Realistic or Modern ♚ urban magicks ♚

[boo.]

"Shit."

A raucous crowing answered Reed as he swung a drowsy hand at the raven. Winter had been nibbling his ear, waiting for him to wake up, and had finally bit down on it hard, causing Reed to wake in a startle. Realizing that sleep was no longer an option, Reed sat up and brushed a hand against the luck sigil carved into his headboard, then yawned.

For a moment, it seemed as though today was any ordinary day, and that he should be heading to the shop soon. However, Reed's feet hit the floor, he cast a glance over to the calendar and was reminded that today was Friday.

Coven day!

That thought put an immediate spark in his mind. He practically flew through his daily routine of shoving something into his mouth and cleaning himself up. Dry shampoo was really a blessing and had saved his skin on several occasions.

Winter snapped noisily as Reed went about his business, impatient to get going. Grabbing a dish from the cupboard, Reed poured a few scraps of something inside, which the magpie greedily gulped down. With a grin, Reed grabbed his keys and opened the front door. Holding out his elbow, he waited for Winter a alight on it, then closed the door behind him. Pressing his hand against the door, he muttered a few words and traced a symbol carved into the wood. It glowed briefly, then faded.

Whistling a short tune, Reed walked two blocks down the busy street, stopping at a small shop tucked between the tall buildings. Winter flew from his shoulder, making circles around it. Smiling, Reed snapped his fingers and the door of Reed's Runiks opened with a creak.

Closing the door behind him, Reed stepped inside and flicked on a light. Immediately, the store glowed with an atmospheric and cozy light, illuminating the various knick knacks and odd bits Reed sold. However, he wasn't here to open shop; instead, knocking on a seemingly solid wall, a door opened leading down to the Coven meeting place. Today was his turn to host, which meant it was time to boil water for tea and light the incense sticks.

The basement was a wide space filled with couched and beanbags, with tapestries and strings of colored glasses hanging on the walls. Mumbling a few spells, Reed lit the candles that were tucked into various corners and headed to the small kitchen in the corner. The Coven members would be arriving soon, and he expected to have a good time.

Winter dropped inside through the chimney of the unlit fireplace and settled himself on the kitchen counter, clacking noisily. He knew what today was, and was anxious to see everyone.

 

[Abendrot]

Pittsburgh positively thronged with movement; of cars, people, buses, trains, and all the things made up the organic part of the city. The part that determined the character and structure. Its streets were wide and well-maintained, its pedestrians dapper and confident. On one side of the street, a band of hooded Wiccan priests shuffled through the crowd carrying a pentagram woven from sticks before disappearing around the corner. Further down, an artist looked upon his completed mural, a luck sigil which he pressed his forehead against with a reverence people normally reserved for Jesus Christ.

Sean Stendahl supposed it was just a matter of taste. To be frank, he didn't put much stock in luck charms or flashy pagan rituals, and would rather stick to magic that produced more tangible results. Alvi gave the mental equivalent of a snort at that. Over his shoulder, Sean's familiar winked into existence and began hovering beside him as he walked. They rounded the next corner, walking onto Birch Street, a small shopping area catering to professional mages. None of these stores, brilliantly gaudy as they were, would have his patronage today. He was here on personal business. Sean stepped in front Reed's shop, a dainty little building with a weathered sign that read Reed's Runiks. The door, inlaid with silver runes, swung open at his touch and closed behind him without any other effort on his part.

It was frighteningly easy to take such conveniences for granted in this society. Magic had built this world, infused it, ruled it. Magic ensured that the weather was controlled so that -- for instance -- rain only fell between the hours of 12 and 6 AM, and the good people of Pittsburgh need not be inconvenienced. Magic kept the Ohio River clean and unpolluted, guided traffic during rush hour and made sure few freeway accidents resulted in death. There was magic to reinforce any construction so that the city remained unthreatened by fire and natural disaster. Magic kept the water supply sweet and uncontaminated, the supermarkets filled with fresh, everlasting food no matter the season. There was no aspect of life that could not be enhanced by magic. There were entire cadres of wizards on the city payroll dedicated to the public good, and they were well-paid and well-respected. They made life sweet and easy.

And Sean intended to be one of them.

Sean stepped into the shop, not fancy by any means but inviting, with easy, comfortable chairs. Books were organized in neat stacks, most filled with sigils or diagrams or nothing at all. Lights, magical and otherwise, seemed to give the place a warm, comfy air. You've been planning this for a while. Sean observed. Running down to the basement known only to the other Coven members, he found Reed, the man of honor for this week, sitting in the corner kitchen. "Hey, Reed!" Sean called out. He spread his arms, as if expecting a hug. "What's good, man? What've you got for us today?"

 

[SP3CT3R]

0:05
0:04
0:03
0:02
0:01
Click.

With lightning reflexes, Taylor mashed his alarm clock within a nanosecond of it going off. There wasn't a good reason for him to silence it like that, but he just didn't like the noise. There wasn't even a good reason to set it on Fridays, since he blew off school routinely. Taylor's parents would shut down the whole district if he got so much as a warning, and the knowledge that the school's brightest student had abysmal attendance would do its reputation no favors.
Taylor spun 180° in his chair, and grabbed a single glove off of his desk. It was made of black nylon that matched the color of his skin minus the metallic sheen, reached down to his elbow, and had open fingers. The main feature, however, was a keyboard rearranged to fit the dimensions of the back of his left forearm, which he began to type away on the second he was finished putting his arm through it.
Taylor could see the whole city from the garden of his family's penthouse, but his gaze was on his magic carpet, (which was more of a magic-powered hoverboard at this point) waiting patiently right outside the sliding glass door. When Taylor hopped on, it sailed over the the rail and floated down. Once he was a few feet above street level, the real fun began. Taylor's hovercraft zipped through the streets of the city, and reached a coffee shop several blocks away in seconds. It took much longer to order, but Taylor walked out a few minutes later with a mandrake frappuccino in hand. He had to lower his carpet's speed so that he could ride it without spilling his drink.
Taylor dismounted once he reached Horizon Alley to avoid motion sickness. He snapped his fingers, and the carpet rolled itself up and attached itself to his torso with a cord, like a sword in a sheath. Taylor navigated through the hallways of Reed's Runiks until he reached the back of the store, and knocked twice on the back wall.
No response.
Sighing, he pulled back his sleeve and stabbed at keys on his glove until the door revealed itself. Taylor slid down the rail that accompanied the stairs to the basement to find Reed already there. Not surprising, since he owned the place. Sean was there too, and his hugging stance suggested he got there possibly seconds before Taylor did.
"Sorry to interrupt, but does anyone have a 5-Hour Mana on them?" Taylor asked, pausing to set his drink down, half-yawning. "I pulled another all-nighter and had to use my backup reserve to open the door."

 

[aaaah]

Darlene stood outside her local coffee shop. Drinking an iced vanilla latte while she watched her familiar, Milk, devour a multigrain bagel quickly. She watches as the leaves rode the wind slowly, Darlene smiled and took a deep breath. "I feel like this is gonna be a pretty cool day." Darlene said to herself. Near Darlene was her bike with a small basket near the handles, this was a birthday gift from her stepbrother. The cellphone in the back pocket of her jeans started to rumble, Darlene nearly jumped when she felt it. She quickly swiped it out of her back pocket. "Coven Day." said a notification. Darlene put her phone back into her pocket and rode her bike to Reed's dainty little shop with Milk in the basket. The wind brushed her hair as she pedaled quickly to the store.

Darlene loved riding her bike around the city, she felt like it was more practical and less destructive than just using her Earth Magic. Darlene and Milk finally arrived at Reed's Runiks after some weird teen who looked like he was possessed blocked her way. She placed her bike in the alley and put a spell on it to prevent robbers from stealing it. Darlene entered the shop, she'd always look at the knick-knacks and take photos of them so she could buy them later. She made her way to the basement to the coven, slightly shivering, even though she knew she was safe. She saw her friends, Taylor, Reed, and Sean around the basement. "Hi, guys! Another Friday, another club meeting!" Darlene said joyfully

 

[peachpuff]

“Owwwwww” Lia mumbled, rolling onto her back. ‘Must have fallen asleep working again.’ she thought, looking for Nox, who was a few feet from her face. “Ah. Sorry Nox. I didn’t mean to fall out the chair. Where you sleeping on my lap?” THe creature said nothing, just scuttled off to one of it’s hiding places. “Spoiled thing.” She muttered, lifting herself off the floor. Azalea blew out the candle on the desk, and organized her workspace. “Clutter. It’s everywhere.” She huffed, annoyed with it, wondering how much research she had done last night. She grabbed a new set of clothes and quickly got ready, taking a shower and brushing out her tangled mess of hair before putting it into a ponytail. She put on her typical outfit (Same as her picture.) and searched her gems for specific ones and placed them all into a messenger type bag and slung it over her shoulder before searching for her book. Once located, she started the search for her familiar.

“Nox, I don’t have time for this, we are going to be late.” Lia muttered, finding him curled up inside a pillow case. She picked him up and placed him on her shoulders. “As much as I hate to leave my home in such a cluttered state, I can afford running late to the meeting.” She said to no one but herself as she shut the door. Typically on any day, she would have headed straight for the markets or shops in search of materials or new books for her research or even just things she was drawn to. However, today was different. Today happened to be friday, club day. She made her way over to Reed Runicks, opening and shutting the door behind her as she entered. Lia walked over to a certain spot and knocked on the wall and headed down into a basement area. “Ah hello everyone. How are you?” she asked politely.

(good enough cause I haven't slept in 15 hours. )

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Amanda’s day starts even before the sun rises, when most people were dtill in their bed snoring and slumbering. Discipline and order sits at the core of Amanda’s being and rising up early has been part of her routine ever since she could remember and she was not about to break it now. Amanda started to do some stretching, meditation, and breathing exercises before starting her more rigorous training regimen. Amanda kept training for an hour unti, she was covered in sweat and her muscles were aching yet a huge smile was on her face as she trained. Amanda truly loved this and not even once has she complained about her training, in fact, she’s only been oushing herself harder and harder, eager to see if she could surpass her limits.

Amanda stopped her training once the sun started to rise over the horizon, she can’t be late for her appointment for today. After all, today was Coven Day. Amanda first had to wash up before she could do anything else, covered in sweat as she was. “Good morning Rangi.” She softly said as she exited her bathroom, lovingly petting her beloved familiar behind his ear. The bear growled softly as he nuzzled Amanda’s arm. “Come, it’s time to wake up you lazy brute.” She said, chuckling as she watched her familiar slowly rise up and follow Amanda to the kitchen. Amanda gave Rangi a thick slab of steak as she herself had a large and hearty meal. Being physically active, Amanda naturally burned through a lot of calories and thus needs to eat a lot, plus, she really likes eating good food.

After having breakfast Amanda proceeded to head towards the store Reed’s Runiks, the place where she and her friends usually met up in. Amanda and Rangi left her home and walked towards the store. Due to Rangi’s size, Amanda can’t use most form of public transportation save for the subway. While most people may consider this a hassle, Amanda sort of welcomed it. After all, it’s just walking, so Amanda just considered it an exercise of sorts. After a while Amanda and her familiar finally reached her destination. “Excuse me for intruding.” Amanda said as she entered the store despite there being no one present. She knows that they’re at the basement so that’s where she went. She had to help Rangi in and guide him so that he doesn’t knock anything over, but she managed to reach the basement without any trouble. “Hello everyone, sorry for taking too long.” She said with a smile, seeing that there were quite a few of her friends already present.

 

[SP3CT3R]

Taylor had just begun the process of draping himself over one of the beanbags when the door opened for Darlene to enter along with her fluffy stick of butter. Azalea and Amanda followed soon after with their own familiars, a snow-white weasel and a big brown bear, respectively, in tow.
"You're not late at all," He said, getting up from the seat he had just recently claimed. "All of us got here within the last... Maybe five to ten minutes or so? Either way, you're only late if you get here after Midas."

 

[stakkato]

Darren had a bad habit of always assuming he had more time than he thought. He would wake up early and then simply lie around until it was too late to do anything aside from what he had planned for the day. And he didn't mind that, finding that it provided a calm start to his day. He started every morning the same; telling Red about his dream he had that night and checking his calendar for plans. As he got up to do the latter, he blinked a bit in disbelief. Was it really Friday already? He was so sure that today was Thursday. Well, he still had a day to prepare for. He went around his apartment routinely watering the many plants he had growing of both mundane and magical origin before heading out. He dressed, wearing a loose and sleeveless shirt with some dark blue skinny jeans. He grabbed his doctor's bag and sifted through a bit before putting out an infinity scarf and placing it on himself. Though he's not a doctor of any sort, the bag held some sentimental value, as it wasn't given to him as a gift. It contained his usual necessities, as well as a few extra things.

Darren opened the door exiting his studio apartment, holding it with his foot for Red to exit before closing it behind him, bag in hand. His walk to Reed's shop wasn't a long one, but he still took his time, enjoying the same sights he saw regularly. He was happy to see his friends anytime, entering Reed's Runiks and making his way to the basement.He stretched as he entered, cracking his back then offering a small to the room. "Good morning, loves. Great to see you all, as usual."

 

[boo.]

"Hey!" Reed met Sean in a manly embrace, giving him a few quick pats on the back. "I think I missed you last week. I had to skip out early due to someone getting gum in their feathers." He made a not-so-subtle motion towards Winter, who let out an indignant caw. "He still smells minty."

Taylor was next to arrive, and Reed gave him a small wave. "I was just working on these bad boys." He pointed to the oven, where a few sheets of cookies were baking. "I thought we might want to start off the day with something sweet."

After that, it seemed as though everyone else began to pour in. Seeing that only a few were missing, he sent a reminder text in case they had forgotten. Although, it was hard to think that anyone could forget Coven day.

Reed was sure to keep an extra eye out for Amanda's familiar, Rangi. It wasn't that the thought of a large bear in his store concerned him, but he was cautious. Rangi seemed rather calm, being careful not to knock anything over. Reed just hoped the bear would stay that way.

A mischievous grin on his face, Reed snuck behind Darlene and caught her in a hug. "I hope you didn't forget that you were presenting the spell of the week. If you're ready, you can tell us about it." He bent down and rubbed Milk, who had always been a favorite of his. He discreetly reached into his pocket and pulled out a treat, hoping Darlene wouldn't see as he fed it to the dog.

An alarm rang out from the kitchen. "Could someone pull those out of the oven?" Reed called, being on the opposite side of the room. "Whoever does gets an extra cookie."

Abendrot SP3CT3R A aaaah peachpuff CrimsonEclipse stakkato