Narcissus

[raffaelexfiore]

Raffaele ll Saturchella

Long night with your hands up in my hair Echoes of your footsteps on the stairs Stay here, honey, I don't wanna share

[nonethelessinterested]

[nohomodotcom]

Noah Centineo in The Recruit

[raffaelexfiore]

@senatusstarters location: Lupercal notes: open to all

If nothing else, this was good practice; monsters came with various weaknesses and strengths. Most were resistant to magic somehow, so just throwing whatever you had at them and hoping for the best wasn't a great option. It took study to understand what worked and then practice to actually be able to pull it off, but lucky for him stymphalian hated sunlight, and he'd stumbled upon a hoard that was tucked into some barracks in Lupercal. Blood magic had its uses, the most primitive being an amplifier; this was a numbers game, and Raffaele wanted to win those Cirque tickets for him and Tamlen.

Raffaele lifted his palm towards the wooden barracks; the Narcissus would send financial compensation later. With a thought, a small vial of blood floated just beyond his marred palm. It shattered, and flames erupted in an influx of the destruction school. They scorched and fanned out in a cone as Raffaele took advantage of the vampire blood as amplifier and source to use little more than a tiny spark of his own magic. The barracks were reduced to embers in moments, and the stymphalian that weren't caught in his blaze burned under the sunlight.

A hand laid on his shoulder, Raffaele turned towards the sun and caught a glimpse of his father's profile, but by the time he opened his mouth to speak, the man was gone. Raffaele wasn't alone; ashes fell, and the smoldering scent of Stymphalian's otherworldly flesh permeated the air. "How many do you think that was? Twenty?"

[raffaelexfiore]

@rowanivar location: Mystery Stink (Two in The) notes: tattoo connect

Hoe era was in full effect, and Raffaele knew it well. "The hickey is a dead giveaway, you know." Raffaele pointed out as he moved to take a seat in the chair; he'd been debating for a while on what to get as a way of remembering Kaan; it wasn't like the witch would ever forget his father, and he didn't have a pile of conspicuous tattoos beside the flowers on his forearm. But Raffaele still wanted something small that was thematically correct; it had taken about a week to talk himself out of getting 'Daddy's Boy,' but he'd finally settled on something to go on his wrist, a wine glass. Half full. "Someone's been sleeping around a lot." Raffaele said it in a tone that bordered on a sing-song; he saw one hickey that looked new, and then another that looked older, but they didn't come from the same mouth. He was an expert at this thing.

[raffaelexfiore]

@efigeniax location: Narcissus House notes: mentor/mentee connect

Normally, this would be the time when Raffaele's shirt would be off, his chest covered exclusively by the cross he always wore around his neck, but times changed, and a lot could happen over the course of a year. He'd met someone interesting, Prospero was a demigod, but he could perform magic, even though it came with a cost. Witches had always observed the world around them and interpreted it into different forms of spellcasting - to this end, there was something to be learned everywhere. But someone like that could teach him a lot, and Efigenia who had refined the art that he gravitated towards so keenly, not just blood magic but destruction as well, Raffaele wanted to procure everything he could from her.

There was a time when Raffaele felt safest within the halls of the Narcissus Coven, but Jian was gone, and so was Kaan; in the place of family, he now just saw a series of people who would always put themselves first. Raffaele knew what the outside world thought about their coven, that the magic they contended with was dangerous, and that they were little more than murderous criminals. Maybe they were right.

"Sorry, it took a while, but," He held up the vial of the regent that Efigenia had sent him out to retrieve. "I got it, you ready to tell me what we're doing here now?"

[nohomodotcom]

Noah Centineo & Gavin Leatherwood

[prosperox]

"Uh huh," was all he said in response as he nodded his head. Prospero really needed to stop doing that or he was going to start looking as crazy as he actually was. At least this witch didn't really seem to care about how the tiefling had been staring into nothing for however long. A short laugh left his mouth at the other's suggestion. "You want me to go to a gloryhole? Oh no, I can't do that. Someone tried to bite my dick off one time. I've still got a burn mark from when I boiled their saliva." He patted the crotch of his pants as the words left his mouth. "I'm never alone." He paused. "But I am this time unfortunately."

[raffaelexfiore]

"If I had a nickle for everytime that happened to me." Raffaele thought about it for a moment, "I'd have two nickles, which isn't a lot but it's strange that it happened twice." Bit of an oxymoron to stand there and say he was never alone and then follow up with the fact that he was alone this time. "Alright, so where's your posse tonight?" Raffaele looked around, jokingly, "Since you never leave home without them." Demigods, right, idly the witch wondered what it was that this one could do and if there was a way that he could somehow work that to his advantage. That was where his mind lived most often these days; what the people he met could do for him, and how he might be able to get them to help him along his path. It was one thing to want someone dead, it was another to follow through with it and not end up in prison.

[catrielheathcote]

Catriel offers a shrug and he's like, half sorry because there's so much about this whole 'magic exists' thing that he just doesn't know about. "Sorry, I just never know who to talk about it all with." Glancing down, he looks to chipped purple nails and he should have redone them before going out. While he likes Raffaele, while he's glad he's told him, there's a level of life now where everything feels somewhat uncertain that makes him realize why the supernatural doesn't expose themselves. It's a lot to take whether you're excited about it or scared. "It's interesting, you know? Makes you look at people differently." Literally everyone. Was that guy just hot or a vampire? Was that other guy a bear or a literal werewolf?

[raffaelexfiore]

"Don't sweat it Catriel," Raffaele dismissed, he got the fascination, but there was something to be said about curiosity and cats; when it came down to people that the witch could trust he was running woefully low. Catriel wasn't part of this world, he didn't need to stick his nose where it didn't belong. "Until you get yourself killed." Sugar coating wasn't the gentlest approach, but it was also the most honest one. Humans and the supernatural didn't mix for a reason, for people like Catriel this only ever ended one way. "He pushed the other's coat into his chest, now let's go, balls drop at midnight."

[tamlenx]

"I have to trust that Nirvaan knows what he's talking about; you never know when you're making a tradition out of something," Tamlen was certain that Switch device he carried around the entire troupe was going to be solidified within Aurora's royal vault for new generations to look back upon. The Worldly had scorned the Chosen before and wasn't about to make that mistake again anytime soon. Raffaele's expression soured and Tamlen's nose scrunched in silent awareness that he perhaps wasn't the best at delivering a soft blow. Death clouded the Scar, this stark miasma that was hard to ignore; something that seemed to be a consistent mark within the halls of the funeral parlor. It was a bleak imbalance to the potent celestial nature that seemed to burst at the seams of Tamlen's golden frame, the Worldly's brows raised at the playful comment. Shaking his head, there'd likely be no manner of convincing the elf to venture into the parlor, still he'd play along, "And would you hold my hand? Attempt to protect me from the vengeful spirits?" That brow remained quirked, there were plenty of phantasms that lingered in the depths of and crevices of Faerûn but that embalming scent and the lingering fumes of death were something Tamlen wouldn't be cashing in on witnessing.

[raffaelexfiore]

"Anime as an elven tradition? Interesting, I'll add weib to your pronouns in my phone." It was always damn near impossible for Raffaele to tell when Tamlen was joking or being serious, the Worldly was big on negging to get the witch going, and Raffaele was just depraved enough to be into it. "It definitely wasn't my hand I wanted you to hold." Raffaele would never pass up an opportunity to make a dirty joke, especially where Tamlen was concerned. "But we can start there. Just don't play with any of the ghouls; the kids will follow you home." Graveyard superstitions had all started from somewhere, "Fortunately, there aren't many vengeful spirits around there... Otherwise, I wouldn't be very good at my job now, would I?" Raffaele brushed his fingers through Tamlen's silver hair, aware that the elve wouldn't go anywhere near the Narcissus Coven's most popular place of business. Funeral parlors weren't for everyone, and while Raffaele was resigned to working within them, it took a very keen relationship with death to appreciate them. That was at least part of why Kaan had affected him so deeply; his former sovereign didn't die. He was just gone. Erased. "Have you eaten yet?"

[xcaradocx]

"Do you not feel very stable?" Caradoc knew the answer to that; he knew the whispers that rattled the coven. Kaan had been part of the Asphodel, but he'd repented. He'd come out of that for Raffaele, for those he loved, and here they were. That's where it'd gotten him - death and a cool statue. The demon had been listening, roaming the coven home like he could. Being a ferret had its perks. "This place doesn't feel the same, does it?" Normally, he had his run abouts, lazing the day away in Raffaele's room, or perhaps sunning in a nice spot. Now, everyone walked around with RBF's and a little bit of blood, Caradoc didn't mind, but he also had someone else to look out for.

[raffaelexfiore]

Kaan was dead, Jian was gone, and now they were what... Are they supposed to carry on with their lives? Raffaele had spent weeks in a cell, he could still crack the jokes, and he was happy to play whatever part people needed him to play: witch, brother, mentee, son, boyfriend; none of it really mattered because everything just felt surface level and temporary. He'd learned long ago that things could be over instantly; Kaan's death just reinforced that. Caradoc had to be doing a bit, so Raffaele smiled, played into the joke, and rolled his eyes. "No, not at all. Crazy, right?" There was no leaving the Narcissus, not now; the mark ensured that all that was left was to make the coven into something he could stand to be a part of again. "Back in the day, they used to take the hands of witches who turned against their own kind." Tongues too. It made him think about Efigenia again. "Now they give them a psychiatrist."

[just-a-pole-sir]

[nohomodotcom]

Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in The Recruit

[tamlenx]

Tamlen never had any prior purpose to acclimate to this world, he'd only recently been run out of the Otherworld, forced to come to terms that he would be indefinitely apart of the mortal realm until something shifted. Audulë broke open on the fringes of the End, a secret realm, something that imbued the celestial with newfound appreciation for his kind; under the former Queen's end was a new beginning. Appreciation was abundant but there was also this strange feeling within him, how easily he could turn away from the mortals again, revert back to that feeling of superiority he garnered when in the presence of other high elves. The Otherworld had been forever changed, a precarious place of higher stakes now that demons and other abyssal creatures found placement within Faerûn, but it still resonated as a place once thoroughly explored by the Worldly. Tamlen felt great reassurance in knowing he'd explored, he'd invested time in many troupes, and that perhaps dipping into a more mortal lifestyle while the Scar was still a prominent fixture he was fond of. Raffaele's life was mere minutes in comparison to the celestial being but Tamlen refused to think on that as the Japanese Manga series played through on the screen.

"I heard it's unwise to call them that," Tamlen shrugged, he'd been so enraptured that Raffaele had actually momentarily surprised the elf; that was no good, he was supposed to be tuning into his powers on a deeper resonance not blocking them out completely. The Worldly hit the pause button, shifting their entire frame to face Raffaele, but staying comfortably in a criss-cross applesauce position, arms outstretched as he beckoned the witch forth, his fist immediately closed around the tie that had been tossed his way. "Seems like you're working hard." A kinder way of saying Raffaele looked tired; Tammy was making progress on being more tactful, now if only he too could truly tap into his powers he'd feel better about it all.

[raffaelexfiore]

"Right, anime. I wouldn't want to offend your rich elvish traditions of watching," he glanced towards the screen at the paused figures before he looked back towards Tamlen. "Anime."His fingers tilted the other's chin as Raffaele leaned in and gave a sour expression at the comment. "So you're saying I look tired." Raffaele was vaguely amused because Tamlen wasn't wrong, "It's a busy time of year for mortals around funeral parlors." He closed the short distance between them to press his lips against Tamlen's before he smiled, stood up, and started to worm his way across the buttons of his shirt. Thankfully, he hadn't been embalming anyone today, but Raffaele was still death-adjacent for the last eight or so hours. "You should come by sometime, I can show you around and introduce you to the ghosts." Still playful, as all over the place as Raffaele had been the last couple of months at least Tamlen had been consistent throughout; truthfully it felt like more than the witch deserved these days.

[catrielheathcote]

"I could be a cat." The frog dream seemed great until the eggs were mentioned, he didn't think he could take care of children, he doesn't even think he's particularly good at taking care of himself. "Sleep all day, perhaps catch some mice." Catriel takes a second to actually consider such a thing before deciding that it wouldn't really be fair to his roommates. "What's your familiar?" He asks as he goes back to adding just the tiniest bit of eyeliner to his lower waterline. "You've got one, right?" Didn't all witches? Wasn't that some big perk?

[raffaelexfiore]

"No, I've already decided on the frog. It's fitting; call it a personality thing." Raffaele said playfully, Catriel had some feline energy but his friend deserved better than living in a swamp or burying his shit in sand. "His name is Caradoc; you'll have to ask him." Witches and their secrets, Raffaele epitomized this. "This feels like an interrogation, I didn't know you were coming over to try and haul me in for questioning."

[xcaradocx]

There wasn't one anymore, wasn't that the whole point? Caradoc wouldn't have to see Asmodeus again, at least that was a plus. He picked up his drink, complete with an umbrella. The familiar was more than willing to ensure that nothing happened to Raffaele again, but he couldn't do that if the witch was still feeling down and depressed. People died, they had to move on. Kaan was erased, slightly harsher, but still – they had a good thing going. "How do you feel with the new HBIC?" If there was one thing the demon could do, it was talk. He'd talk Raffaele's ear off until the witch insisted he left him alone. Then he'd shift, and annoy him in ferret form. Worked every time.

[raffaelexfiore]

"Makes sense; Verna was a good sovereign; some stability is probably what the coven needs more than anything right now." He wondered if this would make Efigenia put a target on the sovereign's back, or how that would work. Kaan was part of the Asphodel, but he'd reformed, Raffaele didn't want to think that Verna had known about it but it was hard to know what to believe. The family he'd been so fond of for so long was fractured in a way that Raffaele couldn't reconcile. From where he came from, it was hard for him to trust people, but if it had been needed, there wasn't a single soul in the Narcissus that Raffaele wouldn't have bled for. Now he was in a house full of strangers, people he couldn't trust, and witches who seemed likelier to stab him in the back than do anything to help him. At least he had Caradoc, singular faith in a demon; how foreboding.

[catrielheathcote]

"Do frogs have to pay rent?" It's deadpan and he thinks that life wouldn't be so bad as a frog. You hang around a pond, you eat some flies, that's it, that's that. No rent, no electric bill, no wifi, no Netflix subscription. Maybe Raffaele would keep him or something, give him a nice little enclosure, spritz some water on him from time to time. "I hear things, there's all these new things around." Catriel waves a hand dismissively, as if he's not totally interested in what the witch has to say. "Every day something seems to get weirder."

[raffaelexfiore]

"I heard the local ponds are nice in the spring, you can find yourself a nice dude toad to squeeze the eggs out of you." Catriel seemed like he'd be the type, then again, who wasn't? Besides Epimetheus Raffaele wasn't sure if he knew anyone who wouldn't be down to get plugged, squeezed, and glucked. "Ask a specific question, get a specific answer. There's also snakes, dogs, cats. Pick your poison, and I'll pick up the tonic that'll get the job done." It was obvious that Raffaele was being flippant, but he was still of the school of thought that there was a reason why humans should be kept away from this stuff. Catriel was more likely to get hurt if he was sniffing around things he shouldn't be.