Daphne Blackwood

Witch ♥ Remington Coven ♥ Illusionist ♥ Archivist ♥ 37

[gildedxink]

She hummed a little as she searched the sea of neon for Rei but there was too many colors and even for her it was over stimulating. There were so many neon greens that spotting him in all of it was nigh impossible. She frowned a little, hoping he was okay in the sea of whatever that all was.

"Have you been on the ferris wheel yet?" Max had been debating on riding the thing for almost an hour, there was something about the idea of being at the top and watching the sea of bodies and multicolor costumes move that sounded like it might fix something in her. Maybe a little dramatic or a little drunk but that's what she saw in her head.

"Care to join me?"

[daphne-blackwood]

There were so many bodies crowded into the club that it had been a wonder that Max was able to find Daphne. Finding Rei in this mess was playing Where's Waldo on expert mode. "I'm sure he'll answer if you text him." It would have been nice to have him around, but Rei could take care of himself. They would have a nice little group chat tomorrow morning or afternoon depending on how they were feeling. Maybe Daphne could arrange a brunch.

"Oh my god, it is so lovely at the top." She beamed excitedly. "Teddy let me skip the line to ride it with him, but I think the lines are finally dying down. I'd love to go again." She grabbed Max's hand, pushing her way through the throngs towards the fresh air and the Ferris wheel. "Promise that we take a selfie at the top though."

[eremington]

"Because I'm more convincing than a stranger and more willing to slap Ayumu?" He suggested with a raised eyebrow. He'd learned what he needed to and saw how uncomfortable Daphne was, so he replaced the bowl over the package and sat back. "You should take it over to the bunker and ask for their help. They'll know how to deal with it without transferring the curse to anyone." Elijah took a moment but couldn't think of the piece she was talking about. "Were you playing well at least?"

[daphne-blackwood]

"You are starting to sound like Teddy." She felt grateful for those in her life that cared enough about her that they wished to protect her from all the ill that befell her- and there always seemed to be something ill in her life. She sighed, eyes purposely avoiding the package on the table. "I know I need to, but I don't know the rules of this curse. I don't want to put anyone at risk. if this is something they haven't dealt with before." The bunker was the best idea. If anyone could break the curse, it would be one of the professionals. Or Rei, but it might not be wisest to tell Elijah who she planned to go to once the object was neutralized. "Clair de Lune. Pretty hard to ruin something so lovely."

[miralblue]

The blonde man beamed at Daphne when he saw her and shook his head. "Oh no, not at all. I think they did a lovely job with the structure of the parking lot. Plenty of spaces. Modern architecture is a marvel." Mira smiled at her warmly and then looked around at the museum with wonder in his eyes. He'd been so busy with the art gallery and getting to know the rest of the city in the last four or five months that he'd been there that he hadn't had a chance to visit the museum yet. "This place is amazing! I can't believe I haven't been here yet. I've been so busy getting settled into the city."

[daphne-blackwood]

"I'm so glad. Sometimes with summer hours, the structure gets a bit full." It was always the mundane that tended to be the most annoying. At least he hadn't had any negative experiences before walking through the door. She giggled, watching as he drank it all in. "And this is only the entrance hall." She picked up a visitor badge from security handing it to Mira. "Is there anything specifically that piques your interest? Do you want to start on the main floor or behind the scenes?"

[hackerhyun]

She had briefly wondered that herself, too, but she figured it would just be a haven for vampires and their disgusting feeding habits. She didn't want to see any of that. Daphne was sweet, far too sweet for a place and event like this. "I can't really drink with this helmet on, and it's a hassle to take on and off. I'll be fine." If she could have been drinking, he likely would have drank too much for her own good, so it was better this way. "But that doesn't mean I can't keep you company."

[daphne-blackwood]

"Oh duh. Plus it keeps that mysterious air about you." She chuckled, raising her glass towards her companion. She wished that she would be able to share, but the outfit did look amazing. It would be a shame to break the illusion by removing the helmet. "Are you having fun at least? I know they designed it for the harder partiers, but there are still some fun things to do. The Ferris Wheel is a treat."

[miralblue]

Personal Tour II Mira & Daphne

Starter: @daphne-blackwood

Closed Starter

Mira had been excited about the tour at the museum with Daphne since the date was set. He'd been fretting over what he was going to wear, how awkward he was probably going to be, and if he would have enough time to wash his hair if he went surfing that morning, but everything seemed to work out fine. He looked himself over in the mirror one last time before rushing out the door with his car keys in his hand and trying his best not to drive too many miles over the speed limit as he drove over to the museum to meet her. He walked into the museum, avoiding the crowds and other groups of people, looking around for Daphne and trying not to look as nervous as he felt.

[daphne-blackwood]

Kneeling down, Daphne became eye-level with the little boy who had looked a tad bit disappointed. The brunette motioned up to the roof where the whale skeleton was suspended, watching the wonder bloom on his face. She was about to tell him a couple of facts about the whale when he scurried off to go tell his mother about the new discovery. These were the moments that Daphne lived for. This was why she was so in love with her job.

She rounded the security desk when a familiar blonde head that stood above the crowd caught her attention. "Mira!" She probably shouldn't yell, but paging him would no doubt be more of a hassle. She hastened over to him as quick as her heels would let her. "You made it. I hope parking wasn't too much of a pain."

[eremington]

Elijah grimaced when the magic was fully revealed. "Previously, I would offer to take the package from you and deal with it myself, but I told you about the curse I'm under so I'm reluctant to purposefully take on another." He'd trusted Daphne with the issues with his magic and the blessing from Arjun to counteract it, but hadn't told her about who was behind it. "You have a good heart, Daphne. But until you're stronger, in situations like this, it can be better to get out of the way." He sat down so he wouldn't be looming over Daphne. "What happened in the museum?"

[daphne-blackwood]

"If I wouldn't give it to a stranger, what on earth makes you think I would let you take it." She itched to cover the package back up. The bowl did little to mitigate the magical effects, but it was better than staring at what looked to be harmless, knowing its true purpose. She knew that eventually she'd need to bring it to the tower in order for the curse breakers to fully depower it, but she did worry that handing it off would be seen as transferring the curse to another. Better that she should be the one dealing with it. "I might have been playing one of the pieces on display. The piano from the enlightenment period."

[eremington]

"It's alright, I know you're dealing with things right now." He folded his arms and looked down at the package on the table, trying to sense anything about it that didn't just come from what Daphne had told him. For a moment he considered offering to take the package himself, but decided against it given the fact that he was already under one curse. "First off, why didn't you deliver it and be done with it? And second, why was Ayumu giving you packages to deliver?" What sort of trouble had Daphne got into with the spirit?

[daphne-blackwood]

Thankfully he was at least somewhat understanding of her circumstances. Daphne doubted his patience would extend that far once he knew that this was yet again her fault. She cleared room on the couch for Elijah to sit if he wished to before kneeling in front of the coffee table. She carefully removed the bowl from the object, allowing the true scope of the cursed magic to radiate through the room. "Because I could sense the dark magic from it. I didn't want to bestow that upon someone else." Even if she hadn't know the extent of the curse, she would have kept the object. It didn't belong being used to indiscriminately punish those who supposedly wronged Ayumu. "And they caught me doing something in the museum I shouldn't have. We exchanged a favor for their silence."

[deitydomiel]

[text from Domiel]: I don't even know why we sell those water snakes. They've only ever been an absolute pain to deal with. The kids do love them, though.

[text from Domiel]: He's a wonderful teacher! I am not the most proficient student but he does his best.

[text from Domiel]: There is nothing more exciting then the process of learning, even if it goes poorly. Not everything can be accomplished in one try. That's what I tell myself every time I look at my poor sad violin at least.

[daphne-blackwood]

[text from Daphne] Because the kids do love them. Also it is somewhat amusing to watch Jeremy stock them.

[text from Daphne] I'm sure you are a wonderful student. The eagerness to learn is vastly more important than any natural talents.

[text from Daphne] If something can be accomplished in one try, it isn't truly an achievement, is it? It's the dedication to a craft that shows improvement rather than near perfection that is truly amazing to see. Perfection tends to lose a certain amount of life. It seems almost robotic in a way.

[text from Daphne] Speaking of robots, Happy Official We Survived Ray Bradbury's Apocalypse Day!

[hackerhyun]

That also seemed like a very plausible reaction. Anyone who wasn't a vampire here probably wanted to get wasted to enjoy their night, and the vampires took advantage of that, too. Thankfully, her mask easily hid all of her disgusted expressions at those thoughts when she would normally have to control them herself. "There is?" She immediately tilted her head back, managing to catch a glimpse of the dancers above them. It almost seemed like a waste if nobody was watching the performance. "You're very observant. I might have to go upstairs to watch them better," she commented with a small chuckle. Eun-ji ordered her a vodka soda, well aware she couldn't drink herself without taking the mask off. Soon enough, she had a glass in her hand that she was handing over to Daphne. "Here you are.

[daphne-blackwood]

Daphne waited as she looked around above them. It was a shame that more people weren't paying attention the spectacle. It was clear that careful planning went into every facet of the event. She wondered just how many people were paying attention to the details when there were so many party favors in circulation. "It's probably easier to get around on the higher levels. I do wonder what they turned the fourth floor into." Daphne raised a brow as Eun-ji handed her the drink. "Aren't you thirsty too? I know they have some pretty good non-alcoholic cocktails too."

[gabe-moore]

"Yeah, I know. I'm slowly learning how to warm to them," Gabe admitted, looking down at his hands. He was usually one for second chances and avoiding stereotypes, but few vampires had given him reason to follow those principles. Considering what he'd learned about their souls being halfway to the underworld, he probably needed to cut them some slack. Gabe glanced around the party at Daphne's comment and chuckled. He had come in there in his plain travelling clothes, nothing glowing or elegant about it. "I didn't get the memo about the theme... Wasn't really planning on going to the party. These were a last-minute decision," he said and gestured at the flowers.

The soft smile stayed on Gabe's lips. He could just about imagine the face Teddy would do to appear stoic in this moment. "Good thing he isn't listening then. You don't happen to know how to find him? I've been looking for him for a while now."

[daphne-blackwood]

"Offering your neck is the easy way. It's kind of heartwarming to know that the quickest way to their hearts is through their stomachs even after all this time." Probably not the wisest way to greet a vampire, but going in neck first usually disarmed them. Vampires thought anyone dumb enough to do as Daphne did was not someone whom they needed to worry about for long. Just like with humans, there were those who were kinder than others. She didn't doubt that Gabe would find his way into the inner circle soon enough. She shrugged. "It's a fun theme. You can deck yourself out next time. Maybe match with Teddy." She teased the detective.

"He is doing the rounds of the private rooms before heading back to his office." She looked over the crowd towards the area she'd last seen him. "I think he said something about ducking into Leon's room for a moment, but he should be done by now."

[eremington]

He took a moment to let out a frustrated sigh when Daphne couldn't see him. From his vantage point at the open door he could see something broken and a few other reasons why her nerves seemed so shot. "I'll be careful." He repeated, reaching out to stabilize Daphne before she could fall. If she'd told them more about what was going on before, he could have done something before it got this bad. "Can you show me what the curse is coming from? And tell me again how this happened and how its supposed to work."

[daphne-blackwood]

"Sorry for the mess." What would normally be a wave of her hand now required her to find where she left the broom and actually sweep everything up. Given her luck, that was more likely than not to result in cuts to her hand when she picked up the pieces. "I've got it in the living room." She walked slowly forward, pulling the decorative bowl off of the package as if keeping it out of sight would somehow negate its effects. "Ayumu forced the package into my arms. He said that I was to deliver it to one of his many, many enemies. I refused feeling the negative energy coming off of it. So now I'm the one stuck with the curse unless I pass it on to another."

[augustine-lycaon]

“Small mercies, I suppose. Can’t say I’ve ever been cursed like that, but I did once get stuck as a dog for two days,” Augustine admitted with a sheepish grin, hoping sharing an embarrassing story of his own helped lighten the mood. “Is there anything you can do about the curse? Like.. a witch… doctor?”

[daphne-blackwood]

"Yikes. Transfiguration problems are the worst. It seems like changing one thing to another theoretically should work fine, but the laws of equivalent exchange never make sense." She remembered headaches from her training in the area. It was one of the reasons that Daphne seldom indulged in utilizing that particular skill set. At least she was surrounded by good teachers. She chuckled when he suggested a witch doctor. "It's not an ailment, so I doubt that they would be able to help. I need a curse breaker. If Elijah had his way, I'd be locked in the bunker until this whole thing is sorted. But I'm probably stopping you from something important. Sorry to ramble like this when I don't even know your name." He must be new to the coven.

[augustine-lycaon]

Augustine's brows rose slightly, surprised and confused to hear another witch refer to their magic like that "Wonky? Well shit, I have enough issues of my own, I didn't realize magic could even go wonky," Augustine commented with a mixture of concern and amusement. "Mind if I ask how that happens?" After all, the last thing Augustine needed was to find himself in a similar scenario.

[daphne-blackwood]

"Well yeah. Magic is a part of you. It's like when your brain starts overthinking or your leg falls asleep. Most of the time you can control it, but sometimes you need to learn how use the muscles." Daphne shrugged as it was the most normal thing in the world. "Or if you get a cold and sneeze, sometimes magic will do as it pleases rather than what it is supposed to." Perhaps he was younger than he looked. Most witches experienced at least a bit of struggle in their youth when their magic first appears. Unless of course that he was a late bloomer. Either way, Daphne wasn't going to judge him. "A malevolent spirit forced me to accept a cursed object. Don't worry, I'm not contagious at all, just incredibly unlucky."

[miralblue]

Mira nodded. "Yes, yes of course. Would you like me to walk you back to your car. Or do you think you can manage?" He smiled at her fondly.

[daphne-blackwood]

"That's alright. I can manage. Thank you for this." She meant it with all her heart. "You turned a bad day into a good one."

[miralblue]

Mira smiled and blushed softly at Daphne. He was a little nervous, but he was excited about spending the day with her. He nodded and started to think about what he would wear and how he would fix his hair. "Yes. Okay. I'm very much looking forward to it."

[daphne-blackwood]

"I should probably get back to the car. The tow truck is supposed to be here soon." She smiled at him, trying to decide if a hug might be too much. Given the way his cheeks colored, it would be. "But I really enjoyed meeting you. I'm looking forward to Thursday."

[miralblue]

Mira smiled fondly at Daphne and nodded enthusiastically. He actually took his phone out, which he rarely did around others, Mira detested technology, but he was getting better at using it and figuring out the gadgets of the modern world. He checked his calendar and noted that he had the following Thursday off. "I'm free all day that day. So whenever you want to go is good with me." He put his phone back in his pocket and beamed at her affectionately. She had no idea how much he enjoyed listening to her talk about sirens and the myths of the ocean that he'd held dear to his heart since he was a small boy.

[daphne-blackwood]

She waited patiently as he checked his calendar. She fished her own little planner out of her bag. It might be a bit old fashioned, but there was something utterly satisfying about getting to check an item off an agenda. Taking the small pen, she put Mira's name on Thursday. "I've got a day camp coming in the morning, so anytime in the afternoon works for me." She doubted that he wanted to see the museum with a bunch of pre-k students making their best dinosaur noises. "I'll even leave a pass with security for you so that you can come see the sites behind the displays too." She was extremely proud of all the collections in the archive and could never pick a favorite. She truly looked forward to sharing them with a person who would appreciate the items for more than their monetary value.

[augustine-lycaon]

Augustine felt his cheeks warm as he realized what had happened, getting a better look at the woman before him. "Aw Jesus Christ. Not sure how much I really helped with that number," he muttered, feeling bad he'd managed to ruin her outfit and make the woman uncomfortable to boot, despite helping her avoid injury. Any competent witch he imagined would have been far more smooth about addressing the elevator issue as well as the fallout-- but that simply wasn't an option for Augustine at the moment. The former wolf quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt instead, adding, "Here," as he did so, before holding it out in offering. "If you want it to help cover up, it's yours."

[daphne-blackwood]

Was this good luck or bad luck? Daphne honestly couldn't say anymore. On one hand, she was being saved. On the other, she was being saved by a blushing man who was offering her his shirt, because she was standing in the middle of the hall without pants on. Whenever this curse was finally broken, Ayumu would be getting an earful from Daphne. "No, no. You did. I'm not going Final Destination thanks to you." She took the shirt, blushing as she donned the garment that was several sizes too large on her. At least it made a cute dress. "Thank you. Normally I would refuse, but my magic has been wonky lately. I'd probably end up turning my skirt into rose petals if I tried to fix it."