Mixtape Ghost N
Zombiedude101
Atrophy
Estylwen
Blizz
AtomicEmperor
NoriWasHere
Silly
Snowdrops
BlazingBark
Dairy QueenJack left with Sloane and then Drake also left, which was good in Luca’s opinion. It did leave him awkwardly standing around with two women he didn’t know particularly well. Really he wanted to take some of his fast acting painkillers, but it would be awkward to do in front of others. Later.
“Uh, the others went to some stripclub, I think,” Luca answered Lila, rubbing the back of his neck while he tried to remember the name. V something. “Vini? Or something? It was Latin.”
He then looked at the massive amount of crows watching them… Yeah, sure did get bigger. Half joking, he said, “Your crows aren’t able to pick up medical supplies, are they?”
If not, which was likely, he'd just head home and deal with it.
“I mean,” Lila stopped as she leaned on her back foot, “I never tried to use them for something like that.” Lila knew that the crows could do much, whether she needed to find someone or locate something she lost, yet she had never had them try and locate a medical device, much less a brace. “But you’re hurt, so it is worth a try you know?”
“Put faith in them, I think you will find them quite capable.” The Maiden whispered. Lila looked over to her left ear and shook her head. There was something.. Off about her voice, it was almost too pleasant.
Lila reached into her bag and grabbed a plastic bag with a combination of unsalted peanuts, dried fruit, and plain unsalted popcorn. She looked up at the crows all around and shook the bag. A deafening *caw* responding in unison. “Alright, I offer you this treat. In return, you will locate and bring back a brace for Luca here. You will not steal it from a kid, nor will you steal it from someone older. Figure it out if you don’t find one on the streets, and don’t you all go hunting,” she paused as she shook the bag one more time, “we have a deal?”
*caw* *caw* *caw*
In an instant, the skies darkened as the murder began to circle above. “Alright,” Lila said as she opened the bag and tossed the contents on the ground at her feet. Half her murder descended at once, and a feeding frenzy took shape on the ground. For five seconds the crows devoured the offering before they quickly returned to the sky. They departed at once, spreading out from the Dairy Queen in a circular formation spreading across the city at once. Lila knew that if there was a way for the crows to find one they would, and if they had to rip it from the broken arm of some teenage boy they would do that for her. “They shouldn’t be long, even on the weird requests they are oddly efficient.”
“So, Vini or something,” Lila paused as she contemplated if she even knew the name of any strip clubs, “that’s a start.” Lila looked around the area once more and finally noticed the trash can near the door and she quickly tossed the wrapper into the trash.
”Thanks,” Luca flashed Lila a genuine, if slightly pained, smile. ”I’ll buy you some replacement snacks.” Not that he was sure what crows liked… well, he’d just ask her when they got to that. ”Yeah, sorry I can’t remember the actual name. I’m sure Sloane would’ve… Maybe text Auri, she was the one that found the lead.”
“I can see if I can get anything from a possible future, at least I can narrow down the search a bit that way,” Evelynn paused as she steadied her footing. “Keep an eye out for me, I’ll be out for five or so minutes,” she finished the thought, channeled her power, and drifted off to a few possible futures.
“So, Luca, we have a few minutes to spare while the space cadet is off to the future and the crows are out looking for the brace,” Lila paused as she took a step forward. She did not remember much of the specifics of Luca’s power but she did remember that she could not get very close to him without falling into decay. She did have questions that she wanted to ask, yet she did not want them to be brought up to just everyone. Lila knew that Luca had Rot inside of him, and she wondered if Rot ever talked to him, or if it ever asked him to leave the town, venture far into the woods without anyone for help, to meet face to face finally.
“I do doubt that Rot would ever ask that,” The Maiden whispered again.
“Shut up, shut up,” Lila whispered, turning her eyes towards her left ear. “Great,” Lila thought as the realization dawned on her. “You can read my thoughts." She quickly turned back towards Luca and laughed. “Do you mind if I ask a few questions about your aberration?”
”Uh…” The question visibly threw Luca off guard, his smile faltering and eyes widening. He supposed it made sense, if Lila was dealing with something similar. He couldn’t quite remember if she was. He quickly shoved away the negative thoughts he had about talking about it, smiling brightly once again. ”Sure, ask away! I’ve got plenty of aberration knowledge outside of my own too.” Thanks to ten years of research, and no results. ”So whatever you want to know, I can probably answer.”
Lila turned her focus to the ground. She knew she needed to have this conversation, she needed to find out more about what was happening to her, but the thought of actually talking it through felt like she was speaking the crazy into reality. She could keep it hidden, of course, and simply speak in a general sense. Like “what was it like” or “how are you adjusting” or anything besides the actual true question she wanted to ask.
“How did you know if an aberration was bound to you? Like, did you just wake up one day with a voice in your ear, telling you to let it in, take a trip into the forest, and meet it in its world,” Lila paused, “because I have had these crows for ten years, and in those ten years I haven’t shared my mind with anything after the snake, and something’s changed,” she felt a weight fall off her shoulders, She leaned in close, feeling the aura hit her forehead for a brief second before she pulled it back an inch, “The Maiden, it calls itself,” she paused as she crossed her arms. Her leg began to shake. “Have you run across anything in your research that could explain it, or anything about The Maiden?”
Luca furrowed his brow, trying to recall if he had. Most of his research had been focused on getting rid of apparitions, why they adjoined to people and the like. He’d come across information about a few specific ones, but most of it was from talking to other adjoined. The Maiden… Unfortunately he hadn’t heard of it.
”I haven’t heard of the Maiden… Or of anyone having an abstraction, then getting adjoined and keeping it.” Luca paused, thinking for a moment. ”Maybe it was always there? I don’t know. For me, yeah, it was waking up one day with a voice in my ear… But I woke up with that and the rotting. It was pretty obvious something was wrong when I tried to pick up my phone and it disintegrated in my hands.” He laughed lightly, as if it was a funny thing to look back on rather than an everyday nightmare. ”The Rot’s quite quiet, actually. It maybe talks to me once every few days… It’s certainly never told me to meet it. I’m pretty sure it lives inside me. But it’s always talked a bit, since I was adjoined to it ten years ago. I can sort of tell it's always there, too.”
Always there. The Maiden was always there. That wasn’t what Lila heard Luca say but it was all that her mind would repeat. From that first moment, the crows began to follow her, waiting for their first order, to them blinding monsters on the battlefield, to everything that has happened since The Maiden was always there. The more she let that idea sit, the more her leg shook, and the more she shook the faster she breathed.
“I don’t like that idea,” Lila spoke somewhere between her normal voice and a whisper, “that she was always here, you know? Like, why now? Why reveal yourself now? I don’t like it, I don-” Lila paused as she pressed her palms to her temple, took in a deep breath, and exhaled. She felt a little bit better after she did this, although she still kept the shaking leg. “Yours is quiet compared to mine. More questions that need answers I suppose,” she chuckled. Lila realized that The Maiden was oddly quiet. Lila pondered her next question, should she ask where Luca started his research into his? Or should she ask them if they know anyone else who could provide more information? What if she asked him to ask his apparition? That might work, at least in theory. These things had to have crossed paths at some point in time, right? The more she thought the more she realized that the conversation would not go on like this for much further. She would not be able to go on with this conversation for much longer. She would spiral, she would need to run home, and she quite enjoyed being in the company of her old friends once more. As well, she knew she had not caught up with her old friend yet. With a smile, she went to change the subject. “Thank you for that information, you are the best as always. How have you been since the Coven? You look good, all things considered,” she finished the sentence with a smile.
”It’s a little difficult, but you get used to sharing your mind,” Luca smiled sympathetically, not pushing on the matter. It was obvious Lila wanted to change the topic and Luca was more than happy to. He didn’t like talking about the rot at all. Though the topic change did come with the dreaded question - how have you been. The honest answer was awful, but he never gave the honest answer. ”Yeah, pretty good. I’ve managed to get a decent remote job that funds all my destroyed phones, and I’m living pretty well.” Outside of the whole rotting from the inside and not being able to be near other people thing. ”I did lose contact with Olivia a week ago… Dunno if you remember her, we were always together when the Coven was still together. That didn’t change much, honestly, till she moved away a few years back… Hopefully she’s alright. I haven’t heard anything bad from her family, so I’m sure it’s fine-”
Luca abruptly cut himself off, shifting awkwardly. ”Sorry, I’m rambling, I haven’t talked to anyone properly in a while.” Two weeks before today, to be precise, when he last called Olivia. ”How’s it been for you? Aside from all the new crows.”
”All things considered? Pretty good, yeah things have been in an alright spot since the Coven. I grew a spine which was pretty exciting,” Lila chuckled, “but I have been good. And I do remember Olivia,” she paused as she pondered the situation, “did she go missing here? I can use my crows to search the town and the surrounding area for any signs of her, I’d just need a picture to show them.”
”No, Oklahoma,” Luca shook his head. ”She moved a while back, but thanks.”
“Your crows will return soon,” Evelynn spoke as she returned to the present. She turned to the group and smiled. “Veni Vedi Veni,” the smile vanished quickly, “Auri asked if I knew the first letter why didn’t I just google St. Portwell Strip Clubs and look for the ones that start with a V but that is neither here nor there.”
“Did they have a brace?” Lila asked with a raised brow. “Please say yes,” she thought to herself.
“About seventy percent of the time, yes,” Evelynn said with a smile, “I cant speak to where they found it, but they usually got it back before Auri responds to my text,” Evelynn paused as she glanced at her phone, “which should be in ten minutes.” Evelynn looked over to Lila and did a quick full-body glance. “Long time no see to you as well, Lila. So. The Maiden was it,” Evelynn paused as she thought for a moment. She grabbed the flask from her bag, opened it, and took a quick swig. She extended the flask out, first towards Drake, then Lila, and finally Luca. “If you ever need me to see what she wants I can always look ahead for you,” she paused as she crooked her head and shifted her eyes away from the group, “provided you give me a place to sit for a few days and can ensure nothing happens to me during that time otherwise,” she chuckled as she shifted her eyes back towards Lila, “would have to start all over again.”
“Do you think you can actually learn something about her that way,” Lila asked with a hushed tone.
“Possibly,” Evelynn responded in a dry tone. “I can’t guarantee it, and it would take a lot of time, but if you ever need my help I can at least try.” She took another drink from her flask. She offered it to the group once more. “Whisky.”
”No thanks,” Luca shook his head, holding up his good hand with a smile. Drinking alcohol with a body that was barely functioning wouldn’t be smart. He had no idea what state his liver was in. Probably not a good one, like the rest of him. At least he should be getting a wrist brace… He turned to Lila. ”If it’ll work, I think it’d be worth looking ahead to see what she wants. One thing I’ve learned is to not trust apparitions.” Not that he needed to do more than live with the Rot in his head for a few days to figure that one out. ”Otherwise, talk to one of the others who knows more about magic, like…” he hesitated, lips twisting downwards for just a moment, ”Britney.”
“Britney….” Lila responded first. She grabbed the flask from Evelynn and took a long drink. “Oh that..I think that is just a grand idea, I think I would like to talk to Britney.”
“... Britney,”
A girl off to the side said as a group of three people caught the attention of Lila and Luca… they would be three people that they would be very familar with.
Being members of the Old Coven.
The one who spoke was a very short girl, known as Carol Doyle, one of the casualties during the final battle. She wore a grey hoodie, a black skirt, and black combat boots. She had a Milkshake that she drunk as she stared down the three, then she turned to Luca.
“When are you going to stop being such a pussy and just kill her already? Just wrap your fucking hands around her neck and decay it away - and if anyone tries to stop you, you fucking kill them, too!”
The next person to speak was another old and infamous sight in the old Coven, and unlike Carol, he was massive. At least seven and a half feet tall, wearing a sweater, jeans, and hiking boots. He was George Nelson, big-time bully, and one of the many frontlines on the battle against the Stygian Snake. He crossed his arms and smiled as he said,
“If you won’t do it, then just lead me to her…. I’ll take care of the rest from there! You can watch and everything!” He laughed.
”Hi Carol, George,” Luca said with an awkward politeness, as if they hadn’t just come up and told him to kill someone. He hadn’t seen them since he last looked to 8th Street for help… which had been far too recent for his liking when it came to George at least. ”I don’t want her dead… Unlike both of you, I’ve moved on.”
Luca winced. Was that too harsh? Maybe he was a coward, hiding away his feelings, not killing her- Nope! He was just reasonable! ”I don’t even know where she is, anyway. I saw her, like, once.”
“… You can’t move on while that thing is killing you, Luca,” Carol answered, “Stop fucking lying to yourself.”
”Carol, oh my god hi,” Lila smiled before she shifted her eyestowards George, “George..” Great. Out of everyone to run into today she happened to run across one of the more vile people from her childhood. While he never stuffed her in a locker, nor did he ever physically hurt her in general, he still bullied her relentlessly at every chance he had. That continued into their time together at the Coven.
“Your bully,” The Maiden whispered, “he did not change I take it?”
Lila shook her head side to side as she shifted her gaze over to Luca.
“Soooo, it has been a long time you two,” Evelynn did not like how hostile the conversation started. She knew that the two would never run with their coven again, and while she could not blame them for that she suspected that they were not here looking to catch up on the crazed adventures of old. She also did not like that they were not present in any of her visions from just before. If it was just one possible future she would chalk that up to the sheer number of variables that could change the path of the two, but when she looked as many as she did she knew a sudden appearance could mean something weird.
“I don’t know where Britney is,” Evelynn shifted her weight onto her back foot, “if you want I can peer into a few possible futures for you. See if I get lucky on a text or something.”
"Let's not, better to leave Britney out of this," Luca shook his head at Evelynn. He would rather take whatever they had to say than direct them towards Britney… much as she'd ruined his life. He looked back at Carol, smiling as if her comment hadn't hit a nerve. He hadn't wanted anyone in the coven to know that, he hated it being voiced. He clenched his fist, short nails digging into the palm of his hands. The pain barely registered as he tried to talk cheerfully, as if they were just nicely catching up. "Honestly, Carol, I've accepted that… Y'know. That I'm… yeah… well, I've accepted it. That's basically moving on. Hurting Britney won't exactly stop it. Better to use our energy looking for a way to fix our problems, right?"
For someone who claimed to accept it, he struggled a lot to actually vocalise it. Carol could bluntly say his abstraction was killing him, but Luca couldn't. He turned back to Lila and Evelynn, "Uh, don't think too hard about what she said." Smooth. Definitely making it seem not serious.
“... Then tell me, why did you leave 8th St when I told you I was working on something? Sycamore only reformed to save their own asses…” Greta fixed her glasses and stared Luca dead in the face as she flatly said, “They’re not going to help you, and you know it.”
That was when a third person walked up, holding a little cup of chocolate ice cream… known as the girl that Daisy scorned, Greta Faust. A girl with dyed red hair, and glasses wore a studded leather jacket, jeans, and spiked boots. She spoke with a very nasally voice.
“I didn’t get an invitation to the little… reunion…”
“Heh, me neither!” George said.
“I got one, but I told Auri to fuck off!” Carol answered.
“Isn’t that funny?” Greta lightly chuckled.
"Hey Greta… You know why I left," Luca couldn't quite meet her gaze, looking away. He did feel bad about that because she had been helping. Greta was one of the 8th Street members he actually liked. But he couldn't stay when they started stealing artifacts, and with Emily's increasingly brutal methods to try to get rid of other groups. He'd said as much to some of the more reasonable members when he left. "I'd rather help everyone stay alive than help Emily take over. I'm not going back to help myself, anyway… but I thought Auri invited everyone."
He glanced at George, who was understandably uninvited, then back at Greta. "She didn't invite you? But Daisy wasn't even there…"
“That bitch Auri just cherrypicked the people she liked!” Carol shouted, followed by cocky laughter.
But Greta shrugged.
“I guess she knew it was a waste of time because I wasn’t going anyway,” Greta said as she put a hand on her hip. “My time with Sycamore is over.”
“I wouldn’t think too much about Greta’s ideas on how to fix Luca, or yourself,” The Maiden whispered, “I don’t trust her.” Lila shook her head in response. She knew that The Maiden was right, in this instance. While she had her own issues that led to her not joining back, she did not want Britney dead.
“I got an invite but I opted out,” Lila shrugged, “too much bad in the past for me to consider it. I may need to reach out to a few of them here soon, but I want to keep my distance.” Lila turned her attention towards Luca. She wondered what help Greta offered him. While Lila loved her murder and would do anything for them, she did not like The Maidens's sudden appearance and wanted to know as much as she could. “Hey Greta, how versed are you in Apparitions, named ones?”
“A mistake,” The Maiden whispered.
“Maybe I know something...” Greta shrugged, “... Maybe I don’t, but maybe our little supernatural expert Nadine…“ She paused and briefly glanced at Luca, “... Does. However, I’m not lifting a finger for anyone not in the 8th Street Coven.”
“I was going to be with the coven today but I have a bad habit of having bad luck at the worst time,” Evelynn said with a chuckle, “Somehow ended up here, at a Dairy queen of all places. I didn’t think I’d ever run with a group again until these deaths started happening and the future offered no solutions.”
“My point exactly,” Greta said, “Even though we are literally dying; Auri is sitting around trying to play favorites. Inviting the people she does like, while the rest of us are just… left in the dark.”
“Fuck Auri, fuck Britney, and fuck Sycamore,” Carol said, “You two should come over to our side. Emily has a plan for everything. Auri does not.”
“Come back to 8th Street, Luca,” Greta started, “We have a place for you.”
Luca frowned. Greta had a point… Luca had assumed Auri had invited everyone back because they were all dying. Even if they wouldn't come, she should've given them the choice. His head hurt just thinking about it and he could feel the rot stirring in his mind, pushing him in a direction he didn't want to go. "I, uh, really appreciate it. I liked 8th Street, before Emily started having everyone hurt people. The Nazis were one thing, but everyone after…"
Luca trailed off, looking back at Lila and Evelynn. "You should ask them what they do before you consider joining. Maybe it's worth it for you."
Greta deviously grinned.
“We, the 8th Street Coven, ensure the safety of St. Portwell by achieving the magical domination and subjugation of other factions.” She looked at Lynn and Lila, pointing at Luca.
“He refuses to tell you about how St. Portwell is in chaos… the Elite, the Nazi-Cosplayers, the PRA… they all prey on this city, and he must be delusional if he thinks you can play nice against them.”
"That doesn't mean we should hurt them either," Luca said softly.
“You know there will be cost, ask yourself if you are willing to pay it,” The Maiden whispered.
“What’s the cost of entry,” Lila asked as she lowered her eyes.
“A hundred dollars, paid to me up front,” Greta put her hand out, grinning like a fool.
Lila did not intend to join 8th St, she did not want to join Sycamore. She just wanted to live her life free of the chaos that a coven brought. While she wanted to learn more about who The Maiden was, what she wanted, and why she was chosen, she did not want to hurt people for those answers. At least not yet. For now, Lila knew that it was better to seek help from a devil she knew rather than risking the likes of the 8th Street. At least not yet. Lila shifted her attention back towards Luca and gave him a quick smile. She hoped that it would communicate that she was not going to truly hear them out, that she was just going to pretend and listen to them, and take his recommendation and seek out Britney. Yet something in her brain told her she needed to get The Maiden figured out, to get The Maiden out forever, and something in her brain told her she needed to start now.
“The cost will be paid for with blood, the blood of your friends, and the blood of the innocent people of St. Portwell.”
“I don’t think I will be interested,” Evelynn paused as she took another swig from her flask. She gave it a shake and noticed she had already gone through half of what she brought. She offered the flask to Greta, then George, and went to offer it to Carol before she paused. Evelynn thought of the implication of offering alcohol to the person permanently stuck in a kid's body. After a second, she shrugged and offered the flask to Carol as well. “You spend enough time in possible futures you see a thing or two.”
“Gimme that shit!” Carol snatched it and downed it all… not even saving any for anyone else.
“So let me ask a question then, Ms. Evelynn,” Greta started, “Can you see a future for the Sycamore Tree Coven? Because I don’t have your Abstraction, I can tell you there is none.”
Greta glanced at everyone here, “Just look at Auri, look at what just happened: Drake Blackmore just decked Sloane Farris. I know his little cum dumpster died, but it’s proof that the patterns of the old Coven are doomed to repeat themselves.”
She pushed her glasses up her nose with a finger.
"Hey, that's harsh," Luca looked at Greta with a frown, while hiding his broken wrist behind his back.
Evelynn shook an imaginary magic eight ball, took a look, and returned Greta’s gaze. “Cannot predict now, ask again later” she paused as she looked at Carol and the now empty flask in her hand. “Damn,” she whispered. “The future is hard to read, Greta, I can’t say what the future holds for me let alone a Coven. I appreciate your offer but I got to say no.”
Luca was relieved that neither seemed to be taking the offer, lips curving back into a slight smile. "I'm not coming back… I don't want to save myself by hurting others. It was nice to see you all again, though."
Even though they'd spent most of the time trying to convince him to come back and shaming him about not doing it, Luca was mostly genuine about that… though that was probably because he'd barely interacted with anyone recently.
Greta just shrugged upon getting rejected.
“Well, we tried,” She started, “I wish you could see the from our point of view; but I guess this is a lesson you all will learn the hard way. Have fun being miserable under Auri Auclair. Ta-ta…” Greta gave them a wave goodbye as she walked out.
“You’ll see our ugly mugs again real soon, I know it!” George laughed as he walked out, downing his milkshake.
Carol stayed still for a moment, staring at Luca, and said, “Look motherfucker - I don’t mean to call you a motherfucker, but you’re a real motherfucker. This wasn’t just hot air; we miss you, and I want to help you. We’re like kindred fucking spirits or something, but just keep your goddamn head on a swivel…”
Carol nodded her head before she walked out.
“... There’s a lot more to all of this, I know it. Stay safe… motherfucker,”
"I will," Luca said at her departing back, waving his good hand. Then, quietly, he added, "I missed you all too.'
“Look, the crows return with the brace,” The Maiden whispered.
Lila looked up to the sky and spotted the Crow that carried a brace. It led the rest of the murder back towards the small group. “It worked,” Lila chuckled, “Luca,” she pointed towards the Crow, “I hope that it is the right size.”
Luca was surprised the crow had actually managed to get a wrist brace - and exactly what he needed too. Pleased, but surprised. He flashed Lila a bright grin. "Thanks!"
Evelynn watched as the crow in question flew above the group, positioning itself right about Luca. Lynn wondered if it was too above him, and if the Crow dropped it would it hurt Luca when it landed. In an instant, the crow dropped the brace and it began to plummet downward. It was heading towards Luca’s nose. Lynn gasped and took a step towards Luca when her telekinetic curse activated and the brace was instead pulled towards her face. A second later it impacted right on her nose. “Ow, what the fuck,” she winced as she pressed both hands to her nose. It did not feel broken, but it hurt and a small amount of blood started to drip. She leaned down and grabbed the brace off the ground. She noticed that there was already blood on it, blood that wasn’t hers. “Hey Luca, Lila, looks like the crow had to fight someone for it.”
"Oh shit," Luca's mouth fell open at the brace straight up jumping away from him and smacking Lynn in the face. He had to suppress a laugh at how ridiculous it was. "Uh… hopefully that person wasn't hurt too much. If you want to just throw the brace over to me, Lynn- wait, actually, throw it on the ground near me."
“Here,” Lynn whispered as she reached down, grabbed the brace, and tossed it towards Luca’s feet.
”Thanks,” Luca smiled at her. He rummaged in his pockets first, pulling on another pair of lycra gloves before bending over to pick up the brace. He carefully put it on his left wrist. It should last a good enough amount of time… And he could order more if it rotted away. Once he was done he looked back at Lila and Lynn. ”It was nice to catch up with you both, but I should probably go home. Gotta rest up.” He yawned as he said that, fatigue from actually going outside starting to catch up with him. ”Hopefully I’ll catch you both at the next meeting… or somewhere else.”
With another yawn, he waved to them both, before heading for the nearest bus stop that would take him home.
