Interactions: Elara, Lucas & Other Grove Members @NoriWasHere, Agent Jackson @Tesserach Front of Bill’s Tattoo Shop
Bryn’s head snapped around towards the outsider who stepped back out. The one who probably didn’t have magic. Just a gun… which could kill one of them, sure, but the doppelganger? Probably not.
"Yeah, it ain’t fuckin’ dead!" Bryn shouted. The other half of the ash streamed out of the bag, spreading out in front of her. She constantly kept it under her control, preparing to form it into a solid wall or more fiery projectiles if needed. "No medical attention needed- stay the fuck back, unless you want it to impale you!"
It was a lie that they didn’t need medical attention. Elara clearly did, and Bryn was fairly certain she’d broken at least one rib herself… but they didn’t need it from outside. They had their own. And she didn’t like hearing sirens in the distance. Emergency services were just bad news in a situation like this. Especially if there were cops. They were more likely to fucking arrest them for murder than actually help.
She crouched, side stepping towards Lucas while staying close to Elara. It put her within earshot of most of the Grove members, while far enough away from everyone else that they shouldn’t be able to hear.
"Lucas, teleport me and Elara outta here soon as that thing’s dead. Ethan, Ryan, Doran- handle cleanup for us." She gave out quiet orders. She didn’t have the time or patience to deal with all of the cityfolk asking questions and poking around their town. They had shit to do… and she’d probably just snap. "We need y’know what. Try stop ‘em from doing any shit in our town, but-" She nodded her head towards Varnan. "He knew Bill at least."
The Manse went down, that thing went tumbling, and shots started whispering out. Not just ringing out, whispering. Hollywood-quiet.
Time often got fuzzy in the Manse, but an important thing when using chronomancy was to trust that others outside your influence could be counted on. So Varnan ducked down and slipped away from the line of fire. He noticed, before switching places with the others, that the monster wasn't totally stuck in place and inched closer by millimeters, but seemed to be building up a tolerance to his time magic. On one hand, that was dreadful to think about on top of the sheer sturdiness it had demonstrated. On the other... Varnan wondered if it could work up an immunity to good old fashioned brass and steel. If he had brought a gun...
Another time, maybe.
In a small town like this, there wasn't much stopping the police or the local news from catching this. He'd been deployed to places like this before, where it was easier for word to spread. Varnan didn't want to stick around and make this worse by being a stranger when that happen. But then, he couldn't just flee. He came here for answers, and Bill had been turned into this or kill by this.
So he shifted around, keeping out of the way of the shots being fired. Varnan knew what he could do after they took that thing down.
"If you can kill or seal that thing... I'll deal with the police," Varnan offered. "It'll buy everyone time to get away from here, and I'll take a look at what happened before we arrived- I have magic for that." It looked like they were about to wrap this up, so Varnan opened up his watch, and a circular screen of coral energy started to form above the face.
Elena stepped back into the room, offering Loni a small, reassuring smile in response to the wave. Her gaze, however, softened as it landed on Luciana, still curled tightly against her mother’s side, her tiny frame trembling with the weight of exhaustion and fear. The sight of the little girl’s trembling frame struck a deep chord within Elena, awakening that familiar, protective instinct—the same one that had driven her to carry Luciana through the chaos earlier without hesitation. There was something about the way the child clung to Loni, as if the world outside was too vast, too cruel to face alone. It was a sentiment Elena understood all too well.
“Guess I don’t make the best first impressions,” Elena said lightly, though the warmth in her voice betrayed a genuine fondness. She took a step closer but remained at a respectful distance, unwilling to press Luciana for more than she was ready to give. “She’s got good instincts, though. You’re her whole world right now.”
At Loni’s question about magic, Elena glanced toward Elijah, briefly wondering how much he’d be willing to share. She wasn’t one to divulge details about herself easily, not after learning how quickly people could turn curiosity into suspicion. Still, she listened attentively as Loni described her abilities, her interest piqued at the mention of both Green and Black Lux. While Elena wasn’t an expert on Lux, she understood enough to recognize the strength behind Loni’s abilities.
“That’s impressive,” she remarked genuinely, arms crossing loosely over her chest. “Holding that shield up, keeping Luciana safe? That’s more than useful. That’s guts.”
With a pause, she considered how much she wanted to reveal, but ultimately, Loni’s forthrightness deserved an honest response.
“I’m an Adept, too,” she admitted with a small shrug. “White Lux—nostalgia-based stuff. I can… tap into the past, memories, echoes of things left behind.” At this, her fingers absentmindedly glided over the edges of her crossbody bag, which held her cherished tea infuser—her Channeler. “It’s not exactly the flashy kind of magic, but it’s useful when you want to know things.”
She hesitated for a moment before adding, “My mom taught me most of what I know, too. She runs an herbal shop in the South Side, so I picked up a thing or two about blending tea with magic. It helps people remember things they’ve lost… or forget things they’d rather leave behind.” A flicker of somberness flashed across her visage, but she quickly tempered it with a sardonic smile.
Directing her gaze toward Elijah, she quipped, “What about you? You seem like the ‘stabbing things with a spear’ type, but I’m guessing there’s more to it than that.”
Northside St Alexia’s Practice Interacts: Elena @Qia and Loni, Luci @FernStone
"The owner certainly looked traumatized from what had happened, and... yeah, I think I should go to another place if I want any baked goods for a while." Shame, he thought, the first bakery he goes to and it gets attacked by a monster. Bad timing, and Elijah wondered if the owner would serve any of them again. They may have saved the day, but something tells him that going back right now would not be the best call.
Still, Elijah is curious as to why that thing went after a bakery, and maybe it was after the owner, but why? He may try to investigate further, though it may be hard if the owner is not talking to him after the attack.
When Elena returned and Loni talked about her magic. It piqued Elijah's interest when she said she is a green and black lux user. He knows enough about lux to know what both mean and what they can do. In concert with each other, they can do some great things. Which explains her shield and how she made that thing weaker during the fight. "Your magic is useful, Loni, and you did what you could to protect others and your daughter." Sounding congratulatory and honest.
"Your magic does sound useful, Elena and not all magic is flashy. But it still gets the job down and gets results." Elijah sounding sincere.
Though about sharing details about himself. Elijah was wary of doing that with people he barely knows. Yes, they are Adepts and thus know about magic and whatnot. But strangers are still the same, and maybe he can share some knowledge of himself with them, given how open Loni was.
"Well, for me, I have already told Loni I live in the Southside, and I was not always a stabbing with a spear person. I am an Agent and I picked up the spear a while ago under... a not ideal circumstance, and it has been with me since. It was made by someone who wished to hunt the rare and exotic paranormal creatures and beings that he deemed worthy prey. I am not related to that person, but the spear has its own tricks that make it a good weapon for killing paranormals." There, he stopped and wondered if he should continue. After a moment, he spoke, "I do not hunt anything, but I know how to use it and fight with it. Which if you knew me, you would know I am more of a scholar than a fighter, but things change." Elijah's voice saddened a bit when he said those last words.
Elijah hoped that that was enough for now and his voice started to chipper up. "It is good to meet and know you two, but I think it may be time for me to leave unless either one of you has something you want to say or talk about?"
Interactions: Elijah @Theyra, Elena @Qia St Alexia’s Practice
"Thank you both," Loni smiled at both Elena and Elijah when they called her magic useful. Impressive. She didn’t agree, because she’d seen impressive magic. Impressive magic was Vin ripping through Apparitions with their bare hands, and Momo easily able to hold up a building when it collapsed. Not her. Not when she was scared of her Black Lux.
Her head listed forward to rest on Luciana’s, holding her daughter as close as possible. There was a comfort there, even though she could still feel the dark apathy swirling around her. Practically strangers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but Luciana clearly could. She wasn’t calming down like Loni hoped she would.
"Whoa, magic that brings back memories is real cool. I ain’t seen magic mixed with somethin’ like tea before, either. Memories ain't easy to play 'round with, I've heard!" Loni pushed down the annoying negative feelings in favour of genuine enthusiasm towards what Elena said she could do. Both could be so useful… information gathering was important, from what she knew. Their coven wouldn’t be so strong without all the information and alliances they had.
And a spear to kill Paranormals… a slight shudder ran down her spine. No, he clearly only used it on dangerous Paranormals. Like Apparitions. "That sounds like a really useful spear- I s’pose it means you don’t hafta worry ‘bout hitting Blinds. And I’m sorry you got it under bad circumstances."
Which seemed to be the case with most Paranormal. An unfortunate circumstance of the magical world. But Elijah was talking about leaving - and Loni certainly wasn’t going to push him to stay. As much as she enjoyed the company, she wasn’t the pushy sort like that.
"Oh ‘course, I ain’t gonna keep you," Loni said to Elijah with a smile. She turned her head to check her wound. The muscles seemed to be coming back together now… so she was sure there was no danger. It would be all done in ten minutes or so. Thankfully. "It was nice t’meet you, Elijah. Remember, if you need help, Sin Sisters! Just say my name!"
Then she turned back to look at Elena. She assumed that she wasn’t going to leave - if she was, Loni wouldn’t stop her, of course. But she wasn’t going to wait for her to say one way or the other before speaking what was on her mind.
"So, your mom taught you ‘bout magic too? Is she the only other Adept y’know?" Loni asked, thinking about how it had been for her before she got her job. Just her, her mamá and Vin. Then just her and Vin. And her mamá had been too busy to really help them develop spells, outside of ones Loni never wanted to learn. "If you ain’t met many, would you wanna meet more? You could come round my work sometime even if there ain’t any danger. We gotta few White adepts, maybe you can chat and help each other. We got loadsa knowledge and stuff. Course, only if you wanna!"
Loni’s expression was completely open and genuine. She was, of course, just making assumptions from her own situation. But it was how it tended to be for South Siders. There weren’t exactly friendly covens opening up their doors to any kindled Adepts. It was family, and not much else. Far as she was aware Vin still only had her.
"Even if you don’t, I’d love to try some of your tea sometime… Assumin’ you don’t just mix your magic in some kinda cheap bagged stuff? I ain’t a tea expert, but I’ve always liked it when I tried it. Not that I mean I'd like to try the magical stuff, even if I wanna see how it feels, I ain't got anythin' I wanna forget or remember." Loni continued. As she spoke her head tilted down a bit, pressing another kiss to the top of Luciana’s head. She gently rubbed her back, shifting her a little bit so her face wasn’t fully pressed into Loni’s chest. One big, anxious brown eye peered out and towards Elena. "Oh, just not today. I gotta concentrate on comfortin’ Luciana before I work."
Raven's Rest, the Front of Bill's Tattoo Shop Interactions: Varnan @Blizz, Bryn [@Fernfur], Wild Bill/Elara/Luca/Doran/Ryan//Ethan @NoriWasHere
There was no hesitation, the moment the creature began moving in earnest again Agent Jackson's pistol was already up, twelve shots fired joining those already coming from the other arrivals. None of which seemed to do much. It only took seconds before Jackson's sidearm was emptied, and he was already backing away, near the corner he'd just emerged from. Ducking back quickly around the corner yet again, he was already reloading and speaking into his radio. "Aura is active again! SPECIAL deployed. No visible effect."
"CENTRAL confirms SPECIAL deployed; no effect. Back off, disengage TWO. Special Law Enforcement and Cleanup Team are clearing the barricades now."
Jackson was already doing this, and there was no hiding the irritation in his voice as he acknowledged the comms. Peering around the corner at the others present, he realized he wasn't the only one wondering what it would take to finally drop this thing. It wasn't even clear it had even noticed he was present in between the rest of the rounds fired at the thing and yet it was still pushing forward.
One thing did get it's attention though as the doppleganger advanced towards the group still on the street. That was the sudden revving of an engine, and squeal of tires as black up-armoured, after market Chevrolet Suburban accelerated and veered wildly from where it had been quietly coming down the street.
The doppleganger just had time to turn it's head before the push-bar slammed into it, close to 50 mph. It tried to hang on but the suburban rocked back and forth as it the doppleganger lost its gripped and went under the passenger side tires rolling it a crumpled mass as the the 8,000lb or so vehicle's breaks activated and it went squealing into the front facade of Bill's Tattoo shop, going through the wall and coming to a stop with the driver and passenger side doors fully within the tattoo shop.
As the dust from the front of the shop hung in the air, the driver's side door propped open.
A young woman's head popped out looking back at the group still in the street. "That ah... that was a bad guy right...!?"
She stopped when the thing, which had seemed dead, started moving again.
"Oh shit!" Alejandra disappeared back into the Surburban, slamming the door closed again behind her.
Incredibly the thing shook its head, spitting some awful substance that might have been blood onto the pavement where it picked itself up on limbs that cracked and bent in ways that limbs were not meant to bend. Shaking it's grotesquely misshapen head - whose appearance had not been improved by being run over - it looked first to the Suburban, and then to the crowd gathered around it. Its mouth opened, and emitted a keening, ear piercing wail of rage that briefly drowned out the approaching sirens.
Still screaming, it braced itself on its seemingly broken limbs, prepared to stand once again.
At which point the wail was itself drowned out by the sound of smoking, squealing tires as the blacked out SUV's rear bumper took it square in the face. The SUV once again rocked and made a loud THUMP-THUMP as the spinning tires made contact with the doppleganger's face and body as Alejandra Escriva ran it over again in reverse.
The doppelganger’s body was a ruin of pulped flesh and shattered bones. Its limbs twisted at impossible angles where the SUV had crushed them into the pavement. Its ribcage was flattened, caved in like a stomped-on carcass, and black ichor oozed from its torn skin in thick, tar-like rivulets. Chunks of its skull lay scattered across the asphalt, the remnants of its borrowed face twitching with residual nerve spasms. The wet slap of its organs, ruptured and leaking, mixed with the sickly sound of skin knitting itself back together. Then, like something moving in reverse, the shattered bones cracked and jerked back into place, the mush of its body reassembling with a grotesque, sucking noise.
With a nauseating ripple, its ribs pushed outward, inflating its caved-in chest with an audible pop as fresh tendrils of sinew laced themselves back together. Its head, half-crushed and concaved, ballooned back into shape, the displaced chunks of flesh slithering across the pavement to rejoin the whole. One eye, reduced to little more than a pulp, reformed into a bubbling mass of raw meat before snapping open, wide, and aware. The doppelganger’s lips stretched into something resembling a grin as it shifted its eyes toward the SUV and the poor intern stuck inside. It licked its teeth as it surged forward.
Luca, meanwhile, had other plans for the monster. The constant barrage of magic and metal had caused the monster's emotional field to drop to a critical level, no doubt further reduced by the healing magic it had used. Thus, it had inadvertently left itself open to Luca’s special kind of killing blow. His hands summoned a blue circle, one in each hand that looked more like a very detailed dial than a circle with miniature spokes, and adjusted it. As he did, he kept a careful eye on the location of the monster at all times. He waited until it raised its hand far above its head, ready to clobber through the windscreen of the SUV, before he pushed his hands forward and activated his spell. Suddenly, all up and down the monster's body, blue circles appeared and the monster stopped moving. Slowly, the Doppelganger’s body fell downward through the several portals that Luca had opened. Eventually, only a pair or feet remained but they too soon found themself falling through a fresh portal that was opened after the rest had closed.
Nothing remained of the monster that had nearly killed the group multiple times thus far. No matter what magic was thrown its way it seemed to have a particular knack for tanking the hits. However, with the combined might of all the different kinds of Lux, bullets, and a literal car, meant that it instead met its match and was gone. “I thought that would have been harder based on that phone call. That was a cakewalk,” Luca chuckled nervously as he fell to a knee. Even with the weakened emotional field of the monster it still required Luca to use much of his life force to empower the spell. “Everyone, shut the fuck up,” Elara coughed out, spitting blood as she did, “Luca, can you get us home?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he paused as he knew he’d need a bath in the healing waters right after, “I got you. Thirty seconds and we can go.” Luca pushed himself back up and summoned the dials back to his hand as he began to adjust the teleportation spell, making sure to prevent anyone or anything from tracking their eventual departure.
“I don’t care what the rest of you do,” Elara pointed to every out-of-towner, “but you can’t stay here. Police are coming, we have a man on the inside who will take care of this but you can not be here when they get here,” Elara paused as she looked towards Varnan, nodding to thank him for saving their lives, and then to the intern in the SUV and shook her head in disappointment that the blind would risk themselves like this.
“If we catch y’all snooping around our town again we will have a problem,” Elara paused as she looked at the rest of them. “Do not let me catch y’all here when I get back,” Elara looked towards Luca and nodded. The rest of the Keepers had all gathered around Luca and, with a twist of the wrist, the teleportation spell activated and the group teleported away.
A moment later the entire group would find themselves in the Grove, about five feet away from the healing waters. Luca collapsed to the ground as they arrived, Elara fell to one knee and coughed up a lot more blood, and the rest knew that they would need to care for everyone who was wounded that day. Doran and Ethan grabbed Luca and began to pull him towards the water, meanwhile, Ryan helped Elara to her feet and did the same.
Quill waited what she thought was an appropriate amount of time. After disposing the corpse of the Doppelganger and ensuring the body of the female customer was appropriately taken care of for return to her family and loved ones, Quill made a stop at a nearby cafe to load up on caffeine.
It had been a day. She had thought, her first mistake, that it would be a simple thing to go into a bakery and ask the owner about one of her employees. Hell, the employee in question might have been working that day and that would have taken care of everything.
Instead she wound up in some….unfortunate business.Ha, business. Bakery.
Once she was satisfied with her caffeine intake (read: not at all enough), Quill made her way out and pulled out her phone, dialing then number she found. She waited, hoping the woman would pick up. She had some awkward questions and information.
Freya had remained in her bakery after everyone had left and had closed down while she cleaned up. The concussion to her head had not gotten much better but the family doctor was on his way to Freya to treat and monitor and would likely not leave her side until the following day. The fight had destroyed much of her shop, and her broom and dustpan would not be enough to fix it all, and instead, they would need to wait for the crew to arrive the next morning.
Freya’s phone began to ring, and her eyes slowly shifted to the charging stand that she had it on. She walked over and answered the call.
“Hello?”
Quill let out a small breath she had been holding. Their’s was the generation that didn’t answer phone calls, especially from unknown numbers. ”Hello Ms. Collins? My name is Quill St. Sebastien, I am a private investigator. I don’t know if you heard of me but I was in your bakery when certain….events happened. I wanted to see if I can ask you some questions.”
“Certain events?” Freya sighed as they rubbed their pain-filled head. “Yes. I don’t remember you but I don’t think I remember who was or wasn’t here. How can I help you?”
”We haven’t met Ms. Collins. I was in your bakery when it was attacked and I helped some of the people there. I am also the one that cleaned up the remaining…bodies and wiped the security from inside and outside. My questions pertain to one of your employees by the name of Varnan. I was wondering if I could talk to him. It pertains to a case I was assigned and I would very much prefer to speak in-person. I can give you my information if you want to check me out before disclosing any information.”
“I should thank you for that, the cleaning crew I was sent did not have to do much” Freya paused as she thought over the request, “but Varnan? I can’t give you his information without his consent but I’m happy to take a message that I can give him next time he’s in,” Freya paused as the thought of when that might be floated past her mind, “would that work?”
Quill knew there would be resistance. After all she was a stranger asking for information about someone. ”And I won’t even charge you for it.” The cleanup had been easy thanks to the help she had garnered. Though it was interesting to see the owner of a bakery have a clean-up crew. Something told Quill this wasn’t the first time something like a doppelganger attacking happened.
”That’s understandable. Can you tell him that I am looking into some recent activity for my client who owns some property that is experiencing a high level of threats? My client is interested in working with Varnan regarding this problem. You can let him know we can meet in person at a place of his choosing.”
“I can do that. Is there a number I can leave for him, or is this more of a ‘I have a certain set of skills, I will find you,’ kind of meet up” Freya groaned as her headache returned at full force. She would need to mind her steps the next time a monstrous entity tries to destroy her bakery.
”I mean, I do have that certain set of skills, but no you can give him my number and have him reach out to me.” Quill rattled off her phone number before continuing. ”And let me know if you need any help in the future. I don’t want to assume monster attacks are a normal thing for you, but I’ve lived here long enough to know it’s not totally uncommon.”
“Thank you I got it. Is there anything I can do for you to thank you” Freya asked genuinely.
”At the moment, no. But perhaps I’ll need a favor in the future. But please, pass on the message to Varnan and I’ll be in touch. Thank you Ms. Collins.”
“Likewise,” Freya responded as she ended the call and looked up in her office. “I am never going to financially recover from this.”
Elena let out a chuckle at Elijah’s remark about needing to find a different bakery, shaking her head. “Yeah, I think they’ll be changing their ‘special of the week’ to ‘closed until further notice’ after today.” The bakery’s destruction, the terror in the owner’s eyes—it all felt like yet another piece in Cloverfield’s ever-growing puzzle of chaos. And if Elijah was right about this not being a random attack? Then that puzzle just got a whole lot bigger.
But she set the thought aside as he spoke about his spear, about his past as something other than a fighter. The shift in his voice didn’t go unnoticed—the tinge of something he wasn’t quite willing to lay out for them. She understood that. People didn’t just spill their ghosts to near-strangers, not unless they were looking to drown in them.
“A scholar first, huh?” she mused, tilting her head. “Then you and I probably have more in common than I thought.”
There was no pity in her voice, only the quiet recognition of someone who understood the way fate had a habit of rearranging lives. She knew what it was to be thrust into something she never asked for. Maybe Elijah hadn’t envisioned himself gripping that spear any more than she had planned on kindling in the middle of the Cataclysm. Yet here they stood, both forged by the fire of what they had been given, rather than what they had chosen.
At Loni’s unfiltered enthusiasm toward her magic, Elena felt the ever-present tension in her shoulders ease—just a fraction, but enough. She wasn’t used to that reaction. Her magic was quiet. It wasn’t the kind of power that shattered walls or turned the tide of a battle. It was something else entirely, something overlooked—until, suddenly, it wasn’t. And yet, Loni’s interest wasn’t laced with the usual wariness or vague dismissal. It was real. Genuine. The kind of thing that made her lips curl into something dangerously close to an actual smile.
“Yeah, memories aren’t exactly easy to work with, but they’ve got a funny way of sticking around.”
She nodded at Loni’s offer, something unreadable flickering across her expression for a split second. “I haven’t really met many Adepts outside of my mom,” she admitted. “Mostly just people coming into the shop, looking for something to help them sleep or to stop them from remembering things they don’t want to.”
She glanced toward Elijah briefly before returning her gaze to Loni. “I’ll think about stopping by,” she said, voice easy, but not quite committing. “Sounds like you’ve got an interesting group.”
Then, at Loni’s teasing about her tea, Elena let out a scoff of pure mock indignation, one hand pressing dramatically to her chest as though personally wounded.
“Please,” she deadpanned, “do I look like someone who’d allow some sad, lifeless, bagged excuse for tea anywhere near my work? I have standards, Rodriguez. Loose-leaf only.”
A beat passed, and then her expression softened as she nodded. “But yeah, I’d be happy to make you some. Non-magical, of course. We’ll call it a ‘thanks for not dying’ tea.”
Finally, she turned back to Elijah as he made his move to leave.
“It was good meeting you too,” she said. “And hey, if you ever feel like putting that scholar side to use, let me know. Something tells me there’s more to this whole thing than we’re seeing.”
She didn’t try to stop him—his intent to leave was clear enough. But she left the door ajar, just in case.
Varnan had called in sick ahead of his drive to Raven’s Rest, so he was entirely oblivious to the chaos that occurred at Freya’s bakery. He was expecting the day to take longer, in the form of him and Bill getting down to proper business about all the werewolves and vampires coming down the mountain. That didn’t work, so Varnan rode back to northern Cloverfield. He pulled into a parking lot outside a coffee shop at roughly 1pm in the afternoon. He’d done some sweeps around the edge of town for more apparitions as a precaution, and was planning to get back to that. In just a few minutes.
He swung off his motorcycle, swung out the kickstand and leaned against it. Varnan looked around, and confirmed that no one else was in the parking lot, so he reached for his watch and activated a spell. He ran his bike’s Parallel Code that he’d logged five minutes ago, and all the gas he’d used up in that small window conveniently reappeared.
He relived that five minutes that last five minutes, like a hallucination. And when it was finished, she was approaching him.
Quill had expected Varnan to want to meet at a location where he would be advantageous. She expected mistrust. So she went along with it. She made her way, carefully, approaching with her hands in full view. That meant little when it came to magic and all that, but still, she hoped it showed some faith.
”Hello Varnan. I assume Ms. Collins told you, but my name is Quill St. Sebastien. I am a private investigator working with a client who very much wishes to meet you. She asked me to make contact. She wanted to be here for it but I wanted to meet you first. I understand you have a particular set of skills that my client is very interested in utilizing. Hope it’s okay if we talk for a bit.”
She did tell him someone was after him. It couldn’t have been the Guild, they didn’t operate this way. He looked up at her, and Varnan didn’t strike her as an overt threat.
”...Yes. I was told someone had been looking for me regarding something,” he said. What, he didn’t know. ”What “skills” are you referring to, if I may?”
”From my understanding it is how you are able to keep an eye on things going on in this city. Not to put too fine a point on it but she mentioned threats to her holdings. Specifically she referred to them as monsters. Now, I am wise to the things going on around here so I know she isn’t talking about ‘Karens’ or other horrible people, but rather actual monsters. She brought you up as someone whose job it is to be aware of the threats and thought we should connect on how to go about removing said threats.”
“I understand I am not being super forthcoming. I am happy to share relevant information if this sounds…doable for you. My client does wish to be involved and they have the finances to be useful, at least somewhat.”
Monsters. Of course. ”Alright, then let’s talk. You have my attention.” It mattered that he knew she was at least somewhat paranormal. Enough to know what he’d been doing in the time he was here. ”What role do you have in this, as an investigator?” He could assume she wanted to know things about him. That was the polite way to ask about that.
Quill merely shrugged. ”I’m not really paid to ask questions. I’m more of a fixer so I fix problems. And this town has a habit of having problems that are monster-related or, at least, monster-adjacent. Plus I have my own skills.” She would not be elaborating, but she hoped he got the message. ”Plus I’m getting the sense a lot more is connected. After all, the bakery you worked at was attacked. You work there, I needed to go there. Lots of coincidences.”
Varnan’s head tilted upwards a bit. ”Attacked. The woman who owns that bakery- Was she hurt?” It couldn’t possibly have been a vampire, or a werewolf, could it? And he was there yesterday for closing time, it had to have been while he was in Raven’s Rest this morning.
Quill tilted her head to one side, as if trying to look at the man at a different angle. Did he not know? Wouldn’t Freya have told him if he was this supposed guardian who knew of threats to the town? ”Apart from one of the customers being killed, everyone else is all right, more or less. Ms. Collins was not present when I was there but she is aware of what happened. I helped clean up the mess afterwards as one of the other people, Loni if I remember right, needed to be brought to the hospital. There was some…thing. A mimic? A doppelganger? Something to that effect.”
Quill was still wrapping her mind around it. ”Be that as it may, I believe everyone is safe. I also believe I have given a lot more answers than I have received. So Varnan, care to share what you know?”
He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. It was always tricky discussing the paranormal with strangers. But this woman clearly was paranormal herself. To what extent, he was unsure.
But…
”I fought something like that, already. Once. Out of respect for others involved, I won’t say where. But they are dangerous. It could ignore certain things it was subjected to. I haven’t noticed more than one yet, though.”
”So you have fought one before, which means it’ll likely come back. I do not know if that is the threat my client was speaking of or if it is just one of many in this godsforsaken city, but either way it seems you are skilled.”
“My client needs help, but I believe they could speak more as to what exactly they need. They would like to meet up to talk provided you are willing. She is like us in that I felt power stirring inside of her. Would you be willing to meet up? I’ll be there to help if things get dicey. If they do intend to backstab me I will not make it easy for them.”
”That will be fine.” He nodded. ”There are other things in Cloverfield besides them. Other things that I’ve tried to keep tabs on.”
”I believe they mentioned that. If you would not mind my curiosity, what other things are you tracking?” Nothing would surprise her here, but it would be nice to know what creatures are going bump in the night. Preparation is key.
”The kind that aren’t native to here. Most of them come down from the mountains, and conveniently find their way here.” There was always a chance that someone paranormal wasn’t exactly human themselves, so he wasn’t going to admit that they were vampires and werewolves. ”Apparitions, monsters.”
”Seems your ability to track falls in line with my client’s wishes to have some problems of their own taken care of. And it seems I’ll need to walk around with more defenses on my side. Shall I set up the meeting then or would you prefer to reach out to my client? Unsure what they would want but they sort of gave me carte blanche to handle this.”
”Feel free. And let me know when. Is there a way I can contact you?”
Quill gave off her phone number. ”There. And let me know if I can be of use to you in the future. Can never have too many allies to battle the creepy crawlies that threaten our good town.” Said with a hint of sarcasm, but the offer was genuine all the same.
"Oh yeah, my coven’s really interestin’! Really nice too… like my boss, Momo! She’s really strong magic wise, pure Green, so you’d expect her to be scary, but she really ain’t. If it weren’t for her I’d be havin’ a much harder time, ‘specially with Luciana. Before I met her I thought all covens were evil, cause’ve the stories my Mamá told me. But Momo showed me that ain’t the case… she cares ‘bout all of us like we’re her family." Loni babbled away, gently rocking Luciana as she did. She didn’t notice Elena’s lack of commitment - it went completely over her head. She was just happy to talk about someone she liked.
Not that Elena had asked. But Loni had taken it as that, talking away before laughing at the tea comment. Wow, Elena sure did dislike bagged tea… which was understandable if she worked with it. Loni had never been much of a tea person herself. She did love a good mug of hot cocoa, though her Mamá had made it best. But maybe the non lifeless loose-leaf tea would be nicer.
Again, the deadpan humour itself went over her head…
"Thanks for not dying tea has a nice ring to it," Loni smiled, glancing over at the slightly ajar door. If Elena was going to make her tea sometime… they’d need a way to meet up again. While Loni had made the decision not to give her number to either of them… it would be fine with Elena, right?
After all, the problems she had before were always with men. Not that Elijah seemed the sort, but Momo and Vin had been really firm about her not giving out her number to strangers. Guys especially. So… it was fine for a lady! Someone who’d protect her daughter as well.
"Oh! If we’re gonna have tea sometime, in case you don’t come round to my work…" Loni leaned over from the bed, awkwardly reaching for her bag. The blanket across her injured shoulder slipped down, revealing the mostly healed wound. It was in the last stages now, with the skin growing across exposed muscle. As she leant down she felt a bit lightheaded… but the healer had said her blood would take a little longer to regenerate.
From her bag Loni pulled out a pad of paper, and a red crayon. She scribbled on the paper, before ripping it out and holding it out to Elena. "Here, that’s my number. It’ll make things easier if you wanna stop by too."
Luciana’s hand reached out, grasping at the crayon. Loni let her have it… though she didn’t go to start doodling like Loni had hoped. Instead she grasped it in her little hand, curling back up against her chest. If Loni had known they were going to get attacked, she would’ve brought one of Luciana’s plushies… but how was she supposed to know something like that?
"C’mon, baby, why don’t you hold Mamá’s hand? Ain’t that comfier?" Loni gently unwrapped Luciana’s hand from the crayon, replacing it with two of her fingers. Luciana pulled them up to her chin, hiding her face away again. Loni kissed the top of her head, before looking over at Elena again. "When I next see you she’ll be back to her normal happy self."
Ten Years Ago
”Again.”
Bright lights in a sterile environment were the most blinding when coming back to reality. Breathing was difficult too… Suddenly aware of it, chest heaving up and down as if emerging from choppy waters. It felt like it. Being inside a mind without consent was like being trapped in underwater tunnels, having to keep swimming without drowning or getting lost. The goal was never worth it…
”Vanessa. Did you hear me?”
Don’t argue. It’ll hurt. Vanessa nodded. Her vision was beginning to come back, her father’s voice ringing in her ears over all the thoughts that clustered her mind.
She didn’t want to see. Seeing meant seeing him. A man strapped to an operating table like they were about to cut him open. They were, just not in the traditional way. He was larger than her, but so weak. Red Lux adept, kindled four years ago. He specialised in water and ice magic. Couldn’t use any of it right now. Charles had seen to that. His magic wasn’t incredibly potent, but it wasn’t that weak either.
He was crying. She’d barely done anything and he was crying.
She felt sick.
”Why are you still here if you heard me? I don’t have all day to sit around watching you flounder in a man’s mind trying to use a simple spell.”
Vanessa felt a sharp scratch in her mind as she turned to look at Charles with slightly narrowed eyes. He lounged in the corner of the room, arms folded with a gaze fixed firmly on her. Everything about him exuded harshness. His crisp business suit was out of place in the sterile, mostly empty room that he made seem so much smaller. Not a room… an experimental prison chamber.
Simple spell? It wasn’t simple at all. She was trying to manipulate a man’s mind. Just like hers had been… the scratching pain a reminder of what would happen if she argued. It wasn’t just that. It was the indifference her father looked at her with. That hurt more, her chest constricting with panic. He wasn’t happy with her. Again. She couldn’t deal with that. She had to do better.
”I was just thinking about where I went wrong. Sorry.” Her eyes slipped to the floor. She couldn’t bear to see how he looked at her.
”You should already know. Get on with it.”
She had to go back in. There was no arguing with him… not if she wanted to stay conscious. She’d made no progress the whole week. She had to today. If she did, maybe he’d tell her she did well. Maybe they could have dinner together. Maybe he’ll love me.
Vanessa closed her eyes as Pink Lux flooded through her. I want him to love me, I want him to love me, I want him to love-
It was easy to slip right through the crack she’d made in the man’s emotional field. Images flashed across her vision in quick succession and she could feel everything. His pain, fear… desperation to get out of the situation he’d found himself in. There’d be no escape. None of the ones she worked on were the ‘lucky ones’ Charles let leave.
All of this was useless to her. She cleared it all away until she was floating in near emptiness. It was almost peaceful. A moment where she just was within the mind of another. It never lasted. It couldn’t last, because she was in here for a reason.
She needed to fundamentally change his brain. It wasn’t a pleasant process for him… or for her. Only a psychopath would enjoy it.
Like Father.
A jolt of phantom pain brought her back to what she was doing. Let’s start.
Picking through the mind was much like sorting threads from each other. She’d spent years just cracking emotional fields and doing basic mind control on people, so moving her way through all the strings of thoughts, emotions and functions wasn’t so difficult. But it was mutating them. Mind control was easy. She just took control. It was active. She didn’t even need to be inside like this to do it. Just the magic was enough.
But it wasn’t permanent. Permanency was harder. Even the cursed mind control was something she’d gotten a bit of a hang of… because she liked being in control. But permanently changing the mind with her Pink Lux? She just couldn’t get it right. It always bounced back… and it shouldn’t be so hard!
Everything wavered around her, and she took a deep breath. Concentrate.
She’d found what she needed. The part of the brain that caused movement. She knew how to adjust it if she wanted to force someone to move while controlling them. But what she wanted right now was muscle spasms that never went away. A magical chronic illness.
But why even do this? What use is it to you… or to him? Why does he do any of this? Why is he teaching me this?
It didn’t matter. She couldn’t answer any of her questions… and she couldn’t question her father. She’d tried. Hadn’t understood his explanation. Then every other question was seen as defiance.
Magic flowed through her, twisted pink tendrils that latched onto all the areas she needed to change. Slowly, carefully… It hurt. His pain as the shell around them jerked against its bindings hit her. Then, the fighting back. His mind pushed back against the intrusion. More magic, gritted teeth, and she suppressed him.
Done. Her magic pulled away, and she could feel the shift around her as it all went back. No! Fuck! That wasn’t what was meant to happen. It was supposed to stay! Why couldn’t she figure this out? Why?
It just wasn’t working. She couldn’t do it. No, no, she had to get it this time. She had to figure it out before she left his mind. If she failed… he’d punish her again. He wouldn’t talk to her. She’d be left all alone.
More magic. She had to use more magic. Of course it would be harder to make it permanent. But she could. She had enough. Magic flooded out of her and into his mind. It crashed into the spots she’d been carefully adjusting before.
More, more, more, more-
Everything went white.
She couldn’t breathe. Acrid burning filled her nostrils, and she choked on it. The cold floor underneath her hands didn’t feel real. Nothing felt real. How was the floor so close? When had she fallen? Pictures swum in front of her eyes, covering up the shining grey. Was she dying? No. Not her last memories. His.
Vanessa’s head snapped up.
A limp hand came into her still blurry vision. A limp body. His chest… was his chest moving? It had to be. She’d just used too much, he’d passed out. Right? That was it. He’d passed out, so she could just check his mind easily- it wasn’t there. There was nothing there anymore. Nothing for her magic to latch onto. Her curse wasn’t there anymore because his mind was gone.
She’d killed him.
It was difficult to breathe again. Her chest heaved up and down as she curled forward, chest pressing against her legs. She couldn’t… she hadn’t. She had. She’d killed someone. She was a murderer. But she hadn’t meant to! That didn’t matter. He was dead. Oh God, he was dead. She felt sick. Her nails dug into her thighs to stop herself from dry heaving. The pain helped.
”Not the spell I was trying to teach you,” Charles scoffed. His chair screeched against the floor behind Vanessa, and his tailored grey dress pants came into view in front of her. She tilted her head back until she could see his face from where she knelt on the floor. Impassive. But not… disdainful. ”I suppose I no longer have to show you how to kill someone from inside their mind. Well done. I’m surprised you managed to develop a spell yourself.”
It wasn’t like that. She hadn’t been trying to do anything. She hadn’t meant to. But he was… proud of her. He wasn’t disappointed in her. She hadn’t failed. She wasn’t a failure.
Happiness bloomed in her chest, pushing away the heaviness that had settled there. Finally. She’d been failing so much… now he wouldn’t abandon her. He’d love her. Was it worth it? Killing someone. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t really her fault. And he wasn’t upset.
”Get up. That’s enough for today. I suppose there’s enough time for a meal before I proceed with my own work. Come on.”
Vanessa didn’t say anything, just pushing to her shaky feet and following behind Charles’ daunting back. But he felt a little less cold today.
She’d killed someone, but for now she wasn’t going to think about it. Not with her father’s attention like this. She wouldn’t process it until later, lying alone on her Queen sized bed with the lights dimmed. A mindless movie played on her new tablet in an attempt to fill the silent emptiness.
There’d be no peaceful sleep for her tonight. The brief spark from her father’s interest wasn’t enough.
And there would be many, many more restless nights in the future.
Deciduous Apartments, South Side, Westwood “Junglelands”
It was difficult to tell whether it was the light shining through her curtainless window or the memory fueled nightmare that woke Nessa.
She was still stuck in it, one close enough to reality that it played with her mind as her eyes squinted open. She expected to be there- her large, luxurious bedroom filled with things she’d bought to fill the void in her heart. Instead all she saw was a dull, off cream ceiling that was chipped away. The damp patch she’d spent hours staring at was still present in the corner. She wasn’t there anymore. She wasn’t her anymore.
Just Nessa. Not Vanessa Beaumont, not someone that needed to hurt and kill anymore. Does it really matter? It doesn’t change what I’ve done. And is this really better?
She'd been trapped in a nightmare for almost three days, rotting away in bed. Spiralling further down and down with only her thoughts and memories for company. What was the point anyway? Why did she bother trying to live this miserable existence? Did she even deserve it?
It was a sharp knock at the door that finally dragged her out of bed. ‘Bed’ consisted of a small double mattress pushed up in the corner of the room, with a ratty duvet and two flat pillows. It was shit, but it was a bed. The only thing that didn’t look worn as fuck was the small heated pad that hand ended up shoved to the side sometime in the throes of her nightmare. The one ‘luxury’ she’d purchased to present herself from freezing to death in winter.
The rest of the small room wasn’t much better. There were two chairs shoved under a tiny table opposite the mattress. One leg of the table was practically broken, so an unassuming leather journal was shoved underneath it to stabilise it. Behind them, a tiny kitchen - turned off refrigerator, one countertop with storage underneath it and a thankfully working gas stove. The only other piece of furniture was a wonky wardrobe, unused. All her clothes were in a suitcase beside her bed, covering her few remaining ‘valuables’. Mildew creeped across the dingy corners.
There were empty bottles shoved in the corner nearest the door- an ill-considered purchase that she’d hoped would drown her sorrows, and perhaps she wouldn’t wake up from it. Instead she had woken up, so sick that she’d spent the whole day curled over her toilet. At least she didn't need to eat that day…
The knock sounded again, this time louder and more impatient.
”Calm down! I’m fucking coming!”
Nessa groaned, shuffling across the cold floor towards the door. She didn’t bother getting dressed, still in her night clothes - an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants filled with holes. There were very few people who’d bother knocking on her door.
She unlocked the double locks- the only good thing about this miserable fucking place was that she was unlikely to be murdered in her sleep. Sadly. Pulling it open revealed the taller stature of her landlady. Middle aged, she was a South Sider that had gotten lucky and now owned this small apartment block in the worst area of Westwood. Single room apartments that originally hosted short term workers were now filled with the destitute who’d lost everything. People with no hope.
Like her.
“Rents due.” The stern looking woman - Irene, Nessa’s mind slowly supplied - got straight to the point. Dark eyes narrowed at Nessa, while her smile was expectant verging on taunting.
”Today?”
“It’s Monday.”
Shit, was it. She didn’t have the money… Fifty dollars. Fifty fucking dollars, and she didn’t have it.
“Y’know if you pay by the month I won’t visit so much.”
Nessa bit her lip to hold back on the nastier things she wanted to say. She couldn’t piss off the person who allowed her to keep a roof over her head… and who’d taken enough pity on her to allow her to move in and out as she pleased. She even got their utilities at an illegally low rate, found her cheap bedding and blankets. It was the closest thing to sympathy you’d get in this place… it was just the snide comments. She couldn’t stand it.
And she had magic. Nessa had no idea what, but there was a firm emotional field preventing her from intruding.
”I don’t have it. I’ll get it to you tomorrow.”
Irene raised an eyebrow, then laughed. “Will you? You ain’t gonna just walk out with another man, then drag yoursel’ back the next week? You still gotta pay for today.”
Nessa bit her lip again, staring silently. Don’t rise to the bait. Don’t snap.
“Fine. Tomorrow, or you’re out.”
A polite nod, and Nessa let the door close. Locks were clicked back into place.
She was left alone again. Alone to figure out how to not end up on the streets. She’d sold every single expensive thing to her name, bar a small amount of clothing. But if she sold that then she needed to replace it… and the replacements would be lower quality, and require replacing again. She couldn’t do that. And she had to look good.
It would be so easy to solve all of her problems with her magic… but she couldn’t. She refused to use the spells Charles had taught her. If she did then she was no better than him. She’d be complicit. Truly guilty.
I’m already guilty…
A hand came up to touch the cat claw hanging from her right ear.
There was one more thing left to sell. She frowned, crouching in front of her suitcase. An outfit for today was picked out as she rummaged, put on the mattress behind her neatly. Finally she found it- pulling a necklace out by its gold chain. A delicate V hung at the bottom.
It was a gift she’d gotten from her first girlfriend. They were both sixteen at the time, exploring their sexuality for the first time. Nessa had been attracted to women before but she’d never acted on it… until then. It had been a particularly hard time in her life as she started to learn spells so bad she felt she didn’t deserve to live with the ability to cast them.
But she was nice to her. It was one of the first times Nessa actually felt loved. Such a short period of almost happiness. Like everything, it ended. Her girlfriend’s parents found out and forced her to end it. Then Charles found out, and his reaction had been just as bad.
I won’t allow pointless relationships that can’t continue my legacy.
This necklace was all that was left. An expensive trinket from one rich teenager to another. A sentimental keepsake of something that could never be.
Her survival was more important than sentimentality. She’d sell it… but the money wouldn’t last. It just put off the inevitable. She needed to find something to drag her out of this. Someone.
It wasn’t like she could work… her fucking Social Security Number would immediately show who she was, and she’d end up in a cell right next to her father. She couldn’t. So she had to depend on other people. People who she could move in with, or would at least buy her food…
Maybe tonight she’d be lucky, and find the one.
It was a nice hope. Enough motivation for Nessa to pull out her one pan, filling it with water and throwing it on the burner. One pan full of boiling water was thrown into a plastic basin, then another. Finally she put a smaller amount on to boil as she waited for that to cool, pulling out a nearly empty bag of dried pasta.
She’d need to get more food today.
It wasn’t a satisfactory meal, but it was something. She’d grown used to only eating once or twice a day, swallowing down whatever she could get for cheap. She couldn’t afford to be fussy.
By the time she was done the water was cool enough that it wouldn’t burn her. She dragged it into her tiny bathroom, into the square shower that she never actually used. It’s hot water didn’t work. Never had.
Instead she used the water she’d heated up to wipe down her body after stripping off. Days worth of sweat removed until she was as squeaky clean as one could be in this godforsaken place. Then she crouched down, leaning forward to dunk her whole head in. Her thicky, wavy hair was a nightmare to take care of even after she’d cut a good amount of it off. She just couldn’t bear to remove more of it… so she was left struggling to clean it in a plastic basin. She was forced to twist her whole body, arms pulling up to scrub shampoo out of it.
It was good enough.
Time ticked by slowly after she got dressed, waiting for her hair to dry enough that she wouldn’t end up an absolute mess the moment the wind touched it. She filled some of the time by doing her makeup, carefully to only put on as much as she felt she needed. Enhancing her looks, hiding the dark bags beneath her eyes and other blemishes without wasting too much of dwindling supplies.
Eventually her hair dried, and she was satisfied with how she looked. It was time to force herself outside for the first time in days. She’d sell the necklace, then she’d find a guy to spend the night with.
Hopefully it would be more than just a night. A week, a month… anything. Any amount of time where she might not have to worry about where her next meal would come from. And when she wouldn’t be alone, either. It didn’t matter what the company was like. But maybe, if she was really lucky, this time she’d find someone that would help her escape.
Well, goodbye, you three, and if we meet again, I hope it is under better circumstances." With that, Elijah left their company and left the clinic.
Today was still young, and yet it felt like he needs a day off after what happened. He just wanted a buttered croissant and ended up with a monster to fight. Elijah would like to know what exactly that thing was and what its last words meant. Was it a last attempt to strike fear in them, or was it a warning for what was to come?
Elijah let out a sigh as he walked back to his car. He wishes he somehow had access to something that could help him with this. If he still had access to the Watchers' library and resources. This would not be a problem, but he was alone and with little support.
He reached his car and annoyingly opened and closed the door as he got inside and hesitated to start it. He did say things would change today and maybe this is the extra kick he needs to do something he has been thinking about. Either joining a coven or doing the harder bit and starting his own group, bringing back the Watchers.
Elijah took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat, eyes closed. It has been a year, and he still misses them. They could have treated him poorly since he was a Blind turned One Eye Open, but they did not, and plus. His family treated him well even when he was the only non-adept in the family. But that means getting close to people again, and.... he does not want to lose more. Hell, he failed to save someone today and that was a random person. Could he...
"No," Elijah said to himself, and his eyes opened. Pushing the negative thoughts from his mind or now. He needs to think to really think, and if he does, bring back the Watchers and honor their memory. He needs a plan and he does not have one right now. So, Elijah was he started up his car and was going to focus on finishing his remaining tasks today and when he was done. Then, he will think of what to do next. Maybe even scout places that could be used as a base for the Watchers. There are plenty of rundown buildings in Southside that are still unclaimed by anyone.
So Elijah turned on the radio to his favorite station and drove away with a goal in mind. The only thing he can think of right now is if anymore stuff will happen to him today. He hopes not.
Elena took the scrap of paper, glancing at the red crayon scribble with an amused quirk of her lips before carefully tucking it into her jacket pocket. It was endearingly archaic, the kind of thing that felt ripped from a time when things were simpler—before numbers were mindlessly exchanged through screens, forgotten just as fast. But there was something about this, about its sincerity, that struck a chord. Loni wasn’t the kind to scrawl her number on napkins for just anyone. That much was obvious. And that made the gesture feel... significant.
“Guess I should start thinking about what kind of tea suits the occasion, huh? Something tells me you’re not the chamomile type.” Her voice held a teasing lilt, though there was an underlying honesty in her acceptance of the offer.
Her gaze wandered as Loni turned her attention to Luciana, the small girl wrapped in the folds of her mother’s presence. Luciana’s fingers clenched around Loni’s hand as if letting go might send her spiralling into something too vast to face alone. The ghosts of the day still clung to her, coiling in the soft tremors of her shoulders and the barely-there sniffles that punctuated the space surrounding them.
Elena wasn’t great with kids. Not that she disliked them—she just wasn’t used to them. But she could recognize what Luciana had gone through. And, for the second time that day, she found herself glad she had been there.
“Take your time with her. Days like this don’t fade fast,” she said, her voice softer now, lacking its usual humour. “But I’ll hold you to that. Next time, I expect to meet the real Luciana, not the curled-up burrito version.”
Her eyes flicked to the glisten of raw skin peeking beneath the folds of Loni’s adjusted blanket, the wound’s recent history written in shades of red and pink. Healing, but not forgotten. She’d heard stories of Adepts who wielded Green Lux, but witnessing its effects firsthand was something else entirely. It was something both miraculous and unsettling, like watching time itself be rewound.
Her fingers drifted back to the folded note in her pocket, brushing against the edges as if to confirm it was still there. Then, with a slow shift of weight, she angled toward the door. “I should probably get going soon, let you both rest,” she said, though there was no real rush in her tone. “But I’ll keep this.” She patted her jacket where Loni’s number was tucked away. “And I’ll be in touch.”
She meant it. Even if she wasn’t sure yet where this would all lead.
Loni didn’t know enough about tea to get Elena’s joke about chamomile. Was it because it was too fancy? Or just didn’t seem like a flavour she’d like? Loni didn’t know, and she didn’t dwell on it. There wasn’t any point overthinking light teasing!
"I’ll trust your tea choice! I ain’t really the tea type at all,but ‘m sure you’ll fine somethin’ I like." Loni smiled at Elena, while comfortingly curling her hand around Luciana’s. She was glad Elena was willing to see her again. It was difficult to make friends in this city… and while Loni had met many people through her work and coven, it was nice to meet someone outside it. The more friends she had, the better!
And Elena had protected Luciana. Loni already felt a connection.
"Mhm, don’t worry, I’d never rush my baby girl. But she’s a real trooper… Ain’t sure where she got it from, not me." Loni let out a light laugh, her other hand running through Luciana’s curls. It was much easier now that her shoulder was nearly healed. ”She’ll get all the love in the world till she’s better."
Loni meant it completely. She looked down at her daughter with eyes filled with love. The toddler was everything to her… and even though Loni’s tone was light, there was a pain in her heart seeing Luciana still like this. It was only the Black Lux remaining apathy that let her hold it together…
But once she was done here, she could go to Sin Sisters. Luciana would calm down in a familiar place.
"Oh, oh, ‘course, if you gotta go… don’t lemme keep you." Loni was snapped out of it as she realised Elena was talking about leaving. While she didn’t like the idea of being left alone, even for a short while before she went elsewhere… she couldn’t exactly keep Elena. She’d already been nice enough to stay this long.
"Thanks again for stayin’ and all you did for Luciana… Just text me anytime, if I ain’t workin’ I’m around. I’d really like that… if you got in touch. Hmm, Mijita? You wanna see the nice lady again?" Loni shifted her body slightly, raising the little hand in her own as if waving at Elena. Luciana’s head tilted up slightly so her large watery eyes could peer up at her mother. She quickly hid her face against Loni again.
Loni only held her closer, looking over her head at Elena with a smile. "It don’t seem like it, but I think that’s a yes."
