something wicca this way comes

claire dillane. eighteen. witch.

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“Doesn’t it just roll off the tongue?” he replied just as wistfully, before a chuckle broke loose. “Well, now that you’ve let it slip that this isn’t already public knowledge, it does seem rather tempting to print out a few flyers. You know, do my part to inform the masses.” Sean was more likely to do the complete opposite, but the opportunity to tease his friend was too good to pass up. He could tell that she wasn’t entirely convinced, and he couldn’t blame her. The redhead had always been a crap liar but now just didn’t seem like the time for such disclosures. Sean couldn’t help the sheepish smile that came over his face at her words, so he glanced down quickly to keep his embarrassment to a minimum. “Well, that’s very kind of you to say. Not entirely sure he’d agree, but at least it lets me know that you like me for more than just the coffee,” he teased, a bid to steer the mood back to the lighter side of things. When you grow up being told you you’re an inconvenience, it kind of tends to stick. So to know hear his friends voice the fact that he wasn’t just some annoyance, even if in the smallest of ways, it never failed to make Sean’s entire day. “You say that, but I’m pretty sure that all the other -cides also weren’t things until they were,” he rationalized. Sean let out a laugh at her ominous wording. “Oh wow, it must be a big one then. Kind of makes me all the more interested in figuring out what it is. I mean, YOLO right?” The teenager placed his hands on the counter, as he mulled over her question. “No, I would’t say you look unhappy. Maybe vaguely disinterested at times, but not unhappy. It just so happens that once you figure out what happiness actually looks like on a person, you kind of can’t help but notice when it’s not the main thing on display.”

“Of course it isn’t public knowledge, do you really think I’d tell everyone the trick to making me smile like an idiot? You do that and I’ll print out of a flyer to let everyone know they should refer to you as Sean Dorky Hart from now on,” she threatened, holding out her finger in front of his face with furrowed brows. Claire chuckled when she saw the pink rushing to his cheek, making his embarrassment painfully obvious. A downside to being a redhead she supposed. He truly was a huge dork. In a cute way, though. “Well, he’s a moron then. It’s his loss. Of course I like you more than coffee, I’m not completely heartless.” She liked to act tough, but deep down she was very protective of her friends. That was probably due to her coming from a big family. Loyalty ran in the Dillane family. “You’re ridiculous. Although, if anyone were to make coffe-cide a thing, it’d be me.” Claire hid her face in her hands at his use of the word YOLO, trying not to cringe. “I cannot believe you just used that word. I thought it stayed back in 2015 where it belonged. Now you definitely earned that middle name.” Disinterested was the right word for her default mode, he seemed to have her all figured out somehow. It was mostly an act, everyone cared about something and she was no exception. “I’m not unhappy, more like perpetually bored. I’ve worked really hard for my reputation, you better not give me away, Hart.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“Well, Dorky almost was my middle name,” he said, adding an air reminiscent of a classic James Bond film to his tone. “And don’t be so quick to rule it out, Claire. You’d be surprised what levels some people might be willing to go to if only to prove a point.” Sean knew that being an all around goofball wasn’t necessarily top priority with most of their schoolmates, but that there definitely was group that would do it in heartbeat if it meant getting to lay claim to something. Wide shoulders came up slightly as the redhead shrugged at her question. It was all he could manage, as the thing that would answer most of it would be ‘I killed my mother at birth’ and even he knew that was an instant mood killer. “I dunno, I guess it’s mostly the age gap and the fact we haven’t lived together in a while. He has his own life and sometimes it’s hard for me to fit in it or something,” he provided instead. Not entirely a lie either. “I give many things extensive thought, especially if they can in any way come back to bite me in the ass if I’m found to be some sort of weird accessory to coffee-cide or whatever,” Sean finished said defensively, though he hardly meant it as such. For a brief second he thought he’d have to wipe up nose coffee off the recently wiped counter. “Well, unless you’ve got some super twisted reason to keep me in the dark, I don’t see how it’s a bad thing either,” he shot back. Sean gave her a smile of his own, and said, “For the record, I’m not a fan of your smile because of how it may or may not enhance your aesthetics. I’m a fan because it lets me know your happy. At the very least happy enough not to keep from smiling anyway.”

“Sean Dorky Hart. Has a nice ring to it,” she said thoughtfully, a smile taking over her face a few seconds later. “Unless you tell everyone at school that I have a thing for Zoolander, I think the chances of it happening are slim to none.” Not to mention she hardly thought anyone was would care enough to try it. His explanation to explain the distance between him and his sibling didn’t feel too convincing. An age gap could explain a lack of shared interest, but whatever was going on between them seemed to be about more than that. She wasn’t going to insist, she figured he’d talk about it if he felt like it. “Well, he’s missing out. You’d make a great addition to his life, it’s his loss,” she told him with a shrug, trying to sound comforting and probably not doing a very good job of it. Still, her words still came from a place of truth. He was a good friend and a person she enjoyed having in her life. Claire had very few friends and the fact that he made the cut meant he was pretty great in her book. “Coffee-cide is not a thing, dork. I promise I wouldn’t drag you into any of my coffee-induced benders.” She had no real reason for keeping people at arms length, but that didn’t stop her from doing it with almost everyone she encountered. It was just part of her ‘aesthetic’ at this point, like he described it. The whole witch thing was a good reason not to get too close to people, but she had always managed to keep it hidden so far. “If I told you my deep, dark secret, I’m afraid I’d have to kill you,” she said with a shrug. Claire was pretty much an expert at deflecting by now. “Do I usually look unhappy?”

[dillxnc-blog]

nathanielshaw:

“Enough, you’re killing me,” Nathan begged, his laughter fading into a smile that ignited upon his lips, unable to keep the inordinate amount of pride swelling within as he watched Claire’s features transform against her will. “You, a joy to be around? Who has been lying to you, little one? — alright, calm down. I’m not a sore loser. You won with that one, I’ll give you that. It was a good one,” he mumbled, lifting his hands in surrender. “— see? Totally not a sore loser.” Nathaniel’s eyes flickering open and shut a few times, taking him a few seconds before he came fully to his senses and to the realization of what had happened. The sudden warmth of fingers just barely brushing on his forehead was strange, new, yet comforting and healing. He had never received such treatment before, not from his parents, not from Claire, not from anyone. Her fingers left as soon as they came, and Nathaniel almost missed her touch, almost wished she’d reach out again. “— oh, no. That? No. That was horrible. Definitely torture. I hate it,” he responded after clearing his throat. Still, the sound of her laughter stretched a smile on his lips, yet he rolled his eyes in response. He jerked his head back, jokingly attempting to get away from her touch. “Keep your hands to yourself, Dillane. Or at least dine and wine me first!” He exclaimed, nudging her arm with his elbow. “— the only thing I’ll be watching is you throwing up after eating way too many nuggets.”

“I’m here for comedic relief,” she said with a cocky grin, pleased with the reaction she’d gotten from him. She was rarely the funny one. “That smile on your face right now proves you love having me around. And stop reminding me of my height. — It was, wasn’t it? I really outdid myself. I guess I’ll take the sore loser thing back, yeah.” Claire couldn’t help but notice the moment of silence she created by brushing his hair back, feeling like she must’ve crossed a line or something. He didn’t look mad, but maybe a little bit uncomfortable. For someone who had grown up in a huge family, she seriously lacked social skills. She shifted from one feet to another, tucking a look curl behind her ear. She was relieved when he finally said something and even more relieved to hear him crack a joke. “Ouch, my bad. I’ll make sure to never, ever do that again,” she said, acting offended. “I don’t know about the wine part, but we’re about to dine on some fine chicken nuggets. That counts, right? — I’m fine with throwing up, as long as you hold my hair. Not that there’s any way I’ll be losing this.” 

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

Sean let out a small laugh of his own, happy at the expected outcome. “Really now? Gosh, now I’m going to question how easily any guy that walks up could replace me with the right look,” he said, his tone overdramatic. Sean gave a slight shrug as he thought about it, “I don’t really get to see him all that much, and I don’t think the problem is us not getting along -at leas no more or less than other siblings- I just think I aggravate him sometimes.” In all honestly, Sean wasn’t always too clear on what Jesse’s stance was where the redhead was concerned. Though if it did turn out that his brother held contempt for him, Sean could never bring himself to blame him. He’d have plenty of valid reasons. “Isn’t that a Fall Out Boy song? Besides, an addiction is an addiction. People have been known to have severe withdrawals when taken off caffeine. I think that makes it hard enough,” he quipped. Sean thought about her words for a moment. “If you left me an actual tip, it would probably be something like a hand-written note that said: clean up your eyebrows or something. So, the appreciation might just stay the same. I can’t help it if I’ve learned the magical trick behind unlocking a Claire Dillane smile. It’s an achievement, and I plan to exploit it.”

“To be fair, I don’t think anyone else would ever even think of pulling that face. It’s sort of dorky,” Claire told him with a smile, knowing everyone else in their school probably took themselves too seriously to even think of that look. “What do you mean you aggravate him? That’s ridiculous. You’re his brother, he shouldn’t get annoyed with you. At least not more than a normal sibling should. I mean, trust me, I get annoyed with mine from time to time, but not in the way you’re implying. Why do you think that, anyways?” Siblings bickered, got in fight, but Claire firmly believed they shouldn’t resent each other. It was unrealistic to think it never happened, but she couldn’t understand how Jesse could feel that way about Sean. He was kind and funny and completely harmless. “Highly doubt it, but it does sound like something they would sing about. Aw, Sean, are you worried about the amount of coffee I consume on a daily basis? Because it sounds like you’ve given this extensive thought.” Bringing the cup to her lips, she almost choked on the liquid when he mentioned what he thought she might leave in lieu of tip. It sounded like her, she had to give him that. “You know me too well and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Do you know how hard I work on being mysterious? You might as well, some people might say I don’t smile enough. Do you know how many times I’ve heard the whole ‘you look so much prettier when you smile’ thing? Too many.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

Sean dropped his gaze to the counter briefly, before looking back up her, his best ‘Blue Steel’ in place. “Lunch tomorrow. You, me, and food. What do you say, Dillane?” He let a smile start to creep in, and nodded in understanding. “I suppose it probably wouldn’t have ended too well if you’d have said something ill about him, but there’s a difference between an insult and the truth. You can’t really fight with the latter. Oh? Well if that’s the cases, I’ll forever consider pants to optional when hanging out with you. As for being a boyfriend and a dealer, I’ve watched enough TV to know that nothing good ever comes from that combination.” Sean let out a laugh at her reaction. “I don’t think you and I have the same definition of the word ‘lucky’, but I assure, it’d be hard to find something that would make me appreciate you more.” The redhead didn’t have many people he called friends, but Claire was definitely one of them. “Yeah, considering how rare it is to get them out of you, I’d be hard-pressed to argue with that one. So I suppose you win…for now.”

Claire erupted in laughter after taking one look at his face, which made it hard for her to give him a serious answer. “Fine, it’s a date. You should’ve made that face ages ago, we’d be married by now,” she replied with a grin. “I wouldn’t have talked shit about him, don’t worry. I just know he has a very particular brand of humor that not everyone gets, including me. I guess you know that already, though. I thought you guys got along?” In reality, she thought Sean got along with everyone. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him argue or fight with anyone. He was much kinder than she was. “We can be pantless together. And I think that only applies when the dealers are selling something a little harder than caffeine.” A room full of Dillanes would probably involve a lot of yelling and probably a spell or two going awry. No one would be lucky to be stuck in the middle of that, he was right. “What if I left you an actual tip? Would that make you appreciate you more?” She challenged with a grin, taking another sip of the coffee he made her. “What can I say? You know exactly what to say to make me smile. I always win.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“Well technically I’ve already invited you to several cups of coffee, should I be more forward with my technique?” he shot back, not missing a beat. “I think saying Jesse is an acquired taste is putting it mildly for some, but you’d be surprised what interests Mel. I personally like to think that my company is just slightly above ‘decent’, as I do go the extra mile to wear pants on the daily, but if it’s my coffee making skills that would make the basis for this relationship then I feel I’d be less your boyfriend and more your dealer…” he pulled a face for emphasis. “No, no. I was just pointing out that by default you’re currently at the top of the list. That’s not to say you wouldn’t be even in a room full of Dillanes,” Sean visibly shuddered at his own words, “Sorry, I just tried to picture a room full of Dillanes, and it was a little horrifying.” The redhead just laughed at her remark, knowing full well there was little he actually could do about it, short of stalking her whenever she went to another barista for coffee. “Well, I’d keep my tips for one,” he quipped with a grin. “But I suppose it’s something we’ll both just have to find out the hard way at some point.”

“I thought that was just you being a good friend, meaning you should probably be a little bit more forward,” she agreed, challenging him. “I was trying to be nice, he’s your brother. Not all my siblings are saints, but I wouldn’t really like it if anyone insulted them either. I actually like my company pantless, haven’t you heard? Coffee making skills are a definite requirement. What’s stopping you from being both? I think we could figure out a nice balance.” Claire chuckled at his quick save, also picturing a room full of her and her siblings. Definitely not a place she’d want to spend more than five minutes in. “You’d be freaking lucky to be in a room full of Dillanes, Sean. Or not. If anything it’d make you appreciate me way more,” she said with a scoff, punching his shoulder lightly. “I tip you in smiles and those, my friend, are priceless.”  The hard way sounded like it’d be no fun and she sincerely hoped she’d never have to find out. “No way, let’s just keep things as they are.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“Oh, and so humble to boot. How have I missed out on the golden opportunity to court thee,” he quipped with a look of mock consternation, before breaking out into a grin of his own. His friends were few and Sean never could really bring himself to truly hold contempt for anyone , let alone the ones he cared for.  “I’m so sure. ‘By far’ being in the range of about ten to fifteen years,” he chuckled, knowing full well what often made him people’s favorite Hart in contrast to his siblings. The age gap afforded for them not to have too much overlap when it came to friends and acquaintances, but it was double edged sword as it often also meant not much overlap in interests and points of conversation. The cafe brought a respite in that sense with Mel. “I can honestly say you’re currently the best Dillane in the room,” Sean agreed, a solemn look on his face. It didn’t last long, as he laughed at the speed with which she took the cup. “Aw, I bet you say pretty words to all your barista friends,” he waved a dismissive hand at her as he wiped down the counter. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I don’t know, I’m a catch. It’s never too late, Hart,” she said with a wide grin, never missing out on an opportunity to tease him. “Hey, even if it wasn’t for the age difference, you’d still be my favorite. I mean, your brother is… an acquired taste, let’s put it like that, and I doubt your sister and I have very much in common. You’re my age, you’re decent company and you make great coffee. It was meant to be really.” Claire gasped dramatically when he spoke, holding a hand over her heart. “In the room? Are you saying there’s another sibling of mine you’d rather be spending time with right now? Because that would offend me greatly.” He was right, there were no limits to the things she’d say for a good cup of coffee, but he did happen to make the best one in town—she wasn’t lying about that. “I guess you’ll never know,” she replied, trying to hide her smile and appear somewhat mysterious. “You wouldn’t risk it. What would you do without me, honestly?”

[dillxnc-blog]

nathanielshaw:

Nathaniel’s laughter was wild and full; he attempted to control it, cease it mid-way in his throat, but the uncommon use of words brought the uninhibited sound out. “Fruitloop dingus?” He repeated between laughs. “I feel bad for your siblings, I do.” With his hands clasped over his chest, he leaned forward, a grin inching across his lips. “Come on! You know they’re irresistible, how am I supposed to resist? Besides, there’s gotta be some work-play balance. I’ll let you touch my hair?” He gulped, deep brown eyes locked with blues, his mouth fell agape, feigning shock. “Manly cheeks are totally a thing. You don’t have manly cheeks, you have chubby cheeks, you wouldn’t know!” He responded, hand waving in dismissal. “Do not touch my manly cheeks, Claire,” he added later, pushing Claire’s hand away from his cheeks. “Now, that sounds like something a little lady would say.”

“Yup, fruitloop dingus,” she confirmed, trying and failing to keep a straight face while he laughed loudly-his laugh was contagious. “Why do you feel bad for them? I’m a joy to be around, you know that. It’s not my fault fruitloop dingus is unbeatable, don’t be a sore loser.” Claire ran her hand through his hair, pushing it back, before she even agreed to his little deal. “As shiny as your hair is, I’m gonna have to decline. I feel like you would like me playing with your hair too much. It’s a horrible deal, really.” The brunette laughed through his whole chubby cheeks versus manly cheeks theory, making it clear she wasn’t buying any of it. “The fact that I do have chubby cheeks makes me perfectly qualified to tell you your cheeks aren’t manly. They’re, like, a little bit less chubby than mine. A little bit.” Looking at him with a fake pout, she made a pinching motion near the side of his face. “But they’re so adorable, I can’t help it,” she chuckled, her hands dropping back to her sides. “Yeah, well, watch this little lady eat her half of the nuggets and then some of yours.”

[dillxnc-blog]

javixdeleon:

“Maybe you should go to class” Javi chuckled at her dedication to skipping class “Who are you trying to avoid?” He asked with a suspicious raise of his brows.

“Maybe I should, but it seems highly unlikely at this point,” she said with a scoff. There was no making up for all the time she missed in class. “Teachers, mostly?”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“Hardy har, har, Claire,” he grumbled, but there was still a grin on his face. She had a point though, he did tend to favor Mel over Jesse in the looks department. Though that probably had to do with the fact that Jesse took after their dad…Sean always tried not to dwell on the implication that Mel and himself then took after their mom…but his dad made it a bit hard to do that sometimes. The wolf shook his head and clarified, “I think that should speak volumes to the place you hold for me, considering I managed to completely erase six other people from my noggin. Youngest unite, indeed.” He chuckled as he set to work on her drink, the order not overly complicated and the dent it would make in his paycheck easily covered by the tips he’d get. “One of these days I’ll have to put that to the test. It can’t be both ways, so one will prevail and I’m hoping it’s our friendship,” he slid her the cup, “but I could very well be wrong.”

“I know, I’m hilarious,” she said with an obnoxious grin. Being compared to a sibling wasn’t anything Claire wasn’t familiar with. It pissed her off sometimes, but she hoped that it was less infuriating for Sean coming from someone who kind of understood. “Aw, you like me, you really do. You know you’re my favorite Hart, by far.” He happened to be the only one in her age range, which made it easy for him to be her favorite. Jesse and Melinda were never really around her much and she had a feeling they had very few things in common. “To be fair, none of my siblings are that interesting. Clearly, I’m the best Dillane.” The brunette grabbed the cup eagerly when he slid it her way, bringing the rim to her lips immediately and taking a sip. “You make the best coffee in town, I swear,” she said thankfully, putting the cup down in front of her. “Guess you won’t know until you do.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“If helps matters at all, at leas they’re not constantly calling you by somebody else’s name. I’ve lost track of the times I’ve been called Jesse, and there was even once when I got called Melinda,” Sean told her, “But if you ever find out the magic number, do let a guy know.” The barista rolled his eyes but began to prep for the drink anyway. “Sometimes I feel like the only reason we’re on speaking terms is my covering the costs of your caffeine addiction. So what’ll it be today?”

“Okay, that’s fucking hilarious. You know, you kind of do look like a Melinda. Really suits you,” Claire said, trying and failing to hold back laughter. “And I think you forget I’m the youngest of six. I feel your pain, I do. The youngest is always forgotten.” It was really easy for her to go unnoticed in her house, which sometimes made her want to compensate everywhere else. Sadly, there was always another Dillane to compare her too and so she stayed in the shadow of one of her many brothers and sisters. “I will, promise. Us youngest have to stick together.” She thought for a second he wouldn’t go along with her free drink suggestion, but immediately started grinning when he went to work. “Listen, I’m not saying I would stop talking to you if you started denying me coffee, but... I’m not not saying that either. Dark roast, please. Two sugars, one milk.”

[dillxnc-blog]

nathanielshaw:

“— asswipe, really? That’s the best you got?” Nathaniel belittled, straying his touch after the slap. “Jesus, why so aggressive?” He rolled his eyes.  “— me, adorable?” He scoffed, the chipper tone still remaining. “These are manly cheeks. — and where do you think you’d fit all those chicken nuggets in your petit body, little lady? I’m like Hercules and you’re Danny Devito.“

“I’m the youngest of six, believe me when I say I have more of those where that came from you fruitloop dingus,” she retorted with a smirk, nudging his shoulder gently. “I came here to win a bet, I’m not fraternizing with you right now. That means you’re not allowed to come anywhere near my irresistible cheeks.” Claire scoffed, shaking her head at him. “Manly cheeks aren’t a thing. All cheeks are adorable, yours are no exception,” she told him, giving his cheek a soft pat. “Please, I’m a regular sized lady and I really don’t like you comparing me to a small, fat man.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rcbxrn:

“Sweetie, at the rate you’re going I’d be surprised if YOUR FRIENDS even knew your name,” Max joked as she sat across from the girl. “What’s with the ditching today? Did you FORGET your homework again?”

“Hey, I still show up at every single party you guys throw, don’t I? I feel like me passing out on the lawn every time makes me sort of memorable,” Claire told the brunette with a grin. “Forgetting my homework would require me knowing about said homework, which I didn’t. Which class am I failing now?”

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rougerunt:

Sean let out a laugh. “Most of them have been stuck teaching in this town for ages, I’m sure they’re just aware that we about the same interest in remembering their names,” he pointed out. “Well, I’m normally allowed here anyhow, what with the whole I work here and my sister owns the place thing,” he teased, “But you’re usually absentee. To what do I humbly owe the pleasure?”

“Yeah, now that you mention it, they’re most likely miserable. Still a little disappointed that my rep isn’t bad enough for them to know my name by now, though. How many times does a girl have to pull the fire alarm to get a little attention?” Claire asked him with a smile, mostly kidding about the fire alarms. Mostly. “Well, Sean, I happened to be craving one of your amazing cups of coffee. You know what makes them amazing? The fact that I never pay for them.”

[dillxnc-blog]

rougerunt:

“To be fair I don’t think most teachers even bother with remembering names by the time it gets to high school,” he grinned. “But if it makes you feel any better, it’s technically after school now,” Sean said as he pointed to the clock above his head.

“Which shows a tragic lack of interest in their students, if you ask me,” she told him with a shrug, although the name thing probably worked in her favor more often than not. Claire glanced at the clock behind him, realization washing over her face. “Oh, in that case, we can totally be here.”

[dillxnc-blog]

nathanielshaw:

“— aw, was I too harsh?” Nathaniel retorted, a brow raised in question as a lopsided grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s so cute,” he chortled, reaching out, bony fingers lightly touched her cheek, squeezing it gently. “You think you can crush me? That’s adorable.”

“I don’t know, asswipe, were you?” Claire shot back, mirroring his grin. Slapping his hand away, she shot him a glare. “We’ll see who the adorable one is once I’ve eaten more chicken nuggets than you and I get to pinch your cute little cheeks. Here’s to hoping you’re not a sore loser.”

[arianasbuteras]