Hedgehawk

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

_{A @Hedgehawk & @SouffleGIrl123 Collab}

On the driveway of the Coven household sat a black SUV. It was certainly out of place with its tinted windows. It certainly hadn't been here before. Sat in the driver's seat, the driver clasped the wheel with their hands. Thoughts were rushing through their heads as they couldn't decide whether or not this was the right thing to do. They had been away for so long. There was late, then there was fashionably late. And then there was… Whatever the hell this was. 25 years late? Their plan at the time, 25 years ago seemed sound. But now. Regrets had taken hold. Lives had changed, and they had finally discovered enough freedom to break from the shackles of their past and start building a life for themselves.

Tanner was where they chose to be. It wasn't even up for debate. The second they were free, they dashed across the country to get here. It was the only place they knew; that they had a connection to. But that was so long ago. How do you fix this? With a sigh, the person left the SUV, closing the door behind them and taking a moment to adjust the black and brown trench coat that they had thrown over their waistcoat and shirt.

Good to see the building hadn't really changed a bit. Walking towards the front door, with a steady, but nervous pace, they approached the front door. Did they knock? Or just barge in? Through the glass they could see some people inside. It felt awkward just standing. So the male entered. Footsteps echoed across the hallway as they did. Their feet, carrying longer down the hallways then perhaps they should have. After getting inside, they brushed their hands along the one side of their neck length hair, fixing the prudrenting fringe. Nerves eat away at them, as the male scanned the faces of the people looking back at him, seeing if one of them was one he could see some resemblance to from all those years ago.

Mary had every intention to get back to Claire for their aforementioned drinks but more important things kept happening. As much as she would have loved to just distracted herself from what this day was bringing she knew that wasn’t fair to the people involved. After her chat with Miles she reentered the main hall but she got lost in the crowd flocking to hear Carlisle’s speech, and it was a good one indeed. At the end of it her eyes scoured the room once more trying to find her friend only to meet another set of eyes. A pair she hadn’t seen in a long time, a long time being a quarter of a century. Why him? Why now? He couldn’t have chosen a worse time to reappear. Hell, why even bother reappearing.

Her eyes narrowed at the man. Although what she had learnt today lightened the anger she’d marked on him it didn’t change a lot of his wrongs. The fact he lied being one on the forefront. Mary wasn’t one for making scenes anymore, not usually. She left that behind in the recent year, attributing it to aging, but this day really seemed to bring out the rage in her it seemed and her son’s father wasn’t omitted from that rage. She stomped over to the man and delivered a sharp slap to his cheek. "Twenty-five years,” she spits through gritted teeth. She wasn’t going to call more attention to the situation than there already was. "Where the hell have you been, Johnathan Park? ‘Cept you might not remember that name ‘cus it ain’t yours, ain’t it?”

The male let out a soft grunt as he was slapped by the woman. It was so sudden. His eyes had lit up when he found her. She had aged gracefully it seemed. She looked as beautiful as she did then as she did now. Running his cheek for a second before finally speaking. "I should have seen that one coming" He replied with a deep sigh "Yes. My real name is Aloysius Leighton. I thought I had put that in my letter all those years ago. But honestly, it has been so long. I finally am free. And I came right here. I wanted to at least see you in person rather than sending letters and getting nothing back"

"What letters?” Mary asked curiously, her words still dripping with contempt. She’d never received letters. No, from the day the man just disappeared she hadn’t heard a single word from him. Not a peep. Honestly though, she wasn’t sure if she would have wanted a bar of it anyway. "Why are you here John- I mean Aloysius? Truthfully.”

Aloysius's heart sank as he heard that she had no knowledge of the letters that he had sent. "After everything kicked off and I had to leave, I couldn't bear to leave everything up in the air. So once I had settled down to my new reality I sent out a letter to you to explain what went on with Salem and Amanda, and who I was. I kept sending letters every year, asking how you were. I figured that since I got no reply you weren't interested." Aloysius's voice got softer as he continued to speak.

" I came here so that I could see you in person and see what was going on. There wasn't a single moment over the past twenty five years that I haven't stopped thinking about you"

Mary shook her head incredulously. Although part of her wanted to give the man grace that didn't change that pain of the past years. It didn't change how much she had to struggle to raise a son on her own or how much trouble he accidentally got himself into because neither of them knew his ancestry. That was probably what ticked Mary off the most. Al and her were together for 4 months or so and for 2 of them he knew she was pregnant yet he didn't dare tell a single word of his past.

At his final statement the woman scoffs. "And there was barely a day I barely thought of you but I got a feelin' those ain't the same emotions," she snaps, folding her arms. She looks the man up and down. He seemed to have hardly aged yet definitely looked more burdened. Somehow even more defeated. "Salem and Amanda filled me in on your lil… predicament shall we say. I get you had no choice, don't get me wrong, I don't forgive you quite yet. I can't. Not after the past years, but I get it. But y'know what really gets me, Jo-Aloysius?" Calling the man by that name felt so foreign on her tongue. "You lied. I don't care about the fact you lied to Tanner but you kept it from me, even after you knew we were havin' a kid,"

Hearing the word Salem, Aloysius tensed. Visibly stressed. However he could see how Mary was hurt, and his need to try and comfort Mary was overriding his flight response. " I was young and stupid. I didn't know how to tell you and still keep you in my life. I had hoped to tell you before our child was born. I just hadn't figured it all out. I am sorry. I never intended to hurt you, or our child. I… I wanted a new start. To get away from my family and all the influences that pulled me in" Aloysius let out a soft sigh, his face flinching, possibly expecting another slap.

Mary raised an entertained eyebrow at the man's flinch but didn't raise her hand. Instead, she gave the deepest of sighs. "Well, your insistence to separate yourself from your past has caused our boy to unknowingly put himself in a situation that could get the whole coven in trouble if Salem's in a bad enough mood." she snaps, looking the man in the eyes. She knew Al knew nothing about Miles, not even that she'd had a son but the formal introductions were thrown out the window now.

”Trouble? What kind of trouble is there with Salem?” Aloysius sounded panicked. Hearing the words ‘our boy’ filled him with happiness, but the mention of Salem was enough to cause him to throw all that away. He had just come back. He wasn't about to let Salem start messing things up in his life again. ”What has gone on? How worried should I be?”

Mary hesitated a moment. It didn't feel right to fill Miles' absentee father in on information Miles likely didn't know yet himself. She shook her head. "It ain't your issue, Aloysius. As far as that kid is concerned you abandoned him before birth. Things like these ain't yours to know. Not from me at least."

Aloysius let out a frustrated sigh. ”For the past twenty five years I have not been able to do anything to help and support the kid, or you, except for sending occasional letters with money in them, but it seemed as if they didn’t get here. I wonder where they went?” Aloysius rubbed the back of his head in confusion. ”I fucked up. A lot. I have had a quarter of a century to dwell on the past and get beaten up by it. I am not asking for forgiveness, just a chance to try and right some of the wrongs and the damage I left behind. Salem be damned.”

Mary went silent for a moment. She hadn't gotten letters but she had received envelopes of money. She'd always assumed they were from her parents or the Montgomerys, the lack of return address making it clear it was someone who knew she hated taking charity. At his words she sighs. "I get it, but you can't just waltz back into our lives, hell just enter Miles' for the first time and just expect everythin' to be normal. You gotta work for it, 'specially for him,"

"I don't expect to. I expect to get alot of abuse from people. I don't expect everyone to be able to understand what was going on all those years. But I just need you to know that I am not a bad person." He took the time to look into her eyes. " Your opinion of me means the most to me"

Mary returns his gaze with one of steel, scoffing at his words. "You're a war criminal, Aloysius Leighton." She shakes her head pitifully, looking at the ground for a moment as she thought through her words. The logical side of her screamed that all had been explained but her heart couldn’t just forget the pain. She then did something she should have 25 long years ago.

Has Aloysius Leighton lied? she asked her divination.

No it sang. She looked back at him, a pained look in her face. "You need to understand, Aloysius. For you it might felt like you were at war awaiting to return home but to me you were the coward who run away and left me strugglin' alone with our son,"

"And that was never my intention. I never meant to leave you struggling. And please don't listen to Salem about me being a war criminal. That's very rich coming from her. I started a rebellion. I wasn't there to kill everyone or to harm anyone. I just wanted to switch who ran the Guild. I wouldn't have killed Salem if she surrendered." Aloysius ran his head through his hair, unsure of what more he could try to do to convince her " I am having to try really hard not to cry and get emotional over seeing you again. It was soul crushing to not be able to see you all these years"

Mary couldn’t help the venomous laugh that escaped her lips. "Soul crushin', ey?" she muses, looking at the man. "Y'know what truly is soul crushin', Aloysius Leighton? Havin' your baby daddy skip town without a word. No explanation, not even a goodbye. Just, gone. Workin' yourself to the bone to live paycheck to paycheck, knowing you can't give your son the time or resources he needs. Havin' your best friend and her pa finding creative ways to force you to take money and food because it's that obvious you're strugglin'. Missin' birthdays, showcases and award ceremonies so you can support yourself and your kid. Knowin' you're not as present in his life as you should be," as she spoke hot tears started to spill down the woman's face. This was agonizing, the memories as much as the words. She had tried her very best to be a good mother but she knew there were many shortcomings she couldn't help. "And then there's the realisin' your boy's magi. That you could never train him or equip him with what he needs to develop his skills or to face what you lot do. Or even just knowin' he never had a father. I had to teach him how to tie a tie and shave his face. He had support from Claire's and my pas but he never had a father!" In that moment Mary noticed her voice getting louder and louder. She sniffled as she rubbed the hot tears from her check with the back of her hand. Black streaks from her mascara had run off into them. "THAT is soul crushin'. So you don't get to sit there and tell me missin' your girlfriend was hard because you left me here to pick up the pieces of your actions."]

As she began to laugh and then speak, Aloysius' face turned to a hurt expression. Not hurt for him, but for her. Listening to her struggles just made that pit in his stomach grow bigger and bigger. It was difficult to hear about the consequences of his actions. More so when he didn't know what to do to fix any of it. He began to tear up at the side of his own eyes. As she tried to wipe off the hot tears, Aloysius would attempt to embrace her and rest her head on his chest. "The fact that the boy is still around, tells me that you did a good job despite the circumstances. I can't fix me leaving. All I can say is that if you aksed me what my biggest regret was in life, it was leaving you and not staying and fighting for you"

As Aloysius attempts to embrace her Mary takes a step back, shoving him away. "He's a good kid, no thanks to you. He's got his issues, sure but he's got a good heart,"

Aloysius bowed his head as he was pushed away. He was expecting it, but he had foolishly hoped that he might be able to help. ”I am sure he is an amazing kid” hearing her jibe about ‘no thanks to you’ seemed to be the last straw that triggered a sharp tightening sensation in his chest. His breathing slowly got faster, even though he was doing his best to control it and disguise it. All the reminders of his failure were getting to him, and had triggered a panic attack. He avoided eye contact as he spoke once more ”Look, if you think it is better for me to just exit and pretend I wasn’t here, I will. I don’t want to cause anymore hurt or stress for people.”

Mary sighed at his words. She wished she was naive enough to not know what the man in front of her was experiencing. "I think you're workin' under the pretense I have this strong hatred for you or somethin' but to be honest with you I just don't care anymore. I'm sorry all this hurt for you but time has gone. 25 years of it. You do whatever. Just don't expect any sympathy from my son." Even if her words weren't, Mary's voice was less venomous.

Aloysius wanted to say more. He wanted to ask about them, about the chances of the duo getting back together, even if it was really slowly. But right now, given the words that Mary spoke. There was no way that was going to happen. Time had moved on, and Al was stuck 25 years in the past. All those feelings he still had for her, she seemed to no longer have. ”I naively thought that I might get a happy ending. Spending a long time wishing will do that to you. I guess in the end I have gotten what I deserve.”

"25 years is a long time to expect someone to wait even if they expected to to return. What did you think would happen? I'd just wait for your return? Put my whole life on pause just awaitin' a man who just up and left? We ain't 24 no more." She folds her arms once more, scoffing at the thought of pining for someone for so long. Although it seemed to miss Al, time had moved on for Mary.

”In my brain it did. The last 25 years have felt as if time had not moved at all. Being under Salem’s thumb wasn’t really great for trying relationships or friends. So i guess I held onto the one thing that mattered to me at the start and never let go” Aloysius’ voice was low, soft, laced with sadness. His reality was in freefall and he really didn’t know how to move forward without annoying anyone.

Mary sighed at Aloysius' words, wishing she could feel a bit more bad for him than she actually did. "Start with your son, we'll go from there," she says, nodding in the direction of Miles who stood between Carlisle and a young blonde woman Mary didn't recognise.

Aloysius looked over at the trio that Mary pointed out. He took a single step forward before looking over at Mary ”You sure he isn’t going to kill me on sight? You wanna come?” Aloysius asked

Mary gave an amused chuckle at his statement. "You'll survive, if you're lucky at least," she chuckles. "I 'spose someone's gotta stop you hooligans from causin' a ruckus. Lead the way, Aloysius,"

As Aloysius started to walk across he watched as the male that must have been Miles was walking away from the rest of the group. Aloysius would walk a little fast to cut him off before he could get too far. ”Hey…. Son”

Miles was on the lookout for Lilith to be cut off by a man he, once again, did not recognise. Miles had only just noticed his mother trailing the man when he spoke up. Son? His eyes flickered to his mother who gave an, almost solemn, small nod of the head. Miles had imagined this day many times. Often revisiting the speeches he’d say or actions he’d take from his childhood thoughts of pulling a flamethrower out of his pocket to him just walking away. There were a thousands of thoughts and ideas rushing to his head at once so her just grabbed the loudest thought.

punch it said. So punch he did, right on the older man’s left cheek. He couldn’t help but notice the rawness on the man’s other cheek. "And where the hell have you been?” he growls.

"Miles!” Mary chastises her son as his fist collides with his father’s face.

"Oh don’t act like you didn’t have a turn,” Miles snaps back, nodding at the man’s less raw cheek.

Aloysius' head snapped to the side when the punch collided, nearly bowling him over. Clearly his son must have been working out at some point. "Fuck… NoNo, I deserve that" He coughed out as he straighted himself up. "Just please no more punches. I am no longer a 20 year old man. I can't exactly take it like I used to" He gave off a sad little chuckle, trying to lighten the mood a little bit and take some of the awkwardness out of the air.

"You deserve more than that, Aloysius,” Miles spits, shaking his punching hand. "What gives you the audacity to just appear?”

"Because I have just been let go. And after missing your mother for 25 years I wanted to come and make sure I explained everything. Plus, I wanted to see my child all grown up" Aloysius would speak softly and sincerely. He wanted to try and at least calm Miles down a bit.

"I’m not your child,” Miles responds, taking a step away from the man. "I might have you DNA but that’s where it stops.” He looked the man up and down. Nothing. He felt nothing. Despite all the anger and hatred part of him always hoped seeing his dad would give him clarity, a feeling he found a part of him missing but he’d felt absolutely nothing. Well, at least, nothing but that hatred and anger

Hearing Miles' words, Aloysius lowered his head, letting his hair hide his eyes, which were now starting to water at the edges as tears began to rise to the surface. Everything tonight was a tough challenge for Aloysius. He had many mistakes to atone for, but Miles was just shutting him down. "Alright, I get it. I will leave you alone to go back and do whatever it was you were doing"

"Good, ‘cus it was kinda important,” Miles replies. He starts turning on his heel when he meets his mothers steely glare. He knew exactly what those eyes were saying. He shot her a look back. What did you expect? she seemed to be able to read. The Prices had become experts in speaking through their body language and looks, it was almost a secret language.

Eventually, after some back and forth, Mary sighs and nods. The boy instantly finishes his turn and walks off.

"Poor kid’s got a lot on his mind tonight. You couldn’t have come at a worse time,”

" Maybe it is just fate giving me what I deserve" Aloysius said with a small sigh. It was a bit depressing to think like that. But he was right. Everyone he spoke to treated him like he was some sort of monster who had done terrible things."I shouldn't have come. I should have just learnt to move on rather than wishfully thinking I could do something about it."

Mary gave an exasperated sigh, grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. "I don’t know what to tell you, Al. 25 years is a long time.” she nods toward Miles, "He wasn’t even born when ya left and now he’s the same age I was when we found out I was pregnant. Time did anythin’ but stop for us.” She took a sip of her champagne before looking the man over. "Why didn’t you just tell me the truth when you had the time? Knowing your past you shoulda known there was a chance this would happen.”

"I honestly was scared. I didn't think it would blow up the way it did. I was running away from my past. And was scared about it catching up with me." Aloysius would look over at Mary and force a smile. "You were the best thing to happen to me. I didn't want my past to catch up with me and poison everything"

Mary returned a forced smile. "If you’re still around tomorrow stop by the unit. I have somethin’ I think you should see. It won’t be pleasant for ya, I’ll tell you that much, but I reckon it’s important,”

The fact that he wasn't being kicked out was something. Aloysius wasn't stupid. He could tell that Mary was forcing herself to be polite. "I can do that. Still the same place?" Aloysius asked before running his hand through his hair "Do you ever think the boy will accept me?" He asked, referring to Miles.

"Yeah, same place,” Mary muses, taking another sip of her drink. "As for Miles? I couldn’t tell you. It’s gonna take a lot of work, I know that much. He might come around but honestly I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. It’s hard for a boy to be without a pa, there’s a lot of hurt there.”

"If I had the ability to use Chronomancey I would use it and go and change everything. I just hope that he won't lock me out" Aloysius tried to smile through it.

"Don’t count on it,” Mary mutters, her fingers toying with the foot of her wine glass. "You need to be okay with the possibility he might not want anything to do with you.”

" I know that. I just don't know if I am emotionally ready for that. The whole world moved on and I stayed behind. If Salem had let me go earlier, maybe it would not have been so bad. Speaking of. I am surprised she hasn't sensed I am nearby. She was always quite canny about that." Aloysius let out a softer sigh, he certainly was out of his depth.

Mary gave another sigh. She toyed with mentioning the woman was busy but decided against it. She didn’t think it was right for Al to know Miles’ most recent news before he did. "Well you better get hidin’ or whatever. I have a friend to meet and she might pummel you worse than Salem if she sees you.”

" I suspect most people will pummel me regardless of where I go. So to be honest, it makes no difference to me. I am going to get a drink though. Maybe Miles will change his mind later once he has had some time to think. Plus. I never got to go to the last handover ceremony, I have always wanted to go to one" With a small smile be turned on his heels "It is nice seeing you again Mary. I know you can't say the same, and that's fine. But for me, my life feels complete again" He would then finish turning around and walk into the crowd.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Greeting everyone had been an exhausting task. Carlisle was grateful that Mary was there to accompany him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he held Mary in a higher regard to his own mother. Sure, his mother was nothing short of a monster. But it still felt a little wrong to love someone else as your mother rather than your own. Carlisle had done his best to contain his mother within his mental prison. He had decided that she was far too dangerous to leave around the party.

As he continued to greet guests, the words that Salem spoke previously rattled through his head. Your children, however, have broken one of our most ancient laws - Magi and Witch alike - without even knowing it… If I’m right - there’s nothing anyone can do at this point…When two great bloodlines merge - seeing as the Leightons are one of our major families - one can’t beat the other. It creates a whole new species entirely - one that we’ve never seen before because we’ve always made it a point to avoid situations like these. Those statements rattled around his brain, trying to find some way to dismiss the truth that was dawning on him. Carlisle was actively trying to dismiss it. He didn’t want to face the reality of what was about to happen.

As the greeting segment of the night had drawn to a close, Mary had rushed off before Carlise could really ask her about anything else. With a soft sigh, Carlisle walked around the party, contemplating. He could go speak to Lilith and Miles, try to at least give them the heads up. He could also try to tie up Salem and stop her from getting anywhere near Miles and Lilith to do any kind of probing. He was still due to speak to her later however, and decided he would use that time to his advantage. For now, he had to trust that Lilith and Miles kept their wits about them.

Carlisle spent the next twenty minutes speaking to various leaders of the other covens around the world. It felt weird having everyone addressing him as leader. Everyone within Tanner Coven simply called him Carlisle. He didn't really have a title, well, perhaps 'pain in the ass'. His eyes once more drifted over to Willow and the dress she was wearing. It was such a jaw dropping dress. Had she picked that just to make him gawk? If so, it was working.

The ceremony was due to start soon, and Carlisle was getting angsty. He was doing a good job of controlling the mental prison his mother was trapped in. Her magic wasn't exactly doing a very good job against his own wards. If there was one thing that Carlisle was good at, it was a good ward. Carlisle had to give his welcome speech and leaders speech, and then the second part of the ceremony would begin, the actual handover. With his mother still trapped in his head, he wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen. The whole ceremony was supposed to be when the old leader hands over the coven seal to the new leader. Carlisle had made sure Amanda had given up the seal a week ago, but then he would need someone to present it. He couldn’t dwell on it for long however, as the organisers ushered Carlisle towards the stage to speak.

Carlisle stood behind the stage, taking a moment to go through his speech one last time. He had to make sure this was right. You only got one chance to make a good first impression, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite focus properly. His brain rattled with thoughts about Miles and Lilith, everything Salem said and his own mother literally rattling around in there. Carlisle walked up onto the stage, his walk wasn't exactly the most energetic or powerful. It wasn't exactly the kind of presence that a leader should be projecting. He could almost hear his mother chastising him in his head. Finally reaching the podium, he took a moment for everyone to quieten down, taking a second to check if the microphone was on. Once it was quiet enough and all those eyes focused on him, Carlisle would begin to speak.

"Thank you everyone for coming all the way to Tanner tonight" Carlisle started, his voice shaking at the edges as he couldn't quite find his stride in the first sentence. "I know that for some of you, this was a long journey, traveling from all corners of the world. Y'know, I always find it weird that the new leader's speech comes before the handover ceremony. You know. Always thought it came the other way around. But what do I know? Never actually been to one of these before" Carlisle gave off a nervous chuckle, looking down at his written speech. It was monotone. It was never going to win any awards. Maybe he should just go off the cuff.

"I want to start tonight by talking about family" Carlisle started, folding over the pages of his original speech "And why it is so important to Witches, warlocks and Magi alike."

"We have to keep our identities a secret to those around us. We can't just use the Internet to learn, or find new friends to hang around. We have to be selective. And this is isolating. Truly isolating at times. To compensate for this, we have to rely on our family more than mortals do. Sure covens and guilds can teach you your magic, but it's your family that supports you. That helps you through transition into magic, and helps you adjust to the magical world. Even after you grow up and become members yourself, that family bond persists." Carlisle gripped onto the side of the podium, trying to give himself the strength to carry on.

" Our leaderships and our histories are built on the backs of it. While the modern world transitioned into individualism, we stayed behind. And that isn't exactly a bad thing. Growing up I have seen strong parental figures guide their sons and daughters to some extraordinary heights. Even in more tragic situations where parents have passed on before their young have grown, new family units were created as a shield to protect those growing up." Carlisle gave out a soft sigh. His mind playing back memories of John and Mary, Miles and Lilith, alongside those of his own upbringing.

"And then there are those mothers and fathers who abandon their duty to their young. Those who are obsessed with power, reputation and lineage. Those that would discard you if you didn't fit the mold they had designed for you before you even conceived. While I would love to say that I came from the former type of family, sadly I came from the latter. To those of you have worked with my mother: Amanda Aston, it would come of no surprise that she would treat me how she did." Carlisle took a moment to survey the crowd, looking around and seeing how they were doing.

" I was always told that I wouldn't amount to much. That the coven would never accept a warlock as its leader, yet alone a warlock that could only do abjuration. And she may be right. I won't contest it. My soon to be fellow council members are insanely powerful, more so than I. They have a better grasp of leadership and diplomacy. Either of them, Lilith or Serena would be far better placed to take over than I. And do you know why that is?" Carlisle asked the crowd.

"It is because they had a loving and caring family. Their elders supported them. They had affection, love and support. Their families understood that. The importance of mentorship and mutual growth. For me however, it worked in reverse. I am standing here today, not because of my blood, but in spite of it. Mary was more of a mother to me than Amanda, and Tiberius was more of a father to me than my own father. At every possible turn my family did whatever they could to change me or put me down. My own mother merely a month ago tried to disown me and cut me out of the race to be leader altogether. Just because she thought that had somehow disgraced the family.”

”Now I know some of you may be looking around and say: ‘Well if Serena and Lilith are better people, why aren’t they leader?’ Well the answer to that is quite simple. To become the leader of the coven is to accept an insane amount of responsibility. That responsibility requires personal sacrifice. It is a massive undertaking for any such person to take on. Put simply, it would be a disservice to tie the pair of them to a desk when they have far more important and powerful roles to play in the community.”

”So, I know that I might not be a perfect leader. I wouldn’t be able to survive the trials that Salem may have been put through when she became Guild leader. But I do have drive. Passion. A desire to be able to protect everyone and make sure that the relationships that we have forged with our fellow Magi over the decades endures. I am not my mother. Amanda had a callous and cruel approach, running the coven more with an iron fist than diplomacy. She fired most of the coven staff, and used the coven funds to fund the expansion of her own wealth. Some of you may have even witnessed the debacle of what happened at the entrance earlier this evening. Suffice to say. My mother has been removed from any active role tonight, or any other night. As of now, Amanda Aston is not a coven member.” Carlisle took a deep breath as he finished speaking those words. He could feel his head hurt. Someone on the inside wasn’t happy with his choice of words.

”I want to restore the coven to how it was before. Where the household was a hub of activity. Where people from around the world could visit and take refuge, share knowledge and forge bonds. Move away from others viewing Tanner as some kind of castle that people fear coming to. That change won’t happen overnight. But I promise it will happen. Now I know most of you want to get back to mingling, catching up, and drinking as much of the coven alcohol stores that you can find. So I will wrap it up here. Please enjoy yourselves, and we will reconvene here in twenty minutes for the actual handover ceremony. Thank you” Carlisle would take a step back from the podium, wiping his forehead with his hand as we watched the crowd to see what kind of reaction people were having. That was terrifying

Mahz's Dev Journal

It doesn't surprise me at all that Mahz disappeared again. He has always been flaky, and I still maintain the site would be 1000% better off without him. That is why I offered a while back to purchase the site from him and take over operations. It is all well and good saying that he built the place and that he doesn't want to hand it over, but when you make a community, you now have a responsibility to that community. It becomes a social contract, one that Mahz for some reason, never seems to understand. As a result, this site will continue to stagnate and bleed members. Since no can innovate, or upgrade it. People will move onto greener pastures where new features do exist. I fear this may be the beginning of the end.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

September had been a terrible month for Hayden. After losing Kolby, she had spent the rest of the month moping around the coven household trying to make sense of everything. She wasn't entirely sure how to rebuild her life. She came here to be with Kolby. Granted, also to get away from some nasty shit in New York, but she had relied on Kolby being her guide here and helping her settle in.

Now she just felt stuck in limbo. Carlisle had, in the various moments over the course of the month, tried to help her settle in. However, she was more than aware that he was fighting his own demons, and right now, Hayden couldn't be the priority. She had contemplated trying to contact Kolby and say something, but he was a headstrong man who never went back on his word. Before that meant he would be there for her to the end of the time. But now it worked in reverse and meant that she wouldn't even be able to speak to him.

As time moved on Hayden began to gain a slight amount of respect for Carlisle. While most would see him as the nervous, perhaps overbearing type, when it came to coven matters he was quite attentive and engaged. While he certainly preferred not to have conflict, he did at the very least want to get to an outcome that everyone was okay with. He did start, however , making comments about how Hayden couldn't live here forever. While it was a sanctuary for witches, it wasn't designed for people to live here permanently. And while Carlisle was having housing issues himself, he seemed to be alot more proactive with it. Hayden herself didn't know what to do. She had contemplated moving back to New York and quietly accepting her fate. While it would be a death sentence to return, maybe she did deserve it. Not like anyone would actually miss her right now. Still, she at least had to give Tanner more of a shot.

Carlisle had informed her about the hand over ceremony, and about how formal it was. Hayden didn't have any kind of formal clothes, only bringing with her about six changes of clothes that she could fit inside her rucksack. Not that she particularly had alot of possessions to start with before she moved away. A couple of days before the ceremony Carlisle had taped a note to her bedroom door, stating that she would need to find something to wear. To help with that he had left his credit card and his car keys for her to use. Hayden had been tempted to go on a splurge and have some real fun. Old Hayden would have certainly done that. But she did owe Carlise. He had been good to her, even when she had been a monster to him as she was working through the breakup. So she decided to behave. Taking Carlisle’s car she took a day trip to Seattle to do some dress shopping. Trying to keep within a strict budget she eventually managed to pick out some nice clothes. It took alot of strength to avoid picking something a lot more extravagant and expensive. She wanted to look as good as possible however, she wanted to impress.

The night of the ceremony, Hayden spent the beginning of the evening staying in her room, watching as everyone else entered. She was scared of going down and actually speaking to anyone. After the disastrous fight that spilled out at the opening party, Hayden was scared that either someone would start on her, or she would get frustrated and wouldn’t be able to contain her own anger. Eventually however, Hayden decided to leave, she couldn’t hide forever. As she left her room, she passed both Mary and Lilith walking further down the hallway and didn’t bother questioning it. Going down the stairs, Hayden could see the large crowds forming in the hallway and came to a halt on one of the stairs. Looking down the stairs at the crowds Hayden could feel her heart racing faster. Her mind was telling her to run back upstairs, but her feet were glued in place. It seemed her enochlophobia was in overdrive tonight. She never really told anyone about it, because she was supposed to give off a tough girl image. Kolby was the only one she really told, and while she had expected him to take the piss out of her for it, he actually acted like a gentleman about it, trying to make sure that she wasn’t exposed to any crowds, and if she was, making sure they stayed as far away from her as possible.

Tonight however she was not going to have that luxury. Taking a deep breath, Hayden finished the walk down the stairs and into the hallway crowd. She did her best to walk alongside the edge of the crowd, practically hugging the wall at times as casually as she could to avoid anyone noticing her, making a break for the verdana where it was quieter. Getting outside she let out a deep breath, sucking in that refreshing outside air. She leant against the railing, taking some time to try and calm herself down.

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Hello,
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The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Also a note to everyone else: I am opening one more spot for additional player ontop of this. Please feel free to join the discord if you have any questions about lore, systems etc. We would love to have you.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

@thatguy If you wanna try and put a character sheet together, please do so. We have had a spot open up. Please feel free to join the discord if you want some help with lore etc

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Hey, i was wondering if this is open now, or is it still closed?

@thatguy

Hey! Sadly yes we are still closed to new players and we currently have a bit of a waiting list I am afraid

Family Matters (A Hedgehawk & SouffleGirl123 1x1)

"Of course I do. Dad always taught me to look out for you. Plus it meant mother couldn't have any of the profits if the company kept only operating at break even." Aloysius spoke with a soft smirk. The company had technically only ever broke even ever since Aloysius took over, which conveniently meant that there was no need to give Esme any of that money. Al had been fumbling the finances for years to get her out, not that anyone in the company seemed to mind. "We can take a look at getting you access if you like?"

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

A collab between @SouffleGirl123 & @Hedgehawk Featuring Carlisle, Miles & Mary & Amanda

September had been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for Carlisle. There was so much going on in his life that he had struggled to keep up with the sudden changing of the relationships and dynamics that had occurred. Part of him had wished he could go back in time, before everyone returned from college where everything was alot more simple. Mostly because he wanted himself and Lilith to go back to being proper best friends again. While hanging out with WIllow was nice, he was not going to deny that. He still missed the company of the person he deemed closest to him. Even if said person had punched him in the face and threw bottles of tequila at him.

Still none of that mattered right now. His brain was being occupied by other things. More direct, and important things that needed to be dealt with. Like making sure everything was set up for this party. Over the past week Tanner had started filling up with various guests. The guise was that the society that the coven used as cover was having a celebration to crown a new leader. It was enough to keep the locals from suspecting anything. But Carlisle was angsty. The more people who were in Tanner the harder it was to maintain the masquerade. Sure they could memory wipe, but Carlisle didn’t fancy having to wipe half the town's memory just because some witch or magi had gotten too drunk.

At the moment Carlisle was standing in the entrance way of the coven household, standing there with a clipboard going through the schedule for the evening whilst also at the same time directing the various helpers and movers who were setting up decorations and furniture. ”I am standing here planning my own celebration party. I really should be getting ready and trying to relax. Shit. I need to go over my speech” Carlisle mumbled to himself, hitting his head with the clipboard when he realised he had even more work to do before showtime.

With his mother being on meal duty Miles had arrived to the coven house earlier with her. They'd decided to come together as they both knew the chances of Miles being sober enough to drive at the end of the night would be low. Miles had expected to be on grandparent duty as they were in town but they spending the morning with friends from their days in the coven.

As he wandered through the house he quickly caught sight if his old best friend. The pair had barely talked since the family dinner. Their only non-coven interaction was really just the random memes they'd send out of instinct. Miles didn't really know how to approach the situation with the man. He missed his friend but he knew there'd be some tension over Lil, especially considering Miles had turned back on helping him to get her at the drop of a hat. As he gets closer he hears Carlisle’s mumblings and couldn't help but chuckle. ”Truly a pitiful situation," he replies half-jokingly.

Carlisle lowered his clipboard upon hearing Miles' voice.He turned around and gave a small smile. It felt strange seeing his best friends again. They had been apart for almost two years, and then after being back for a few months he ended up getting with the girl he had a crush on all summer. It was alot to take in. ”Originally Lilith was going to do all this, but given the current situation i figured it was best not to bother her. Least I can do really” The exhaustion had left his body, but his eyes still held a speckle of tiredness for those that knew where to look.

Miles gave Carlisle a small smile in response before clapping him on the shoulder. ”You look tired," he muses. He didn’t really know what to say to the man. Sorry your crush and I still love each other didn't feel right because he honestly wasn't sorry but blowing it off left a bad taste in his mouth.

”Well. Now I am harbouring another being in my soul, it feels like I can’t quite get enough sleep to recuperate.” Carlisle let out a soft sigh. ”I swear my nose isn’t right, even with all the healies.” He brushed his nose with his fingers. ”I thought you were coming over later, what brings you here so early?”

”Well my memaw and papaw made other plans and I thought I'd let Lil get ready alone so I came with my ma," he replies simply. ”How are you holding up? The Montgomerys aren't giving you too much grief are they? I know grandpa John can be a bit of a hardass."

"Honestly, Grandpa John ain't the issue. Lilith is. She is really passive aggressive when she wants to be. And doesn't let up. Like… I have gotten on her bad side before. But she has never been this bad. Heck, I don't even know if she will be able to hold it together when we have to do the ceremony." Carlisle let out a deep sigh " No she would behave, she would then find a way to make me suffer" Carlisle then began to rub his forehead.

Miles gave a sigh, looking his friend up and down. ”Look, bud, I don't want to seem like I'm pandering but maybe acting like Lil's at fault for your pain isn't the best way to go living, y'know?" Miles replies, scratching the back of his neck.

" I know that. But she is prone to overreacting you know. You try and help and all of the sudden she starts going off on one. I was trying to take charge and stop John from killing you. Didn't hurt him, or anything. Just kept him somewhere where he could calm down." Carlisle raised a hand dismissively " It doesn't matter now anyway. I have far bigger things to be worried about… there are so many important people in Tanner right now, and the barrier isn't anywhere near its full strength"

Miles shakes his head at the boys comment. ”My dude, maybe just don't intervene into other's business," Miles replies running his hand through his hair. He looked at the few people in the house rearranging furniture and hastily putting up decorations. ”Things seem under control enough… I think you need a drink. Pick your poison. Wine?"

”Since when have you known me to drink alcohol?” Carlisle questioned. ”Sorry, that came out wrong. The last thing I need right now is my sense to be impaired. I already have the Guilds lapdogs rummaging around doing a ‘security check’” Carlisle scrunched his nose and then took a deep gasp of air inwards ”There is just so much…”

”And why is that being put over there!? Useless!” Carlisle sighed at hearing the voice of his mother in the distance. This was all he needed.

At Carlisle's question Miles shrugs. ”You gave it some good goes in college," he replies before tugging the clipboard out of the boy's hands. ”I'm not saying get wasted, although that might really get rid of those nerves you got right now, but just something to dumb off that high. You worry too much."

That was when Amanda's voice could be heard through the room. Miles tensed slightly. Amanda was an uncomfortable figure at best. Miles knew she wasn't his biggest fan but he was more concerned what she might cause his mother to do. Or Claire.

Walking into the room Amanda finally saw the site of Carlisle and Miles. Walking over she saw Miles and gave off a grunt of disgust. ”I know I said to learn to delegate tasks to your lessers Carlisle, but a task as important as this should be delegated to a…urchin” With that she snatched the clipboard from Miles’ hands and began to flick through. ”No no no. Why did you write a plan and schedule like this? It is all wrong and out of place. No wonder this place is chaos” Before she could say anything else, Carlisle took the clipboard from her.

”This is a coven event. I am incharge of the coven. This is how I have decided to do it. We only do this once every 25-30 years, so its not like I have alot to go on. Everyone will be happy, and all the important events are in the right order. Please bear in mind however, you are only here because you are a council member, otherwise you wouldn’t be here at all.” Amanda stuck her nose out at the last comment, not saying a word she turned around and stormed off towards the library, Carlisle gave a sigh of relief.

As Carlisle and his mother squabble Miles couldn't get a word in edgeways and in a moment she was gone. ”Gee," he says with an exasperated sigh. ”24 years and I'm still just a street urchin to her. She's gonna get a fist in the wrong place between ma and Claire if she's not careful." Miles then turns his attention to Carlisle, properly addressing him this time. ”Good onya for standing up to your ma. So about that drink?" he offers once more.

”One glass of wine and that is it. I need to go through my speech and make sure it sounds like it was written by a human and not a robot” Carlisle bit his bottom lip. ”I never understood mother. She has always held disdain for the Price’s but sometimes I think it is from jealousy more than anything else” Carlisle mused as he led the pair into the kitchen.

”Attaboy," Miles cheers as Carlisle leads the pair into the kitchen. ”Trust me, the booze will make you sound a lot less robotic so win-win, right?"

At Carlisle's musing Miles gives a shrug. ”Suppose our mas butted heads back in the day. Probably doesn't help mine and Claire are so close but she probably can't take it out on a Montgomery,"

"Well she can politely stick it. I have had enough of everyone arguing and bickering because of blood and power. Being a witch these days is hard enough without having all this stupid infighting. If I want my rule to be about anything it is going to be about stability. I don't want to make the history books" Carlisle said with a soft smile as they entered the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of wine off the rack, he pulled out two glasses before trying to untwist the cap off the bottle.

”I guess if all hell breaks loose it'll give our future kids something to talk about," Miles muses, watching as his friend struggles with the twist cap. Eventually he puts a hand out, beckoning the man to pass over the bottle, and pops the lid off with ease. He pours them both a glass and pushes one toward Carlisle. Miles wasn't the biggers of wine drinkers himself but he wasn't going to turn down a chance to drink with his friend.

Sighing as he had to hand the bottle of over to Miles, Carlisle would take the glass of wine back and take a big drink of it from the get go, letting out a semi-satisfied sigh afterwards ”Knowing my luck, the coven will break apart over my watch and we will be taken over by the Guild. Sounds about run of the course for me.” Carlisle then messed around, swilling the wine around in his glass as he watched it spin around. ”So how are things with you Lilith? Have you decided what you are or aren’t yet?”

At Carlisle's question the man raises an eyebrow. It had been 3 weeks since Lil and him became official once again. Although he knew Carlisle was on odd terms with Lil, Miles wasn't surprised he hadn't heard through the grapevine. It made Miles feel almost awkward in sharing this information, considering the pair's situation when it cam to Lilith a month ago. ”I'm surprised you don't know," Miles says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. ”Lil and I got back together, like properly." At this moment Miles prepared himself to have to charm his friend, unsure how he'd react.

Hearing the news, it was as Carlisle suspected. Lilith wasn’t going to tell him anything. The only time they spoke was when she was giving him the sideeye or berating him. There was no way she was going to divulge this kind of information at the moment. Carlisle would be lying if there wasn’t a part of him that was stinging at the news. It was to a degree like college repeating itself all over again. Maybe it was Carlisle's fault for developing a crush on one of his best friends former lovers.

”That's cool. Good on you” Carlisle said with a small smile, taking another deep gulp of wine. He then put the glass down and smiled some more ”Lilith deserves to be happy, and while a part of me wishes it was me. I am more than happy it is with someone I trust to look after her.”

Miles sighs, taking a sip of his own drink. ”You're saying the words, Car, but I'm not sure if you mean them," he replies reluctantly, toying with his wine glass. ”Look, part of me wants to say I'm sorry but it'd be a lie. I know it hurt you, and for that part I am sorry but I don't really feel sorry for being with her again."

Miles turns in his place and seats himself on the bench, watching as people hurriedly set up the mansion, some occasional slinking away from Amanda Aston snapping instruction and insults. Miles was still not good with this confrontation thing. He doubted he ever would be. ”I was so determined to show you I was a different person to the one who took all your girls. Some of those were jerk moves, I know. Maybe not fully my fault but a jerk moves nonetheless. When I figured out you liked Li, well it felt like a perfect opportunity to do that. I guess fate was laughing hard at that idea." Miles sighs, taking a sip of his wine.

"Look if you had told me a few weeks ago you were going to make a move for Lil, I am not going to lie, I would have swung for you. But… It Doesn't matter how I feel about Lil, because she doesn't feel the same, and I can't change that. There is nothing I can do." Carlisle would join Miles on the bench, pouring himself a second glass of wine " At the end of the day. As long as the two of you are happy, that's all I care about. Besides, I don't even know if me and Lil are still even best friends, or even friends at this point. No point crying about not being my girlfriend if you are losing them as a simple friend" Carlisle let out a small sigh, masking it with another drink from his glass.

Miles looked over at his friend and pursed his lips. For as much as he didn't regret getting back with Lilith he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. ”And where do we stand?" he asks simply. Part of Miles knew they couldn't instantly go back to their friendship. Heck, he knew in some ways their closeness only went so far. Miles was far too blase for something deep and Carlisle was closer to Lil, whether she saw that closeness or not.

"From my point of view, nothing has really changed. You are still my best friend. Sure, we aren't as close as we were back in college, but that was because we were apart for a year and a half" Carlisle would take another deep drink of his glass, almost finishing his second glass in the space of ten minutes. "Don't mean we can't become closer. Moving forward there is going to be alot of trials and tests. For all of us. We are going to all need each other if we are to figure out how to navigate them all"

Miles polishes off his glass but doesn't refill it, there'd be better tasting alcohol in his near future and he didn't want to get wine drunk before so. ”Y'know," he says softly, placing his glass back on the table. ”When you and Lil got close it stung a bit. Not in a 'I want her to myself' kinda way just…" Miles takes a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. ”We were essentially raised together. Even before she moved here there were the biannual Montgomery-Price holidays and all that. She was my closest friend, we both knew things about each other noone else knew. We grieved her memaw and ma together. And after I screwed it up and we broke contact I never had anyone who knew me as well. You were the closest. The Olympia guys were great but let's be honest, they were only there for the parties and funtimes. I guess watching my 2 closest friends push me away to get closer hurt a bit."

" I mean me and Lilith never got close until I returned from college with my tail between my legs. We were the only two from our year group to still be in Tanner. So we kinda bonded over being alone. If you were still in Tanner it would have played out differently. When you came back, well. Then it got awkward, I had to do my best to balance you being around and Lil not wanting to be near you. In hindsight I should of seen it coming with the coven reunion." While Miles was abstaining, Carlisle was pouring himself his third glass of wine "Well, the past is the past. We can't change it, only decide what we want to do going forward"

”In your defense, none of us saw it coming. I actually thought I'd be the one with a broken nose at the end of the first day. Man, that girl can punch," Miles replies, a small smile spread across his face at the last line. He watches as his friend pours another glass, unsure whether or not to stop him. He settled on the second option, Carlisle could figure himself out.

"Tell me about it" Carlisle continued taking another sip from the glass "Imagine if she actually did martial arts. This whole world would be screwed… Look… I don't hold anything against anyone. I got to go to the astral plane and be told that you and Lil were literally written in the stars. No amount of tampering or sabotage was ever going to work." a small sigh led to him taking another swig of his drink " It doesn't matter anymore anyway. Last week I had my own run of luck. Do you remember Willow?"

”The therapist, right?" Miles asks, his brow furrowing.

" Yeah, well. Last week she came around the household while I was working on the arrangements for today. And well, turns out she has been liking me for a long time. And we kissed" Carlisle let out a little squeal at the end of his sentence before drowning it with more wine.

Miles couldn’t help but chuckle as Carlisle squealed like a little school girl as he talked about kissing Willow. ”Look at you go, Car. How was it?" he asks.

" It was great. We went for a date out to Huskers and it was really cool to spend time with her. Apparently she has liked me for a long time and I have never even noticed it" Carlisle said with a smile, once more taking another swig of wine "I forgot how much I like this stuff. And to think, I had been hiding juice in wine bottles and replacing vodka for water for years because I thought alcohol made me ill"

”I'm happy for you, bud," Miles say, clapping Carlisle on the back. ”And I promise she's all yours. I'm a taken man now, a properly taken man,"

”I think it was the attempted keg stands that made you ill. I appreciated the attempt but it's very much not your expertise," Miles chuckles as Carlisle compliments the wine. He couldn't help but remember Carlisle's attempt to beat Miles' time but barely getting up in the air. Part of Miles thought his friend might have died that day.

" Well that is a relief. Just gotta make sure that I don't screw it up and somehow scare her away or cause her to beat the shit out of me in the world's biggest overreaction" finishing off the third glass, Carlisle let out a small burp, followed by a small giggle. It was clearly that somehow, he was starting to become inebriated. "Gonna take it sloooow, maybe woo her at the dance later tonight"

Miles looked at his friend incredulously. He'd only seen Carlisle drunk on a couple of occasions, both being in college. His speech was bound to be interesting indeed. ”Having fun there?" he asks.

Pouring the last of the wine into the glass Carlisle let out a small chuckle " I am having a blast. The best time of my life. Don't know why I am stressing about this party or the ceremony or that Salem woman. I am happy and everyone else can suck it" With that he necked the glass of wine and put the glass down on the table a little too hard.

Miles couldn't help but wonder if he sounded similar when he got drunk enough. It definitely has a lot more liquor for them to get there. ”I can't believe I'm about to say this but you might want to slow down for a moment. You're not Lil or I, you can't really hold your liquor,"

" I can hold my… " Carlisle interrupted his own sentence with a hiccup before bursting out laughing " At least I am a cheap guy to buy drink for" realising the bottle was empty, Carlisle pouted. "Maybe we should get some more from the fridge?"

”Car, you know I'm all for the drinking but maybe hold on for a moment, don't want you chucking up on anyone during your grand speech," Miles replies with a chuckle. Part of him couldn't believe he was the responsible one for once. This must be how Carlisle felt through college.

”I already have my speech planned out…” Carlisle slurred slightly ”Fuck my mother, Fuck the Guild, Fuck the old elites who think they are important. I am now in charge… And I say… we Par-tay ” With that Carlisle raised his hands in the air and gave out a cheer, which was loud enough that it seemed to catch the attention of Amanda.

All Miles could do is cover his face with his hand to hide the astonishment written over it. This was not good at all. Amusing? Absolutely. Probably one of the best speeches at these stuffy guild events. Probably Carlisle's best too. But also likely not a good thing. Lilith was probably going to kill one of them for this.

Carlisle locked eyes with Amanda’s disgusted look and he called out ”Yeah I am talking about you, you demented old bean” At that remark, Amanda stormed on over and was about to admonish him when she realised he had been drinking.

”Ah, I see the urchin has had you drinking. There is a reason we don’t let you drink Carlisle. You can’t handle it and you start getting ideas well above your station when under the influence.”

”Well I am the station now! I decide whats over or above my station level…thing” Carlisle carried on, not really making alot of sense. Amanda instead moved her eyes to Miles.

”Make yourself useful and get him cleaned up. Last thing I need is for him to disgrace the Aston name infront of the whole magical world!”

”It’s my magical world now and y’all just livin’ in it!” Carlisle cooed.

”Mands! Can I call you Mands? Actually I don't care," Miles greets Carlisle's mother with a smile. He may have not intended his friend to get this drunk, Miles did only offer and pour one drink after all, but he was happy to take the hit. ”Funny thing about handing over your job, I don't work for you anymore," he says with a shrug.

”Yes? Well that means I don’t get punished if I magically beat your ass into the ground” Amanda hissed back. ”Just do your ‘friends’ duty and look after him. If you do mind, I am off to go and greet Salem, and probably warn her that the Coven is about to fall off the edge of a cliff” With that Amanda stuck up her nose and walked off.

”Yeah, well I…I ain’t afraid of cliffs, or Salem. I can have her…out in the parking lot…” Carlisle meandered off, trying to get up and almost falling over in the process.

”Woah, bud," Miles replies, grabbing onto Carlisle to stabilize him. ”I hate to admit it, but your ma has a point. We should clean you off,"

”I will clean you off…” Carlisle started as Miles began to lead him away from the bench. It took a while, but Carlisle eventually sobered up enough that it wasn’t plainly obvious he was drunk. But his head was hurting. Although, Miles did have to help Carlisle into his suit, which Carlisle took as a game and began removing clothing as Miles was putting it on.

”Dude… Why did you let me drink that much. I am hungover before my own party starts”

”Hey," Miles says defensively, raising his arms. ”I offered 1. Anything extra you had was your problem. You're and adult, it's not my job to monitor your drinking,"

” So just like me in college then to you?” Carlisle said as he rubbed his head and looked at the clock. ”Dude it is almost time, you better go get ready yourself, depending on what you are going to wear. Also, where is your mother, I need to speak with her.”

Miles looks down at his own clothes, a vest over a red button up shirt. He already had to wear a suit 5 days a week, he wasn’t going to make it 6. ”Dude, I'm already dressed," he argues begrudgingly. When Carlisle asks about his mother, Miles shrugs. ”I don't know, the kitchen? What do you need my ma for?"

Looking Miles up and down, Carlisle shook his head. ”You know Lil is getting dressed up right. She isn’t going to be happy if you wear that. Alos, I gotta go ask her something important” With that, Carlisle left Miles in his bedroom before popping his head back in again ”I keep spare clothes in the closet you can use” He remarked before running off downstairs to find Mary in the kitchen. Entering, Carlisle would lean on the counter to smile at Mary. ”Hey Mary, I have a question… and a favour… and it is a pretty big one…”

Miles watches as Carlisle runs off, shaking his head. Lil had seen him earlier and said nothing so he assumed what he was wearing was fine and chose not to take Carlisle's offer.

Mary was in the kitchen helping cook some of the party food when Carlisle approached her. The older woman furrowed her brow. "Sure, dear, what can I do for you?" she asks

”So you know with the ceremony and all that. There are parts where the new leader and then their parents are supposed to be together. It’s all pomp and circumstance nonsense really. Things like welcoming the guests at the door, they are supposed to introduce you to everyone etc. Honestly, it might as well be taken from the fucking princess diaries. Anyway… I don’t really want to be there with my mother. She will just use every chance she can get to belittle me in front of people. I was hoping, maybe you would take her place instead?” Carlisle asked, slightly unsure of the answer he was about to get.

At Carlisle's question Mary's face softened. Of course, Carlisle," she replies, placing the tray of spring rolls she was holding on the kitchen bench. "You'll have to tell me what I'll be doin' but I reckon I could,"

”Most of it is just standing there and posing, Only bit that requires involvement is the introductions bit. But I gave everyone an invite they have to give to you, so you know exactly who they are. I am really nervous though. This speech is freaking me out in more ways than one”

"In what ways?" she asks, leaning over the bench.

”I am just worried that it won’t actually be any good. That people will not enjoy it, or that it will make me look weak. We both know that I don’t exactly have a way with words” Carlisle spoke as he rubbed his hair in both frustration and anxiety.

"Well, we've got some time. How 'bout you practice with me?" she offers with a gentle smile. "I can tell you for a fact, Milo didn't get his way with words from his father,"

With a shake of his head Carlisle spoke ”It is okay, thanks for offering though. If i spend any longer trying to speak it or going through it, I am just going to keep nitpicking it and making myself worse. Its just performance anxiety. The past 30 days haven't really done much for my confidence.”

Mary nods in response. A ding goes off from the oven and she turns to pull out a tray of chicken nuggets. "You just gotta buck up, kid," she says, placing the tray on the bench. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Now why don't you go and start welcomin' people in, I'll join you in a moment,"

---

Later That Evening

Coven Household Entrance - Council Handover Ceremony - 7PM

---

Carlisle had sobered up enough that he could finally interact as a human being. He took a moment to adjust the bowtie on his Suit. It was finally 7pm and everyone was starting to arrive. The ceremony was all pompous and a little dated, but it was tradition. Standing there Amanda began to walk over to him.

"Let's get this over with shall we? Try and look happy, we have to at least keep up appearances" Carlisle would cough slightly, pulling at his collar before finally saying what he had wanted to say all afternoon.

"Asides from the ceremony tonight, and that's all, I don't require you for anything. I have asked someone else to step in for me" Carlisle smiled as he motioned towards the now incoming Mary, causing Amanda to scoff in disbelief. "Really now? Out of all the people you could choose, you went for the Urchin Breeder"

"You're a lil touched, ain’t ya?" Mary drawls. She takes a step toward the woman, sizing her up. "I'm only gonna ask you just once to leave my boy out of this. At this rate you seemed more obsessed about him than ya own kid standin' right here. Now, tell me Amanda, what makes you think he's gonna go runnin' back to you after you disowned the poor boy?"

Amanda didn’t back down when Mary tried to size her up. Sure Mary was taller, but Amanda was going to let this commoner push her around. ”Because if he knows what is good for him, then he will realise that power stays together. Even when said power is a worthless sack of shit that doesn’t even deserve the name”

"Yeah, no. There'll be none of that here," Mary says before turning to Carlisle. "Why don't you go and greet some of our guests, you don't need to listen to the psychotic ramblings of this sour puss." She then turns back to the woman before her and steps even closer. Mary wasn't the angry type but Amanda seemed to know how to push her buttons from the day she moved to Tanner all those years ago. "For someone who made a big deal about havin' the boy and how well he'll be raised you really turned out to be a disappointment of a parent, didn't ya?" she quips.

Carlisle took a step back. He wanted to say something, but he had the impression that Mary wanted to deal with this himself. He would take a few moments to adjust his bowtie and take the final few steps to the door, making sure he was still in earshot of duo. Amanda on the tiger hand just took a deep breath through he nose, exhaling hard. "The problem was I had to make do with my pathetic husband. If his true father had actually had him, he would have been useful and powerful, not wasted on some stumpy little southerner like you"

"True father? Mary laughs, looking the woman up and down. "Bless your heart, you're more delusional than I thought. Just because you want someone to be yours doesn't make them meant to be. Besides, chances are your boy would still be a warlock, mine is. Not that that matters that much. No, all you would have done for yourself is be left to raise that poor boy on his own, and for his sake I'm glad you weren't."

" Please. His father never cared so long as he was out of the way. I raised Carlisle on my own. And at every possible chance to impress or show that he was an Aston, he failed. Your son gained powers that are wasted on him. Oh if I had want I deserved, Carlisle would have been so powerful it would have made Lilith and Serena look like bitches." Amanda still looked outraged, occasionally she would glare at Carlisle, who would look away and greet the various coven members from both around the world, and from Tanner.

" I would explain more about it, but to be honest that would be giving away spoilers about little Jonathan. And I don't think I am ready to drop that on you yet" Amanda proclaimed with a grin.

"My son's doin' perfectly fine with the powers he was given, thank you very much. As is yours. What you actually deserve is to be dragged into the depths of the hells themself!" Mary snaps in return, heat rising to her face from her anger. The temptation to grab the nearest stick and whack the woman over the head was strong but this was not the place.

At Amanda's final comment Mary crosses her arms and raises her brow. There was a lot about Miles' father she didn't know. She knew he was far from a truthful man, she only knew about his magic thanks to her divination and he'd up and left without a trace after 2 months of acting like he was excited about her pregnancy. But what did Amanda know? Did Mary even care? Probably not enough.

Mary scoffed, looking the woman up and down. "You think anythin' to do with that name would still sting? It's been 25 years, I'm not insufferably petty like you. Y'know what? If Johnathon Park ever comes a'knocking you can have the bastard to yourself. Or better still, punt him back to Korea and out of my face."

Amanda simply laughed at how Mary ended that sentence. She didn't care? Really? If only she knew. Amanda would cross his arms and raise her eyebrow "It doesn't matter anyway. I was left with a useless son who only had one job: Be better than the piece of shit you spat out. And somehow, he befriended him and failed to do that." Amanda huffed one more time, clearly Mary was getting under her skin.

Mary couldn’t help but smirk at the woman before her. It seemed she had gotten under her skin. ”I’d be careful with your words if I were you, Amanda Aston. There’s quite a few folks around here who are just as protective over my boy as me, and less graceful. Regardless, you’re startin’ to piss me off. Do you really want another incident like ‘96? ‘Cus I’d be more than happy to relive that for you,” With that the woman takes another step forward, her face floating inches from the shorter womans ear. She then lowers her voice into a gruff whisper. ”Your smugass face looks like it’s due for some new dents. You might be able to show some emotion again after I knock out all that work.”

Amanda wasn't going to be made to look like the fool. Normally. However, memories of that day back in '96 was enough to cause Amanda to take a step back. With a deep, angry sigh, she glared at Carlisle "If you want to take that piece of disappointing shit under your wing then feel free. But he will let you down to. This Coven and indeed the entirety of witch-kind is about to go to the dogs" Amanda would take one more step back, just to be away from Mary.

”I don’t do that consistent disappointment to hate thing when it comes to the kids- I’m better than that. Now why don’t you be a dear and leave both of my boys alone,” Mary’s voice remained calm and gentle yet she made it clear it was very much a threat.

Amanda simply huffed and stormed off "Yeah well good luck with that" With that she went away, leaving Mary alone. Carlisle looked over at Mary, a look of quiet fear in his eyes.

Mary shook her head at the woman as she walked off and joined Carlisle. "Don't you go worryin' about us old crones, kid. I know how to handle your mother."

"I know. But it just feels sad. This was supposed to be a big day. A whole celebration, but now it has been reduced to a petty bitching contest because my mother decided it would be a good idea to try and undermine me" Carlisle sighed and rubbed his head.

"Y'know, it only becomes a competition with her if you let it. She feeds off of making you feel inferior. If you don't let her, she has no power. This can still be that big celebration, just ignore her and get on with your life." Mary replies, adjusting the golden watch on her wrist. Her eyes floated to Amanda for a moment, giving the woman a glare if she dared to look back.

Amanda simply ignored the duo and walked away, leaving Carlisle to greet one of the guests. "I know. It just felt like I haven't really had a mother growing up. Silly I know. Why do you think they bought me the townhouse at 16? It wasn't because they wanted me to be luxurious I can tell you that"

Mary sighed and pursed her lips. She was sure as far as parents go she was fair from the best, or at least the most attentive. Having to spend countless hours working to make ends meet over raising her son did that. If Carlisle's mum were anyone else Mary would be the first to ask Carlisle to give her some grace but Amanda didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry you went though that, kid. Let's not worry about that tonight though. You have me, ok?"

”Well that was what I was going to ask you… I suppose now is the best time to ask rather than later.” Carlisle would pull at his bowtie and straighten his back. ”So I have a job offer for you… As you know, mother stripped away nearly all of the jobs in the coven household so that she could keep the funds for herself. I don’t really like the sound of that. So I know that you have amazing skills with looking after places… I was wondering if you would want to take on the role of Seneschal? Its paid of course, fully paid with vacation and all the other benefits.” This was Carlisle’s way of trying to apologize over how shitty his mother had treated her. He couldn’t change the past, but he could at least, make the future better.

At his offer Mary gave him a smile. She wasn't sure how to respond. On one hand, it'd be a familiar job to her seeing as she tends so lovingly to the house and its occupants but it felt almost wrong to ask for money for that work. Not to mention she did enjoy her job but it was also getting tiring on her joints. Not to mention that Carlisle almost seemed to have a secondary motive. She asked her mind if it was suspicious and her divination declined so she decided to probe no further. "Let me think on it Car. How long do I have to decide?" she asks.

”As long as you need. I am in no rush to fill the position. I need someone to look after the household and make sure it is well stocked. Salary is $100K a year. It is a senior position afterall” Carlisle did have an agenda for sure. He wanted to make sure that Mary was not only sorted for retirement, but also had a much better work life balance. After seeing the sacrifices she had made, and how his mother had seemed to be responsible.

"That's very kind of you car, I'll think on it," Mary replies, turning back to the guests. "For now, though, we have people to greet,"

Carlisle simply smiled at Mary, briefly taking a moment to wrap his arms around her in a hug, muttering a ‘thank you’ before letting go and continuing to greet everyone as they entered.