; the prophecy

"¡Jueputa! Qué mala suerte," Lupe cursed, backing up a few steps as milk tea and boba sprayed her shirt and jeans. She didn't mean to sound so frustrated, and it certainly wasn't at the person she'd run into, but she was already having a bad day and this was really just the last straw. "No, no, I'm sorry," she eventually said, tugging her sleeve up to wipe down at least the front of her shirt. "I didn't mean to curse at you. That was probably my fault." Her eyes went down to the sad looking cup, rolling around on the ground, now empty. "Can I buy you a new one? As an apology?"

josie immediately shook her head, offering the other woman a reassuring smile despite the tragedy currently soaking into the sidewalk. "hey, it's okay, really. i don't even know whose fault it was, but i definitely wasn't paying attention either." her gaze flicked to the tea stains on lupe's clothes and she winced. "honestly, i think you're the bigger victim here. at least my shirt survived." she laughed softly before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "that's really sweet of you to offer, though. are you sure? because i feel like i should be buying you a new shirt instead."

Deciding to take this opportunity as a vacation, Simone started exploring the quaint little town. Her first stop, of course was for food. Since she didn't have any shoots coming up, she could loosen her diet a tad and not worry about having to do a juice cleanse for three days if she gained an extra pound. Just as she was about to walk into a promising boba shop, a meet-cute unfolded in front of her, clumsy heroine and all. As the cup did gymnastics in front of her, Simone stepped slightly to the side, avoiding any splashback as the tiny boba pearls bounced off the sidewalk. She had a satisfied grin as she thanked her pixie luck keeping her designer outfit safe. Pixie, which she'd just found out she was, outside of the larger label of fae. The romcom lead in front of her popped Simone out of her bubble as she spoke.

"Oh, you're fine, it happens all the time," Simone said gracefully, not offering any help as she brushed off imaginary milk tea. She squinted at the woman in front of her. "Summer break? From school?" Maybe there was a Benjamin Button type of fae here too, where kids look older than they're supposed to be? "Wait, how did summer break distract you from walking?" Simone asked, before she could think better of it.

"i'm a teacher, kindergarten." admittedly, she got the comment a lot. apparently being five-foot-nothing and having a face that still got mistaken for a college freshman wasn't helping her case. "i promise i'm a fully functioning adult. i even pay taxes and complain about them." she would have to bump into the prettiest woman she's seen since arriving in town.

she glanced mournfully at the remains of her drink before sighing. "and summer break distracted me because it means i no longer have twenty tiny humans asking me seventeen questions at once for eight hours a day. my brain's still adjusting." her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "i got a text, saw i had approximately a hundred unread messages, and immediately forgot how sidewalks work. embarrassing? yes. but in my defense, i haven't had a single thought to myself since september. i'm sorry again..."

Malcolm wasn't naive enough to believe that these reunions, if they were ever to happen, would be joyous. In a perfect world, perhaps they could have been. There would have been no pain, lies, or betrayal. There wouldn't have been a mystery shrouding his death. But that wasn't the reality they were living in. There had always been a level of secrecy in their relationship. Malcolm had shielded Josephine from their hunter lineage. He would face their fathers' expectations if only to ensure his sister would get some semblance of normality.

Protecting her meant she was now staring at him like he was a ghost, rising from a grave he did not dig.

The initial pushback cracked Malcolm. His heart felt like it was made of glass, fragile and ready to crumble at any given moment. The hurt that was laced in his sister's voice was a sound he never wished to hear. He only knew joy from his little Josie. His arms had always been a place where she felt secure. Now here she was, barely even hugging him back, treating him like someone she didn't know.

It was her tears that shattered him. His heart was scattered into a million broken pieces. He had tried to protect the ones he loved, but by doing so, he ended up hurting them. "They buried something." His throat tightened with emotions he refused to let free. "I know. I was dead to dad. He wanted to make that known." It was an odd feeling watching your funeral from afar. Malcolm had hidden in the shadows on that dreary day. He remembers his mother's tear-streaked face, mourning a son she knew was alive but could never see again. His father looked disgusted rather than sad, knowing what his son had become. A disappointment. A disgrace. A monster.

And Malcolm? Well, he watched as the person he once knew was put six feet under. A life that was once his was now a distant memory. Josie was right. He had died. The person she had grown up with was killed the moment he had turned into the very thing he was taught to destroy. In the ashes of tragedy, he was born into something else. Perhaps the closest he'd ever be to his true self.

There was so much to explain in such a short amount of time. A whole world had been hidden from his younger sister, and now she was thrown into it without a single warning. "It's a long story," Malcolm didn't even know where to begin. "What are you doing here? How did you hear about Lunar Cove?" His older brother curiosity and concern jumped in, not that he had any right to it in the moment. "I .. I'm here because this is a safe place for supernatural beings. I am ... now classified as one of them." His words were careful, slow, as if the truth would be harder to believe than fiction.

josie stared at him like the world had tilted off its axis. like if she moved too fast, the whole thing would collapse in on itself. her chest hurt so badly she could barely breathe through it, every word out of his mouth landing heavier than the last. dead to dad. funeral. supernatural beings. monster. the phrases tangled together until she couldn't separate one horror from the next.

and the worst part was that it was him. his voice. his face. malcolm. her brother.

"stop asking me questions like you didn't disappear for years," she managed finally, though her voice cracked halfway through it. there was no bite to it anymore, just hurt. raw and ugly and impossible to hide. josie wiped harshly at her face, frustrated by the tears that would not stop coming. "i don't... i can't just..." she shook her head quickly, like she could physically throw the conversation out of it. "you don't get to stand here and act worried about me when i buried you."

the words came out shakier than she intended. she hated that. hated how small she suddenly felt.

her arms folded tightly over herself, protective more than defensive now. josie couldn't even fully look at him for more than a second at a time because every glance made her stomach twist. there were pieces of the brother she remembered in every expression he made and it only made this worse. because she wanted to be angry. she was angry. but underneath it was this awful relief that made her feel sick.

"i came here with a friend..." she admitted quietly after a long silence. "away from mom and dad. they brought me here as far away as i could get.." her eyes flicked back up to him then, red-rimmed and disbelieving. "then they left me here. alone."

another silence stretched between them before she laughed once under her breath, humorless and unsteady.

"supernatural beings," she repeated softly, like the words themselves sounded ridiculous in her mouth. "malcolm, do you hear yourself?" but even as she said it, there wasn't conviction behind it anymore. not after everything she'd already seen since arriving here. not after him standing in front of her when he was supposed to be dead.

josie swallowed hard, blinking rapidly again. "i don't even know who you are right now... what you are right now."

Emira nodded along as Josie continued on. Her life had drastically changed in the last few months. Suddenly, her problems went from trying to get promoted at work or finding time to do what she loves to now making sure she doesn't die when a hellhound is unleashed. You know, little things like that. Although her life hadn't been normal from the start. Her dad only made her believe that the things she felt weren't more than what they actually were.

She could tell this girl wasn't bluffing, that she genuinely had this sensation. It wasn't comforting in the slightest. "Oh great," Emira nodded, mostly mumbling to herself. "So it's inevitable. I guess you're giving me some time to prepare for the worst ... or the best, so thanks for that." The witch looked to her, digging her toes deeper into the sand. "I don't know if it's okay with it. I think they've just gotten used to the feeling of something lurking around the corner."

"honestly, i'm still trying to figure out if all of this is the worst or the best too." because what was she supposed to call this? terrifying? life-changing? insane? all of the above?

her brows pinched slightly at the other woman's words. gotten used to it. josie couldn't imagine that feeling ever becoming normal, but maybe that was easy to say when she'd only just had her entire reality ripped out from under her. "i think that's the part that freaks me out the most," she admitted quietly. "everybody here acts like danger is just... background noise."

she let out a slow breath through her nose, shaking her head once. "where i'm from, if something feels wrong, people leave or freak out. here everybody just stays and learns how to live with monsters lurking around corners apparently. guess in time i'll get used to it too?"

"I'd say it needs another lighthouse, but that'd be a bit too much, wouldn't it?" Rae Elle asked. Overkill. Too bright, especially if the rotation of the lights got out of sync. "I guess it's got a job to do that's a little solitary."

Rae hummed. "I get that, sugar. It's hard. Everything that's been goin' on ain't easy even if you have been in town for a bit. I can't imagine how it feels bein' new." She wondered how new this woman was. It was one thing to be new to town; that was bad enough. But there were frequently people who were new to this world. "You got any folks here? Friends? Family? That always makes the adjustment easier, I've learned. Hard to be a lighthouse when you got folks to lean on."

josie let out a quiet laugh at that, though it lacked any real amusement behind it. her gaze drifted back toward the lighthouse for a moment, watching the slow sweep of light across the water. "yeah. i think one is enough. any more than that and it'd probably drive everybody insane."

her shoulders lifted slightly in a half shrug before falling again. tired. heavy. she looked like somebody carrying far more than she knew what to do with. "i actually just reconnected with my brother," she admitted after a second, voice quieter now. uncertain. "or... something like that." the words tasted strange in her mouth, not even close to enough to explain what had happened. "it's not exactly going well."

josie pressed her lips together briefly, eyes dropping toward the ground. "and the friend i came here with kind of just... left me here." abandoned felt too dramatic. too honest. but it sat in her chest all the same. "so i guess right now i'm not really leaning on anybody."

There was something dreamy-eyed and wistful about the other woman that Rae Elle didn't quite want to disagree with. A bubble she didn't want to burst. It was just a lighthouse to her, but she'd been living with magic, actual magic, that the mundane world made by people around her wasn't really magical. To her, there was magic in nature. There was magic in the earth that she'd sank her fingers into and pulled from the ground. A lighthouse, though, was just a lighthouse.

"I s'pose it looks a little lonely out there by itself. Singular tree still standin' in a forest. This one's just got a big light swingin' around." Rae breathed out a soft laugh. "Oh, I think this town's way more than all that." Not always in a good way. "What's got you feelin' all contemplative, sugar?"

josie let out a small breath at that, eyes drifting back toward the distant sweep of light as it cut through the dark again. “yeah… lonely,” she echoed, but softer, like she wasn’t entirely sure she meant the lighthouse anymore. her arms folded loosely across her chest, more for comfort than anything else, thumb rubbing absently at her sleeve.

she hesitated when rae asked, her mouth parting like she might say something real—something heavier... but the words never quite made it out. instead, she gave a small shrug, gaze dropping to the ground for a second before lifting again. “i don’t know… just feels like everything’s crazy lately.” a faint, almost apologetic smile tugged at her lips. “i think i’m just… adjusting. new place, new everything.” another pause, quieter this time. “it gets kind of lonely, you know?”

"Bonjour." The gentle promise of summer's approach offered longer hours of daylight, filtering now through the windows, and while the steady flow of shoppers had waned by this hour, Ignacio was busying himself with tidying. Idle hands were dire things, he had learned long ago, and by keeping busy, not unlike a bee, he did not need to linger on the gloomier clouds gathering over Lunar Cove. Looking up with his broom in-hand when he heard the little bell over the door jingle, the pixie offered a smile. "May I help you find something? It is the season for orange blossom honey.

josie hadn’t meant to get distracted the second she walked in, but the soft golden glow of the jars caught her eye before anything else. she drifted closer almost instinctively, fingers hovering near one of them like she might absorb the sweetness just by proximity. “oh!” her voice came out quieter than intended, a small, almost sheepish smile tugging at her lips. “you had me at orange blossom honey, i’m not gonna lie.” she glanced up at him then, a little more grounded, though her attention kept flickering back to the display. she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, shifting her weight as she remembered why she’d actually come in. “i’m... uh, I teach in town,” she added, gesturing vaguely like that explained everything. “i was thinking about bringing my class somewhere different for a field trip, something hands-on, you know? but now i’m kind of thinking they might just watch me buy out your entire stock.” a soft laugh slipped out, a hint of something warmer than she’d felt in days.

Was it reassuring to know that someone else seemed to think there was something odd going on with this town? Very much so. To Andy, everyone seemed far too happy to be oblivious to whatever it was, believing this town was a great safe haven as they called it. "Possibly both." A shrug. Once something focused your attention to it, it was hard to unnotice it.

"Well then, your world dynamic certainly has changed."

josie went a little still at that, the easy softness she’d been carrying slipping just enough to notice. her fingers curled faintly into the fabric at her sides, eyes drifting past andy like she was trying to find something out there to anchor herself to... and not quite succeeding.

“yeah,” she said after a moment, quieter now, the word sitting heavier than it should’ve. “i think it has.” her gaze flicked back, a crease forming between her brows. “i used to think i understood the world… like it had rules, or a rhythm you could fall into if you lived long enough.” she swallowed, glancing toward the lighthouse again, but it didn’t seem as steady as it had before. “now it just feels… off. like i missed everything important, and everyone else was in on it all...”

"Hm?" Rohan looked up at a voice, startled from his own thoughts. He cleared his throat. "How do you mean? Your tired, your poor, your huddled masses...?" At one time, this town had truly been a haven, a place where a young witch could live openly and without fear. Those days were a lifetime ago.

josie blinked at him for a moment, a little caught off guard before a small, curious smile tugged at her lips. “well, that’s one way to think of it,” she said lightly, her voice warm despite the breeze curling around them. she shifted her weight in the sand, glancing down at where the water lapped at his feet before looking back up at him again, studying him just a bit more closely now.

“i didn’t mean it quite that… poetic,” she admitted, a soft laugh slipping through. “or maybe i did... i don't know.” she hesitated, searching for the right words, eyes flicking briefly toward the lighthouse before returning to him. “d’you ever feel like this place is strange?” she asked, head tilting. “like it welcomed things in… and now it’s not so sure what to do with them anymore? or maybe i'm just being dramatic?”

"Guess that's what happens when you stare longingly out at the ocean," Addie teased, breathing in deep and letting out a long puff of smoke. The wind caught it easily and blew it away from both their faces. "Careful, you might turn into a poet, and then next thing you know, you're writin' hand written letters to your not lover."

Addie shrugged. "Been a weird week for everyone, I think, what with the whole..." she didn't finish the sentence, just gestured awkwardly behind her to the town. Curious, though, Addie tilted her head. "Yeah, like what?"

josie huffed out a quiet laugh, nudging her shoulder lightly against addie’s. “oh, little do you,” she teased, shaking her head. “i was an english major before switching it up to education.”

she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glancing back toward the lighthouse for just a second before looking at addie again, softer now but still easy. “so, there are just lots of poems and tales about lighthouses and how they're beacons.. but also there are tales about their keepers descent into madness from the loneliness of the job. weird stuff but mostly in gothic literature.”

Rae wasn't much of a beach girl. Nothing against it, sure but it wasn't really the vibe a lot of the time. Still, it was always beautiful at night, and it was hard to deny the call of that. Something magnetic. Home was the swamps and the river, but the ocean was just as lovely. Not as solid as forest ground under foot, but the shifting of waves were soothing.

At the sound of the voice, Rae Elle offered a small smile. "Oh, cher, I think it's just a lighthouse," she said. "I don't think it's really callin' nothin' here, just tryin' to keep ships from crashin' into each other."

josie’s smile came slow, soft at the edges, like she wasn’t disagreeing so much as wandering somewhere else entirely. she let out a quiet hum, rocking slightly on her heels as her gaze drifted back to the lighthouse, its glow brushing over the water in patient, endless sweeps. “maybe it is,” she said, almost absentmindedly, “just a lighthouse.”

her voice dipped quieter after that, something more thoughtful settling in. “but it feels lonely, doesn’t it?” she murmured, eyes fixed on that distant beam. “standin’ out there all by itself, night after night, watchin’ everything pass by without ever gettin’ to follow.” she drew a small breath, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “maybe it's just keeping ships from crashing... but i don't know.. this town feels like it's always something more than that, y'know?”

Charlie in Sunny Harbor. (0/3)

Slowly, the sun began to peak over the water's horizon, illuminating a figure at the end of a dock. Her golden hair began to glow in the morning's light. She kept her eyes down on the water, and her long, pink tail that swung in the air above it. It wouldn't be long until she dried and could return home, after a sleepless night turned into a thought-filled swim, but the creak of a board somewhere behind her spooked the siren back into the water with a splash that sprayed the dock.

Renzō in Downtown. (0/3)

It was the morning after the masquerade ball. Renzō had the opening shift at the Daily Drip. The morning rush was slower than usual. He imagined most people were enjoying their time in bed after the disaster at Moore manor the night before. His mind mulled it over as the witch sipped espresso from a cup in the quiet coffee shop. The ding of the door's bell, announcing someone's arrival, drew Renzō from his thoughts. "Morning." He greeted before ever seeing who had entered. "What can I get started for you?"

josie hesitated in the doorway for just a second, like the sunlight outside was trying to pull her back into it. she looked softer than usual... like something had worn her down overnight. her hair wasn’t quite as neat, her eyes a little glassy with exhaustion, shadows resting beneath them like they’d settled in for good. “morning…” her voice came gentle, but quieter than usual, a faint rasp to it. she offered him a small, apologetic smile as she stepped up to the counter, fingers curling lightly against the edge like she needed something to steady herself. “um-- could i maybe get… the strongest coffee you’re allowed to legally serve?” there was the faintest hint of humor there, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

she exhaled softly, shoulders sinking as if just standing upright was taking more effort than it should. “i don’t think i slept. not even a little.” a pause, then a softer addition, almost sheepish, “and i think if i don’t have caffeine soon, i might actually melt into the floor.”

option one where: broken records

He looked under the display before him, sighing as he stood up and ran a hand through his hair. This was the fifth store he had been in, searching high and low and it looked like he was coming up short, yet again. Looking to the person next to him he sighed in defeat. "Have you seen a rock, he's got a little cowboy hat, googly eyes, a moustache?" It was a prank and it was beginning to drive him insane.

option two where: echo acres woods

From a distance it would look like the witch was setting up a relaxing bonfire in the middle of the woods, a small clearing a neat stack of wood surrounded by stones to contain it. That was until the small firepit was engulfed in a giant fireball, the kind that ought to have burnt the witch, had the fire not curved around him, spreading through the small clearing, nearly kissing the looming trees before retreating to be contained by the firepit. From the outside it seemed fake, an illusion, but in Lunar Cove it was normal, or normal-ish. Flexing his hands, Mac nodded to himself, glad that his magic seemed to back to normal, enjoying the quiet crackle of the fire before he heard someone approaching from behind him. "You need a bell or something, I could have barbequed you."

josie stopped dead in her tracks the second the fire moved... not just burned, but moved-- her eyes going wide as it curled and snapped like it had a mind of its own. for a split second, she genuinely considered turning around and pretending she’d never seen any of it. “…yeah, okay-- ” she let out a shaky breath, one hand coming up to her chest like she needed to make sure her heart was still doing its job. “that’s... that’s new. i mean, not new to you, apparently, but--” she cut herself off, letting out a small, almost disbelieving laugh. at his comment, she blinked, dragging her gaze from the fire back to him. “sorry,” she said quickly, still a little wide-eyed. “i didn’t realize i was walking into… whatever that was.” she gestured vaguely toward the pit, then winced. “also, for the record, a bell probably wouldn’t have saved me there.”

she shifted her weight, trying to regain some sense of normalcy, even if her voice still held a bit of awe. “does that just... happen? or was that you showing off?”

The water met her slowly as Nyra stood at the edge of the shoreline, watching the tide move in its quiet, endless rhythm. It was familiar and yet something about it now felt...off. Not the ebb and flow per say, but her. It should have taken only a drop like it always did, but her legs remained unchanged. She was damp too, hair clinging to her neck and shoulders, as though she had already taken a dip under the surface despite never stepping in. Another wave rolled in, water brshing her feet, catching the hem of her dress. Still nothing. No shift, no tail, no shimmering scales, just skin kissed by the surf.

Her thoughts turned, unbidden, to days ago, the prick of a needle, Prometheus, the unmistakable sense of something being altered. It had felt it had only been her mind then, then slowly it dawned that everything had changed.

Nyra exhaled slowly, gaze lingering on the horizon before shifting as she became aware of someone nearby. "I didn't realise you were there... Lost my thoughts for a bit."

josie shook her head a little, offering a soft, easy smile as she stepped a bit closer but not enough to crowd her. “it’s okay,” she said gently. “i didn’t mean to sneak up on you or anything.” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glancing out at the water like it might help keep things calm between them. “i come out here when my head gets too loud,” she admitted, voice light but honest. “walking the shoreline, listening to the waves… it kinda helps everything settle.”

her eyes flicked back to nyra then, a little more careful, like she was picking up on something she couldn’t quite name. “you alright?” she asked softly. “you don’t have to tell me anything, i just--” a small shrug, warm and reassuring, “you look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”