Once Sister Lark would make her way over to Alayna's chosen sleeping spot, she would have been surprised to see the young witch's sleeping bag already rolled up and placed neatly beside a pink suitcase. You see, the girl had developed the habit of taking a run every morning, and would have been found, instead, leaning against the bark of a tree, gulping down some water in a little pink bottle. While the night had been primarily chilly, much like the afternoon of her witchy becoming the morning had brought a sweltering heat that was hard to ignore, as well. So, there she had been, dressed in grey sweatpants and a white tee, her hair tucked into a long ponytail. The forested haven would not have seemed deserted like the night before either. On the contrary, the trees seemed thicker with leaves and the birds appeared loud and cheerful, poised on the branches above her and only flying off once she made a move to leave her post. She could only ponder what had occurred between Hana and her for so long.

As Alayna had originally thought, she had really felt that raindrop, the skies that had been so clear suddenly opening up with tears. Thankfully, it had only turned out to be a drizzle, the two witches resorting to standing under one of the many big trees, chatting about things like plans for the summer, and so forth. Really, what else were they going to talk about, though? Hana couldn't be any more different from her. Still...she'd been nice enough that the blonde knew she'd been handed a chance at making a good friend without being told. Now, if only she could find another reason to hang out with her again.

With that wish in mind, perhaps this is why the young witch now feels a crushing blow of disappointment when she sees who she's rooming with. Although she has no qualms about either of her roommates, it is hard to ignore the feeling of starting all over again. She cannot even, if she's being completely honest, recall what Maggie looks like. Still, she manages a small smile of her own in return to Calypso's and even considers going over to her for a moment. It is best to start off on the right foot, she figures, and with pancakes in one hand and suitcase in her next, she begins to make her way over to her new roomie. Her footsteps slightly falter, not in fear but in nervousness, once she sees Dakota in conversation with her. But she doesn't stop until she's in front of her and the tension in her chest is so high it almost hurts.

"Hi..." the girl chokes out, her mind racing. She would have given a wave if her arms had not been occupied and felt like they would fall off at any given moment.

"I guess I just wanted to say that um..." She stops, unsure of where she is going with any of this. This is completely out of her comfort zone, but what choice does she have?

"If you ever wanna hang out then...let me know."

Speaks to: @canaryrose
Mentions: @Hitman (since she doesn't directly address her, lol)

Charlie was awoken by a beam of golden sunlight which fluttered through the leaves and hit him square in the face. His eyes blinked open, taking note for a moment of the silence of the camp, aside from the distant noises of morning birds chirping away. He sighed quietly before checking his watch. 6:54 AM. Well, that was as good a time to get up as any, Charlie thought, as he sat up and looked around the campsite which was suitably illuminated by the morning light. It seemed he was the first one awake - he couldn't see anyone else sitting up or moving. Hang on, no... There was one empty sleeping bag. Charlie wasn't sure who it was, but it was definitely empty. He slipped out of his sleeping bag and packed up his things before walking over to the house.

He put his bag on the front porch, before deciding that he was going to go for a quick morning walk around the house to enjoy the crisp air for a bit longer in his pyjamas. It was a pretty uneventful walk, he saw a couple of birds, and a fox near the trees, but aside from that there was nothing. When the walk was done he picked his bag and slipped into the house, heading straight for the showers to freshen up and change into some normal clothes. When he got back down, he found that there were now a lot of people in the Coven house. When he looked at everyone, he saw that most of them were crowding around the bulletin board. Oh, it must be the room assignments! He hadn't even thought about it when he walked in, simply walking past the bulletin board.

He now walked up to it, craning his neck over the group to see who he was rooming with. His face scrunched a little when he saw who he was rooming with. Jeremy, the new guy, seemed nice enough. Jean-Luc on the other hand. Charlie couldn't deny that Jean-Luc was at least a little creepy. And he seemed to hate everyone, which was sad. But people being roommates tended to end up getting along in the end, right? So Charlie was at least somewhat hopeful. He then went and got some pancakes with copious amounts of syrup, tucking into them hungrily as he people-watched the rest of the coven. Calypso (looking absolutely miserable to be up early) was alone for a little while, but she was soon accosted by Dakota and later Alayna.

He finished his pancakes quickly and decided to head up to his room to grab the best bed before anyone else could get there. Heading upstairs with his bag, he found the room and opened it, finding that he was not the first one there. Jean-Luc had got there first. He blinked. "Oh. Hello!" He stepped inside, leaving the door behind him open. "Don't mind me... I'm just getting my things in order..." Charlie took a glance into the glass vivarium containing the serpent before climbing up to claim the top bunk. From there, he started pulling things out of his bag.

Charlie's bag, along with changes of clothes and essentials, contained more or less an entire kit to transform a small place into a Watford themed room. He pulled out a bright yellow and black poster, which he blu-tacked to the wall next to the top bunk, a few bright yellow and black scarves, which he draped over the bed. Then he pulled out some vintage football shirts, one of which was signed by a few players (a prized possession given to him by his father) which were also blu-tacked to the wall. Then he pulled out a football, which he allowed to roll off the bunk and bounce on the ground. By the time he was done, his area of the room was an eyesore of bright yellow and black. "Perfect." He hopped down off the bunk bed to admire his handiwork, not looking back at Jean-Luc.

@Hitman

Rebecca returned to her body as the rest of the witches woke up, feeling much more refreshed than one might think for having essentially spent the whole night awake. It wasn't a perfect system, though- sooner or later, she'd have to make up the hours, or at least a few of them. As she made her way over to the coven house, the medium made sure to take a look at the dorm assignments, just make sure everything was cool. And it certainly seemed to be. Dakota was the very definition of chill (as long as you didn't touch her stuff, apparently) and Iris was rather similar. That would make getting along very easy indeed.

Heading through the kitchen. Rebecca stopped and saw a spatula that had been animated cooking pancakes all by itself. That was a pretty useful spell- maybe it was something similar to Iris' golems? Something to look into. In any case, she got herself a couple of pancakes and sat down next to Kate. "Well, we've got ourselves a free day, it seems. Do you happen to have any plans?"

.

She hesitated before nodding softly, not really wanting to agree but Alayna wasn’t wrong in her assessment that the fight between Dakota and Summer was just a matter of time. It hadn’t really turned out how she had thought it would though. They were both in the wrong, fighting each other outside of training was just idiotic in her opinion but Dakota had failed to be the bigger person and was the instigator this time which was a bit shocking. Hana has tried to stay out of the situation and she kind of felt guilty she had done so. Summer didn’t deserve to be called the bad guy when it was her bracelet that Astro had thought was pretty enough to swipe which was innocent but what happened to Dakota wasn’t on the up and up either. It was just a bad situation all around.

A gentle blush lit on her face, eyes widening when Alayna asked her the simple question. She hadn’t expected it though and she felt awkward at the straightforwardness but it wasn’t so bad to answer. ”I g-guess I do. I just can’t stand seeing people suffer.” Hana answered, rubbing her arm softly. ”I’m glad you weren’t troubled. That puts my mind at ease.”, she smiled and was about to suggest they head back when she felt the first drops of rain. She looked up to the darkened sky, looking at the light clouds covering the glittering backdrop of night. Hana quickly pulled at her magic, getting used to the new rush of power under her fingertips as she held the water in the air to form an invisible umbrella, letting it pool and slide everywhere but where they were standing.

She loved the rain but the two of them didn’t need to be soaked. Hana only held the magic until they made it under one of the larger trees for cover. How did they get so unlucky to be stuck there? This night had been far from the camping adventure she had hoped for but at least she wasn’t alone. Alayna and her didn’t have much in common, sure, but at least the conversations had been good so far. They stood in a content silence for a bit, watching the drizzle of rain and waiting for it to pass. She looked over at her companion, biting her lip before deciding to speak up, ”So, any plans for the summer?”, she questioned.

Just that one question was the start of a fairly good conversation. They got to know each other more which was nice and worked to build some form of acquaintance other than just seeing each other in a crowd. Hana didn’t know if it would continue past them returning to camp but at least this was much more preferable to the chaos that was happening before or the confusion at Arken’s new behavior. She could only hope that when the rooms were assigned that she didn’t get unlucky. Could you imagine if she was stuck in the same room as Summer and Dakota at the same time? She would be sleeping in the hallway if something like that occurred. Separate they weren’t bad though so if it came to rooming with either, she would be alright with it. For now, she just had to wait for tomorrow and for this rain to pass so she could get some much needed sleep.

---

She wiped her forehead with her arm, being careful not to smudge her face with dirt. Hana had awoken at the crack of dawn and decided to get dressed for the day before going on her usual morning run. It wasn’t that hard to sneak away from the group, having made sure to be more alone when placing her sleeping bag the night before just in case she had arisen early. She didn’t tend to find dreams relaxing or wanting to stay in their embrace. Nightmares always plaguing her from the past but ones she had gotten used to over time. She naturally found herself at her little hideaway from the house. A simple garden and greenhouse she had built from scratch with old parts and pieces. Nothing official or beautiful but she was proud of it nonetheless.

Hana was currently doing some weeding, watching as the birds fluttered and pausing to clean off her hands as well as check the time. A familiar weight on her shoulder drew her attention away from the phone she had been about to pull out to the raven that decided to grace her with his presence. ”Well, hello there my pretty bird.”, she said in a soft loving tone while stroking the feathers about his neck. He cawed gently, making a smile light up on her features.”I have missed you. I hope you have been well. Let’s head back to the house, shall we? I’ll give you a special treat once we arrive.”, she stated as she stood, making her way towards the house. Strath took off, following close behind her and watching over her from above as she took the trek back.

By now, she was sure the others had been awoken and had already started eating. Hana was known to get lost in her tending and it was hardly the first time. Sister Lark knew not to worry about her and would have found a way to reach her if needed. It would be a moving day anyway if she had to guess or at least she hoped so. It had taken a bit longer than normal, taking a slow relaxed pace and watching the house come into view. She smiled at Kate on the front porch with a small wave, watching the raven land on the railing. ”I’ll be right back Strath. Be good for Kate and don’t cause trouble.”, she ordered which got her a loud caw as if stating the insult of having to be told to do so. It was as if he was saying ‘when am I not’ which made her laugh happily as she entered inside, stopping only a moment to look at the assignments on the board. It was a relief to see Cass’s name on the board with her own, a familiar face she saw everyday and knew well. Kate she didn’t know as well but at least now they would get the chance.

She made her way to the kitchen, snagging some pancakes and dousing them in syrup before opening the pantry. Hana pulled out her stash of unsalted peanuts, taking out a handful and sealing it back up before placing it back in its rightful place. She grabbed her plate and headed back towards the front porch, having a seat on the railing so she could give Kate some space. She placed her plate on her lap and uncurled her hand to place the peanuts beside her. ”Here’s what I promised.”, giving him a pet before working into digging into her own meal. It was at least a peaceful morning so far and always a good day when Strath came for a visit. She could always work on switching rooms and her things once breakfast was over.



Speaks With:Alayna@Qia
Mentions:(Kate)@sassy1085

---

David wasn't used to extended family. He had moved from Sydney and went into hiding with his dad before he could even remember, leaving the grandparents on his father’s side behind. David had only ended up visiting a couple of times. Ultimately, back in Aussie it was really just him and his dad. So when he got welcomed by his other grandparents, an auntie and uncle, then a number of cousins, he didn't really know how to react. It had been one and a half years in the US already and he was still needing time to get used to seeing his mum as, well, his mum. It was about taking baby steps into this and all David could do is hope they were understanding. "I know it may not be easy to open up to them Chester." Claire had said before they arrived. "But its been over a year and they only live in the next town over. I couldn't really hold them back." She said the last part jokingly. "You're doing it again mum." David replied with a peaceful closed lip smile and a calm tone. If he hadn't gotten used to things by now, he couldn't blame her either. "Its David." She quickly apologized as if it were a slip of the tongue. "Don't worry about it."

The other thing David wasn't used to was gifts. He was used to making his own way since his father started hitting the bottle. So when David's newly met grandfather insisted he take the old pick up truck he was going to 'sell anyway', David had at first tried to say it was too much and hand it back. But no wouldn't be taken for an answer from his grandfather so all David could do was give a thank you. This was initially done with the intention of paying the man back somehow. But as the night they visited went on, David realized how little he actually had to give back. He just had to accept the gift at face value. David wasn't comfortable with this feeling, not being able to repay the generosity of someone he barely knew. He had the feeling come over him that, in a way, he was in debt to the man who was his grandfather. Nevertheless, his grandfather had carried on cheerily throughout the night as if it were nothing to him. David would get to know this new family and try to, maybe, see it as his own. That was the best he could do to pay back the favor.

---

A few days later, it was the very same pickup truck that David was now driving up to the coven house in. There was some sort of coven coming of age thing, where kids his age become fully fledged witches and learn more magic over the summer. David's mum was very excited to tell him that she got him into it. 'It will be good to be around people your age, it will help you fit in more' she said. Not that David had much interest in fitting in more, all he really wanted was to catch up with his mum and see if there was a chance of her forgiving dad. But that was a big ask and in the one and a half years he has been here, David still had yet to build up the courage to bring up that to his mum. In his mind, going to the coven house was meeting her halfway. He would try to fit in with the new witches and then maybe he would be able to bring up that whole business to her.

But it wasn't the new witches who had made him hesitant to accept. Even though he was on the level of a child witchling, he wasn't bothered at all by them. It was the Sisters themselves. They had been far from welcoming to David and his past went he arrived. They insulted his dad for being a useless drunk, basically told his mum that she was stupid for ever leaving (or at least that is how he perceived it), and still wouldn't stop calling him Chester. His mum could call him Chester, he can forgive her and he has to forgive her, she’s family. But those Sisters, they aren't his family and they do it almost intentionally. In short, David was not looking forward to a summer of being 'looked after' by the Sisters.

---

The old pickup truck sputtered up the mountain into a parking area with a lot of awfully nice cars. Not too far from here was the coven house which he had visited last year, it wasn’t good to be back. He chucked on his backpack and slung his very packed duffle bag over his right shoulder before getting out and checking the back to see nothing had fallen out. Everything was accounted for back there. It was a bunch of exercise equipment David brought second hand. He had a life before he moved to the US and boxing was part of that life he planned on keeping. Both the weights and punching bag looked run down, scuffed, and patchy. But it reminded him of home so he really didn't mind. He also brought a stand for the punching bag because he doubted the Sisters would let him just hang it up in the coven house.

---

David had come quite early at a quarter past eight and there was a reason for it. He had hoped that a lot of them were sleeping in or something so that he could move his stuff in without making a fuss. Maybe even set up his punching bag without many questions coming toward him. But those hopes were taken away when he opened the door to about 10 witches hanging around near the entrance. "Uh g'day" he said toward any eyes turning into his direction, but he noticed most were still looking at a pin board. Due to his height he could see over most of them and noticed room assignments. Room 6: Arken, David, Caleb. Although he smelt something damn good coming from the kitchen, David went immediately up the stairs toward his new room. He mainly just wanted to get his bags off before he sat down to eat.

Heading into the room he saw one bed and a set of bunk beds. Without a single thought he chucked his bags on the normal bed, he really did not feel like bunking in for the summer. From there he started packing his clothes into the draws. Normally, he wouldn't care about it and just head down for breakfast. But there was another reason for him doing it. After he had finished packing, very quickly at that, he pulled a litre bottle of cheap whiskey out of his back and hid it in his sock drawer. David would save it for a special occasion, for example, his first night in the coven house.

---

It wasn’t long before David was back down stairs again, ten minutes tops. He was sporting black shorts and a white singlet with sneakers for the warm weather and the work it would take to get his exercise equipment set up. But first thing was first, breakfast, and pancakes did not sound too bad at all. He stacked up his plate and sat at the dining table. A group of about 4 girls talking by the window and one sitting down from the table listening to music. He didn’t feel the need to interrupt either of them, so he began eating with pace. Hopefully, he would have time to set up his stuff before the Sisters got them doing activities for the day. Speaking of the Sisters, he had also hoped they would just skip on the introduction part.

As David ate he noticed a ferret get mighty close to his plate. Reflexively, he picked up his plate out of reach. He had been in some bad places before, and he knew a rodent when he saw one even if he had never seen a ferret specifically. But then he remembered what his mum said about some witches having familiars. They are usually well behaved, he thought. So he put down his plate again and pet the ferret. It then proceeded to take a bite out of his pancake and run off. "What the hell? Hey" David tried to stop it in a very half hearted kind of way. Ultimately, the ferret couldn’t take very big bites so it didn’t bother him much. He just cut that little bite mark off.

---

Mentions: Astro @Hitman

@KaijuBaragon@Hitman

It was still dark when Jeremy woke up. Not surprising of course, considering thats how it usually was. However, usually it at least looked like it was nearly dawn. Tonight the stars were still clear, no trces of sunlight in sight. A quick glance down at his phone, an old, beat up machine that had seemed to have near infinite battery, confirmed that it was indeed earlier than average at just 4:13 AM.

Well, that wasn't so bad. He'd gotten a few hours of sleep at least, and while he'd have preferred to get more, as long as this didn't happen every night, it shouldn't be too bad. Besides, he was wide awake now, although god only knew how. He briefly wondered if it had anything to do with his connection to the wellspring, before shaking the thought from his mind. He shouldn't waste this extra time he'd been given dwelling on questions that he could just speak to one of the elders about later. Right now, he had more important things to do.

After packing up his sleeping bag as quietly as he could, he made his way into the woods. If he recalled correctly, some of the others had mentioned a stream being nearby earlier, where they had gone fishing. He thought about the nights events during the walk. Thankfully, things had turned out pretty peacefully after he'd left Charlie to talk to Summer. He waited until they started heading back to camp before leaving himself of course, just to make sure he'd be able to help them if something went wrong, but he'd made sure to keep a good distance from them, enough that they probably actually didn't even realise he was still around. He went to sleep almost immediately afterwards, knowing that the next day would likely be busier than the relatively easy one they'd just experienced. Then again, if he'd known he'd wake up this early, he may not have bothered.

It was with this thought in mind that he reached the stream, removed his shoes and waded in, finding himself a nice flat rock to sit on. And that was where he remained, bare feet still submerged in the current, for the next three hours. Eyes closed, he focused all his attention on the water itself. How it sounded, how it felt, how the current flowed around his feet, around the rock, and around any other obstacles in it's path. Follow the path of least resistance. Feel the water. Be the water. Beco-

"Ngah!" He exclaimed, quickly pulling his legs up against his chest as he watched the fish that had just slid across them continue down the river without a care in the world. He had to blink a few times before his eyes adjusted properly to the light, before eventually deciding it was about time to head back. He knew that spending such a short time practicing wouldn't do much to help him get better, but he wouldn't want to be late for his first real day as a member of the coven.

When he reached the house, he wasted little time in sorting out what he needed to do. His first priority would be getting set up in his room, and possibly learn a bit more about his roommates. He already knew Charlie, of course, but the other one, Jean Luc, was a complete mystery to him. After that, when he had gotten himself established and unpacked, he could eat. Maybe. If he had the time.

He had to admit, he was a little bit surprised when he got there to see both roommates already present, but he quickly managed to supress the emotion, instead nodding to the two.

"Hamlyn." He said simply, sending the redheaad a quick nod before turning to Jean-Luc. "And I suppose that means you must be Laguerre. I hope we can work well together."

And then, with another quick nod to his other new roommate, he returned to his unpacking. All in all, his area of the room was fairly ordinary, with the most interesting things being his enchanting supplies, the notes he'd taken over the years in order to improve both enchanting and possibly his ability to use magic normally, and a decent sized terrarium for Bertle, although the tiny tortoise was unlikely to spend much time in there except when Jeremy would have to sleep. Seperate to those, he also took out a few, more well hidden notes on how to speak to people without stumbling over his own words or seeming annoying.

Now if only he could think of something to actually say to either of his roommates...

Cassandra headed downstairs to the warm smell of pancakes, but she wasn’t hungry today. Instead, she decided to head down to the potions room. Alchemy was never exactly her thing, but she had a couple of in-progress projects to check on. Distilled starlight, boiled wisp essence… looks like I’ve got everything I need. This should be pretty straightforward.

The cursewright put her ingredients in, watching as the potion turned a deep royal blue. It looked a tad darker than what she expected, but that could just be a trick of the light. Fortunately, it seemed there was already someone there who could help her. “Hey, Rowan,”she said, giving the other witch a gentle tap on the shoulder, “does this look right for a clear mind potion? I’m not entirely sure.”

---

Rowan noticed another witch enter, it was Cassandra. She had seen her around plenty and knew her name and all. But Rowan had to admit she had never gotten to know her too well. When Cassandra started brewing up a potion, Rowan didn't pay it much mind. 'Another witches business is their own' was a motto Rowan lived by.

“Hey, Rowan,”she said, giving the other witch a gentle tap on the shoulder, “does this look right for a clear mind potion? I’m not entirely sure.”

Rowan was always happy to help someone with a subject like alchemy. Even if the name 'clear mind potion' made her shudder a bit. None the less, Rowan knew of it and was able to have a look. "It does look a bit dark doesn't it. I swear it should be a lighter color. I mean it should probably still do the job, just maybe not to the extent you are hoping for. Hold on, bear with me." She got off her seat and walked over to the large book shelf. Rowan ran her finger over the spines of the books. She muttered the names of the books as she past them by "elements and alchemy, the magic of newt's tongue, Greenthumb's guide to flowers." Eventually her finger landed on what she was looking for. "Ah ha, here it is. Alchemy for the Human Mind by Elizabeth Moore." Most of the recipes in the book (including clear mind) were well known potions before even her grandmother was born, but it was more her work to improve on known methods.

The book was certainly one of her grandmother's darker projects. This made it not very enjoyable to read for Rowan, but she still forced herself to read cover to cover. The human mind is a very fragile thing and is extremely hard to recover once tampered with. Even with some of the most skilled healing witches from multiple covens called in to heal the subjects after testing, some still never fully recovered. It was for this exact reason Rowan had hesitated for a moment when deciding to help Cassandra with this project or even give the opposite advice to diminish the potion. But ultimately it was not her place to block witches from certain magical endevours.

Rowan placed the open book on the table, page open to the clear mind potion."Yep, as I had expected you didn't do the timing quite right." She placed the potion back onto a stand and started fishing around for ingredients. "Don't worry though, because theres usually a fix. She pointed to the book where it stated corrections for the clear mind potion.""In this case, its crushed dandelion." She gave off a short giggle because of the absurdity of how common and mundane the ingredient was. "You usually want to get them fresh though. The insects really dig into them." Finding the crushed dandelion she sprinkled it into the bottle and began giving it a swirl. She gave off a satisfied smile as the color cleared up ever so slightly into the one pictured in the book.

"That should be good there. Might I ask who you intend to use this on? I can turn it into apple or something if you need to disguise it."

---

Speaks with: Cassandra @blackdragon

Summer had, much to her surprise, passed out immediately after slipping into the cheaply made sleeping bag. It was far from her ideal sleeping conditions; her skin and clothes were still dotted with dirt and bits of foliage, she was surrounded by at least one person who she actively despised, and she could hear wildlife. Normally this would have kept the teenager up for hours but thankfully, the fatigue of the day had quickly caught up with her, and she’d had to suffer for only mere seconds. Whether from the ritual or just the general shitstorm that had been the proceeding few hours, the witch slept long and undisturbed, only to be woken by the gentle shake of Sister Lark.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting up...” She mumbled as she ran her fingers through her long locks of ginger hair, attempting to untangle some of the knots that had gathered there overnight. Glancing around, she saw that most of the other witches had already awakened, with only a couple of figures being left around her. She was used to getting up at the crack of dawn for track or gymnastics practice, so it was a strange feeling to be one of the last to rouse. Rolling up her sleeping bag — and hoping that she would never have to see one again — she stood up, letting out a little sigh when she remembered that she was still wearing her dress from the day before. It was far from a cheap dress but she was pretty certain that it was now ruined. Not that she would ever want to wear it again. Perhaps it would be a good excuse to go shopping when she was finally back in civilization.

The idea of shopping perked the teenager up and she began to stroll back to the coven house, feeling immensely glad to be leaving the dark and dreary woods behind. Blades of grass, dampened with the fresh morning dew, brushed against her legs as she approached the porch. As she drew nearer, Summers' eyes glanced over to where she could hear the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, the sweet smell of freshly made pancakes and maple syrup drifting over and causing her stomach to rumble in a disgruntled reminder of how long she had now gone without food. Normally, her mother would insist on Summer keeping to her strict diet and exercise regime, which usually involved eating something either incredibly bland or incredibly nutritious. But she was also many miles away now and as the hunger pulled at her, a small self-satisfied smile momentarily graced Summers features.

Screw her mother.

She was practically ravenous by this point and if she wanted to have pancakes, then she would. Summer, overcome with an uncharacteristic wave of giddy excitement, darted into the kitchen. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had pancakes. It had definitely been months, if not at least a couple of years. Thankfully the kitchen was quieter than it had been earlier but that didn’t mean that there still wasn’t someone standing in the way. God, who would enjoy living like this?

“Excuse me, if you'd move, I’d like to eat breakfast before the winter solstice.” Summer rolled her eyes as she pushed past a couple of witches who were embroiled in a rather intense conversation and who were rather unconveniently blocking the path to the plates stacked high with pancakes. After finding somewhere quiet to eat, a quiet alcove tucked away behind one of the staircases, she had set to consuming her food with the eagerness of someone who had been starved of any real pleasure or delight from eating. The sudden surge of sugar whizzed through her, giving her an intoxicating rush of energy and releasing some of the tension she still felt from the chaos last night. Summer was trying her best not to think about that mess. Infact, she’d rather just pretend that a certain dimwitted witch didn’t exist. Even if it wasn’t true, it still calmed her enough to be able to carry on with her day.

Once she had finished, Summer dropped her plate back into the kitchen (where it was being washed by a floating cloth), before heading upstairs. She desperately wanted to change out of these clothes. It made her skin crawl to think about how unclean she was and how she must look to the others. The witch had briefly looked at the room allocations earlier — she had no idea who the hell Isolde was, and she’d barely ever said more than a few cursory words to Rowan — but at least she wasn’t being forced to bunk with Dakota. Thank god. So, after dumping her suitcase in her room, and making sure that she definitely had the single bed, she hopped into the shower.

Summer didn’t know how long she had spent in there, far too long likely, but when she stepped out she felt herself once again. No longer did she looked like she’d been dragged backwards through several bushes and she smelt instead like a delicate blend of strawberry and mint. After getting changed, Summer wandered down the corridor. The witch really hated being alone, it was tolerable for short periods of time, but after a while she began to grow bored. So when she saw Maggie pottering about her room, she was unable to resist the temptation to stroll in, acting as if it were her very own. “Shouldn’t you be downstairs with the others?” She pointed out as she took a seat on one of the beds, crossing her legs over one another, before focusing her gaze pointedly on Maggie. “Kinda boring to sit by yourself.” Summers hands came up to braid her damp hair as she waited for a reply, fingers moving with a well practiced ease. It would take longer to dry this way but at least it would keep it out of her face.

@Melissa

---

---

“Time to get up sleepy-head!”

At the cheery words of Sister Lark, nothing but a languid groan was offered in response from the tangled mess of polyester, limbs and curly hair that was Caleb Bishop. Hands reached up to pull at the edge of the sleeping bag, moving it to try and cover his face in a desperate attempt to shield himself from the bright pools of light that were shining down through the canopy of trees. “Just, two more hours...maybe three...” Came the eventually grumbled reply, his voice a dry croak in his barely wakened state. Trying to get this particular witch up at a reasonable hour was all but unheard of and often required more hands than Sister Lark currently had on her. It was a joke amongst his family that he was so stubborn to wake sometimes, that he could probably pass for one of the undead.

“Caleb, don’t make me—” Before Lark could finish her sentence, Caleb had lazily waved his hand, the zipper on the sleeping bag moving of its own accord and wrapping him even more snuggly in its warmth. This seemed to displease the elder, who with a frown and a swish of her own hand, slid the polyester cocoon deftly from the teenagers body. Caleb was not one to give up easily though and his arms and legs came to wrap around it before it could be taken fully from him, a small pout flashing over his features. “Five more minutes?” He suggested, having quickly gone down from his earlier ideal of three.

“There’s pancakes.” Came the elders weary sigh. He was the last of the newly-initiated witches left in the small clearing and the only one who seemed insistent on sleeping the morning away. Faint voices could be heard coming from the area around the coven house but otherwise it was just the peaceful sounds of leaves rustling and birds singing that surrounded them.

“...Pancakes?” Caleb stopped his wrestling match with the jumbled tangle of material, letting the sleeping bag slide from his grip as his soft brown eyes widened at the mention of one of his favourite ever breakfast foods. Well, to be honest, any food was his favourite food. But pancakes were pretty damn awesome. His mom sometimes made them for brinner, which was always the best. “Is there maple syrup? Are they chocolate chip? Oh! Are there waffles too?” Scrambling up from his spot on the floor, a smile lit up his face at the endless food possibilities. His desire to sleep was instantly forgotten and instead Caleb begun to trot off in the direction of the coven house, offering Sister Lark a small wave as he departed. “Thanks Lark! See ya later!” Even in the witchs grumpier moments, which were far and few between anyway, he always had a way of turning it around in the end. It was both endearing and endlessly frustrating at the same time.

Practically running towards the house in his eagerness, he gave a quick cursory look at the noticeboard that a few others were still crowded around (he had no idea who his roommates were but he was sure they’d be great) before moving into the kitchen. “Morning.” He greeted those who were in the room, cupping a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. Still donning the dark grey sweatpants and black t-shirt he’d chosen as his sleeping attire for the night before, he grabbed a plate, piling it high with food before nudging his head towards a cup of coffee. The ceramic cup floated off the counter, following behind him like a dutiful pet as he picked up one of the pancakes, folding it like a taco before taking an enthusiastically large bite.

As the teen left the kitchen, he was abruptly greeted by a familiar presence circling around his legs as he walked. The Savannah Cat moved deftly so not as to trip him up, a gentle but deep purr emitting from within her chest. “Oh, there you are!” He grinned as the pair continued to move in a sort of seamless synchrony. Bast often liked to wander off to do her own thing, which Caleb was totally chill with, but it still made him happy when she came back to check up on him. “These flapjacks are great, you gotta try one Bast—” He begun to chatter as he continued to look down at the feline. His words however, were cut short when he suddenly walked into a shorter someone with a small oof. Somehow he managed to keep hold of his plate, though the pancakes wobbled precariously for a couple of seconds as his body collided into that of Calypsos.

Taking a step back, he looked her briefly up and down, making sure she was okay. “Aw shit! Sorry about that! Are you alright?” He laughed awkwardly, free hand coming up to run through his curly locks of brown hair. "Man, I’m an idiot..." Shaking his head, his gaze passed over the three girls, a grin spreading across his features when he realised he recognised them all. “Oh, you’re the other initiates right? I’m Caleb! You can call me whatever you like though, I’m not fussed.” Caleb continued to smile as he moved to lean against the wall, Bast sitting on the ground next to him, her large eyes keenly watching the witches. “Damn, I’m glad I ran into you guys. I hate eating breakfast alone.” The teen added, reaching out a hand to grab the cup that was now floating next to him and sipping contentedly on its contents.

@canaryrose @Hitman @Qia

The blonde blinks in response to the other's strange reply. Had she not been clear with her words or was this Calypso's way of rejecting her offer? The question lingers in her mind a moment longer before she opens her mouth to speak again, fully intending on expressing her confusion. However, before she can get a word out, a small force rams into her, almost knocking her from her feet. A light cry of surprise leaves her once Alayna realizes what is happening, and she struggles inwardly to hold back a ferocious blush from creeping up her cheeks. The girl was never one for close contact with others or-her eyes dart from Dakota to those around her she could see.

Attention.

Attention from a room full of people who either didn't know her or hated her is the last thing she needs right now. Thankfully, for both her and her now slightly syrupy hair, Calypso pulls away, steering the conversation into the realm of introductions and away from...whatever that hug had been. With a straight face, Alayna nods her head at Dakota's question, biting her lips to suppress a laugh. Dakota's laugh is both annoying and, in some way, endearing, although she wisely chooses not to express this opinion.

Instead, she finds her attention once again being drawn somewhere else, this time in the form of what can only be her male twin from another life. Her eyes instantly fixate on the boy's scar, having never seen one like it before.

"Scar...that is a pretty good name actually," she finally says, her eyes now settling on the two furballs wrestling on the ground. She'd always wanted a cat but between practicing her magic and keeping up the mirage of a normal life, she'd never had the chance.

"Umm, can I, maybe, pet her?" the witch asks then, a hint of a smile hovering around the corner of her lips.

@Hitman@Danvers@canaryrose

---

While eating their pankcakes, Kate hear a familiar voice, they turn to see that it was Rebecca, asking them if do they happen to have any plans today since it a free day "Hmmmm….I don't know. I just want to relax and just enjoy the day without the adults bossing us around. How about you?" Kate say to Rebecca "From what I read on the board, it seems you got Dakota and Iris as your roommates. Do you think those two have a crush on eachother? I mean, it's not that obvious, right?" Kate ask, although they didn't interact with Dakota and Iris that much, they find their magic really unique. With Dakota wind magic to Iris golermism, if Kate didn't pursue healing magic, they'll try to learn about Dakota and Iris magic.

While witches are enjoying the outdoors and their pancakes, other witch step out of the house and join them, it was Hana. Kate can feel the scar on their wrist feeling irritated, they guess there weren't enough room for miss Perfect and her familiar. Kate jump a little when her familiar makes caw sound, Kate sigh "I knew should have bring Clem along, I didn't know we were allowed to bring our familiars at the party last night. I hope my parents bring her here soon" Kate say to Rebecca, they didn't forget the face that Clem made when they were leaving last night, that sad face.

Kate finally eat the last piece of their pancake and then stretch "One question still remains though, what are we going to do for the rest of the summer?" Kate ask Rebecca and Hanna "Are we going to learn about life lessons and friendship? Cause I don't see myself being friends with Summer" Kate jokingly say

@blackdragon@Akayaofthemoon

Sister Lark knew how to make pancakes, that’s for damn sure, Iris lost track of the song that playing through her earbuds when she was staring out the window, no doubt lost in thinking about something; Her plate was cleaned off already, and she was just sitting around doing nothing. She was actually still blinking off sleep from last night, Iris spent quite a few nights out there, picking up leaves and brush and rocks for golems, and gathering things for potions...wait a minute, potions. A light bulb perked up in her head. It was what? 8am? Surely Deborah wouldn’t come and snatch them at this hour, she got up and scurried off the the potion room on the other end of the house, lazily stuffing her earbuds down the chest pocket of her coat she weirdly slept in.

After a short walk down the mostly empty halls, Iris was at the potion room with a big black book in one arm, and Corvus on her shoulder. That book was her golem book, on it were various alchemical charms consisting of glass, herbs of the supernaturally repulsive persuasions, and, unbecoming of her, dried garlic. Her book would be used against the coven in the wrong hands, so Iris believed this would be a good idea. Stepping into the lofty lab, she quickly outstretched an arm along the old shelves so Corvus could hop into them. Numerous labels along the shelves, distilleries and other doohickeys few witches actually cared for the names of were in the well lit room. ”Corvus, bring me Carandrella, 120%, 5 milligrams, red bottle.” Iris told the tiny wooden creature, which was only six inches tall in a loud voice, unaware of anyone else. Corvus quickly scurried along to find the bottle of highly energy-dense, but damn near psychoactive mushroom oil she was going to need. Iris glides across the room and stopped at a workstation, flipping to a bookmarked page with an oddly humanoid figure vaguely depicted on a lineless page with alchemy circles on it. Hopefully Corvus didn’t drop a vial of shroom juice that could drop a rhino in two seconds before he actually brought it to Iris....

”Hmm, that one didn’t work...Elicara didn’t work either...that one made napalm- oh, hey Rowan.” How long was she existing there? While Corvus meandered past the other girl for a vial of highly concentrated and toxic oil, likely across the room. She didn’t pay much kind to Cass, since she didn’t exactly know her, surely they wouldn’t be thrown into panic by what they heard? Right? ”I didn’t see you two there, what’s up?” Iris was lazily teaching for an empty glass to mix some stuff, she looked liked she dragged herself out of bed, her hair was in a messy stream down her back and shoulders and her clothes were wrinkles. She probably needed a shower too, actually..

@blackdragon@Jumbus

---

Morning had come and Isolde was still asleep, in a hammock, oddly enough. Isolde was used to living and traveling through very mountainous land, so she packed stuff for this; her backpack was hooked onto a tree branch with her staff resting across the straps, while she slept a in a large hammock a few feet high. She set it up last night shortly after most of her new witchmates had already went to bed. Isolde spent half an hour just staring at the clouds wide awake without actually getting up, she wasn’t really in gear to get up and move until she got bored of watching the not so thundery sky; Swinging herself around and into her feet, Isolde spent the next few minutes taking down her hammock and wrapping it up in her bag. She was the walking into the house to eat with the occasional tink of her staff hitting the ground. It was a lovely day indeed.

Walking into the house for the first time, Isolde took note of a board which listed the names of who was staying where. Isolde’s name was with to other girls, that was pleasant. She kept her bag on as she made her way into the seemingly paranormally maintained kitchen for some pancakes. A stacked plate, and some stretching of knitted muscles from her journey down the mountain later, Isolde scurried upstairs to try and find her exact room, the halls were quiet, as most of the witches were eating still. Isolde, in her mountain trekking get up of backpack and staff on her person, looked like she just arrived to minutes ago. Her inky long hair was a mess and she would love a good shower right about now. The house looked nice. But Isolde was lost.

It wasn’t until she could hear a couple of people taking that she would get help, she meandered down the hall to see a couple of girls, a blonde and a redhead in a rather...captivating outfit...She knocked on the open door daintily to announce her presence to the two. ”Excuse me, I’m a little lost, I’m trying to find room three. Would either of you two know where that is?” She asked politely standing in the doorway with her staff in hand, it was glaringly obvious that she was one of the newer witches that didn’t live her 24/7.

@Danvers@Melissa

Hana felt extremely awkward as Rebecca joined them on the porch, not because of the girl herself but more so that she suddenly felt like the third wheel or being privy to a conversation she should not be a part of. She tried to ignore the feeling and knots in her gut as she looked to Strath, watching him pick at the nuts she had placed down for him with a soft smile. She felt her heart drop, her palms feeling sweaty and shaky as Kate talked about wishing to see her familiar again. She glanced at her before placing her attention back to Strath, feeling a bit guilty. Many believed the raven was her familiar as they got along so well and he kept coming back to her but she had never done the spell to make him one. In truth, she was just his mother but she could see someone else feeling lonely or assuming could get the wrong idea and be even more upset with having the bird around.

She suddenly didn’t feel very hungry and set her plate aside, pulling out a stick of gum from her pocket. Hana carefully unwrapped it, popping the stick into her mouth to chew while her fingers got to work on the wrapper. Once she was finished, she presented a small silver origami crane to her raven companion, the shiny paper instantly catching his eye. He looked at it only a moment before taking it and zooming off. Probably to add it to his nest and collection. She swung herself off of the railing, prepared to leave when Kate asked a question. She wasn’t really sure if it was meant for Rebbeca, her, or both of them but it felt rude not to answer. ”Honestly, I-I’m not sure. The Elders have kept most of that information to themselves. I-l can only assume we will be broadening the horizons of our magic a-and learning to get along even if it is only to play nice or try to work as a team. I doubt they would force friendships but i-it would be impossible that none of us start to make them.” Hana bit her lip, not adding in the fact that maybe Summer just needed someone to give her a chance.

If everyone was against you then what was the point of being anything but what everyone expects. She didn’t think anyone could be all bad. She shook her head, grabbing her plate and heading inside. She didn’t really feel hungry anymore and went straight to the kitchen, tossing her barely touched breakfast into the trash. It looked as though multiple groups had been formed at the table. Some people she knew were newer faces and some were a little more known but barely. Hana wasn’t sure she wanted to join in and play introductions when she felt so lousy. She would just say hi to them another time or later. Who was she kidding? She probably would end up avoiding them just like she did most strangers. They made her nervous and then she would spill nonsense out of her mouth or clam up all together. She felt herself sigh heavily, deciding it would be easier on herself and others if she just started to move her things from her room to the new one she would be sharing over the summer and made her way up the stairs.

Charlie turned his head as he heard the door to the room open, and the third person who would be bunking in the room with them walked in: Jeremy. "Hello!" Charlie responded politely as Jeremy greeted him and Jean-Luc. It seemed that he had a quirk of calling people by their surnames... or maybe it was just something that Jeremy thought was funny. Definitely a little odd, but it was far from the most annoying thing in the world and so Charlie had no problem with just ignoring it for now and thinking about it internally, like he did with most things. Jeremy quickly got to work, placing his stuff on the bed and beginning to unpack. Charlie was thinking he might swap some of the kits around, when he heard a voice come from behind him.

It was Jean-Luc, and he sounded like he was being, at the very least, slightly critical of Charlie's decoration choices. "It's just the team colours of-" But then Charlie was viciously cut off by Jean-Luc, who proceeded to go give his thoughts on Watford. A rare event then occurred - Charlie frowned, just a little, and crossed his arms as Jean-Luc finished speaking. He knew that Jean-Luc had a capacity for being cutting - it was time for Charlie to attempt to politely talk him down. "Well, it's certainly true that we're not exactly world-beaters... But, you know, it's not about that, it's about the passion for the club and the community around the club! And the club will be back to where it deserves to be soon, I'm sure of it."

He thought that settled the matter and perhaps gave Jean-Luc some things to think about (even though he was likely just going to be more confused and/or snippy), and so planned his next move. He was still feeling a little bit hungry, so he thought that he might go back down to the kitchen to get some more pancakes. He had already unpacked all his stuff. So he slipped out of the room and went back down to the kitchen, grabbing another plate of pancakes while avoiding the groups of witches who had formed into circles and talking. Not like he didn't want to talk to any of them, of course he did... But he could do that later. He went back up the hall, and that was when he ran into Hana in the hall. He had half of a pancake already in his mouth, and so let out an extremely muffled "Oh, hello!" before swallowing it. "I know you're certainly not new to the coven... probably less new than me, to be honest, but have we actually had a conversation yet? Who are you going to be sharing a room with this summer, are you happy with them? I'm fairly happy, Jeremy seems nice, but Jean-Luc can be rather cutting sometimes..."

@Hitman @Rabidporcupine @Akayaofthemoon

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David finished off his plate as he heard a bit more commotion coming from the window. He didn't pay much mind to it and was about to go wash off his plate before he heard the name Caleb thrown around. The guy who had just walked in was his roommate, he had to at least try to make some friends here.

David walked over with the intention of introducing himself as he was hit with a word salad that could be perceived as flirting toward his future roommate. His eyebrows raised and blinked a bit in surprise, the more shocking thing maybe is that he has heard worse. Either way, they seemed occupied so he turned on his heel to wash his plate.

There was a magic cloth there washing the plates as they came in. David went to go wash his own plate but it kept getting in the way. So he ended up pushing the mystical rag aside, and it drooped in midair as if to indicate it was sad. David didn't care about that though, he finished up and the kitchen returned to status quo after he left.

---

Leaving out the front door, David walked in on a conversation. It was Kate, Rebecca, and Hana talking about what the rest of the summer would entail. Not that David knew their names well or anything, he had only vaguely recognized Hana from a year ago. Even then, Hana was just heading back inside as he came out. He decided to join in on the convo with a bit of a joke. "See, I reckon we are in for the magical summer camp of a life time. Then maybe, somewhere down the track, we discover the true magic was friendship all along." He chuckled to himself about the after school special he was narrating then went to introduce himself. "Where are my manners, its David by the way. And you two are?" He had his arm out for a handshake. While a lot of his tone came off as sarcastic, that sarcasm didn't seem pointed at anyone.

Mentions: Rebecca@blackdragon Kate@sassy1085