💐 for Jacob and Desiree? P.S. I'll be traveling to South Korea for vacation for the 1st half of October, specifically Seoul and Busan. Wish me luck. If they need a recommendation to visit a new country, I want to suggest Korea to Jacob and Desiree. And you as well.
Ahhh, that should be a most wonderful trip!! I'm so envious! Have so much fun!! xoxo
💐- Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?
Prior to attending Hogwarts, Jacob's place to relax after school was actually more a person: namely, his baby sister, Carewyn. He would always find it easier to let go of his anger and resentment toward his life and the people around him whenever he had time to be a good big brother to his little Pippa, so going up to her nursery after school to go see and talk to her (even before she understood anything he said) was a highlight of his day. Once he started attending school, Jacob, Olivia, and Duncan used to use the Hogwarts boathouse as a "hideaway" spot, both for the three of them and individually -- in fact, after Jacob got out of the Portrait Vault, this was where the ghost of Duncan Ashe found Jacob hiding out. Post-Hogwarts, when Jacob becomes a traveling vagabond wizard, he finds it easiest to relax when he finds a place suitably isolated and high in elevation, like the top of a mountain -- every year on his birthday, wherever he is, he actually goes out of his way to find the highest and most isolated location he can so he can take some time to himself and send gold sparks up toward the sky, as a tribute to his first love, Duncan.
Prior to joining the crew of the Empyrean, Desiree honestly had little opportunity to take time for herself and relax. Her life was so overloaded with work, suitors, cleaning up her younger brother Marius's messes, and catering to her parents' selfish desires that there really was no time or place that Desiree could ever claim as her own. Even at Beauxbatons, her whole life was defined by her family's overbearing expectations. Once she left France and took to the skies, though, Desiree found her cabin on board a wonderful hideaway where she could take time to herself, solving puzzles, looking over artifacts, and of course reading. It was the first time she'd really had true privacy in her life and although it felt strange at first, it was also so, so welcoming. It actually took a while before Desiree would even let anyone else spend any time in her cabin, solely because she was so overwhelmed by how special it felt to have this little space all for herself that she was afraid of sharing it. The first person Desiree did invite into her room was -- predictably -- her first true friend and soulmate, Jules Aquila @kathrynalicemc. (They sat on her bed together while Desiree translated the runes on this super cool old shield they'd found on one of their adventures.)
Legends of The Empyrean: A children’s adventure novel series written by Julio Aquila
I made these literally in February and had a whole list and was planning to make more for other fun myths and locations but it’s been so long that I literally don’t remember them and have no ambition so I thought I would post these 😂 Recent asks have gotten me into an Empyrean mood. @carewyncromwell
Template inspired by the one made by @thatravenpuffwitch and inspiration taken from @carewyncromwell
BASICS
Full Name: Felix Felicity Witt
Nickname: The counterspelling scoundrel
Birthday: 16th August 19xx
Blood Status: Pureblood
Gender: Cisgender Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual | Biromantic
Nationality: German
Residence: Witt Manor, Berlin, Germany (formerly) | The Empyrean (current)
Languages: German, English, Latin, rudimentary French and Danish
Quirks: Has minor outbreaks of kleptomania, loves to perform Muggle stage magic tricks especially to confuse the stuck up pure bloods who are too conceited to grasp the simplicity of the trick, always wears this very elaborate raven skull amulett
PERSONALITY
MBTI: ISFP
Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience something new.
Dislikes: The Upper Class, rules and laws, being ignored, scorpions, being wet
Stance on Magielose: Due to growing up in a heavily blood purist family, Felix was disciplined to see muggles as “creatures” and “beings unworthy of breathing the same air as wizards” and those opinions stuck with him for quite a while, he was very focused on picking on mudbloods in Hogwarts to make his parents proud. He needed that validation. Only when his dearest family turned their back on him and left him to die on the streets because they were unsatisfied with his development, he began to question the things they taught him. He began to question their views and quickly realized how wrong he behaved over all this time. How stuck up and uptight he had made himself seem. While he still is wary of muggles and muggleborns overall, he tries his best not to discriminate against them like his parents would want him to.
APPEARANCE
Faceclaim: Charlie Rowe
Height: 5’9”
Build: Nimble, lean and slender
Hair: Fluffy chestnut brown falling down his face
Eyes: Grey
Skin: Pale
What do they carry on them?: His wand, multiple lock picking sets, a raven skull necklace, a notebook, countless little purses and pouches to store things in, a deck of playing cards, a few very beautifully made rings and bracelets, two elaborately designed daggers with snake handles, a magnifying lense, little bits of string and rope
Fashion: For traveling, Felix wears a thick trench coat with bracers over a fine vest and a dress shirt, added working pants and heavy boots to give him a steady foot when going on adventures
MAGIC
Wand: Black Walnut | Unicorn Hairstrings | 11 inches long
Animagus: None.
Patronus: Hyena
Boggart: His family towering above him, looking down on him with a dead stare
Riddikulus: With the flick of the wand, his cruel and corrupt family turns into the Crew of the Empyrean dressed in the black robes that he knows from home, all of them seemingly confused
Polyjuice: A more prickly sensation that lasts on the tongue, tasting a little like liquorice
Mirror of Erised: Having settled down in a cozy home and being able to enjoy life by the fireplace on a warm stormy autumn night
EDUCATION
School: Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Best Subject: Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy
Worst Subject: Herbology
Honors: None.
RELATIONSHIPS
Family: Leopold Witt (Father) | Anastasia Witt (Mother) | Lena Witt (Older Sister) | Fiona Witt (Older Sister)
Friends:
Jules Aquila / Darian Zain | @kathrynalicemc
Desiree Lestrange | @carewyncromwell
Lugh Hopper | @thatravenpuffwitch
Kathleen Alton | @magical-retales
Love Interest: To be determined
Pets: A Murtlap named Oswald
Enemies: The Witt Bloodline, Hendrik Graf, Cevin Rotwild, The Rotwild Family
FAVORITES
Colors: Black, white, golden, purple, dark blues and grays
Foods: Pretzels, donuts, fine pastries
Drink: Coca-Cola, american imported Root Beer
Magical Creatures: Fire Crabs, Porlocks,Murtlaps
Flower: Nightshade
Book: The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Season: Spring
BACKSTORY
As the youngest son of an infamous wizarding family in the northern parts of Germany, Felix never had much luck in his life. Often enough it would occur that people distrust or publicly exclude him due to the bad association they had with the Witt family.
This also made the young wizard's time at Hogwarts rather unfavorable, he was often picked on and didnt show the strength one would expect from a heir of a family like the Witts. Marked as a wimp and a charlatan, not even his family did really look him in the eyes. Everyone in his surrounding, even the teachers at Hogwarts, had given him the feeling of not-belonging, of not being good enough for the normal wizarding community.
This lack of guidance and the disdain of his birth family brought Felix down a darker path, not a cruel path, but certainly not the path a hero would take. He became a spy, a thief and a rogue overall. Using his knowledge of the upper classes of the criminal wizarding society and their vices for his advantage. His life as it is, wouldn't have a future anyways, so why not spice it up a little.
This was, till one fateful day, he was caught trying to extract some valuables from an air-ship docking in one of the few wizarding world havens. Seeing as Felix never encountered such a vehicle, he was certain that there had to be more curiosities inside. Though he was disrupted while rummaging through the crates.
Apparently the captain had returned earlier than suspected and now stood behind the thief in a rather intimidating manner and while Felix tried to talk his way out of this situation, it was obvious, even to him, that there was no escape from this one.
To Felix's surprise though, the Captain was more interested in the lock-picking and dispelling abilities of the rogue than the reasoning as to why he was in the airship in the first place. Not only that, but he didn't even seem really mad. Instead he offered Felix an alternative. Instead of having to fear a life surrounded by Dementors in Azkaban, Felix could join the crew of the “Empyrean” and make use of his nimbleness to secure ancient knowledge from hidden places.
Devoid of solutions, Felix had no other option than to accept that offer that Captain Jules Aquila had made him, so from now on, Felix will accompany the crew of the Empyrean and support them with his talent for magical dispelling and roguish charm, in hope to flee from his former life.
TRIVIA
~ Felix might be a bit of a charmer, his charisma making it easy for him to get access to places one usually wouldn’t get into, but that doesn’t change the fact that deep inside of him still is a rather insecure dork. While he gives himself as a bit of a flirt, he is absolutely unable to talk to girls he likes outright. Either he loses his voice, he gets a slight voice crack or he otherwise loses his suave behavior
~ The title “the counterspelling scoundrel” is something that was imposed on him by the upper class wizarding community. They wanted to mark him to outsiders as a rogue, a thief and a criminal. They meant to warn others of his sly manipulations and nimble fingers. The counterspelling part relates to Felix's ability to lift protective charms on doors and items with ease. While this title is indeed covered in notoriety, Felix still is somewhat proud of having achieved so much mischief, that the fine and beautiful wizards needed to distance themselves from him by avoiding to use his real name.
~ Due to his less lawful nature, Felix dabbled a lot in all kind of activities, may it be burglary, fraud or pickpocketing, but he never committed a single murder nor did he ever cast one of the three unforgivable curses. While he still is sort of a villain to the society and he does identify with being an outlaw, he still doesn’t want to let his niveau sink to the level of his family. It's not like he wouldn’t know to cast his spells, after all one of his sisters murdered the cat of the other because of some boy in school. He was taught how to use dark magic early on. He just never had the guts or the morals to flick his wand like that.
~ His favorite scheme to pull on others was and always will be muggle stage magic tricks. It fascinates and amuses him to watch pureblood wizards and dark archmages fail to grasp the simplicity of muggle magic. They are overthinking every step, trying to keep in mind every single detail and belittle Felix for his pathetic show, but once Felix turns the card or lifts the cup, the amazement and frustration is exhilarating.
~ Despite what he leads on, Felix proves to be a hopeless romantic. He spends hours of his days with his nose deep down in romance novels, dreaming the time away and imagining how it would be for him to find his soulmate and live the life that is always suggested in these books. But alas, his choices and his reputation make finding a lover quite problematic.
Eheheheh you just sent me one so here’s a return Empyrean ask 😌😌
✈️ for our darling Desi ♥️♥️
✈️ AIRPLANE — my muse's favorite travel destination(s)
Hey, the girl was a Cursebreaker, prior to joining the Empyrean! I could see her really enjoying exploring the tombs and bazaars of Egypt for her other half Jules and their found family. (And really, is this really surprising, for someone who eventually has a daughter named Isis? XD)
jasmine ⇢ do you have a movie or book you loved but will never watch/read again?
[Desiree has to consider this question incredibly carefully.]
Desiree: "...Truthfully...no, I cannot zhink of anyzhing zhat fits zis question. I have not watched many non-Magique moving pictures, but ze few I have zeen are pleasant enough. And as for books -- mon Dieu! Even zhose books zhat I have read a million times, I would be happy to read again. Even zhose books I have read and not enjoyed as much as ozhers, I would be willing to try again at zome later date. If I end up not liking zhem again, ah! C'est la vie. And zhere are zo many more wonderful zhings to read, in zheir place."
Bat: "Robinson Crusoe. I read it quite a few times as a young lad, largely because there weren't that many fiction books in print appropriate for boys my age back then, Muggle or otherwise...but over time, I've found both the main character and his outlook on the world and the people in it who differ from him less and less pleasant. From what I've been able to research about the author of the novel, it seems Mr. Defoe was an intellectual to a degree, indulging in political satire and championing the ideas of religious freedom at a time when people were arrested for speaking ill of the nobility and violently persecuted for their faith...but the character Defoe created sadly embodies the painfully racist, imperialistic attitude that many non-Britons came to associate with England in particular, when it was a world power."
chia ⇢ what’s an inside joke you have with someone else?
[Desiree can't bite back a wry smile.]
Desiree: "I do not know if zis counts...but ze very time we first met, Monsieur Aquila told me to call him by his nickname alone. I refused, zince we were still but strangers, and it would not be appropriate -- zo I only called him 'Monsieur Aquila.' Even when I joined his crew, I zhought it would be best to call him 'Captain,' for zhat is what he is."
[Her long-lashed black eyes twinkle with something almost girlish, with how much amusement dances through her expression.]
Desiree: "Even now, he ztill tries to coax me to just call him by his nickname -- but I never do."
Julio Aquila is a very handsome name. Zeems a great shame, to shorten it.
@kathrynalicemc
[Have a fanged smirk.]
Bat: "Oh, my old school friends and I had plenty, back in the day. Most of them at my expense...but hey, it was all in good fun! I laughed just as much as anyone else."
Sometimes all you can do in the face of having eternal bad luck is have a good sense of humor about it...
[Memories of Barty and Cecelia swooping in to save him from the consequences of yet another lost bet flicker over Bat's mind, making a bittersweet smile twitch at the corners of his lips.]
Bat: "For a more modern example, though, I can always point to one I've got with Grim. I very often have to go up to the school in dog form -- I'm an Irish Wolfhound Animagus -- and quite a few the portraits have found me rather cute, especially when I come bearing gifts for Grim in my teeth. So several of them started calling me different things, such as 'Mutt' or 'Wolfy' -- "
[Bat's fanged grin spreads.]
Bat: " -- nicknames that Grim occasionally will also 'adopt,' when we're out in public with me as a dog. He always gets such compliments about how well trained I am."
“I wasn't looking for this, but now you're in my way.”
x~x~x~x
featuring Darian Zain @kathrynalicemc (yes, this is almost entirely for her and me, so sue me 😜) and referencing the crew of the Empyrean @thatravenpuffwitch @sirfluffig @oneirataxia-girl
x~x~x~x
In the 1930′s, the Wizarding World was in turmoil. With the rise of the Dark wizard Grindelwald, many lived in fear of what another Great War -- this time one waged with magic -- could look like. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that many sought an escape from those fears -- and one of those things that provided such an escape were the tales circulated of Jules Aquila, his crew, and their ship, the Empyrean.
The Empyrean was a ship that British wizard Jules Aquila had stolen from a Muggle museum back in the 1920′s and enchanted to fly, so that he and his associates could take flight across the world. And sure enough, the Empyrean had known its fair share of adventures, questing for the likes of long-lost magical sights like Atlantis and Dolorous Guard. However much the magical governments of the world gave the flying ship a very critical side eye for flirting so frequently with breaking the Statute of Secrecy, most mainstream wizards and witches were enchanted by the rebellion, adventure, and romance encapsulated in the crew’s lifestyle.
Although Jules Aquila was and would inevitably always be the most famous of the Empyrean’s crew as captain, however, that didn’t mean that other crew members didn’t get their fair share of glory. Aquila’s best mate and quartermaster Kath Alton was purportedly one of the most talented magical engineers on Earth, while his first mate, Desiree Lestrange, had been a well-regarded Cursebreaker for le Banque Decristaux before abandoning her cushy position and lifestyle to set sale with the sky Captain. There were also much more interesting, but less provable rumors circulated -- those of Aquila having recruited a wanted thief to his crew in exchange for keeping him from getting arrested; those of Aquila having stolen his beloved pet occamy from the infamous French magical gangster Claude Macnair; even those of a certain crewmate with large, eagle-like wings sprouting out from his back like some mythical angel. Some stories claimed the winged crewmate was a wanted man, though others still -- even more wild -- claimed he was descended from royalty, or even a Djinn.
One story Darian Zain hoped would never be passed around him, though, was the time that he flew right into the window of a Muggle airplane.
The Empyrean had been traveling up the far-eastern coastline of the Americas, on its way up toward Greenland. Desiree had determined that there might be some magical Viking settlements in the area, and Jules was eager to investigate. On the way, though, the crew decided that they’d have to stock up for a journey so far north, not just in the essentials like food and water, but more importantly, of warm blankets and clothing. Most of their crewmembers weren’t used to such cold temperatures, after all -- especially not Darian, who grew up in a much hotter desert climate. So, in preparation, Desiree and Lugh had gone to the wizarding village of Gravesville, right in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, so as to fetch some of the magical supplies needed, while Kath and Felix went into the “Muggle” side of town to pick up the more mundane kind. Once the others had purchased everything they needed, Darian then played “carrier pigeon” and flew it all back to the Empyrean.
Many people in Darian’s place might’ve been a little resentful of having to play the role of an owl just because he had wings -- but the runaway prince honestly was eager to help. After nearly an entire life of being locked up indoors with nothing to do, it was fun to get out and actually do something. And it was kind of cool, to be needed for once. He’d become rather fond of his crewmates, over the years, and being given any kind of responsibility made Darian feel included in a way he hadn’t really known at home, when his father the King kept him so cloistered away from everyone else. Lugh, Kath, and Felix had taught Darian a lot about weapons, ships, record players, magic tricks, and lockpicks -- heck, even Jules had taught him how to navigate using the stars, if he ever got lost. And even though the ship’s resident taskmaster Desiree always gave him a lot of chores to do, Darian knew that was just because of her own strong work ethic. From what Darian gathered, he’d also reminded Desiree of her younger brother upon first meeting, due to how privileged their upbringings had been...and frankly, after having met the spoiled, pigheaded, self-absorbed blood purist that was Marius Lestrange, Darian hated the thought of ever being the least bit like him.
At least Desi should have enough to make a good meal, once we’ve all gotten back to the ship, Darian thought to himself with a smile. Maybe she might even make some naan, if I make really good time?
This thought cheered him up significantly. Desiree had first learned how to make naan while they were traveling through Iran, and she’d taken to baking some as a treat sometimes, whenever Darian’s work had impressed her. The fresh bread always made him think of home.
The satchel on Darian’s back was heavy. He moved to adjust it, only to have to fumble a bit to keep it from opening and its contents from spilling.
“Whoop -- !”
He shifted the satchel around in his arms, latching it back together a bit more tightly as he flew.
“There we go,” he mumbled with a smile, as he tossed the satchel back over his shoulder. “Now then...back to it -- ”
WHAM.
Because Darian hadn’t been looking where he was flying, he didn’t see the thing whose airspace he was entering until it was far too late.
His head pounding with pain, Darian tried to orient himself, even as it felt like his world was spinning.
He’d hit something -- what had he hit? A wall? A wall of glass?
Blinking rapidly even as colorful stars winked in front of his eyes, he could feel the thing he’d collided with shifting downward. There was something moving behind the wall of glass -- was that a person?
Darian flapped his wings, trying to fly back a bit so he could get a better look. Unfortunately when he did, he found his right wing was having trouble straightening out.
“Ow -- ow -- !”
Pain pulsed through his wing as he flapped it. He tried to lean more on the other to support him, but when he did, he could feel the satchel sliding over again. In trying to catch it, he lost his balance, and suddenly he was falling right through the air.
“WHOA!”
Darian lashed his arms out, securing the satchel of supplies close to his chest so they wouldn’t fall out. He tried to flap his wings, thinking to slow himself down -- but his right wing was throbbing in pain -- he must’ve sprained it --
Blinking rapidly, Darian tried to focus. The ground was coming up fast -- way too fast -- !
He lashed an arm out desperately, his eyes focusing blearily on the ground even as his head pounded with pain.
“Come on -- ” he choked. “Come on -- stop falling, stop falling -- stop, stop, stop, STOP -- !”
A burst of air abruptly puffed out of his hand. It wasn’t enough to stop Darian from falling, but it did partially counteract the pull of gravity, blasting him ever-so-slightly upward again. As fate would have it, it was just enough to hoist him up onto the wing of the weird, red-painted metal thing that had dived down to try to catch him.
Darian looked up, startled.
I’ve seen one of these! he realized, recalling a picture in a book he’d read a piece of over Desiree’s shoulder one day. It's one of those...‘aeroplanes!’
Through the hard glass window, Darian could see a pilot dressed in a brown leather hat and coat and thick goggles, who gave him an encouraging smile.
“Hang on!” the pilot shouted over the sound of the plane’s propeller. His voice was husky and laced with a strong Boston accent, but his lips were upturned in a rather handsome smile. “I’ll go in for a landin’!”
Stunned and still nursing a throbbing headache, Darian did what he was told, clinging onto the edge of the wing for dear life. The plane glided down much more smoothly than he’d expected, and within moments, with a light bump, they’d collided with the ground. The pilot then parked the plane safely on a hanger set up in the open field.
Darian carefully eased himself up onto the edge of the wing, stretching out his right wing as best he could.
“Ow...”
He winced, only managing to spread it half the way out before the pain stopped him. Yep -- definitely a sprain.
The plane window opened upward, and the pilot hoisted himself up and out of the cockpit onto the lower wing just below Darian.
“Uh...hey!” he called up. “You all right up there?”
Darian straightened up abruptly.
“Yeah!” he answered at once, almost on impulse.
I will be, anyway, he thought more sheepishly. Once I can brew myself some Wiggenweld Potion, back on the ship...
Darian’s stomach sank.
The Empyrean. How was he going to get back up to the ship, if he couldn’t even fly? He hadn’t even thought to bring any healing potions with him, just in case something happened...
The pilot’s handsome smile broadened a bit as he slipped off his goggles. His beetle-black eyes were long-lashed and sparkling.
“That’s a relief. You hit my window pretty hard...I thought for a minute I might’ve killed you...”
Darian laughed. “And I thought for a minute I was going to die, until you caught me! Thanks for that!”
“No problem,” said the pilot brightly. “I mean, heck -- s’not like I coulda just let you fall, could I?”
He paused. His dark eyes ran over Darian’s face, along his shoulder to up at his right wing.
“...Are...are those real?” he breathed after a moment. He seemed enchanted.
Darian blinked. Oh, right -- for a split second, he’d almost forgotten that his wings were anything strange. But hey, was that surprising? His wings were a bit weird to wizards, let alone to a Muggle like this pilot was -- or at least, he figured it must be weird: he’d never talked to a real Muggle before...
This thought was like a two-by-four to Darian’s head.
A Muggle. He’d been seen by a Muggle -- a Muggle was staring right at him, at his wings -- !
“No!”
Darian choked out the word like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He quickly tried to fold his wings, even as his right one spasmed with pain.
“No, no, they’re -- uh -- mechanical!” he lied quickly. “Like your aeroplane! Lots of gears and metal, underneath all the feathers!”
He laughed weakly as he tried once again to fold his wings over his shoulders like a cape, holding his right one in both hands to try to mitigate the pain pulsing through it.
The pilot blinked slowly at him, his expression becoming much more amused. “...Really?”
“Yeah!” said Darian, his mouth spread into a very nervous smile. “They’re completely normal! Just like me -- normal and Muggle as can be -- ”
Wait -- Muggles don’t call themselves Muggles, do they -- do they use No-Maj -- ?!
“ -- I-I mean...just a normal mug, you know -- that’s me. Heh...”
His voice sounded pathetic in his own ears. He had to sound like a complete idiot!
Rather than looking suspicious, however, the pilot only seemed to smile broader and more sincerely than ever. He seemed almost charmed.
“Well...any normal mug I reckon would be a bit shaken, fallin’ outta the air like that,” he said. He extended a gloved hand to Darian. “Here -- lemme help you down.”
Darian blinked, a bit confused. Then, hesitantly, he accepted the hand. It was smaller than his, but the pilot held his hand securely as he helped Darian down onto the lower wing, before they both climbed back down to the ground. The pilot was the exact same height as Darian.
The embodiment of tall, dark and handsome, the prince thought amusedly, reminded of Kath sarcastically using the same term for him, when the crew of the Empyrean had to go undercover at a masquerade party and a bunch of the ladies had abruptly all started flirting with Darian.
Once they’d made it back to solid ground, the pilot took off his helmet at last. A wave of beautiful, long black hair swirled out, cascading around the pilot’s face like ocean water.
Darian blinked in slight surprise. Seemed he’d been saved by a tall, dark handsome female pilot.
Cool.
Several more planes flew over their heads. The pilot watched them, her dark eyes narrowing a bit.
“Here,” she said lowly. “Best hide those away, ‘fore anyone else sees...”
She leaned over the edge of her plane and took out a blanket from inside the cockpit, wrapping it quickly around Darian’s folded wings on his shoulders.
“Oh, uh -- thanks,” said Darian sheepishly.
The blanket was small enough that he’d have to keep his wings completely folded, to hide them under it. He glanced over his shoulder at the planes soaring overhead.
“...Who are they?”
“The other cadets,” said the pilot as she put down her helmet on the wing and worked to tie up her hair into a messy bun. “They’re all pretty swell, honestly, but that don’t mean they pro’lly wouldn’t flip a bit, seeing your... ‘mechanics.’” She shot another furtive look skyward. “Best be gettin’ on.”
Picking her helmet again and tucking it under her arm, she then gave Darian a smile.
“Are you hungry?”
Darian was startled. “Huh?”
“Well, I did knock yeh plum outta the sky,” she said good-naturedly. “Reckon I really should apologize proper for that. My car’s just ‘round the corner from the hanger, we can always drive out and grab a bite. Then maybe I can drop you somewheres, so you can make your way home...”
Darian rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably as she started to walk across the field and he followed along close behind. “Well, uh...that might be a bit hard, I mean...I’m not really from around here...my crew and I are just passing through...”
“Could one of your buddies come and pick you up somewheres?” asked the pilot in concern.
Darian considered this. Truthfully, all he really needed to get airborne was a healing potion...or just the ingredients for one -- he could more than brew it himself. And even if he obviously couldn’t brew anything in front of his new Muggle friend (this thought made Darian feel a bit giddy despite himself -- he’d made friends with a real-life Muggle!! Not just that, but a fly girl!!), he could probably manage it somewhere a bit more magical...like Gravesville!
“...Well, there’s a place in Philadelphia...my friends were shopping there, just a little while ago. I could meet them there.”
Gravesville would have owls, right? Darian thought to himself.
The pilot smiled. “In Philly? No sweat! That’s just over the river from Camden...I can drop you off there, after we eat.”
Darian’s face lit up. “Great!”
They reached the pilot’s car. Darian for a minute couldn’t help but just walk around it, entranced. It was a bright and shiny ruby red, with a lightweight black roof propped up by metal rods, and it had two spare wheels mounted to either side of its nose, almost like decoration.
“You like her?” asked the pilot.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Darian. “Her, I mean...”
He was reminded of how Jules always called the Empyrean a “she” -- he’d said that all ships were called that.
I wonder if all vehicles are ‘she’s?’ Darian wondered to himself.
He beamed at the pilot. “She’s beautiful!”
The pilot couldn’t bite back a proud smile as she flushed a dark red.
“Old Apple’s kinda old-fashioned -- I got her second-hand,” she explained bashfully. “But I was able to fix her up some, ‘round my studies.”
She opened up the passenger door, extending a hand to invite Darian in. Once he sat down inside the car and had put his bulging satchel gently down on the floor, she darted around the other side and began to unfold the car’s top and stow it away. It seemed clunky to do -- the top made a lot of weird noises when it was tamped down, and Raye had to twist and smack parts of it just to compress it, but she did it with such little fuss that it seemed like an inconvenience she was very used to.
“I just realized -- I haven’t introduced myself!” said the pilot with a sheepish smile. “The name’s Raye -- Raye Davies. Short for Rachel -- but really, just Raye will do.”
Darian beamed. “Pleased to meet you, Raye! Darian Zain -- that’s what most everyone calls me.”
Raye cocked an eyebrow at him as she smiled. “‘Most everyone?’ Well then, I guess I’ll follow suit.”
Climbing in herself and closing the door, she put the key in the ignition and turned on the car, making it rumble to life under Darian. The noise and movement startled the prince, but only to the extent that it made his tanned face light up with excitement -- a reaction that made Raye’s face seem to glow that bit brighter too.
“Now, then...hm...” Raye mumbled thoughtfully. “Reckon we can’t be strollin’ on in to any diners: you’d look weird, bein’ all wrapped up in a blanket. And some joints ‘round here can be right rotten to ‘out-of-towners’...”
Her black eyes then lit up with a thought.
“Ever been to the park-in theater, up in Pennsauken Township?” she asked.
Darian blinked. “No.”
Raye's face lit up. “Oh, it’s the berries! They just opened it a couple months ago...but the dames there just come right up to your car, take your order, and then bring it on back to you, so you don’t miss any of the movie...”
Darian racked his brains. He’d heard of movies -- the Empyrean’s ship doctor sometimes talked about one of his friends who made those for a living...what was his name, ‘Fawcett’...?
“Sure, they don’t play anythin’ that great and the sound quality’s kinda bum,” Raye rambled on a bit more awkwardly. “But well, folks don’t really get outta their cars there, so no one’ll pro’lly look at you funny if you’re wrapped up in a blanket. And even if it’s cheap, their food’s still pretty jake. Whaddya say?”
For all of Raye’s insecurity about the place, Darian seemed perfectly undaunted. The idea of such a new experience excited him to no end, so when she asked his opinion, he answered both immediately and brightly.
“Sounds like fun!”
Raye beamed, visibly relieved.
Once she was sure Darian was holding on securely, Raye put the car in drive and stepped on the accelerator, driving off down the road with speed.
Darian had to grab the blanket around his wings before it flew off with one hand and hold onto the bottom of the car’s window frame with the other, but the speed still made his heart race and his chin-length dark hair flap in the wind. He couldn’t stop himself from giving a loud “WOO!” over the air loudly rattling in his ears.
~*~
Raye drove Darian up to Pennsauken Township, into the quirky new park-in theater. The vendors there sold lots of candy, popcorn, and chips, alongside all the soda pop, ice cream, and hot dogs. Raye had offered to treat Darian, which turned out to be a big mistake, since Darian immediately went hog-wild and bought absolutely everything available.
“Guess I’ll be havin’ beans for the next week,” Raye muttered to herself as she handed over her hard-won earnings to the vendor.
She found she couldn’t be too upset, though, seeing how excited Darian was when the vendor handed him the full contents of her tray. Even the pretty woman giving Darian a sassy wink only seemed to make Raye smile grow amusedly, particularly when the winged young man brightly accepted the assortment of snacks, completely oblivious to the woman’s overtures.
“Wow,” Darian said excitedly. “Look at them all! There’s so many...”
Raye’s black eyes sparkled a bit when they squinted. “Yeah, there’s a lot more selection, closer to the bigger cities. Easier to ship and store stuff in bulk here...”
Darian considered this. “...I guess that makes sense...”
He’d had dessert almost every day, when he’d still been at home -- it wasn’t as common that he got to have it on board the Empyrean, since they were so on-the-go. The rareness of it hadn’t really disappointed Darian, though -- if anything, it made those sweet treats that bit more special, not to have them every day. Plus he’d gotten to try a lot of different sweets than he’d never had previously, and most of them were great! Except for meringues -- Darian was still baffled that chalky-tasting stuff was somehow considered edible.
He curiously rifled through the different colorful wrappers, reading them one by one. Babe Ruths, Twizzlers, Twinkies, Fritos, Lay’s Potato Chips, Tootsie Rolls, Goobers, Milk Duds, Ritz crackers...
“I’ve never had anything like this before,” he admitted.
Candied fruits and dates were much more par the course, where Darian was from. In fact, Jules and Kath had only just given both him and Desiree a crash course in commercial magical sweets like Sugar Quills, though Darian took to them much better than Desiree did.
Darian looked up at Raye eagerly. “Which one should I try first?”
Raye considered this.
“...Well, d’you like chocolate?” she asked after a moment.
“Yeah,” said Darian. “I’ve had Cauldro -- I mean, chocolate cakes before...they’re great!”
If Raye had heard his slip-up, she paid it no mind. Instead she merely smiled.
“Maybe a Tastykake would be good, then!”
She took out a tiny cupcake with chocolate wrapped in plastic, taking it out and handing it to Darian. He took a bite, and was startled when along with the chocolate cake, he tasted a sweet buttercream filling.
“Mmm!” he said. He licked his lips of it quickly so he wouldn’t make a mess and beamed at Raye. “This is delicious!”
Raye grinned seeing how happily Darian devoured the cake. He then proceeded to pick out another similar-looking yellow pastry in a wrapper labeled “Twinkies” and unwrapped it. When he bit into it, he was once again delighted when it was full of creamy filling.
“Mmmm!”
Raye laughed. “You like it?”
“Mm’yeah!” Darian said with his mouth full. He then quickly swallowed, wiping his mouth bashfully. “I mean, yeah!”
Raye only laughed harder, which made Darian laugh too.
“Here,” said Raye, her face a bit brighter than before as she reached into Darian’s pile and snagged a small handful of unlabeled wrapped brown candy squares, “try the caramels next -- those are my favorite.”
The caramels were indeed pretty tasty. Darian enjoyed how chewy they and the candies called “Tootsie Rolls” were. He also really liked the Mallocups, Raisinets, potato chips, and popsicles. He was fine with just one bite of the black licorice -- he ended up washing it down with some Coca Cola, which was probably his favorite thing of the entire night. He’d never had anything so bubbly before, nor anything that simultaneously tickled his tongue and nose so much, and when it made him belch more loudly than he ever had in his life, both he and Raye couldn’t stop laughing. It even prompted Raye to -- upon several people in other cars shooting Darian disgusted looks -- gulp down quite a lot of soda herself, just so she could belch just as loudly. It ended up being hilarious accompaniment to the cheesy monster movie playing over their heads on the projector screen.
When the movie was finally over and they’d had their fill of all the food they’d ordered, it was already night. Raye put on a fedora, wool coat, and gloves for warmth, and then she drove Darian over the Delaware River into Philadelphia.
Darian directed her to the street corner around which lay the wall that obscured the magical borough of Gravesville and asked her to drop him off there. When Raye parked at the street corner, though, she suddenly looked incredibly unsure. Her shoulders had become very tense.
“Are...you gonna be all right from here?” she asked hesitantly.
Darian gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, sure! I know where I’m going.”
Once he was in a more magical environment, he could heal himself without anyone paying him any mind...
He glanced down at the blanket around his shoulders.
“Oh! Here...”
The exiled prince made as if to take it off, but Raye quickly threw out a hand to grab his and stop him from taking it off.
“Don’t!” she said quickly.
Darian blinked. Raye flushed a bit as she withdrew her hand.
“It’s just...folks will see you,” she mumbled self-consciously. She glanced around at the various passerby anxiously.
“Well, yeah,” said Darian with a frown. “But you said it’d look weird, if I was walking around with a blanket on. And you need it back, don’t you?”
“I can get another one,” Raye said very quickly and dismissively.
She kept looking around, almost shrinking a bit against the steering wheel. It was almost like this neighborhood made her nervous, for some reason...
“Are you all right?” Darian asked, concerned.
Raye forced a smile. “Well, sure -- just...just don’ come down here that much...”
She tried to brush off her nerves, putting on a slightly braver expression.
“...Just...go ahead and keep covered, ‘til you’re back with your crew. Reckon they’d be able to protect you from anyone who might give you grief for your...mechanics.”
Her eyes flitted down to Darian’s folded wings obscured by the blanket around his shoulders. Darian glanced down at her blanket around his shoulders and then back up at her, offering her a slightly gentler smile.
“You didn’t give me any grief for them,” he pointed out. He smiled a bit sheepishly. “I thought you might actually -- I’m sure you’ve probably never seen a flying man before...”
Raye smiled self-consciously as her eyes fell down to her steering wheel.
“I’ve seen weirder,” she said dismissively.
Not letting Darian press her further, she changed the subject, forcing her smile that bit more.
“Well, um...it was nice meetin’ you, Darian Zain,” she said formally. “Best of luck gettin’ back to your crew.”
“...Thank you...”
Darian felt himself deflating a bit despite himself. Guess this really was the end of this weird little adventure, wasn’t it...?
Picking up the satchel up off the car floor, he hoisted it up over his shoulder again and put on a braver, more sincere smile.
“...Raye? I know I just said it, but...thank you. I haven’t really ever been able to go out and just have fun with people that much, and...well, this day was one of the best I’ve ever had, in my whole life.”
He grinned.
“I had a lot of fun! The ride-in was great, and Apple’s a beautiful car -- and you’re a pretty swell friend. So thank you.”
Raye blinked, taken aback by the winged man’s sincerity. Then her black eyes grew a little smaller, sparkling with a bit more fondness.
“...You’re welcome.”
She paused.
“...Hey, um...if you ever end up ‘round here again, you can always look me up, near Camden Airfield. I’m there most days, and just about all the pilots there know me -- even the ones who don’t think lady-folks should be flyin’ planes,” she added with a wryer smile. Her confidence then faltered a bit as she rambled on, “We could always go for a drive somewhere else...we could go to Newark and visit a brewery -- maybe even go to Steel Pier, if there’s time...”
Darian’s grin spread so wide, it nearly took up his whole face.
“Yeah!” he said, thrilled. “I’d like that!”
Raye’s face flushed happily as she beamed.
“Great,” she said, her voice a bit breathy despite herself. Her black eyes crinkled up to make room for the big smile on her face. “Well, um...see you ‘round, Darian.”
His face still bright with his big grin, Darian waved with his hand not holding his satchel.
“Bye, Raye!”
And with this, he departed around the corner, right up to the enchanted wall leading to Gravesville. Tapping the three left-most bricks with his knuckles, and then kicking the lowest right with his foot, the wall suddenly became as translucent as mist, and Darian slid right on through.
~*~
As fate would have it, Desiree and Lugh had gone back to Gravesville to look for Darian, after he didn’t return to the Empyrean. Desiree scolded Darian in both English and French for worrying them, and Darian was very apologetic, not just to Desiree, but to the others when they all returned to the ship. Kath ended chewing Darian out even more than Desiree did, especially after Darian told them about the new friend he’d made.
“You seriously just climbed into a complete stranger’s car and drove away with her?” said Kath, flabbergasted. “It’s a bloody miracle that you haven’t gotten yourself killed, with how blindly trusting you are...”
“She waz only a Muggle, Mon Ami Alton,” said Desiree lightly. “I doubt she would’ve been able to ‘urt Monsieur Zain zat much, even if she tried...but even zo.”
“Don’t underestimate Muggles, your Worship,” Lugh reminded Desiree. “They can be just as helpful or dangerous as any of us.”
“Well, fortunately, it sounds like this one was helpful!” Jules said optimistically. “So we can be thankful for that, at least...”
He smiled at Darian. “Just be more careful next time, all right? Felix, Kath and Desi were all really worried about you.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Felix and Kath shot back in nearly perfect unison. It made Lugh, Darian, and Jules all burst out laughing and made Desiree fail to bite back a smile.
“I will,” said Darian, smiling slightly as Jules’s pet occamy Zephyr flew up to nuzzle his shoulder affectionately with his beak.
Definitely should make sure I have some healing potions on me, when I travel alone, he thought to himself.
~*~
After Darian had left the street corner, Raye stayed parked off to the side for about a half-hour, just in case he reemerged needing more help. It was just as she was about to head out that she caught sight of a familiar face rounding the corner with several other people -- that of a dashing dark-haired man with a pointed chin and nose and sparkling black eyes, dressed in an unusually flowing suit not unlike robes.
At the sight of Raye, the man stopped mid-walk, staring at her. His eyes were very critical. Raye met his gaze head-on, but her attitude was not hostile or even confrontational -- on the contrary: her posture seemed to shrink a bit against her steering wheel again, even as she stood her ground and stared at him.
The people around the man glanced over at where he was looking, curious. Muttering something to them under his breath, the man quickly steered them away, shooting another cold look back at Raye as he went.
Raye looked down at her own hands on Apple’s steering wheel, sighing quietly through her nose.
It was so much less uncomfortable when the MACUSA was still back in New York City, rather than in Philadelphia...
At least Seph showed his face after Darian left, Raye thought to herself uncomfortably.
She didn’t even want to think of how many questions Darian might have, if he’d figured out she had the same last name as the new Head of the Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation...nor how much grief Joseph would give her, for entertaining a clueless foreign wizard with a set of giant wings he couldn’t even hide from Muggle view...
With a cringe, Raye shifted the gears of her car and, with one last look over in the direction of where she knew Gravesville was hidden, she drove off, back over the Delaware River into Camden, New Jersey.
