A dark damp mist descended onto the deep forests that surrounded Tanner. The full moon had reached its efflorescence along the blackened sky, using its reflected light to shine down through the thick mist, that somehow only made things harder to see rather than helping. Suffice to say that the majority of the town was at this point asleep, and anyone who was awake in this hour was certainly upto no good.

Hurried footsteps moved through the forests, accompanied by hurried draws of deep breath. Panic rising in the air. Moments later another sound could be heard in the woods, giving chase, faint snarls mixed in with the sounds of running. Occasionally the prey would look behind them, hearing the snarling getting closer and closer. The mist was making it hard to see where they were supposed to be going.

Suddenly, A single scream pierced the air. And then silence.



Carlisle’s peaceful sleep was punctuated by the sudden chime from his phone alarm on his bedside table. Grabbing it, he looked at the time before letting out a short sigh and dismissing the alarm: 6.15am. Rolling onto his side he would sit up running his hand through his hair. Today was the day. College was over, and everyone would be back from college. Carlisle was both excited and dreading the day ahead. It was going to be nice to see people he used to go to high school with, but at the same time, it was also quite scary. Have people changed? Would people even remember him? He had tried his best to keep in touch with people, but that wasn’t exactly easy for him.

Putting on a baggy tee and his morning shorts, Carlisle got out of bed and walked out of his room in his parents house. The Aston family lived in a nice Victroian style house in the more well to do area of Tanner. It was one of those ‘In our family for generations’ style of houses, where half of the furniture was most likely older than his parents' ages combined.

Reaching the kitchen he saw his mother sitting at the kitchen tabletop, a dark green leather bound book in her hands, clad in her half lace dressing gown. Amanda Aston was one of the premier witches in the Tanner Coven, making up one of the three council members. Normally she was always engrossed in coven matters, but at the moment she seemed to be rather relaxed.

”Enjoying your first day of retirement?” Carlisle asked. As he made his way to the toaster to put some bread in. Toast would make everything better.

”It isn’t exactly relaxing. I still have alot of Coven stuff to do, it just means I don’t have to spend every waking hour of every waking day dealing with things. That is your problem now.” THe coven would certainly not be the same without Amanda walking around every day and calling the shots. As the Coven Matriarch, it was certainly going to be an adjustment to not seeing her every day. ”Besides, most of my life at the moment is trying to find a replacement for myself.” With the toast popping out of the toaster, Carlilse grabbed it and spun back around. Deciding to try and head his mother off as he knew the point she was about to make.

”Let me guess, the other council members are still reluctant to put me in charge like you want?” Carlisle retorted, the corner of a piece of toast now hanging from his teeth. Amanda on the other hand was somewhat casual with her body language.

”They are still uneasy about a warlock being in charge of the coven, and ontop of that, they still think Celeste would be a better candidate. They have only agreed for you to be a caretaker Patriarch until the council has made its final decision. And that was a hard enough sell. Had to spend weeks essentially arguing that Celeste had been away for too long to be deemed an immediate choice. It is only a matter of time.” Carlisle had been leaning against the kitchen counter, listening to his mothers words, eating the toast, forgetting to put any topping on it in the process.

”Have you ever considered that perhaps, I don’t deserve it? I mean lets be clear, I am a warlock. I know, before you start, you don’t like it. I am the first warlock of the bloodline, and father will go on and on about how I am either a disgrace to bloodline, or omens of the future of the Aston family. But at the same time, maybe I don’t want it. I am not exactly a natural born leader.” Amanda sat up straight, finally her fuse had been set off, and the relaxed facade had finally crumbled.

”Carlisle, the Aston family have been Matriarchs of the coven seven out of the last ten times. It is within our nature to be the leaders of this town's fine witches and warlocks.

”Exactly, 7/10. That means you don’t win every time. This is just one of these times that you don’t. I guess we will just have to focus on my child… If I ever have one.” Carlisle knew what he just did. Threatening not to have children infront of his mother was the equivalent of setting off a nuclear bomb in this household. Anything that would suggest that the Aston bloodline would end with him always elicited the same response. ”Also bear in mind you said Matriarch, not Patriarch. It is no secret that magical energy runs stronger in the female side of the Aston bloodline. I am not ashamed of that.”

”Not this again. Where is your ambition Carlisle? Your family has an amazing history that most witches would die for, and you sit here like it means nothing to you. I had really hoped with your friends coming back that maybe some fire would be ignited under you. I even got this book out that discusses rituals to turn warlocks into witches.”

”Mom. No. I am not taking part in any hokey cokey ritual that could potentially kill me, all for giving you some extra family credit. End of discussion.” With that, Carlisle finished the final bite of his toast and began to walk back upto his room, ignoring the protests of his mother to come back and listen to him.

A sigh escaped Carlisle’s lips as he reentered his room. This morning had gone exactly as he imagined it so far. Nothing new there. Picking up his phone, he at least noted that it had burnt about 20 minutes of his day. Opening his messenger app he would quickly find Lilith and send her a quick text:

Morning, So I have already had the ‘talk’ with my mother. It isn’t even the start of day one proper yet. How’s your morning?”

Sending the text he put the phone back in his pocket. He was used to Lilith responding whenever she was free and able to talk. There was no guarantee that she was even up yet. Carlisle then began the process of getting dressed and ready for the day. His mother had already informed everyone to let their children know that they needed to be at the Coven household by 11am that morning. She had of course instructed Carlise to be there fashionably earlier than that. She had also taken an immense amount of pride telling every parent who would listen about how ‘her boy’ was looking after the coven after they all decided to take retirement.

Retirement wasn’t exactly a new concept. It had been around for a few generations, but normally, the elders waited until their replacements were in their mid thirties before pulling their stunt, so doing it this young was a decision that he couldn’t quite comprehend. They clearly had their reasons, but they were keeping everyone in the dark about it.

With his clothes now on: A simple white shirt and black trouser pants, a la, smart casual, Carlisle decided to set off to the Coven household. That way his mother couldn’t try and sacrifice him to some sort of eldritch horror in a vein attempt to save the family's vanity. Carlisle decided to walk through the quiet morning streets of suburban Tanner to get to the household. Mostly because he knew that everyone was most likely to bring their car and cause a massive pile up at the house. And there was no way he was going to be stuck there because someone can’t park correctly.



The Coven Household was situated in the center of Tanner, and if you believe the history of the place, it was one of the first buildings that was built in Tanner and it was built by the coven for their exclusive use. It was called the Household because that was what it was. In order to avoid raising suspicions in older times, some witches and warlocks lived inside the house so that to the outside world it was just a popular residence. Nowadays most of the mortals believe it is some kind of membership only club.

Carlisle would enter the household through the front door, unlocking it with his mothers master key. Well, I suppose for now, his master key. The building had a wonderful entrance hall complete with a twin staircase that led upstairs. The home was filled with many bedrooms, drawing rooms, lounges, studies, libraries, and then there was the basement. That was something else entirely. Carlisle hadn’t exactly explored the entire house even with all the years he had been here. You never really went into a room unless you needed to. But in theory, this was his house now. So it would be rude not to take stock.

His adventurous streak was dashed however when he checked his watch. It had just turned 9am. He decided instead to go the dining room adjacent to the entrance hallway and wait to see if anyone turned up early. He had to be the responsible one.

Catherine lay on the bed in the spare room of her uncle place, playing with a slither of light. She caused it to run between her fingers, illuminating the darkness in front of her face. Since moving to Tanner she had lived between her mother and uncle's as he was her magical mentor and she had only started honing her magical abilities around a decade after most in her cohort. She had returned from college the night before and after dinner and a drink with her mother she had gone to her uncle's so he could help her prepare for her first day as a protector of Tanner. Dawn was breaking outside the blackout blind and despite the warm day there seemed to be a mild nip of cold in the room... or maybe it was all in Catherine's head. She took a deep sigh as what was to come today hit her. To say she was nervous was an understatement, there seemed to be so much working against her. Her powers weren't really... destructive, she felt to risked being seen as lesser for that. As well as that she was very much a newcomer to the coven, she hadn't even met a couple of the clan who were to be her comrades and confidants for the next who-knows-how-long, not to mention what her father had done 22 years ago. Catherine inhaled sharply- she needed to stop the barrage of thought reigning done on her. She needed to clear her head. She quickly changed into a tank top, jeans and slipped on a light jumper. She headed to the door for a morning walk.

"Not thinking of running away, are we?" came the half joking voice of Michael, her uncle. Catherine turned, startled. She hadn't seen him on the way out, lost in her own thoughts. Yet, he was there, sitting at the dining table, drinking his morning coffee.

"Uncle Mike! No, no, of course not!" she tried to find the words to explain her plan to go on a walk and need to clear her head but her mouth seemed unable to make them. Michael chuckled, gesturing toward the seat across from him.

"You really don't need to be that nervous, Cat. I'm sure you'll be a stand up witch. Take a seat, I made waffles, do you want a coffee?" he asks, already getting up to grab her a plate and pop a coffee pod into the machine. Catherine slinked into the seat.

"You don't know that. It's just everyone is so close and so powerful and useful outside the infirmary and... you know. And uh... yeah, 2 sugars please."

"Cat," Michael sighs, bringing the plate and coffee to the table and setting it before her, "A good healer and illusionist can make all the difference- the coven know that, you're not going to be seen as lesser for it. If you really bothers you know you know we could train you more in ne-"

"You know I can't..." Catherine cuts in gently.

"Of course. Cat, if you let your father's actions define you... nevermind, we've had this conversation too much. Look I was only a year younger than you were when I moved to Tanner and I have the same heritage as you and I got along with the coven just fine,"

"At least you knew how to do magi-" Michael tuts, interrupted Catherine

"I've had enough of this pity talk, eat your damn waffles and I'll tell you what your initiation day will look like,"



It was only 9:45am when Catherine left her house but after her uncle had run over a basic initiation, a generic day as a coven member and the set out of the mansion... twice and they had caught up and done the morning crossword Catherine was too antsy to just wait around. She called her mum before getting changed into a casual dress, as per her uncle's instruction to wear something 'a little nicer than casual wear', and threw an outfit more fit for fighting and training into her day bag she was out the door. Being early wasn't so bad she had convinced herself, it'd give her time to settle in, feel comfortable and maybe strike up some conversation to get to know people better. She drove over to the mansion and parked around the corner- she didn't really want these people of immense power and wealth seeing her trashcan of a car as their first impression of her, or first impression in a while.

As she walked the driveway to the house Catherine was in absolute awe of he building. She had seen buildings of such grandeur and size before she'd never been inside of one, she never had the need to be in the coven house until now nor ever was in a situation she could be in such a building. The idea that this was to be her 'base' for the next phase of her life was wild. She took a deep breath as she gripped her bag tightly then rung the door bell, ignoring the wave of sheer nervousness that swam over her.

Victor groaned into his pillow as the ever-familiar, rhythmic beeping of his alarm resounded in his room. 7:30 AM. He had recently moved back into his family home in Tanner. His parents would be arrive in a few days as they had some business to take care of, they didn't inform him of what- although he guessed it was related to his ever-obnoxious extended family; The Crowe's. Despite the excommunication, his extended family often called their parents for differing reasons. It irked Victor to no end, as he's had less than stellar experiences with them.

Willing himself out of bed, Victor began his routine. Preparing a small breakfast- eggs and toast, he began eating. He ate slowly, still attempting to will the sleepiness away. Victor then jumped into the shower to clean up. He wondered if the Coven had changed, or if it was more of the same. Well, atleast that curiosity will be satisfied today. Stepping out of the shower, he wore a dark leather jacket, a blue hoodie, and comfortable black jeans. An outfit he defaulted to in relatively casual settings. Hopefully the Coven hadn't embraced the trend of business attire in recent years.

Victor nonchalantly heated the coffee that turned tepid when he was lost in his thoughts. Oops, should avoid doing that around the other Coven members. With that he stretched, bones creaking and crackling. He made his way outside and took in the fresh air of Tanner. An oddly nostalgic feeling overtook him. He really was back.

A family friend had lent Victor his junker to drive to the Tanner Coven household. A beat up truck that looked like something out of a junkyard. He arrived and parked in the Tanner Household by 8:15 AM. Mid-drive he remembered that he was to be there by 11 AM. With a chuckle, Victor reclined his seat, opting to catch a few more hours of sleep he's missed out since he was born.


Victor's nap was broken when he heard footsteps making its way to the mansion. Good thing too, he might've overslept. It was about 9:45 AM. He locked his car behind him and lazily sauntered to the the front door, right behind the figure he now recognized as Catherine Heirich.

“Good to see you again Catherine.” Victor said with a yawn. He chuckled softly at her restrained knocking. “No need for that.” He pushed the doors open and entered the mansion. He looked back at her. “You coming?”

“Ah, right.” Victor recalled. “Is this your first time in the mansion? I can lead you and hand you off to Carlise so he could show you around.”

According to the time on his phone, Elías had woken up around 5:30 AM. Jetlag would be his excuse, but stress was something he had become intimately familiar with—and this, he concluded in curtain-veiled light of dawn, was stress. It made sense, of course: He hadn’t come back to Tanner under the best of circumstances, and this town had an echoing effect—whatever negative feelings he had seemed to be amplified by the sheer emptiness of the place, the lack of any reason for him to engage with it.

His gaze flitted towards his brother, still snoring soundly in the bed across from him. The last time Eli had seen him, he was still a child—he’d grown so much, and Eli hadn’t been here to see any of it. When he left years ago, it felt as if Tanner would wait for him—time would stop, and everything would have been how he had left it. But people had changed, and grown, and left him, and strange faces had moved in to replace them. The disconnect between what he knew to be true and what was actual reality only drove the wedge between himself and Tanner deeper.
Eli paused, catching himself in the mirror. Almost unconsciously, he'd chosen mostly blacks and greys.
Quietly, he buckled his belt and stepped out into the hallway.

He moved through the house quietly, past the rooms of all his other siblings: He had quite a few, all his juniors. They, no doubt, would still be sleeping. As would his mother—best not to wake them. This was what Eli had assumed—so he was rather caught off guard when, stepping into the kitchen, he saw his mother.

She was still in her pyjamas, a shawl thrown loosely over her shoulders. Her hands held her arms, rubbing against them for warmth as she stared forlornly into a boiling pot on the stove top. She was a woman often praised as beautiful, but in the cold light of the early morning, she looked gaunt and worn down. The bones in her slender face seemed severe, crows’ feet cracking the sides of her eyes. Her hair, often painstakingly styled in extravagant ways, was pulled away into a scraggly ponytail.
“Mama?” He broke the silence in his native Spanish tongue, his brow heavy with concern. “What are you doing…?”
Surprised, she looked away, up to Eli.
“Ah—! Eli, love,” she too responded in Spanish—they hadn’t been raised speaking English at home, after all. “What…time is it?” She chuckled sheepishly as the clock ticked above them.
Eli’s brow furrowed further. His tone was weary, almost angry. “It’s five in the morning, mama.”
His mother paused, as if contemplating. Then, she sighed weakly, her eyes widening ever so slightly. “Ahh.”
There was a silence again, permeated only by the bubbling of the pot and the ticking of the clock.

Eli knew exactly what was happening, and his mother knew he knew, but they both said nothing. There was a gulf between them, and neither would take the leap and cross it. There were a thousand things he could have said, but it didn’t feel right—it didn’t feel like he was speaking to his mother anymore. It was as if he had walked into his kitchen to find a stranger standing there, someone he could never hope to speak intimately to. In his mind, he could do nothing except extend half-hearted empathy.
“...I'll help with the breakfast." That brought an end to it, and the gulf widened that bit more.

---

Breakfast was eaten in silence, broken only occasionally by chirping from one of the younger siblings. No one spoke of the day to come: Everyone was already quite aware of Elías' feelings on the matter. His siblings didn't dare poke their eldest brother for fear of irritating him, and the topic of the Coven was still a raw wound for their mother. So they spoke of mostly nothing, and the usually lively Delgado family withdrew into themselves—something that very much unsettled Eli.

He left quickly, plucking his overcoat from the hanger and throwing it on as he strode out the door. He didn’t want to be here anymore—the entire house emanated an aura of sheer oppression. It didn’t feel like the house he left years ago—it wasn’t where he felt he belonged anymore. Not that he had ever felt at home in Tanner, but there was always an air of comfort to the home, to the ever-present joy of his siblings running wild. In a way, he even missed his parents’ insistence on his magical pursuits—he’d always thought he would appreciate their silence, but the quiet reservation his mother had withdrawn herself too was nothing short of disturbing.
Still, he had to put that out of his mind for now. He hadn’t come home just for commiserations, after all. Pulling his coat over his rollneck, Eli grabbed his suitcase by the handle, took a deep breath, and stepped out into Tanner’s morning air.

Elías walked through the town, the path to take still fresh in his mind. His eyes wandered purposefully as he moved through Tanner’s streets. Years had passed, and the town was so different—and yet there was no shaking the sense of familiarity. He observed as he walked past, taking in all the changes the town had gone through. Shops had opened and shut, houses had been moved in and out of, buildings built and left derelict—life went on, even in his absence. He chuckled mirthlessly under his breath at the thought: Of course it had. He had been so conceited in the past, though it was never a conscious thought. Thinking the world would pause when he turned his eyes away from it, that it would wait for him to return. Of course it hadn’t: Things really were no different in his absence. People moved on, life adjusted to one less player in the game. Tanner needed him about as much as he needed Tanner—it wouldn’t wait for him.
That’ll show him, he guessed.

But one sight that remained timeless was the Coven. He saw its towers cresting the horizon as he approached, the light of dawn illuminating the evergreen courtyard. The household hadn’t changed a bit, its silhouette unshakeable from Tanner’s skyline—however stout that skyline might have been. Elías walked underneath the arches as he had done so many times, and he felt a stirring inside of him as he took his first steps onto the Coven grounds in quite some time. He hadn’t expected to come here ever again—certainly not in this lifetime. He’d thought he’d left it long ago, for his brothers or sisters to go through. They, at least, seemed more invested in carrying on the Delgado legacy than he had—though, of course, they were all only children, as he had been. They couldn’t understand the implications it carried, hadn’t seen the world they’d be signing away in exchange for the supernatural.
The thought earned a shiver from Eli as he strode up the path to the main door. How easy it would have been to surrender all he had seen if the circumstances were different; how easily he could have been chained to Tanner for the rest of his earthly days. For better or for worse, at least, it would at least be different for his siblings.

With the hand not holding onto his suitcase for dear life, Eli pressed his fingers against the front door. He paused, running his tongue along his teeth. His brow creased, and he paused, cocking his head towards the forest in thought. What would happen, he imagined, if he just ran from here? He could hop the walls and disappear into the trees and no one would ever know. He could catch the next flight to Brazil and no one would ever find him. His Portuguese wasn’t exactly fluent, but it was similar enough to Spanish that he could probably coast by, right? He could find out. He could turn heel and find out right now.

But his hand moved as if to silence him, pushing the front door open and inviting himself inside. 9.35 A.M., by his watch—he’d taken his time on his way.
He stood there, in the middle of the hall, taking in the room around him. Just as static as the outside. He grimaced. Of all the things in Tanner he’d hoped would wait for him, the Coven wasn’t too high on the list. And yet, here it was, exactly as he’d left it.
Typical, he thought as he sighed through gritted teeth. No running from it now.

Lugging his luggage along with him, Elías stepped into the dining hall—just across from the hall, and the most logical place for people to gather. Entering, he came face to face with the first of his returning peers: Carlisle Aston.
Alone. Eli pursed his lips. Just his luck.
Wordlessly, he cleared his throat to get Carlisle’s attention, raising his suitcase and gesturing towards it.
“Where do I…?” His words trailed off, his voice quiet. His discomfort was evident—not a great sign this early, a nagging voice in the back of his head pointed out.

He shuffled awkwardly in the doorway of the dining hall, awaiting a response in silence. He thought of saying something else, but he wasn't sure what. It had been so long, they were essentially strangers—and, of course, Eli wasn't the most sociable amongst them when they had known each other. It remained to be seen if that would be different this time.
"...It's cold out, isn't it?" He chuckled sheepishly, internally tearing his hair out over his awkward attempts at small talk. Maybe he should have just stayed silent.

Catherine was slightly startled at the voice of Victor greeting her before letting himself in and inviting her along. She gave him a soft smile. Oh Victor! Hi! It's good to see you again too. I can't say I really know enough of the place just to let myself in yet... or really feel like I belong here yet,"

“Ah, right.” Victor recalled. “Is this your first time in the mansion? I can lead you and hand you off to Carlise so he could show you around.”

Catherine's smile widened, "Please, I think even if I knew how to get around this place I'd still get horrible lost," she chuckles, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Good job, Cath, one minute in and I've already messed up she chided herself internally. Yet the retributions for walking in if she shouldn't have would have been worse... right? She noticed she had still be still on the doorstep- standing awkwardly for a few moments. "Sorry, let's go," Catherine pursed her lips as she walked up the stairs. "So... Warlock Victor of Tanner, are you as nervous about holding that title as I am? I mean.... obviously I don't have that title but," Catherine stopped herself to give her time come up with the words. She had already become a bumbling idiot and this was in front of someone she actually knew and felt comfortable with, how would she be around those she didn't know so well?

Catherine went to recollect and voice her thoughts when she suddenly processed her surrounds. High ceilings and pillars, intricate art pieces on the wall, future that likely predated Catherine herself but decades. She had never seen an interior so marvelous, she was in utter awe- and this was to be her base of operations for the next decades. "Whoa," she gasped in her softest voice- her mouth left slightly agape and her pace slowing as she took in her surrounds on the short walk to the dining hall.

@Inertia

“No problem, just follow me.” Victor returned a smile, “Place is like a maze. I was lost the first few weeks I was acquainted to this place, so don't worry about it.”

“Well, that title is a bit of a mouthhful, ain't it. Just call me Victor, or anything remotely close to it, I'll probably respond.” He continued through the halls. “Well, if I remember you controlled more schools of magic than I can. So you'd technically be higher on the totem pole than me, Witch Catherine.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean to dodge your question...” Victor paused for a moment's consideration. “I guess all I can hope is to be able to properly help the coven despite being a Warlock and fulfill my obligations. Or atleast try my best to, right?” Such practiced words almost got a chuckle out of Victor. Perhaps years of his mother's influence had changed him more then he thought it did.

There were a few changes within the mansion, but thankfully it was still familiar. A few paintings were changed, furniture shifted, and some lighting fixtures changed, but it still felt very much like 'home'. Victor ran his hand through his hair as he spotted familiar figures. It was Carlise and Elías.

“Good to see you two are well.” Victor called out to the two. He turned and motioned towards Catherine. “This is-” He noticed that she had fallen a bit behind, admiring the interior design and architecture. “er- This is Catherine Hierich.”

---

[In German] "Bro, pleeaasse! You don't understand. My flight leaves in like, 15 minutes!"

It had been quite an arduous morning for the once bright star of Tanner. Before Cai's father shipped him off to Berlin, it seemed like he had had it all; money, good looks, charming personality, on his way to becoming a witch, top of his class, and athletics. But there's a saying, that those who seem perfect on the outside often hold deep-seated darkness within, or something poetic like that. Either way, Cai was a cliche case of such a conundrum--you couldn't write it out more clearly than in a comic book. In many ways, Cai resented the pressure, so when he finally found himself in Germany, in a way, he was reborn. He started a new life, forged his own path as a songwriter, and ultimately, embodied the freedom that he had so desperately desired in his youth.

The young airline associate looked at Cai with an uninterested sort of gaze, as though she might quit faster than a blink. [In German] "First, I'm not your bro." the girl said curtly, "Second, sir, as I said, you've missed the boarding period. We can arrange a complimentary..."

[In German] "I'll sit on somebody's lap! Please!" Cai cut in, so desperate he didn't stop to think about the ridiculousness of his statement. Unintentionally, he slammed his hands on the countertop, causing it to rattle under his strength.

The associate rolled her eyes, unperturbed. [In German] "Sir, do I need to call security?"

Cai pulled his arms away and placed his hands over his face, sighing heavily, [In English] "Fuck. No. I'm sorry." He put his hands down and looked at her with a puppy-like pout. The associate seemed puzzled, clearly not understanding English. [In German] "It's just, I booked his flight months in advance. It's basically life or death."

She wasn't moved. [In German] "Okay well, whichever way it goes, you can deal with it on the next available flight."

Cai sighed. Seeing no other way around it, he nodded, relenting. It was his fault though. He got stuck in an impromptu meeting with a new up-and-coming German artist, some young lad named Rex Stein. Cai had been commissioned to write the artist's newest single and it had to be a big hit, or modestly successful enough for Rex's agency to make a return on investment. Cai was not one to usually cave under pressure, but somehow he convinced himself that his trip to Tanner would be work-free. He had only planned to stay for a short while, tell the truth about his life, see what was so urgent with his father's message, and then return home to Berlin. Strange, he considered Berlin more like home than Tanner.

In any case, he had fooled himself.



By the time he arrived in Tanner, darkness fell and in the wee hours of the morning, moonlight licked the town in a quaint and comely sort of way. Once the taxi pulled up to the rustic gates of Washington Manor, Cai stepped out and handed the driver his fair (throwing in a little extra, just because). Once he saw that the taxi driver was out of sight, he turned back to the manor, his old home. He marveled for a moment, taking in the atmosphere of it all; the familiar smells, the always pristinely lit foliage, the vines and flowers that trailed up the home like in the fairytales. Being "home" after seven years, it felt a bit unfamiliar somehow and second nature all at once. Typical though, nothing really changed. His father was a stickler for keeping the status quo of what is, shall always be.

When he pushed on the gate, it was locked. He pushed it again, no luck. With no luggage to weigh him down, Cai looked around for a moment. Peering down both ends of the road to ensure no cars were coming, Cai posed and gazed towards the stars. He felt his magic bubbling, this old age he hadn't touched in such a long time. He concentrated feeling it in the core of his being, as it moved to his back. It didn't take long though. In but a moment, a pair of large ivory wings sprouted from his back. The juxtaposition of his snow-white wings against his dark skin was mystical and eye-catching.

With one deep breath, he flapped his wings and took flight. It marvelous feeling, being in the sky. For a few minutes above his childhood home, he danced upon the wind, returning himself to the feeling of weightlessness he had so enjoyed in his youth. This was a feeling plane flights could never replicate. Crossing against the silhouette of the moon, Cai looked like an Angel. Eventually, Cai descended slowly until he was face to face with his sister's bedroom window. He hovered there, flapping his wings gently to stead himself mid-air.

He tapped on the window once, peering in to see his sister sleeping soundly in her canopy bed. She rustled feebly, but remained in slumber. Scrunching up his face in annoyance, Cai tapped it again, with a little more ferver this time. Finally, his sister woke in a daze, curly hair disheveled. She reached for the lamp on her nightstand, turning it on before putting on her glasses and peering towards the window, moonlight gleaming through. For a moment, she stared at the window, not scared, but just confused as to what she was seeing. When she was certain that the angelic figure in the window was Cai, her eyes furrowed.

On the opposite end, Cai was beaming, his smile as radiant as witchlight. He was excited to see his younger sister in person, after what, four years or so.

[German] "Yuna, open up, it's me." he whispered with child-like glee.

Yuna groaned, forcing herself out of bed and a wonderful dream about acing her next exam. "English Cai, English." she bemoaned.

"I said open up." he retorted, masking his voice in a half-whisper as not to wake their father who slept in the master bedroom downstairs. With a casual flick of her wrist, the metal latch on the window unlocked itself and opened. Looking surprised, Cai entered her bedroom, gently landing on the hardwood floors with a soft creak.

"Nice magic. What kind is it?"

Yuna shrugged, "It's nothing" she said cooly.

Cai made a silly ah ha! kind of face, before grinning guiltily at his sister, who just rolled her eyes. Feeling ever affectionate and standing at least a head or two taller than Yuna, Cai opened his arms and moved in for a big bear hug. As he approached, Yuna put her hand out, blocking his attempt.

"Hey!"

Yuna shhh'd him and crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.

"Where were you? Dad and I were worried sick. We expected you to be here yesterday morning." She adjusted her glasses and Cai's face fell, knowingly.

"Yeaaah...about that. First, I missed my flight...."

"Of course you did" Yuna snorted.

"And then, the airline lost my luggage." Cai held his hands up, showing he was luggage-free.

Yuna slanted her eyes at him, unconvinced, "The airline lost your luggage...??"

Cai nodded aggressively, eliciting a sigh from Yuna.

"So why didn't you call? I called you five times."

Before Cai could answer that, something she said earlier stuck out to him. "Wait, dad was worried?"

"That's not the point" Yuna retorted, lightly nudging him in the chest. Cai put his hands to his heart, playfully pretending to be heartbroken and in pain. "We were worried sick." Yuna continued, unamused, "I mean...I was worried sick."

Cai understood the meaning of her correction and despite not wanting to face the truth, it was expected. "Whatever. Just give me a hug you know-it-all little shit." When he moved in again to hug her, she didn't resist, though she kept her arms crossed. Cai relished in the warmth of his sister within his firm embrace--like old times. "I know you missed me, kid," he said, teasing.

"Not really," Yuna said coldly. But actions speak louder than words and she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly as if she would never let go again.

"By the way...your shirt is ripped...again."

Cai looked over his shoulder, peering down at the two giant holes where his wings tore through the fabric. It had been so long since he used his wings, he had forgotten. He just shook his head, not surprised with himself.

"Damn."

---

Yuna couldn't go back to sleep last night, not after her brother suddenly showed up nearly two days behind schedule and in the wee hours of the morning no less. No phone call, no warning, no nothing. After talking for a while, Cai went to sleep in his old childhood bedroom and she went to her desk to do some homework for university. She did this for about an hour or so, completing assignments, studying her materials, and preparing herself for her next class period. It was still night though, with starlight filtering through her windows and reflecting off her spectacles. She took the glasses off, rubbing the bridge of her nose until her eyes suddenly fell on a handful of envelopes sitting on the corner of her desk.

They looked old, wrapped in golden sleeves, and addressed to her father, who then, passed them on to her. She stared at these envelopes for a moment, sighing deeply, knowingly, tapping her fingers on the wood of the desk. Yuna very much understood why he gave her these envelopes every month and she came to realize how much it displeased her to fulfill them. But alas, she was the perfect daughter after all, and with no slumbering dreams to beckon her, this was as good a time as any to get it over with.

Yuna reached for the envelopes, turning each one over and opening them up with her gilded letter opener. Inside the first envelope was a piece of paper and a photo. She looked at the photo intensely, etching the face of an older gentleman with a toupee deep within the recesses of her mind. Once the image was thoroughly locked in her psyche, she opened up the folded paper to find a name (Harold Galbrath), a birthday (October 27, 1964), and a blood type (O+). The parameters of her magic were clear, but it always amazed her how some people failed to follow even the most basic rules. This patron, however, got it right.

"Harold Galbrath..." Yuna whispered, letting the name roll off her tongue. She straightened herself and turned the piece of paper over, tapping the tip of her quill pen against her tongue and then dipping it into a small tin of ink. She held the quill over the paper briefly, calling on her magic as it filtered through her body and into her hand. Suddenly, her face went still, her eyes dilated, and she fell into a trance. A magical light glimmered around the quill as a shapeless ghostly creature no bigger than a slice of bread appeared. With full lips and lines for shut eyes, the summoned creature formed two hands. These hands stretched out from its vaporous body and latched onto Yuna's hand.

Like a puppet, the creature directed the movement of Yuna's hand, creating flourishes and poetry in a handwriting unlike anything that existed in the modern world, though it was beautiful. As Yuna's body wrote, she herself was not conscious during the process, she never was. Her consciousness, in those brief moments, would drift far far away. Only after she wrote the prophetic poem and the Lovely Ghostwriter, as she called it, disappeared, would her consciousness return. Shaking her head, coming back to herself, Yuna looked over the poem she had no recollection or memory of writing. She did, however, learn how to better interpret the poems once they were written. For poor Mr. Galbrath, his immediate future did not bode well.



At sunrise, Yuna prepared for the meeting at the Coven Household. She followed her normal routine, giving herself additional time to do her hair. When she went into Cai's bedroom to check on him, he was gone; to where, she had no clue. When she called him, he did not pick up, only after the fact remembering that he lost his phone with his luggage at the airport. With no time to go searching for him or to call for a premonition of some sort, Yuna instead looked to the aid of her familiar. With her father off doing CEO things, Yuna cut up some apple slices and munched on them as she exited her home. It only took a second before her familiar appeared before her, its form as a black crow this time around.

The familiar perched itself on her shoulder and she smiled at it warmly, a smile very few others got to witness.

"I imagine Cai is off being impertinent or doing something reckless, don't you? Go find my brother please and report back to me once you do" she said to it telepathically. The crow nodded and then soared off into the sky, disappearing behind a canopy of trees. Yuna watched closely until it was out of sight and then she proceeded to the Coven Household.

The building loomed as she approached it, its historic reverence magnificent even now.

But Yuna was not filled with fresh excitement, none of the novice thrill that some of the others may have experienced. Yuna had always been in Tanner, so there was no sense of a return to the familiar. In any case, Yuna already lived through this moment. She'd seen this very occasion in her dreams. From Victor to Elias to the deadbeat Carlisle to even the new girl Catherine, Yuna had dreamed of this rendezvous weeks ago. So any inkling of interest she may have held had been wasted during slumber. So when she entered the meeting hall where everyone waited (as she had seen in her dreams), Yuna simply gave each of them a demure smile for acknowledgment sake. Then she sat in a chair, crossed her legs, pulled out a mystery novel, and began to read. She tuned out the crosstalk and catch-up of her peers, allowing herself to settle into the peace and quiet of her own little world.

Now that he was finally in the coven household, Carlisle had to occupy himself. He had no idea how long it would take for people to filter in. He was unsure even who was actually turning up. His mother had given him a list, which he had on his phone, but in all honesty he wasn't sure how upto date it was. He spent his free time glancing through his phone, checking to see if he had any replies and also rereading some old convoys he had saved from his fellow coven brethren before they all headed to college.

The fact he hadn't gotten a response from Lilith had made him somewhat worried. His anxiety about meeting old school mates was one thing, but his anxiety over Lilith was overriding his other anxieties. He knew that she wasn't exactly keen on this place, and in all honesty, if she could get away with not arriving, she wouldn't come at all. Not that he could blame her. He didn't exactly want to be here either.

He didn't have to wait too long before he heard the door open, being pulled out of his anxiety induced thoughts. He debated whether he would get up and actually greet people, but he was visible enough to the rest of the group that people would know what to do. Most of them, wouldn't have even known what was going on with the coven, so they had no idea what Carlisle was about to say.

One by one they all filtered in. But in typical Tanner fashion, they all seemed to arrive in an awkward gaggle. Carlisle would smile towards the group of Victor, Eli and Catherine and gesture towards them to sit down. Aridia arrived next, in a significantly more cheery tone compared to the nervousness of everyone else. Yuna followed shortly after but did her best to cut herself off from the crowd.

"Well, I never thought all of us would get called back this quickly. I always knew we would end up having to work together, but I at least thought we would have gotten to our 30's at least, not at least just being able to finish college!"

A nervous laugh escaped Carlisle's lips. He hasn't revealed to most people that he had dropped out of college beyond the first year. He was fairly certain only Lilith and Yuna knew, and the latter was more through association than actively disclosing it. He still had his mother's pride, and he wasn't quite ready to admit that he had failed. Even if most people could be to some degree sympathetic to his reasons. Right now his stomach felt all twisted and knotted. He felt the subconscious pressure from his mother to perform like a leader, and his inate lack of confidence colliding. He really needed a get out while others were arriving.

That came when he saw Lilith enter the coven. A small part of his stomach relaxed, his shoulders popped down slightly to signal to those adept enough in reading body language, that he had calmed down slightly….

Only to the shoot right back up again when Lilith had asked to speak to him outside. The shoulders went right back up. He stood up from his seat and began to talk.

"S-Sure. Excuse me everyone won't be a moment"

Carlisle would get up and hastily walk over to one of the external dining room doors, and held it open so Lilith could follow. Once they were outside he would quietly close the door and move to the side so they were out of direct earshot of anyone in the dining room.

"What's up? Something hasn't happened has it? Everything is okay? Also, love the fishnets"

The questions got faster as both nerves and anxiety combined to make a new, sinking feeling in his stomach. He liked Lilith and while he wasn't entirely sure that she had that kind of level of feelings in return, had caused a many nights of sweats and panics. He had been trying his best to keep on her good side and try and impress her, in whatever weird way that Carlisle could. He couldn't shake the feeling however that months of progress was about to blow up.

Miles wasn't up at the crack of dawn like some of his peers, Miles still wasn't up at 9. He got leave off of work and if he didn't have to wake up at the rise of dawn to get into a stuffy dress shirt and tie he's going to take advantage of the rest in he can take. At 9:37 Miles' alarm blared to life, it's shril yell piercing the quiet morning. He gave it a lazy thwack as he groaned into his pillow.

Despite the fact Miles had been back in Tanner for a 4 months Miles' room has scarcely changed since when he left Tanner at 18. His walls were still painted black from when his mother dejectively painted them after 13 year old Miles made a blotchy mess out of his unconsented attempt. White sticker marks covered the wardrobe where Miles had pulled off stickers in room for things he was more into throughout his childhood years. As much as he joked about the cringeyness of the room there was a sweet nostagia in its memories that made Miles smile; the family's, sadly now in another world, Border Collie- Kelsey waking him up by rubbing her wet nose on his feet; his mother bringing him hot soup and rolling in the TV to watch cartoons when he came down with a horrible case of the flu; when he figured out the power in his charm magic- convincing his cousin to sneak him McDonald's through the window that one time he was grounded. It almost made him want to live in his childhood room forever.

Brrrrrrr brrrrrrr brrrrrr brrrrrrrrrr 0953- his second wake up alarm. Miles groaned, flipping himself over to face the ceiling and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He realistically could get away with another 10 minutes but he knew that was a dangerous road to oversleeping. With a sigh, Miles sat up. First day as an actual protector of Tanner, honestly he had no strong feelings about it- as the only child of a hardworking wotch he knew his time would come eventually and although Miles didn't really seem to spend much more time with the witches and wizards as the mortals he did grow up with most of his new teammates and he'd been babysat by many of their parents when his poor mother just needed a break.

Miles eventually beat his laziness and went his wardrobe and picked out a casual red top and black genes- he couldn't be bothered with stuffy business clothes in his day off. He then wandered to the kitchen to find his mother had left some pastries on the table with a note reading Be good, have fun. And please don't be late, I will know, Miles Connor. Love you xoxo -mum. Miles rolled his eyes at the note, even at 24 his mum insisted on treating him like and out if control teenager but the use of his first and middle name left a sour taste. She rarely used Miles let alone both his names- she was obviously taking this more seriously than him. "Love you too, mum" he chuckles to himself



As per his mum's wishes, Miles did indeed arrive to the manor on time. He parked his little blue Kia on the street in front of the house and made his way to the manor. Without knocking, Miles entered the house, this place was essentially his second home growing up, and entered the dining hall where most of his new crew were already standing around. "Good morning, my dudes! Ready to fight some baddies?" he calls out with a wink

After returning to the group he noticed that it had certainly gotten bigger. Which was good. He was glad that people had decided to heed the call of their parents. In an odd way he had half expected it to be just him, Lilith and Yuna. Taking a quick scan at the room he began doing an impromptu roll call in his head. He noticed Catherine and Victor together as a duo, and his eyes then moved over to Yuna; who in all honesty probably didn't want to be here. No sign of her brother though… Dia had also arrived, as did Miles.

His scan was going well, but suddenly dipped when his eyes set on Kolby. It was almost like his blood went cold. Perhaps Carlisle was the unforgetting and unforgiving type, but Carlisle wouldn't exactly call Kolby a comrade. In High School they certainly didn't get on and even ended up coming to blows. Now time might have changed Kolby, but the pessimist in Carlisle refused to think for a second that it could be true. What was more curious was the woman that he had with her. Not a coven member to be sure.

Despite the extra addition, Carlisle's mind drifted to the figure that he couldn't see around: Celeste. The likely situation was that she was running late, most likely kept with her parents briefing her on everything that happened while she was away, and the awkward situation about Carlisle being in charge. Was it a bad thing that Carlisle actually hoped that Celeste had instead decided not to come back? Still he had a job to do, so with a clearing of his throat he began to speak.

"Thank you for coming so quickly everybody. I know that it was most likely a bit of a shock to suddenly be recalled here so quickly, also with the end of college and what not only just happening. Just as many of us thought we had escaped we get pulled back in again right" Carlisle let out a little chuckle, disguising the fact he had been here all along and glossing over the fact he dropped out of college, with only Lilith and Yuna being the ones to know the truth.

"Still, we all knew that this day would eventually come, and we would be called back to Tanner to see to the coven. None of us expected it to be this fast. But our parents all seemed to want to retire early, and we just have to roll with the cards we have been dealt." A lump began to form on the insides of Carlisle's throat. He had been speaking to people publicly for too long and now his anxiety was starting to take hold and dig its claws into the edges of his mind. If he had ever hoped to become leader he had to dig deep and push through. With a soft cough and a little stuttering of words, Carlisle eventually continued.

"Given the sudden turn around of events, the council did not have time to select a replacement for my mother to lead the coven. So in the interim, they have asked if I would be willing to step in and be interim leader until the council have made their final choice. I know that being a Warlock means that me becoming a leader is a bit… unconventional, and many of you probably expected Celeste to be standing here in my place, myself included. I do hope however that this arrangement isn't a problem for anyone?" Carlisle took a moment to gather his words while he let that question hang in the air. He decided to omit the fact that the council had wanted Celeste to be in his place right now, and it was only through his mother's insistence that he was here instead.

"Okay, normally we would spend a few days getting to know each other and resettling back into Tanner, but sadly, we have to get to business. As something is going on in Tanner. I am not sure from memory if any of you are Abjurers, if you are, you have probably been feeling the same sensation I have been feeling. For the uninitiated, Tanner is protected by a magical ward that is designed to keep most of the more… feral members of our supernatural family away from Tanner. However, recently, that barrier appears to have been weakened and there appears to have been a breach. I don't know exactly what might have caused it, or what might have come through, but if it is a threat to us, or a threat to Tanner in general, we need to deal with it." Carlisle pulled the chair out from the dining room table and decided to sit down as he continued to speak.

"I appreciate that for some of you, you may need to settle in as you may have only arrived in Tanner. That is perfectly fine. You are more than welcome to stay at your family homes, or move in here to some the bedrooms here. Please take some time aclimiatise if you need to. However, I do intend to go out into the outskirts of Tanner and see if I can find this breach. I could use some people to come with me if they would like to volunteer." This was the moment for Carlisle, if no one did agree to come with him, then he might as well just quit now. To say he was nervous was an understatement. The conversation he had previously with Lilith was eating away at his mind too.

"Also Kolby, I see you have bought a guest with you. I don't remember being informed of anyone new joining the coven? Care to introduce her to everyone else?" The words leaving Carlisle's mouth weren't venomous, but were certainly alot more arsey and sassy than the rest of his speech. Turns out, turning to passive aggression was a great way to suppress his nerves. Even if it could have unintended consequences.