and I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this

the reasons all have run away, but the feeling never did multi-muse blog for Cardinal Hill writer info: Christian, he/him, EST

[blackcatxmagic]

Muses

Copernicus "Copper" Galileo McIntyre I haven't been gone very long, but it feels like a lifetime biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about copper

Ocean Ezekiel James so we imagine a darkness where all shapes divide, solids changing into light biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about ocean previous blog | previous interactions | previous prompts responses

Leonidas "Leo" Anshul Desai they say my name like a guessing game, "is that really you?" I don't think it ever was biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about leo previous blog | previous interactions | previous prompts responses

Winter Beckett Hollis now we speak with ruined tongues, and the words we say aren't meant for anyone biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about winter previous blog | previous interactions | previous prompts responses

Brook Dragoş Adams oh you are the roots that sleep beneath my feet and hold the earth in place biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about brook

Dimitri "Dimi" Alexander Starling no one knows where the ladder goes; you're gonna lose what you love the most biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about dimi

Valentino "Vale" Malory St. Clair everything's imaginary, especially what you love biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about vale

Griffin Clive Ryan our love is dead but without limit, like the surface of the moon biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about griffin

Davis Viran King I'm happy just because I found out I am really no one biography | interactions | prompt responses | moodboards | about davis

[undrtaken]

closed starter for dimi (@blackcatxmagic) located at aperture photo lab

Ever since the carnival, she’d been particularly curious about film. While Carmen didn’t consider herself more than a hobby photographer, she’d started taking many more after the night of the incident. The talk of the town, yet no one spoke about where it originated or what had caused the uproar. No matter how many photos she took, they came back the same: exactly how she expected. Maybe it hadn’t been intended for her, but somewhere in the film, she thought a clue might be hidden. When coming in that particular day to pick up her developed rolls, she came with a question that was eating at her tongue. “Thanks,” she said when Dimi returned with her negatives. Any other day that would have been the end of it, but she needed an expert in the field, and he perfectly fit her bill. “Can I ask you something kind of weird?” It could’ve been anything, sure, and in a way, it could’ve caught the wrong person off guard. “Is it possible for someone to like… hack a photo booth? You know, make you think you took a different picture than you did, sort of thing.”

[blackcatxmagic]

Dimi had been at the carnival the night it happened. Luckily he hadn't been hurt, nor had Ozma or Enzo, but even so, he was still pretty shaken. Things in Cardinal Hill had been realy strange lately. It was something Dimi himself had picked up on, but Ozma especially could sense it. More than once, she had talked about it with Dimi, though the further away they got from that night, the less distressed she had sounded. It had gotten bad enough that Dimi had mentioned they might need to leave, but that had upset Ozma more than anything else. The last thing she wanted was the leave all of her new friends or her Uncle Enzo, and truthfully Dimi didn't want to leave either. He, Ozma, and Enzo were reunited, and it felt wrong to change that.

These were all things Dimi was thinking about when the door to Aperture opened, and he looked toward the door to see a woman enter. He remembered her from the other day when she had dropped off her film, and after giving the developed photos to her and ringing her up on the register, he paused when he heard her question. "Hack a photobooth?" he asked. "I...I don't think so. How was the photo changed?" Dimi wondered if it was more an issue with the film, though the truth was that he was wondering even more if it might be magic.

[lxstboysxx-deactivated20251114]

EJ snorts "then I guess you know my pain. Sisters, you know?" He sighs and holds the necklace up with a thoughtful expression on his face. This whole situation was just annoying. His sister was just such a drama queen. He snorts at the other man's remark. "I doubt it. Normally she gets over this shit real quick but I guess today was different" he sighs. "I feel bad, I guess. I mean I'm kind of obligated to because she's my sister" he says rolling his eyes. "I'm EJ"

[blackcatxmagic]

"Is she older or younger?" Copper asked. "Not that it matters. Hypatia is the youngest, but she keeps Aris and me in line like she's the big sister." Even talking about his sister had Copper smiling fondly. He wouldn't lie and say her headstrong demeanor didn't sometimes get on his nerves, but overall Copper was immensely glad that Hypatia was someone who could take care of herself. "How long has it been?" Copper asked. If the guy had mentioned it, Copper had missed that part of the conversation. "Does she seem any less angry?" he wondered. "If she's anything like Hypatia, which sounds like she might be, she'll get over it. It just might take time. Once Hypatia got so angry at me that she didn't talk to me for a week, but she did get past it." Copper hoped the same would be true for this guy's sister. "Nice to meet you, EJ," he replied. "Tell me what all you were considering for an 'I'm sorry' gift."

[lovesspell]

"Yeah? I swear this wind is a little unforgiving today. That depends, you afraid of heights?" Will was offering what he hoped was a gentle smile. He knew that not everyone felt comfortable coming into the chapel. He had run into enough people lingering in the front, unsure if they wanted to enter. And though Will was stubborn, he had to admit this banner would be a lot easier with two people. He had been looking for an apprentice for the longest but the chapel wouldn't give him money to pay anyone and the one time he had started paying someone out of his own pocket, they had stopped showing up. So here he was. "You can just go through the front doors and take the stairs to the right. It'll take you up here."

[blackcatxmagic]

When the man asked if he was afraid of heights, Ocean froze. He wasn’t, but that changed if it involved a ladder, harsh memories rushing to the surface. The same thing is going to happen, the voices hissed, but Ocean pushed them away; he couldn’t fall apart in front of this stranger. It was easier to focus on other things when the voices got loud these days, and Ocean knew that was thanks to Aris. Thinking about his boyfriend did a lot to calm him. After probably too long of a pause, Ocean replied, “I’m not scared of heights, no.” This was definitely one of the strangest things he had done, helping to hang a banner in a chapel, but Ocean was happy to help. “So will I like…reach out a window or something to grab the banner?” he asked. Ready to help, he was about to head inside when he realized he hadn’t introduced himself yet. “My name is Ocean,” he told the man, holding his hand out to shake. 

[ritualove]

Closed starter: Winter Hollis @blackcatxmagic

Location: Hallowed Woods

This day last year started nearly the same for Annette, waking up in the woods. The difference is, last year she was alone and excited for the first day of her favourite event in Cardinal Hill, Pumpkin Palooza. This year, she is camping with Winter, and has no intention of going to Pumpkin Palooza. She hasn't been properly in town in weeks, even then she only went there for groceries and supplies. She hasn't been hanging around town at all, or people for that matter. This camping trip with Winter, a single night in the woods at a spot she was familiar with has been the longest period she has spent with another person since the carnival. Unless you count the stay at the hospital afterwards, which she doesn't.

It was quite a nice spot Annette found so many years ago she lost count, and since that first day it has hardly changed. Some tree trunks cut down by people who tread the land before her made some makeshift seating, a fire pit made by layers of stones burnt and unburnt, rarely replaced, designed by years of use. It was a short walk to Glasswater Lake. Annette had spent weeks out here before, and she was considering it again. It was serene.

Annette had awoken very early this morning, the quiet time when the birds and the sun where still asleep, and the bats and the moon were just making their bed. She woke up long before Winter did, it wasn't her intention but she wasn't disappointed, she had a lot to think about today. By the time she heard Winter rouse, Annette had gotten the dim embers back into a small fire for breakfast, quesadillas she had yet to start cooking. The sound of his tent unzipping turned her head, "Morning sleepyhead." She said, tiredness in her voice, but not from lack of sleep or exhaustion. It was obvious she had a lot on her mind. She's had a lot on her mind for a long time.

[blackcatxmagic]

Camping wasn’t something Winter might have chosen on his own, not at this time of year at least. While he liked being outside and hiking and all of that, he was never really sure how he felt about camping. Sleeping outside in a tent just didn’t feel that appealing; if only he could do all the camping stuff expect the sleeping part, then it would be perfect. But that wasn’t how camping worked. And besides, this was something Annette wanted to do, and Winter wanted to spend time with his best friend. So here he was in the woods, lying in his tent. 

Winter has actually been awake for over an hour by the time he heard Annette unzip her tent and climb out of it. He’d just been lying there, lost in thought. It was time for the Pumpkin Palooza, but Winter wasn’t feeling very comfortable with the idea of going. It was a shame too because he loved it, but after what had happened at the carnival, it just felt…unsettling, the thought of going. There was no denying it anymore: something very strange was happening in Cardinal Hill, something sinister…something deadly. And even though people were noticing, it didn’t feel like anyone was doing anything about it, which meant either they were at a loss or this was an inside job. Winter didn’t really think it was the latter, but he wasn’t ready to rule it out just yet. 

Finally Winter sat up in his tent, stretching his arms forward and yawning.  He hadn’t slept well, but did anyone sleep well in a tent in late October? He found his shoes and slipped them on, and then he climbed out of his tent, zipping it closed behind him before joining Annette at the fire. “Good morning,” he said, smiling at his friend and sitting on the log they’d put around the fire last night. “How’d you sleep?”

[lovesspell]

"Well, most of it is because of my family's money," he told him with a shrug, figuring it was pretty pointless to lie about something most people knew about it. "But you know, having a charming face made for a movie screen doesn't hurt," he added with a bit of a smile. "I designed most of this place myself though. I had a vision for a place where I could be at peace. Truly at peace, you know?" It was a rare bit of honesty from him, but he honestly was too worn out from their prior activities to not feel at least a little bit vulnerable. The wine helped too.

Carter watched his emotions change as he went on and he had to laugh as he leaned forward a bit. "Well you went dark pretty quickly there, handsome. You really are the tortured artist type, hm? It's kind of hot but you can't pout when you're drinking delicious wine," he joked, nudging Griffin's leg with the front of his foot. "Developing photos is not an easy skill. If it was everyone would do it. But what's your medium? Should I be posing for you to paint me? I've always wanted my own portrait. The guy who did the ones for my parents was fucking terrible. Could never get my jawline," he admitted and ran his fingers along his jaw.

[blackcatxmagic]

It was honestly kind of refreshing the way Carter was so straightforward about his family’s wealth. After all, it was pretty clear that Carter had money. There was no use in him denying that. But it seemed like this wasn’t Carter’s money, and Griffin wondered how it felt for the man. Did it feel like none of this was really his? Like he was a visitor in his own home? These were things Griffin might have asked a friend, but he didn’t think that he and Carter were to that point yet. Or were they? They’d seen each other naked, done a lot more than seen, and it had been on more than one occasion. So maybe they were at least on their way to being friends. So Griffin asked, “Is it weird, living here like that? I just mean…does it ever feel strange to you?” Now that the words were out of his mouth, he thought this was definitely a question only to be asked of a friend. But it was too late. It felt like a valid question though, even if Carter had designed the place. 

“You definitely have a face made for movies,” Griffin agreed. “And…other things made for movies too.” His eyes moved up and down Carter’s body, taking in the sight of the man. He really was incredibly hot. When he heard Carter’s remark, Griffin paused for a second before breaking into laughter. He liked that the other man felt comfortable enough to call him out. “You got me there,” he replied with another laugh. “Even when things were good, sometimes I felt that dark vibe, but that made for some good paintings. And besides, the tortured artist type is kind of sexy, isn’t it?” He smirked as he said this, but Griffin was hoping Carter would confirm. “I’m a painter, but I don’t really do portraits. My work is more…abstract I guess you could say. But I could make something that’s more about the way you make me feel than the way you look, so still kind of a portrait. I’ve already got the image in my mind.” He watched Carter rub his jaw, and Griffin felt his face heat up - the man knew what he was doing to him. “Are you trying to get me going with that perfect jaw?” Griffin asked. “Because it’s working.”

[lxstboysxx-deactivated20251114]

EJ shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, she's pretty mad this time. She basically told me she didn't want to see my face until I learned how to be 'normal' and take accountability, whatever that means" he scoffs. Air quotes on the word normal. "So I'm pretty much semi homeless until my sister decides to stop being a mega bitch about it." Truthfully he'd done a lot worse than what he was letting on, calling the guy the human equivalent of the color beige and dumping a plate of pasta on his lap. But the guy had seemed shallow and utterly uninteresting. He'd been doing her a favor.

[blackcatxmagic]

When he heard that this guy was semi-homeless, Copper felt a pang of sadness. Everyone should have somewhere to go, somewhere they can be safe. And while Copper didn’t plan on letting this person just move in (even though that’s what he’d done with Clover), Copper thought maybe he could get to know him more. Plus he knew a thing or two about strong-willed sisters. “She sounds like Hypatia,” Copper told the other. “That’s my sister,” he explained further. “Maybe in time she’ll see you were protecting her. Or maybe she’s really angry you did it first.” Copper laughed as he said this, and then he held out his hand. “My name is Copper by the way,” he introduced himself.

[lxstboysxx-deactivated20251114]

@cardinalstart.

Location: Cardinal Crystals

"What do you think? Is this a good way to say 'sorry I accidentally scared your boyfriend off by making him super uncomfortable during his first dinner with our family by talking in length about toxic masculinity and the rampant oversexualization that poisons the minds of most men in our society today that propagates the fragile male ego?" EJ asks holding up the dainty silver chain adorned with a small moon stone heart shaped charm. "It's for my sister" he adds.

[blackcatxmagic]

When he came into Cardinal Crystals, this wasn’t the kind of conversation that Copper had expected to have. He was just there looking for some selenite to help cleanse his tarot deck (he had tried recharging his using some moon water, but it still felt like it was missing something), and then someone he’d never met was talking to him. Surprised, Copper turned toward the man and realized he was in fact talking to him, and Copper smiled. He didn’t mind - not only was Copper a social guy, this was one of the charms of living in a small town. Most people were pretty friendly. “Well if that was what scared him off, then she should be buying you a gift because you did her a favor,” Copper said, laughing a little. “She doesn’t want a guy who can’t handle that kind of thing.” Looking at the chosen gift, he asked, “But tell me, how angry is she?” That would help him determine if this was a good enough gift 

[innocentcurse]

"There's literally no such thing as too many dice, Davis." Lucien figured that if you had the space for it, and if it wasn't like you were spending your food money on dice and making those kinds of bad decisions, you shouldn't be afraid of collecting something like dice. "You need options, you're totally right. Not only is it a matter of something not feeling right on a particular day, but I literally think that some sets are luckier on some days compared to others. Or in some situations. I swap my dice all the time. Not only do I want them to match thematically as much as I can, but sometimes if they're just letting me down I give 'em a time out."

He smiled at Davis' comment about not even coming up for air. It was kind of true, Lucien wasn't the kind to lie about that, but he still didn't think that his friend was wrong in any way. They had enough shared interests that Davis usually spoke of things that Lucien cared about, or else wanted to hear. It really wasn't a problem for him, especially as someone who didn't shy away from talking someone's ear off himself. Not that Lucien was quite as chatty.

"Oh, no, not last last pay check. Just the latest. Sorry man, didn't mean to scare you there," he chuckled. Thankfully, Lucien felt pretty secure and stable in his job, and that was handy when he was working at a place where he desperately needed the discount.

He was all too glad to the the Theatre of the Mind discount, too, because of his friend. That was one perk of small town living, one perk to not yet making it big and getting out of there - though he supposed he could swindle some discounts no matter where he went if he was a well known musician. "Better than Christmas," he remarked.

[blackcatxmagic]

When he heard Lucien's reply, Davis broke into a wide grin - this was exactly how he felt. "I knew you'd get it!" he exclaimed happily. "There is no limit to the amount of dice you can have. The only limit is how much space you have in your dice bag, but then you just get another bag." That was the way Davis saw it at least. "Important question for you, Luc," Davis went on. "When you play, do you always use all dice from the same set? Or do you mix and match?" Davis himself usually did the former because he liked the way it looked when all the same dice were together. He continued listening to Lucien, just smiling because yeah, this was one of the man reasons they were friends. Lucien just got it. "You're exactly right," Davis told the other. "Like some days you might grab a set out of your bag and just feel like, 'No, not these today.' And usually you're right. Once I grabbed a set and was going to use it, but it just felt like not the right day. I kept feeling drawn to my rainbow set, and not because, you know, I'm not straight, though that was part of why I bought them. So I put my maroon set away and grabbed the rainbow set, and I rolled three 20s that day. Three, Lucien. And I never rolled anything under 14. That was the day I ended up with enough money to fund our entire expedition. We had such good weapons, Luc." Davis laughed at the memory; that had been a fun campaign.

When Lucien clarified, Davis put his hand on his chest, breathing a sigh of relief. "Phew, okay, good!" he exclaimed. "I was already wondering what I was going to do if I couldn't come by on my lunch break sometimes." Davis didn't do that every day, but when their lunches aligned, it was nice to spend some time with his friend. "I guess I could still do that if you quit, but it's just so convenient now," Davis remarked. Smiling at the other, Davis asked, "Do you want to go have Christmas now? There is no limit to how much I can use my employee discount...or if there is, I don't know about it." Given that he had worked there for years, Davis felt reasonably certain that the owner hadn't just forgotten to tell him. "So what do you say? Are you free to hang out?" Davis hoped so; he wasn't ready to just go home yet. His grandparents were out of town, and it got lonely there sometimes. The estate was huge, and even though he mostly stayed in the guest house, it still felt isolating when he was the only one on the property. That was when an idea came to him. "Hey, afterwards, do you want to come to my place?" Davis asked Lucien.

[angstfactory]

@blackcatxmagic (brook)

As Mateo stood outside the front door to Brook's home, he reflected on how it took nearly half a year to get himself to this moment. Why am I like this? Briefly, his head dipped forward, eyes closed in disappointment of himself. If he moved any slower in life, he might actually go backwards. It was ridiculous, that it should take him so long just to work up the courage and resolve to come visit — his best friend, no less.

While Mateo understood this had been for his own good, to postpone and wait until there wasn't quite as strong a pull to turn intimate environments intimate, he still couldn't shake his failure. There had been so many reasons to move himself here, so many goals in mind, and he had yet to accomplish a single one of them. Half of them weren't even possible now, either, considering they involved an emotionally open and available Brook. And he should have opened the shop cutting into his savings weeks ago, yet continued to drag feet on one thing or another about why it wasn't ready.

Removing his glasses, the man massaged the bridge of his nose, knowing the hesitance now had to do with whether or not it wasn't a good idea still. It wasn't like his feelings had just gone away or anything— they lingered, ever present and quietly tumultuous, only barely a shade more bearable in the way one simply got accustomed to the ache. But he couldn't not come and reassure himself that Brook was doing okay, not after what transpired at the carnival. Visiting him at the hospital had been easy, the public space had been the barrier. Mateo would have to imagine as if they were still there, with others about, to check him from doing or saying anything inappropriate.

Just as he reached to knock, the door swung open and Mateo faltered, a look of embarrassment encompassing his features— clear guilt that he'd been standing there for some time now. "Oh!" Mateo exhaled his surprise, managing a wobbly smile, "Brook, hi— yes, I'm standing here, I was just about to knock, actually, you caught me by surprise— this must look weird, excuse me, I know you were expecting me sooner— what I mean to say is.." He lifted his head some, offering the man a better smile, trying to push past those nerves, "How are you?"

[blackcatxmagic]

Even though they were getting closer, even though their friendship was growing strong again, there was still a certain amount of awkwardness between Mateo and Brook. They were trying to get past it, but sometimes Brook worried they never would. On the other hand, after their time on the Ferris wheel, Brook was more hopeful than ever that they could make this work. And then there was the way that Mateo had visited Brook in the hospital, his concern clear. It had been so sweet and had made Brook feel so happy, so maybe everything would be okay. Now that he was back home, Brook wasn’t seeing Mateo quite as much, and he found that he missed him. 

Just go over there, Brook told himself. Friends did that, right? Brook hated that he didn’t know if that was a normal thing friends did. He didn’t have a ton of experience with friends, not close ones at least. Finally deciding to go see Mateo, Brook grabbed his keys, taking his coat off the hook by the door but not putting it on before opening the door.

As if he summoned him, Mateo was standing there, and Brook was momentarily taken aback by the sight of his friend. “Oh,” Brook said, unsure of what to say next. Then he smiled, saying, “I was just about to come see you. Isn’t that funny?” He stood aside, gesturing for Mateo to enter. “Come in,” he said, realizing his arm was exposed, showing his burn. “Looks like shit, doesn’t it?” Brook asked. 

[angstfactory]

The fact her cousin had been shocked into silence — a rarity for him, even Davis admitted himself — caused Lilith to feel somewhat antsy in her seat. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, before crossing the other one and shifted her weight forward with her elbows and arms resting along the tabletop. Her fingers idly drumming softly along its polished surface, concerned he would, at any moment, tell her she needed to hit the road because all of this was too dangerous to pull himself, or their elderly relatives, into. That'd be fair, too.

But, once again, she probably shouldn't have underestimated her cousin, who was perhaps a far better person than she was as Davis came near and swore they were in this together. They'd figure it out, somehow. "Thanks, Davis," Lilith said, her smile a bit wobbly but grateful. "Well, of course," the woman then admitted, though she cringed to hear herself. "But it's not like he hasn't already taken it from other people, right? And who says he needs all of that, anyway?" Lilith knew she was trying to justify something that wasn't exactly justifiable — in either case. "I knew I was leaving months ago," she explained then, hands coming up to brush hair back away from her face and then rest her head in her hands. "The only way I could leave was to take some! I was completely dependent on him for everything... It was either that or I had to stay, so really when you think about it, I had no choice," she stressed. The woman was silent for a moment, before she added in a small voice, "Though I probably shouldn't have taken as much as I did... I think that's what tipped him off so quickly.." If she had it to redo, she would have been smarter, taking small amounts over a period of time, amounts he wouldn't have noticed or missed. "You know what's worse?" Lilith groaned. "It's all wrapped up in an offshore account I can't even access right now until this has all blown over."

[blackcatxmagic]

The longer he and Lilith talked, the more Davis felt like he was in some sort of movie about the mafia. In a small way, it was actually kind of exciting, but whenever Davis thought about the fact that his cousin was in very real danger - and possibly Davis and his grandparents by extension - that brought him back to reality. This was definitely not a movie. Feeling a little unsettled, he grabbed a banana out of the basket on the counter, peeling it and immediately eating it, and quickly at that. He could be a bit of a stress eater, but Davis refused to do that with unhealthy food. Actually he generally avoided unhealthy food to begin with. With a mouthful of banana, Davis replied, “We’ll get through this together,” his voice muffled. He tried to swallow a large mouthful of banana, but that turned out to be a mistake, and there was a tense moment wherein Davis thought he might choke. Coughing a few times, Davis rubbed the base of his throat and said, “Sorry, smaller bites next time.”

Once the almost crisis was resolved, Davis leaned against the counter, looking at Lilith seriously. “So what should we do?” he asked her. “I know you can stay here, Gram and Gramps won’t mind and definitely have the room. And we have a pretty good security system. But maybe we’ll have to hire some actual security people. The only way we’ll get them to agree to that though is if we tell them what happened, and I don’t know if you want to do that. But we’ll definitely figure this out.” Even this all came spilling out of Davis’s mouth in quick succession; he talked a lot even under stress. 

[visionsofx]

Gideon doesn't know how to bring it up lightly, sometimes going full doomsday on people, "just wonderin' if there's something more sinister to it." He pauses, taking another drag from his cigarette before continuing, "do y'all worship the devil around here?" Waving away the man's offer, there's a look of disgust present on Gideon's face, as if he had just offered him the most offensive vice on earth, "No." He feels a bit like an accomplice, providing Leo the tools to get high, and he feels guilty about it. "Well, Leo, I'm real sorry for being part of this. Really didn’t mean to go on encouragin' you."

[blackcatxmagic]

When he heard Gideon’s question, Leo coughed a few times, so caught off-guard by it. He chuckled, but then he felt a little badly about that. “Sorry,” Leo apologized. “I guess it’s actually a pretty valid question light of everything else that’s been happening lately in this town. But no, I don’t think Cardinal Hill is full of devil worshipers.” He took another drag of his joint, thinking about what else Gideon had said. “It does feel sinister though,” he agreed finally. “And sometimes I wonder if something uh…like, otherworldly is happening.” Leo purposely kept that comment vague, not sure what Gideon knew or believed of magic. 

It took Leo a moment to figure out what Gideon was talking about, but then all at once he figured it out, looking at his joint. “Oh you mean this?” he asked. “It’s not bad. It’s relaxing. Have you ever tried it?” Maybe Gideon was really strict and rigid when it came to this sort of thing. Leo would have offered to put it out, but he didn’t want to.

[pilferedpromqueen]

⋆⋆✮⋆⋆

Paige wished she had more memory to fill in for what was missing of his own. Unfortunately, most of her time there had been laser-focused on the boy who ended up being her downfall, only imagining what she could’ve provided him in another life. The blonde hummed in thought before giving in with a shake of her head. There was no use reaching for what wasn’t present in the first place, grasping at invisible straws. “I don’t think anyone had a great time in high school,” Paige eventually landed on. In her experience, those who did turned out worse than the others; she was almost one of those disrupted by what other people thought. “Between the tests and scrutiny, none of us had a good time.” That much she could be sure of.

Her hands ran through his hair, assessing the situation at hand, while holding Winter’s gaze in the mirror. “It’s never convenient like that, is it? That’d have been nice. I’ve got a thing or two I’d like to forget,” she confessed without sharing the more unsightly details with her new client. Even if they had gone to school together, the blonde held her job higher and wished to appear as professional, or as much as she could. His notice of the work she'd put into her own locks brought on a wider smile and what Paige hoped would be confidence that she'd do a good job on his cut as well. "It is, we work for the outcome, the reaction, the client, and you just have to hope you saw their vision the same way they did." A conversation not just anyone would understand, but someone who worked with fabric she trusted had the same woes to some extent. "I'd love to see, if you ever have the time. I'm no good at sewing my own stuff, but I stare at every Vogue in the waiting room and critique looks like I'm Anna Wintour." Not the usual credentials, yet Paige hoped they'd be enough for Winter to give her a chance at seeing his work. "What are you looking for today anyway? Do you want a trim? Something new?"

[blackcatxmagic]

Even though she didn’t elaborate, Winter could tell by looking at Paige that she wasn’t just speaking generally or trying to make him feel better. No, it seemed like she really did have something she wanted to forget, and Winter felt a bit of kinship with her in that. “We always forget the things we really want to remember,” he said. “Maybe we’re holding on to them too tightly. I didn’t use to think that was possible. Now…I don’t know.” Now Winter didn’t feel like he understood the intricacies of memory at all. But then a thought came to him, and he told Paige, “You know, there actually was one thing I really wanted to forget that I actually did. But…then I remembered it.” Frowning, Winter conceded, “I guess that means I didn’t really forget it at all.”

When talk turned to his work, Winter replied, “Well I’m not much for design myself, well apart from quilts. I’m more of a mender, though if someone has a vision and helps me, I could probably help them assemble something fashion-related.” It wasn’t something he had really thought about before. Looking in the mirror, Winter thought about what he would change if he could, most of it on the inside. However, Paige couldn’t help with that. “Yeah, just a trim,” he replied. As Paige began, Winter told her, “You really should come by sometime.”

[whispersandwraiths]

A closed starter for Winter (@blackcatxmagic) at Winter's place. ｡°✩

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Juniper had been wandering for a while, boots damp from the morning dew, calling softly under her breath. “Dex? Dex, come on, this isn’t funny.” Her familiar had a habit of slipping away when she wasn’t paying attention. She’d followed the sound of buzzing–thinking maybe it was him rustling around again–only to find herself at the edge of a garden she didn’t recognize.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It was lovely in a way that stopped her mid-step. Wild and intentional at once–rows of flowers in every color, bees drifting lazily from bloom to bloom. The air smelled like honey and sunlight and something faintly herbal. Juniper found herself smiling without meaning to.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ “Wow,” she murmured. “You’re beautiful.” She meant the flowers, though her cheeks warmed as soon as she said it aloud. Her eyes tracked a bee landing on a pale blue blossom, wings shimmering. It was so peaceful she almost forgot why she was out here in the first place.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ That is, until she realized she wasn’t alone. Someone was watching her from between the rows of flowers–a figure framed by sunlight and green leaves. Juniper froze, eyes wide. She was shocked to the point of not-speaking, and stared at the figure in front of her, frozen in place.

[blackcatxmagic]

“What’s gotten into you all today?” Winter asked. He was out in his garden tending to the bees, getting everything ready for the coming cold. It wasn’t like Cardinal Hill became a frozen tundra or anything in the winter, but there were still things Winter wanted to prepare. When he’d first come out here, the bees had acted like they usually do, flying over to greet him, landing gently on him, just saying hello. But after about a half hour, Winter had felt a shift, and now the bees seemed agitated. Their connection was so strong, and Winter just knew his bees. They were buzzing around now as if looking for signs of trouble, and Winter shuddered at the thought that they might actually be doing that very thing. On high alert now, Winter stopped what he was doing and looked around, and that was when he saw her. 

Before all the weird things had begun happening in Cardinal Hill, Winter might not have acted in fear. After all, this person seemed pretty harmless. But with everything happening, he decided he couldn’t be too careful. So Winter ducked down behind some flowers just watching the person until realizing that he wasn’t hidden at all, so he shook his head and stood back up. “Uh…can I help you?” he asked. His bees buzzed around him, as if to shield him, but Winter got the sense that they were curious than scared now, which made him feel a little better. 

[practicalxmagic]

Diego titled his head, he thought he nearly heard an apology out of the other man’s mouth.  Although Dimitri did not say sorry, he at last admitted he was wrong.  Something that relieved Diego for the time being.  The last thing he wanted or needed was his big brother being aware of his sticky fingers.  “To err is human,” he responded.  “All is forgiven.”  He commented, waving his hands up as if the situation had evaporated and gone for good.

“Glad there is some family resemblance of us Espinozas.”  Listening to Dimitri speak about his brother, he could tell there was something there.  Perhaps feelings of some sort, but he could not be positive if they were romantic ones or mere gratitude ones. Still, he wondered why Enzo hardly ever said anything on the matter to him.  He thought his siblings were close, well he thought his siblings were close to him.  “Ozma?  Is she your daughter?”  He inquired, his brow lifting up.

“Of course, a lot of conversations.  Things get mixed up.”  As terrible as it sounded, he thought he could stay with his brother for a few weeks as he tried to piece his life back together.  But, with Dimitri in the picture and already suspicious of him.  That didn’t seem like a great idea.  Living in his car didn’t sound all that wonderful either.  Why him?  Was the universe out to get him?  “Well, I was merely asking about some water, but the afternoon is young.  Do you know how to make a good dry martini?”

[blackcatxmagic]

It was admittedly a little frustrating to have Diego leaning into Dimi saying he might have been wrong, especially when Dimi still wasn't convinced that he was. But he supposed that the other man at least hadn't laid it on too thickly. Even so, Dimi had to grit his teeth and force a smile, muttering, "Thanks" before moving on. The sooner they got past the "Dimi was wrong" factor, the better. Looking at the other man once more, Dimi thought he saw a bit more resemblance, and that made him soften a little more toward Diego - that was a show of how much Dimi cared for Enzo. He noticed the way Diego looked at him as he talked about Enzo, and Dimi was fairly certain the man picked up on the feelings that Dimi wasn't saying, the ones he didn't you know how to say. His face warm now, Dimi just smiled, shaking his head. Really he didn't even care if Diego told Enzo because what could he really say? And more and more, Dimi felt like they were words that needed to be said anyway. Everything he wanted was right there - he just had to reach for it.

Nodding, Dimi replied, "Yeah, that's my daughter. She called Enzo 'Uncle Enzo,' but he's really like a second dad to her. We're a family, the three of us." As he said this, Dimi smiled, thinking of his daughter and his best friend fondly. It all just felt so meant to be. Dimi wondered if Diego was hurt by the fact that Enzo hadn't spoken about him enough to stick out in Dimi's mind. But maybe he should have been around more if he wanted to be part of the conversation. Still, Dimi wanted to make peace, so he shook his head, answering Diego's question, "No, not really. Care to show me?"

[innocentcurse]

Dove didn't expect to hear such introspection from the clerk, but it was awfully interesting, he had to admit. Being such a guarded person, it wasn't often that Dove found himself in conversations with any real sort of depth, not unless he was speaking to his sister - and even those conversations were limited, given the intensity of their past experiences. "I'm definitely more of a listener myself," he decided to share, giving a little shrug as he did. "Never been a talker." He almost went on to theorise that perhaps that was why he saw people, too, but as he had a strong feeling that it was actually mostly because of past traumatic experiences, he didn't.

"That's probably because you can see my callouses and splinters from two stores down," he joked, chuckling. He didn't expect Davis to take his hand, not being one who was awfully touchy himself, but it wasn't like he shied away from it. He told himself logically that it was done with good intentions, but even so, an awkward little giggle sounded from his lips. God, how embarrassing. Was he seriously giggling? Even if it was out of surprise and slight discomfort - two feelings he was well associated with - it felt wrong, coming from his own two lips.

"No judgement from me at all." Dove shook his head. He actually quite admired the fact that Davis had been so attached to the story of the chess set that he felt completely compelled to purchase it and give it a good home. "Hey, yeah, that makes perfect sense." Dove didn't mind stories, but he couldn't foresee himself being a D&D player. Maybe he'd surprise himself in the future, but for now, he thought he'd stick to a visual representation of stories via his woodwork.

The interaction, while completely surprising, was actually rather pleasant thus far. But then Dove felt it starting to get a little more personal, and his guards were immediately starting to come up. He couldn't talk about himself, not that part at least; it was all too complicated, too complex, too completely to do with everything that Dove couldn't share. "Ah, well, I suppose it's hard to say. Have you always been a talker? I've always been the other way, so it's the only thing I know." It was a good way to deflect, he thought. "No, no. Not much older. I'm thirty-one."

[blackcatxmagic]

When he heard Dove's reply, Davis paused for a moment before immediately laughing. Very quickly he caught himself, and he smiled, apologizing, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. I was just thinking about how you I talk so much, ao it's a good thing you're more of a listening." He beamed at Dove, so amused, though he supposed it wasn't that funny. "It's okay if you're not much of a talker," Davis went on, patting Dove lightly on his upper arm. "With me, I can carry the conversation, so I'm your guy. Never met a silence I couldn't fill." That was definitely true, though there was probably more than one occasion where he maybe should have just let it lie.

Davis hadn't even been thinking when he grabbed Dove's hand - he was a toucher, so this felt like the most natural thing in the world to him. But he was aware of the fact that not everyone felt the same way, and when he heard Dove's reaction, Davis felt like maybe he shouldn't have done this. But he didn't want to just let go of Dove's hand like he'd been burned, so he waited a few seconds. Even though he had thought he wasn't going to apologize and thus bring attention to it, Davis felt his cheeks warm, and he decided he should. "Sorry," he apologized. "I'm sort of a touchy person. I'm a talker and a toucher." It hadn't escaped his notice that Dove didn't seem overly interested in playing DnD, and now that he'd given it his best, Davis decided he'd done enough on that front. "You don't have to of course," he told Dove, "I just like telling people about it. And it would be fun, but I know it's not everyone's thing. Still...you know where to find me if you decide to check it out. You could even just watch sometime if you wanted to."

Like Davis had told Dove, he was good at reading people, so he could tell that the other man wasn't too keen on talking about himself. So Davis didn't push it. Instead he did what he did best: he talked. Nodding, Davis answered, "I think so. When I was a kid, there weren't a lot of people who really listened to me. Mostly it was just my grandma. So I think I overcompensated by just talking a lot, even if people weren't listening." Of course, Davis wanted people to listen, and it made him feel validated when they did, like he was doing something worthwhile. This was another vestige of his lonely childhood, but he wasn't about to tell Dove that. Smiling at Dove, Davis said, "I bet people know that when they talk to you, you listen. Hearing and listening are two very different things, and I think you listen. I bet the people in your life appreciate that about you." Davis wasn't just being nice, he meant this. Smiling, Davis said, "I know we couldn't have been that far apart in age." He was beaming and wanted to pant Dove on the arm again, but he didn't want to make the man uncomfortable like he had before.

[blackcatxmagic]

Closed starter: Theo ( @whispersandwraiths ) Location: Theo's home

Griffin had been right: that night at the carnival had been a bad idea. It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed it because he had - he really, really had. Being like that with Theo again, holding his hand, kissing him, it had felt so perfect; it had felt like old times. But then came the realization that it wasn’t old times, they were in the new times, and maybe he should have left that in the past. It was like Griffin had closed the door on what it had been like to be with Theo, had forgotten how good it was, but now that door was open. Actually that door had been blown off the hinges, never to be closed again. It was like Theo was a tornado who’d come in to destroy what little grudging acceptance he’d found in the fact that their relationship was over. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t Theo who was the tornado that had shattered everything - it was Griffin himself. You really are a fucking idiot, he thought. 

That had to be true because now Griffin found himself inside the inn, peering over the counter at the guest book. The clerk wouldn’t tell him which room was Theo’s, so…it was possible Griffin had created a distraction outside so he could discreetly look fog himself - the distraction being magical of course. Just before he heard the sound of the door opening behind him, Griffin saw Theo’s name and room number, and then he attempted to cause another small distraction outside. Before he’d knocked over a bird feeder, which had made a loud noise, but this time in his haste he’d accidentally destroyed it, causing it to explode. For his own peace of mind, Griffin chose to believe that no birds had been harmed. 

Now with the clerk distracted, Griffin hurried to Theo’s room, and he realized he had no idea what he was going to say just as he knocked on the door. Before he could really process that though, the door opened, and Griffin smiled nervously. “Hey,” he said.