#soundsempressive

[theninthcard]

and it's worth it, it's divine / i have this some of the time when & where: june 23rd, between bedrooms and a kitchen, early afternoon closed to @soundsempressive

Lailani was on her sixth cup of tea of the day already. The atmosphere surrounding The Lair was... off, to her senses, but she couldn’t put her finger on how exactly or why. Besides, of course, the vaguely threatening nines she kept finding everywhere. That seemed to be limited to her though, and if she was perfectly honest with herself, she couldn’t be sure she wasn’t just imagining things.

Or having visions, but that was the scarier possibility.

She was on her way back from the kitchen with sugar when a figure jumped out in front of her with the energy of eight suns in one body. She winced, but quickly recognized a favorite face and offered her a little smile. “Hi, Eve. Do you want some tea? I was just making more.”

[beer-me-strcngth]

the empress, the chariot <3

The Empress: Do you feel connected to the world around you?

Bree frowned, sitting cross-legged on the couch in one of the living areas of the biggest “house” she’d ever seen in real life with absolutely no water around her that she could see. It didn’t matter how many times Feiyun told her the connection was still as strong in DC as it had been on the beach, it felt different. Psychosematic or not, she felt more connected to the water when she could see true bodies of water. Yes, she could tell that the waterbottle in her backpack was about three-quarters full without having to get it out and check, she could tell that Evie had recently watered the fern in the corner, but she couldn’t feel the pulse of the ocean like she had in Australia. It had always been like a second heartbeat and now she felt cut off. 

“I don’t like being landlocked,” she grumbled. 

Washington DC wasn’t even as far inland as she’d been, but for the first time in her life she was living in a place that wasn’t walking distance to the water. When she’d gone away from the coast in the past it had always been short term and she’d known she’d be back home in a matter of days, weeks at the most. Now this was her home. She was half a world away from her father, her friends, and the only life she’d ever known and it had been months since she’d arrived. Behind them someone, probably Kian, turned on a CD of ocean sounds. Whether he was mocking her or trying to help was anyone’s guess. 

“It’s different here, yes, but you’re not cut off. You just have to stretch your ability. Grow.” 

Sighing heavily, Bree pushed her hair back from her face, the sun-streaked brown locks refusing to stay back and falling forward again. She closed her eyes, fingers gripping the edge of the couch tightly. The sound of the ocean coming from the speakers sounded tinny and false, but she listened anyway, trying to stretch the magic she didn’t even understand until she could find the real thing. It wasn’t the first time she’d attempted something like this, but her control was spotty at best and she had no reason to believe this attempt would go any better. 

And then she heard a gull. Probably on the CD, but it felt closer than that. She couldn’t feel the ocean like she had at home, but she could sense somewhere closer the moisture gathering in the air. It had been humid all day, that wasn’t a surprise, but this was different. More concentrated. 

“It’s going to rain. That weather guy was wrong.” 

//Long story short -- yes, Bree feels connected. Not just to people but to the earth itself. Water makes up so much of the planet and her magic gives her a sense of it, it’s hard not to feel connected. 

The Chariot: Are you able to be bold, or do you struggle with asserting yourself?

Bree has never struggled with asserting herself. Ever. If she has an opinion, she’s more than happy to share it and you’ll never have to guess where you stand. She’s learned to be more tactful and somewhat less blunt but she’s not afraid to speak her mind. 

[suvaris]

Temperance and death!!

Temperance: Do you have any rituals you never fail to practice, personal or spiritual?

Though never the most devout Muslims, Azra and her family did observe holidays when they were in Turkey and Panama. Since coming to Washington D.C., those practices fell to the wayside, partly because she was just a kid at the time, and partly because it made her miss her family and her former home too much to think much on religion anymore. With Dana around, however, she feels the smallest sense of community there, and while she’s still not particularly pious, she’s currently observing Ramadan for the first time since she’s been in the United States. So no, she doesn’t have much by way of rituals that she adheres to ardently, but she’s trying the whole spiritual thing, and it makes her feel a little closer to her history. It’s admittedly comforting.

Death: Are you able to put the past behind you, or does it linger?

She likes to think what’s past is done, and it’s gone, but she was never the most adept at dealing with whatever trauma she’s endured. And she has healed a lot since then in large part due to the fact that she’s found a number of people here that she cares for and they seem to like her enough in return to make her feel safe and relatively cared for.

But sometimes, the past comes back in flashes. Sometimes it’s a nightmare she struggles to pull herself out of after a month of sound sleep, or a flash of ice in her chest and a dizzying sort of fear when a guy at a club grabs her waist in just the wrong way. Stress can do it too--she’ll keep herself occupied and away from the rec room on the rare occasion that she feels the impulse to numb herself to whatever hurts at the time.

For the most part, they’re not terribly common occurrences, not like they used to be. And she’s adept at hiding her discomfort, so most if not all of her fellow councilors would be none the wiser to anything different happening under the surface.

[magiciansreversed-blog]

where: the gardens when: april 30th, afternoon who: closed to @soundsempressive​

salma was never one to crave peace. silence and serenity were things she found irksome rather than comforting. buzzing bees and chirping birds were not her idea of a happy setting. regardless, the gardens were the best place to examine her wards; wards she suddenly worried were effected by the magical disruption from the council meeting. there was no way of knowing how widespread that issue had been. the pleasant side effect from being outside meant she was away from the chaotic shouting that had occurred minutes ago. salma loved debates, but that was far from the kind she typically enjoyed.

her illusions seemed to be largely unaffected. she knew they had previously been stabilized by residual magic that radiated from feiyan’s creation, but she could never be too careful. she trusted little, especially where ‘magic’ was concerned. if it couldn’t be proven with fact, was it even real?

her mind lingered on the thought of feiyan; just for a passing moment. the others wouldn’t think so from her actions at the meeting, but her disappearance did...bother her. feiyan had been a rock for salma since she was dragged into this mess. it was hard to imagine what it was going to be like if she never returned. who would guide her, then? but, of course, perhaps it was her own turn to guide.

the thought flickered out when salma heard a rustle; a parting of tall grass and arching sunflowers. she caught evelyn’s eye, just for a moment, before she returned to her work examining the mansion, painting her face once again with that ever-present mast of apathetic boredom.

“i’m sure your ferns are fine.” she said, flatly, knowing full well that’s not what was bothering her. “they’ll survive your powers fritzing.”