BlueAjah

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

Coven Meeting

Nina smiled brightly as the cookies she brought disappeared within seconds. It was the small moments like these she loved. The Coven might be highly unorganized and dysfunctional, but they were some of the only friends she had. She cherished them dearly, especially Maya who had kindly opened her apartment up to Nina the past week. Nina was still wondering how she’d repay her. Maybe she’d paint her something again. Or maybe she’d bake her some more brownies.

“I’m doing better,” Nina mumbled as Maya took a seat beside her. Nightmares were still keeping her awake but things would be much worse without Maya’s help. Emily shortly after made her appearance and explained the strange deal with Mr. Schmidt. Money didn’t seem a good reason to risk exposure again. She kept quiet during the meeting though. Even if she didn’t want to go, Nina refused to stay behind anymore.

Mr. Schmidt Meeting

Squished into the corner of the elevator, Nina counted the seconds until they were finally released into fresh air. She let out a deep breath of relief. Goodness, this was a bad idea. Glancing around the rather lavish rooftop bar, Nina couldn’t help but feel out of place. Was she even allowed to be up here? She wasn’t old enough to drink. Looking down at her casual jeans and shirt, she felt her face flushed in embarrassment. The heat wasn’t helping either.

Following Emily’s indirect suggestion, Nina simply nodded to Mr. Schmidt and his wife as she took a seat beside Maya. The couple was indeed beautiful and Nina couldn’t help but stare at them. What would life be like with that kind of money? It seemed too extravagant for Nina but imagining a life of endless vacation did sound nice. Money couldn’t buy everything though.

As the group began exchanging greetings and talking, Nina remained quiet. She wasn’t a leader and although she didn’t think this was a good idea, she didn’t want to ruin it for them either. Following along with the conversation, Nina flinched at the mention of Mr. Schmidt’s scandalous rumors. In front of his wife? She glanced over to Mrs. Schmidt and hoped for her sake, the rich businessman was faithful. Although considering the tone he used when speaking Maya’s name… Did they really want to make this deal with him?

Nina’s face grew warmer as the conversation continued on. Why was it so hot? She felt a wave of exhaustion and her shoulders slumped in response. Hopefully this meeting would be over soon. Maya suddenly turned her attention to Mrs. Schmidt and Nina gave the woman a warm smile. “Be careful, Maya,” Nina finally spoke as Maya stood to give a demonstration. She knew Maya was more than capable but she hated the strain it took on her hearing.

Stories from Idumea: Children of Avveel

Allet folded her arms. A feeling? While Allet herself was curious about the boy, it seemed strange Alfaru was so interested. Even Sylvaine seemed suspicious of him. Although she was quick to abandon the situation and follow after Numair. “Alfaru, I don’t know..” She mumbled. Torn between a warm meal and staying to watch over Alfaru, Allet wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted to trust him but they hardly knew each other.

Amidst her inner struggles, Alfaru took out a book from his belongings and muttered words she couldn’t hear. The young boy’s body suddenly glowed and the slab he pushed against moved. Allet had to blink several times. What kind of magic did Alfaru possess?

“Uhh… Alfaru, what did you do?” Allet walked closer to stand beside him. She watched the boy as he suddenly let go of the slab and her eyes widened with horror. The boy’s screams rattled Allet’s bones. She had healed many people in her mom’s shop but watching helplessly as the slab crushed the boy’s legs was horrific. Grabbing her medicine bag, Allet sprinted toward him.

“You’re going to be okay,” She whispered to both the boy and herself, trying to keep her voice steady. She couldn’t lose control here. Taking several deep breaths, Allet put all her strength into lifting the slab. Try as she might, it was simply too heavy for her. “Alfaru, please! we need to get this off his legs!”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Nina smiled brightly as she made her way into work. Scents of fresh coffee grounds and chocolate muffins filled the small and quaint cafe. The owners of the cafe were a lovely elderly couple. They were avid readers and it showed throughout the decor and atmosphere of the cafe. Hundreds of books lined the walls and even drinks on the menu took inspiration from book characters. Nina absolutely adored the cafe and everyone who worked and visited there. She only worked once a week but spent much of her free time at the cafe.

She was greeted by Josh, who had worked at the cafe since he was in high school. Nina loved working with him. He was always calm and knew how to think through every situation.

“Hi Josh! How did your exam go?” Josh was currently a junior at the University of Tampa studying biology. While she had never gone to college, hearing Josh talk of his time there made her want to.

“It went well, I suppose. I didn’t study as much as I should have,” he mumbled as he pulled out some pastries from the oven. Nina signed in before helping Josh continue with the baking for the morning.

“Aw, well you have a lot on your plate. It’s okay to not study as much from time to time.”

“I know.. I just kind of lost my passion for it all. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken summer classes,” Josh sighed.

“It’ll be worth it though when you go to Japan next year! You’ll have to take lots of pictures when you do. We’ll all miss you here!” Nina admired how hardworking Josh was. He had two jobs to help pay his bills on top of classes. How he managed, Nina had no idea. High school was difficult enough for her.

“It’s the only thing that keeps me going. Thank you, Nina. I’ll miss your positivity while I’m gone.”

They continued working toward the morning opening, following the checklist and chatting as they went. When they were finally ready to open, Marianne was already waiting at the door. She was a regular who always stopped by after her morning jogs. The rest of the day was relatively steady. While the cafe didn’t get much business, it was enough for the two to keep busy.

On her break, Nina messaged Maya to see how the Coven meeting was going. She felt bad for missing a meeting but she could never call in from work unless of an absolute emergency. Hopefully the casino would still be in pieces when she came back.

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

I’m sorry I haven’t been active recently! Classes ended Friday and my procrastination finally caught up with me. But I’m officially done with the semester! I’ll try to catch up with everything that happened today or tomorrow!

Stories from Idumea: Children of Avveel

Allet’s stomach growled in protest as she continued watching the child move rocks and mumble under his breath. Where were his parents? It didn’t seem right that the child was out here alone. Numair clearly had enough and abandoned the group to continue on the path to town. She couldn’t tell if she was more annoyed or relieved. But he did have a point.. While the boy did seem distressed, was it appropriate for them to even intervene? He didn't appear to be hurt or have any wounds. Allet couldn't find a reason to stay watching him for much longer.

“Should we just move along? I think we’ve all earned some rest. We might make the situation worse if we bother him too. Did you see anything Alfaru to suggest otherwise?”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

“Ahh, thank you!” Nina grinned and began munching on Maya’s gimbap. “Mmmmm!” She had never tried many asian dishes before but this was super tasty! It was the perfect snack. Nina made a mental note to ask Maya for the recipe after the meeting. Maybe she could even convince her to teach her the dish in person!

The group grew quiet as Agatha made her announcements. Skeletons? Serial killers? Nina could feel her heartbeat grow quicker and inched her chair toward Maya. Why was Agatha so interested in investigating something like that? Nina wanted to help others too but this was just too dangerous. Someone could really get hurt. She clutched her mother’s locket before speaking, “I agree with Madison. That seems really dangerous and scary.”

Kaya followed Agatha’s news with another unsettling story. She frowned upon seeing Kayla’s dog and the large bruise under his fur. Who could hurt a dog? Especially one as precious as Oleander. She followed behind Izzy to him and began scratching behind his ear. “Such a good doggo!” She looked up to see Izzy healing him and relief washed over her. Nina continued petting Oleander for a few minutes before returning to her seat beside Maya.

“And one last thing... They're vampires."

...What? Vampires? Every day spent in the Coven was never boring, that was for sure. “I don’t know... What if something happens? I know they hurt Oleander, and that’s terrible, but violence with violence only gets more people hurt.” It seemed as though the whole group was intent on battling these vampires, including Maya. Nina shook her head. There would always be times people would disagree with her, and that was okay. She couldn’t stop them, she just hoped they’d be careful.

One moment she could see everyone, the next, the entire area was covered in darkness. Nina yelped and almost fell out of her chair. What in the world? She couldn’t hear anything except Claudette’s voice, shouting at them to settle down. She had to blink several times before seeing clearly again. Kayla continued answering questions before rushing out the door. Nina remained sitting at the table, looking around the room. What would mom do?

Facing Maya, Nina couldn’t help but speak her mind. “Are you really going to go, Maya? What if someone gets hurt? I think this is really dangerous. I don’t want to abandon everyone but I don’t know.. I don’t think I could handle that.”

Nina wasn’t sure she’d like the direction the Coven was heading toward. She only hoped she could find the courage to stay by everyone’s side.

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

@FernStone

Ahhh sorryyy!! People were posting so fast, I wanted to get mine up as soon I could!

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Nina had to blink several times before seeing the disaster unfolding before her. How long had she been asleep? Was she still dreaming? Drool remained on the table she had just dozed off on. She cringed at the sight. Napping before this meeting had not been the best idea, especially considering the current scene. Extending her arms out in a stretch, Nina let out a yawn. Coffee. She needed more coffee. Maybe ice cream too. Both sounded amazing.

Nina’s eyes drifted back to the griffin destroying the already run-down casino. She definitely wasn’t dreaming. She couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. Even being with the coven for the past few months, she still wasn’t used to this. There was nothing Nina could do as the griffin threw Claudette into Madison. Pizza flew everywhere. “Oh no!” Nina cried out. As much as Nina wanted to help when these fights broke out, she didn’t have an abstraction that would be of much use. Not that she wanted one though. She liked being able to support people. Hopefully no one would get hurt today though.

At the sight of Maya walking through the door, Nina beamed with excitement. She had so much to tell her! It had been almost a week since they last saw each other. She waved before heading over to her. Making sure to avoid the slot machines being hurtled at Sin, Nina found a seat beside Maya. “Maya!” She exclaimed. Even if Maya grew annoyed with her sometimes, Nina really liked Maya and enjoyed her company. “Oooh food! Can I have some?”

When Agatha arrived at the casino, Nina sighed in relief. She held up her arm to shield her eyes from the blinding light of Agatha’s magic as it filled the room. Maybe they’d get to start the meeting soon. Nina didn’t always understand the topics they discussed but it was just nice to be around people like her. She especially enjoyed hanging out afterwards. Except when they went to the beach… Nina’s eyes widened at Madison’s suggestion. Please not the beach... “Maybe we can all stay and clean up the casino instead? We could decorate it too, it could be fun!” She looked to Maya for encouragement.

Ellie stood up from the counter and scolded Emily of Babylon’s actions. Oh no.. Ellie always spoke her mind, it was something Nina admired about her. She could even stand up to the ancient almighty fire apparition. But sometimes, she could come off as a bit cold. Nina flinched when Babylon and Emily bit back. So much negativity… Nina wished everyone could just get along. Everyone could be so much happier if they tried to see each other’s perspectives.

Nina was about to head over to Ellie when Sin stopped beat her to it and introduced herself. “Awww!” Nina smiled at the sight. Friendship! It was a welcomed change of atmosphere.

More people began making their way into the casino. Nina straightened her posture as Kayla announced her business. As serious as Kayla’s tone was, Nina hoped others would begin to sit down and listen. Jess and Herik soon joined the group in the casino and Nina waved to both of them. Things were beginning to look up!

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

Sorry it's taking me so long to get a post up. I broke my laptop and then our internet went out. It's been an unlucky weekend lol. I'll try my best to have one up by tonight though!