#wrciteoff

    "I don’t it is wise to go in there...” Kharon offers a soft warning, as the aura of the place was off and he knew it would be trouble.

It wasn’t often that customers looked straight up angry or upset while looking about. Usually, Mark preferred to avoid those -- ESPECIALLY when he was off his shift -- but this time, the customer in question (a beyond beautiful woman scanning every shelf with savage eyes while walking across the aisles like a parchment of silk across skin) made eye contact with him. He instantly forgot that he was no longer in his uniform, his back subconsciously straightening as his body came to attention, ready to serve.

“What are you looking for?” he asked politely. Mark had no guesses, but perhaps it should have been obvious that the woman was looking for the alcohol. The second she answered, Mark nodded and said, “Of course. Right this way.”

She was already almost there, but Mark walked her across two aisles until they were faced with rows and rows of bottles of all shapes and sizes. The store’s collection wasn’t elite by any means (at least half of it was different flavours of beer), but she should be able to find something she fancied in here.

“Ahh, so finally I have uncovered the grand weakness in you, huh?”

The words were almost carefully said, no malice at all behind them, only amusement and sass. She seemed to notice something was up in his mood, enough so that there was a need to be careful with ones wording, should he feel the need to close off.

Raserei was resting in the infirmary when they brought him in. Hell hounds left nasty bites and the demon spawn was letting his body rest and do it’s foul magic. The festering wound slowly closing and the flesh mending like the bites never occurred. 

A weary eye watched as the young man entered with armed guards. Not that they looked armed, but Raserei knew the spell slingers around work. Could see it in how they carried themselves. Like they were better than the average human. 

The man they escorted in looked human enough. But...there was something off about him, something that the demon spawn smelt and it pulled at his blood. Making it scream and holler. 

He could smell fiendish blood on the man. 

“Raserei, do you have a moment?” one of the mages asked. His tone cold.

💛 for a moodboard about our muses’ relationship

     Her rage was palpable, even above the music. She spoke of a man, doing what men did, Jimmy didn’t look too surprised. He wondered what evolutionary advantage there was to loving everyone except those closest to you, thought maybe he was biased considering he was one -- he knew he was a scumbag, he didn’t pretend to be anything else. “I hope you slit his throat. Or at least set his car on fire.” 

The kid’s head bolts up, being recognised is rarely a POSITIVE sign. Although this time he’s met with a friendly face and his own smile spreads as ADRENALINE fades, boyish in its enthusiasm, “Oh sure, I remember you. Never been t’ the circus before. I liked it. Y’were great.”

Crinkles his nose, curiosity catching in his tone,

  “ How’d you all do that sorta’ stuff? And don’t say MAGIC.”

Her smile stretched wider, happy with his review. “Well, I’m glad we were your first experience. We work hard to provide a great show for everyone - first timers and long time fans.” The ring leader and owner of the show, Marvin Marvelle, cared deeply about their audience’s interest - of course, the money they earned was fantastic, but that didn’t matter if the customers weren’t satisfied.

Her shoulders shrugged as she gave him a coy little smile. “What if it is magic, though?”

From out of her pocket, she pulled out a zippo lighter, the same one she used during her acts. Igniting it, she used the lighter to create the illusion of her using a pre-existing flame (because of course she wasn’t about to reveal her secret), taking her index finger and holding it over the small flicker of heat; when she pulled her hand away, the flame was pulled from the zippo and flickered on the tip of her finger as if it were burning from the lighter itself.

“You know what they say, a magician never reveals their secrets,” she teased. “Not that I’m a magician - just someone who’s practiced a long time to perfect their craft.” That wasn’t a lie, either, as while her ability to create those flames out of nothing was a power she’s had since (apparently) birth, it took her many years to learn to manipulate and control it the way she can during her performances.

In all honesty, Phoenix couldn’t really say one way or another just what this truly was - was it magic? Or was there another explanation for her, put simply, ‘otherworldly talents’. She really didn’t know.