ᴘʀᴏᴅɪɢᴀʟ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ.

☾  —  DARCY CORTÉZ   penned by  sab ;  pinned post .

i took a little journey to the  unknown  and i come back  CHANGED ,  i can feel it in my bones.  i fucked with the forces that our eyes  can't see ;  now the  DARKNESS  got a hold on me.   ( holy darkness got a hold on me. )

(    OPEN    )   /   @dihstarters​​ :

IT’S  A  WONDROUS  THING  ,  how  the  wild  calms  a  child  .  breathing  in  the  ocean  air  ,  feeling  the  sand  and  dirt  beneath  her  feet  was  enough  to  lull  the  queen’s  nerves  of  the  day  .  she  stands  before  the  alter  ,  adela’s  flower  crown   sits  upon  her  head  ,  as  she  places  a  freshly  baked  loaf  of  bread  (  gifted  by  a  seelie  commoner  )  on  the  table  .  her  gaze  does  not  turn  to  the  one  who  approaches,  but  she  is  aware  of  their  presence  ,  speaking  to  them  :  “  have  you  come  bringing  an  offering  ?  ”

EVENT 003 :  SUMMER SOLSTICE

  the dragon moved as she waved, a brow raising at the flowers she was busying herself with. despite his past with witches and all creatures magical, vik found all rather interesting. unique beings, even humans, to be aware was such an amazing thing then to love and be curious - evolutionary. “a tea? how lovely…what does this tea do? do you happen to know the benefits or perhaps side effects?” vik questioned, though genuine her tone made his brow raise a little. red riding hood seemed to be more like a wolf. “interesting - you seem to be a botanist of sorts, a talent to have knowing the plants here.”  a light smile popped onto his face, imagining his vala at the booth – halloween of all the times of the year. he’d have to ask her what she went as, he could only try to picture the costume. “she’s very talented, i wouldn’t be surprised if someone killed for something from her.” 

“ A WITCH’S GOTTA KNOW HER TRADE, ”  she replies with a raised eyebrow, but her lips quirk into a smile and the corrective tone fades from her voice as she continues.  “ plant properties  really are the absolute basics, but i’ve always had a hang for them. and the  wonderful  thing about this realm is that there’s so many new things to  learn . ”  darcy shrugs, and wraps her little package of flowers tightly before straightening.  “ the  tea  doesn’t do much ;  it’s your natural calming brew, and i suppose even  that  might be the hot water. if you’d like to play  guinea pig , though, you can come in and have a cup.  ”  the way she says it with her arms crossed, it might  almost  sound like a challenge. nodding towards one of the paths leading out of the woods, the witch adds:  “ i love close by. and i think i even have some pie, although i  know  it’s not going to be as good as vala’s. ”

THIS  WAS  A  MISTAKE  .  the  conversation  is  a  clear  reminder  why  brianna should  work  alone  .  why  letting  her  guards  down  is  the  worst  idea  ,  not  a  good  one  .  she  grabs  her  bag  ,  a  scoff  falling from  her  lips  as  she  shakes  her  head  to  herself  .  ❛  you  know  what  ?  forget  about  it  .  ❜  an  amber  flash  lights  up  her  eyes  and  she  sets  them  on  the  board  ,  scorching  the  piece  of  paper  without damaging  anything  else  .  ❛  thanks  .  ❜  her  eyes  don’t  meet  darcy’s as  she  spins  around  on  her  heels  ,  heading for  the  door  .  stupid  mistake  .  ❛  i  won’t  be  bothering  you  again  .  ❜  she  adds  before  the  door  closes behind  her  .

“ JUST THEORETICAL CHILDREN, ” she shrugged. she watched darcy pour the drinks, twirling her hair around two fingers. children were a ways off for her. the closest she had to a significant other was a fling she hadn’t seen in two years… a fling she missed, but hoped was safe with his family far away from here. she didn’t think she was ready, anyways. but she nodded as darcy spoke. she thought that most of the time they did. and perhaps her parents’ lack of want of her driving them to send her to her aunt was what they’d thought was better. certainly better than being an unwanted child in her mother’s home. “ perhaps they do. though sometimes perhaps birth control before they bring another life into the world that they don’t want would be better. ” she took the glass, “ iechyd da, ” she nodded, grinning. “ well, i’ve already corrected at least one of my parents’ mistakes. so that counts as making some progress, right ? ” 

DESCENSUS AVERNO  ( 2020 - )

are you ready for your very own  nightmare  fairytale ?

HER  RESPONSE  GETS  A  LAUGH  from  the  creepy  old  man  .  she  wasn’t  particularly  wrong  after  all  ;  some  might  describe  his  …  habits  and  actions  as  creepy  .  but  it  was  all  subjective  ,  wasn’t  it  ?  “  and  yet  ,  you  haven’t  tried  to  get  rid  of  me  .  ”  though  they  both  knew  why  that  was  the  case  .  they  were  both  using  each  other  for  something  .  but  he  couldn’t  deny  that  her  company  was  …  somewhat  enjoyable  .  the  witches’  antics  and  immediate  action  to  begin  working  it  another  thing  that  brings  him  amusement  .  “  i  would  love  to  .  ”  he  carries  himself  over  to  the  table  to  sit  down  .  “  black  please  .  ”  the  emphasis  is  heavy  on  the  word  please  —  see  how  polite  he  can  be  ?   not  always  creepy  …

❛  WE  ARE  TALKING  about  the  resurrection  of  a  soul  .  it’s  not  something you  can  try  a  million  times  .  ❜  it’s  something  that  has  to  be  done  right  the  first  time  ,  or  else  it  wouldn’t work  at  all  .  brianna could  not  take  risks  .  ❛  if  anyone  helps  i  need  emotional  strength and  stability  .  ❜  she  would  need  someone  to  make  her  feel  comfortable and  confident  -  the  opposite  of  the  things  that  darcy  makes  her  feel  in  this  instant  ,  though  the  hybrid  doesn’t really  blame  her  for  her  own  insecurity  .  ❛  i’m  afraid  of  ruining  this  ,  or  letting  it  be  ruined by  anything  or  anyone  .  this  might  be  my  only  chance  . this  is  not  just  an  experiment  .  it’s  important  to  me  .  ❜

❛ a bold choice. ❜ irritating as it was, she found this line of conversation distinctly more appealing than if she had attempted to be sickeningly polite — — and it didn’t hurt that darcy had wit to her. she wondered what it might take for this interaction to turn, what remark might sour their moods to the point of no return. who would say it? did she even want them to? the fact that it was even a question was answer enough. but why? the thought crossed her mind so briefly that she might have missed it, were it not for the sharp roil of her stomach. it was almost a relief that darcy went on.

genevieve snorted. ❛ the rewards? ❜ it even felt ridiculous on her tongue. ❛ does this mean that you, darcy, would somehow benefit from me pestering you? or rather, interrupting your life whenever the mood strikes? i would have thought you of all people would have realized by now how dangerous it is to permit me to take heed of my whims. ❜ quite a few individuals had come to regret that decision, notably those who gave away their trust too liberally. but that wasn’t the case here, it seemed. her kind was trained to detect unease, seeking out the faintest trace and capitalizing upon it, tendrils corrupting all they touched with something to be feared. minute as it was, she couldn’t help but see the anxiety behind darcy’s gaze. ❛ i’ll take it. ❜ perhaps her smile was a bit too wide, not quite threatening but straddling the line between benignity and malevolence. ❛ you’re right, the ability to come and go as i please is appealing. i would say that you can expect a visit, though that would defeat the purpose. ❜

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THE BENEFIT ,  OF COURSE ,  was that if genevieve was pestering  her  she wouldn’t be getting up to anything  else  that could potentially disrupt the careful balance this realm had slipped into. it wasn’t a guarantee, of course, but  ---  time management ,  and all that.  ( which wasn’t to speak of the fact that she  genuinely  would not mind the vampire’s presence ;  might  enjoy  it, even, considering her  whims  had a tendency to be either challenging or fun. or  both . )  neither of these reasons were something darcy would readily admit to, though, so the witch merely shrugged, a corner of her lips turning up.  “ have you never considered that your  interruptions  might be beneficial? ”  she needled instead, playing over her genuine appreciation.  “ whatever  little  thrill it provides helps to keep me on my toes. ”

despite her teasing tone, though, it might have shown through that she was actually  looking forward  to such a visit, so a change of topic was needed  ---  quickly . darcy’s gaze skipped through the room, attempting to find something to comment on, but truth be told  ---  everything looked almost  ordinary ;  or it would, had she not known  who  was living there. a light chuckle escaped her, then.  “ you know, i  would  have said seeing how normal people live might do you some good, but ... this place  is  pretty neat. ”  she looked back at genevieve before adding.  “ did you pick this for convenience, or to deliberately  counter expectations ? ”

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓  :  ‘   witch  in  training   ’                       𝐅𝐎𝐑  :  @spellcrossed​

𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐃  a  leather  pointed  shoe  in  between  two  bodies  and  lunged  his  lanky  form  forward  until  he  had  become  part  of  the  group  gathered  outside  the  nightfall  club.  he  had  yet  to  see  who  the  spectacle  was  ,  only  that  the  infectious  laughter  wasn’t  coincidence.  daeramarr’s  steely  blues  eyes  narrowed  ,  but  little  could  be  done  to  see  anything  more  than  craning  necks  ,  and  in  his  case  long  brunette  locks  tossed  in  his  face.  “  you  should  try  short  hair  next  time  darling,”  daeramarr  all  but  yelled  in  the  woman’s  ear  with  a  slight  tug  on  the  strands  that  continued  to  annoy  him.  “  i  hear  it’s  very  freeing.  ”  and  far  more  crowd  friendly.  

  vik wondered if the girl knew she held the same aura as the things she said. beautifully deadly were all creatures in the seelie realm, even the ground the walked on. “i’m intrigued is there anything interesting about the plants you’ve been enchanted by?” he finally questioned, offering a friendly smile. at least she wasn’t dull, how many people were crying themselves to sleep because there was a change of scenery. someone  should inform them of the rarity it is to be in the realm, and how easily they probably could have been killed instead of brought there. “not really lost, just away – yes found is a way to put it. she seems as well as ever. did you know vala before this?”

HOW  PLEASANT ,  to have an  interesting  conversation in the woods for once ;  better than the  threats  or  boredom  she’d faced there before.  ( the latter being a significantly  worse  problem than the former. )  the witch smirked at vik’s first question, but instead of answering,  waved him closer and then knelt down by the flowers to carefully pick off their petals onto a large, embroidered handkerchief.  “ if you boil them at a water kettle’s usual temperature, they make a nice tea, ”  she explained, voice faux-innocent as fit the words. her tone remained the same, although it turned  at odds  with her next statement.  “ if you boil them at about  four times  that heat, it makes some acidic brew you probably  shouldn’t  drink. but the  fumes  are great for cleansing and dispelling. ”  and a variety of other things she wouldn’t simply disclose to near-strangers.  though, in fairness, vik didn’t seem to have a problem with the  deadly  part of all those beautiful, deadly things ;  not that she would expect less of vala’s sibling.  “ i met vala here, actually, ”  darcy continued, then, though her focus remained on the flowers.  “ she had a baking booth at this halloween festival. her cupcakes are to  die  for. ”

THE  DEFENSIVE TONE  is  barely  audible ,  but  brianna has  always  been  an  empathetic person  .  it’s  easy  to  tell  that  something  is  not  quite  okay  in  this  moment .    ❛  i  didn’t mean  to  upset  you  .  i  apologize if  i  did  .  ❜  the  statement  ,  however  ,  is  one  she  understands .  there  is  not  all  that  much  waiting  for  her  on  the  other  side  either (  which  is  partially  owed  to  the  presence  of  her  family )  -  except for  her  freedom  .  the  bitterness  in  darcy’s voice  makes  her  bite  the  inside  of  her  cheek  and  she  remains  silent for  a  very  long  moment before  she  shakes her  head  .  ❛  it’s  not  something  that  would  get  us  kicked out  ,  but  i  …  it  might  be  better if  i  do  it  alone  .  ❜  this  is  too  important for  emotions  to  get  in  the  way  of  things and  if  it’s  this  easy  for  the  mood  to  change so  very  much  ,  it  could  be  dangerous  .  for  both  of  them  .  ❛  maybe  so  .  it  doesn’t mean  it’s  right  to  endanger anyone  .  especially not  knowingly  .  ❜

🙌 :  MANNERISMS THAT YOUR MUSE HAS WHEN THEY’RE EXTREMELY HAPPY ?

she becomes almost a little  BOUNCY  when she’s  truly  happy  ---  the joyous energy around her becomes almost tangible as her magic slips her control just  a little .  she  GRINS  more brightly than usual  ( it even reaches her eyes ) ,  jokes around more freely  ( and nicely )  and  MOVES  her hands a lot, gesturing freely. excitement is perhaps the  easiest  emotion to read on her.

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😔 :   IS YOUR MUSE INSECURE ?

it really depends on the  cause ;  about her skills or looks?  NO .  her past, though she likes to keep  quiet  about it for a variety of reasons, is nothing to be ashamed of in her eyes. even in the face of beings with more wisdom, abilities, and experience, she feels perhaps  envious ,  but not  insecure .  ( but about her  position  in other people’s lives? that’d have to be a  yes . )

👍 :   WHAT ARE YOUR MUSE’S GOOD TRAITS ?

darcy is incredibly  CURIOUS ;  that has always been her most defining characteristic, though over time it has perhaps taken on a bit of a darker nature. going off that, she is incredibly  DRIVEN  and motivated, once she sets her mind to something. it’s made her very  studious  and she’s likely to know the answer to any question  ---  or find it out, anyways  ---  though she’s only that  HELPFUL  about  half of the time. if you  really  get on her good side, she might even be genuinely  GENTLE ;  though that truly takes  a while  to be more than a farce.

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🙈 :   CAN YOUR MUSE BE BLINDLY LOYAL ?