Said So

        If a hobby were to be ranked on the level of calm it brings the person engaging in it, then Simon’s foremost hobby is embroidery. They also know how to knit a few basic things like socks and scarves, and can sew well enough to hem a pair of pants or repair a favorite shirt, but it has always been embroidery that struck Simon as truly fun. They like to customize their favorite clothing items with little threaded doodles and have experimented with many different threads and fabrics. For Simon, the hobby is a fun and relaxing way to pass time, and at the end of the day, they get to have something fun to show for it.

        Like clothes and clocks and cleverly clairvoyant cameras, hobbies can just as easily be passed through generations. In this case, Simon was bestowed, second hand, a habit of cooking and baking. Coming primarily from their father, who was always in the kitchen, Simon is an amateur chef of sorts and the holder of more than just a few family recipes. They favor fresh, sometimes spicy main courses, and have a few tricks up their sleeves for creating some truly indulgent desserts. Simon’s favorite part of cooking is trying new things with the old standbys -- the truly wise would keep an eye out for when they break out the spellbook at the same time as the recipe cabinet.

        One of Simon’s more recent hobbies, painting has quickly become a staple of Simon’s downtime. They don’t have any particular gift for the craft and typically create quite a mess of many painted things whilst trying to create one painted thing, but the act itself brings a lot of joy for Simon. They’ve started doing the odd painted doodle on their clothes instead of embroidering, but for the most part keep the paints confined to paper and canvas (and, occasionally, themself.) Generally, Simon’s favorite thing to paint is plant life and landscapes, but every now and then they get a whim to paint by their whims; that is, adding colors in copious amounts in combinations that seem fun, without any real pattern or object in mind. If you will, painting for painting’s sake.

        Like many who have spent a portion of their life on the move, Simon has noticed that, in many cases, all the different towns in all the different places tend to seem, well, the same. As monotonous as Main Street, U.S.A. can get, however, Simon realized that the complete opposite is true as well; all the different towns in all the different places are in fact, different. Each has its own character, and the real way to notice is to go looking. In this way, exploring has become a prominent pastime of Simon’s. It fits rather comfortably next to their general interest in hiking. In both situations, Simon likes to set off and find the little corners and secret hideaways that both the natural and urban landscapes have to offer. Alleyways and riverbeds mimic one another, and Simon likes to wander both extensively until they find a fascinating bend to turn down...

       If looking after cats could be considered a hobby, that would be Simon’s most recent. The Angels, as she has named them, take a healthy piece of Simon’s time. Seeing as that’s neither a hobby nor a trait of Simon’s that’s new, it stands to reason to call this interest zoology/animal care. It is not an area Simon has ever formally studied, and it doesn’t seem likely they’ll pursue any future career, but the behavior, needs, a care of animals is something that Simon enjoys researching and participating in. Primary examples include the Angels, a group of semi-tame (some more than others) cats that Simon cares for, as well as the snails that live in a terrarium in Simon’s room, and the various other creatures Simon has been spotted sharing a safe moment and pleasant chat with. Since losing Hector, it also, in Simon’s mind, keeps him with her.         Hector explained to Simon once how his power (faunal communication) wasn’t like “talking to” animals because they don’t use language, but just understanding them and having them understand him, and that in some ways it wasn’t really a power. Most animals could understand a human well enough if they knew what to look for, and same is true the other way around. Now, whenever Simon can coax a wild rabbit into receiving a gentle pat on the head, or convince a ruffled bird that no, they aren’t climbing this tree to get to those eggs, they think of their cousin and feel a little closer to him.

        Gardening, and by extension herbology, has always been as a part of Simon as the birthmark on the back of their right shoulderblade. Even as a toddler, Simon was fascinated by plant life and longed to understand how something like dirt fuels something like a towering oak tree, and at the same time, nourishes something as delicate as a lily. As they grew and their knowledge of magic grew, Simon became convinced it was something the same as magic with people. Everything, even non-magical mortals, must have gleaned its life and luster from the earth and the magic running like veins through it. Gardening, then, and the use of plants in cooking and spellwork, is almost like prayer and Simon regards it all with equal measures of reverence and playful zeal.

        A first thought on secrets might lead someone to assume witch=secret life. That’s not entirely untrue- Simon generally keeps their upbringing in a coven to themself, however, thanks mostly to the rise of the “witch” and “witchy aesthetic” in popular culture, Simon can be relatively open about their magical status without much threat of exposing the community or putting themself at risk. As a result, they readily embrace the title any time they’re at work, and fairly regularly in their daily life as well. As a general statement, people will either know what she means and it’s fine, or they’ll just assume that she’s talking about the crystal-and-sage fad traveling around. If Simon suspects it’s unsafe, she’ll avoid bringing it up or deflect the question.

        A step (or a few) deeper into secret territory is Simon’s werewolf status. As a general statement, Simon won’t bring it up herself, but won’t lie about it if/when confronted. It may not be something she’s comfortable with, but she won’t typically deny the truth of it. In this way, it’s become something of an open secret in the small circles Simon is a part of. The number of people who know, at any rate, seems to be growing regularly, and so long as it’s met with relative positivity, Simon is likely to keep on the path of being honest. It’s fair to say she only keeps it somewhat private because of past experiences with those who view her hybrid status as an error or something to be feared and reviled.

        Simon’s (only?) real secret is naught but a detail: the active power they once had. As far as anyone --witch, were, or other-- that Simon has met since leaving home is concerned, she’s just your average, spellcasting, potion brewing, power-lacking witch. It is, as you might expect, due in part to the criticism Simon faced from their coven when it happened, but also simply to the fact that it was traumatic to lose the power. To wake up one day after losing family and being attacked to find that something that was once as part of you as the ability to snap or curl your tongue was gone? It got under Simon’s skin.         She had questioned her power in the past: what kind of Powers That Be looked at a plant-loving soul like Simon and bestowed the ability to summon fire? But over the years since obtaining it, Simon grew in harmony and confidence with the gift. Because it was a gift, really. Pyrokinesis, Simon learned, was useful as a protective ability, the ultimate destructive force to defend what deserved defense, but it was also much more. It was light in the darkest of nights, warmth in the coldest of winters, and a tool that could be used to overcome anything from everyday inconveniences to larger problems. Fire, that spark, was a part of her as much as loving the smell of damp soil and the slow day-to-day of raising life from it. Having it disappear was a crushing blow; being reprimanded for its loss was even more devastating. As things stand, Simon is much happier pretending it never existed.         She always took to runes and potions anyway.

Pilar Herrera-Davila & Bertrand Romero-Aguilar         >Simon’s maternal grandparents.

       Pilar is a highly traditional witch gifted with the active power of matter manipulation. At every potential moment of progression within the coven, she has clung with increasing desperation to outdated traditions. She frowns sternly on anything she perceives as a break from “the way things are done” - including her daughter’s choice to marry a man descended from a “bad bloodline”.          Pilar is highly estranged from Simon; she always disapproved of Simon’s resistance to the selfless/selfish binary of magic, and this led to many arguments. They already hadn’t spoken to one another for almost three years when Simon was turned. Afterward, Pilar was firmly seated in the opinion that any witch with the audacity to lose a power and sully a bloodline should no longer be welcome in the coven.

        Bertrand was a gentle soul, a witch gifted in potion making, but admittedly not much else. He never developed an active power, but could school you five ways to monday on the uses of various herbs. He always brought out the best of Pilar, helping aim her ambition and ability to galvanize others towards goals that benefitted the whole coven, and with his death, unfortunately, left her feeling lost. (A state she hasn’t seemed to find her way back from.)         Simon doesn’t remember much of her maternal grandfather, as he died when she was young. She has, somewhere in her collections of things, one of his sweaters -- faded blue, with large, fabric-covered buttons. She wears it when she is powerfully homesick.

Constanza Martín de Cortez & Joaquín Cortez-Serrano           >Simon’s paternal grandparents

        “One hell of a witch”, there was no telling Constanza Martín what she could or could not do - including marrying a man from a family that had fallen from “proper” standing and taking that family name to boot. Singlehanded, Constanza invited the Cortez line back into Barcelona and cemented their place in the coven. A witch particularly gifted in areas of divination and aura interpretation, she said it was always the way things were meant to be, and wouldn't let anyone sway her from it.         Constanza gifted some of her jewelry and an enchanted camera Simon as a good-luck gift when they left the coven (before, it’s worth noting, Simon had decided properly whether or not they were going to leave.) Any and all who had the luck to know both Constanza and Simon have made mention that Simon resembles her grandmother strongly in terms of spirit, and it makes Simon feel blessed every time.

         Joaquín was a family foundation, proud and strong, who valued honor and just treatment -- perhaps because his family had been unjustly treated for so long. Though he was impressive in stature and wielded an active power of atmokinesis (weather manipulation) that led to him becoming a looked-to figure in the coven, he preferred diplomatic gatherings and group opinions over asserting power over others.         Simon’s memories of Joaquín are numbered, but clear for their few number. Highly specific snapshots of being lifted in the air on summer evenings and buried in hugs that felt safer than any other place keep Simon’s memory of her grandfather fond. 

Íngrid Romero-Herrera & Berto Martín-Cortez        >Simon’s parents

        Raised by the highly traditional Pilar, Íngrid follows more or less in her mother’s wake. The more shows in her tendency to side with the traditional, valuing the long history that the coven represents. The less shows in her choice to marry Berto despite copious disapproval from Pilar. She is as notoriously stubborn as Pilar, but her heart is considerably more tender, and her values lie in attempts to be more open-minded.          Simon’s relationship with their mother is tense. Distance reigns as the primary component, a gap in understanding and communication that predates Simon’s cut and run. While Simon’s feelings toward their mother aren’t, as a general statement, negative, they’re not exactly positive either. Simon, of course, loves their mother, but Íngrid’s stubborn attachment to tradition makes it difficult for them to see eye to eye any more than occasionally.

        If there would be only thing to say about Berto, it would be that he was a man of compassion. Regrettably, that was a trait of his that did not always present forwardly due to his pride and tendency to show the full of himself to only those who were close confidants. Rather, he seemed a man of determination, if not utter steel-cut stubbornness, and often struck people as intimidating.The truth of his being, however, was rooted in kindness and humor, buried beneath a pride that was built to protect against his family’s previously unfortunate standing.         Simon misses their father immensely. To speak truthfully of their dynamic before his passing, it wasn’t the smoothest of sailing. The list of disagreements and squabbles and arguments between them ran from dawn to dusk, a series of petty rebellions and lack of communication that led to misunderstandings and misplaced anger. At the end of it, however, Simon never truly disliked their father, and they regret that so much of their time together was wasted on when they didn’t agree (especially compared with how long the years still are to come that Simon will live without him.)

Calista Romero-Martín &  Joaquín Romero-Martín        >Simon’s Siblings

        Simon’s older sister Calista has always been a rocker of the boat. That is to say, she rejected, more often than not, belonging to anything. An attitude perhaps generated from her lack of active power and the perceived imbalance of value, once Calista was old enough to find her own way in the world, she rejected any and all magic, as well as her family. She keeps in contact, oddly enough, and seems perfectly happy to pretend she hasn’t adamantly refused anything that resembles the family’s beliefs or heritage.         Although Calista is older, Simon has always had a strange relationship with their sister, wherein it often felt like Cali was the younger and Simon the one responsible for her. As they’ve grown, Simon has also departed from the family’s general traditions, but where Simon has forged their own path, it seems (to Simon, at least) like Calista simply rejects things on the principle of it being related, in any way, to the way she was raised. Simon and Calista are estranged from one another - not on hostile terms, but simply on the basis of Very Different Lives.

        Named for his grandfather, Joaquín is the baby of Simon’s family and quite possibly the most treasured. As if the cross-section of so many lines somehow converged on this point specifically, Joaquín is powerfully gifted, most forms of magic coming to him as naturally as web-spinning comes to a spider. This, of course, means the expectations placed on him are high. Though only a teenager, he already faces pressure to lead and stand as an example. It seems, if the coven isn’t careful, they risk losing all three Romero-Martín children to the wilds of the world.         Simon adores their younger brother. It has been a few years since they’ve gotten to spend extended time together, but that doesn’t stop Simon from adoring him just the same. In recent times, the last year or so, Joaquín has been reaching out with more frequency, relaying his growing fears of not living up to what is expected of him and his sense of separation from the coven. He has, on occasion, talked about following Simon to America. Simon encourages him regularly not to give up on the coven, but it seems, admittedly, a shade hypocritical. While Simon doesn’t agree with the way they were treated, though, they don’t want their brother to feel the same sense of loneliness and isolation that has come with being away from the coven.

Sylvie Romero de Souza, Liliosa Martín-Cortez, & Cristina Lucas         >Simon’s Aunts

        Sylvie, like her sister Íngrid, was raised by their highly traditional mother in the antiquated ways of the coven. Unlike her sister and her mother, however, Sylvie’s attitude toward tradition has always been relaxed. She prefers to take and leave things as she sees fit, whether they bring her joy and contentment and she continues, or they don’t mean anything to her way of living and she leaves them behind. (The same could be said of her attitude toward spouses.) Her two children, Eva and Hector, were brought up in the coven, but also had significantly more exposure to outside influence and schooling, and are a little more grounded in the non-magical world than the average child of the coven.         Simon’s relationship with their aunt is... difficult. Far from a fragile woman, the loss of her child took a heavy toll from Sylvie. She is vaguer, perhaps, than she once was, and struggles with anxiety and spells of forgetfulness. Simon and Sylvie and strangely distant and yet closer  to one another since Hector’s disappearance. They don’t speak often, but would easily list the other as trusted and treasured.

        Liliosa, more commonly know as Lo, was very much the free spirit of her family. While she had the same sense of pride, she tended to express it more in the way of doing as she pleased: a pride in herself that didn’t stem from whether anyone approved of the way she was living her life. She never cared for coven life, far too invested in the concept of exploring, and she works a mortal job that sees her travel often. She, along with her wife Cristina, owns a house in a charming town in Germany, and calls it home as the place most often returned to. While she certainly hasn’t shunned magic, she doesn’t live a life immersed in its practice.         Simon was never overly closed to Lo, if only due to Lo’s near-constant travel. Nevertheless, Simon often looked up to her aunt, who always had wild stories and wonderful advice (and, of course, the most interesting and exciting gifts to give.) When Simon was older, and her relationship with Selene seemed the stuff of a lifetime, Simon and Selene would take holidays away from the coven to go and visit with Lo -- that is, with permission, stay the night in Lo’s empty house.

Eva Romero-Corredor & Hector Romero Ramirez         >Simon’s Cousins

       The elder of Sylvie’s two children, Eva has always been the responsible, serious type. She holds herself to a high standard in most things - school, discipline, personal achievement. It comes, largely, from Eva’s closeness to her grandmother, Pilar, and the value in tradition (and, perhaps, perfection) that rubbed off on her because of it. Though well-versed in the world of the non-magical, Eva currently lives within the coven and makes her living instructing the younger children in the basics of early magic.         Simon’s relationship with Eva was good when they were younger. Eva was older, Simon thought of Eva as prettier, and perfect, and idolized her. As they got older their relationship became more distant; Eva’s approach was ideal only in the eyes of a traditionalist, and Simon, it almost goes without saying, is far from that. Then came the night of the attack, Simon’s turning, and the disappearance of Eva’s brother, Hector. Since that night, their relationship hasn’t existed. Eva blames Simon --or at least thinks that she blames Simon-- and as a result, they haven’t spoken since Hector disappeared except for an argument shortly after the incident where Eva made it clear she wanted nothing to do with Simon.