#noela

In many ways, Hilda had stepped into a role Anne had carried for most of their lives: the steady, watchful presence at Victoria’s side. But unlike before, this shift did not come from loss or neglect, but from relief. For the first time, Anne no longer had to bear the constant weight of responsibility that had once defined her every decision.

During their human lives, safety had never been guaranteed; Anne had been forced to think ahead, to anticipate danger, to shield Victoria from threats both seen and unseen. It had shaped her into something more of a guardian than sister, leaving little room for her own desires or independence. But here, within the coven, that burden had finally eased. They were safer than they had ever been, surrounded by people and protections Anne could trust.

Hilda’s girls began running a high-profile prostitution ring as a means of sustaining themselves, feeding discreetly on the human clients who sought them out. Unlike the others, Victoria did not participate in the operation; because of that, neither did Hilda.

It was not out of moral hesitation nor distance from the arrangement; under different circumstances, Hilda would have taken part without question. But Victoria’s presence changed the equation. Hilda understood her too well, the unease of a girl who had learned to see danger in every lingering glance, who stiffened at proximity and mistrusted the intentions behind even the smallest kindness, her wariness of men not born from baseless fear but from experience that had taught her how easily control could be taken from her.

Overtime, Hilda became the only person other than Anne that Victoria trusted. The red-head vampire saw her coven leader as a safe haven, a constant stability in her immortal existence. To Victoria, Hilda’s presence was an assurance that nothing bad would ever happen.

HEIDI

After being integrated into the coven, Victoria took up a lot of Hilda’s time. Prior to the induction of Heidi’s newest coven mates, she and her leader were a close pair, but their relationship became strained as the coven expanded, and the bond they once shared was stretched thin. As a result, Heidi gravitated toward Anne, whom she related to in many ways, both having lived difficult human lives with no choice but to exploit themselves in order to survive.

Heidi felt as if Victoria was her replacement, a quiet usurper who had slipped into the space she once occupied without ever asking for it, leaving her envious and bitter. She didn't necessarily like Victoria, but she kept her discontent to herself, masking it behind practiced indifference and a composure that betrayed nothing, even as resentment slowly took root beneath the surface.

While Hilda drew closer to Victoria, Heidi drifted in Anne's direction. The two found an easy understanding in one another, and Anne relished in the rare comfort of being seen without expectation, her burdens no longer hers alone to carry, while Heidi, in turn, found solace in a connection that did not feel like it was slipping through her fingers.

MARY

She was changed by Hilda before both Anne and Victoria joined the coven. Mary, born Marcsa, was a Hungarian woman who crossed paths with Hilda and Heidi as they were passing through Austria into Hungary. Like Heidi, Marcsa had a troubling life, and so Hilda offered the girl an opportunity to receive the gift of immortality and join their coven. When she had made the decision to join the nomadic duo, the three of them found themselves traveling to England where Marcsa adopted the name Mary in order to fit in.

After Anne's induction into Hilda's coven, Mary adjusted to the shifting dynamic of the group, no longer part of a small, wandering trio but instead one piece of a growing and increasingly complex coven. She observed the changes quietly at first, noting how Hilda’s attention became more divided and how new bonds began to form between the others. Though she did not voice it often, she felt the strain that came with expansion, as the intimacy of their earlier life gave way to something more structured and less personal.

Unlike Heidi, Mary embraced the change, but she did so with pragmatism rather than enthusiasm, accepting the changes made in her new family. If anything, she was the first to welcome Anne into the group other than Hilda, offering her an uncomplicated kindness that made Anne’s transition feel less like an intrusion and more like an arrival into something already in motion.

By the time Victoria was changed by Anne, new relationships were forming in the place of old bonds and Mary had grown quite content with the coven, finding stability in its new rhythm as she earned seniority alongside Heidi.

From the beginning, Mary did not approach Victoria with the same intensity as Hilda or the quiet resentment that lingered in Heidi. Instead, she treated her with compassion and the same openness she had once offered Anne. There was no pressure in it, no expectation for closeness, which, in a way, suited Victoria.

Mary understood that Victoria was not someone who trusted easily, and unlike Hilda, she did not try to earn that trust directly. She simply allowed it the space to grow — or not — on its own terms.

Because of this, their relationship never became particularly deep, but it also never became strained. They existed alongside one another with a mutual respect: Mary recognizing Victoria’s guarded nature, and Victoria seeing Mary as safe, if somewhat distant.

NOELA