While the girl was talking, Taylor was taking a particularly long sip of her milkshake. Even after it was all sucked up she was still sucking as Vashti (as she introduced herself) talked. Something about how the ice cream ain't have enough cream but there was something Taylor was missing. Thing was, she wasn't even rambling that much but Taylor wondered if a little something went over this girl's head. Just a thought that she had swirling around in that little head of hers. Though, Taylor couldn't help but pop a grin.

"Uh, okay, sugar." Taylor chuckled as she leaned back in her chair and played around with the straw as this huge motherfucker walked up. Taylor was forced to raise an eyebrow when he said that he was from the Coven. Of witches? You know, were traditionally all female. Maybe this wasn't a Coven of Witches but an elaborate ploy to build a harem. Of course, if Kimberly didn't tell her otherwise that was what she would have thought (before walking out).

Taylor bit her lip.

She wouldn't mind being in his harem.

"Yeah, I'm here for the book club or whatever you gals are calling it," Taylor crossed her arms after she placed the empty cup on the table. "But, I take it that you're a "warlock" or whatever those DND nerds call it?" Taylor blew a strand of hair out of the way of her face.

“Guilty! I’m Vashti Nour. Nice to meet you. Come, come, you should have a seat, I take it you’re with them, then?” Are you the leader? Wait, Kimberley said Agatha was the...sorry, I’m rambling. I’m really excited. You’re really big. And I’m really embarrassed so I’m really gonna stop...talking...now…”

Taylor broke out laughing when Vashti finished talking... it was a hysterical laughing fit that knocked the milkshake cup over and spilled what was leftover onto the table. Before she wiped a tear from her eye as she said to Henrik, "... I think she's in." She chuckled.

"But, I think she needs to work on her phrasing a bit," Though there was a question in Taylor's head that she wanted to press. "... You mean Kimberly, as in the Kimberly Walton?"

Izzy couldn’t help but giggle when Maya took the bottle and took a long drink. Who would say no to a bit of alcohol at the end of the week? Besides with all these changes within the coven, people were probably getting stressed or whatever.

“Thanks. Speaking of us staying alive while you were gone… You mind healing this? Honestly, I’ve got bruising like everywhere else but this is really bothering me, you know? It’s ruining my good looks.”

Izzy could barely see the bruise under the seamless makeup. ”Oh, come on, you look cute no matter what,” She teased, as she leaned over to plant a kiss on the other Asian girl’s cheek. When Izzy pulled back, the bruise was all healed up. ”There all better.”

A few more of the group started showing up. To each, Izzy gave an enthused wave and grin as they found a place to settle. Since there weren’t many comfortable seats, Izzy just stuck with sitting on the ground next to Chompy. It was dirty, but it would be such a pain in the ass to stand up from where she was right now. More likely than not, she’d stumble and trip over Chompy.

Speaking of being drunk, Madison stumbled into the area looking even worse for wear than Izzy. Which was unfair because Izzy was supposed to be the lovable drunk girl of the Coven.

”Hey guuurl, saw that picture you put on the gram the other day and I was thinkin' "she a bad bitch". Then I remembered you tha' second baddest.... Sorry, but, you ain't got these.”

The double edged compliment made Izzy pout. ”Hey! If I had a couple thousands of dollars layin’ around, I’d get even bigger boobs than you.” She poked an accusatory finger into Madison’s chest.

“Madison, no one wants to hear about your sex skills! Especially not about some old rich dude! I think if it was that Emily would’ve just done it herself and not shared the money at all.”

Izzy laid back onto Chompy, crossing her arms. ”Damn, I was hoping for a sugar daddy,” She complained. Of course, that wasn’t gonna stop her from at least trying to seduce the rich and powerful man. You’ll never know if you don’t try. ”Here Madison, I have some water.” Izzy tossed an actual plastic bottle of water towards Madison. She was still mad at her for calling her flat, but she decided to let it pass cause she was drunk.

---

It was finally the weekend.

Which didn't really mean much to Lyss, since she was currently unemployed legally and illegally. What it did mean was that she wouldn't have to meet with the DENS big and bad. Whom the more Lyss spoke to, wasn't actually as big and bad as he seemed. Sure, he packed a punch and could literally blast her into space if he wanted to. Did that stop Lyss from annoying him until he could give her an honest answer? No.

Each of their meetings since the first went the same way. They'd meet at a different quiet, yet public location each day. For each of their safety, of course. Lyss would quickly brush past the "anything new to report?" questions aside and get straight to talking about the DENs number one enemy, Annabelle. While Lyss had no intentions to pursue the woman herself, she was worried about the threat it would pose to the Coven since she was reported to be in the same city. She worried that whatever cult that made a normal college student turn savage had followed her here. What if they weren't finished with just Annabelle? What if they were looking for other girls to do the same to? Lyss couldn't allow it to come anywhere near herself or her friends. What if other groups were drawn to Tampa because of the Coven's leaked footage? The snapchat of their fight in Greenwood could have gone anywhere before it was "removed". Lyss was smart enough to know that nothing was really ever deleted from the internet.

So, the two would bounce theories off of each other. In a way, Lyss thought it soothed both of their minds to think of "what ifs" and possibilities to end Annabelle's threat. She never admitted it to Max, though. They quickly ended their meetings if things got too personal. Lyss had no intentions to know the real Maximillian, and she hoped that he had no intentions to know her, either. She wasn't sure if the DENs would like an ex-black market dealer walk through Tampa freely. She hadn't been completely horrible, or involved in any real crimes. There was a point in time when she was quite popular among the market, though, and she didn't want anyone to find out. The first person to leak her location or any information about her, and she was sure that her old partners would come for her. It was already concerning that there was footage of her wielding her trusty aluminum bat. It was the one memento she kept from her market days, and it would be her downfall if someone recognized it.

She carried this worry with her as she made her way towards the infamous fucking Dairy Queen. Of all places to meet the new Coven potentials, it just had to be the place where the DENs tagged them for the fight. Of course Agatha had been the one to pick the place, and now it was where Kayla, Lyss, and whoever else in the Coven would meet the girls. Lyss had to give Agatha credit where it was due. The woman hadn't known that their fight had been leaked online. She left before Lyss could hear it from Maximillian's big mouth and tell the group. Still, it was obviously full of cameras and just a downright horrible place anyways. Lyss didn't even like blizzards or whatever the fuck their food was made of. The place just screamed fake.

In her own sense of paranoia, thanks to the recent appearance of the DENs, Lyss arrived at the Dairy Queen before the meeting time. She parked her speedster at the consignment shop next door and walked her way over to the big corporation ice cream parlor. Since it was unreasonably hot in Florida for a Friday, Lyss walked into the joint wearing a pair of ripped black shorts, a grey t-shirt tied at the waist, white converse, and a black ball cap. She scanned the place to take note of anyone with a cellphone before making her way over to the counter.

"Just a hot fudge sundae, please," she asked the girl at the counter. She handed over exact cash and change to pay for the treat. She avoided using a card at all costs. After she received the ice cream, she gave the teen a smile and headed over to find a table in the corner and plopped herself in a chair with her back to the wall. Noting the security camera that was facing her, Lyss gave it a cheeky grin and the middle finger before sitting back to eat. The display was just for anyone that could be watching.

Lyss slowly munched on her sundae and casually noted each person that walked inside. She was leant back in the chair, her foot resting on the bar between the chair's legs in a relaxed position. She was halfway through the fudgy ice cream when her attention was brought towards two girls at a booth straight ahead.

"Are you here about the Coven too?"

Seriously, could you be any more obvious?

Another girl joined and Lyss watched them as they chatted together. Ashley, Taylor, and Vashti. Taylor was rude, but Lyss didn't let it overwhelm her judgement of the girl. She could sense the apparition within her, which meant that it would just be another Emily in the group. Lyss could also feel the apparition within Ashley. It was enough to overwhelm her, which made Lyss wonder if Ashley was an abscised or just affixed with a strong spirit. The last girl to show, Vashti, had no apparition. So, she could either be an awakened, cursed/"blessed", or a One-Eye. Either way, the three girls seemed to have some potential.

"Hottie alert." She heard Vashti say. In her own curiosity, she followed the girls gaze to the man that just walked inside. She smirked. Herik Cletis the hunk. I wonder how many girls faun over him each day? How many other girls in the Coven admire him? Lyss covered her mouth to hide the smile as Taylor began to laugh, but what Vashti said amidst her word vomit concerned her.

Kimberly and Agatha? No. Is she talking about THE Kimberly? Lyss frowned. When did fucking Kimberly Walton get in contact with Agatha, OR these girls?

It was time to get herself in there and ask some questions. Kayla hadn't arrived yet, but Lyss needed to nip this in the bud before their new leader showed. With a small huff, Lyss picked up her sundae as she stood to her feet. She walked over to the group with her eyebrow raised.

"Did you just say that Kimberly Walton was in contact with you and Agatha?"

She glanced over at Herik and nodded his way. "Hey, Herik." She greeted him before turning back to the girls.

"I think it's time I introduced myself. I'm Lyss. I've come here to meet you, too, but Agatha nor Kimberly will be joining us today." She glanced towards the parking lot outside, but didn't see Kayla's truck yet. "Agatha left us about a week ago, so you'll be meeting the new leader when she arrives." She turned back to look at each of the girls and smiled.

"Would you mind filling me in on your messages with Agatha and Kimberly as we wait?"

Elise rolled her eyes when Madison came in drunk as possible. She wasn't a nice drunk either. She thought back to her birth mother and shivered before walking behind the stand to try and better ignore her. She would have just left, but with Emily at the helm of some crazy scheme, she had to be here to speak against it. Emily was not a person Ellie could trust.

She quickly put her nose in a book and lost herself in the words. She couldn't hear the girls talking and chattering, and she really didn't want to. Right now she was lost, and she loved it.

"That's quite impressive, Jessica. But, is the new weapons in response to something...?"

"Thanks! It kind of is. I just found myself a bit outclassed and thought it was a good idea to try new things, broaden my horizons a bit!" Jess didn't want to talk much about the Hound. It was Madison's personal business. She wasn't going to blab secrets that she was trusted to keep by a friend.

"... Hey girls, waaaaaaassup,"

Jess had been excited to see Madison again, she felt closer to her, like a real friend. However she showed up hammered, and wasn't the cool kind of drunk. It was especially uncool when she called out "supporting Claudette" even though she was pretty sure Claudette paid her way too. "Mads, chill. Like, I get things can be rough, but coming here hammered and picking on your friends isn't cool." She was not at all happy with her at that moment. She half considered bringing up the Hound fight just to sober her up, but decided against it.

“Jess, have you ever considered using a normal weapon? Like a gun? I thought America was all about guns…” She paused before shrugging. “Well if you need target practice, I’m sure we can put an apple on Emily’s head!”

Jess laughed at the mention of putting an apple on Emily's head, it helped her cool off a bit after Madison's little show. She couldn't say it was a horrible idea, at least in jest. "Well, guns are loud and I don't know if I have the skill to imbue things I can't see yet, so it'd just be a gun. I'm in this to fight evil apparitions, not to get caught, and not to kill people. Though the apple on Emily's head is a different story." She chuckled again. Even Maya wasn't all that bad honestly. She wondered if the messes everyone had gone through had possibly strengthened the kinship around here a little.

Though with things like secrets and kinship on her mind, it brought her back to Molly. She was not currently ok, and through the week, Jess had planned to bring it up with the girls.

"By the way guys, if Molly shows up, there's something you have to know. She's not really Molly right now, she's currently possessed by some Apparition. I don't blab secrets usually, but I don't owe that Apparition anything." She crossed her arms and leaned against an old stand. "She's not gone though. According to the bastard, he plans on leaving when her soul is strong enough. I wonder if any of you know how to speed up that process so we can kick this asshole out of our sister." This was a Coven, time to start talking like it. Jess hoped this may also sober Madison up as well.

"That depends, sugar," Taylor started. "You're not gonna dissect me or anything if I say yes? I dunnooooo... you look like a secret agent."

"Or an alien. Must be from Mars or something if you can walk around here with that on, sugar."

"Ha, no I won't dissect you. I'm also not an agent, but I guess that's what an Agent would say. As for the jacket... I just feel a bit attached to it is all. It was hot out there, but a bit better in the AC." She spoke naturally to the pretty girl. She seemed a little sarcastic as the conversation went on, but she wasn't bad.

Ashley was extremely grateful to Vashti as she bit into her blizzard. The tangy sweet flavor danced around her mouth and reminded her of her family. She was depressed, because she could see them any old time, but they'd never believe she was their daughter, so she just kept her distance instead.

"Hello, new friends. My name's Herik Cletis. Are you the new members of the Coven?"

Holy shit this dude was a giant. Also, a dude. She thought witches were girls. She nodded at him all the same though. She just needed some answers. Then Vashti went nuts, completely drooling over the guy. Ashley could see how he could be good looking, but Taylor was a bit more her cup of tea. Or Elise, but what were the chances of finding her at all? She was who knows where now, so Ashley wondered if it was worth even waiting. A part of her definitely wanted to though. To make up for all of those lost days of hanging out, watching tv, walking through a park. Ellie wouldn't recognize her anyway.

When Ashley snapped out of her day-dream, she saw another hottie standing at the table now. Long dark hair and pale skin. The questions weren't directed especially to her, so she waited to hear what Vashti had to say.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Nina paused the episode of Projects World Unknown. How could people watch horror? Only a few episodes in, Nina was already having nightmares and feeling queasy. Kimberly was far more courageous than Nina thought she’d ever be. She seemed like she knew a lot about the supernatural world too. She had even learned of the Coven. Nina glanced down at her phone. Maybe she knew more about the FBI and what they wanted with the Coven. Taking a deep breath, she typed out a message.

Hi Kimberly! This is Nina. I’m not sure if you remember but we met at the broken down casino? So much has happened. Agatha left the Coven :( I was wondering if I could treat you to coffee?

Before she could convince herself otherwise, Nina hit send. Kimberly might ignore the message altogether but it was worth trying. Better than sitting around and waiting for her friends to get hurt.

When Maya had called to fill her in with everything that happened on Sunday, Nina grew terrified. What did it mean for the future of the Coven? To her friends? Things seemed to have calmed down but there was a growing pit of fear in her stomach. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened. Hearing Agatha left the Coven didn’t help either. Even though they weren’t the closest, Nina still considered Agatha a friend. She had left her several text messages and voicemails but no response. Wherever she was, Nina hoped she was okay.

Unable to stay confined to her room, Nina slipped into jeans and a loose t-shirt before heading out. Warm coffee and a walk seemed the best remedy at the moment. She let her mind wander as she walked throughout the neighborhood. What would her mom think of all of this? She wished more than anything for her mom to be there with her. She always knew what to do. Nina clutched her locket tightly. After over an hour of aimlessly strolling, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Alright sloots I have important business so let's meet up at the amusement part right now like ASAP

it involves big $$$ from Mr Schmidt like i said get to the place ASAP like right fucking now

Mr. Schmidt? Nina wasn’t sure what he could want from them but she was grateful for the excuse to meet up. She stopped by her work to grab cookies before heading out to the new hideout. Despite once being a center of fun and adventure, the abandoned amusement park spooked Nina. She missed the casino, even if it was always dirty. A slight shiver passed through her as she made her way to the group.

Almost everyone was here, including Chompy, the friendly pet alligator. She made sure to take a seat as far from him as she could. Even if he meant no harm, Nina’s heartbeat grew faster as the sight.

“Hi everyone! I bought salted caramel cookies!” She cheered as she passed the bag around to anyone who wanted some. She glanced over at Maya and smiled. Hopefully the meeting would go smoothly and no surprise FBI attacks.

”Hey! If I had a couple thousands of dollars layin’ around, I’d get even bigger boobs than you.”

"Dasss the thing," Madison slurred as she loudly hiccuped again. "You gotta buy 'im. These-" She made the Coven uncomfortable again by grabbing her breasts, and then she started laughing, "-are homegrown, sis! What's next? You're going to get yourself a fake ass, too? Maybe ask Mr. Schmidt."

“Madison, no one wants to hear about your sex skills!”

Madison loudly laughed as she said in a singsong, "That's because you're just jealous of this chocolate, babe."

“Any idea how we can sober her up so we don’t have to deal with this the whole time?”

While Claudette didn't say anything, Claudette appreciated Jess sticking up for her. Yet, she doubted that Jessica understood that she was, well, drunk. Of course, there was the underlying fear that this was what Madison felt. As everyone kept talking a gear turned in Claudette's head. She wasn't the heaviest drinker nor was she involved with that type of person. However, she knew a little basic something about drinking. She looked among the entire group, "One of you, throw her a snack. Get her something that'll absorb all of that alcohol."

That was when, Nina, in the nick of time, showed up and started passing around cookies. Claudette immediately took as much as she could and started giving them to Madison. "Here, Mademoiselle, eat."

"Mmmmmmmmmm..." Madison said as she took a bite out of the cookie. "This is the shit!"

When Izzy threw the bottle of water at Madison it hit her in the face and knocked her on her side. "Ow, bitch!" Madison said before she broke out into laughter as she fell on the floor and all of her cookies went all over the place. "God damn! Did I hurt your feelings?"

"... Please drink it, Mademoiselle." Claudette sighed in defeat.

"By the way guys, if Molly shows up, there's something you have to know. She's not really Molly right now, she's currently possessed by some Apparition. I don't blab secrets usually, but I don't owe that Apparition anything. She's not gone though. According to the bastard, he plans on leaving when her soul is strong enough. I wonder if any of you know how to speed up that process so we can kick this asshole out of our sister."

"Oh my," Claudette said as she covered her mouth.

"... Yeah, I almost fuckin' killed them," Madison slurred... except she was getting a bit more coherent. "But, ya'll talked me out of it."

"But, Mademoiselle..." Claudette had some... reservations in mind. "... How do we know he's going to honor his side of this "arrangement"? For all we know, he only lied his way out of that situation... Never trust an Apparition."

She raised an eyebrow,

"But, that brings me to another question; what exactly happened when you all went to confront the Hound?"

It wasn't long before the clacking of heels approached the group and they saw Emily G. Reed walking up. Dressed in a suit with Babylon floating at her side leaving a flaming trail behind her. She had a briefcase at her side and sunglasses on her face... and a goofy happy smile on her face. When she walked up, she saw Madison on the ground and turned her nose upwards.

"So, it takes you around thirty minutes to start getting drunk and flopping around?" Emily rolled her eyes as she said. "Glad to see, even with new management, the standards still haven't gone up."

"Fuck you, hoe," Madison shouted on the ground and started laughing.

With another roll of her eyes, Emily looked around and noticed that not everyone was here. Did that bother her? No. If they weren't here, then tough shit. They were either going have to catch up or, more preferably, don't get a cut. More for Emily to get. Emily put a hand on her hip as she got down to business.

"... Alright, let's get down to business because if the rest of the "sisters" want to take their sweet-ass time then that's, to be frank, on them." Emily started.

"Some of them are meeting our new members."

"Oh well," Emily shrugged uncaringly at Claudette's excuse for the rest of the Coven. "Because of Kayla and her little scheme to intimidate Greenwood we got the attention of Schmidt. And probably a lot of other people but that's not important. What is important is that he wants magic powers and he's willing to pay... top dollar, for them."

Emily placed the briefcase on the table and dramatically opened it, revealing all the money that Schmidt had given her.

"... Are those hundreds on top and a bunch of ones on the bottom?" Madison slurred as she reached for the briefcase.

"Hey!" Emily said as she snapped the briefcase close and yanked it over her shoulder. "Blake wants to have a meeting with us where he discusses... whatever he wants to, but I'm hoping it's money. But, until then, nobody is touching this. Except me of course."

"If he's willing to throw this kinda money at Emily off the bat," Babylon piped up, at least trying to make her offer sound more appealing. "Imagine what he'll do for the rest of us."

Emily smirked.

"Any questions?" Emily said, "I can arrange a meeting as soon as possible."

"Did you just say that Kimberly Walton was in contact with you and Agatha? I think it's time I introduced myself. I'm Lyss. I've come here to meet you, too, but Agatha nor Kimberly will be joining us today. Agatha left us about a week ago, so you'll be meeting the new leader when she arrives."

This new chick walked up with long as brown hair, bony, and a particular look in her eyes. Taylor turned her head towards her as she leaned back in her chair and gave her a look. There was something about her tone that implied that she didn't want anything to do with Kimberly. Just a thought. Though she was curious about why "Agatha" had left. From what she talked about with Kimberly she seemed to be the level-headed leader of the Coven. She wasn't going to pry, because as far as this girl knew, she knew nothing about this chick (which was true to an extent).

"Nice to meetcha', sugar, name's Taylor," She said as she leaned forward and looked at Lyss as she tried to gauge her reaction. "Me and Kim go waaaaaay back... I knew that little weirdo before she even became famous, but that's a long story. Recently got back in touch with her and she told me that she made a little alliance with your group and since we're-" Taylor unintentionally used plural pronouns, she hoped that Lyss wouldn't notice "-longing for some companionship in this cold, cold, world... I decided to check you all out."

Taylor narrowed her eyes.

"... That's not a problem, right, sugar?"

---

"Oh, come on, you look cute no matter what."

“Oh shush,” Maya rolled her eyes at Izzy’s compliment and way of delivering the healing, even as a smile slipped through. The often tipsy girl was growing on her - what with her alcohol sharing and general all round niceness… and she’d be lying if she said she disliked the occasionally platonic affection (okay Maya totally missed physical affection but she’d never admit that to anyone). It was in the moments like this that Maya found herself enjoying the company of the coven members (well, some of them). “But thanks.”

"Though the apple on Emily's head is a different story."

She nodded slightly as Jess explained her reasoning for not using a gun… Though she still thought Jess looked incredibly stupid for carrying around a fucking bow. It just wasn’t normal but she decided to keep that to herself for once. For the sake of comradery or something. “I definitely think we should try it out,” she smirked slightly. “Even if Emily won’t be easy to convince…”

Humming thoughtfully, Maya looked up as Nina appeared and gave the other girl a warm smile. She only half listened to what Jess was saying about Molly as she gave Chompy one last pat on the head, before getting up to go sit next to Nina. She gladly took one of the cookies and munched on it as she mostly ignored the conversation going on.

“Are you okay?” she asked the quieter girl, leaning in to speak softly so the others couldn’t overhear. She knew that Nina had been having a hard time recently and at first she’d found her sudden clinginess annoying until she’d figured out that something was up. As much as she’d never said it out loud, Maya actually cared for her quite a bit and knew what the shit could be like. “Have you eaten yet?”

Then Emily arrived and Maya was rolling her eyes again. God, could that girl get any more obnoxious? And honestly the goofy smile she had was just creeping her out. She didn’t like it one bit. Still she forced herself to listen silently for once rather than calling Emily out on her shit right away.

"Any questions? I can arrange a meeting as soon as possible."

“Yeah, I have a few,” Maya spoke up, staring Emily down from where she sat. “First of all, Schmidt doesn’t want anything else from us, right? He has a bit of a reputation and I ain’t going near that. Second, how can we trust him? I’m not about to trust this dude because he’s rich. Hell, even less reason to trust him. What if he doesn’t pay us but like… does something weird with us instead?” Maya had been on a bunch of blind dates with rich men thanks to her mum and they were the literal worst. “Third, how can we trust you to give us a share of the money? You’re already keeping all of that from us.”

She glanced down at the briefcase and then back up at Emily, folding her eyes. Though for all she was questioning it Maya was pretty tempted by the large sum of money. But she also knew about all the (true) rumours about Blake and she didn’t want to go meet such a skeevy man without knowing that wasn’t what he wanted from a coven full of girls. There was no way she was touching that.

---

The snapchat group was blowing up for lack of better wording, and while Kayla would have liked to be there to prevent the girls from being their own worst enemies, she was also pretty keen on letting the women make their own mistakes to a certain degree. Yes, it would be a bit more complicated, but she couldn't exactly be in two places at once AND she had actual leadership duties to deal with. It wasn't her fault that this was planned beforehand by Agatha, who had walked. It also wasn't her fault that the text had come the day of... So she'd get to it when she got to it.

Kayla was however interested in what was going on, so she elected to send Claudette a text. She didn't particularly care for the permanence of a text, so she found herself messaging Claudette directly over snapchat instead of in the main group.

I'd like a summary of whatever's going on, on your end as soon as reasonable. Interviewing the new members at the moment.

It was quick, concise, and to the point. As Kayla was, herself. Claudette was the only one in the collective at the amusement park that she trusted, having very quickly taken up the position as her left hand in directing the chaos that was The Coven. The woman was smart, and it would be apparent to her that Kayla valued her input. It was an extension of trust- She was leading a group now, and Kayla for all her pride and ego was well aware that she couldn't do something like that alone. Not with this many women wielding paranormal abilities and unruly temperaments to match.

She would be meeting Lyss and Henrik at the Dairy Queen to interview the new supposed members of The Coven. Lyss had quickly taken up a position as her right hand woman, having shown competence and leadership qualities when under direct pressure from a supposed governmental agency when others had not. She, like Claudette, had a good head on her shoulders and seemed to at least have a solid handle on themselves. Preferring to observe than to buy into the group's rather... colorful personality. Kayla liked that. In her world, the ones who talked to much were the ones that shit themselves and hid in a corner when things went poorly. It was the quiet, almost reserved ones that you had to worry about. Kayla preferred to have them on her side.

Lyss was handling the preinterview and she'd have to speak with her about her meeting with the 'FBI' once this was dealt with. They didn't know of Kayla's existence at the moment and for the time being she was just fine with keeping it that way. Henrik was there as an insurance policy. His large size and intimidating presence disarmed people. He made them easier to crack, even if he didn't necessarily have to do anything aside from simply be there. Kayla was tired of people that would up and run as soon as things got scary, and in a world like theirs a large man was potentially the least of their worries. She knew that better than most, having stared death incarnate down less than a week prior.

She held the door open for Oleander, who trotted into the Dairy Queen with little regard for the 'No Pets Allowed' sign that was always up and never respected. Kayla brought business, and kicking her dog out meant that they'd bring down her wrath on them. They had learned that the hard way. Oleander seemed to have a directive of his own, immediately zeroing in on the group and heading to their table. Kayla wore beaten blue jeans, her typical combat boots, a thin grey hoodie, and a black leather jacket that obscured the appendix carried Kobra revolver. She was certainly overdressed for Florida... but the heat had stopped being an issue a long, long time ago. She dressed however she wanted, rain, shine, heat wave, sleet or snow be damned. Her makeup was all smoke and cinders and she cast each of them glances with hooded eyelids that felt like she was burning right through them.

"Agatha left us about a week ago, so you'll be meeting the new leader when she arrives."

"-longing for some companionship in this cold, cold, world... I decided to check you all out... That's not a problem, right, sugar?"

Henrik scooted over without a word, allowing Kayla to slide into a seat at the end of their table that allowed her to watch the entrance of the building, as she always did these days. Each of them had that glow to them that only the supernatural had. Which was a good thing, because she wanted members who could pull their weight. The one on the right was like a slightly smaller version of herself. Down to the build, and facial structure. The only difference being she was a big more aggressive with the makeup and a lot more aggressive with her hair. It attracted attention, and made her easy to remember. Not inherently bad things, but worth taking note of. The middle seemed nervous, middle eastern in descent. She shifted around in her seat as if she was just dying to say something. The last was the tallest of the bunch, clad in leather jacket and absolutely glowing, as if her skin was pale enough to create light. She wasn't like the others here, instead shining more like Babylon or The Hound than than like a normal person. She seemed at least quiet and at most patient. Kayla supposed that only time would tell which it was. Kayla's eyes flashed to Lyss, and for just a moment the thin line of her pokerface shifted up at one corner into a small smirk. She dropped a hand to massage Oleander's neck.

"We've elected to switch to more... capable management." Kayla said, having decided to finally speak now that the tension had built up enough. "And if it were a problem, you wouldn't be here."

Kayla liked this one's spunk. A spitfire attitude and narrowed eyes that challenged. Lyss didn't seem particularly phased, and Kayla certainly wasn't either. She looked the smaller girl over easily and leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the table. The orange haired one would almost certainly pipe up first having spoken so much already so Kayla gave her the most attention, choosing to move on to the more passive one in a moment. Her eyes flashed, her pupils taking on that ever dangerous molten-metal hue as Kayla allowed her small grin to melt into small but evil grin, challenging the other girl and testing her grit. “I don't particularly care how you found us. Sell yourself to me. Who are you, what can you do, and why do you want in? Thirty words or less, please.”

---

As Taylor broke out in hysterics, Vashti shielded the other side of her face so that she now saw the world framed by a handmade scuba mask as she dove down deeper into the ocean of embarrassment. However, a switch was flipped as Taylor continued to howl and knocked her mostly empty drink over and soon Vashti found herself giggling alongside the girl. So she had made herself look like a dickhead, so what? Vashti grabbed a handful of napkins and began cleaning up Taylor’s mess. She doubted she was the first girl who completely spilled spaghetti in front of Herik. She dropped the soiled napkins into the empty cup as Taylor questioned her about Kimberly.

“Oh are you a fan too? Yeah, she’s…” Vashti stopped as the mention of Kimberly and Agatha drew the attention of another girl to their table. Her name was Lyss, and she’d given Vashti the time needed to try and figure out how to go about phrasing her relationship with Kimberly. Vashti imagined saying that Kimberly fought her in a swamp would lead to some begging questions that she didn’t feel comfortable answering in front of strangers. Especially after the Leviathan made more than just a blip on the radar of the authorities. Lyss smiled at them and Vashti smiled back, paling ever so slightly as Lyss said, "Would you mind filling me in on your messages with Agatha and Kimberly as we wait?"

Taylor spoke up first and Vashti let her have the floor. Her gut told her that something felt off, and it wasn’t just the diabetes-inducing blizzard she’d just inhaled. A bell chimed as the door opened and a hard looking girl let her dog inside. It was an open rebellion of the laws decried by Her Royal Majesty, the Dairy Queen, but none of the employees said anything about the pet violation. Perhaps they were true revolutionaries looking to overthrow their queen’s icy rule. More likely the $8.50 an hour wasn’t enough to make the teen behind the counter confront someone, especially if that person was wearing combat boots. Vashti pulled her feet up as the dog padded over to their table. She liked dogs, but they didn’t like her. Rather, they didn’t like what was inside of her, and that feeling was mutual.

"We've elected to switch to more... capable management." Clearly the dog owner meant herself. “I don't particularly care how you found us. Sell yourself to me. Who are you, what can you do, and why do you want in? Thirty words or less, please.”

Vashti’s eyes narrowed. Lyss, from where she was standing, might notice that Vashti’s pupils had also narrowed vertically. Sell themselves? Her gut feeling was growing stronger and stronger. From what she had read online, the Coven was an all-inclusive social club slash support group for weirdos and witches. The implication that she got was that they would be there to help her. It never mentioned anywhere that she’d have to do a little elevator pitch to get in. What could she say? If you don’t let me in I might rampage through all of Florida? Who wanted to hear that? Plus, why didn’t all of the members just arrive together? Were they trying to be intimidating? If so, well done.

Wait…

“You’re fucking with us, right?” said Vashti with a nervous laugh. All of this had to be a put on. She glanced over at Lyss and gestured towards her leader. “She’s joking right? Sell yourself? Is this a bit? This is a bit.”

Her face told Vashti that it clearly wasn’t a bit.

“Okay…” Vashti shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She had been expecting a handshake and a complimentary broomstick, not what felt like an interrogation. “None of that counts as my thirty words, okay? I’m Vashti. Nice to meet you?" Four words wasted. Shit. "Uh, I can tell fortunes and hold my breath good?” I also turn into a monster sometimes and create hurricanes, she thought but decided against including it. She didn't want to use up her word count.

Her nervousness turned towards a frustrated annoyance. “I’m sorry, I don’t really get what it is you want to hear? I got cursed by some asshole and he did this.” She quickly jerked down a sleeve so that the table could see her scaly arm and covered it even faster. “Kimberly said the Coven would help me, and Agatha agreed to meet. I need to get this thing under control. It doesn’t have to be out of the kindness of your hearts. I'm not expecting that and I can pay you all back somehow, but can you?" She countered their leader's burning stare with watery eyes. "Can you even help me?”

More than thirty words. Vashti knew she was blowing it. She sounded desperate. She was desperate. She glanced towards the other two candidates, and silently hoped that one of them would bomb even harder.

Ashley had watched as the other girls kept speaking. That was fine, it gave Ashley time to think, and observe. They seemed a bit chaotic, and she couldn't just let them know that she booted some girl out her body. She had to think of an excuse. Unfortunately, by the time Kayla asked them to sell themselves, and Vashti had finished her pitch, Ashley had nothing. She looked over at Vashti, feeling a bit bad for her. A curse had to really suck.

"I'm Ashley, I can make these weird claws that cut shit. I want to know more about the super natural, especially ghosts and apparitions." She decided keeping it under thirty words might impress the new leader of the coven. Though maybe a joke to lighten things up would help. "Plus I'm a pretty great guitar player." She added with a grin.

Me 6/27 4:55 PM.
Madison is drunk, and Emily is claiming that Blake is offering $$$ for magic power. I'm not sure.

Claudette responded to Kayla's text short and sweet.

“Yeah, I have a few, first of all, Schmidt doesn’t want anything else from us, right? He has a bit of a reputation and I ain’t going near that. Second, how can we trust him? I’m not about to trust this dude because he’s rich. Hell, even less reason to trust him. What if he doesn’t pay us but like… does something weird with us instead? Third, how can we trust you to give us a share of the money? You’re already keeping all of that from us.”

Emily rolled her eyes while smiling. Why was this slut acting like she didn't bang random strangers in bars? Or off Tinder? Whatever sluts are using this day. While she had some legitimate questions, weren't these dumbasses rushing off to go fight a bunch of vampires and got the feds brought down on them? They were being careful now when they could get some big bucks. Emily put a hand on her hip as she figured she might as well answer to the best of her ability.

"Far as I can tell, no. If you want to suck his dick or something, then that's between you and whatever God you believe in-"

"Which should be me!" Babylon said as she pointed two thumbs at herself.

Emily rolled her eyes as she found herself stumbling at the second question. "Honestly, I don't think he's any more trustworthy than anyone else but we should hear him out at the very least... Because as far as Babylon tells me, he's blind. Which means if he does anything fishy then Babylon will handle him. We all don't have to go and talk to him, y' know."

Emily looked down at her briefcase.

"Mr. Schmidt will give you your money, this money right here is mine. Any other questions?"

“... Sell yourself to me."

"Phrasing, sugar."

Taylor chuckled. Though, there was something off about all of this... this seemed less like a meeting and more like an interview. And Taylor was God awful at those. Maybe it was all the piercings and makeup. Still, there was something off about the whole thing. Maybe Vashti picked up on it because she seemed as put off as Taylor. Except not a muscle on her face had changed. She didn't know Kayla - their proclaimed leader - but Taylor had the feeling that she was... sharp. Like a fuckin' knife. Cross her and she'd get sliced. Which is why Taylor was going to be careful around here. Not that she knew she couldn't kick this chick in the puss and tear her hair out, she wasn't sure of what she was capable of.

Still, it was show and tell time, and Taylor decided to pay close attention to the other two gals and their responses. Vashti went on about this little curse that she had - even going as far as to lift her sleeve to reveal the scales (and boy they aren't pretty). She was hoping that the Coven could help her... if they couldn't, Taylor will. Though it didn't seem like Kim to just... kick the problem downfield. Taylor shrugged, Kim was a different gal now. Ashley went on about herself except it was like she was doing a half-assed job. She just wants to know about Apparitions? Then read a fuckin' book.

Out of habit, Taylor blew some hair out of the way of her face. Before she realized that it was her turn and Taylor was getting a little jittery because it's been more than a few minutes without nicotine. She placed an elbow on the table as she began to explain.

"Ya'll heard about this thing called the Glutton? If not, then good," Taylor stated, matter-of-factly, "I'm not gonna beat 'round the bush right now because I really need a cigarette right now. I'm a combination of two chicks; a girl named Claire that died fighting that freak and came back and apparition and a girl named June Summers, a weirdo that thought it was a great idea to go out and fight monsters. June nearly got killed and Claire combined herself with what was left of June's soul to make this sexy thing."

If she wasn't in public she would have slapped her own ass. During the whole triad, neither her voice or her facial expression changed at all. She shrugged as she continued.

"Why I gotta explain it like that? It's because I'm neither of them now, I'm Taylor now. And I'm bringing my nice ass and pretty face to your little Coven, sugar," Taylor threw finger guns at Kayla. "I'm joining because, why not? Sounds fun. If ya'll aren't my thing then I'm just gonna go. No drama involved."

Taylor shrugged.

"Not thirty words or less but I doubt you give a shit."

“Guilty! I’m Vashti Nour. Nice to meet you. Come, come, you should have a seat, I take it you’re with them, then? Are you the leader? Wait, Kimberley said Agatha was the...sorry, I’m rambling. I’m really excited. You’re really big. And I’m really embarrassed so I’m really gonna stop...talking...now…”
- Vashti

Herik laughed jovially along with the orange woman, he's used to these types of reactions. An ex told him it was because women find him attractive, but he doesn't pay it any mind. Drastic reactions to him vary depending on the person. He took a seat next to the woman with long brown hair.

He barely sat down before Lyss came over. Did he miss the memo about her joining him? He would check his phone, but that would be rude in the middle of a conversation. He knew Kayla was coming. He smiled at Lyss and waved. He looked watched each woman, tried to get a feel for them. Vashti seems sweet, someone he could a long with. He's always up for friendly individuals. Taylor had a similar feeling to Kayla, which wasn't a bad thing, but definitely one that could cause the Coven trouble. He wouldn't deny her entering though. The more the merrier and she probably needed people like they all needed each other. Ashley was hard to read. She didn't react to him either way. Probably a quiet type. That's good too.

He was last for a second on who Kimberly was, until Lyss said her name. Paranormal investigator Kimberly Walton? She was in contact with their group? He's a huge fan. He wondered why Agatha never said anything...actually she probably would have if they weren't attacked by the FBI or whoever they truly are if Lyss is right that they aren't who they said they are. Hopefully he'll get to meet her. Someone so experienced could teach him a thing or to, help him with his mother perhaps.

Kayla joined them, he slid over as much as he could, hoping he didn't squish Ashley into the wall, but the booth wasn't big enough for three adults, no matter how small the other two were. The energy chanced. It was a little awkward with Lyss and felt like something could start, but it got heavy when Kayla sat down. It felt like usual conversations with the Coven goes. The newcomers tensed up and he could tell they felt threatened. Oh no. He doesn't want this to be their first impression of the group. While threats and yelling worked for other members, it wouldn't work for new people that needed somewhere to go. They might decide to leave like Agatha did and he didn't want to lose any more friends. New or old.

Each girl presented their situation, which was tragic in all three cases. They could help them, so he brought his smile back to lighten the sober and serious mood.

"You're all powerful, which is great but you need help like the rest of us. I think that's the most important. I don't think we should refuse them." He looked at Kayla, bright eyed and hopeful. "As long as they follow the rules." Rules they haven't made yet. "Then we should be good. They seem like good fits and could get along with most of our members." Minus Emily and Babylon. "So far I'm not getting any bad feelings." He leaned into Kayla's space and whispered. "Not like with Babylon." Cause she's the worst in terms of trouble. None of the newcomers are like that, so they can't be that bad. "Plus, Ashley plays guitar. That's pretty cool." He said aloud. He hoped he pleaded their case well. He's not good with words sometimes.

---

“You’re fucking with us, right? She’s joking right? Sell yourself? Is this a bit? This is a bit... Kimberly said the Coven would help me, and Agatha agreed to meet."”

Kayla turned her infernal gaze to the first to speak. Not the one she had predicted would speak first, but not particularly surprising either. Vashti was her name, jumpy and a bit manic even. She reminded Kayla of other members of the group albeit in a less detrimental way. She revealed her affliction, scales of natural armor under her clothing that linked together like the plates on a garfish. So she had something going for her, at least. She spoke too much, but she looked like she knew it. It was excusable, though. Everything she needed covered she had touched upon.

"I'm Ashley, I can make these weird claws that cut shit. I want to know more about the super natural, especially ghosts and apparitions."

Ashley was a pleasant surprise, revealing that she was more patient than she was timid, which was always a welcome addition. In a group like their own, one had to be powerful or outspoken to be heard as unfortunate as that was. Kayla was far more impressed with the woman's ability to be to-the-point and concise than she was with her alleged reaper claws. The ability to choose one's words and think things through was infinitely more powerful than slapping one's cock on the table with their ability in the hopes of scaring the others into listening. Certain individuals would simply join in to incite conflict like Maya, and others like Emily would take it as personal challenge that could only end one of two ways.

The last girl was a joke. A fucking caricature of a human being. Kayla was disappointed, she had shown so much promise with her spunk and vigor. Sugar this and that. All dog shit flamboyance and a bloated sense of self importance. She'd fit right in. Kayla had stopped listening after her first few words, not even taking the time to remember her name... But thankfully her passenger hadn't totally tuned out. She had focused entirely on superfluous information, meaningless stuff. Neglecting to mention anything at all about what she was capable of. Something about The Glutton, something about how she was two people. Like me. Kayla mused to herself, a tight frown forming on her features. The fire in her eyes died away and she leaned back against her seat, thoroughly disappointed in the last one's inability to follow directions.

"I'm not Agatha." Kayla said easily, her attention shifting from the group to a cinder that materialized in her hand and danced between her fingers like a slow, minute shooting star. "And I have no idea who this Kimberly person is. Nor do I care."

The cinder died in her hand, snuffed out like a cigarette. "Unlike her, I... we can help you. Or we will at least try to. We look after our own." She said, her eyes easing up to the three. Herik leaned over and whispered his approval into her ear, and she was inclined to agree with the first two. Carrot top would need further vetting, because as much as she enjoyed Maya pissing Emily off she didn't need another village idiot. "I also wont lie to you." Kayla stated, her voice taking on an edge that was almost unbecoming of her. "My group of girls has placed themselves in hot water with a supposed governmental agency. Some are brash, mean, dangerous, and in some cases straight up stupid. I'm doing damage control. I need to know if I'm taking on people that will be a problem or not."

She turned her attention to Taylor, but spoke to the group. "I need to know what you can do. Because the supernatural attracts the supernatural." Supernatural things that stood two stories tall, smoke and mirrors and red eyes that shined through the forest fire as if seeing through her soul and deciding if it was her time. The Hound of death. "And I wont always be there. I need to know if you can handle yourself, it is concern, I promise. There are things in this world that do not care if we think or feel."

Kayla's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she slipped it out just enough to read the message from Claudette. She sighed, slipping it entirely out to respond.

"Keep an eye on Madison, please. She has a tendency to fly off the handle. I'll be there soon. This could be a side hustle that may just work in our favor."

She almost slipped her phone back into her pocket, but decided against it at the last moment.

"Oh, and Claudette? Thanks."

A simple show of gratitude for being her eyes and ears where Kayla could not be. She looked up to the three once again and sighed. "If you understand the risks, you two-" she said, gesturing to Vashti and Ashley, "-Are in. Ashley, I will speak with you in particular later. And you-" she continued, looking to Taylor. "I'll ask again. What can you do? I don't know how your other half managed to cheat death, but from my experience he isn't too keen on that happening." Images of The Hound flashed through Kayla's mind again. "And I take you in, you're my responsibility. If something goes wrong, I don't need anymore blood on my conscious."

---

Lyss's expression didn't change as Taylor turned her intense eyes her way. There was something wild about her. Looking into her eyes, it was like looking at an angry spirit. This chick had two of them, but it was like an odd mish-mosh of color. Two souls intertwined. Like Kayla. Even so, Kayla's energy was far more docile with a deepness to it. Taylor's just had an intensity to it. Like a swollen red giant about to go supernova and destroy anything in it's path. Lyss was wary of this girl, but she knew not to see raw power like this as a threat. It would be better to have it on their side, and not as their enemy.

Taylor wasn't even trying to hide her dual-spirituality. She used the pronoun "we're" instead of "I" like it wasn't a secret. As Lyss listened to her speak of her shared childhood with Kim, she couldn't help but wonder how much her old buddies could get out of harvesting the apparitions within her. Shut up, Lyss. That's not you... ^anymore. Taylor narrowed her eyes and Lyss shrugged. She couldn't give less of a shit why this girl wanted to be in the Coven. Everyone had their own reasons. She just wanted to know why Agatha had made an alliance with Kimberly before taking off.

Before Lyss could even bother to respond, she heard the soft padding of paws approach from behind. Thank satan Kayla can handle the rest of this. She thought as she turned to see Kayla sliding into the table beside Herik. It was a funny sight to see two girls and one hunk in one seat. They locked eyes for a moment, and Kayla's sly smile drew Lyss's own smirk out of her usual blank face. Good luck, fearless leader.

So, the interview began. Well, it was more of a negotiation from the way Kayla put it, but Lyss knew that Kayla wasn't one to beat around the bush with niceties. Lyss pulled up a chair from a nearby table and set herself down in it. She sat back and preferred to listen and observe these girls as they answered Kayla's "demands." It was like watching a movie, but instead of popcorn Lyss lazily savoured the rest of her sundae.

Vashti didn't react well. Lyss watched in fascination as she saw the woman's pupils narrow into slits. Lyss could only smile when Vashti directed an incredulous question her way. In this particular case, Lyss agreed with both Vashti and Kayla. Yeah, it was rude to just outright ask these girls to spill their darkest secrets and abilities, but the Coven had fallen into dangerous waters and only the strong would stay aboard the boat to help withstand the currents. Agatha had already hopped ship. Would any of these girls do the same if the DENs came back to cash in the IOU?

Cursed to look like a reptile? Lyss mused to herself as she stared at the scales on Vashti's arm. Or is this only a small sign of a deeper vein? Lyss felt sympathy for her. Curses were nasty things. It would take a skilled magician to reverse it. Can Babylon remove a curse? As if the ghost would want to. Lyss raised her eyebrow as Ashley took her turn. So, a human version of Keisha?

At least Taylor had some humor about this situation. Both of Lyss's eyebrows rose this time, as her aura sense confirmed the girl's backstory. The Glutton, huh? No wonder she's so intense. She has two maniacs psychosis inside her head. Lyss looked Kayla's way and slowly ate the last bite of her sundae as Herik murmured into Kayla's ear. She could see the recognition in their leader's fiery eyes. This meeting was practically over. The girls would join the Coven, and hopefully there wouldn't be a brawl between the newbies and the current members. For some reason, Lyss could see Emily and Taylor fighting or becoming best friends. With no in between. Kayla did a pretty great job describing the group of outcasts.

Lyss glanced at Kayla's phone as she took a moment to send some messages. Was it one of the Coven girls? Did Kayla have friends outside of the group? Lyss certainly didn't. Well, at least she didn't think so. Not any real friends. Kayla announced that Ashley and Vashti were in, but then surprisingly gave Taylor an ultimatum. The way Kayla put her words made Lyss feel some concern for her. She remembered the way Kayla looked after she and Madison returned from their meeting with The Hound. "I don't need any more blood on my conscious." Facing death must have really gotten to her. It was hard to think that as brave and powerful as Kayla was, she was still afraid of death. Was my father afraid of death?

She set her empty sundae cup on the table in front of her and quickly pushed that thought into the dark recesses of her mind.

"I think what Kayla's trying to say here is: If you join our Coven, you have to be 100% ready to defend your friends. This group is a safe haven for all of us. We've all got our own shit to deal with, and we're all looking out for each other." She looked all three girls in the eyes, resting her gaze on Taylor in the end. "We want to help you. Are you willing to help us too?"

"Supposed?"

Taylor had to ask... What did they do to piss off the government? She had to raise an eyebrow, but that did little to deter her interest. If they were doing some weirdo shit Taylor was out before they could implicate her. However, they - as in Kayla and Lyss - were asking her if she could fight and protect the Coven. And Taylor shrugged in response. Though she kinda forgot to tell them what she can do.

"I can create barriers made out of fire, sugar," Taylor said. "I didn't do a whole lot of testing with it but I made one big enough to cover a house."

Taylor sighed afterward it was hard forcing herself to say that she'll die for a bunch of strangers. There was a bit of hesitancy... part of her wondered what sort of shit were they getting into? Perhaps they were just one big elaborate cult.

"And I'm willing to-"

"Alright everyone get down!" A man stormed into the Dairy Queen... wearing an Obama mask and a black trench coat like he was a flasher. Taylor raised an eyebrow at the objects that were his instruments of "robbery". A fucking baby alligator in one hand and a God damn rattlesnake in the other. He walked over to the cash register as he pointed both of the animals at the confused cashier like they were guns. "EMPTY THE REGISTER, NOW!"

Only in Florida.



After all of that Emily contacted Mr. Schmidt and they arranged a meeting. It was in some nice little place in Southernmost Tampa, right on the beach. A rooftop bar that Schmidt owned that was currently closed but he had invited the Coven there. The Coven arrived via elevator... and Madison clawed her way out as several others were less than pleased with being stuck in an elevator.

And suddenly the stairs was a much better idea.

"... Aight, which one of you hoes grabbed my ass?" Madison slurred as she looked back at the Coven with her fist balled as the Jaw unconsciously activated. Yet not one person answered as Madison shook her head and she hissed as she rubbed her bruised ass.

Emily finished walking up the stairs with the briefcase in hand because like hell she was going to be in the elevator with those sluts. All of their lairs always smelled like a fish market - and no amount of air freshener would fix it. Getting in an elevator with them would probably make her wish she brought a clothespin. Emily shook her head as she looked at the Coven already beginning to bicker and she jabbed a thumb in the direction of Blake.

The Coven walked up as Emily caught sight of her boss... not wearing a suit. Instead, he was wearing some tan cargo shorts and a designer button-up polo shirt and some sandals, and sunglasses... like he was out on the beach. At his side was his wife, Phillis Schmidt wearing a green one-piece bikini and a large straw hat and sandals.

When Blake saw them, he smiled widely.

"Ahhhh, so you all must be the Coven I heard so much about," Blake said as he folded one leg over the other. "Glad you all decided to attend, come, come, take a seat. Get comfortable! We're going to be here for a while..."

He looked at his wife as he gave the Coven a grin.

"... If you all decide to play ball, but this is my beautiful wife Phillis."

"Hello," Phillis said.

"Hello, Ms, Schmidt," Emily said with an overly polite smile as she looked at the rest of the Coven. Personally, she didn't want half these sluts anywhere near him, but all she had to do was count on them keeping their stupid under wraps. For like one God damn second. It wasn't that hard. Emily knew that Blake was willing to toss the big bucks... if the Coven would play ball. She knew that Kayla wasn't stupid, far from it. She wasn't going to let Blake lowball the Coven and that was the pillars of Emily's plan. She nodded her head as she looked at Blake,

"This is Kayla, our leader, and Lyss, the... second in command." Emily introduced them. What was the sledgehammer to her plan was the rest of the Coven. Long as they played the part and politely shut up, then everything was gonna go great.

"... Gawd damn it," Madison slurred as Claudette took her to the part of the bar that was far away from Blake... she didn't want to bring her in the first place but Madison insisted on coming. Whatever drunken logic she's running off of was not the same type that Claudette was running off of. Especially now that they're doing this whole thing with Blake which Claudette still thinks is a bad idea but she would, again, rather stick with the Coven if possible. Strange attracts strange, as Babylon says. Still... Blake Schmidt was an eccentric one she heard (which was weird because she never heard of him before coming to Tampa). Claudette didn't want anything to do with a rich creep like him and the same with the Coven.

"He brought his hoe bag wife," Madison slurred to herself, loud enough for Claudette to hear, as she narrowed her eyes at Phillis and shot knives at her with merely a glare. "The fuck she got? I got ass an' titties... Maddie tryna bag a million-dollar sugar daddy! Maddie tryna leave the club behind- hahahahahahahahaha!" Madison devolved into complete rambling as Claudette started in horror and she was about to grab herself again but Claudette's steady hands stopped her.

In her drunken stupor, Madison lost all sense of subtlety but kept her single-minded goal of getting a sugar daddy. Because these hoes were stupid. Fuck all that deal shit, just get down and suck his dick. Everyone's trying to bag Blake as a sugar Daddy and Madison was no different. Who wouldn't? The idea of some rich asshole paying all of her bills? Fuck yeah. All she had to do was take a teeny peeny every now and then but that was not a problem. Even if it didn't go well they could give him the good ol' Harvey Weinstein treatment. Did that mean Madison had no respect for herself? No, but her bills are piling up and the money's drying up.

And she refuses to go out like a flash in the plan.

Taylor, on the other hand, decided to keep her distance from Blake... but remained in earshot just in case. Taylor blew some hair out of the way of her face as she watched. Honestly, she never bothered to keep up with the millionaires, celebrities, and politics of Florida... mostly because if it didn't affect her then she didn't care. She heard about Blake but that was some off mention stuff, like an occasional read in an article's comments section. Still, she knows better than to trust this guy blindly but she did enjoy the little allure of money being thrown her way. Not what she joined the Coven for but Blake knew how to get their attention, still part of Taylor was a bit wary of giving this rich asshole superpowers.

Because that sounded like the kind of thing that'd bite them in the ass later but she was a newbie.

Her opinion probably ain't mean shit.

---

Maya really regretted not taking the stairs.

Being the shortest in the coven wasn’t something that normally bothered her but when stuffed in an Elevator with everyone? It meant her face was far too close to some people’s chests that she’d never wanted to get up close and personal with. She could barely breath and was so glad to get out of there when they reached the top.

She rolled her eyes as Madison went off about someone grabbing her ass, completely ignoring it. As if she’d had time to think about it in there. For once she was glad when Emily appeared and led them all over to Blake.

And she had to admit, he looked hotter in person. But that didn’t mean she was going to trust him in any way. No, she’d take his money for whatever he wanted from him and that was it. Honestly she didn’t even want to be near him. His wife, on the other hand… Damn. She was very attractive. It was a shame that she was married to some rich asshole who slept around with all his secretaries.

"Ahhhh, so you all must be the Coven I heard so much about. Glad you all decided to attend, come, come, take a seat. Get comfortable! We're going to be here for a while...If you all decide to play ball, but this is my beautiful wife Phillis."

Maya shot Emily a suspicious glare as Blake said about having heard so much about them… had she told him something? Nah, as much as she disliked Emily the girl was unlikely to just outright tell her boss about the Coven. It wasn’t anything to brag about. If anything, they were an embarrassment. Still, she took a seat, making sure that she was out of reach from Blake but still fairly close… and closer to his wife. She left space for Kayla and Lyss to be closer - it was their duty as leaders to take that hit.

“Hello Mr Blake, Ms Phillis,” Maya said, walking the fine line between slightly formal and completely informal as she completely ignored Emily’s hint to not say anything by just introducing the leaders. She leaned back where she sat, adopting a relaxed pose. It was far too comfortable of an environment to be as uptight as Emily was.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Kayla and Lyss to get it right, cause she did. She just didn’t like how clearly Emily wanted them to all stay quiet even if she hadn’t explicitly said it. She wasn’t about to submit to what the girl wanted. And anyway, someone had to subtly press Blake to get him to spill whatever was hiding behind that smiling facade (no rich man smiled and meant it). So she was going to stir things up a little.

“So, what exactly is it that you want from us?” Maya lounged back further, gaze fixed on Blake. “It must be more than just magic powers if we’ll be talking a while. I hope it isn’t anything like the stuff in,” her gaze flickered to Phillis with a suggestive spark in her dark eyes, “the rumours surrounding you. It’s just that you may have a lot of money-" Maya cut off as Emily jammed an elbow right into her side, coughing at the sudden pain and shooting a glare at her.

"Maya... how about you let our leader do the talking?"

Maya rolled her eyes at Emily but withheld from a snarky comment or argument starter because of present company. Still, she looked back to Blake... Who honestly didn't look all that put out by her talking. So she continued anyway because honestly, she did not give a fuck about Emily's opinion.

"As I was saying, why should we trust you right away?" She asked, incredibly bluntly, as she threw out any pretense at subtlety. But she had held back on saying other, nastier, things and she counted that as a win - getting elbowed aside. "And also, why is your wife involved?"

Today was a strange day, but a good day so far. They have three new members. Ones he's eager to get to know. The DQ almost got held up by a reptile man, but he gladly carried the man out the restaurant while they waited for the police to arrive. He hardly weighed anything and the animals were nice. He's sure he'll be released from jail in a day. No one got hurt. All was well. Kayla told them about the meeting they had with Blake Schmidt. He still didn't know who he is, but the meeting place was bright and lavish. The kind of place he never went to, but was always invited by the women that came to see him during work. They piled into the elevator. He did his best to stay in the back and made him as small as he could so there'd be enough room for everyone. It was hot in the tiny box. He felt around his pockets for a hair tie to pull his hair up into a bun.

Once the elevator arrived to the top floor, the sunlight was blinding. It seems brighter up high than it did down on the street. Emily introduced them to a Mr. Schmidt. A rich man if he's ever seen one. One he didn't like the look of. He seemed similar to someone he's met before, but it's a vague feeling. A memory itched at the back of his mind like he couldn't breathe. He brought tears to his eyes. One rolled down his cheek. He wiped his face. What reason did he have to cry? Whatever it was this wasn't good. He stepped up behind Kayla and poked her in the back. His smile ever present and happy.

"I don't trust this." He whispered through his teeth like a ventriloquist. "I'm getting a bad about this man. A deal with him is one with the devil." Mrs. Schmidt pulled down her sunglasses and stared at him. He waved politely, then went to the bar. Claudette seemed to have a hard time with Madison. He heard her laugh hysterically. She's drunk. That's the only explanation, because this wasn't like her.

He turned to the bartender, "Water for my friend please. She's had too much to drink today." It was at least a 100 degree outside. She needed to hydrate. He was handed a bottle. "Thank you." He uncapped it and handed it to Madison. "You should drink. Get the alcohol out of your system, then we should talk. I don't know what happened the other day, but this isn't like you. I sense something painful inside. Whatever it is we can solve it together."

... Maya started talking.

This was like Emily's worst nightmare. Of all the people that could start running their mouth it had to be fucking Maya. Emily would rather take that gorilla Jess spouting her idealistic nonsense, Izzy and her uncontrollable slutting, or Quinn... being Quinn, over fucking Maya. Emily had to act quickly or else Maya will ruin everything. Keeping that smile on her face, Emily channeled her inner secretary as she forced the chippiest tone.

"Maya."

"Maya."

"Maya."

And yet this pea-brain was still running her mouth, ignoring her as per usual. Does she have any concept of the pecking order? With her annoying ass on the bottom of it? Emily grit her teeth and Mr. Schmidt nearly caught it. That was the last thing Emily wanted... but she had to get Maya to shut up one way or another. The second the mention of "rumors" left Maya's mouth; Emily, with the barest amount of subtlety possible (I.E None), maneuvered over to Maya and jammed her elbow into the smaller girl's side as hard as she could. She smiled at her as she softly said,

"Maya... how about you let our leader do the talking?"

It took everything in her power not to end that sentence with "slut" or "whore" or some variation of the phrase. Emily shook her head as the girl finally shut up and she could feel momentary relief.

"... No, no, no," Blake said as he put his hand up, "Let her speak her mind."

"As I was saying, why should we trust you right away? And also, why is your wife involved?"

Emily grit her teeth. We've been over this, dumbass. She thought to herself.

Blake casually stroked his beard as he listened to the girl ask her questions. The mere mention of... rumors, made Phillis shoot him a death glare but Blake was undeterred! He was gonna leave with what he came for! And ensures that the Coven leaves with what they came for... Blake knew better than to alienate a potential business partner!

"As for the second question, my wife is as interested in these abilities as I am! And she's here to oversee the whole deal," Not entirely truthful but Blake didn't let an inch of his body flinch. The second question was a tough one but he was prepared to answer it. Blake touched his fingertips together as he leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "You are entirely correct in your suspicion Miss..."

"Maya," Emily was quick to answer for her.

"Maya, Maya, a cute name," Blake said as he began chuckling. "A wealthy man, coming out of nowhere with vague intentions and knowing about your little... witches club? Yes, I would be suspicious myself! But, if you don't trust me, what can I do to make you? All I want is one of those magical abilities that you all are so keen on flaunting. Nothing more, nothing less."

Blake made his intentions clear right off the bat as he took a sip of the red wine that he had sitting on the side.

"I'm willing to pay top dollar for one and if you all are willing, I'm willing to offer employment because I'm looking for enforcers to protect myself, my family, and my assets from the supernatural. How does that grab you? You all are free to turn away and leave if this isn't appealing and I'll pry elsewhere but think about it... do you know how many other supernatural organizations would jump at this chance? This opportunity!?"

Blake started laughing as Babylon cupped a yellow sigil in her hands and had a goofy smile on her face as she looked around.



When Herik approached Madison pretty much everything he said went through one ear and out the other except for "you should drink more, get the alcohol out of your system". When he finished talking Madison broke out laughing as she finally gave in and grabbed her boobs again... much to Claudette's displeasure. "Yeah, you're right, get me turnt up, Harry!" Madison briefly forgot Herik's name as she snatched the bottle from him... and in her drunken logic, she didn't stop to consider that the bottle of water most likely contained - you know - water. She took the cap off and nearly downed it, but she took one good sniff and realized something. "This shit's water! Fuckin' water! Get me some fuckin' Henny or get out of mah face!" She threw the thing across the bar and then it went over the edge.

Somebody yelled when it hit them in the face.

"It's like I'm babysitting..." Claudette muttered to herself in French as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Get her some more food or something. Anything."

"What? Claud? You jealous?" Madison suggestively, "I could weigh a thousand pounds and look betta' than everyone else here!"

"I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with her but..." Claudette said to Herik lowly. "... If she's not distant she's drunk. And if she's not drunk she's distant. There's no winning this!" She shook her head.

---

The ride up the elevator had been rather comfortable. While everyone else had been hot and overheating in an elevator that lacked environmental temperature control... Kayla had been allowing her mind to wander. The Florida heat addled the mind, inducing dehydration and heat stroke and generally sun-baking the brain in all sorts of unpleasant ways. Perhaps up north she wouldn't get away with nearly as much as she did down here, where her fireproof mind immunized her from the countryside microwave.

Kayla felt a poke in the ribs, and instinctually her offhand rose, reaching for the holster of her revolver. Crowded elevator full of people, unfamiliar place, unfamiliar faces. It wouldn't be the first time she had been stabbed, and she wasn't going to ask any questions in putting someone down first if she needed to. She-

"I don't trust this. I'm getting a bad about this man. A deal with him is one with the devil."

Herik's gentle voice carried down to her, and the fingers that had just brushed up against the rubber grip of her gun eased. It was Herik, who wouldn't hurt a fly unless she told him to- let alone hurt her. Big and attention drawing but mostly harmless. Her nervous mind eased when she realized it wasn't some strange assailant ready to take her life for reasons unknown. She tilted her head up and over in his direction, just enough to see over her shoulder. Her eyes flashed red to the man. "Herik, where do you think I'm from?"

When she exited the elevator, Kayla dropped her aviators over her eyes. It was open and the sun was shining clear as day, so the glare of sun made for a perfect excuse to use them for their primary purpose- concealing her eyes. The eyes were windows into the soul, and any amount of her face that she could obscure made her harder to read for Schmidt. She was working with a businessman, and a good one at that. The head of the snake, and any advantage she could get she would take. The place was nice. Posh and green and exactly what she expected the top one percent's rooftop pool to look like. Kayla wished she had this kind of money. Maybe then she'd be able to do something more with herself than what she'd be doing. Wishful thinking, she supposed.

"Ahhhh, so you all must be the Coven I heard so much about. Glad you all decided to attend, come, come, take a seat. Get comfortable! We're going to be here for a while... If you all decide to play ball, but this is my beautiful wife Phillis."

"This is Kayla, our leader, and Lyss, the... second in command."

“So, what exactly is it that you want from us? It must be more than just magic powers if we’ll be talking a while...”

Emily was chipper. It was fake, and everyone who knew her knew that. Not that Kayla minded, because Emily acting kind for once wasn't exactly a bad thing. They were both cut throat women who knew how to get what they wanted, and all things considered they undoubtably had a respect for one another in that way. Yes, Emily did have a mean streak that was somewhat unnecessary at times, but Kayla herself wasn't beyond lashing out either. She was all business, concise and to the point. In a way she was glad that Emily had pioneered the deal, because for all her grand standing and snarky attitude, she cared about whether or not it fell through. Kayla liked that. Someone else with a horse in the race was a good thing.

Maya was also a welcome player to their game, acting as Kayla's voice so that she need not even speak. Kayla had been given the general top-down view of the agreement, but hearing it from the horses mouth and having questions answered that Kayla herself intended to ask not only saved her breath, but also reduced how many potential negotiation mistakes she could make. Diplomacy was a difficult subject, and even the slight errant word could alter the deal. Schmidt's wife seemed on edge. She was a bargaining card, and could be used for leverage later. No matter how rich the man was, so long as there wasn't a prenup involved, she was entitled to fifty percent of what the man owned. A sizable chunk of any one man's net worth, and an excellent insurance policy. There was commotion behind them. Her other half determined it to be Madison, still drunk as ever. If she was too loud, things could sour quickly.

There was no controlling the chaos, that was Agatha's folly. Kayla intended to aim it.

With Emily and Maya bickering the immediate attention was taken off of her. She turned her head over her shoulder and gave a low, short whistle to new girls- Taylor, Ashley, and Vashti, and motioned in Madison's direction with a hand she had draped over the back of her seat as to not garner the man's attention. Taylor was slick enough, and the other two were smart. They'd get the idea. Distract Madison. The more people over there to force food or entertainment down the woman's throat would keep her from stumbling over here and making comments or doing things that would endanger the deals being struck. Madison being drunk and belligerent was dangerous, as she had demonstrated, willingly and regularly using her ability in public with little regard for who saw. Or could see. Kayla reminded herself.

She pulled her arm back over the seat when she was sure the other three had seen her directions, and smoothly pulled her phone out, deftly typing out a short text to Maya as she did so. Mrs. Schmidt's behavior when the rumors were brought up were telling. Time to get a woman on the inside.

"Phillis Schmidt looks angry. Find out if the rumors are true. Do what you do best- make friends."

Maya could befriend a brick wall, and if there was anyone who could crack that woman it would be Maya. If the girl was able to get in cahoots with her, well, in this situation the man may bring home the bacon but mother superior ruled the roost. It accomplished a few things: primarily gaining further leverage and secondarily removing Maya from the situation so Emily didn't blow her lid. Kayla liked Maya, she did. She was asking good questions and generally being surprisingly useful and well mannered... but Emily was having none of it.

"All I want is one of those magical abilities that you all are so keen on flaunting. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm willing to pay top dollar for one and if you all are willing, I'm willing to offer employment because I'm looking for enforcers to protect myself, my family, and my assets from the supernatural. How does that grab you? You all are free to turn away and leave if this isn't appealing and I'll pry elsewhere but think about it... do you know how many other supernatural organizations would jump at this chance? This opportunity!?"

Babylon had a cheshire grin, which was never a good thing. Should they agree too early, they could end up doing something dangerous. Something illegal that they weren't ready for. Kayla hummed to herself and crossed her arms across her breast. This felt like a used car salesman's pitch more than it did a business deal, and furthermore she'd want it in writing. A binding agreement. She was immune to fire, but she had been burned many times by verbal agreements gone wrong.

"You didn't go to those other organizations." Kayla said matter of factly, finally breaking her own silence with carefully chosen words. It didn't matter how many other organizations would take the job if he had no way of finding them or proving their validity. All that glitters was not gold, and not every street performer was paranormal. "Let me be clear, Mr. Schmidt, we can't help you get supernatural abilities of your own. At least, I wont let my girls help you there," she began. "A few of them have lost who they were due to the nature of their abilities. I hope you understand, I do not intend to make a deal with a friend..." she began, a hand moving and motioning to Blake. "...Only to lose them to a profane genie in a bottle looking for a meat puppet. Any abilities you wish to procure of your own, you'll do so on your own time and of your own risk."

It was said more matter of factly than anything else. A statement. A line in the sand that was more relate to the man's personal safety than it was anything else. If he was so dead set on risking who he was to the point where her statement was a deal breaker, then frankly he wasn't the type she would want to make a deal with anyway. The unhinged were never worth the risk. You didn't sell to a Florida crackhead and take IOU's, just like you didn't make deals with power-mad millionaires until they proved they weren't power-mad.

"Enforcing and asset protection is another matter. One I'm more than willing to hear out." Kayla purred, but her face remained relatively emotionless. All business, pleasure later if and when celebrations were in order. "But I want a contract. Written agreement of what you want us to do, how far you want us to go, and what we'd be protecting, and how we're being compensated. To the letter, for each job. I'll also want an attorney. I don't mind getting my hands dirty for the right reasons, but if the law gets involved, I don't want my girls going to jail."

Kayla sat back against the chair. "I'm sure you'll want some sort of demonstration, too, yeah? To know what you're paying for?"

---

Vashti was in. She had squealed with excitement when Kayla had made her decision, and even the former President of the United States coming in armed with reptiles couldn’t quelch her high for so long—especially after Herik had heroically saved them. The new recruits had hardly any time to relax as they were ferried along to a meeting with someone rich guy named Blake Schmidt. She knew him in name only, both from general osmosis and from her father. What a real estate guy like her dad had to do with a whatever-he-did guy like Blake Schmidt was a mystery to Vashti. The wealthy generally liked to keep tabs on one another, golfing together or swooping around in social circles like vultures, just in case one stumbled and there was an opening to pick all of their meaty assets from their corpse.

The meet and greet with the other members when they arrived at the lobby of a luxury resort was quick, rough, and overwhelming. She tried her best to remember names and faces, but when she erroneously assumed she had misheard one of them say her name was “Sin” she was pretty certain she had botched it entirely. Still, Vashti smiled and nodded and tried to ignore the occasional frowns, ritualistic hazing, and running her own mouth. She even kept quiet about how all of this seemed less like a business meeting and more like they were about to attend some kind of slimy party. Rich guy calls on a lot of young women to an invite-only rooftop resort? Yeah, nobody ever came back with any trauma or regrets from something like that.

The elevator dinged and the group crowded into it. Well, most of the group. Vashti gave one skeptical look at it, cracked a smile, and said, “I think I’ll take the next one!”

The doors closed, and she let out a heavy sigh. She had been so happy about becoming part of the Coven that she had completely forgotten to mention the one very frightening aspect of her curse. Rather, she hadn’t forgotten. She had kept it hidden. The longer she kept the Leviathan from the other girls, the worse it would be when it came out. Vashti could feel it inside of her. It was still satiated and likely would be for the day. Still, she couldn’t get the image out of her head of the Leviathan taking control inside the elevator. She saw the doors opening up at the top floor with a wave of blood and limbs rushing out to baptize Mr. Schmidt before his head was separated from his torso. She’d tell them after the meeting...just, Kayla was too intense. Maybe Lyss or Herik could help her find a way to word it.

The elevator opened again and she walked in it with whatever other stragglers were lagging behind. At the top floor, Vashti was greeted with the beautiful sight of an artificial oasis. A private little man-made beach that was pristine and clean, towering above the actual beach where fish and tourists pissed in the water and the sand was full of shells and needles. Business was already being conducted between Kayla and Schmidt. Vashti felt a wave of relief. So, it was an actual meeting. She siddled over to Ashley and Taylor simply because she didn’t know where else to stand as one of the Coven vets (Maya, right?) asked what it was that Schmidt wanted.

“He can have mine,” said Vashti under her breath, a rueful smile on her face. If only she could give the bad parts of her curse away.

Vashti heard a whistle and saw that Kayla was looking at them. How had she heard her? It had been a bad joke, not an actual offering. Vashti was about to offer an apology when she realized that Kayla was discretely motioning to the girl who had shown up drunk to a business meeting. Vashti lifted an eyebrow. Herik was on the job with a bottle of water, why would they need to also—Madison violently chucked the bottle over the rooftop. Oh. Vashti gave an apprehensive look to her fellow freshmen and then trotted over to the girl. She had expected to be asked to do some kind of grunt work, but hadn’t anticipated it to be drunk duty. Why hadn’t they just left the girl behind to sober up?

“So this must be where the party is! Thank god, what they’re talking about is so boring I was about to jump off the roof. Seriously, I’m starting to worry my time in the Coven will be nothing more than meetings and interviews,” said Vashti. In actuality, she wanted to listen to what Kayla and Schmidt had to say. She’d have to be filled in later. “Is this an open bar?”

Vashti pretended to scan the bar for a drink she wasn’t going to order, wrinkled her nose, and gave Madison a disgusted look. “Dude, I’ve been to resorts like these before. Everything’s watered down it’s a total fucking sham. We should go somewhere cooler! Surely there’s a club on the beach that’s better than this tourist trap. Drinking...dancing…” She tried, and failed, not to glance over at Herik. “Hot guys…”

“I was told you were a founder. Well, we’re new and we haven’t even had a welcome party yet. We should have an initiation through inebriation, right?” said Vashti. If Herik's attempt to sober her up had failed, then maybe her attempt to take her somewhere else would work. She glanced towards Ashley and Taylor. Hopefully they’d play along by showing some approval. She snapped a finger at Madison. “C’mon, let’s get out of here and have some real fun. I’m buying.”