad idea but Maika didn’t need to be blocked by alcohol she just needed to be alone for the day. She kept hold of her crystal and rubbed her fingers against it.

She watched as everyone was interacting and talking with one another and she knew wanted to do the same just on a different day. It was just another normal meeting minus the new people who had appeared after the freak glitch in the matrix had occurred so now there, she was watching old and new milling about. She was still eating the snacks waiting for the meeting to actually be called but until then she figured if someone needed her, they would bother her.
 
Immediately, Casper was being spoken to. Their gaze rose almost hesitantly to where Emory was, then to Aleah. Slowly, Casper stood again, brushing their hands over their lap before approaching to the pair, ignoring the creaking of their body's protests. They forced a smile, gentle and unobtrusive as they waved to Aleah, hovering awkwardly for a moment as they considered taking a seat.

Eventually, they simply looked to Aleah, reminding themself that they had known this was happening, that really, they'd probably have to talk to a lot of strangers tonight, and that was fine- It was!

Finally, they said, "Hi." For a moment, silence stretched, and after a second too long, they asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

 
Just as Alyssa joined the group, Raul's voice came from beside her. She started. "Oh quite a bunch." She muttered. "Are you teasing me? Where were you anyway?" She addressed him. While she was talking, a cute guy introduced himself, extending his hand. She smiled politely and shook it. "Alyssa Bell."

She had never seen this guy before. He had to be one of the newcomers. But she had never seen him in the town either.
As she was wondering this, she spotted Laurie and Gloria.

What? Gloria was painting? Who even handed her a paint brush? It was a weapon of destruction in her hands. Alyssa glanced down at her dress, she just hoped Gloria wouldn't come any close to her with that paint brush which was looking more like a stick covered with blue goop.

She looked at Laurie, trying to make eye contact with her so she could help settle in the newcomers. She was the best at these things, being a motherly figure even though she was just a year older than Alyssa. Being the oldest child matured you faster than anything, her mom had told her once. She could see that in Laurie. At 27, Alyssa was more likely to behave like a child while just a year older, Laurie behaved like the mother hen to the entire club. Well, if you had to raise a sister like Gloria, you were bound to become the responsible one because you can't possibly expect responsible behaviour from someone like her. Alyssa felt sometimes that she judged her too hard but she couldn't help it, she saw herself in Gloria and she didn't want her to go on the path she went and almost destroy herself.

She was unsuccessful in making eye contact with Laurie, the mother hen was too busy scanning the entire space in worry. She worried unnecessarily sometimes but Alyssa guessed maybe this time, worrying was necessary. The events that unfolded in the past few days had left them all shocked and exhausted. What happened was not normal and what followed afterwards was a complete mess, leaving them with new psychics and visible ghosts. Laurie was right to worry, even Alyssa was concerned about this.

While she was looking at Laurie, she saw a kid in a wheelchair drawing something and glancing repeatedly at the oldest Billings sister. Wait, he was making her portrait. An artist in their midst... Nice. Alyssa already knew how she was going to use that kid's talents. She had too many outfits at home that were portrait worthy. She just had to figure out how to persuade that kid to make that many portraits.

Her stomach made the sound of a dying whale which, fortunately, no one heard since there was so much chatter all around. Alyssa remembered she hadn't eaten much the entire day. Her eyes searched for the snack table and she spotted Maika sitting alone, munching on some delicious looking snacks.

Maika and Alyssa could never see eye to eye. There was no hatred between them but there was no love either. Maika was young yet talented and she had a personality which clashed with Alyssa's, which made them almost rival-like. The club preferred to keep them apart as much as possible and that was understandable because every time they interacted for more than five minutes, it ended with a lot of shouts and angry huffs and sometimes someone getting hexed. Alyssa didn't know about anyone else but Gloria sure enjoyed all those times. That girl had a strange love for drama.

This reminded her, Emory was supposed to bring their little sister today. Hopefully, she would not give them a hard time after she learns to control her senses. She looked for them and found them with their sister and Casper. She wondered what they were talking about.
 
mikaluvkitties mikaluvkitties
“Hi,” Aleah echoed back, feeling every bit as awkward and out-of-place as Casper looked right now. “Emory said, uh-” She paused, shooting her brother a quick glance before turning her attention back to Casper. “They said your hand ‘does the thing’.” With a shrug, she drove an elbow into Emory’s side. “Move, dumbass. Casper needs to sit down somewhere.”

Emory gave a soft yelp and shifted off their end of the couch, and Aleah nodded for Casper to sit down. “I brought my notes from earlier today,” she said to them, thumbing through her bio notes. She flipped her notebook open and pointed to the part she’d been worrying about. “I was just sitting in class, trying to get all the information off the slides before Mrs. Capella moved on, and all of a sudden, my hand just- wrote this. It wouldn’t stop moving, I have no idea what all the stuff about rags and a sentry means…”

She shook her head, a little dazed. Talking about what had happened earlier today had brought her right back into that moment of panic, and the exact same cold, nauseous sweat was starting to bead up on her brow. Taking a quick, deep breath, she clenched her jaw and pushed that feeling down. With the closest thing to a neutral tone of voice she could manage, she looked to Casper. “What does any of this mean?”


Vi_Vi_ Vi_Vi_
Rubbing their side and grumbling under their breath (How the hell are Aleah’s elbows so pointy, anyway?) Emory sighed and set down their unfinished hat on an end table. Looks like this thing wasn’t going to get finished tonight. Still, a half-smile rose up to their face as they skimmed their eyes over the crowd. This would kind of force them to mingle a bit, wouldn’t it?

There weren’t a ton of newcomers here tonight, but that sort of made sense, they thought to themself. After all, the club didn’t exactly advertise its presence much, so most of the people who’d had powers unlocked in the blast just wouldn’t know about Stitch ‘n Witch just yet. Their gaze paused on the boy curled up in his wheelchair, and Emory’s eyebrows inched up their forehead as they studied his face. He looked new- not just to the club, but to the town. Since they worked every shift they could handle at the gas station, Emory had a pretty good idea of what most everyone in looked like, but this guy looked entirely unfamiliar. He also had the look of an artist trying to concentrate, however, so Emory figured they’d let him be until he finished up his sketch.

The other new face that caught their attention… Well, Emory was pretty sure they’d never crossed paths with him, either. They’d have remembered a face that handsome, after all. With a quick, sharp breath in, Emory glanced away just to keep themself from staring too long at that smoldering smile, currently aimed at Alyssa. Still, they made a mental note to introduce themself to him later, when they didn’t feel quite so caught off guard.

In the meantime, they could get themself something to eat. As they made their way towards the snack table, they caught sight of Alyssa, who seemed to be eyeing Maika and the snack table with a look of disdain. Emory winced internally, figuring that it’d be best to keep those two apart from another tonight. Let the newcomers get settled into the group before they see their first screaming match. “Aly! How’re you holding up?” they called out, a wide grin rising up to their face as they headed over to talk to her. “Love the dress, by the way,” they said, giving her a nod of approval. For a beat, they paused, then leaned in and dropped to a quieter tone. “So, who was that new guy you were talking to?”
 
The light in Raul’s eyes brightened at Alyssa’s defensive response and his gentle smile parted ways for a soft chuckle. He shook his head, eyes dropping as he recovered.

“No, never,” not the exact truth, Raul was known for his subtle teasing which always came from a good place. But, Alyssa knew him well enough to catch the quiet sarcasm. He turned his eyes back on the gathered group, taking a second to take count of the attendees. It appeared as if just about everyone was there—he would have to check with Laurie to be sure.

“Oh, nowhere,” Raul finally answered Alyssa’s demand for his whereabouts. “Just preparing the mind for what is to come. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Raul gave Alyssa’s shoulder a light squeeze, and turned a kind smile on first Cody, and then Emory before taking his leave. Raul moved through the room with practiced grace, hands slipped into his pockets as he navigated the crowd. He stopped when he reached a young man busy at work on a sketch pad, standing slightly behind him and eyeing the boy’s work. Ollie, he believed the young man’s name was.

“Not bad,” Raul commented. Raul’s eyes shifted up to where Laurie stood beside her sister, eyes on the crowd as if she were half expecting all Hell to break loose before them. Raul’s eyes dropped back to Ollie’s sketch. “You have talent. The arts are revered among Wiccans, I am eager to see what other talents you have to offer to this group.” Raul offered a smile, and then moved on from Ollie. There would be plenty of time for introductions once the meeting was started.

“Hello, Gloria,” Raul greeted. “I see you’ve taken up the arts as well?” Raul’s tease was kind, and his eyes held warmth and understanding. He turned them from Gloria to Laurie.

“I am attempting to get a count, but am having difficulty. Is everyone here?”


MothSav MothSav Vi_Vi_ Vi_Vi_ Twin Fantasy Twin Fantasy
 
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New members, old members. New faces, old faces. Laurie took account of them all, counting in her head until she reached the ideal number each time. No one missing or lost. She had managed to get Cody here, but the others hadn’t been her direct responsibility outside of being welcoming and supportive.

That was her role. The room was practically doused in apprehension; the little hairs on the back of her neck had stayed upright since she entered the room. Laurie kept her face smooth and collected, teeth grit behind the warm smile. She felt driven to fix it, either with a treat or kind words. Was it possible to fix? She couldn’t repair everyone’s pasts and presents or take away their pain. She felt everything, but had little capability to relieve it.

It hadn’t started out like this. She had been an empathetic child, but nothing special. She doted after Gloria and her mother. When her mother’s despair rose and fell, she felt it. A warning to fix it. To bring fistfuls of flowers to her, or heat up leftovers for dinner. Sometimes it was Gloria’s quiet apprehension that leaked in, begging for playful distraction. Laurie had to give it; she was the only one in their home who could.

Then came the days that the dread stacked and stacked. The air felt like static; her brain was constantly muddied. Nothing was enough. All at once, while she sat and folded laundry, it stopped. The static faded. Gloria’s black hoodie tangled around pairs of her dark dress socks.

Laurie knew their mother had overdosed before Gloria even suspected it had happened.

Enough of mothers, Laurie decided. Her face twitched into a grimace for a second, but she settled it back down to her neutrally friendly expression. Members were slowly thawing; mingling together in a welcome hush. Gloria busily doused Laurie’s meticulous drawing in droops of blue and red, attention caught in a flat cityscape. Distracted... for now. Laurie broke into a somber smile, heaving a breath through her nose. She locked eyes with Alyssa for only a moment, nodding a little to greet her and maybe settle her, too. They were alright.

She hadn’t noticed Ollie’s sketching until Raul commented on it. Gloria flopped forward, nosy, of course, to lean into the side of the table and catch a glimpse of her sister drawn out on the blank page. “Nice,” she grinned. “Give her zits.”
“Knock it off,” Laurie reeled in Gloria with good humor, grabbing her elbow and pulling her back. She peered at Ollie, eyebrows slightly raised. After a missed beat, Laurie offered a soft smile. “I’ll try to hold still. Go on if you want, I don’t have to see it unless you’d like me to.”

Raul’s gentle greeting brought Laurie’s gaze upwards. Gloria rolled her eyes at his teasing, paintbrush clattering onto the paper in a flurry of murky mauve. “I take up a lot of things,” she defended, tone playful. Laurie scooted to get closer to her sister, picking up the brush and assisting in a wriggled line across the sky of the picture. Gloria sized it up for a moment, nodding once in approval.

“Everyone is here,” Laurie replied to Raul. She kept a certain tone, but still did one more count to be sure. Everyone present, either begrudgingly or eagerly. Laurie stood up and clapped her hands together a few times, then threading her fingers together behind her back.
“Since we’re all here, we might as well start, right? For those of you I haven’t met, I’m Laurence Billings. You can call me Laurie.”
 
"Something happened about a week or so ago. It happened so fast that it would be hard to believe. No one could explain it. At least, nobody who wasn't already in the loop. The best word to describe it would be a disaster. Yet somehow the sleepy little town of Louthorne endured the storm and is rebuilding. Gotta love human tenacity right? We're told that some people are as stubborn as a mule or ram or something. But honestly there isn't a more stubborn species than humans. Hell I mean look at me. Wait can you see me? Ah damnit is it even recording?!"

The ghost boy floats over and looks at the other side of a camcorder on a tripod. "OH come on! I pressed the button. At least I thought I did..." And he's currently having trouble with a camera. The boy lifts his finger to the button and attempts to press it. He takes it slow, focusing on the single task. His finger goes right through the device. With a heavy sigh he draws his hand back and tries again. Alright now. Focus. Just like we practiced. The boy thought. He tried again slowly reaching out with his finger to the button. He felt the cold touch of the button press down and the light lit up on the camcorder showing it was recording.

"Yes! We're back in it!" The boy hovers back to the front of the camera and clears his throat. Though he didn't need to do that it was natural for him.

"Hey there. My name is Declan Chase, and if you think I'm doing a bit rest assured I'm not. It may be hard for you to believe but I'm actually a ghost now. I guess. I mean I'm pretty sure that's what I am given the whole able to walk through walls and floating around thing. Also I found my body underneath a pile of books and collapsed bookshelves down in the family store. So unless I'm astral projecting and can't get back into my body or I'm having the weirdest and longest out of body experience ever, I'm gonna check the box saying I'm deceased. Something happened about..."

Declan continued to explain his circumstance to the camera and of the last week he's experienced since his new life or un-life started. It was mostly him going over his thoughts about his new condition. How he came to be this way. How some of his mates gained some crazy new powers. How some of them can see him and others can't. Honestly it was a lot to unwind. There even came a point where Declan started crying trying to wrap his head around the whole ordeal. It was about 20 or 30 minutes before he finished. Well actually the camcorder stopped recording since it can only record so much. But to Declan it helped him collect his thoughts.

He looked out his window towards the sky. It was a nice day out. Good enough to leave his "haunt" and go exploring for a bit. He sank through the floor and appeared in Moonlighters, the used bookstore and Declan's home. Though not many people come by anymore after the event. The store is still a bit of a mess. Thankfully his mates were kind enough to help him clean up a bit and move his body to someplace, less open. Yeah it turns out dead bodies are bad for business unless it's Halloween. And even then Declan finds it slightly in bad taste.

Declan puts his hands to his sides and sighs again. "I really need to hire someone to run the place one of these days. Wait? Can I legally hire someone? Hmm, Well I guess I'll save that for another day." He floats his way towards the door before looking back at the desk. He envisioned his mom sitting there working on the computer and managing one stack of books at a time. "I'm going out mom. I'll be back later." His vision ends and all that remains is a bunch of books stacked on the desk and an empty chair. He floats through the door and stretches his entire body out. He wasn't quite sure why he did this, since he no longer had a body, but it felt right. He picked a random direction and began to float around town.

It didn't take long for something to catch his attention. Well actually someone. There was a girl. A girl he recognized from school. "Oh what was her name again? Uh... Allison? No. Alaaaanaaaa? That's not right... Oh right Aleah! Yeah that's her name, Aleah." Declan was pretty proud of himself for knowing her name even though they never really spoke before. She had her hair up in a bun and though she looked plain she was far from it. Top of the class that girl or at least that's what Declan remembered. She also had an odd knick-knack or two as accessories. Some of the girls would talk behind her back but Declan was quick to shut them down. He hated stuff like that, but the talking did make him wonder once or twice what was going on in her head. She was following along behind the guy who he used to see at the gas station all the time. He was a chill guy, always willing to help Declan and his mates out. Declan thought that was just good customer service. Now would be a good chance to learn more about her. Not like she could see him or anything anyways.

They came upon a house. A really big house. "Seriously has this house always been in Louthrone?" Declan said aloud as he looked up at the building. "Who even has this much money?!" Declan became even more curious as the two he was tailing entered. He hovered over to a window to peek at what was inside. It looked like a weird combination of a wine party and art club to be honest. He decided to let himself in and just float in the corner near the ceiling. "Now then let's see if this goes anywhere." He shifts his incorporeal body in a lounging position. Something that you would typically see on the couch at home as they watch tv or something.


LittleCal LittleCal (mentioned)
 
Cody was nervous as he shook Alyssa's hand. Alyssa...What a beautiful name. The woman was more beautiful though. She had caught his eye the moment she waltzed into the group with that spark about her. The handshake shot electricity up his arm, her smile warmed his heart, the way she looked distracted, skimming the crowd, it just... Wow. Cody had a crush. He couldn't believe he had a crush, it felt like middle school again. That's the last time, he recalled, that he had a crush on somebody.

He gave his most charming smile to her in order to impress her. He just hoped it worked. He also greeted the man next to her, the host of the party by the looks of him. He looked as fancy as his house and Cody had to admit, this man knew how to throw a party. Even though it was at a small scale with few people attending but it was still at par with most of the parties he had been to because of his job as assistant to various celebrity managers. That was some life he lived. Venturing into assisting jobs had led him to Hollywood once but he quickly gave up. That place was for some very strong willed people, he definitely was not one of those.

Soon, very soon, Alyssa left and so did the man whose name, Cody heard someone say, was Raul. This guy even had a fancy name. Great. Cody needed to keep up.

He was searching for Gloria again, since she and her sister brought him to this party but before he could spot them, he saw something that almost wrenched a shriek out of throat. He saw what he feared the most, a ghost.

Cody had casually glanced upwards to look at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling when he saw a ghost of a teenage boy lounging in thin air. Cody rubbed his eyes and looked again but it made no difference, the ghost was still there. Laurie had given him a little hint that he might see such sights but he hadn't really thought that she was serious.

No, he could not lose his calm like this. If he could see the ghost, that meant it was his powers that were making him see. He had to embrace them in order to control them, at least that's what Elsa did when she let it go.
Cody took a deep breath and looked upwards once again, but this time with a smile. "Hi! Nice to meet you." He greeted the ghost.

Canth Canth Fluxbauble Fluxbauble
 
Casper listened to Aleah attentively, tilting their head when she mentioned her hand did ‘the thing’, whatever that meant. They couldn’t quite manage to keep from jumping when Aleah elbowed Emory, eyes widening.

For a second, they just stood there like a dumbass, but they plopped nervously into Emory’s seat the next, so it didn’t really matter, right?

They leaned closer as she pulled out her notebook and flipped through it. It took Casper a second to realize what Aleah was talking about, even with the pointing, but once they did, their eyes lit up, face morphing into a stupid grin.

“Oh! That thing. This is super exciting- I haven’t actually met someone else who does it before… Raul told me about it, though. Automatic writing… I have no idea what it means, but it usually stops on it own. I usually just ignore it or… you know. Let it do its thing. Sometimes it makes my art really pretty…”

It was around then that they heard the usual clapping of a meeting being called to session, and they turned to face the noise, pleased to find Laurie as they relaxed into their newfound spot on the couch.

Casper waved to her as she spoke, unable to help a, “Hi, Laurie!”

The sound of someone speaking alone might not have been enough to get Casper to look up if not for the slight movement in Casper’s periphery, but that didn’t really matter, did it, because they did look up, and when they did, their eyes immediately saddened.

This ghost was a kid, and a new ghost, too, considering Casper could clearly recall seeing them around town.

He turned to Laurie, eyes soft, and said almost timidly, “We have a guest.”

It felt wrong not to say anything to the kid himself, though, so Casper forced their gaze back up and said, “Hi. I’m Casper. You died in the…” They lost their words, but then they found some that worked just as well. “The mess last week, right?”

 
Raul was about to gesture to the various couches and chairs set up throughout the sitting room, when something breached his home. He blinked, pausing as the energy rippled through him, a gentle tingling that ran down his spine. Raul turned his eyes on the room, and then followed the energy signature to the ceiling, and to the spirit now suspended in the corner. Now, they were all here.

Raul returned his eyes to the crowded room, gaze shifting from one to the next as he made sure all had a seat to themselves. He had done his best to bring in as many chairs as they might need, and had dragged two additional couches from the adjacent seating room. Once satisfied, he addressed the group.

“Good idea,” he offered Laurie an encouraging smile. “Given the abundance of newcomers, introductions are a perfect place to start. My name is Raul, and I would like to take this small moment to welcome you all to my home. Should any of the accommodations be found lacking, please feel free to speak up. I wish everyone here to feel comfortable and safe throughout their stay.” At the word ‘everyone’, his eyes had drifted upwards, and he punctuated the syllables so as to ensure the spirit knew he were included in the generalization. Raul then took his own seat in a periwinkle armchair near the window.
 
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Alyssa needed to eat something before anyone could hear her stomach's rumbling. She was at the snacks table when Emory approached her.

They were grinning, it was a nice sight. Alyssa always considered Casper and Emory to be the purest and whenever they were happy, she absorbed their happy emotions. It did not make any less happy but it sure brightened up Aly's day.

"To be honest, I hate these meetings. What I hate more is that now we have newcomers and I'm supposed to get to know them. So, I'd say I'm holding up badly." She said, sighing.
Emory did not miss a beat in lightening the mood. His compliment made Alyssa smile. Of course the dress would be loved, it was one of her favorites.

"Thanks. I was looking for an occasion to wear it, not that I wouldn't wear it without occasion."

When Emory leaned closer, Aly frowned. What secret did they wanna share? What came out of their mouth made her chuckle.

"Oh, so someone's interested in the newcomer. I see." She grinned. "His name's Cody Brown and... That's everything I know about him. But I could set you two up, if he's interested in guys." Aly offered.

Just then, she heard Laurie clap her hands and get the meeting started. Alyssa was about to join Laurie and Raul at the front when Casper pointed out that we had another guest. Aly looked up and saw a teenage boy's spirit near the ceiling. She was pretty sure she had seen him around town a few times. Oh no, this was bad. A kid lost his life in all this mess. They could help everyone here except him, there was no going back from death.

Raul continued after Laurie, not letting this new revelation change anything. He was probably the most composed of all of them. When he spoke, Alyssa picked up the subtle hint of his accent. No matter how perfect he was at suppressing it, Alyssa always picked it up. She had spent the most time with him ever since she came to Louthorne. She noticed every little thing he did. Sometimes it made her smile, sometimes she rolled her eyes. She didn't know when she got so attached to him. Maybe when they started sharing their past experiences with each other.

When Raul finished, Alyssa joined him and Laurie at the front. "Yes, do feel free to complain. He loves when he gets to fix things for people. Anyway, I'm Alyssa Bell. Don't come to me for help if you are weak hearted or get hurt too easily." She looked pointedly at Cody, who was grinning stupidly.

"Now, let's talk about important matters. I was investigating the energy surge but I couldn't find anything which could explain all this destruction. Also, someone tried to hex me this week. I wanna know who that is before I lose my shit." She glanced at Maika from the corner of her eye.
 
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Declan continued to float about as he observed the living as they got comfortable. That was until one of the boys spoke up and say hi. Declan was rather confused. The boy looked up and spoke as if he could see him. But that couldn't be possible right? I mean Declan wasn't even focusing on trying to materialize. Not like he could anyways. Most he ever got was just the tips of his fingers. Wait maybe the boy was like one of his mates and was just able to see him without him having to try and become tangible. This was a boon! A blessing! Hell at this point this was like a level up reward for Declan's hard work for the past week.

He had to know, he had to be sure. He reverted to an upright position and slowly made his descent. At this moment another person spoke up to him. This caused Declan to freeze. You've got to be kidding me. He thought. Not one but two people can see me? Declan's face contorted as a wide smile appeared. What fortune! What a crazy stroke of luck. I mean how lucky can one guy be? When the boy asked if Declan had died in the, what he called "mess" last week his smile quickly disappeared. Declan's mind raced as he remembered the event that changed his life. All he could do to answer the boy was nod in agreement though it was obvious he wasn't exactly happy to admit it.

The man who had introduced himself as Raul began to speak as well. He welcomed everyone to his home. Apparently Declan was included based on how he said it. It kinda surprised Declan and broke him from his depressed stupor, brief as it was. Could everyone in this little group see him? Or was his ability to become tangible improve more than he thought? In either case it was nice to be seen at least. He continued to descend so that the people who could see him wouldn't have to crane their necks. He was dead, not inconsiderate.

While descending a woman spoke. She was dressed up in a fancy dress and her hair seemed well kept. In fact her entire being seemed well maintained. I guess that's the allure of a mature woman. Declan thought. She introduced herself as Alyssa Bell. She spoke about some kind of energy surge and destruction. Wait was this group talking about the event from last week? Did these people have something do with it? That boy from before spoke as if he knew something about it too. What the hell kind of group was this?

As he finally floated on even footing with the rest of the party his head whipped over to Aleah. The hell kind of group are you a part of Aleah? His mind filled with concern. He almost wanted to sink into the floor or quickly fly out of the building. But this was a chance he couldn't pass up. He finally got a lead to what exactly happened. How he ended up like this. He turned to face the two boys who called out to him and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and began to focus. He sort of had an idea of how to speak from beyond the veil. He focused on his idea of his voice and trying to make his mouth and vocal cords tangible. "Hi. Can you hear me?" His voice cracked and he was worried that his voice was gonna come out all choppy and inconsistent like in those cheesy ghost hunting shows or horror movies.

Vi_Vi_ Vi_Vi_ mikaluvkitties mikaluvkitties
 
Cody thought he was hallucinating. He couldn't possibly be seeing a ghost, right? Just when he became that it was all a figment of his imagination, another guy looked up and made it obvious that no, it was all real. Cody was seeing a ghost. But it was good, right? Now at least nobody would call him crazy for saying hi to the ceiling.

The ghost began descending when the meeting started. The host of the party, Raul, addressed everybody, apparently including the ghost too. So, maybe he could see him as well.

Just then, his crush, Alyssa spoke up. She talked about energy surges and destruction. Laurie had told him a little about the incident but he did not know much. He was ready to know more though. She was so beautiful, even her rude words sounded nice. Cody grinned at her warning. She was just so amazing. She even noticed him.
And now she was threatening people. Wow.

His attention was suddenly drawn back to the spirit hovering above. When he thought things couldn't get worse, the ghost descended completely and faced him. And then he actually spoke. The ghost spoke to him.

Cody gulped. "Uh, hi mate. Yeah, you came through fine." Help! was all he could think.
 
Ollie looked up from his sketchpad when he was addressed. His face tinted a soft red. Nobody ever compliments him, so he feels deathly out of his element. "Th-thank you." His fingers nervously tap on the paper. Raul is a big man, a big and beautiful one. Ollie feels small and malformed. It's not Raul's fault, not in the slightest, and to imply such would be a cruelty like no other, but it didn't ease Ollie's mind a whole lot. "I can also, uh... I dunno... other stuff." He knew he had other talents, but couldn't dig them out of his rattled psyche. But now people are talking, saying important things, and Raul's been gone for a solid minute or two. Ollie feels like he's living on slow-mo.

A ghost. Ollie had seen very few with his weak mediumship. Seeing one definitely quelled his fear that he was insane, especially knowing that other people could see him, too. People were introducing themselves, Caspers and Lauries and so on, but Ollie's mouth dried up when he tried to speak his own. My name? Do I have one of those? Ollie Mason, he tried to make his lips form the syllables and failed miserably. Oh, he'd never been in a crowd so big...

Almost frantically, he began to draw the ghost. Were it not for the translucent sheen across Declan's body, Ollie could very well believe he was just another person. Drawing a ghost, well, it wasn't much more exciting than drawing a human being. He supposed ghosts were human beings at some point. If Declan were to look in the right spot, he might catch Ollie gazing at him quickly before looking back down. Someday he'd love to develop his psychic powers so that he could always see his subject. Without having to look up, and then look back down, just always have the perfect visual in his mind.

Canth Canth Fluxbauble Fluxbauble mentions mikaluvkitties mikaluvkitties MothSav MothSav
 
mikaluvkitties mikaluvkitties Vi_Vi_ Vi_Vi_ Fluxbauble Fluxbauble Twin Fantasy Twin Fantasy
mentioned: MothSav MothSav Canth Canth


Emory gave a patient nod as Alyssa griped about the newcomers. She'd never been the type to jump for joy about meeting new people, so Emory couldn't exactly get upset about her dour attitude. (Besides, compared to the day she met Emory, she was all but rolling out the red carpet for these folks. She'd gotten a lot better since then.) Naturally, she smiled at the mention of her favorite dress- and, even more naturally, she easily picked up on the emotions swirling around their brain. Ugh, empaths. "No, no. I'm not interested like that, I'm just curious," they lied transparently. Emory could feel their face flushing as they shook their head.

Their protest was more or less in vain, as Alyssa chimed in to introduce herself after Raul. They furrowed their eyebrows, trying to see what Alyssa and Raul had been looking at up near the ceiling. Is there a spider up there or something? I don't see anything, they thought as a frown deepened on their face. On a hunch, they glanced at Casper, whose eyes were fixed at about the same spot. If Casper could see it, odds were good that it was a ghost up there- one that Cody could see and hear too, considering he’d just answered a question Emory hadn’t heard anyone ask. Oh my god, they thought as their cheeks grew even warmer. He's got a British accent. I don't stand a chance.

Thankfully, Aleah took the nonexistent spotlight off of them (though not in the most polite way), and Emory took the opportunity to slink around the room and grab a free seat. Casper was still perched on the couch beside Aleah, so instead, they went for an open chair beside the boy who’d been drawing earlier. He seemed tense as he sketched out a figure, jerking his head up and down as he drew and curling himself tight into his wheelchair. Emory leaned in the tiniest bit to get a better view of his page, giving a small nod of approval. It was still pretty rough-looking, but it was much better than anything Emory could have drawn. “That’s pretty good,” they said to him softly, hoping that the sound of their voice wouldn’t startle him. “Who is it?”

Aleah had finished introducing herself (not that they had really been paying particularly close attention to their sister’s words), and Emory looked back out to the group, giving a small smile. It’d be good to get themself out there somewhat, wouldn’t it? With a quiet chuckle to themself, they gave a small wave to draw over everyone’s attention. “I’m Emory, by the way,” they said, trying to meet everyones’ eyes. “I’m not half the expert that Raul is on everything, but if you need help with scrying or sigils, just let me know. Or hex-breaking.” They shot a quick glance to Alyssa. Then they turned their eyes up to the ceiling, where they were pretty sure the ghost was still hovering. “And, uh, welcome. I don’t have a lot of experience with the… vitality-impaired, but if you’re willing to talk through Casper or someone else, I can do what I can to help.” They flashed a wide smile up at the ceiling, hoping the ghost would find it reassuring.



Aleah tightened her mouth into a thin grimace. Some help this guy had been. “...Thanks,” she deadpanned, trying not to sound too frustrated as she flipped her notebook closed. “I’ll just… live with it, I guess.” Still, Casper had known what it was called, and that was better than nothing, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down. It wasn’t their fault they would rather live with a hand that sometimes mutinied against their brain than try and fix it, right?

Besides, Emory considered Casper a friend, and there was no sense in making her brother’s friend upset. Letting her voice soften back to its usual calm tone, she asked, “So do you draw, paint-”

Someone started clapping for attention before Aleah could finish her question. She glanced over to the person who’d called the meeting into order, and her eyebrows shot up as she recognized the woman. Laurie? The lady who helped Mom file taxes for the gas station every year? Aleah just barely stopped herself from shaking her head in disbelief. She’d had no idea that Laurie was into this weird, fake New-Age shit (which she was starting to think might be a little less fake than she assumed).

A smooth, proper voice sounded next, and Aleah bit onto her lip as she tried to place the guy’s name. Raul, apparently. He wasn’t unfamiliar, but she didn’t know him quite the same way that she knew Laurie. The most she could say about him was that he’d lived in the town as long as she cared to remember, had way too much money, and… That was it, really. She’d heard rumours at school about him and how he got his fortune, sure, but she’d never bothered to put much stock into any of them. After all, now that she could see him in person, he sure didn’t look like a drug lord or a hitman or whatever else people had said. He looked… Normal, in an obscenely wealthy kind of way.

Raul looked upwards while he spoke, and Aleah followed his gaze up until she oh what the fuck. “Oh, what the fuck.” Her thoughts slipped out of her mouth in a low whisper as she craned her head up, squinting her eyes to try and get a better look at the shimmery person-shaped blob hovering by the ceiling. She heard someone else talking after Raul finished- Alison or something like that, the lady Emory had been talking to- but she couldn’t bring herself to give a single shit as the thing floated down to eye-level.

And then the thing turned and looked at her. And spoke.

The voice was faint and muffled, like it was coming in through a thick pane of glass, and Aleah could have sworn she knew it from somewhere but just couldn’t place it. Still, the words were clear enough, and Aleah knew that she should probably answer it somehow. Instead, all that came out when she opened her mouth was another, “What the fuck?”- this time, one that was likely too loud for anyone in the room to miss.

Well, shit. That might well have been her first impression on some of these people. She shrank back a bit, clearing her throat and forcing herself to look around the room. “Um. Hi, everyone. I’m Aleah- Aleah Bunker. Emory’s sister. They brought me here because my hand started doing weird things after the, uh- the energy surge.” Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop herself from shooting glances back at the floating blob-person, trying not to stare. “And I think I’m seeing things now, so… that too?” She flashed a nervous grimace around the room.
 
Maika had been silent before the meeting started, she had no intention of talking instead she was just going to eat all of the snacks. She had managed to stay away from Alyssa for the time being which was good for the two of them. She always fought with the older girl and for the most part she couldn’t stand her though she did admire the power of the older witch. She had been doing well to be alone, but Alyssa had kept staring at her. She herself couldn’t help but glare back. Sure, it was considered childish by some, but the group had accepted that they weren’t able to get along, or really avoid a screaming match. They group had done well to keep the separated and that was the most important aspect.

When Laurie had clapped their hands together Maika turned her attention to them because that meant the meeting was underway and though she had no idea how to help any newcomers what had happened needed to be discussed amongst all members, even ones that were rude, and caused her problems. She hadn’t been paying close attention until Casper had mentioned a newcomer, and of course Maika let her gaze look to where the others had been looking. A ghost boy. It was new for any of them to have a ghost around, but it wasn’t as shocking as it should have been only because the destruction would have led to a death in some way shape or form.

As Alyssa spoke, she knew the girl had directed her comment towards Maika and that caused her blood to begin boiling so of course when she got her free moment after Aleah spoke, she moved so she could do her own introduction even though she hadn’t really wanted to introduce herself. She rolled her eyes when she looked at Alyssa, “I’m Maika and really that’s all anyone needs to know, and that I didn’t hex a certain witch. I’m not that kind of low level petty.” She let her eyes linger on Alyssa the glare never letting up. If she was going to be accused, then she was of course going to passively call the other witch petty. Most of their fights had started as accusations and then would blow up to more because both of them were too stubborn and manipulative to give up.
 
Laurie kept close attention on each brief introduction, nodding slowly. She tried to catch people’s eyes, get a gauge for how they were feeling. When Gloria shifted beside her, Laurie flung out a hand to force her back down into her chair. Hard.

Casper was initially calling out to her, earning a quick smile from Laurie before she could smother it. His next observation was directed upwards. Casper was correct; they did have a guest. A ghost. Laurie kneaded her fingers into Gloria’s shoulder. Her sister grumbled in discomfort, shimmying away and crossing her arms. Laurie let her hand drop limply, eyes cast up. Aleah was swearing, startled by the boy. Everyone else seemed to be coaxing him down, bewildered or pitying his situation or both.

Raul’s welcome murmur to the group didn’t ease Laurie. She couldn’t make out the entire form of the spirit, but she averted her gaze to avoid staring and trying further. Was it rude to stare? She’d feel uncomfortable if she was gawked at as a ghost. Laurie cleared her throat. “We’re all welcome here. We try to keep the bickering to a minimum.” A pointed look at Alyssa and Maika– and then craning her head around to scowl at Gloria, too.

“I didn’t hex shit,” Gloria blurted out. “I’d own that. I would own that hex. I’d write my name in a fuckin’ pentagram on your lawn or something.” She hardly had the skill to do so, but she was eager to chime in after Maika anyway. Laurie pointed a stern finger at her sister, face severe. Gloria put up both hands in surrender, eyebrows still raised in temptation.
“You know I’d own it, Lars. I’d snapchat it to you, promise. I’m Gloria, by the way, guys. I’m her sister. If you want to add me on snapchat I can-”
“Stop snapchatting witchcraft. We told you this last time.” Laurie’s glare stayed steady when it was on Gloria, but it softened as she peered between Maika and Alyssa. Her tone held no less warning.
“If you two start anything in here again, we’re stepping outside. This is not the time.” It wasn’t good for any meeting, but especially when they were already dealing with new members and an unfortunate incident days prior.
 
Alyssa knew somebody hexed her and she was highly suspicious of her rival. Maika had enough skills to hex Aly but fortunately, she had protection spells around her at all times so she didn't suffer any damage.

At Maika's comment on pettiness level, Alyssa wanted to show her how petty a certain witch could be. She was getting ready to counter her comment when Gloria spoke up. Alyssa rolled her eyes. Of course Gloria didn't hex her, she wasn't experienced enough in hexing. Half the time Aly had to help her blow stuff up with witchcraft for her Snapchat, not that anyone knew except those two. She couldn't let Laurie know, she'd ground Aly.

Speaking of Laurie, the mother hen warned her and Maika against fighting. Aly sighed. She always tried not lose her emotional balance, it was crucial for her to stabilise her emotions but her empathic abilities always betrayed her, making her project emotions that were not her own. Her abilities were a boon as well as a bane. As much as they helped her read the people around her, they were quite a pain in the behind with all the headache and negativity and whatnot. Filled with bitterness against herself as she was, negative emotions were more easily absorbed by her. Thus, a permanent scowl on her face.

Warning or no warning though, she couldn't let Maika off after that comment. "Listen, kid! I know how petty you can be. You wanted in on this investigation, I know and when you were sidelined, you decided to take revenge. Hexing me, really? Do you think your little spells from beginner's guide on how to do magick will affect me? Don't push my buttons, Maika. I might tolerate Gloria but I definitely won't tolerate you. We all know how manipulative you can be, so don't try to lie here and admit you did the hex!"

Elf_Ruler Elf_Ruler
 
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