to someone from a warm climate

Head bobbed from side to side, considering it again before he finally nodded, "Fine, fine, I won't. You're full of good ideas." He thought she was all sorts of good too but delving into that would take up far too much time, and likely be dismissed in some capacity too. "If they stop by again, that just means I was good business, baby," he teased. A beat later he shook his head, "Nah, if they do drop again not for records, they can deal with me personally. I ain't gonna let anyone bother you." There was a promise threaded through what he said that went beyond this situation.

"Especially if you say so," Rae said, grin widening. "Maybe I am a little ruthless. You can take it, though, can't you, baby? You're a big boy. You can handle it." He was such a flirt. Maybe they all were, bunch of kids growing up in a city that never took anything serious. New Orleans loved its people, and its people loved it, loved to party and flirt and dance and drink. He gave it good. She liked to think she gave it right back. "You need me to tell you you're pretty, Zuva? I know you gotta lotta people tellin' you you're pretty. We both know it."

Rae Elle snorted. "Uh huh." Some of her ideas were shit. Most of them amounted to nothing, though. She'd never been a big planner, decision maker. There wasn't a whole lot of ambition going on in Rae Elle Park. She didn't particularly mind it. "My hero. Bringin' trouble to my doorstep but promisin' to take care of it if it gets too bad," she joked.

"Showtime," Rae muttered, rolling her eyes one last time as she looked down at him before looking to the door. She painted on her best, lazy grin, leaning against the counter and putting her head in her hands. "Afternoon. What can I help y'all with today?"

"Student always overcomes teacher. Such is the way of the world," he hummed. "You can tell your boss the cards insist on one, actually." A hand hovered over the next card. Rohan flipped it. "The present. Justice. Facts first. Feelings second. The truth matters. Are you acting in a way that befits it, or are you being challenged to pivot?"

"I hear they're comin' under new management. Maybe that'll help things," Rae said easily. Despite the things she'd seen, the things she'd done, there was still a part of Rae Elle that tried to see the brighter side of life. Circumstances could change for the better just as easily as they changed for the worst. "I don't think it is, either. All magic can be used for good things. All magic can be used for bad things. It's all intention, purpose. One just comes from an outside source while the other comes from within." Magic had no understanding of good or evil, social constructs of moral lightness or darkness. It simply was. It was the job of the caster to decide what their magic would become and how they'd use it, light or dark. She grinned widely. "I'm thinkin' about gettin' more. Art's art, and skin's just another kind 'a canvas. I like feelin' pretty. If a big ol' MOM heart makes you feel pretty, I say go for it."

Rae laughed and shook her head. "That makes it sound positively academic. I don't know how much learnin' I'm gettin' done in a record store, but I appreciate the sentiment." Sagely, she added, "Fate calls for it." With Justice, though, she sat back, thinking. Facts first, feelings second. The truth. Once upon a time, Rae thought herself a form of justice, but that was feelings forward. Vengeance driven. "I think I've... settled, in the last few years. I'm tryin' to be... truth seekin'. Like magic, life's all... intention, purpose. Maybe I'm still lookin' for that."

"Aw, shucks, sugar, you're gonna make a gal blush," Rae teased. It was just the way they talked to each other, she'd always felt. It was real flattering, but Rae Elle knew Lennon wasn't serious. No more than she thought Zuva was serious or any of her other friends that she flirted with were serious. It was just all good fun. "I think I can make that work. Give me a day or two to talk it over with the boss, but leave 'em here so they can take a listen, and that should work right as rain. Sound good?"

Taking the cards back into his hands, Rohan placed them neatly on the table before dealing three face down. A hand hovered over the first. "Where you've been." He flipped it. "The Eight of Pentacles. Dedication. Focus. Motivation. Trying. Grinding. Honing skills. It's a card of...apprenticeship. The craftsman at his perch." He placed a finger on the image. "It promises fruits for your efforts."

"What do they call it? Failing upwards? I think that's sometimes just how magic works," Rae Elle said. She hummed in agreement. She liked the ritual, the performance, the gestures and materials and circumstance that came with magic. The craft of witchcraft. Even if it was just conduits, channels for which their magic went through, it was all beautiful. "I'm a big fan of all of it. The ritual. It's familiar. Maybe I just like the patterns." She showed off one of her tattoo sleeves, sacred geometry mixed in with the other images.

Rae offered a slow, easy smile, leaning back in the chair. "Think I'll be promoted from clerk to assistant manager?" she asked. "I feel like I've been working at Off Record long enough for a little raise." Calling it effort was a bit of a stretch, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. What Rae liked most about tarot, especially the kind that wasn't laced with magic, was that it was so open for interpretation.

At her suggestion, he laughed outright. "Those poor souls don't need the real kind." Still, he considered it for a second longer than he probably should have. "...Though I ain't sayin' I won't remember that. Might come in handy next time somebody decides their bad judgement is somehow my fault."

His brows rose at her warning. "Be real quiet, she says." He shook his head. "Don't you worry about a thing, baby. Do I strike you as somebody who'd disturb anyone's business? Establishment or otherwise." Of course, that didn't need an answer. "You should probably get your excuses ready if they do come in askin', though. An' if you tell 'em you've never seen me a day in your life, I'mma be a little hurt." Chuckling to himself, he slipped behind the counter, ducking just out of sight of the front windows. For all his complaints, he settled in easily enough. "Don't worry," he added. "I'll be on my best behaviour."

"Your opinion is an opinion, baby. That don't have a thing to do with right or wrong." Rae Elle scrunched up her nose, fighting off a smile. "Now, I know that ain't right. I don't know if you're cool enough to be described in the same way as I Monster," she teased.

"Well that's why you don't give it to them," Rae said. But he didn't need to be told that. Zuva was prodigious with magic, always one of the best, even if he liked to come off as lazy and like a bit of a scoundrel. "I'm glad to provide a good idea every now and then."

Rae just shook her head, laughing. "I ain't gonna answer something we both already know," she told him. "Fine, fine. I'll say I ain't seen you today, but you know if they think you come around here a lot that they're just gonna stop by again. I think you're settin' me up to get hounded by an angry couple for the foreseeable future. Ex-couple? How'd that tattoo appointment go again?" Rae rolled her eyes. "Best behavior. Uh huh. I'll believe it when I see it."

It was a much needed break from her obsessive practice schedule. She wanted to be prepared, and she would be, but it was also important to rest. Sun-Hee knew real power required the mental and physical fuel to do it, so she allowed herself breaks, however rare, to eat well and stretch out. In the company of a friend was always preferred, especially because all of hers were pretty. "What do you call a fox with carrots in its ears?" The question came as Sun-Hee picked up a piece of carrot to eat.

"Is this a joke or a genuine question?" Rae asked, smiling as she took a bite herself. With one supreme down, most of the coven witches in town were gearing up towards some sort of trial to decide who'd be the next one. It all seemed a little much, in Rae Elle's mind. She had no desire to compete for a title like that, no desire to have that many folks looking to her as some sort of role model. More power to the ones going through it, though. It sounded like hell. "I don't know. What do you call a fox with carrots in its ears?"

"Sometimes the cards reveal both query and response. And three cards sounds just right to me. Would you care to cut the deck?" He extended a hand to gesture across the table before them.

"Well, that means you know what you're doin'," Rae said, smiling back. Her smile turned a little lopsided. "Can't they, though? Don't worry. I'm real safe when I fool around. Don't really need a spirit board or nothin', though I guess it adds to the experience, huh?" All she really needed was to siphon a bit of magic and look through the veil, call to someone, make sure she said goodbye. It was just good manners.

There was no intention in Rae Elle's actions as she cut the deck, shuffling the cards before handing them back to Rohan. "Past, present, future. Where you've been, where you're at, where you're goin'. You can lay out my whole thread of fate if you're feelin' like it," she joked.

josie let out a quiet laugh at that, though it lacked any real amusement behind it. her gaze drifted back toward the lighthouse for a moment, watching the slow sweep of light across the water. "yeah. i think one is enough. any more than that and it'd probably drive everybody insane."

her shoulders lifted slightly in a half shrug before falling again. tired. heavy. she looked like somebody carrying far more than she knew what to do with. "i actually just reconnected with my brother," she admitted after a second, voice quieter now. uncertain. "or... something like that." the words tasted strange in her mouth, not even close to enough to explain what had happened. "it's not exactly going well."

josie pressed her lips together briefly, eyes dropping toward the ground. "and the friend i came here with kind of just... left me here." abandoned felt too dramatic. too honest. but it sat in her chest all the same. "so i guess right now i'm not really leaning on anybody."

"Be a bit too much light, no?" Rae Elle asked. "Like daylight at midnight." She offered a small frown. "I'm sorry to hear that, that it's not going well," she murmured. "You two close? If it's been awhile since you've seen him, maybe there's... growin' pains." She didn't know how long it was, but "reconnected" felt like it'd maybe been awhile. It can always be a little awkward reconnecting after a long time. Pieces that used to fit don't work the same way, and there's the fact that people change. Even family.

Rae let out a low whistle. "Damn, girl. That ain't right. They just left you? You gotta number to chew 'em out over?" she asked. "That's just rude, cher. Nobody deserves to be left high and dry in a strange place." Especially Lunar Cove. Especially if they're not aware.

"Here," Lennon wandered up to the counter, pulling out the stack of vinyls she had brought with her, and placed them down on the table. "It's our EP, and if you love me, you'll put it on the shelves. And when it sells, which it will, you give the Hex Pistols a cut of commission, what do you say? Wanna help a girl out?"

Rae Elle pretended to think it over, already knowing what her answer was going to be. "Hmm. I don't know... You know I don't get paid by how much I sell, right? I'm on salary, sugar. Usually the big boss buys records at wholesale then sells 'em at retail prices. How much you askin' for a record?"

At her hypothetical answer, he laughed softly. "Your lack of faith in me is concerin', I personally don't think it was that bad. There was a guy who wanted a name tattoo," he began, leaning on the counter. "Pretty standard. I did what I always do and asked if he was sure. Suggested he sit on it a week before makin' it permanent, 'cause I've seen enough bad decisions to know, and just had a feelin' y'know? Turns out his partner was already halfway out the door, break-up speech and everything. He thinks I jinxed his relationship and she thinks I interfered with her exit. Now both of them keep findin' me askin' if I could 'undo my influence' which, frankly, is a new one for me." He tried to not laugh but a snicker rolled through despite his very little effort to hold it off. "Dunno how I could ever be bad if I'm so carin' and influential, but here we are."

He tapped on the counter a couple times, "Think I could borrow sanctuary behind here, or in the back room, till the coast is clear?"

"I guess it's a matter of opinion," Rae joked. She hummed, pulling out the store's iPad that was set up to the sound system and messing around with it for a minute. "It's not new, but I Monster redid Neveroddoreven a few years ago. It's electropop, kind of fun, a little dreamy." She grinned. "I like most anything. I ain't picky, either."

He didn't deny it, which told Rae Elle all that she needed to know. Birds followed by the opening notes started as the first track played, and she listened as he talked about a tattoo gone wrong. She laughed. "You're just too powerful. Maybe if you tell them you put a little hex on 'em, then pretend to undo it, they'll leave you alone. You ain't gotta actually do anything, Zuva, just play act a bit and they'll buy, I'm sure." She chuckled, shaking her head and jerking it. "Come on, then. You're welcome to borrow a bit of sanctuary till they head on. If they come in, though, you gotta be real quite. Don't be disturbin' my business, you hear?"

The bell above the record store door gave a dull jingle as Zuva sauntered inside whistling a tune, like he'd simply decided to grace Rae with his presence casually instead of very obviously avoiding something outside. "Mornin' cher," he greeted as he wandered further into the shop, voice warm with familiarity. "Tell me you still got the best taste in music in this whole damn town. Got somethin' I need to give a listen?"

Fingers dragged lazily along the edges of vinyl sleeves as he passed, entirely at home among the neatly cluttered rows and speakers humming low in the background. Plucking a record from the shelf at random, he made a show of inspecting the cover with exaggerated seriousness while his gaze flicked toward the front windows, catching two figures wander by outside. His movements were naturally as he turned, smile never faltering as he glanced towards Rae. "Hypothetical question for you..." he hummed, sliding the record back into place. "I know the answer is a lot, but how much do you love me today?" The grin he flashed her was entirely too charming to trust. "Before you question," Zuva added, all devilish innocence, "know that I didn't do anythin' that bad."

"Mornin', baby," Rae Elle said easily, grinning at Zuva and setting her book aside as she turned her attention to him. It was a slow day, though that probably had more to do with the hour than anything else. Sometimes, mornings were pretty dead, especially during the week. That ususally meant romance novels or small acts of magic to alleviate the boredom, but it seemed like something else was on the agenda, at least for a bit. "I s'pose that's all subjective, but I think my tastes is good. Depends on what you're wantin' to listen to, huh? Somethin' new or somethin' new to you?"

Eyebrow raising ever so slightly, Rae said, "I got a hypothetical answer that's also a hypothetical question: How're we definin' that bad? Still a little bad, huh?" She glanced out the window as well. "Is this the kinda that bad that means you wanna hang out behind the counter for a spell? Or is dippin' into the store enough?"

In some ways, a black cloud still lay over Lunar Cove, a creeping, writhing darkness that revealed itself in the frayed expressions on his neighbors' faces and in the heavy stench of turmoil, still clinging to the air. But nature did not deign notice the troubles of the insignificant creatures flitting about the planet's face. Time moved on.

Spring had planted strong roots by then, warm weather, blue skies, and the chirping of insects, sounds where everywhere else rested silent. Rohan sat now at a table on the green, spreading out a few cards from the tarot deck he'd own even before coming to this town. He looked up when a shadow fell across him. "Hm? Oh, hello. I'm afraid I can't really...it's not literal magic anymore. But humans have used these for divination as much as dark witches. Why not werewolves? Do you have a query?" He gestured at the seat across from him.

Rae had been fascinated in tarot long before she could actually use magic to read the cards. A childhood filled with walking through Jackson Square and seeing all the various card and palm readers, most of whom lacked the connection that she had with the magicks of the earth, had always been drawn her attention. She didn't think she could help it.

Offering Rohan a smile, she took a seat. "I don't see why a werewolf can't read the cards just as well as the next person, especially if you already know your major and minor arcana," Rae Elle said. "I don't have a real query, but would you mind a three-card spread?"

josie let out a small breath at that, eyes drifting back toward the distant sweep of light as it cut through the dark again. “yeah… lonely,” she echoed, but softer, like she wasn’t entirely sure she meant the lighthouse anymore. her arms folded loosely across her chest, more for comfort than anything else, thumb rubbing absently at her sleeve.

she hesitated when rae asked, her mouth parting like she might say something real—something heavier... but the words never quite made it out. instead, she gave a small shrug, gaze dropping to the ground for a second before lifting again. “i don’t know… just feels like everything’s crazy lately.” a faint, almost apologetic smile tugged at her lips. “i think i’m just… adjusting. new place, new everything.” another pause, quieter this time. “it gets kind of lonely, you know?”

"I'd say it needs another lighthouse, but that'd be a bit too much, wouldn't it?" Rae Elle asked. Overkill. Too bright, especially if the rotation of the lights got out of sync. "I guess it's got a job to do that's a little solitary."

Rae hummed. "I get that, sugar. It's hard. Everything that's been goin' on ain't easy even if you have been in town for a bit. I can't imagine how it feels bein' new." She wondered how new this woman was. It was one thing to be new to town; that was bad enough. But there were frequently people who were new to this world. "You got any folks here? Friends? Family? That always makes the adjustment easier, I've learned. Hard to be a lighthouse when you got folks to lean on."

josie’s smile came slow, soft at the edges, like she wasn’t disagreeing so much as wandering somewhere else entirely. she let out a quiet hum, rocking slightly on her heels as her gaze drifted back to the lighthouse, its glow brushing over the water in patient, endless sweeps. “maybe it is,” she said, almost absentmindedly, “just a lighthouse.”

her voice dipped quieter after that, something more thoughtful settling in. “but it feels lonely, doesn’t it?” she murmured, eyes fixed on that distant beam. “standin’ out there all by itself, night after night, watchin’ everything pass by without ever gettin’ to follow.” she drew a small breath, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “maybe it's just keeping ships from crashing... but i don't know.. this town feels like it's always something more than that, y'know?”

There was something dreamy-eyed and wistful about the other woman that Rae Elle didn't quite want to disagree with. A bubble she didn't want to burst. It was just a lighthouse to her, but she'd been living with magic, actual magic, that the mundane world made by people around her wasn't really magical. To her, there was magic in nature. There was magic in the earth that she'd sank her fingers into and pulled from the ground. A lighthouse, though, was just a lighthouse.

"I s'pose it looks a little lonely out there by itself. Singular tree still standin' in a forest. This one's just got a big light swingin' around." Rae breathed out a soft laugh. "Oh, I think this town's way more than all that." Not always in a good way. "What's got you feelin' all contemplative, sugar?"

"You can own it, cher. I won't tell nobody it wasn't intentional if you want," Rae Elle joked. "I try to be personable at work, but, yeah, it can be real hard to get to know folks when they've got a purpose and you're just makin' sure they find what they're lookin' for. You work in retail, too?"

open starter for josephine howlett ft. anyone , located at lunar cove beach just after nightfall. ( @lunarcovestarters )

the sand was cool beneath josephine’s bare feet, damp from the tide that had long since rolled back, leaving the shoreline glistening under the moonlight. she stood still at lunar cove’s edge, arms loosely folded, her gaze fixed on the lighthouse in the distance. its beam cutting slow, steady arcs through the dark like it was searching for something it could never quite find.

she tilted her head slightly, watching the light pass over the water again, and again, and again. “you ever get the feeling,” she murmured, more to the ocean than anyone else, “that it’s not warning ships away… it’s trying to call something else here?” her lips pressed into a faint, almost knowing smile, though her eyes didn’t leave the lighthouse.

Rae wasn't much of a beach girl. Nothing against it, sure but it wasn't really the vibe a lot of the time. Still, it was always beautiful at night, and it was hard to deny the call of that. Something magnetic. Home was the swamps and the river, but the ocean was just as lovely. Not as solid as forest ground under foot, but the shifting of waves were soothing.

At the sound of the voice, Rae Elle offered a small smile. "Oh, cher, I think it's just a lighthouse," she said. "I don't think it's really callin' nothin' here, just tryin' to keep ships from crashin' into each other."