[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FMf0ZUy.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/wXv0v31.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/zIWaQqx.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/o5q3SaQ.png[/img] [/center] [hr][right][code]Monday April 14th, 23:15 Coney Island[/code][/right] Another day, another shift from hell. April meant the proper start to the tourist season. It was calmer than summer, sure, but there were no temps either. There weren't the college students back for the holidays or highschool students with nothing better to do. That meant they didn't have enough fucking staff for all the people. So Bea was having to fill in for all the missing shit… because God forbid the actual manager ever fucking turn up. Which meant she was [I]still[/I] here past eleven on a Monday, ‘locking’ up and making sure everything was ready for tomorrow. Amazing. Perfect. What a shit life. At least she could just go home and drink the rest of the night away… not. The only bright side to this shit was the soda cans Bea snatched from the drink’s stand on her way past. Was she meant to? No. Did she care? Also no. Especially with where she was going tonight. A mansion she was certain had been empty for years because of a letter about [i]magic[/i]. Something that should’ve been a myth. It didn’t seem to be… as much as she kind of wished the creepy, whispering shades following her were just hallucinations. At least that could be treated. Instead, she was probably stuck with them for life. A silver lining, perhaps, was that she didn’t have to go to the murder mansion alone. Rowan, the only person Bea might consider a friend, also had magic. And the same letter. That, or they were in a shared hallucination from a horrendous illness they got from children’s vomit. She’d even waited on the island for Bea to finish closing down the place- something she didn’t need to do as a normal worker here. It was a manager’s job… thus, Bea’s and Bea’s alone. Fucking shithole. But the thought of someone waiting on the shitty little dock with the last boat back to the town sparked a tiny bit of warmth in her. The nicotine as she lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it also helped. It wasn’t exactly a long walk from the tiny staff cabin to the dock. Bea spotted her magician or hallucinator in crime immediately- alone, because of course the old bastard who ran the boat was sitting in his little cabin. Rowan sat patiently on a dock post overlooking the lake. The moon reflected dimly off the still waters. Idly, her right hand thumbed her sketch pencil rolling it up and down the side of her notebook. Up and down, up and down, while her mind worked on the prospect of the new world before them. This [i]was[/i] going to be the day she offered to help lock up with Bea. Frankly, Rowan felt selfish for sitting down on her ass while lock up still needed to be done. But it's not as though Bea floated the idea either and she had bigger things on her mind today. Her hand floated from the pencil and notebook and felt for the letter tucked behind it. She felt nervous when it made contact; it reconfirmed it was real and so was the meeting. She couldn’t help but run through scenarios in her head around what they would see in there. Rowan hated surprises and disliked the notion that they were stepping into a place of unknown people with unknown intentions. Maybe trying to predict what was going to happen was a flawed and purely academic pursuit given that the possibilities of magic were just about infinite, but she couldn’t help it. It amounted to unproductive worrying. [color=475ca0]”Yo! Catch.”[/color] Without much warning, Bea straight up lobbed a can of soda at Rowan. Snapped out of her train of thought, a somewhat startled Rowan turned to see a can of soda coming directly at her. She went to catch it, almost did, and then fumbled around juggling it before finally getting a hold… At least it didn’t hit the ground this time. She looked down and gave a faint smile to a can of cherry cola, her favourite flavour. Maybe [i]some[/i] surprises weren’t so bad. [color=00a651]“How many stalls did they have you running between today?”[/color] She asked, trying to move along from her decidedly uncool display as quickly as possible. [color=475ca0]”Too many,”[/color] Bea groaned, not bothering to hold back the short laugh at the entertainment that was Rowan juggling a soda can. She cracked her own, just plain cola, open and stopped a short distance away. Just to finish huffing down her cigarette, out of respect- she sure didn’t want Rowan getting whatever awful smoke caused cancer she was afflicted with. [color=475ca0]”You’d think after months people would know how to do their jobs, but [i]nooo.[/i] Nevermind the couple that were hellbent on making every teen worker cry.”[/color] She rolled her eyes, flicking the butt of her cigarette into the lake. It was already polluted as fuck, so who cared? Wasn’t like she’d be here to see the consequences. The living shades teeming in her own shadow whispered judgments she ignored. [color=475ca0]”Not sure if all that mundane crap is better or worse than whatever we’re about to walk into.”[/color] Rowan chuckled at the work complaints as she cracked open her can and took a sip. [color=00a651]“Was it that couple that was pretty much attached at the hip? I had the pleasure myself today. All smiles ‘til you did something they slightly didn’t like. Must be fun at home, huh.”[/color] There was a lingering pause as she didn’t go on to talk about the meeting ahead of them. She didn’t want to avoid that talk with Bea; she just wanted to linger in the normalcy for a short moment more. [color=475ca0]”Oh yeah, that’s the one,”[/color] Bea rolled her eyes. Not [i]at[/i] Rowan, but at the thought of that couple. Like her job wasn’t hard enough. [color=475ca0]”Glad they didn’t make you cry, I need at least [i]one[/i] other competent non crying person on this fucking island. Everyone else does one or the other!”[/color] [color=00a651]“Well, I did see Elliot coming out of the toilets in rough shape. Funny, I didn’t think he was the type to get cut up about things like that.”[/color]. Again, there was another pause. But this time Rowan thought it best not to deflect further. She grew inward as those insecurities about the night ahead came back. She stood and made her way to the boat. [color=00a651]“It’s been on my mind since we got the letter. The meeting that is, not the couple. It would be so much easier if it was just us who got this thing, you know? But I doubt that's the case.”[/color] [color=475ca0]”If it was just us, it’d probably be some magical asshole with a vendetta.”[/color] Bea wasn’t so positive about that being easier - then again, she wasn’t so positive about [i]anything[/i]. She hopped onto the waiting boat before speaking again, moving round to the tiny cabin at the front and giving it a bang. [color=475ca0]”Oy, wake up, we’re good to go.”[/color] There was a pause as she leaned against it, and resisted pulling out another cigarette. [color=475ca0]”It’s fucking weird, isn’t it? Whoever sent that letter is [i]either[/i] an absolute creep, or they’ve got some shit to detect all of this… magic. Because it’s not like anyone can see mine. The little shadow bastards just bother me.”[/color] Rowan took a seat patiently at the back of the boat while Bea woke the captain up. The rumble of the old engine kicking itself up heralded her friends return. [color=00a651]“If it was just some creep or a magic asshole with a grudge, then we wouldn’t go to his spooky, abandoned mansion. Easy as that.”[/color] Her mood took a turn for the better each time Bea talked about the letter's sender like a simple, explainable weirdo. [color=00a651]“But I can’t help but [i]feel[/i] like we will get some answers to all this there. That draws me in like you wouldn’t believe. Just can’t be sure if that's some kind of lure working against me… us.”[/color] [color=475ca0]”Lure for what? To kill us in some kinda cult ritual?”[/color] Bea shrugged as she also sat down. Rowan was probably right that they’d get answers there… or at least, Bea trusted her friend’s gut more than her own. [color=475ca0]”Or worse, maybe it’s to make us do some stupid, heroic magic shit. Trapping us into free fucking labour- Like I don’t already do enough of that.”[/color] [color=00a651]“You say all that like it isn’t a possibility.”[/color] Rowan thought on it a little more and smiled. [color=00a651]“I hope it is some heroic mage thing. You could just give them some kind words and we walk out.”[/color] She joked. Bea let out a short laugh at that. [color=475ca0]”Oh yeah, the heroic kinda people won’t be able to handle me. My magic really isn’t made for that shit anyway- who wants shadowy shit?”[/color] [color=535264][i]We’re all going to diieee![/i][/color] On queue, one of the shadows clawing for her attention whispered from below her. Bea just shook her head. [color=475ca0]”Be glad you can’t hear ‘em… but you’re right. If it’s that and we get to walk I’ll be [i]delighted[/i]. In bed by 1am? The fucking dream. Meetings about magic in a creepy mansion are the opposite of any dreams.”[/color] Rowan leaned back on the side of the boat, looking up to the night above with a long sigh. [color=00a651]“But we’re going to go anyway, aren’t we?”[/color] Try as she might, the girl was a slave to her own curiosity lately. It was just a fear that needed to be faced, even if the thought made her shake a little. A fun memory returned to her in that moment, curving her lips up to a grin. She tilted her head upward slightly to look at Bea again. [color=00a651]“You want me to bring marshmallows and a flashlight?”[/color] Bea didn’t respond immediately, head slowly turning to hit Rowan with a deadpan stare. There was an old, fuzzy memory. What Bea remembered most, aside from the terror of nearly being killed by a ‘monster’ that was probably a massive raccoon in hindsight, was- [color=475ca0]”You actually going to come this time? You won’t run home and cower under your bed like you did then?”[/color] [color=00a651]“Who knows? It’s a little different now that ghosts actually exist this time around and my bed is awful comfy.”[/color] There was a pause, she was being coy. [color=00a651]“No, I’m not letting you go in alone.”[/color] [color=475ca0]”Well thank fuck, someone’s gotta hold me back if the culprit is actually just a nice magic nerd.”[/color] Bea laughed slightly, shaking her head. The boat was almost at the dock on the other side now… which meant just a drive between them and their destination. She wasn’t [i]scared[/i], just… apprehensive. [color=475ca0]”[i]And[/i] to backup my story about getting into an accident if I- we- end up late for work tomorrow.”[/color] [color=00a651]“Of course, what are friends for if not ready alibis?”[/color] [hr][right][code]Monday April 14th, 23:58 13 Mourningdove Lane[/code][/right] The Coney Island duo arrived at Mourningdove Lane after a few pit stops to get ready for the meeting. Under Bea’s request, they took the time to pass by each of their houses to change. They didn’t want to scream to the others that, if they wanted us, they could come to Coney Island. Plus general taste prevented them from going to a meeting of the mages looking like minimum wage. Parked up a short distance from the house, they waited a few minutes on Rowan’s request. They watched a few shadows passing into the house but a cloud passing over the moon made it hard to make out any features. Only one frightfully tall silhouette stood out as remarkably unique. But it was hard to conclude it was the guy they thought it was. Could have just as easily been an out-of-town goliath. Who knows how far these letters stretched? Rowan had thoughts about asking Bea to turn the car around. But a short chat later she was already convinced to step out of the car and approach the mansion. Outside the door, she rolled the flashlight in one hand. They had foregone the marshmallows but a source of light seemed appropriate. [color=00a651]“Ready?”[/color] Rowan asked, but didn’t reach for the door handle. Bea hadn’t bothered with a flashlight- because she didn’t actually own one. Instead, she just had her lighter in one hand, feeling a bit ridiculous with the little flame. Their lights cast even darker shadows, and the living ones took great joy in dancing within them. They flickered across the corners of her eyes. Really… nothing inside could be worse than that, right? But as much as she didn’t admit it, now that she was here she didn’t really want to step through the door. Not out of fear. More a feeling it would change things… and shit never changed for the better. [color=475ca0]”I really think we should’ve brought the marshmallows. What if we get hungry while we’re sacrificed?”[/color] [color=00a651]“Shit, you’re right. I’ll bring them the next time we get sacrificed.”[/color] What followed was a half-hearted chuckle. They both knew that the jokes were to get their minds off the scary unknown ahead. Now that unknown was only feet away on the other side of a normal, if large, set of wooden doors. They both looked at the door handle but neither reached for it. [color=00a651]“You want to do it? Or should I?”[/color] Bea looked at Rowan, then back at the door, with a frown. Did it matter? It did, a bit. Whoever went first had less chance of making it out if there was some horror beyond the door. So… [color=475ca0]”I’ll do it. Cause I have no chance of seeing shit over your head.”[/color] The longer they hesitated the worse it would be. So Bea took the final step, moving in front with her hand going for the handle. Of course, the door opened itself the moment she tried. Because of course it did. Fucking magic. [color=475ca0]”Well… fuck. If you hear a scream, run.”[/color] Then, Bea stepped inside and Rowan followed close behind.