can she bring some advil?

dialogue prompts from these violent delights by micah nemerever.

i never told you my name.

who puts those awful ideas in your head?

you're forever assuming the worst.

what's that face? you look like you're going to cry.

you're one of those people who worry all the time, aren't you?

i don't worry, i ruminate. they're distinct actions.

nothing made you. you just are.

beautiful things are supposed to hurt.

people tell you you're shy all the time, don't they?

i don't know how i ever got on without you.

a little trouble is a good thing for a young person.

i wasn't born yesterday. i know what kids get up to.

it's good to have guns to stick to.

you could do anything to me and i'd let you.

i'm not ready to be seen. not yet.

i don't need you to treat me respectfully. i'm not made of glass.

tell me you love me, at least. please. i need to know somebody does.

do i look normal? i can't tell if i look normal.

you can get away with anything, as long as you act like an authority on the truth.

don't tell me what i want.

you know you're just about the worst liar i've ever met.

i don't think you've ever felt anything that didn't hurt you.

you're so square, you're a cube.

i just want you to believe me when i tell you you're worth something.

there are limits to what you can expect people to understand, without living it.

you can't fight everybody all the time. you still have to live with them.

i forget how blue the sky can be outside the city.

i'm going to push you off a cliff, you fucking boy scout.

thank you for trusting me with this.

be a kid while you still can.

please believe in the things i try to tell you, instead of the things you think you deserve to be told.

if the sun touched you for even a moment, you'd go up in flames. like a vampire.

your voice changes when you're angry.

what a lonely, dreary thing it is to know the truth.

you never look away, even when your eyes are closed, but i'm never certain you can see what's really there.

tell me you need me. in those words.

can i tell you something? that i'm all but certain you won't believe?

i never lie to you. but sometimes, i wish i could.

you never let me pretend the truth is alright when it isn't.

you have a profound, elusive sadness about you.

you didn't. please tell me you didn't.

you and your awful little games.

why would i bother to grow my own conscience when you're always around to pester me?

you're going to help me escape.

this house is a shadowbox, never meant for human things.

you have no right to stop me, and you're not going to try.

you're sweet, when you want to be.

do you want me to kill ____? i mean it.

it might do you good to be an orphan.

you're just so sincerely creepy.

wealthy people pay handsomely for the privilege of ignoring cries for help.

i've never seen you like that before. not once.

i've decided to learn to be impulsive.

the worst damage humans do isn't rooted in malice, but in thoughtlessness.

there's such a thing as right and wrong. anyone can figure out the difference if they're willing to think for themselves.

there's no part of you i can't see.

i don't want to hurt you. please don't let me.

you're ridiculous, sometimes. but that's alright.

i don't want you right now. go home.

i'm not like you. i don't even have a shape of my own to hold anything else in place.

i'll never matter the way you do, and you know it.

say what you need to say.

if you say the word 'deserve' one more time, i'm driving us off a bridge.

i've been meaning to talk to you about ____.

i'm worried about what you're getting into.

you don't see me. you can't. you never could.

it's your life. you're entitled to make your own mistakes.

i want you to know you deserve better. you don't have to put up with ____.

you scare the hell out of me. you really do.

you look the same way you always have.

i was worried i'd lost you.

i'll take care of you. i don't need you to be brave.

all i want to do is make you happy, and you're the unhappiest person i've ever met.

i would rather be cruel than weak.

i want you to let me be nice to you today. i don't care if you think you deserve it.

this place looks like somewhere in a jigsaw puzzle.

it's always been real for me. every second.

please don't say anything to my mother.

we can't fix it if you don't tell me what happened.

i'll call you when i can stand the sight of you. don't hold your breath.

hiding the truth is still lying.

i thought you'd finally trust me if you knew i'd kill for you.

i'm just as much of a monster as you are.

i was missing part of myself my whole life, until i met you.

righteous fury leaves no space for fear.

you can always talk to me. about anything, okay? i love you no matter what.

you played [game] in school, didn't you?

no one tolerates boredom worse than the idle rich.

someone needs to be looking after you.

you know you can't actually stop me, right?

i want to be able to look at you.

when you need to, you will understand.

i'm only ever early when i'm afraid.

people talk themselves into the strangest things when they want to look impressive.

𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘.  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃  was  almost  foreign  to  the  divination  witch  now.  &  it  wasn't  that  she  didn't  wish  for  one,  she'd  𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝  her  family,  her  former  coven,  it's  that's  reason  she  kept  away  from  finding  another.  losing  them  had  hurt  her  in  ways  that  she  was  still  yet  to  𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑  &  she  wasn't  certain  she  could  face  that  again.  alas,  this  small  group  of  covenless  witches  was  pulling  her  in  the  longer  they  were  on  the  road.  𝐚  𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝  𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲   —   one  that  lilia  was  finding  it  harder  &  harder  to  keep  her  emotional  distance  from   (   even  agatha  had  wormed  her  way  closer  in  a  way  that  even  she  hadn't  seen  coming.  )

❛   oh,  alice,   ❜   words  were  barely  above  a  whisper,  almost  inaudible  above  the  crackling  of  the  fire,  but  they  were  heavy  with  the  𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  that  she  hadn't  allowed  herself  to  feel  for  𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒.  &  in  turn,  her  own  hand  rose,  coming  to  a  rest  atop  the  one  placed  against  her  shoulder,  watery  smile  finding  her  countenance.  ❛   i   —    well,  i  believe  that  it'd  be  me  who'd  be  honoured  for  you  to  consider  me  such,   ❜   she  continued  finally,  blinking  away  the  tears  that  stung  her  own  dark  gaze.      

❛ enough with the waterworks, right? ❜ she said, letting out a sound between a sob and a hearty chuckle as she settled back on the large rock she had been using as a chair. ❛ we’re doing thanksgiving together, i won't take no. i usually hate it because, working security at a mall, i know i’ll have a hard time the next day. but… i lost that job, so i guess i could try and find something that doesn’t involve being at the mall on black friday. i’m open to starting new traditions. ❜

do you remember what i told you last time?

have you been doing well since i saw you?

that's not what you told me back then.

when was the last time i saw you?

you were shorter then.

i'm picking the restaurant this time.

we've known each other since we were children.

always knew i could count on you.

that time was different. this is worse.

you're not going to let me live that down, are you?

i seem to remember a conversation we had back then.

so you changed your mind about it?

do you remember our encounter in paris?

you should know me by now.

am i the only one that knows the truth?

we had a lot of help back then.

your mom told me to look out for you.

you just love bringing that back up to annoy me.

maybe don't mention my past indescretions?

this was never going to work out between us.

i told you not to get attached.

i know more about you than you think.

i was there, remember?

i'm not about to forget all the shit you put me through.

you told me you were going to try and make this work.

remember what i said to you?

the last time i saw you, things were good between us.

you never mentioned this before.

that was the longest flight of my life, and you made it worse.

can i still trust you after all that?

at least we tried to make something work.

we never discussed what happened between us.

okay, but i'm driving the car this time.

i haven't forgotten what you said last week.

i'm still thinking about your comment.

i didn't realize it was you when i first saw you.

you seem to make a lot of enemies around here.

there's not much for us to talk about.

we worked it out last time.

i know you far better than you know yourself.

we have a long history.

is that the shirt you were wearing last time?

what don't i know about you?

i haven't told them about us.

you were the only person i could go to.

you know me.

this is bigger than both of us.

i can't stand your driving.

are you taking me to the place we had dinner last time?

that's not at all what you said.

didn't we agree on that?

i thought i made it very clear where i stand.

are these the same people that came after you last time?

are you still going on about it?

can we talk about it?

staying silent about it won't help.

you're the only person who knows the real me.

it’s several minutes before lokelani speaks again, playing with the candy wrapper as it slowly dissolves on her tongue. opening her mouth to speak, kel nearly jumps out of bed at the sound of something falling in the hallway. it seems to echo and before she realizes it her ears are covered and she’s squeezed tight, preparing for another bullet to pierce her skin. it’s only when she realizes the only pain is her existing wound that her hands return to her sides to fist in the bedsheets.

“they want to make sure i don’t get an infection or have a mental break down. and the cops haven’t finished investigating i guess? but i have my own studio and i just want to go home.” lokelani’s words are barely more than a whisper, continuing to crinkle the candy wrapper as she speaks. “i’m going to fall behind in my classes too, and i can’t afford that.” now that the words are coming, lokelani worries for a moment that they won’t stop.

“have you ever done it, candied your own ginger?” alice has never been good at cooking; she’s lived off of take-out for most of her adult life. she often wonders if she’d be a different person had her family not been cursed, had her mom and grandma been around for longer. maybe she’d be a housewife married to a successful doctor like her grandmother always hoped for her mother. or, perhaps, she would have followed in her mother’s footsteps, become a musician.

instead, she was working for a system she no longer believed in… on her third precinct transfer in two years. unhappy, alone, disappointed in herself, but trying… really trying to help lokelani in any way she could.

cassidy typically doesn’t allow others to see her shift, to be near her during heightened blood lust caused by the full moon. but alice is different, she’s kind and having someone around the morning after a shift isn’t exactly a bad idea. especially not when she’s still not entirely familiar with the woods in this area.

“it’s hard to see for most people, especially if it looks as rough as it feels. once i’m shifted keep your distance okay? sometimes the blood lust is hard to control, and i’ve never done this with anyone around before,” cassidy makes sure not to mention that she’s never even allowed most people to see her as a wolf. “i’ll be back in the morning.” with a deep breath cassidy leaves her clothes in a pile next to the back door before stepping outside. relaxing her body, the shift takes over almost instantly.

the more relaxed cassidy is, the easier it is to let her body change. and although there are a few grunts and gasps of pain as her bones crack and muscles tear, the pain of the shift is relatively dull. once fully a wolf, cassidy stalks back towards alice - her words from a few minutes ago already forgotten - and licks at her hand. moving back outside, cassidy takes off in a sprint towards the woods, howling as she chases the scent of pray.

she watches from a distance through the open door. she can’t take her eyes away from the other as she walks outside to shift. alice has never been easily unsettled, but she grimaces at the sound of cracking bones. once the witch has settled into her new shape, the protection witch is relieved since the other doesn’t seem to be in pain. her fur is beautiful and she almost wants to run her fingers through it, but doesn’t. instead, she extends her arm for her to sniff, pleased when she feels her warm tongue gently lick her.

once the wolf leaves, and knowing she won’t be back for hours, alice decides it’s time for bed, but she struggles to find sleep. cassidy has existed as a werewolf before they even met… she knew what she was doing; yet, alice can’t help but worry. she tosses and turns, looking at her phone every now and then… what if cassidy gets in trouble? what if someone hunts her down? how would she even find out if her friend has no phone and is in a shape that lacks opposable thumbs. she decides to set a search alert for any sightings of wolves in new jersey and sets her system and notifications volume to the maximum. that eases her mind enough for her to fall asleep…

‘ why would i spoil the surprise? ’ the ravenette glances over her shoulder, a bright smile thrown in alice’s in direction. ‘ the surprise is the best part of the whole thing. ’ continuing on, rio hoists herself over a fallen log, only stopping long enough to ensure that alice follows. this wasn't the first time she'd coerced alice to blindly follow her without much explanation nor would it be the last. ‘ if lilia finds out, i'll tell her it was my idea. ’

They'd become a coven. A real coven. Smaller than the last one Lilia had been part of, but no less real for it. But to be a coven, they did need their third; two was more a pairing than a coven, strictly speaking.

"Alice!" Lilia yelled, pulled out of her thoughts by the sight of Alice almost stepping into a near-fatal accident. Yanking her back with more force than she intended, Lilia took a moment to gather herself before noticing the absence of bird. "What?" Looking around, there was no sign in any direction. With a sigh, Lilia gave an eyeroll that threw her head back.

"Well, Jen doesn't know we're alive. I didn't know we were alive," she added with emphasis. She was so certain she was going to hit those swords, that she'd seen herself falling to her death, not falling to...well, back on The Road. "So we know she's not going to think to try and find us." Which left it up to herself and Alice. And a lack of a bird.

Having embraced her power, 'remembering herself' as her maestra had so frankly put it, Lilia thought of an idea.

“I can drive us there,” she offered, her voice tinged with a dollop of disappointment — she had put a lot of hope into that spell. But she was far from feeling defeated; the two of them were resourceful and there were still so many magical and non-magical alternatives they had yet to try.

“You don’t think Agatha knows where she might be, do you?” Surely, the witch had drained her life force away, but her protection seal and amulets had somehow brought her back from the brink of death. Was she ready to see the woman who almost murdered her? Only if she had answers. Nonsense… when had she become so trusting?

He stood and looked at the space in front of him. It was hard to feel 'powerful' or anything, not when all these woman with at least decades, but leaning towards centuries of experience. "What if I don't know what that is?"

He had three years experience. Probably less if you looked at cold hard facts. Not that he'd talk about that. He moved his hands like hers, and nodded. "Oh, Great Mountain Spirits, guardians of this land..."

“Great question, okay. Maybe we take a step back. A typical set up looks different for everyone, but there are some tools that are common among all. You might have read about these or seen photos with them,” she explained. “You have your pentacle… it could be something your draw on the floor, a necklace, a little disk. An Athame, your knife, is just as important. Then, a wand and some kind of receptacle, like a bowl or a chalice. Each of these represent the four elements: earth, air, fire, water. Anything beyond that depends on your culture, your taste. Being a witch is very… personal. So, now, tell me, what would you like your set up to look like?”

"You know I've come across a few generational curses in my time," Hilda told her sympathetically. "They're awful, you poor love. A curse is supposed to be something you do to someone who deserves it. You target the one person and then you're done. Inherited curses are just unfair. And mean," she added.

"But your mum did a good job though. I've never known anyone find a way to keep a curse like that at bay." Offering a smile to Alice, Hilda leaned in a little in a moment of closeness. "You should be proud of her."

“You know… looking back, I really am. She was a mess towards the end.” This wasn’t something she shared with everyone, but the witch was just so easy to talk to. “I’m not even sure why she went on that tour. Maybe she didn’t want me to be there when it happened…”