Fantasy Hidden Magic // (All spots full!)

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

It was absolutely unbelievable that Larkyn was able to convince anyone to let a literal murder suspect out on house arrest. That just wasn’t how things worked in their world. However it seemed that Cyrus’ bogus confession was just as unbelievable to others as it was to him. So after a short conversation, the door to his holding cell was unlocked and Larkyn was leading Cyrus out of there. “Yeah yeah. Plan. Seems like a shit plan to me if you ended up behind bars for any of it. Seriously Cyrus, this is a real case. Someone is dead. Someone killed them. You shouldn’t be meddling at all, and while I got your stupid ass out of there, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. I will be making sure you don’t step a toe out of line, me pulling these strings for you could fuck up my job you know?” Larkyn growled slightly, continuing with the worst part of the punishment Cyrus was about to endure. “And I’m going to let Loire rip into you for the rest.”

Only she didn’t. Making Larkyn look like an idiot. What was new.

“What? No. I mean unless you want to.” Larkyn stammered a response to Sapphria as they walked back to the docks. Honestly right now all he wanted to do after this bullshit morning was hang out with her, even if he was already fucking exhausted. “I do have to go report back to the headmistress but, after that we can still do something. I’d actually quite like that.” Larkyn gave her a soft smile, patting her head and getting ready to head off on their broom.

Once back on the island the group split, Cyrus and Loire heading home and Larkyn heading to speak with the headmistress alongside Sapphira. It wasn’t a long conversation, it was one that showed the headmistress was clearly starting to regret letting this idiot group of alumni come back as their punishment but too little too late now he supposed.

“I do have to admit, I don’t know if I’m up for flying after all of that. But I’ve been thinking, you said you went to all the Quidditch games back in the day right? The kids practice on the weekends and there should be a game tonight between Air and Fire actually. We could maybe go watch practice or get some lunch before heading to the game?” Larkyn wasn’t exactly sure why but right now he just wanted to spend more time with her. Even if it was just grabbing food in the hall. “Unless you don’t want to, I know the flying lessons are sort of why we hang out but I’m just beat. I could probably still try-“ Larkyn began to ramble before shoving a hand sheepishly through his hair. “Sorry. Uh. It’s up to you Saph.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Why did such a silly thing like a head pat make her heart skip a beat? Sapphira was head over heels for the guy. Hanging out with him was the highlight of her stay (other than Dixie of course), so when he said he still wanted to spend the day together she felt overjoyed. Was it just her though or did he look exhausted? There wasn't much time to say anything before they were back to flying to the island, dropping the trouble makers off at the house and heading to the headmistress. The poor, poor woman would have had such an easier year if they just fined the lot of them. She was probably counting down the days until they were all gone for good.

As they left the headmistress's office Larkyn started talking about watching practice and the game and it sounded so fun to her! He was tired and she completely understood that, he was always working, teaching, and even on his off day he was getting up bright and early to go bail his friend out of trouble. Larkyn put everyone before him, even now he was still even offering their lessons! "Hey, hey that sounds perfect. You're constantly on the go, y'know? I think a fun, relaxing day is what you need." Gently her her pale hand touched his arm to hopefully get him to stop rambling, a cheerful smile spreading on her face. It didn't seem like anyone looked out for him like he looked out for anyone and it reminded her of, well, herself.

"I just enjoy being with you." Whether she had a ridiculous crush on him or not Sapphira just liked spending time with him. "Here, so you don't get lost." Would he lose her? Probably not. Saph had bright red hair and he was tall and hard to miss, but it was an excuse for her to hold his hand. Today was the last day she'd let herself indulge on these feelings.

Her fingers quickly laced together with his before she sped off to the quidditch field, her big green eyes spotting the food stalls that were setting up during the practice. They found a good spot in the stands before Sapphira ran off for a good few mniutes. "We could of eaten in the hall but, Dixie and I considered ourselves snack connoisseur's back in school. You can only get this stuff on game day, and today's weather is perfect!" As she approached their spot she was expertly balancing all of their options in her thin arms. There was a big spread; butterbeer and fizzy drinks, fish and chips with curry dipping sauce, golden snitch candies, chocolate frogs, and even broomstick pretzels. It was a lot, but she got so excited at the thought of being able to cheer him up.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

Larkyn was rightfully angry, he was going out on a limb for his best friend who had literally just confessed to murder just hours prior. This not only put his job on the line but his reputation, and unlike Loire she knew that her brother cared about that. The difference between the twins anger was that Loire couldn't find herself slapping Cyrus like he deserved, mainly because she was stupidly in love with him. Which was why she was sitting at the kitchen table entertaining his stupid, stupid plan despite her brain telling her to go to her room and ignore the whole situation. He got himself into this mess, but he had helped her out of messes countless times before. It was her turn to help him now.

Plus, how could she refuse to help him when he was sitting there trying to keep his promise? "I-" There were a lot of people that she believed capable of murder. It was in their DNA, right? Kill or be killed? Even by accident they were all capable of it, hell Loire was pretty sure her father had offed a person or two in his day with his shady ass friends. Cyrus's father was no different, he was a sketchy man who would do what he had to get ahead in life. But... Cyrus believed in his father's innocence and Loire completely, 100 percent believed in Cyrus. Despite her intuition telling her that he was wrong she was going to support him. "I'm on your side here, Cyrus. I really am." Loire forced a small encouraging smile and gave him a slow nod. "I really hope that you're right."

Cyrus was putting his reputation on the line for his father, and while she wouldn't lift a finger for the man that was making Cyrus work so hard for the family she would do absolutely anything to clear his name. "I think we're both on thin enough ice with Larkyn right now, let's just wait here and see what other evidence they can find. Hopefully your incredible luck can you see you through another mess." Loire slipped her hand away from his and moved to the whistling kettle to brew them some tea. "It'd be a shame if you got thrown into Azkaban and I'd have to get locked up just to see you."

 

[Colt Voltage]

Terran

The woman didn't look like how Dixie described her. She seemed like such a kind, caring person and Terran hoped that maybe she did change? She came out all this way, she was holding down a job, and it was all in the search of her daughter. Who wouldn't be touched by that gesture? Of course there were always more things than what was on the surface and that time would only tell. He just hoped that this wouldn't do more harm than good for Dixie, he could see just how hard this was for her.

It seemed to take the mom a minute to recognize Dixie, but as soon as she did she hugged her. All Terran could do was smile. This was going great already. There were happy (or sad, but he assumed happy) tears, there was hugging, and sweet words. Honestly if it wasn't for Dixie wanting him to stay he would have slipped away to a booth or something to observe from afar. But she wanted him there, and despite her mother calling him a 'girly looking man' he stayed there at the table, his funny accent quiet as they talked.

Thankfully Della got them all drinks before she sat down. Terran was able to sit there and sip on his tea as the mother daughter duo caught up, he introduced himself of course to be polite but other than that he let Dixie and her mother take the reigns of the conversation. Thankfully it didn't seem like her mom had a problem talking. Terran had thought to bring a handkerchief for Dixie just in case she needed it, he had even brought one for her mother.

There tension in the air seemed to slowly lift the longer the tearful reunion went on. It seemed Della wanted to pretend things were peaches and creams, that she came to be this close mother daughter duo with Dixie. Didn't she have all of her life to do that? Why now? Call it the slight sceptic in him but... something just felt off? "Della it has been lovely, but I think it's time for us to go. We'll have to do this again." Terran flashed his charming smile at the woman before looking at Dixe. "Are you ready?" He knew that Dixie had to be loving this new side of her mother, but on some level Terran also didn't want her to get her hopes up. He didn't want to set her up for failure at all.

Quietly he stood from his seat and placed a generous amount of money on the table, well more than what their drinks cost, before he slipped on his jacket. "I'd hate for us to miss our train, right miss Dixie?" Of course they didn't take the train but he also knew that she didn't want her mom knowing how they got there or where they lived.

 

[Sir Damien]

Hunter

Hunter had never really thought of himself affectionate. Snarky? Yes. Cocky, yes. At one point he tried to earn Loire's affection because that was what his parents told him to do, but he quickly realize that it was all for naught. He had thought he failed and that he'd never be able to jut let down his guard around someone, to talk so freely with. With Dru he loved their little back and forths, he valued her opinion and he just in general enjoyed her. So... yeah? Maybe Hunter could be a little affectionate. There was more to life than being held up in one spot, he liked venturing out and seeing things. The plan was to get her to go outside her comfort, to see the world that she was practically secluded from. So far it didn't seem that she minded so he didn't intend on changing the plan.

As Dru moved around the shop he glanced over at her, his dark bushy brows arching curiously as he noticed what she was approaching. "Oh, yeah. I remember kids used to rave about that. I've never smelled it either now that I think about it." Hunter's large hand ran through his messy black locks, his black eyes blinking widely as she shook it in his face. "Dru my dear, are you trying to get me to fall for you? It doesn't take a potion to do that." Hunter chuckled as he taunted Dru but paused for a minute. Did he just say that? Maybe she wouldn't catch that. Quickly his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket and followed her around the store, though he couldn't tell you what most of her grocery list consisted of. He, uh, wasn't the best of student back in the day.

After she checked out they moved out of the shop and she almost instantly started pulling something out. "Like a kid in the candy store, aren't you? Not even five steps out and you're snacking." Hunter smirked slightly but followed it by a shake of the head. "Nah, Larkyn showed literally no interest in it and Loire said it would smell like nothing so no one really wanted to sniff it with me. Kind of left it at that, but I'm kind of curious now." What would his smell like? Did it really work? Was there even someone out there for him? His face heated as he looked over at Dru. And then she uncorked it.
For a moment he couldn't smell anything and he clumped it up to being a wives' tale. However soon something tickled his nose and he froze. What was it? Slowly his eyes closed and he focused on the relaxing smells. The faint smell of potions brewing, pressed linen, and a fresh cup of a strong coffee. Dru flashed in his head just as she corked the bottle and his face went red. "I, uh, oh. Right! Toes. Follow me my dear." Hunter gently took her hand in his nonchalantly and led her off on their sight seeing. They started his little village tour off with the expansive bookstore. They spent a good amount of time in there looking at the vast array of books. He himself enjoyed a good book or two but not nearly as much as her, but hey he thought she'd enjoy it. After that he took her to the quaintest coffee shop that had the best coffee. He even walked around the beach with her to enjoy the view of the island.

After a historical stop at the bell and a stop at the rose gardens they found themselves approaching a large, ancient fountain in the village square. The fountain was always pretty to look at and popular with kids, couples, and all the like in between. "Here. Make a wish." Hunter dropped a coin into her palm with a small smile . It was childish, yeah, but he never got to make a wish with someone. If he had to pick anyone it would be her every time. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and tossed the coin into the water with a small plop. He wished for more time with her... was that silly? He wished that she could gain her independence from her family, follow in her own path. He wished that he could watch her achieve all her goals. "What'd you wish for?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

"T-Thanks." Larykn gave her a relieved smile, happy that she noticed and effectively stopped his rambling. It felt good to know someone recognized how much he was doing, how much time he had been putting into making everything okay for everyone. Apparently Cyrus didn't considering his most recent stunt, it was stressing Larkyn out to the max. The only other time he felt this wigged out was when his parents were constantly yelling at him to watch Loire. Sapphira placed her hand against his arm and it made him calm even more, looking over at her with a slightly stunned expression. He was so shocked by how genuinely caring she was being towards him. They had gotten a lot closer in the last few weeks but even people he knew for years weren't like this, well maybe they were in their own ways but still. It was nice to know he had someone looking out for him beyond just simple safety. Honestly Larkyn felt kind of bad, like he was taking advantage of her kindness, all he was doing was helping her learn to fly and even that was kind of selfish in and of itself. At least this plan she seemed fairly excited for....

Before Larkyn knew it Sapphira was taking his hand and the two of them were quickly off towards the Qudditch pitch. They were setting up the snack stands and the score keepers table. He himself had never actually been to a game yet as a spectator, he was always either playing or practicing. He never had time to go to the games he wasn't on the team for because he had to keep up with his schoolwork. Of course he had gone to professional games and such but something about this felt more nostalgic and fun. Larkyn found a good spot to sit and then Sapphira ran off, returning after a short period of time with arms full of food and drink. "I could have helped carry! Here let me help." He sighed and carefully took some of the load off her arms and set it between the two of them on the bench. "It all looks good though." He laughed sheepishly before looking over at her, "So is this the type of spread you and Dixie would gather during games or is this a special sampler for us today?"

Down below the players began to take to the field, rising into the sky on their brooms and getting into position for the game to start. "Ya know, I know you're bad at flying. We're working on that. But it seems like you loved coming to the games so much, you should have said something to me back in school. Even if you didn't want to learn how to play we could have gotten you involved somehow. Though I suppose we were in different houses." He reached over and took a piece off of a pretzel, popping it into his mouth. "The captain of the Teine team was quite unorganized back then, he probably would have loved someone to help him out." Suddenly an idea him and Larkyn looked over at Sapphira with a wide smile, "But we're not on different teams now, not really. I could really use help with organizing the schedules and keeping everything on track for the teams." It was another selfish ask, but it wasn't really that he needed the help, he wanted her to come around more.

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

Larkyn was royally pissed, Cyrus understood.... he wished he could be trusted a little more but still he understood. It was Loire that was really making him feel bad about the whole thing, she was being so calm and nice. Normally she would have screamed at him, slapped him, cried, stormed off. But no, here they were sitting across from one another and she was listening to him openly. It felt kind of good to be heard out in this situation but it also made him feel guilty. When she said she was on his side Cyrus finally let go a long sigh of relief. "Thank you Loire, really. You know I would never do anything to hurt anyone like that, and I wouldn't put Larkyn at risk or you for that matter. I just really can't see him doing this sort of thing. Stealing, assaulting, drugs. All of that sure but going so far as to kill someone... I-" I just don't see him as a man with that sort of ambition. It was sad but true. Cyrus didn't even see his father as someone willing to do the amount of work it took to off someone.

Growing up they were a happy normal family. His father worked as a wand maker and his mother was a stay at home mom up until the time that she got sick. They had no family outside of their small household. His mothers family disowned her when she ran off with who they called a "weirdo" and his fathers parents passed away in the first Wizarding War. It was just him, his older brother and parents. It was when his mother died that shit went off the rails. His brother fell in with the wrong crowd quickly, despite being a mixed blood wizard he found himself aligned with pure blood idiots due to thinking their mothers passing proved muggles being to weak for their world. His father... became what he was now. Cyrus wasn't doing the best but of the options he was the only one with his head above water.

Loire moved her hand away from his to move to the screaming kettle and Cryus stood with her. Her words made him stall slightly but for some reason when she couldn't look him in the eyes he felt much more confident. "I told you I would be around more. I don't plan on lying. Especially after last night. He stood closely behind her as she moved the kettle from the heat, waiting for her to finish before lacing his hands around her midsection from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Loire, I didn't mean to worry you. I know I should have left a note or something, I know me just disappearing again wasn't nice of me. I was just panicked and things moved so fast. When it comes to him I don't think... hah." Cyrus let out a hurt laugh, "I know he doesn't deserve it but, I know it would kill my mom all over again to know what the three of us were like now. To know how much I failed at keeping everyone together."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Dixie

Dixie couldn't believe how well it all was going, part of her knew that it was probably naïve, that she was getting sucked into something that wasn't going to be a long-term reality but she couldn't help it. It was quite literally like living in a dream. Her mother told her all about life in Georgia up until recently, how bad her father got towards the end, how he began to turn on her mother as well and how that was when she realized how awful they had been to Dixie. Apparently her mother had been planning to run for a while but never had the funds, her father was the only one that worked and kept his money away from her and controlled. Addiction apparently finally got the best of him and that was when her mother finally was able to take control of her life again. She took the money she was left and sold the house, moving to Florida first to get away from everything and then finally hatching her plan to find Dixie. Dixie couldnt bring herself to tell her mother she was wrong, she seemed so proud of herself to remember London, Plus... she still wasn't fully ready to accept her fully.

They talked for a while, it wasn't until Terran spoke up again that she realized how long it had truly been. "Ye-yeah!" Dixie spoke suddenly, turning to look at her mother with a slight smile. "I'll write okay? Things are really busy with me at work right now and I don't get a lot of free time. But Terran is right, we should all meet up again." Hopefully Terran didn't mind being pulled in again, she didn't feel like she could do this without a friend at her side. "It was all really nice though, and although I'm not sorry my father died. I am sorry you lost your husband." Della started to fight against them leaving so soon but once the two of them stood and gathered their things she backed down. Terran mentioned the train and Dixie looked at him oddly for a moment before realizing what was happening. They couldn't exactly try and say they came here in a fireplace.

"See you." Dixie waved to the woman as she and Terran made their way out of the diner and into the cool fall air. Dixie suddenly felt like she could collapse, her legs shaking slightly as the two walked in any direction but backwards. "Wow. My nerves are shot." Dixie laughed nervously, looking over at Terran as she wrung her hands in front of her. "Thank you for coming with me, thank you for pushing me to do that. It's a new type of nervous now, but it's not as scary as it was when I felt like she was trying to find me to ruin my life all over again." They walked for a while before Dixie suddenly stopped, looking up at the sky for a long moment before continuing, "It's still fairly early. Would you like to go get dinner? My treat for helping me out with this."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella "Dru" Arville

Dru rolled her eyes at Hunter teasing her about being a kid in a candy store, "If this is the most childish thing I do then so be it. At least I don't whine like a petulant child when I lose a card game." The comment made her look over at him with a smirk before continuing, "And jeeze you do lose a lot don't you?" However his next comment made her nearly trip over her own feet and eat the fucking concrete. Fall for who? No no no. Hah. No? Oh my lord why was that comment making her literally want to run away and hide. Too much was happening recently that made her flustered, HUNTER was NOT supposed to fluster her like this. Frustrate yes, infuriate yes. Fluster? NO. "I-I already said it doesn't even work like that so I don't know what you're trying to say." Wait, did he say she wouldn't need the potion? What in the HELL did he mean by that?

This was asinine. Dru was a highly educated, classy, strong minded individual and this fucking goblin of a man was turning her into a blushing bimbo.

After their long awkward interaction, Hunter was the first to speak up, Suddenly he was exclaiming something and grabbing her hand, yanking her off in the direction of the town square. First stop was a large bookstore that quite literally Dru thought she could die happily in. The shelves were floor to ceiling, books were shoved in every crevice and opening. So many things from new to old to even older. Dru ended up buying a few mystery novels and a book on rare and strange herbology ingredients. Then they were off to the coffee shop and that was where Dru started to think... this was so amazing. None of this seemed like things that Hunter would particularly go do on his own free time yet here they were on the day he planned. It was perfect, it was all of her favorite things without even having to mention it to him. Why?

After some more touring and sight seeing the two of them found themselves in front of a large fountain, it was fairly busy with people all stuck in their own little worlds. Dru couldn't blame them, it felt like she had been sucked into an alternate reality as well. Hunter handed her a coin with a smile and Dru chuckled softly, "Back to being childish are we?" She watched him as he tossed his own coin in, thinking for a moment before following suit. A few weeks ago she would have wished for more pay at work or a promotion. Even now that was something she still wanted but now there was something more. Dru's glance moved to Hunter once again, looking his face over slowly as he asked her what she wished for. It was a simple thing, but it meant so much. "Freedom." She said simply, a sad smile sort of taking over her face. It wasn't like Dru was locked up in chains somewhere but her ambition and wants and need for her family to approve of her trapped her. Dru was watched for her every move, she had to act a certain way and look a certain way, her first real act of rebellion was cutting off her long hair when she was thirteen and even that wasn't really rebellion despite feeling like it was. She had to have certain friends and run in certain crowds. She had to marry Larkyn despite not being in love with him, despite slowly realizing that she was falling for a different man. "I wished to just be able to be my own person, do what I want, look how I want, love who I -"

"Druella."

The voice sent a chill down her spine and before she could even turn she felt a large cold hand close over her arm, pulling her towards the other man and away from Hunter. "F-Father, what are you doing in town?" The tall man looked down at her with a glare, his face moving towards her as she quite literally shrunk away. She was preparing for a scolding but knew it would be quiet due to their location. Those were sometimes the worst. "Think of how this looks young lady. You are a taken woman, with someone who I must remind you is very well liked in the community. Yet here you are out gallivanting with a literal outcast. I swear Druella if I see you again with that bo-" The world around her went black for a moment, then she was somewhere else. Her father and Hunter were still there but they were in a home she didn't recognize, with people dressed in all black and laughing. Hunter looked hurt, scared, worried. Her father was standing above Hunter where he laid against the ground, then Dru saw the green light flash from the tip of her fathers wand and suddenly Dru was back in the real world, collapsed on the ground and crying despite not remembering how she got there. Her father simply scoffed and walked off leaving here there to figure out what had just happened.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

It was difficult for Loire to understand this whole 'protect the family' concept. Her brothers were all so much older than the twins so they were never close, their parents only cared about social status (obviously something Loire didn't care one fuck about), and it was really just her and Larkyn growing up. Her parents tasked Larkyn, who was barely five minutes older than her, to watch Loire. The only time she could remember her family actually caring about her was whenever she was in the hospital sick, and even then it wasn't about her well being. Something about a contractual obligation with Drake's family? The only time she felt like part of a family was when she was at Cyrus's house. His mother always made her feel welcomed, cared about, and part of the family. So... Loire was trying to be really sympathetic with Cyrus's feelings right now even if she didn't approve of his actions.

"I know you couldn't hurt someone like that Cyrus, that wasn't my concern. My concern is you putting yourself in a compromised situation for the sake of your family, for-" For people that wouldn't do the same for you, but Loire thankfully caught herself. Her sharp tongue wouldn't be the most comforting thing right now so Loire just tried to focus on the tea. Just as she finished pouring the steaming kettle she could feel Cyrus move behind her and her face started to heat. Especially after last night. Why did he have to bring that up?

Loire wanted to spin around and say something snarky but instead his hands were wrapping around her and she froze, her whole pale face lighting up. Why did he have this effect on her? She began to have heart palpitations, her quick wit was gone and she was at a loss for words. Vulnerability... it was such a weird fucking feeling. What was even worse was how much she liked it! Thankfully he couldn't see her, though as soon as he began to apologize her guard fell even more. "I'll accept your apology on a few terms." It was taking everything in her to stay strong and rational.

"Cyrus," gently her fingers laced with his so she could spin around and make them face each other hand in hand, "I need you to put yourself first for once, all right? After the dust settles on this-- you're right. Your mom would be upset to see everyone like this, but you didn't cause this. It takes more than one person to keep a family together. Call me a bitch if you want for saying this but you're the only one trying anymore. Your mom wanted you all happy, but if all of you are going to be miserable together then maybe you should be happy apart." Look at her and Larkyn, they were way better without their family weighing them down. She wished that Cyrus could allow himself to be that happy. "You're not failing anyone at all. You're actually being an overachiever right now and it seems horribly exhausting. Cut yourself some slack."

To hopefully lighten the mood Loire motioned over to the tea. "Start with some tea and homemade crumpets? Though if you argue with me the tea will go cold, and that would be a shame."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Saph could kind of tell that Larkyn had never been a voyeur of the games but she wasn't going to be the one to mentioned it, she was just totally thrilled that she was able to take him to one. Not that flying with him wasn't thrilling! However their days usually ended when she fell or crashed into something so she was thankful that a day with him didn't result in bruising. So the game was slightly selfish on her end, too.

"Oh, thank you! Well I didn't want anyone to get our good seats." Even though there were still plenty of seats she still didn't want to lose the ones they had. "A little more than our usual spread. I'd have gotten more if I had an additional arm, I just got so excited picking stuff out for you." Sapphira smiled sheepishly as she popped a chip in her mouth. Her emerald green eyes looked out onto the field as everyone took their positions and she couldn't help but smile at the reminiscent feeling washing over her. All the times she sat there with or without Dixie, wind, rain or snow, to just watch Larkyn play. Sapph just admired him, you know? He was always top of his class, a popular guy, and was engaged to an equally amazing partner. None of that mattered to her. Everything was perfect on the outside sure, but even with all that his smile seemed almost forced just like hers. When he played though he was different. Win, lose, he had a true smile on his face and encouraged not only his teammates but everyone in the stands.

"Hmm?" Sapphira blinked a few times as his voice pulled her from her memories and she quickly looked over at him. The mere thought of introducing herself back in school made her whole face light up the shade of her hair. "I, uh, wasn't brave enough to say anything back then. You were a popular guy and I was just a weird muggle girl who your attended games. Besides, yeah! Having a fire girl helping your team would look a little funny, wouldn't it?" What she said wasn't a jab or anything, it was just kind of how this world was. Popular pure blood, no name muggle who couldn't even fly a broom. They weren't in each others league, not even friends wise. His idea on the made her heart skip a beat and she found herself with a cheerful smile on her face. Keeping busy was good, right? Schedules, organizing, that was all right up her alley and she was damn good at it. Plus the obvious biggest perk was getting to be around Larkyn more. "Oh! I would love to help you out, that sounds fun! I'm super organized and I won't let you down, promise."

Suddenly someone on the field scored a goal and people began to cheer. When did so many people get in the stands? God, she really did lose sense of reality when she was with him. Part of her wanted to just tell him how she felt, that if she got the crush off her chest she’d feel so much better. The other half of her was scared that she’d lose their friendship, and that part of her was presently winning her internal battle.

 

[Sir Damien]

Hunter

Normally Hunter was a very spur of the moment type of a guy, he didn’t follow a plan and that’s what usually made things a little more complicated than need be. These past several weeks with the group Hunter picked up on little details that would make Dru happy. A freshly brewed cup of coffee while reading some boring book in the study, or in the living room. Planning out potions and thinking of lesson plans for the students, the history of their small magical society. Today was a day he wanted to be about Dru and making her happy so for the first time he put together a plan. Hunter really hoped he succeeded at making it a good day for her and from her demeanor he could tell he did just that. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking?

Hunter looked at her in time to watch Dru toss her coin and he couldn’t help but smiling. What would she have done instead of coming out and having a good time, he wondered. Sure she was heckling him about being childish but he didn’t mind, children saw the wonder in their world and Hunter tried to do the same. That’s why he wished for her independence, Dru deserved the chance to live for something other than familial status.

Hearing her speak so confidently and freely about her wish made his heart swell. Hunter found his warm hand gently touching her side as he wanted to move in for— he didn’t know exactly. A hug? Maybe a kiss? He was veering off of his plan so he didn’t quite know, but now we’ll never know. His whole body froze as soon as he heard the icy tone in her fathers voice, his heart pounding madly when she was pulled away from him. This was his fault, it was his fault she was here and being berated by her father. Was it his place to say anything though? Would it make her mad? It was fine to make a fool out of himself but not her, she was the last person he wanted to embarrass.

Her father got only one thing right in his spiel; Hunter was an outcast, and whether she was taken or not it had to be embarrassing to be seen with someone who willingly opposed the family he came from. “Listen you uppity fu- Dru!” Just as Hunter found the courage to bite back at her father however Dru dropped to the ground. What was he supposed to do? Hunter began to panic internally even though he was really trying hard to be strong for her. Quickly he dropped to his knees in front of her, slipped off his large leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. His large hand cupped her face, the other one touching her arm and leading her to stand up ever so slowly. “It’s probably a stupid question to ask if you’re all right.” Gently he wiped a few of her tears away as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Dru looked fucking traumatized. This was all his fault. “Dru I’m so sorry. I-” am a complete fuckup and should have never embarrassed you like this. “Come on, let’s get you home, yeah?” Hunter tried his best to give her a small encouraging smile.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Arville

What the hell was that? Why did they keep happening to her? And what in the FUCK was going on in that vision? Who were all those people and why was Hunter there. What were they doing to him? And that green light… Dru could only think of one spell. An unforgivable curse that she didn’t care even think of. It was all too much, just because her father caught her and Hunter out? They weren’t even doing anything! Why was this marriage so important to him anyways?

Suddenly Hunters face was in front of her, his hand lifting her face up gently. He was speaking to her in such a sweet voice it made her want to cry even more. Around her shoulders she could feel the comforting warmth of the leather jacket he had just been wearing, her body shrinking back into it slightly as she moved her gaze to ensure her father had fully walked away. There was no sight of him, just dozens of whispering onlookers that made Dru go from terrified to terrified, embarrassed and angry. “Can I fucking help you?” Dru snapped, her voice cracking slightly as she tried to keep a brave face on.

Hunter asked if she wanted to go home, a question which she answered maybe a bit too quickly. All she wanted was to get away from this situation. Dru had just had one of the most fun days of her life, probably one of the most eye opening as well. Yet here she was at the end of it, ruined and ready to crawl into a hole. “Please.” She looked up at Hunter as he helped her stand, her hands moving to pull the jacket tighter around her body before lacing an arm through his and sticking close as they walked. Dru kept her head down, hoping that no one recognized her. She wasn’t embarrassed of Hunter, she was scared. While she still didn’t fully understand these visions she was having, she knew whatever she saw was bad news. At this point she didn’t want to offer her father any more reason to be angry.

The way home was mostly silent, it wasn’t until they were literally on the front porch of the house they were all staying in that Dru finally spoke up. “I’m so sorry Hunter.” She swallowed hard, turning towards him and shrugging the jacket off her shoulders to hand back to him. “It was a lovely day, amazing even. Really.” She looked up at him teary eyed, “I- hah. I think calling you childish for the wishing well really came back to bite me in the ass yeah? The short woman laughed curtly, her hand reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry about those things he said about you, it’s not true. You’re not an outcast, you chose to leave. You were braver than I have ever been. You are kind and stupid and overly opinionated and did I mention stupid? But still-“ Dru laughed again, honestly amused by her own situation. “Really really great.” She stood on her tip toes and held his face between her hands, planting a soft kiss against his lips before pulling away and smiling sadly. “I could really use a rest okay? I-“ Dru didn’t say anything else, she simply grabbed her bags and quickly made her way inside and up to her room.

-

That was where Dru sat for a week. She didn’t teach. She didn’t eat with the others. Hell she barely left to use the restroom and shower, if it wasn’t across the hall from her she wasn’t sure if she would have. The first few days of her sequestered time she spent moping in her bed. Then she read all about Seers in the book Loire had given her. Then when she realized what those stupid visions were, she moped even more. If she wasn’t crying she was sleeping.

About two days after the incident in the village, Dru got a letter from her father. It was long winded and downright mean but in basic terms it told her that if she did anything to screw up her and Larkyns marriage that he would ruin her. Her job. Her reputation. Her life. He would get her banned from any career in the Ministry and make sure all of her friends and family knew that she was a whore. It was all rather colorful. Dru could have handled that but then the man got into how he would handle anyone who helped ruin it and Dru knew he meant Hunter. That she wouldn’t allow.

“Dixie please just leave it on the table. I’m not hungry.” Dru rolled over in her bed, looking up at the blonde woman with puffy eyes. The only people allowed in her room were the girls, Dru made sure of that by hexing the fucking door. “Really, I promise I’ll eat it if I get hungry okay?”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Dixie

Dixie was starting to feel normal again, she was able to get back to focusing on what matters now that she didn’t have to be so worried about her mother. The two of them had exchanged letters a few times and made a plan to get together before the upcoming holiday break. It felt sort of nice to have family back in her life, at least this type of family. It seemed like her mother was being mostly respectful of boundaries but Dixie was aware that it was still early in their reunion. But that was okay, they could work on their relationship slowly.

That unfortunately meant that she was more apt to handle the things happening around the house.

Dixie was out of it for a few days and it was chaos again! Dru was locked up in her room, Hunter was basically sitting outside of it like a stray dog on a stoop, Cyrus was on house arrest and Loire just seemed so demure and meek about it, honestly it was strange. Then there was Sapphira and Larkyn. Her best friend had come to her to let her know her crush was rearing it’s ugly head all over again and Dixie tried her best to be gentle with her but this was bad… not bad in like a dangerous sense but… Dixie just didn’t want to see Sapphira get hurt. Larkyn was a fine man, but that was just it. He was good. That meant that he likely would stay by Drus side as long as it was asked of him. No matter their situation, he was a man of his word. Plus Sapphira was insistent on going back to her family! Family that didn’t like magic! Dixie needed to snap the poor girl out of it so she got to work finding a blind date for her friend.

“Just eat please. Don’t be difficult. Merlin I’ve never had a single pregnancy yet I have 6 children.” Dixie put the plate down roughly before turning to head out the door. As soon as she opened it she noted the jarring lack of Hunter waiting outside. That was new. Anyways… onto the next issue. “Terran?!” Dixie shouted through the house, it was a weekend so everyone should be around. She headed downstairs and found the man sitting at the dining room table with his lunch, Dixie took the seat besides him and laid her head on the table with a soft thud.

“It’s your turn to get up with the child next.” Dixie sighed and turned so she was looking up at him from where she laid, “So any updates on the date for Sapphira?”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

“That would be absolutely amazing.” Larkyn was so giddy that she agreed to help out that he nearly knocked over the snacks in between them. Something that he nearly did again when the cheering caused him to jump slightly. Honestly he hadn’t even realized that the game had started, he was so involved in their conversation. Larkyn turned his attention back to the game but couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off his face. Before this he had been so stressed, now he felt like he had a full nights rest. It was honestly kind of amazing.

-

That restful feeling Larkyn had a week ago? Yeah gone. Now it felt like he hadn’t slept in weeks. To start, he was suspended. Not fully, not officially. But his supervisor noted he was too close to the Cyrus situation and too overworked with all the things in his life right now. So he was placed on paid suspension until after the holidays. The only part of his job he was allowed to continue was his duties at the school. Then there was Dru, they might be not a couple? They were whatever they were. But he was still worried about her, he tried a few times to talk over the week and she just yelled at him to leave her alone. In their entire lives he had never seen her act that way… then there was the worst of it all. Cyrus.

Larkyn had gotten a transcript from the interview with Cyrus’ father a few days ago and it wasn’t good. The man flat out said Cyrus did it! Said that he found his son attacking the man and tried to stop him but it was too late. That Cyrus was violent and dangerous. That he was a criminal and uncontrollable. It was all awful. Thankfully it seemed as if the interview didn’t mean much to anyone, they didn’t believe the man thanks to Cyrus’ alibi and the fact that his father was literally found red handed. But still… Larkyn didn’t know what to do with the info. It would kill Cyrus but also he had the right to know so… he gave it to Loire. Larkyn had told her to read it and take her time with a choice, that he would support whatever she decided to do with it.

Now Larkyn sat in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and drinking his fifth cup of coffee that day. Terran and Dixie were across the room at the table and something they said made him sink into an even worse mood. “What date for Saph?”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

Being supportive fucking sucked. There was a reason why she didn't like friendships or attachments and it was because of this! Loire had such an awful gut feeling lying to Cyrus. That whole thing about her believing in his dad? Such a fucking lie, but it made Cyrus feel better. That was all that was on her mind the entire week and it was driving her nutty. Contrary to popular Loire wasn't a kind, caring person so this was all very, very, very hard for her. Since Cyrus was on house arrest she was back to the classroom AND the librarian full time (the headmistress didn't want Cyrus working until he was in the clear, understandably so) so she wasn't able to spend as much time with him as she'd like, but she tried her best not to let him feel so lonely. Larkyn was busy, Dru was home but she was locked up in her room so she wasn't any help, so it was all on Loire to cheer up Cyrus.

Once the air cleared Loire decided she needed to be honest with Cyrus. They had kissed twice now in their life and each time made her so happy she wanted to vomit. And at this point she was sure that he wasn't going to turn him away, she was just nervous about telling her brother. He was always so...proper? Of course she knew that he loved her, they were born into this world together and no matter their differences they were still fucking twins, they made up their own language when they were little for fucks sake. But Larkyn followed traditions, he always followed the rules and anything outside of that made him uncomfortable. Did it look bad to him if she wanted to date someone that wasn't her fiancé, who just also happened to be his best friend? His opinion mattered to her. Loire was still going to do what she wanted, but she wanted his blessing.

Everything had her on edge and she was about to fucking explode from all of the stress. Her magic got worse when she was emotional and it was taking everything in her to hold it in. Loire finally was able to leave her room after grading papers and she made her way to Dru's room. After their kidnapping they both had knowledge of their unique talents but they didn't mention any of it to each other and that was find with Loire, there wasn't much to talk about. They were weirdos, that's that. They were a different type of weirdo though that needed different kind of guidance. Luckily for Dru Loire knew of a guy that could help her. "Contact this guy. He can help you with all of,' Loire motioned to the hot mess in the bed, "whatever this is. Use it as kindling or write to him, I don't really care. Moping is not a pretty color on you though." Loire dropped a piece of paper next to the food Dixie had delivered and turned right around to leave.

Time to address the transcript. She kept going over it again and, honestly, it made her sick to her stomach. He was the exact person she suspected him to be and that killed her. "Fuck." Loire had been pacing her room trying to work up the courage to tell Cyrus for the millionth time since she had received it. He needed to know! This was the man he was trying to protect and he was a fucking monster. Cyrus deserved so much better than that."I-"

Without another thought she tucked the paper into the pocket of her black sweater dress and stormed out of her room and straight to the living room to hopefully find Cyrus. At this point she was sweating she was so nervous. It would be so much harder to tell him face to face. "I need fresh air. I'll take the heat from Larkyn if you want to sneak out with me?" She was sure that he wouldn't want anyone around when he found out... if she could find the courage to tell him.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

It took everything in Sapphira to summon the courage to talk to Dixie. With everything going on they were well over due for one of their girl talks. That was clear when Dixie brought up her mom! Terran brought her to see her mother which was so sweet and neither of the girls had ever had a guy do that for them. To be honest Sapphira was totally living for it and 100 percent rooting for Terran. He was there when Sapphira wasn't and she was so, so appreciative to have someone care for Dixie at that level. Their talks also always helped her gain clarity and make a plan. A part of Sapphira wanted to hold onto those feelings, she wanted something with Larkyn. But... Dixie was right. Larkyn was good, and he was with Dru. They both had different lives to live, hell they probably wouldn't even see each other after the year was done. That realization was like a punch to the gut.

The rest of the week was incredibly busy. Between helping and covering Potions for Dru (totally a fish out of water but the headmistress didn't want to be the one teaching), trying to cheer up Dru with gossip and fashion mags (Dru didn't seemed entertained by any of it), planning out things for the team and trying to keep some sort of balance in the house she hadn't had much time to chat with Larkyn let alone tell him about her odd blind date she was going on. He probably wouldn't care and he'd be super supportive and that was what made her not want to tell him.

"Guys, I really don't know if I'm ready for something like this. Can't we-" As Sapphira panicked yet again over the date she walked into the kitchen to voice her concerns, though she froze when her eyes landed on Larkyn. He looked so run down and her heart instantly started to hurt. All she wanted to do was stay and take him to a game again, or hell even just make sure the man had a cup of tea and nap. Instead here Sapphira stood slipping on the ridiculously expensive Louboutin heel. She was dressed in a red turtleneck bodycon dress, she smelled faintly of her favorite vanilla perfume, her fire red hair was curled and her makeup was on point. It wasn't a usual look for her but Terran told her to dress nice. At first she was so confident in her appearance, she knew she looked good. That was before she was in front of Larkyn, now she just felt embarrassed. What was she supposed to tell him... it probably wouldn't even come up, right?

"Larkyn, are you feeling well?" Quickly she moved to his side and shone him a sweet smile, placing the back of her hand to his forehead. "No, no fever. When was the last time you slept? Can I brew you some tea instead of coffee? Oh, I should just skip this and-" Sapphira bit her lip as Terran cleared his throat, like he was scolding her or something. It was killing her to leave him like this. Her hand quickly fell from his forehead and gently touched his arm. "Let me at least make you some tea before I go." She still had a little time before she had to catch the ferry to town. Her date wouldn't be able to fly her home since he was a muggle like her so she'd have to make sure to be back before the last ferry, but that was good because she wasn't planning on staying out late with some strange friend of Terran's.

Quickly Sapphira moved from him so she could put the kettle on the stove. "Is there anything you want to talk about? You look stressed."

 

[Colt Voltage]

Terran

"Taking care of the kids was not in the job description, I think you're taking on way too much responsibility. Focus on you for a little bit, Dixie." As Dixie came into the kitchen he finished half of his sandwich, shooting a small smile at her and sliding her the plate with the other half as she face planted the table. "Feeling peckish?" He finished off his tea as she brought up the date and he gave a small nod. It was an odd request to find a muggle for a blind date for Sapphira but it was a request from Dixie and of course he'd do anything to lighten the load off of her shoulders. "Hmm?" His dark bushy brows arched curiously as he looked over at the hot mess drinking yet another cup of coffee. Larkyn's tone did not seem enthused, something he lumped up to the budding romance Larkyn had been forming with Sapphira. Anyone with eyes could see it.

"I thought Sapphira needed to branch out a little. I have set her up with a very eligible bachelor friend of mine, runs several successful boutiques throughout Europe. He's a muggle like her. Birds of a feather flock together, right? Surely you’re happy for her, right roomie? She'll be heading out soon to meet the fellow in the village. Charming guy really, I hope it works out. The girl is quite a bachelorette so I can't imagine she'll be single for very long. If this doesn't work I have a few options lined up, but we'll see how this one goes." Either one of these dates worked out and Sapphira found a match, or Larkyn realized that he liked her and maybe stopped being such a goody two shoes and made a move for himself for once. Either or was a win. Terran could tell how happy his friend was when he was with Sapphira, he was always fucking energized after they saw each other, but it wasn't healthy for Dixie's red headed friend to have these unrequited feelings.

When did Terran go out of his way to help people? No, not people. He went out of his way specifically for Dixie. He was reminded of that as soon as the star of said date walked in trying to weasel her way out of it again. He loudly cleared his throat to let her know that skipping was NOT an option before he gave a heavy sigh. Maybe they should leave the two alone? He had already planned something to brighten Dixie's day so now was the opportune time to bring it up.

"Dixie, come outside with me will you?" He shot her a warm smile before stood up, sliding his jacket off and wrapping it around her shoulders. "It's a tad cold outside so this will help." With that said he led her out the back door in the kitchen to reveal the picnic setup. A large thermos with cocoa and another with tea, some crumpets, biscuits, roasted vegetables, fresh fruit, extra blankets if they got cold, and a charcuterie of beautiful meats and cheeses. "Like I said, you've been taking on everyone's drama all week. Time for you just to sit down and relax. I'll handle the kids later, oui?" Quickly he moved to the cozy flannel blanket and sat down so he could pour her a steaming cup of cocoa.

"How are things with your mother? We haven't had time to catch up this week." The mother topic made him nervous. An addict with several relapses under her belt risked yet another relapse, and while he was thrilled that Dixie and her finally had a relationship of some sort he wanted her to brace herself just in case it happened again, you know? Terran would be here to help her pick up the pieces if everything went to shit, but he wanted to protect Dixie from the hurt that would inevitably cause.

 

[Sir Damien]

Hunter

The end of the date day was supposed to be a hug, maybe even a kiss if things went right, her dad showing up and shattering her confidence was not part of the plan. Of course she got snappy with the on lookers, and honestly if she didn't he would have too. All Hunter could do was put on the bravest smile he could and escort her home. The walk home, the ride home, it was all silent and he didn't know what to do or say. Could he say anything that made up for her fathers horrible words? The best thing he knew was to stand by her side and support her but maybe that wasn't the best of plans either, what if her dad was right and he was an embarrassment? Dru was a stand up gal, she had built a life to be proud of. Hunter was just some guy that caused trouble, hell he'd ruin her reputation if they became anything. Why didn't he think of all of that to begin with?

Once they reached the house he found that that wasn't what Dru was thinking at all. She loved the day and he felt a bit better, but as soon as she started to apologize for her father he wanted to stop her. It wasn't her fault her father was a fucking dick. She started complimenting him though (despite calling him stupid...twice. Which she wasn't wrong. Before he could get any words out though she was kissing him and walking into the house, leaving a wildly bewildered Hunter on the deck. He just stood there for a good minute before letting out a defeated sigh and doing the same. He had to figure out something.

Obviously pouting at her door stoop all week wasn't working so he had to figure out another plan. She hexed the fucking door and he wasn't even able to slide paper under the door, but did she hex the window? Guess there was only one way to find out. He had seen it done in movies so Hunter was SO confident that climbing the lattice on the side of the house would go fine, the only thing was Hunter misjudged how tiny the lattice was and how big he was. Six foot something, toned and slightly muscular, his large hands and feet barely fit in the small holes. "Fuck!" Quietly he grumbled to himself as the lattice started to wiggle during his climb. It was held up by the wildly growing ivy on the side of the house, but how well? Would he full and bash open his skull? Hell, maybe Dru would come out of her fucking room if he did that. That sounded painful, however, so he kept climbing until he reached Dru's window.

"Hey, Dru!" By some sort of miracle Hunter made it to the top of the lattice, though his feet barely fit in the footholds and it was getting awfully wiggly. The thing was not going to hold much longer. He managed to push open the window just in time for the ivy to start snapping, and by a stroke of luck he managed to fling himself into the window as the lattice dropped from the side of the house and hit the ground with a small thud. As Hunter face planted onto the ground in Dru's room all he could do was laugh nervously. "Shit, that would of hurt if I fell." Wait, he was inside. He did it! Quickly he jumped up to his feet and a proud smile spread on his face. "I fucking did it!" Did this look psycho sneaking through her window? Well, it wasn't very sneaky and more so ridiculously stupid and wreckless, but she left him literally no choice!

"So first off I need you to unhex the door, because the lattice is gone and I can't use that again. Second, I-um, Dru, listen I wouldn't have had to use the window if you just talked to me. Everyone's been worried, y'know? Those kids that made us dance keep interrogating me. You know how worried I was? You just- I've never dated someone, I've never kissed someone and it just happened to be someone I love and then you just, you just shut me out! How am I supposed to comfort you if you don't let me in comfort you?" Love. The word just slipped out, he dropped it so casually. It was unintentional but it was Dru, though he hoped that she wouldn't catch the word. That was a discussion for another day.

"S-So, um, yeah." Hunter's face was a bright red and he sat on the floor next to the bed. "You're going to have to get someone to move me, because I'm not moving until you talk to me." He pulled out a pack of cards and threw them on the ground next to him before crossing his arms like a stubborn child. "If I win will you talk? And if I lose I'll, uh, never bother you again. But I won't lose this time."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Arville

Loire coming in made Dru sit up slightly, her eyes looking the girl over as she closed in on the bed and tossed something on her bedside table. “What?” She wanted to ask more questions but before she could form a fucking thought Loire was already out the door. For a moment Dru was alone, her hand reached out and grabbed the piece of paper and turned it around in her hands a few times. She had to admit she had an insane amount of questions, seers weren’t a thing in their community. Those who were born using elemental magic were already a subset of their own. They could use typical spells much like any witch or wizard but specialized in the extra. Being a seer would explain her inability to specialize or use elemental magic much at all. It would also explain the insane images that kept popping into her head, if she was a seer and didn’t know how to manage her powers… maybe they were acting up?

Dru set the paper down and sighed, she should go but she didn’t want to go alone. Loire was busy with Cyrus and his shit. Larkyn was the only other one that knew about her not specializing but she really didn’t want to add more to his plate right now. Honestly she wanted Hunter to go with her, she wanted him to do everything with her. But hearing what her father had to say and seeing what she saw? Dru knew she had to stay away.

Suddenly Dru heard her name and she flinched, turning in the direction of the noise and seeing nothing. Was she finally losing it? Then a hand came into view on her window and before she knew it Hunter was tumbling onto the floor. For a moment she was too stunned to feel anything and then feelings began to hit her like a fucking bus. “I-“ Dru started but couldn’t speak, Hunter opened his mouth and she found herself sitting up in her bed and fighting back tears.

Worried. Never been kissed. Jesus she took his first kiss then is acting like this? Merlin she felt evil. Then he said something that made her want to sob. Love? He loved her? Dru wanted to push him out the door and literally never come out. More so than she did earlier. Yesterday it probably would have felt… amazing… it would have felt amazing to hear that from him. But today? It broke her fucking heart. Dru would give up her life for him, she knew that now. But the possibility of him getting hurt? No fucking way.

“Hunter…” Dru spoke softly as he tossed the cards on the ground, her eyes looking down at them instead of his as she struggled to speak. “I can’t.” She moved off her bed and walked over to where he stood with his arms crossed. Dru didn’t want to hurt him, he was her soft spot. When did she fall so hard for this idiot man? They had only been spending time together for a few months now but honestly Dru felt like there was something there before all this… she had known Hunter nearly as long as she knew the twins. They always fought and butted heads but now she thought maybe that was part of all this. Love was supposed to make you feel all sorts of things, even those stupid fucking butterflies she now cursed for being real. “I know it’s going to sound stupid and confusing but please just know that I’m so sorry. I can’t do this, I want to. I really really want to Hunter. You’re so much stronger than I am, I’m too scared. I don’t know what he’ll do and I don’t trust him.” Him was of course her father. “I can’t.”

It was all Dru could say without outing her powers. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him but she didn’t want him wrapped up in her mess any worse than he already was. She turned and grabbed her wand, unhexing the door and walking out without another word, quickly moving to the kitchen where she heard voices. She hoped that the others being there would keep Hunter from saying anything more if he followed her.

Dru spotted Larkyn behind the counter, not much noticing the look occurring between him and Sapphira before she spoke up. “Larkyn I need you to take me into town later if you have time. Please.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Dixie

Dixie couldn’t help but let out a giggle at Terran matching her exasperation, it was kind of funny to see someone else handling this the same way she was. “Taking care of the kids was INDEED in the description. It just meant the students and not these hot messes.” She finally lifted her head from the table, stretching out a bit as he mentioned thinking of herself. Honestly she was doing fine, just a bit worn out. Though she could really use a day to just relax. Between classes and this stuff at home, she could use a good long Dixie day. “Hmm? Oh yeah I suppose.”

Larkyn joined them and questioned Sapphiras date in a way that made Dixie turn and look at him with a scowl. Thankfully Terran stepped in and started to explain. “Yes, she’s only here so long before going home and gets to spend some of her time here enjoying herself. Not every waking moment needs to be tending to you Larkyn.” Dixie knew that wasn’t what it was… The two of them were enjoying spending time TOGETHER. But Dixie knew that Sapphira would cave to that man at the first sign of him whining. So… she offered a bit of assistance. Was it slightly mean? Yes. But it was about protecting her best friend.

Sapphira entered the room and Dixie squealed. “You look so pretty Saph!” It didn’t take more than a minute or two for her to head to Larkyn, checking his forehead and offering him tea. It made Dixie let out a sigh, she was ready to step in when Terran asked her to go outside. “Huh? Oh yeah. Sure? Saph don’t be late okay?” Dixie stood from the chair and gave Terran a raised eyebrow as he put his jacket around her shoulders. What was he up to?

Out in the backyard she quickly realized what was going on and Dixie gave a bright smile. Terran was so sweet, “You know Terran for a man who doesn’t do relationships you constantly prove yourself to be someone who would be an astounding partner.” The comment was a compliment but for some reason once it came out Dixie felt a little sad. “Really, this is very sweet Terran. Thank you.” She joined him on the blanket, her feet tucking to the side as she made sure her linen sundress was tucked around her legs. It was a beautiful fall day outside, though she was happy for the extra warmth provided by his jacket.

Dixie took the cocoa with a grin, “Thank you and things are going well. I still don’t want to let her in much more than I am already but, we made plans to try and meet up before winter break. She wanted me to spend Christmas with her but I don’t really celebrate it, plus I normally stay here with the kids who don’t have the ability to travel him. So we agreed to meet the week before back at the diner.” Dixie took a sip and set the cup down. “Thank you again for making me go that day, I would have never gone myself and I probably would still be an anxious mess if I never went to see what was truly going on.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

Cyrus had agreed to lay low on his house arrest, he would push no buttons and break no rules. So most of his days were spent lounging, cleaning, responding to letters. Just because he wasn’t allowed out of the house didn’t mean he wouldn’t be having some friends do some digging. The only bad part was that everything he found made his father look worse and worse… but there was no way right? It just didn’t make much sense… the guy who died was a mixed blood wizard. One with no ties to anything shady that anyone could find. But people were saying that he was a activist, very openly against the Death Eaters and the things happening around the world currently. The story now was that his father killed the man for drug money… it was a version of the story that made sense but Cyrus refused to believe it. There had to be another answer.

Loire joined him in the living room and Cyrus looked up from his book. “Oh uh, I can’t escape far but we could sit on the front porch if you want? I really don’t want to piss your brother off anymore than I already have. At least the porch is technically still the house right?” Cyrus stood and headed out front with her, sitting on the railing to the deck and giving her a look with a raised brow. “Now what’s really going on.”

Loire didn’t say anything, she simply handed him a piece of parchment with a shaking hand and a look in her eye that he didn’t recognize. “You’re kind of freaking me out Lorie… what is this?” He looked down at the paper, confused for a moment before she finally realized what it was. No. No. No. Cyrus didn’t want to see this, he didn’t want to read it, he didn’t want to know. Despite all this he couldn’t stop…his eyes kept moving along the lines and taking in bit by bit.

Cyrus was confused, his emotions all jumbled and his brain friend. He had given up his life for this man, and Cyrus was the child! He gave up everything to try and keep them all on the straight and narrow and what the fuck?! This was what he got in return? He hadn’t even noticed but Cyrus had started to cry, he was angry and hurt and crushed. He jumped down from the railing and shoved the parchment back at Lorie, “Why would you give me this? I-“ He was besides himself, he was just so fucking upset that he was losing it. “Anything to get me to give up on it yeah? No matter who it hurts? Myself included. Fuck Loire.”

Cyrus knew she didn’t mean it that way, he knew she was trying to protect him but right now it was his heart talking and not his brain. Cyrus was yelling and before he could say anything worse he headed inside with the slam of the front door.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn



Larkyn had no right to get upset over Sapphira going on a date, none at all. They weren’t dating or together, hell he was possibly engaged? He and Dru still needed to figure out their shit but even that was confusing. Trying to be anything with anyone else while that was still happening was unfair. Yet he was… UPSET. This was a new type of annoyance he had never felt before, he was jealous? The idea of her going out with someone else, laughing the way she did, her smile, her brightness. The fact that someone else would get to experience it in that way made him mad. Larkyn half listened to both Terran and Dixie. Yeah yeah whatever. Larkyn was sure it was a nice guy, who cares?



Then Sapphira came in the room and Larkyn suddenly stood up straight from where he leaned against the counter. She looked gorgeous and that didn’t help the feelings that were invading his mind. He didn’t say anything as she neared him, her hand moving to his face and his heart dropping into his stomach. “I’m okay, really.” Larkyn tried his best to give her a reassuring smile. Terran and Dixie left as soon as Sapphira mentioned the tea. Larkyn was partially thankful for that because honestly he considered selfishly asking her to stay when she offered but then his mind went back to Dixie’s words.



Dixie was right. It was selfish and unfair of him to occupy all her time… even if she was having a good time with him. Sapphira had other friends and her own duties to handle without him adding random tasks on as an excuse to hang out more. Sapphira moved to make the tea and Larkyn leaned against the counter near the gas stove.



“It’s just all a lot right now with Cyrus and whatever the heck is going on with Dru. Don’t worry about it, I’ll be okay.” Larkyn smiled down at her, his hand reaching out like it had a kind of its own to tuck her hair behind her ear. “You look amazing, your date is a very lucky man to have an evening with you.” Jealousy began to bubble up in his chest again, Larkyn was literally fighting the urge to ask her to cancel. Thankfully Dru showed up and pulled him from the thought.



“What?” First she was out of her room. Two she was speaking with him. Three why did it need to be him? “Uh sure? I don’t see why not I guess…” Beyond her Larkyn heard the front door slam and saw Cyrus stomp past the dining room doorway and upstairs. Now what the fuck was going on? Did Loire tell him about his father??

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

It felt like a bit of Saph crawled in a hole and died that day, the tiny bit of her that was hopeful that Larkyn felt something for her, that they had some sort of future together. As soon as he tucked her hair behind her ear he said she was beautiful, but in the same moment he recognized the fact that she was going on a date. He was fine with it, and that was devastating. Thankfully Dru came in and pulled her from the tears that were stinging her eyes. Dru and Larkyn were going to get married, that was just their reality.

Sapphira left without a word that day and she didn’t say much else to anyone since then. She went on the date, she played the part of her normal every day self. Alex was an amazing guy. Charming, charismatic, an entrepreneur. He wasn’t clunky, awkward, and he didn’t ramble when he got nervous. He was perfect for her life back home, her family would love him. Sapphira just had to suck it up and realize this was the best she was going to get. She forced a smile and thanked Dixie and Terran both and went about the rest of her month.

Their first date they went for a walk and for dinner, the next night they went salsaing. During the week she worked and then they went out every night she was free. It felt like things were going so fast, hell during date five and six he took her away on an overnight excursion to Paris. Nothing intimate happened, they stayed in different rooms but the same suite. However he did give her a dazzling diamond ring as a promise ring, and he kissed her as he dropped her back off for the ferry. It…wasn’t what she wanted, but she played her part. She pretended to be happy even if it was dimming her cheerful spirit.

It was that or the lack of communication with Larkyn. She avoided talking to him at all cost; she was a muggles study professor and he taught phys Ed, there was no real reason they had to talk. She had Terran drop off the scheduling sheets for the teams on his desk in their room and that was it. No flying lessons, no games, no practice. If she stayed around him she would still feel those silly, hopeful feelings that would never ever be possible and she just wasn’t brave enough to face those feelings yet,

So when Dixie begged Saph to go on this vacation over winter break versus spending it with Alex she hesitated. Being around Larkyn would be a challenge, but it was for Dixie and she was still her best friend. Plus, if Dru was planning the vacation it would be something of luxury and she wouldn’t have to be around him much. She canceled the holiday Alex had set up and packed up her travel bag. “I still can’t believe you talked me into this.” She gave her friend a small smile as they made their way into the living room. Truth be told that was probably the first honest smile she had in a month. She was incredibly nervous for this trip, and even more so to see Larkyn.

Him and Dru seemed like they were doing well though so it wasn’t like he’d notice her much. Sapphira hated how jealous she could get sometimes. Quietly she sat down on the couch while she waited for everyone, mindlessly fiddling with the large diamond on her right ring finger.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

Ever since Larkyn had gave her the letter she had been weighing the risks of telling Cyrus. There were so many negatives to being honest with him, but the only positive was that Cyrus would know the truth. He could hate Loire, possibly forever, but... he needed to know the truth. It turns out the worst case scenario became reality once he read the letter. Had she ever seen Cyrus cry before? Maybe when his mother died, but other than that no. Never once in all their years had he yelled at her. He had every right to though. Silently she took the parchment paper as he shoved it at her as big tears filled her eyes, looking away as he he walked inside and slammed the door.

Loire hurt him, that was on her. However she didn't consider the possibility that he would ever be this mad at her. Loire sat on the porch just waiting out in the cold for him to come back. Minutes turned to hours and before she knew it the sky was dark. It was then Loire realized that Cyrus wasn't coming back, he hated her and had every right to. She started to sob, and the next thing she knew Hunter was next to her and helping her back in the house. Merlin she hated the man most of the time, but it seemed like he was going through something too at the moment so she just was quiet and let him help her.

Being out in the cold for so long, the stress of everything, it weighed heavily on Loire's already fragile immune system. When she was born she wasn't predicted to live past ten, she had a hereditary deficiency that suppressed her immune system and made her more susceptible to becoming deathly ill to normal every day illnesses. It had been a few years since the last time she was sick, she was hospitalized for a month, so when she first felt feverish she thought to go to the hospital. What was the point though? Her brother would be better off without her weighing him down all of the time, Cyrus fucking hated her, and Hunter would be officially a free man.

Hunter did his best to help her feel better despite her irritation, he even tried to convince her to go to the infirmary. Honestly if Hunter wasn't going through some shit too she would have cast him out of her room. Dru was practically shunning him and he looked like a kicked puppy, and Loire didn't have the fight in her to give him the boot. That month it was class, avoiding the library (and Cyrus), and spending time tucked in her bed with Hunter being a thorn in her side. Death seemed like a better option every day. Of course he didn't know that was the end game, he was stupid, but she was completely fine with it. Loire was tired of fighting when there wasn't much of a future to look forward to. Everyone was better off without her.

When it came to winter break Loire had always spent it with Larkyn. It seemed that he was going on holiday with everyone, and that she had the option to go back to their parents if she'd like. It was either be around Cyrus or her parents... she'd rather a fucking root canal, but Hunter promised that he'd play defense the whole time. Fine.

"Achoo!" Quietly Loire held her handkerchief to her nose as she walked down the stairs with Hunter. He carried his bag in one and had her black spiked suitcase in his other hand. Loire was dressed in a pleated black dress with long sleeves, black knitted tights and her usual combat boots with spikes. Her long white hair was tied into space buns, she hoped that by looking somewhat normal no one would notice the flushed, feverish color to her cheeks. Larkyn was busy with Dru and whatever weird feelings he had going on regarding Sapphira to pay much attention to her, and Cyrus and her were no longer on speaking terms. He wouldn't care. "I'm already predicting this is going to go terrible."

Already she was shivering. Dru was planning this vacation, right? Hopefully it was somewhere warm. Loire hugged her black cardigan closer to her as she leaned against the wall, keeping her distance from everyone while she waited to leave.