omen l.

brows shoot up immediately, staring down at the beautiful painting of omen’s familiar. it’s stunning, the strokes portraying anais exquisitely.  ‘ this is... you got his eyes just right, ’  thankful stare moves up to meet magnolia’s, crinkling at the edges, before he’s turning towards the dog that is always fatefully by his side. witch bends a bit, holding the canvas in front of anais so he can see it.  ‘ look, mags painted you, ’  instantly the animal’s tail begins to wag, anais panting excitedly before he trots over to the woman to give her a nudge of his head against her leg.  < he says thank you.  >  omen chuckles softly, glancing back at the painting with softness before he’s turning, glancing over the wall behind the counter with consideration. finding a nail, omen quickly hammers it into the plaster, hanging up the canvas for the shop to see. omen turns back with a smile.  ‘ as for this - ’  he begins to gently take the sweaters and scarves from the box.  ‘ i’ll have these out before i open. you should know you’re worth. they’ll sell, ’  he nods with confidence.  ‘ would you like to help me dress the mannequins? ’

             his approach was gentle, as soft as necessary. omen has come across plenty of skittish creatures, others who have gone through too much for their time. he hasn’t asked just yet what aniela has been through ( she’d tell him at her own pace ), but he’s happy to help her in any way he can.  ‘ this will help, ’  handing off a cup of tea, several scents waft from the nearly shimmering liquid. it’s his own mix, several herbs and spices mixed with the best tea leaves he could find.  ‘ it’ll calm your nerves, ’  omen clarified before sitting across from her at the kitchen table. the flat above the shop is dimly lit, fire roaring in the corner. omen takes a sip from his own cup before glancing her way again. anais sits at his feet like the loyal familiar he is.  ‘ i can make you something to eat, as well, if you’d like, ’     @sylkshe​.

              truth be told, the only friend omen has ever had was crawley, his mentor and guardian. crawley is all omen ever needed, or so he thought. now that the older witch was dead, omen found himself feeling lonely, more often than not. of course, he had anais, his loyal familiar, but they were both aware omen would benefit from human interaction. he’s sitting in his favorite chair by the fireplace, sipping at a small glass of bourbon as he remembers crawley and their companionship. he would never realize how loud his thoughts were. when he feels a presence to his left, the witch blinks up towards kios with a slight lift of his brow. omen realizes that he may have been wrong about having only one friend in this big world. surprised grin is given up to the god.  ‘ i feel as if you always show up in my time of need, ’  omen teases, gesturing toward the other chair next to him.  ‘ please, join me, ’     @solstis​.

             ‘ you and your brother are very brave, ’  it might not be something she wants to hear, or maybe it’s something she’s heard too much, but omen means it genuinely as he glances over at tory. opening his home to them had been a no brainer. he had plenty of space in his flat above the apothecary, and they were just kids. nothing more. she had seemed reluctant, but omen was relieved when she said that her and brandon could stay a night or two before they moved on. right now, he was pouring her a cup of tea from the black kettle he held before taking a sip of his own and leaning back in his seat.  ‘ young hunters... they usually don’t make it as far as you have, ’  he’s seen plenty of them lose their life, or go rogue with the idea of revenge. not to mention the burden on tory’s shoulders, of having to take care of her brother on her own. the witch takes another drink.  ‘ you can stay here as long as you need. both of you, ’     @queencvbra​.

             lights inside of the shop are switched off, keys jingling as omen begins to lock up. once done, the witch raises one hand, intending to begin the nightly protection spell he laid over the place, when anais begins to make a low growling noise beside omen. turning slowly, he spots a woman standing several feet away from them. gloved hand lands on anais’ head to quiet his familiar, but omen stays alert, cautious. was this a friend or a foe? or just a customer who came a bit too late?  ‘ i was just closing up. but if you need something, i could let you in for a few minutes, ’  stare remains on hers, unblinking, waiting to see if she’d make a move toward him.  ‘ it’s no trouble, ’     @himncskur​.

             ‘ i have plenty of premade elixirs. right over here, ’  arm is raised, one hand ushering the redhead toward a locked cabinet filled with bottles of varying sizes. every potion inside was made by omen, in shop. everything from dream suppressants to anti aging remedies ( though the latter was expensive and only worked for the right reasons ). golden eyes fall on reggie, soft yet stern.  ‘ if you tell me what you’re looking for, i might be able to make a suggestion, ’     @mxwells​.

             night was falling slowly over the shop. anais had carried over the broom with a trot and laid it happily in omen’s hands. not many customers today - that was normal for this time of year. more would flood in the closer to autumn it got ( modernity has turned the apothecary into some what of an oddity, which omen wasn’t sure if he was fond of just yet ), but for now, he’d be able to close up early. sweeping away dirt and grass that had been tracked in from outside, ear twitches a bit when the bell rings over the door. glancing up, he gives the woman a warm and welcoming expression, handing the broom back to anais with a pat to the dog’s head before the witch makes his way back to the counter.  ‘ welcome. what brings you in? ’     @spiritdreamt​.

             ‘ i came to help, ’  the statement is simple ; a fact. omen is well aware that his services are not always welcome, even when they might be needed. and the witch does believe they’re needed here. standing humbly in front of the other, the witch clutches his bag in one hand, the other laying at his side. he doesn’t try to step past them, nor does he storm off. he waits for the other to contemplate their decision before he makes his own.  ‘ if you don’t want my help, then i’ll leave. but i thought it might be required - so i came, ’     @nosferot​.

hex lounge.

             he’s arranged a meeting. a sit down, much against either of their mentor’s dying wishes. truthfully, crawley hadn’t gone into much detail about why omen should stay away from esmerée and her own student - many rants about betrayal, a lot of slander, many cruel words that crawley almost always felt bad for later - but omen was a loyal man. crawley had been the one to take omen in when his parents had given him up. and having no reason not to believe the older man, omen was cautious as he watched hazel take the seat across from him. now that they were grown, omen had realized it’d be more beneficial, for both of them, to find an ally in each other. but could it be that easy, with centuries of rivalry between them? caramel eyes don’t change, not even as they land on her own.  ‘ i wasn’t sure if you’d show, ’  omen murmured after a moment, sitting tall in his chair. that’s all he says, for now.     @blindsite​.