shadows gather

[prudenceisawitch]

There was probably something to be said about how much time Prudence was willing to be around mortals and their places of supposed entertainment, but what else was a hundreds year old witch to do? Things were much different now and while there were no more of those silly little witch trials, there also wasn’t much public execution in general now. To be short, Prudence was bored. It was the unyielding bleakness of said boredom that always drew her out and to places like the Whispering Woods fair. Despite all of Pru’s reminiscing of good, old medieval torture she didn’t miss the graceful swan dive of a rather delicious looking funnel cake. Shame. What she certainly hadn’t missed was the small, nearly imperceptible gust of wind that had tripped up the young hooligans who’d caused the young woman on her knees before Prudence to plop her fried dessert in puddle of mud that now squelched beneath them. A wicked grin tugged at her lips, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she offered a hand to the stranger. “Let’s get you another. Now I’ve got an excuse to get one of those mother loving caramel apples I’ve been trying to avoid all night.” Straightening her shoulders, Pru observed the young woman before her, eyes roaming her features before flickering to the food stall. “I’m Prudence.”

[luciancluna]

One of the first things to deteriorate during too much time spent alone was, unfortunately, manners, which meant for a few seconds more than comfortable, Luciana stared at the other's extended hand and then her face without so much as a word of a flicker of acknowledgement aside from the movement of sharp green eyes. After another long moment, she remembered herself and managed a quick twitch of a smile before gingerly shaking the other's hand.

"Luciana," she answered as she stooped to pick up the soggy remnants of her treat, which she then dropped into the nearest trash can. "That's very nice of you, you don't have to," she continued. The witched sighed noisily as her attention drifted in the direction of the gaggle of boys, though they'd long since vanished from sight. Part of her wish she'd pushed a little harder and actually sent them sprawling. "The caramel apples were good last year, but I'm always afraid for my teeth when I eat one." She paused a moment, then glanced at the other at her side as they headed towards the food. "Have you been to the carnival before? You don't really seem like a tourist. Which... is a compliment. I promise."

[gasparlouvat]

who: Gaspar & @luciancluna when: 31st May 1989 where: The Carnival, Ferris Wheel.

A harsh gush of wind passes through the trees like a scandalous whisper, drowning out the sound of children's screams and the screeching cackles of those undeserving. Gaspar sweeps his gaze across the crowd, silently confirming that he will keep true to his promise, even if that means the skies would bleed red. It both amused and disgusted him equally, to see how freely the witches were enjoying themselves, not knowing they were specks of dust beneath his nails and their world sat in the palm of his hand. Like a snow globe, all he has to do is flick his wrist for their world to turn upside down.

For now, however, Gaspar is here to hold up his end of the deal. So, when he spots Luciana Luna in the queue for the ferris wheel, he approaches her like someone with all the time in the world, like someone who has stumbled upon her incidentally.

The group of people in front step inside the passenger car, giggling away, though he couldn't quite possibly understand what they had to be so happy about. Then, the next car starts to come around and Gaspar promptly appears beside Luciana. "Do you mind if I jump in with you?" An apologetic smile. "I'm trying to hide from my brother."

[luciancluna]

At some point, she knew she'd reach her threshold when it came to the less pleasant parts of the carnival. For someone who liked to spend most of her time as something of a recluse, the buzz of noise and activity along with the crush of people who barely paid attention to their surroundings grated on their nerves perhaps a little faster than the average person. Despite this, she didn't particularly want to leave yet, and so Luciana patiently waited in line for the ferris wheel, the promise of a little alone time steeling her the closer she moved to the front of the line.

As luck would have it, the second she sat in the vacant passenger car, a young man occupied the seat next to her, which drew a quick frown born of both displeasure and confusion. The ride began to move before she had a chance to ask him just what he was thinking, and he supplied his reasoning in the next breath anyway. Luciana managed a stiff smile and slouched a little.

"Brothers can be... something... I've heard," she said lamely as the wheel slowly tipped them forwards and then inched upwards. "I'm Luciana," she added after a moment. If she was going to be trapped with him for a bit, she may as well try to be polite.

[meridakrawczyk]

"I wish I could claim your response was an intelligent come back, but when you're forced to recycle the same words I used, it reeks of... unoriginality, or...I know, dull mindedness." Predatory interest overtook her petite frame. She might've seemed unassumingly sweet, but that viper tongue had always enjoyed a hiss, dipped in venom. She had a knack for sensing such things; pain and sorrow left traces that her kind found irresistible.

Merida smirked, her lips curling into a known cold, predatory smile. The confrontation was trivial, or at least, it was in the sense that she'd never been kind to those who questioned her. Once upon a time, she'd been far more caring, vulnerable even. How long had it been since she'd let down that guard? Allowed herself to feel something else besides contempt? Despite her bravado...

Who was she kidding? She didn't care, never would again.

Perfect. She liked it that way.

"I'd ask you to prove it, but that feels a little..." fingers pinching the air, something sparking in those eyes, alive, glittering. "Immature. But hey, now that we're here, why not join me on the rollercoaster...I feel we could..." eyes drifting down the length of the others body. Attractive, but not her type. Sniffed once and then twice, she'd never been a fan of her blood type. "Actually, you're good. I don't think you'd entertain me,"

[luciancluna]

At the retort, Luciana's brow furrowed as a chagrined smile curled on her lips. "I'm deaf and I understand sarcasm better than you," she deadpanned. There was something slightly off about her despite all appearances of every high school mean girl she'd ever met, the sort of ease one keeps while wearing a well-practiced mask. Luciana herself had never been terribly good at a poker face, and so while she attempted to maintain some semblance of indifference, the smile faltered and her shoulders tensed, and she stopped idly turning the cup in her hands.

"I'm not everybody's cup of tea," she said finally with a shrug. "It's not any real bother if I'm not enough of an evening's entertainment for you. I'm sure there's plenty of easy people for you to play with. Some weirdo suggested the five second rule when I dropped a snack in the mud earlier--maybe he's more your speed?"

[luciancluna]

Who: Luciana Luna + OPEN @thecursed-starters

When: 31 May 1989

Where: Carnival

Carnival season was a bit of a mixed bag. This year featured some new rides that piqued Luciana's interest--The Ghost Train in particular--and the food featured at such attractions also happened to be one of her biggest weaknesses. Unfortunately, years of shutting herself in dwindled her list of friends somewhat, and too afraid to contact anyone to apologize for her absence, the witch simply began to do things by herself.

Unfortunately, the shine of new activities and her favorite junk foods quickly wore off, leaving Luciana on the precipice of too overwhelmed to really enjoy herself. The last straw came when a gaggle of teenage boys in ripped jeans and dirty band t-shirts collided with her, causing her to dump what remained of her funnel cake into a mud puddle. Stuck somewhere between screaming and crying, Luciana stared at her soaked funnel cake as the boys continued on their way, and only as an afterthought did she send a quick, pointed gust of air to trip the little group of them, but they were too far gone to think much of it aside from perhaps uneven footing.

"Fuckers," she murmured as she picked up the now-dirt-covered paper tray and the remnants of her funnel cake, then turned to find the nearest trash can only to smash into someone else and drop the thing all over again.

"Stop MOVING," she snapped, half to herself and half to whomever had the misfortune of standing too close to her.

[meridakrawczyk]

WHO: @thecursed-starters WHEN: 31st of May, 1989' WHERE: The Carnival — The Ghost Train. TYPE: Open to all.

Prowling like the darkness from which she emerged, Merida stalked the oblivious crowd as they meandered with no worry in the world: if only they knew. The flashing lights irritated with every explosion against her senses — it was an insult to her eyes. Bright lights had never been her friend, not since the change. The carnival, a year on year family outing filled with fun activities and endless fun, was really a festering pit, its air thick with the scent of the "others," making it a perfect hunting ground for her kind. People wandered around, happiness plastered on their faces as if attending this place were a prize. To her, they were walking blood bags with big fat dollar signs on them. Begging her to take them. But they had a system for a reason: one rule. They kept their business out of Salem.

Merida, turned in the late 1800s, had once been as unassuming as they were. Now she reveled in their naivety.

The ghost train, with its...attempt at the theme known as horror, pathetic as it was, had Merida walking towards it with a raised brow. She was hungry, and after her dinner — which hadn't been satisfactory in the slightest with being so close to Salem, her mind was elsewhere. Like the young woman, early twenties, walking toward the ride alone.

"Could be interested. Do you want to come — or are you too chicken shit to even try?"

This carnival might be a joke, but at least dinner was looking up.

[luciancluna]

For perhaps an alarming amount of time now, Luciana watched as the Ghost Train ripped past overhead, the thunder of its wheels on the track and the screams of thrilled ride-goers a muddy roar in her head. Throughout her childhood, she dragged her mother to the carnival and forced her to go on the roller coaster with her, much to the elder woman's deep dismay. Luciana loved watching how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together to create such a thing, and without the aid of magic. What she really wanted was to do the same with this new coaster, but a pang of old grief and mild embarrassment kept her rooted to the spot, both hands curled around the damp paper cup of Coke as she simply watched the train speed around the track.

The words spoken at her back caused her to start and she turned quickly, her shoulders dropping at the sight of someone who looked to be a few years younger than her. She rolled her eyes and sighed noisily, turning the cup in her hands as her attention returned to the roller coaster as it once again made a loud pass above.

"It's a roller coaster, what's there to be afraid of," she answered flatly. "Are you chicken shit and looking for a hand to hold?"

[priquintana-deactivated20241209]

PRISCILLA QUINTANA Based on a True Story (1.01)