It had been two weeks since the party, three weeks since she’d been told of her true background. While Violet stayed with her mother, learning more of her true calling and powers, her anger for Carlisle grew. She wanted nothing more than to bring him down. But, how? She needed to draw attention to the Coven. Make him seem incompetent. So, she went out into the non-mag world and started causing havoc. A few spells here, a few there. Yet nobody so much as blinked at what she was doing. It was time to go straight to the source.
Heading back to the Coven, she stormed through the front doors and stood in her spot. She didn’t know where the main office was. Violet let out a breath and yelled through the house.
’Carlisle Aston! Where the hell are you?!”Mary had started her job as seneschal that week. If she was being honest with herself it scarcely felt much different from how she tended to the coven’s house before she was paid, she just held more responsibility now. Carlisle had started her with the task of returning the garden to its former glory. Although Mary was no Cordelia she had fond memories of helping Claire’s grandma tend to the gardens when she was in her teens.
The woman had spent the morning scouring through the records of witches and warlocks capable of creating plants, or at least speeding up their development so the garden would be presentable in much less time than a handful of years. She was halfway through her list when the yell came from downstairs.
Mary was yet to have the displeasure of officially meeting Carlisle’s estranged sister but this seemed like as good a time as any. The woman disengaged herself from her work and made her way to the bannister that overlooked the ground floor to see a blonde figure she’d only seen a couple of times in passing.
"Violet Aston, I assume?” she calls down to the woman, slipping her reading glasses off of her nose.
Folding her arms across her chest, her entire body bristled with annoyance as she looked up at the older woman. She had seen her at the party but didn’t know who she was. Wasn’t she the lady that her annoying little brother did the handover with? Violet thought so. She narrowed her eyes up at the woman and huffed out a breath.
”Obviously. Where’s my brother?” She looked past the woman and yelled out once more.
”Carlisle!”"You can kick up as much of a fuss as you want, he ain’t here. But if you wanna destroy that lil voice of yours with all your hollerin’, please, be my guest,” Mary replies, leaning onto the railing. With one hand, she toys with her glasses by rubbing one of the arms between her fingers, meanwhile her eyes distracted themselves looking over the girl. Now that she was able to properly look at her any doubt that this may have just been another of Amanda’s tricks dissipated, Mary was unsure if Violet truly being the woman’s daughter Amanda faked miscarrying was the better option.
"I doubt Carlisle wants to deal with you but what do you need him for so badly?”She scoffed at the woman and glared at her before shaking her head. Who did this woman think she was? Folding her arms across her chest, she shrugged.
”My business with my brother has nothing to do with you. I demand to know where he is. That, or I’ll go back out and spread my magic around some more. I’m sure the Coven would love for a non-mag to get a taste of necromancy magic.”"Ah, yes. I’ve been hearing about your lil stunts,” Mary replies, treading her way down the stairs.
"Unfortunately for you we’ve got a good system goin’, all you’re doing is wastin’ your magic in some fruitless endeavour. Pump out as much as you want, all trace will be wiped from the non-magi within the hour,” the woman attempts to reason. In all honesty Mary was halfway bluffing. While the Coven did have a good protective system to keep magic hidden from the civilians it did have its limits, Mary just hoped the young woman wouldn’t call her bluff.
"I was going to start a pot of coffee, why don’t you join me. Seems like we need a lil chat.” Part of Mary wanted to jump right into influencing Violet with magic but she was interested in what the woman would do next.
Eyeing the older woman as she came down the stairs, she thought hard about what she said. Violet wasn’t one hundred percent sure that she was telling her the truth, yet this was a new town, a new Coven. It made sense that they would have a system to rid non-magi’s of traces of magic. The Coven wouldn’t last long in this town if that weren’t true. She huffed out a breath at the woman and folded her arms across her chest.
”I don’t even know you.”Mary cocked her head slightly at the woman’s response, it was far from what she expected. She imagined Violet would either begrudgingly comply or just walk off back to her day.
"Very true,” Mary muses, finishing her descent and standing at the stairs’ landing.
"But you know me as well as you did your ma only 2 weeks ago. Com’on, just one won’t kill you and I don’t bite.”Biting the inside of her cheek, she continued to eye the woman for a moment. Maybe she could get some information about her mother and this Coven out of her. Wouldn’t hurt, as her brother wasn’t speaking to her and all her mother could talk about was some guy being in town. Rolling her eyes, Violet gave a slight nod of her head.
”Fine. Just one.”A warm smile spreads across the order woman’s face.
"Brilliant.” she hums, making her way to the kitchen where she starts up a fresh pot of coffee. She wasn’t quite sure where to start with Violet.
‘Leave my child and my grandbabies alone” or
here’s all the reasons your ma ain’t a good role model felt like she was coming on too strongly. Instead she thought about starting from the beginning.
"So what brought you to Tanner, truthfully?”Violet slowly followed the woman into the next room, her eyes looking about. She hadn’t had time to completely take in the Coven as she was in her idiot brother’s head for most of the party. Still, the house was grand and unmistakably beautiful. Shaking her head as she realized she was spoken to, she went to a counter and leaned against it. She looked away from the woman and shrugged, a bit of her anger starting to wain.
”I received a letter from Amanda Aston, claiming she was my birth mother. She said my birthright was here and she would explain everything to me once I got here.”She scoffed and shook her head.
”Instead I get locked up in some damn mental prison, and now Amanda can’t shut up about some guy that’s in town. Al, maybe? I don’t know, I stopped listening to her rant about ten minutes in.”"I must say, you did come at a pretty rotten time, not that you can help it.” Mary decided to not kick up a fuss about Al, it had nothing to do with her and Mary wanted to be careful with how much the woman knew. She arranges a couple of cookies on a plate and pushes it toward Violet before grabbing a couple of mugs for when the coffee is finished.
"Birthright, huh? Is that why you’re running amuck around my coven?” she asks curiously. Mary knew the safer option would have been to charm her here, get the answers out and leave her be. She may not have met Violet but for all their issues, Aston women were powerful people and with Amanda in her head Mary was sure she’d put in a request to at least make Mary hurt. However, Mary’s curiosity won. She was ready to subdue the woman if necessary, watching for indicators things might get aggressive with her magic on hand.
Violet blinked at the woman before her brows furrowed in question. Who
was this woman? She resigned herself to not eat or drink a single thing around her, lest she poison or magic them somehow. Shaking her head, she looked around the kitchen.
”It isn’t your Coven. It’s the Aston’s Coven. And I wanted to get my brother’s attention.” She shrugged a bit before once more looking at the woman next to her.
”I don’t believe you have everything enchanted where the non-mag’s don’t know of us. I believe my brother just doesn’t give a damn about running the place.”"Carlisle Aston oversees the coven, yes, but it’s just as much mine or any members as it is his. As far as I’m concerned, as long as I’m here contributing I have a personal stake here.” Mary busies herself pouring the coffee as she continues to talk. At Violet’s claim of disbelief the older woman gives a shrug. [color=fff79a]"You can believe what you want but try to explain how we ain’t being probed and prodded at this point if that were true. We’re the head coven, we got tricks up our sleeves. Milk or sugar?” she nods at the mug to her left.
Noticing Violet’s hesitancy to eat anything Mary leans forward on the bench, resting her forearms on the marble.
"Trust me, kid, if I wanted to hurt ya I would’ve already. That’s not my style. she says, looking right into the blonde’s eyes before pushing the cup toward her.
"The fact that’s what concerns you is interesting though,” she muses before taking a sip of her own.
"Tells me you’re up to something, and likely that something ain’t important enough for you to lose your life over. What kinda warpath has Amanda tried to set you on?” As she talks Mary seems to be talking less to Violet but more to herself but was still open to the woman’s input.
Violet was by far getting more annoyed as the woman continued to speak. Amanda had promised her the Coven as her birthright. Sure, every member had a stake in the Coven, but there was only one true leader. And that person should be her. She eyed the mug that was placed next to her and she bit the inside of her cheek. The woman didn’t seem like she was up to anything, and the coffee smelled absolutely divine. Clearing her throat, she grabbed the creamer and added some to her cup before hesitantly sipping at it. She then looked back up at Mary.
”Look, I came here ‘cause I was promised the Coven. I want what’s mine.”"Lemme guess, a ‘I’m sorry for what I did, come back and I’ll make you the most powerful person in the witch world under my name’ kinda talk? That ain’t how we do things ‘round here. I don’t know about wherever you’re from but here you need the council to choose to give you the spot and Amanda ain’t on the council no more.” Mary takes another sip of her coffee before placing the mug back on the table.
"“Hate to break it to you kid but Amanda’s intentions serve noone but herself, doesn’t matter how much she claims to care ‘bout you. So, I gotta ask, what did the woman ask you to do in return for a prize you’re never gonna get?”As she listened to the woman, she shifted on her feet. It was true that all her mother talked about was taking over their legacy and hadn’t spoken of much else, but- she wanted a relationship with Violet too. Right? Could she trust this woman? Clearing her throat, she looked down at her coffee before shaking her head. It didn’t matter whether or not she believed Amanda, which she shouldn’t have considering she gave her up at birth- but she didn’t even know who this woman was next to her. She took a breath and shifted once more on her feet.
”I have to get rid of Carlisle.”Outwardly Mary responded initially with a sigh alone but the gears were cranking in her head. Mary had become an expert at hiding her emotions and this was one such time that skill was useful as a rush of worry rained over her. Sure, she should have expected this somewhat but part of Mary had hoped that despite the woman’s downfalls she had at least enough decency to not plot murder against her son. What she said next was likely more harsh than Mary intended to be but the words fell out her mouth before she could catch them.
"Just like how she got rid of you?”It took Mary a moment to realise what she had said. Part of her was still seething at the whole situation. She was still trying to figure out what part hurt her the most; the ammunition she turned her fake miscarriage into to make Mary feel bad for her own pregnancy or her willingness to just give her child away because she didn’t seem useful enough.
"I’m sorry dear, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that, it’s just- there’s a pattern here, don’t you see it?”Her eyes narrowed at the woman’s words. How dare she? She scoffed and set her coffee mug back down onto the counter. While it was true that Amanda wanted to get rid of Carlisle, she also wanted Violet to get rid of Lilith and her three babies. But there was no way in hell she was going to admit to that part of their plan. And comparing Violet to Carlisle? She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
”My mother thought I was a non-mag. Now she knows how strong I am and how weak my brother is. There’s no comparison between the two of us. I don’t expect love or an apology from my mother, but I’m ten times better than he is.”It was evident Mary had gone too far with that comment, so much for keeping the woman as calm as possible. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment, thinking through how to rectify this.
"Look, kid, I’ve known your ma since she was a teen. All I’m saying is be careful. I’ve watched her discard powerful people for far less reasons than just existing. I’d say I hope she’d have more mercy on you being her kid but seeing as she wants you brother gone…”Violet just shook her head. Her mother might have given her away at one point, but that was when she didn’t know about the magic in her veins. She knew for a fact that her mother now realized just how powerful she is, even more powerful than she could have ever expected. Now that she had invited her to the Coven, there was no way that she would get rid of her again. No. Violet was here to stay.
”She realized the error of her ways when she gave me up. My birth mother wouldn’t dare leave me again. You’re wrong about her.”"I’m sure there was a time Carlisle used to think that,” Mary muses, leaning deeper into the benchtop. In all honesty Mary didn’t actually think that true, the woman always had a way for beating around that poor boy, but for as much as the woman wasn’t really a liar her protective instincts seemed to take priority, and talking Violet off of a murderous rampage seemed the best option right now. Part of her wanted to feel solace in the fact Miles and Lilith hadn’t also come up but she wasn’t quite sure Violet was giving the whole truth.
"Trust me, some days it seemed there were few people that woman was more obsessed with than me and my boy. I know her plenty, unfortunately more than I ever wanted to. I’d hazard a guess I’d have a better idea of these things. You don’t have to do her bidding, y’know.””Carlisle is weak!” She huffed out. Shaking her head, she looked away from the woman. And she wasn’t doing her mother’s
bidding, she had a legit reason for wanting Carlisle and Lilith’s babies gone. Violet was plenty sure that the only reason her mother had told her to do these things were because Violet was so powerful. She could hurt a person without even touching them. This was definitely the only reason. And who was this boy the woman spoke of? Violet didn’t know. Letting out a slow breath, she looked away and shook her head.
”I have to do these things. My mother said I’m the only one who could do this.”Mary gives yet another sigh. Part of her was impressed, she’d always thought Aston women were products of their upbringing but there was one in front of her with the same temperament despite not knowing her heritage.
"Amanda’s crafty, she knows how to work people into what she wants. What personal stake do you have in this really? You don’t get a coven cus they’ll reelect a new leader. What use is Carlisle’s disappearance to you?”Shifting on her feet, she tried to think about what the woman was telling her. Her mother didn’t tell her that they’d just reelect someone else. The Coven was promised to her. As long as she got rid of Carlisle and the babies. Letting out a breath, she looked over at a full wall before looking at the ceiling. Violet shook her head.
”The Coven is mine. It’s my birthright.”The older woman's brow furrows at Violet's response. What had Amanda even told her?
"Y'know the Coven isn't an Aston only line, right? In fact the generation before was led by the Montgomerys. You have a claim to the council but guarantees of responsibility stop there," the woman attempts to reason, bottoming the rest of the coffee.
Had her mother lied to her? No, not technically. She stated Lilith and her children were a threat to their reign. And obviously, Carlisle. And she needed to take out Miles- if she wanted to. She bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. Violet just had to get rid of the people in her way, then the control of the Coven would be all hers. She cleared her throat.
”It’s in Aston hands now. It’ll stay that way.”"If you want it to stay that way maybe murder's not the first starting point. Kills don't get you well liked by those voting. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar and all that."Violet scoffed and rolled her eyes.
”Like anybody would really miss my idiot brother. I’ve heard of the dumb stuff he’s been a part of just these past few months alone.” She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.
”Besides, I never said I was going to kill him. Just have to get rid of him. Make him disappear.”Mary tuts, shaking her head.
"Well that is simply not true, I know a few people who'd miss Carlisle. Funnily enough, there's some things people are willing to forgive," she replies before pouring herself another coffee. She holds the pot toward Violet, offering her another. Even without her divination she knew there was something she was missing, some piece to the puzzle. Unfortunately Amanda was all too predictable.
"But you were ordered to kill someone, weren't you?" she asks gently and matter-of-factly.
Staring straight ahead, she continued to chew on the inside of her cheek. She shifted her feet nervously and took in a shaky breath. While a part of her didn’t mind killing off Carlisle, she did mind what other horror her mother had settled her with. Taking her mug in her hands, she wrapped her arms around the warm exterior while looking down into its contents. Should she tell this woman what she knew? No, Amanda wouldn’t be pleased at all with her.
Taking in another breath, Violet cleared her throat.
”No.” She took a big sip of her coffee, not bothering to look at the woman.
It was evident Violet had more to hide but Mary had a quick check into with her divination first to make sure she was right. She was. With a sigh she took another sip of her coffee.
"Violet, I don't have a problem with you right now. You haven't done anything Amanda's asked of you yet, I don't have a reason to have a problem. I just need to know." Mary attempts to meet the young woman's eyes. Sure, this may have been to most unconventional way to garner information but she wanted Violet to trust her enough to give up the information willingly either than forcing it out of her and sending the woman on a warpath.
She fisted her hands around her mug as her body shuddered. Violet didn’t want to tell this woman anything and upset her mother. Her mother had one- well, two jobs for her to do and she needed to do them. She
had to. She couldn’t meet the woman’s eyes and she let out a breath. Her eyes watered slightly before she cleared her throat and shook her head. No. No, her mother trusted her with this.
”There’s nothing to tell.”Mary sighed, tapping her fingers on the side of the ceramic mug. She decided to play a card she'd been hoping to hold close to her chest for longer.
"Violet, I'm a divination witch alongside other things, I have an in-built truth detector for these things. I could figure it out that way but I'd rather hear the plans from you. The fact you're so wrapped up in this is tellin' me it's something even you have qualms about." Her eyes widened at the woman’s confession. She knew. She
knew Violet was lying. A part of her broke and frightened tears entered her eyes. She was tired. She was so, so tired of carrying this around with her. The young woman held guilt for something she hadn’t even done yet. Letting out a shaky breath, she lowered her voice and quickly turned to look at the woman. Everything just began to spill out all at once.
”Mother wants me to make Lilith lose her babies. And, yeah, she wants Carlisle dead. And Miles. Those I don’t care about. But hurting babies?! I can’t do that.”Mary bit her lips together before something she’d regret would spill out. Sure, she had her suspicions but now there was confirmation that her suspicions were not unwarranted. It revealed the results of a slow boiling anger she’d unknowingly been growing. She wasn’t mad, she was furious but not at the young woman before her. No, if Mary felt anything toward Violet it was pity. She needed to know one more thing before she no longer had to worry about restraint.
"That’s a big ask, a very unfair one. You understand all you’re gonna do by following through is get yourself in a lot of trouble with a lot of powerful people while your ma ends up with her hands clean in all of this. You don’t plan on following through with it, do you?” Mary attempts to remain as cordial as possible. She could hear her voice shake occasionally; she hoped Violet would think nothing of it.
Gulping, she looked back into her coffee mug as she listened to the woman. Was that really what all this was? Getting Violet to show up here to do her mother’s dirty work? Yes, she wanted the wealth and the power that being a Coven leader could give her. But was she really considering killing babies? She didn’t know if she could go that far. Violet didn’t understand why her mother had asked her to do these things for her when she was more than capable of doing it herself. Was she nothing but the fall guy? Even still, she was afraid of what her mother could do to her if she didn’t follow through. Her voice came out shaky as she spoke.
”I have to.”Mary sighs at the young woman's response. She was hoping she might come to her senses by now but the poor thing was so wrapped up in her mother's demands she failed to see any other options.
"And what happens if you don't?" Mary asks gingerly, take a sip of her coffee.
”I don’t know.” She took a shaky breath and looked over at the woman, her face both serious and terrified. Violet gave a shrug of her shoulders.
”You know my mother better than I do. What do you think she’d do to me if I didn’t follow through?”At Violet's question her older woman exhaled a sigh. In truth she knew the things on Amanda's mind for a betraying underling would be harsh but she didn’t want to scare Violet right back into her mother's schemes.
"Look, the way I see it, if you side with Amanda you may avoid her wrathe but you'll make some truly powerful enemies that are capable of making anything Amanda could subject you to look like child's play. You seem like a bright kid, Violet, I hate to have an issue with you. If you don't do your ma's biddin' you got a good amount of us behind you. I've spent the last 10 or so years keeping Carlisle from your ma, I could do the same for you." Shifting on her feet, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Just her few conversations she had had with her mother over these past couple weeks made Violet very aware of how dangerous the woman was. She didn’t want to cross her. Even still, she didn’t want enemies on her back. She was very certain that what this woman was saying was true- Violet was her mother’s scapegoat. Gulping, she slowly set her mug down on the counter before looking back up at the woman.
”Help me.”Before anything else Mary questioned her divination, asking if Violet was being truthful. She was. A weight felt like it was pulled from her shoulders and she found herself being less tense.
"Of course I will," she replies gently. This was a relief, while Amanda was indeed a powerful woman it was to the Montgomery-Prices' benefit that she had as few allies as possible.
"We'll talk to your brother, get you 2 ironed out and- oh how rude of me. I just realised I never introduced myself. Mary Price, seneschal." The woman sticks a hand out to the younger.
Violet felt as though she could finally breathe again. Though, she didn’t necessarily want to speak to her brother, but- maybe a sibling in this city couldn’t hurt. Somebody to help her stand up to their mother. Then her introduction made her eyes widened a bit. That Miles guy…his last name was Price. She was certain. She cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest.
’I didn’t know Miles was your kid…Sorry.”Mary retracts her hand before going for another sip of her coffee.
"Well no harm done, I'm rather glad we avoided it honestly. If you followed through it'd've a much different conversation but I like this option more. The less death the better, right?"”Sure.” She shook her head and looked away from the woman. Violet was confused about who she would be loyal to. Amanda was her birth mother and she wanted nothing more than to please her, and she felt as though it’d be the wrong move if she sold her out. Then again, this Mary woman seemed honest and genuine. She didn’t know what to do. A big part of her still wanted nothing more than to have the wealth and power her mother promised her. But if what this woman said had been correct, it was never just up to them. It had to be elected. Which meant Violet probably didn’t have a shot in hell at running the Coven, even if Amanda had said it was her birth right. And she had been completely on board with getting rid of Carlisle and Miles, but she had to put her foot down when it came to babies. She couldn’t do that. Could she?
"Well,” Mary says, downing the rest of her cup.
"I reckon I should get back to work.” she pours herself another cup before getting up from her seat.
"Help yourself to whatever but please keep your nose out of trouble. You’d hate to have me suspectin’ you of lyin’.” With that, Mary starts on her way back to her office.
Taking in a slow, deep breath, Violet looked at the ceiling before momentarily closing her eyes. She shook her head and reopened them before gulping. What was she supposed to do now? Clearing her throat, she walked out of the kitchen and out of the house towards her car. Maybe her mother wouldn’t hear of this little visit. One could only hope.
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