Aurora "Rory" Briar 27 // she/her Proprietor of The Spinning Wheel; Yarn and Fibre Shop in Swynlake, England
Sorceress in Training {{ part of Being Disney RP }}Â Â
The fact that this was not the most frightening thing to have ever happened to Reza. A man - a sorcerer even - with a more stable, more secure background, might be quaking in their boots right now. And Reza, for all the anxiety and the âwhat the fuckâ now on loop in his brain, stood barefoot in Auroraâs kitchen as all at once the ever-present weirdness to Auroraâs magic magnified a hundredfold.
Yâallah, what pandoraâs box did he welcome into his life?
When Aurora looked at him, with eyes that were not her eyes, that was what finally proper frightened him. In that instant Fadelaâs words from the first day sheâd met Aurora came back to him. âMagic that smells like her, rather than magic that is her. It is hers, but because it learned to be hers. If that makes sense?â
The feeling that Aurora was a Tesla coil and her magic a wild force bouncing around her struck him square in the chest.Â
The magic that clung to her for dear life out of necessity had come alive and was searching for where it truly wanted to be. And it seemed like now, the tug-of-war state her magic seemed to exist in was heating up. It was a regular fight to the death it seemed.
Reza thought, I should grab her, but he was only fast enough to catch her arm and keep her from hitting her head.
-Aurora woke up in the museum, and groaned aloud at the strange predictability of her life.
It looked the same as it did every time she had this dream, at least if she didnât look too closely. As she sat up, she realized the torches that had always lined the walls were brighter now; lighting up more than just the torn up paintings on the wall. She could see the domed ceiling for once, the windows that arched overhead opening into nothing but an inky void with no moon or stars.
Aurora looked around, waiting for the skittering or the feeling of being watched, of being chased, but that too was different. For once, she didnât feel like an intruder or a guest. The familiar hall felt familiar, and the change in tone to this once-regular nightmare was almost more discomforting than the nightmare itself.
She stood slowly, not bothering to call out when she knew no one would answer. Like they always were, the paintings on the walls were whole when she first looked at them, and when she blinked they had been torn to shreds. Except now, where there had once been dozens of young women and ladies trapped inside with their frozen bodies mutilated and their eyes torn out and bleeding black, they were just... gone. Empty landscapes left behind, only the hints of the life they had once contained. Aurora approached one, dusting her fingers along the frame, and snapped her head around at the sound of whispers.
The oddness of it all really wasnât helping her massive headache, nor the weird feeling of a new vast emptiness in her chest. Energy was buzzing in her like someone had unbottled lightning and let it loose inside of her, and she felt strangely awake and aware. She never usually realized she was dreaming until she was awake...
Walking quietly thanks to her bare feet, Aurora made her way to the end of the hallway, the lights growing and dimming as she passed. The darkness that followed her felt welcoming instead of oppressive, but she still knew better than to look back. She wasnât taking that risk. When she turned the corner, the strangest thing yet greeted her, and Aurora came to a halt.
Dozens of women and young girls, milling around the hall and speaking in low whispers to each other. Some were hanging out of their portraits like they were windows instead, some were walking calmly side by side along the hall. None of them seemed to notice her, but that could be because none of them could see her.
None of the women had eyes.
There was just a void where they should have been in their face, empty and vacant in a way that was so inherently wrong it made her mind scream out in fear and shock. No one seemed to mind their disfigurement, going about their day as if they didnât even realize they were gone, but Aurora did.
She took a reflexive step back, skin squeaking across the polished wood floor, and slowly the heads began to turn to her. Aurora shuddered, frozen in place by their empty stares as the whispering began to die. Were these the voices she usually heard in this dream? How had she never seen them before?
Why was she seeing them now?
A new round of whispering started once she had been noticed, some of the women holding close to each other while some watched her in wary curiosity.
âShe sees us-â
â-sheâs never noticed before-â
â-her eyes, look at her eyes-â
âI-â Aurora began, but the words died on her throat. There was the sound of running, and everyone in the hall -Aurora included- looked towards the sound. It was coming from the darkness ahead, not behind, but Aurora still felt fear grip her heart tightly in a cold vice. A young woman, a few years younger than Aurora, ran into view and did not stop once she was bathed in light. Long golden curls fanned out behind her and her skin was pale but flushed with life despite the gaping voids in her face where her eyes should be. Her clothing was centuries out of date, but well-made and clearly well-loved. She too was barefoot.
She ran towards Aurora at full speed, holding her dark skirt up and out of her way until she was close enough to touch. Instead of stopping, she crashed into Auroraâs chest and sent them both stumbling back. Aurora barely had time to recover her balance before the girl grabbed her face and turned her head to face her-
And suddenly familiar lilac eyes were staring her down from an unfamiliar pale face.
âThe spell is complete,â the girl said hurriedly, hands shaking where they held her close. âYou donât have much time. Even now she hunts you again.â
âWhat- who are you-â Aurora started, but the girl shook her head.
âThereâs no time. The sorceress is coming to reclaim whatâs hers,â she hissed, and the eyeless women and girls all shrunk back in fear, some crying out in despair. Auroraâs breath was coming heavily now, static energy filling her to the brim until she felt ready to pop.
âItâs not hers anymore,â she bit back, hands curling into fists. The unfamiliar girl with Her Eyes smiled sadly.
âI pray thatâs true,â she whispered. She leaned forward and Aurora let out a sound of surprise as dark pink lips were pressed to hers, and suddenly the heat inside her didnât feel so overwhelming. Aurora pressed back instinctively, and when the kiss was broken, the other woman was crying.
âSave yourself, Aurora, as we could not,â she said, stroking Auroraâs cheek softly. âBreak the cycle.â
âAnd, love-â
She braced her hands against Auroraâs shoulders.
âWake UP!â
Aurora yelled out as she was shoved roughly back, her foot missing the floor as she tried to catch herself. Her own hair obscured her vision as she fell back and through the floor, free-falling into inky darkness for a moment before she-
Aurora gasped, shooting upright from the floor and looking around frantically. She was breathing like she had run a marathon, tears still wet on her cheeks, and still feeling that strange energy alive in her chest. It was a comforting warmth now, instead of the burning from before, but Aurora still keened as she curled around herself and pressed her hands to her chest.
âI- what-â she panted, lilac eyes darting around wildly. âWhere did she- whereâs the-â
Yâallah, she was much too cute for her own good. Actually, for Rezaâs own good. He wasnât used to these feelings; like, heâd fathered a child with Rafika, intentionally, and he never felt - he never felt sunshine in his own chest.Â
Aurora, he thought as literal fucking flowers bloomed around her head, had never looked more beautiful. She also, he reminded himself as the urge to take her to bed appeared, that sheâd never looked more tired and she really needed to rest.
âIâm sorry I made you wait,â he said quietly, brushing her hair out of her face. âBut because I love you, why donât you just let me handle clean up too, hm? Take the rest of the day off from person-ing.â
âOkay?â Reza said, then he bent down and kissed her again.
Oh, but it had been worth the wait, Aurora thought dreamily as she leaned into Rezaâs touch. He said it again and she bit back her giggle of delight, wiggling happily in place.
âOkay,â she agreed breathlessly, pulling him in close and meeting him halfway for a proper kiss.
Rezaâs kisses had always electrified her. They woke her up, brought her to the present no matter how foggy or tired she was. It was a feeling she would never get tired of, and this kiss was even moreso. This was the first kiss they shared after he told her he loved her, after all, and the romantic in Aurora preened at the thought.Â
(The sorceress in her wondered why this feeling of heat filling her up from her chest out was so familiar.)
Aurora pressed closer, not wanting the kiss to end even as she began to shake. She felt so alive and awake, like never before. She felt powerful, like she could run for miles and never tire. She felt full to bursting at the seams with heat and energy and love and-
and...
Aurora let go of Rezaâs neck with a hiss, grabbing her head as a sharp pain drove through her neck and spine suddenly. She was shaking all over, all of her limbs stinging like they had fallen asleep in the past half-second, and her knees threatened to give out on her. âI-â she started, confusion barely piercing through the heat under her skin as it struggled to push out of her. She gasped brokenly as the next spike of pain seemed to tug at her eyes; quickly bringing her hands up to cover them up like it would help.Â
(With her eyes closed, she couldnât see that the veins in her hands and up her arms had turned a dark, glimmering purple under her skin.)
She hadnât realized until she felt hands on her that she had folded herself nearly in half, and when she popped back up the vertigo struck even harder as she felt the now-cavernous space in her chest spin on a tilted axis and god had her head always been this heavy? This hot?
Aurora only had enough time to look up at Reza with terrified golden-brown eyes and to reach out to him again before she felt herself being pulled to the back of that new vast emptiness, eyes rolling back and body following as she fainted dead away.Â
Reza laughed nervously and held her a smidge tighter to steady her, only slightly rolling his eyes.Â
Yâallah, heâs supposed to say it again? Now? He barely got it out the first time. It wasnât a word he said a lot, or lightly, and never in this way before. He wasnât sure if heâd say it very often or as often as Aurora would like but he meant it when he said it.
âYou heard me, I know you did.â He said, pushing her hair back from her eyes. âI said I loved you.â
Yup. Heard him right.
Aurora gasped softly, barely even feeling his hand on her head. She didnât bother looking for the proper reagents that would tell her he was being honest; if he didnât mean it, he wouldnât have said it. Reza had made that very clear. But she did watch his eyes, noting how they softened for her as he pulled her closer. How they didnât look away.
He loved her.
Auroraâs lips pulled back into a wide, beaming smile as she let out a rasping laugh of delight. Between curls of blue and pink hair, bright golden roses and peonies and chrysanthemums burst into existence and glowed almost obnoxiously with her joy. She laughed again as the sound bubbled up and out of her chest while she tugged him down, kissing him hard on the corner of his mouth. If it werenât for his bad knee she would have jumped right up into his arms, but she didnât want to drop them both to the ground so instead she pulled him down so she could kiss him all over his face.
âReza,â Aurora giggled against his jaw, lilac eyes sparkling. âI- I too! I love!â She giggled helplessly over her tangled tongue, shaking her head clear before pressing her forehead against his. Still smiling wide as anything, washed in the gold light of her love for him. âI love you too,âshe breathed, fingers tangling in the hair at the base of his neck.
Sheâd never said it out loud before, and she laughed in delight in how free and powerful it made her feel. âI love you!â Aurora said again, bouncing on her feet with excitement. âSo much, Reza- I love you. I love you!â
âDonât worry about it, Rory.â Reza insisted, gesturing vaguely to the sink. âIâll do the dishes after.â
Usually heâd just let Aurora insist she was okay, never wanting to make her feel babied because of her narcolepsy, but she really was having a rough time lately.
He turned to look at her and gently pat her hair. âYou just work on waking up, okay? I love you, take it easy.âÂ
Without realizing heâd just let the L-word slip, so casual, so nonchalant, when he planned to give it a little more ceremony after they ate, he bent down to press a soft kiss against her lips.
Rory stuck her tongue out at Reza playfully before kissing him back, not even able to work up any annoyance at the way he handled her like she might break if he let her scrub one fork. Not when he was being so sweet and domestic and warm and wait did he say he loved her?
Breaking away from the kiss that had been sending waves of sparks through her like it always did, Aurora looked up at Reza with wide, shocked eyes. âWait, what did you say?â she asked, breathless. Her hand was fisted into the front of his shirt, keeping her anchored down as she waited for his response.
If this was a hyper-realistic narcolepsy/Swnylake dream, Aurora was suing someone. The very concept of sleep, perhaps.Â
âWhat do you mean for you? I cook for me and share with you.â Reza teased, before turning to face her just in time to see her struggle with vertigo. And like, that was normal. Except Rory straight up looked like she was having a seriously rough time and that wasnât so normal.
âHey,â he said gently, dropping the playful teasing. âDo you need to go back to sleep? Itâs okay, food can be reheated. Are you sick?â
Reza pressed a hand to her forehead and shook his head, humming thoughtfully. No, not sick.
Rory leaned into his hand, humming softly. âNo, Iâm okay,â she promised. âI just need to sit down sooner rather than later.â No need to worry him about her recent problems with her narcolepsy. It was probably just the sleeping potions she used messing with her meds again.
She smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes. âIf I do the dishes after we eat, will you make me a bowl of food so I can sit down?â she asked sweetly. She turned her body towards his until she was tucked against his chest, resting her cheek against his collarbone. âI wonât even steal the food from your bowl, promise.â
Unless it was like,,, really good. Then all bets were off.
âSalutations,â Reza said, looking away from what he was doing just long enough to smile at her over his shoulder. âKind of you the join the living just in time to eat.â
He turned back to the stovetop to switch off the heat and made a face as he looked around the kitchen.Â
âNot to be the kitchen police, but your fridge and cupboard were pretty sparse. Do you ever go grocery shopping, or just plan on eating at my house?â Reza teased, anticipating the playful smack that would surely follow a question like that.
He stepped aside and gestured to the stove. âSpinach and tomato tortellini.â
Sure enough, Aurora smacked his stomach weakly as she huffed. âAs long as you continue to feed me? Yes,â she admitted. Though, she may start petitioning to start spending more time at her apartment together. At least until they told Sabiha about the whole âdatingâ thing. It was nice, being together and being as affectionate as she wanted to be. Cuddling into his back like this would never happen at his place, and the knowledge of that fact made her press tighter to him.
Also, it was nice not to have Fadela or Lamia watching them with âWe Know Youâre Fuckinââ eyes all the damn time.
âIf I buy more groceries will you cook for me more?â Aurora asked. She pouted as he stepped away, letting go of him reluctantly so she could grab two bowls from over the stove. She rose uuup onto her toes... and immediately dropped her heels again when the world rushed inside her head as she leaned it back too quickly to see what she was grabbing. Holding onto the counter, Aurora bit back a whimper at the throbbing in her skull.
âI think I got up too soon,â she muttered, pressing her hand over her eyes.
She didnât remember falling asleep, and everything from earlier in the day was hazy. Memories slipping through her fingers like sand. Like how reality felt untethered after a bad Swynlake episode, but... there hadnât been one of those in the past week or so.
This had been going on for days. It was starting to get annoying.
She groaned softly, shifting her position slightly and hearing the start-up noise that indicated that Bo was nearby. Sure enough, there was pressure on her hip, then chest, and then there was two bright gold eyes in a Void Floof face staring down at her with a meow. Aurora hummed back, giving her kitten a few good scratches. Okay, so she was at home.
She could smell cooking and hear humming from the kitchen, and her eyebrows furrowed together. Shouldnât Ella be at work now? Wait... no, Ella had moved out months ago. Shit, who was in her-
Oh. Right. She had a Wholeass Boyfriend now, didnât she?
Patting Bo once more for the road, Aurora rolled until she could kick her legs over the side of the bed. She stretched her arms out in front of her, making sure not to move too fast lest she pass out again. It was slow going, but eventually she was on her feet and making her way into the kitchen. Aurora smiled as she watched Reza move around her kitchen a tad uncertainly. They didnât usually come to her apartment after all.
She came up behind him, making her own start-up noise to warn him of her approach before she pressed herself to his back. Her hands easily went around his sides and laced together in front of him. âHi,â she murmured softly, kissing his spine before resting her cheek against him. âHope I wasnât out too long...â
Did he say thaw? He meant he was ignoring every problem in his personal life because that was obviously the only logical and healthy thing to do. Obviously. He was fine. He had great coping mechanisms and did not need help at all.
âHave you thought about what might work for a better wand?â Reza asked his apprentice, making eye contact with her just briefly before looking back down at the file in front of him.
He was only half paying attention to Aurora. The other half of his brain was focused on the most recent information heâd learned about Mekkiâs whereabouts.Â
Last confirmed two hours away from their home city, huh? That was an easy day trip out to murdertown. He didnât know that town though, not well, and it wouldnât behoove him to go after Mekki in a town where he didnât know where to hide if things didnât go according to plan.
Read: if Mekki made killing him a challenge.
âMoroccan women use bracelets. I know an Algerian sorceress who adopted the practice, itâs been spreading across the Maghreb, consider that maybe?â
Aurora had been thinking about getting a proper wand, actually. She was, afterall, a grown-ass adult who was slowly becoming an actually respectable sorceress; she needed something a little nicer than a wooden spoon. Would get her a lot less weird looks in public when she was collecting reagents, that was for sure.
She hummed in thought, stirring the potion carefully. âBracelet, huh? Iâll have to look into that,â she said. âI miss doing magic with my hands,â Aurora admitted bashfully. It had been nearly two years since she had moved to Swynlake and away from the coddling embrace of her auntiesâ Hollow, but she still keenly remembered how it felt to hold reagents in her hands instead of at a distance - how extraordinary it had felt to hold little piece of the universe close to her and make them into something entirely new.
âBut thatâs probably an âAfter the Holidaysâ thing,â Aurora sighed. âI wouldnât even know where to go to buy a regular wand.â At this point, she was mostly talking to herself. She was nearly certain Reza had stopped listening to her by that point, instead turning his attention back to the folder. She didnât look to confirm it.
Belle was on a two-fold mission upon entering the Spinning Wheel.Â
Firstly, she wanted a hat for Opal, because somehow, between the walk from Hatters to Chapter Three at lunch today, Opal had lost her hat. Belle had no idea how it had happened, but it was chilly enough that her poor little head couldnât deal without a hat. So, it was to the Spinning Wheel, because where else was she going to be able to get a cute and functional hat?Â
Which lead to the second mission, which had developed with the need of a hat: convince Aurora to support Hades in the upcoming election. Belle didnât think it would be too difficult. She and Aurora were on good terms, and Aurora was Rezaâs apprentice, as far as Belle knewâwhich bode well, considering Hades and Reza worked well together and had hopefully expressed such.
But first:Â
A hat.Â
The bell on the door chimed as she and Opal entered the shoppe, seeing Aurora there behind the counter.
âHullo, Aurora! Opal, say hello.â Belle waved and Opal mimicked her. âThatâs our new trick,â Belle informed Aurora with a smile.Â
Aurora had been behind the counter, fiddling listlessly with inventory on her laptop when she heard the bells above the door ring. It had been a quiet day, and Ziva was off at lunch, leaving Aurora in the shop alone for once. She looked up, blinking slowly, before a small smile bloomed on her lips.Â
âHello Belle,â she said, voice soft. Her smile got a little wider at Opalâs greeting, and she waved back immediately. âHi Op-â Auroraâs own greeting was interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn, and she groaned. âSorry, I havenât been able to nap yet today,â she explained, reaching for the mug by her laptop and taking a sip of her tea in an attempt to give herself enough energy to help her friend.Â
Aurora shook her head slightly as if to shake off her exhaustion, lightly slapping her cheeks before looking at Belle again; appearing a little more alert. âWhat brings you in today?â she asked. âKeep in mind âSo I can show off my daughterâs adorable wavingâ is a valid answer and I thank you for brightening my day already.â
