A M P E D UP

@kamranxahmadix

"I mean, you could just say that in a voice memo and then send it and change your phone number. Not that I've ever done that before," Kamran replied. He cleared his throat. "I mean, I used to...like, I didn't have a real phone plan, so I would get these burner phones? So I couldn't really keep my number even if I wanted to." He trailed off. "Or do you want, like...a non-committal kind of present thing? How about...a scented candle? People love a scented candle. And candles and birthdays go together."

Ayza looked the book over from head to toe. "And you are how old exactly?" If she had to guess, she would have considered him Gen Z. Then again, looks could be deceiving--especially in this town. After all, Ayza herself had appeared to be just 25 for the last 125 years. "Well, at least the youth have figured some things out." Every new generation seemed to come with its own unique set of problems, and general literacy seemed to be the worst of it with this lot. But at least they didn't fall for email scams.

Kamran flashed a lopsided smile. "Uh, well, I'm 29. Unless you want me to be younger. Or older! If I don't sleep for a few days, I can get pretty gaunt and haggard. Which is a good look for some music genres, you know." This all came as a half-joke, but he did not quite laugh. He cleared his throat, briefly considering that maybe he should have lied and said twenty-two. Or eighteen.

While Sun-Hee nodded she'd never been. "I know where that is." Most of her life had been lived here, in Lunar Cove, with a few summers in Seoul once she reconnected with her biological father. "I like their cheesesteaks." Her expression remained empathetic as Kamran shared more about his life. She met his uncertain smile with one full of reassurance. "Well, I'm glad to know you better, and I'll remember that for you and suggest it on your behalf to the planning committee." The supreme agreed with continuing mixed events. It was still important to build the community at large. "No way? Me too. I'm one of twelve." She laughed about it now but growing up felt like a constant fight not to be usurped by a sibling. "The coven is not like a family. While we all may come to care for each other, that is not its purpose, or how it functions. Rather.. the coven is a resource. It's a tool that witches may utilize to their benefit."

Kamran managed a smile. "Oh, yeah, they're alright. I'm a little lactose intolerant, though. I guess that's never really stopped me." He wrinkled up his nose, voice trailing off. "Well, I don't wanna, like, make things difficult or anything. I mean, I'm still pretty new around here, and...I kind of move around a lot. I'm in a band, so maybe we'll tour, or...what I mean is, don't plan Kamran-palooza or anything. It'd be bad, and no one would come." His eyes widened. "Oh. Wow. No. No. I mean, it was just me, and my dad, and my sister, and...like, look, I kind of accidentally woke up the latent Ahmadi magic when I was a pre-teen because I guess I was a moody little shit and more in-tune with it or whatever? And then...I mean, fuck, it really hit the fan, and no one knew what they were doing. And my mom...well, that was a lot. Understandably." He swallowed hard, awkward now at having said too much. "But it's fine. I just...I kind of vibe with the solo artist thing. At least as far as witchcraft goes. I mean, I'm friends with witches. In the band. They're cool as fuck. But that's different." He bit his lip. "Are there, like...dues? I'm pretty broke, dude."

"Cher? I can do 'Life After Love' if you want actually. It's a pretty straightforward chord progression." Cocking a sideways grin, Kamran begun to strum. Cutting himself abruptly off, though, he gave a sigh, wiping a hand through his hair. "You got the right idea. I wish I knew a 'make a big fucking gust of wind' spell." He pursed up his lips as if deep in consideration.

"Hey, I've been interesting the whole time. I know. I know. I do a really good job of being cool and aloof, but I've got a lot going for me once you get to know me." Kamran flashed a wide grin, bringing up a hand to smooth his hair from his face. He slung the guitar backward so that it dangled behind him. "Uh, well, I think the power's still out, so we're probably SOL. But we're witches, right? I've never done that 'make shit cold' spell, though, have you?" He hummed, rocking a bit on his heels before bringing up his fingers to magickly wiggle them in the air. "I'm used to the heat, though." He slung the guitar around again to do an upside-down riff of "Through the Fire and Flames."

"Where'd you grow up?" She asked as she gave her racquet a spin. "I played at the country club here in the cove, but doesn't everywhere have places like that?" Sun-Hee hadn't spent a lot of time outside of Lunar Cove to really know. "You think so?" She asked genuinely before nodding, decidedly, in agreement. "Maybe more of these things should be divided up in a different more diverse way?" The suggestion could be passed along to the council for future event plans. The supreme took the feedback of all witches, coven or otherwise, into account. "Although, in some capacities, there are benefits to working as a group of witches."

"Oh, uh, outside Philly. You know?" In this moment, he seemed to become somewhat self-conscious about his decidedly Delco accent, straightening up his shoulders and clearing his throat. "We didn't belong to a country club or nothing like that. There were tennis courts in the park, I guess, but...I don't think they would have even let us into a country club. We were pretty middle class. My friend had a ping-pong table." He flashed an uncertain smile before biting down on his lip. "That's, uh, the right way to build an adventuring party, yeah. You need a little bit of everything. Vampires can lift shit like no one's business. I can too, but I need to do a spell for it." He hummed, trailing off. "Oh, yeah...? Like what? I'm a little more...I mean, I grew up in a house full of witches, and we didn't like working together. So it's not totally my thing."

#closed𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋 ›› ft. kamran ahmadi location: after the hex pistols set tagging: @kamranxahmadix

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Founding member! You should hear when I have my electric guitar." Flashing a grin, he did a riff on his acoustic that lacked some of the drama the amp provided. And in truth, Kamran himself was somewhat breathless, hair sticking to his face and glistening skin, both from the heat and from the overcharged amount of flailing he had done around the stage. He may have tried to dive into the crowd or at least gotten a proper pit going if he did not sense someone would complain about it. Not that he bowed to the pressures of whiners, of course, but this was a major gig, and one needed a certain amount of finesse to keep getting those. He hummed. "Thanks. You...uh, you wanna come to the afterparty?"

"Wouldn't know, but I guess I'll have to take your word for it." She let out a light laugh at the way he was trying to look all nonchalant. "Yeah, well, maybe rub some more hot musician off on me why don't ya so I can be out here with my own group of groupies," She teased. "Deal," Len took the jacket from him and slipped it over her own shoulders. "Whoa, hey, I'm already light as a feather, but fine. Though you're going to have to do that spell," She grumbled as she moved to get up on his shoulders. "Oh yeah, sure you are, Heartthrob."

Kamran gave a joshing roll of his eyes. "Look, dude, I know we're kind of like evil brother and sister, or at least first cousins, so this is...whatever. But people definitely come onto you all the time. You're cool as fuck and gorgeous. Maybe you just don't notice because they're losers or something. I'm kind of a loser too, but in a disarming way that everyone is into." He flashed a grin. "Badass. Looks better on me, of course, but still good. And fine, you are. But I don't actually finish most of my protein shakes because they taste like hot garbage." Closing his eyes, he muttered the incantation, hosting the other into the air and extending both his arms all the way upward so she could easily stand upon them for more height if she wanted. "I'm learning all sorts of new spells around here. I even spent a few minutes as Todd Miller, which was weird, but I want to bleach my hair out now. Anyway, the head witch in charge talked to me too. But I don't think I wanna be in witch club. I mean, I could make potions and shit for us, but...it feels pretty establishment, right?"

@kamranxahmadix

Kamran shrugged his shoulders, trying to look nonchalant. "I'm walking sex, dude. People dig musicians. Always have. Everyone knows that. This is kind of like being in Salem. I did numbers in Salem." Despite the heat, he was wearing his beaten-up leather jacket, likely to show off his various pins and patches, which ran the gamut from political to music to Pride to witchery. He sighed. "Okay, but you have to hold this." Slipping out the jacket, he held it over. "Can we do Light as a Feather? I can get you up higher. Even though, I'm still buff as hell. If anyone asks."

&

Kamran shrugged his shoulders. "Well...I think the faeries are the ones who make weird food actually. Like, no offense to them or nothing, but...Russian Roulette cupcakes aren't my thing, I don't think. Like, you know those jelly beans? Where sometimes it's a gross flavor? And that's part of the thing? It feels like that but instead of chewing on a gym sock, your head explodes." All the same, he was exactly the sort of person to take on a dare and would likely not require too much convincing to do something stupid and reckless. "It's fine. I mean...except for, like...the devil dog. Or whatever. I'm staying with friends. We have a band. We're good as hell. You should come listen to us sometime. We're pretty...hardcore."

It was impossible not to notice the way Kamran held his racquet. Sun-Hee considered correcting him, but it wasn't to victory's benefit. "You didn't play growing up?" With parents like hers, it was sort of a given that she'd be involved. It was a good outlet for her competitive and ambitious nature, too. "Sometimes that's all you can do." She offered, genuinely. There were many things Sun-Hee had attempted without initial confidence, but she'd come to figure a lot of people started out that way. "Buckets?" She seemed genuinely confused. "The coalition hands out buckets?"

Kamran raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh...dude, like, where? I mean, I guess there were a lotta Lax bros around where I grew up, but we weren't, like, the pickleball capital of the world or nothing, nah. But what do I know? I walked the mile." He put his hands on his hips. "No, I mean, it feels sort of weird to divide everyone up by their...type? Attribute? Mana cost? Like metaphorical buckets. I mean, I'm not in the coven. Sort of presumptuous I would...play for them on-account of us having one thing in common, right? No offense or nothing. I bet it's good for the people who are into it."

midsummer feast, tuesday, 7:47pm

"Huh? Oh, I don't actually know. I just came to load up on free food," Kamran explained, speaking through a mouthful of something and balancing a plate in one hand. "Is it good, though? I don't really like most potato salad. My mom used to make this kind with...like, it had pickles and green peas? I liked that. But then...well, we didn't really have it anymore." Explaining his frayed family dynamics over a feast felt impolite. "Maybe it's, like, magic potato salad. Maybe someone conjured it? I haven't been in-town that long, and I'm already learning all kinds of new spells."

closed || @kamranxahmadix & Sun-Hee

"Oh? 'Sup?" Kamran managed a smile, swinging his paddle back and forth a few times through the air as though limbering himself up for the competition ahead. In truth, he was holding the thing incorrectly, but time spent in the local rec center and in richer kids' basements had. at least, made him something of a genuinely distinguished Ping-Pong player. This was likely not that different, he had already decided. Except maybe it was. "I'm not a sore loser or nothing. Have at it. But between you and me, I'm not so into the...team sport thing, you know? Trying my best here." He threw out his hands. "Besides, aren't the Coalition in charge of me or whatever right now? I mean, I believe in peace and love and don't like labels or buckets."

"That's dumb as fuck, but sounds actually fairly good for us. As long as we beat the suburban government bureaucrat to it," She flashed him a bright grin at the thought. "Cheap? So, what would you be going around getting a mistress then, Ahmadi? How you'd butter them up instead?" She teased. Though at his vampire comment, her smirk only grew. "You're cute. I think you'd actually like being fed from. You get a sick fucking high from it, dude. It's kinda great, but don't worry, warlock boy. If you don't want them to bite you, I guess I'll be your bodyguard. Save all the vampires highs for me."

Kamran rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. The whole point of bureaucracy is that the wheels turn slowly so that it doesn't work like shit for anyone." He snorted out a laugh. "Having a mistress means I need someone to step out on. And that's not likely. I'm too much of an artist. Can't be tied down." He shrugged his shoulders, but that was absolutely not the reason he struggled with relationships. "Wait, really? But, like...do you gotta walk around with two big holes in your neck or what? I'm not trying to look Hot Topic here." The hoodie and paint cans were not actually aiding in that case. "Can't they just...sap up magic? What would we even do?"

"Whimsical, huh? But not, like...whimsi-goth. Let me tell you, dude, witches love whimsigoth shit. Stained glass moons. Canopy beds. Wind chimes in the shape of the zodiac. I blame Practical Magic." He was not necessarily that kind of sorcerer, he thought, but he was also not not that kind of sorcerer. He was trying to figure out that spell that let you shit out crystals. Kamran sighed. "I'd rather eat chalk, I think. It doesn't...like, I'm not gonna say 'no,' but I do have to actually try to lift weights, right? The muscles won't just happen? Maybe I should stay skinny. Guyliner and skinny was a pretty popular brand for a hot minute." He crossed his arms and pursed up his lips in anxious displeasure.

"Yes, I remember that episode." It was one of the few shows Ayza had actually watched, not being much of a TV buff herself. As for covers, she replied dryly, "I would hope so," and extended a hand to point at the neon karaoke sign at the front door, and another near the stage. The 'covers' that played in her establishment were hardly top tier, but the very existence and popularity of such a bar proved the point that people were drawn to what they already knew, to the familiarity of a known, catchy beat or a nostalgic tune.

"Oh, word? Then you probably know they also did, like, the same exact plot in, like, Season 2, right? They all sang Blondie." Kamran flashed a grin, deciding that television trivia was at least one area in which he could pretend to excel. "Well, sure...those are the customer covers. I get that. Of course." People presumably paid to perform those covers rather than being paid to perform them. That felt like enough of a distinction.