m e r c u r i a l

status: open to all witches  location: outside of the bar where she works time & date: around 2am, just after close - saturday, the 6th 

   despite what lixue said about laying low, staying on the move, and being careful - liyah returned to work the next night as normal. if anyone had commented on it, her flippant reply was simply; a bitch got bills, a bitch gotta work. so, she worked her usual long saturday shift, filling her pockets with tips and biting back her fears with fake smiles and flips of her hair. 

   she didn’t drink, never had, but nights like these tempted her. with everyone gone now, even the old lurkers who linger well after last-call, aaliyah was free to swipe a bottle of rum from the shelf and slip out the back once she’d locked up. apparently being part of a ‘coven’ meant she’d never get a minute alone, and so she was given an escort that night - for safety in numbers, or whatever. 

   “hey, stalker,” she teased, eyebrows raised, holding out the bottle as her gratitude for the walk home. at this point, aaliyah figured getting busted for stealing booze one was the least of her worries, and it wasn’t like the drunk owner would notice, anyway. she and ofelia all but ran the place; so who fucking cared? “all yours. i don’t drink. figured you could use it. damn, this place gets spooky at night, shit, doesn’t it?” 

it had been a long time since marina had been a hard partier, a frequent drinker. maybe college.. when she still had the opportunity to paint new york city red with carter in tow. but now she found herself gravitating towards booze again just to drown her own fears and paranoia enough to get a good night’s sleep, even when it dulled the sharp edges of her perception. maybe precisely because it dulled those edges. so to find herself lingering at the back door of the bar was pure temptation. she had been tasked to walk aaliyah home that night from work, since there was strength in numbers, but her mind couldn’t help drifting to the potent drinks just minutes away. if she’d dressed up a little more... if she’d cared a little less...

There may have been a hint of hesitation in Marina’s eyes, but only if Ren looked close enough.  Perhaps this witch was not quite as excited about nature as she- though she could have been overthinking just as easily.  “Am I that mysterious?” she asks, a small laugh turning her words into an unaffected smile. 

“I wanted all three of us together, initially, but Zel was otherwise occupied.” By three, she knew Marina would understand. The Water Witches.  Ren had every mind to make them the strongest of the units- if no one else. There was a quickness to her steps as she  jogged nearer, the navy grimoire between her hands.  “I’ve got a heft load of spells that need you, Mari.  So it depends what you’d prefer.  Offense? Defense? Protection, maybe?” Her brow raises.  “We can conjure or see forward-the worlds your oyster- simply tell me what you need.”

“well,” she leaves a little space hanging in the air between them, a quick flashback through all the group meetings that ren had been absent from. that didn’t need to be said. they both knew it. “less mysterious now, i suppose.” she glances at the camper, at the girl with her casual excitement.

“Oh now, I wouldn’t call it a crime.” Aleksandr clucks his tongue and there’s something almost sing-song to his words. He makes a show of leaning against the elevator wall, at odds with the tense figure she cuts. His body still blocks the control panel from reach. “God knows I value my solitude. Wouldn’t want to be casting stones from glass houses now, would we?” 

That damn hand is moving far too much in her pocket for his liking; Aleksei’s gaze darts to it and it sets his teeth on edge. Still, there’s no sign of it on his face, nothing but that same cold-eyed confidence. “I know there was a strange story in the news recently. The sort of thing most people would dismiss, except… you’re not most people are you?” His gaze drifts from her feet to her head with the sole purpose of making her feel small. “And neither am I.” 

in a minute you’ll wish you’d brought backup. she thinks it, a poisonous edge to the words, but knows that to voice them is to court death. she’s still not ready to fight, especially not on her own. his eyes are cool and calm for the most part, but marina still catches them as they dart to her pocket. she pulls her hand out back into view, crossing her arms firmly across her chest to hide traces from her scratched out runes moments ago. look, nothing to hide.

it takes a second for mason to decide he doesn’t trust this woman. he quickly ceases to believe in the tale of something borrowed but he decides to go with it. at least for now. he can put holes on her narrative later on if needed. however, as the woman speaks – has he asked her name? – mason can’t help but to wonder why she came in so unprepared. his eyebrows shoot up and he cocks his head, sporting his best confused expression. “ the living room or the kitchen? ” he echoes. “ can I ask what is it? i think not many items can be either in the living room or the kitchen and not be weird. ” he says but gestures to the living room just the same. “ define long. though i’m pretty sure i’ve been here long enough for poor peter. ”

maeve has always worked alone. be by virtue of her fate within her “family” or the nature of her line of work, the blonde always found herself having to fend for herself. she does so marvelously. prides herself in not needing the aid of others to climb to where she stands. the whole communal idea of magic that genevieve tried to sell  from day one went directly against her individualistic modus operandi. it’s no surprise then, that she decided to sit outside of most of the meetings since the dinner party. it still bothers her but she tentatively opens herself to the possibility of performing magic and acting in behalf of a group. but only because she won’t want witch hunters vandalizing her home. 

the blonde approaches the woman by the lake and nods in a greeting. she isn’t quite sure why she chose to come to marina to practice. perhaps she hopes that the anger she feels from having her home on fire brings an exciting twist to it. maeve licks her lips. “ well, i reached out to you for this, haven’t I? ” she says, stepping closer each time. “ it would be rude of me if i didn’t show up. ” maeve looks around then, towards the expanse of the lake. “ a lake, of course. does the location benefit you? ”

    “it is just a scratch…” ari downplayed the cut, but nodded all the same when marina mentioned needing practice. she could live with that, and left her hand secure with the water witch. it occurred to her, she didn’t know much about the other witches’ abilities, other than a select few. hell, she hardly knew about her own sometimes. “i would imagine it is a bit difficult to get in the practice with healing powers, unless you are as accident prone as i am.” 

   marina’s logic did some to ease ari’s guilt, like a band-aid on her heart as well as on her palm, but some would always remain, she feared. “i do blame myself a bit, i likely always will,” she admitted, much more freely and honestly than ariadne usually would. something about sharing a living space, even if only for a few days, created some sort of deeper sense of connection with marina. she nodded along to her words, understanding deeply that sense of helpless frustration. “do you also get the feeling this is just the beginning of something… very bad?” ari’s voice was hushed, leaning in slightly, despite the fact the pair were alone. she wasn’t sure if she meant the hunters, or lixue, or luce’s death - maybe all of it, but there was a dark sensation growing inside. “you should take one of the keys. in case- well, in case something… happens.”

the other’s acquiescence brings a smile to her face: it’s not just about having the chance to practice, but knowing that ariadne’s willing to trust her, willing to be vulnerable with her. it’s what marina cherishes most from the relationships she’s built with these girls, considering how hard it is for her to face her own vulnerabilities at times. “it’s hard to get practice indeed,” she nods with a little hum of agreement, “not that i’d wish for any of us to be injured more frequently.”

zelenia shrugged her shoulders. “i mean, my cat has food. i’m not TOO inclined to leave.” though she liked her cottage and how REMOTE it was, it technically wasn’t home to zelenia. it was merely where she lived, as quaint of a place it was. as the fellow water witch went on to say she WISHED they had a chance to see what could be done differently, zelenia slowly nodded her head. “ – i wonder IF there was anything or if this was always to be the outcome.” the beauty wasn’t usually PESSIMISTIC in anyway, but she had been reluctant to attend the seance and now she KNEW her instinct had been right. she could see, marina was worn. she was weak, defeated. much like they ALL were.

“it’s NOT a stupid dream.” zelenia told her. “i mean, we’ve got MAGIC, a witch has been raised from the DEAD, i don’t think anything is a dream anymore. it all seems in the realm of possibility to me.” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, unsure if that would make marina feel any better or not. “even if it was – DREAMS are hardly useless. BUT, it doesn’t do us any good to beat ourselves up over the things now past. we should just focus on FIXING our mistakes and getting our safety back. and LUCE.”

Fiery. He hadn’t expected it of her from all he’d seen of cowed shoulders, nervous glances. A facade, he decides a moment later, but she has tricks up her heathen sleeves that he does not, spells and curses that he won’t take for granted. Aleksei holds his palms up in mock surrender. “To talk. You seem in an awful rush and it’s good to slow down, consider your situation, don’t you think?” He folds his hands behind his back and smiles. In another context, it may have been charming — he’s an attractive boy, but there’s something dead behind his eyes that turns the expression glib.

His gaze drifts from her face down to her hands. It’s the one buried deep in her pocket that he knows to be wary of, perhaps clutching at some talisman or powder to beguile him. Instead, he focuses on the bag clutched in her other. “I’d always thought shopping was a group activity. What’s the matter?” He clucks his tongue and tilts his head. “No friends to accompany you?” 

she can feel her face burn, knowing no matter what she does she’s probably playing right into his trap. god, she was stupid. marina keeps her eyes locked on his — can’t afford to waver or look weak. if she was going down, she’d go down swinging. “so i wanted to be alone for a bit — is that a crime?” her eyes roll, false bravado as she scoffs.

WHERE: Ren’s camp, woods outside salem WHEN: May 26th, days after the meeting WHO: closed for @marinachois​

When the zombie witch had adjourned her meeting, Ren had seen the moment as a chance to seek conversation with the fellow witches of this coven. She’d shaken hands, offered supportive smiles where needed and, most importantly, been sure to tell them all where to find her. It seemed abundantly clear from the topic of conversation that the majority of these girls were ill prepared for magic. She could fix that.  She’d taken special care to invite both Zel and Marina to practice with her, going so far as to mention spells to both witches that she had improved. Now she jogged down her Skoolie’s steps, dressed in bra and leggings to work.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Ren says with a smile, genuine when she said as much. “With all the flack Gen’s house was receiving, I worry about bringing anyone to my traveling abode.” It was a farce, having set her camp quite nicely.  Lights hung off her moving home and she’d brought a traveling fire pit out with a hammock to mark her space. “Do you want to rip right into it or..?”

her boots crunched through the twigs and leaves as she made her way through the woods, eyes focused on the gps open on her phone. soon she didn’t have to rely purely on that: the glow of the camper  and the fire pit were an easy beacon to make her way towards their meeting spot.

even after all these weeks, learning to use her magic alone always felt easier than practicing in front of others. marina was always afraid to mess up, or worried that she wouldn’t be as powerful as some of the others. that fear had manifested more than once, when she’d realized some of the other girls were willing and able to push themselves harder than she could. when maeve reached out, she’d been intrigued to say the least. this was someone whose magic she’d almost never seen before, by sheer virtue of her choosing to absent herself from past meetings.

where?: marina’s place.  when?: saturday evening.  why?: overflowing.  who?: ofelia morrone & CLOSED. “marina.”  the tip of her tongue is scorched with the inferno of the things she’d never say. her nose is stained with the pages of the old grimoire that had been stuffed in her bedside table for the past weeks. if she didn’t open the drawer, it didn’t exist, right? ofelia wasn’t opposed to magic. not even remotely. in fact, she was somewhat of a SLAVE to the power the tips of her fingertips could muster. fear had died down with the tears she had cried, hope had been born in the heart of mayhem. but despite this, ofelia had a tendency to see hope and feel her fingers itch to snuff it out. she was a moth of war, an enemy of peace. that reflected, vivid and vibrant, in her off-the-cuff, rushed decision to make a beeline for marina’s front doorstep. she wasn’t thinking straight. in fact, she thought in curves and swerves and arcs and as she arrived, out of breath, she paused beneath the moonlight. how glorious the moon was, the sun’s lover. ofelia drew nearer to a parked car, checked over her reflection once in the wing mirror, let out a satisfied hum before allowing a feral fist to hammer down repetitively on the door.  “ marina let me in, por Dios. I’m here to take you up on that offer. ” there was an element of pleading, a hybrid now with free and unbridled excitement. “ don’t tell me you’ve gone SOFT on me now. ” she needed a distraction. there was so much in her head. too much. and it was overspilling. 

@marinachois​

the frantic knocking was the opposite of what she’d wanted from a quiet night in — her mind immediately started spiraling even as she rushed to the front door. could something terrible have happened yet again? how many more of them could afford to get hurt? peering through the peephole, marina yanked the door open. the tension dissolved a little at the tone of ofelia’s voice — sure, she was a little manic, but not distraught.

    there was pride taken in being a good guest, and so ari had done her best to be just that; respecting space, living small, quietly, not that it was too different from what she usually did behavior wise. still, ari didn’t plan to intrude on marina’s home for too much longer, maybe another night or two - 

   “it is nothing,” she sighed with a light, forced laugh, but showed her cut palm anyway. it wasn’t too bad, not deep, just bleeding due to the location of it. marina’s opinion surprised her, and ari’s eyebrow rose. true, genevieve didn’t know she’d contacted the reporter, but still- “i suppose,” she said simply, and then shrugged at the follow-up. “you are doing more than enough already. letting me stay, being so understanding. i do not deserve all this, i think. this is my fault, all of it.” 

she tsks, a small sharp sound that startles marina into realizing how much she’d become like her own mother, even with all the distance between them. careful eyes scan the wound, and she looks back up at her friend. “d’you want me to heal it?” a small smile, a silent reminder to ariadne that anything freely offered shouldn’t make her feel guilty for taking it. “i could use the practice, y’know?”

his eyes trace the woman in front of him from head to toe. from their brief encounter during the festival mason can’t measure up the brunette properly. yet, whatever woman that is friends of ariadne’s is a suspect in his book after the latest developments. even more suspect is this behavior – he knows ariadne isn’t home but is, in fact, in town. so has his friend’s fiance sent on of her own to spy on him, even if for a small amount of time? whatever the reason behind it, mason is little inclined to believe the visit is all about retrieving something borrowed. nevertheless, mason steps back to make room for the woman to go by him. “ i mean, sure, if she said so, ” mason shrugs. “ did ariadne tell you where this item is? ”

she can feel herself relax a little when he steps back, but that relief doesn’t last long. sure, he’s not shutting her out and he hasn’t reacted violently, but... being shut in a house with someone that might have figured out her secret, who might have attacked her house.. that wasn’t exactly a plan she’d thought through before she arrived.

“ – i stayed all night.” the blonde answered the other as she stood in the kitchen, helping herself to the COFFEE kept in the kitchen with little concern as to who it belonged to. she felt UNCOMFORTABLE going home some nights, with jack in the basement and the rest of the hunters out there, SOMEWHERE. zelenia turned to lean on the kitchen counter, looking at marina as she took a sip of the warm, dark liquid. “ – angry. sad. frustrated.” and seeking revenge, she thought. “the same things EVERYONE is feeling, i assume.” the ice witch would be shocked if there was any one of them who didn’t feel the way she did about everything. “how about you?”

WHERE: ari and peter’s home WHEN: saturday  STATUS: closed for @marinachois​

mason isn’t one to stay too much at home but with ariadne away and peter apologizing profusely for having to work on a saturday, he finds the perfect opportunity to snoop around. he assures his friend there’s nothing to it and that they can catch up later and wishes him a good day. once he is gone, mason takes a deep breath, wonders where to start looking. there’s a bit of a if i was a witch where i would hide something magical exercise before he decides to settle for the room where the woman sets the flowers brought to her every friday. 

he barely has any time to look around before he is startled by the doorbell. mason feels his stomach drop but ultimately convinces himself there’s nothing to it. the danger lies in ariadne or peter finding him and neither of them would ring the doorbell. he laughs at himself before going towards the door, knowing he wouldn’t be too helpful to whoever is behind it. 

“ sorry, i’m afraid the owners aren’t ho– ” he stops himself mid-sentence when he recognizes the woman before him. “ oh, you. how can i help you? ”

she wasn’t sure what possessed her to drop by ariadne’s house, knowing that she’d probably find mason there alone. call it curiosity, call it poor survival instincts. but she had suspicions that needed to be confirmed, and he’d gotten just a little too close for comfort at the festival. marina wasn’t usually one to second-guess her gut.

location: marina’s home time & date: sometime after the chaos on the 20th status: closed for @marinachois​

     returning home, especially now, was not an option in the slightest. ever since geneveive ceoi had thrown the keys in ari’s direction on the way out, the astral witch had clutched them for dear life, and now that all was still, quiet, peaceful - ariadne finally allowed her hand to uncurl, hissing with a slight wince as she did so. the metal grooves of the keys had been clung to so tightly, they’d dug into her palm enough to draw blood. with everything happening, ari hadn’t even noticed until now. “shit,” the musician cursed, out of character for the prim and proper businesswoman, quickly standing and going to the kitchen sink to clean the wound. 

   “i wish she would not have given them to me,” she admitted, glancing over her shoulder at marina, though it seemed like a selfish statement to make when two of their friends were dead, and others far worse off than she. it seemed impossible to even begin verbalizing anything that had happened, so ari stuck with the smallest problem… for now. 

ariadne had been staying at her place for a while now — a small comfort to them both, after the hunters had started coming out of the woodwork. despite her love for solitude and her own space, it was much nicer than she’d expected to have company. her friend’s curse has her eyes widening — in all the time she’d known the brunette ( which, granted, wasn’t very long ), she rarely ever swore, maintaining a much more poised demeanor. “hey, you okay?”