The astral plane swirls around you, and out of the cacophony of voices and spirits, one speaker rings out louder than the rest. You are pulled closer, drawn in by his words, and when his face comes into focus he smiles at you.
Oh, hi! My name is Jasper, and I’m a witch! And yes, a boy can be a witch if he wants to, gender’s just a construct! If you need any kind of magical problem solved, my coven and I are here to assist you; just say the word and we’ll be there! I’ll let them introduce themselves, and please don’t be shy about asking any of us questions! -✨
My name’s Junior, and I’m a medium! -🌩️
I’m Jim (some people call me El), and I’m a ghost. Junior and I are best friends -👻
(Sometimes the two of us share a body, and that sounds like this -🌩️👻)
I’m Julian! I’m a witch and a demon hunter, and I know a lot about magic and the occult too. -🚗
I’m Frankie, I’m Julian’s friend and am also a demon hunter…and I’m kind of part angel now? It’s hard to explain. -🪶
Oh, and there are also some other friends of ours who may be around sometimes, mostly grownups. You can talk to them as well if you want. -✨
I’m Sandra, and I’m Jasper’s grandmother. I unfortunately am dead, but I’m able to help my grandson and his friends from the astral plane from time to time. -🔮
I’m Maureen, Sandra’s sister. I’m also a ghost, though since the witchfinder general stole much of my power, I am a weaker apparition than my sister. -🍰
My name’s Margery, if you want spells, potions, or drugs (especially drugs), let me know. I’ve been around the block a few times (but if you call me old I’ll slap you) so I may occasionally help out Jasper and his little gang of misfits, if I feel like it. -📱
We are the Sisters of Slough! I am Prue and I’m the eldest. -🥘
I’m Nigella, the middle child. -🍲
And I’m the youngest, Delia. -🥣
We can also provide you with spells and potions, but our specialty is soups, of both magical and mundane variety. -🥘
Hello, I’m Mary Louise and I’m Julian’s mother. I prefer to stay out of these magical shenanigans, but I’m happy to give the children a place to come and stay for a bit if needed. If you need anything from me, just ask. -🚙
[masterlist and about info below the cut]
Welcome to The Astral Coven!
This is an rp blog/interactive narrative run by me, @milk-is-stable! What does that mean exactly? Well, it's part rp askblog and part choose-your-own-adventure fanfic. Sometimes I'll post scenes or chapters of the story with polls for you to help direct the characters' actions, and sometimes I'll be posting as the characters conversing directly with spirits from the astral plane (aka, other rp blogs and all of you!).
When I speak as myself, it will be in purple like this. If I make a post entirely out of character it will be tagged as #taylor talks, and when I write commentary in the body of a post I will also sign off with the milk glass. -🥛
Story Masterlists:
Linked below are masterlists for each story arc on the blog, listed more or less in chronological order.
In The Beginning - Jasper flees his family home after killing the Witchfinder General, and he meets some new and interesting people.
Sorry About My Ex - Margery is contacted by an old acquaintance of hers, and Jasper follows her into the astral plane to see what the fuss is about.
Ghost Hunting- Jasper finds John Hobson Jr. through the astral plane, but before the two can get properly acquainted they are contacted by an ancient Roman Empress to help her deal with a ghost problem.
Demons Run - Julian Bowman has been preparing for the potential return of Phantom Begruvia for two years, and now his plans must be put to the test.
Life Changing - Jasper attempts to save Wilhelm from Ethel's clutches, but finds that not everything is as it appears, and not everyone can be saved.
Milk Delivery- The Slough Sisters and Margery are offered milk delivery services...but Margery offers her own services back to the milkman, leading to a domino chain of upsetting events.
Wedding Bells- Margery has been invited to officiate Titch and Derek's wedding, but first she has to get a few guests to the church on time. (chrono link)
A Note On Characters: Occasionally, a character might appear on this blog that already has another RP blog associated with them, or there may be multiple RP blogs for the same character that I interact with at different times. If you'd like a Watsonian explanation for this, the magical-time travel-astral plane concept that I've put together can also accommodate a multiverse, so just take different iterations of the characters to be different timeline or au versions of themselves.
Kees looks in awe at the garden he was led to. Being the last one to exit the house, he couldn't help but feel like that one girl in the old American movie that didn't start in color and then looked in awe when she saw color.
He looked to Margery and pointed at some sticks on the ground.
"Do I need a wand? Or staff? Or is that a stereotype?"
He looked curiously at the trees, it felt like the wood back here was special, somehow. The sticks even felt different somehow.
@een-man-band-tattoos
Margery chuckles at his words, and shakes her head.
Do witches need wands, or staffs or crystal balls or cauldrons or anything? No, not at all. Jasper dear, you've an affinity for fire, yes? Why don't you demonstrate? -📱
Margery points to a tree stump jutting out of the ground in one corner of the garden, and Jasper nods. He lifts his arm snaps his fingers, a ball of fire flaring to life in the palm of his hand. He holds the fire out, then with a pushing motion, sends the flames flying towards the stump. The old dry wood ignites in an instant, and Margery smiles as it burns.
Magic is an energy force, and it's all around us. It's concentrated highly in the astral plane, a dimension separate from the one we currently occupy, and naturally born witches have a special connection to it and to magic itself. Now, some do still choose to use objects of power. Jasper's grandmother used a crystal ball to get a clearer picture of the future, the Sisters of Slough have a fondness for enchanting ingredients, and the picture of witches with wands and brooms or wizards with staffs didn't come from nowhere. However, most people who use wands and staffs specifically probably either are witches who are weaker, or aren't witches at all. -📱
So...does that mean you don't need to be a witch to cast spells? -🌩️
Exactly. A Witch is a kind of person, with a connection to magic. But the average human doesn't need this connection in order to cast spells, and the astral plane isn't even the only source of supernatural power in this world. -📱
She waves her hand at Frankie as she speaks, and a pair of large angels wings become visible sticking out of his back.
Frankie here, for instance, isn't a natural born witch. His grandmother was on close personal terms with a divine being, and so his power doesn't come from magic or the astral plane at all, it comes from the big man himself. He could learn to cast spells using magic, but it wouldn't come as naturally as his holy gifts. -📱
So what does that make me, exactly? I'm not a witch or an angel, all I can do is see ghosts. -🌩️
Is that thing you did where you shot lightning not magic? It looked an awful lot like it. -🚗
Margery shakes her head again.
No, THAT is because Jim was possessing him. Jim spent years as a ghost with unfinished business, so when he possesses a willing host, he's able to imbue them with power from the astral plane itself. It helps that said host was Junior, who happened to be a medium. The results may not have been as strong with a normal human. -📱
But what does all this mean for Kees? -✨
Well, first we have to find out what his affinity is. Every witch has one, and even those who seek out alternative forms of spellcasting tend to have something they're pretty damn good at. Once we know that affinity, it's quite possible that he would need a wand or something like that. They make it easier for the weak to channel the power intentionally. -📱
Julian looks over at Kees, tilting his head a bit.
Are you doing okay? This can be a lot to take in all at once, I know that I had a horrible time when I first found out that demons and angels and magic were all real. -🚗
Kees did his very best to try to pay attention, but it was genuinely strange how much these trees seemed to mesmerize him. He had wandered a bit when Jasper had thrown his fireball and found himself holding that stick he was so interested in.
As the attention was turned back to him, he looked up, and cleared his throat.
"Well. I think that makes sense on how my friend sent her brother to hell to get her dad. As far as I'm aware, there's not a natural affinity to magic. And I did meet a ghost, a very kind old lady, whilst I was whittling."
He looked down at his hefty stick, doing his best to identify the plant.
"Plus, my..." He pauses for a second, but it doesn't seem out of heartbreak, but more out of confusion on how to talk about her. "My Ex? Was punk goth."
He just shrugs, like that explains why he would bring her up.
Okay, that's it. When we're done with the magic crash course, we need to give you a "normal modern life" crash course, it's embarrassing how much you don't know. -🪶
Jim has been watching Kees carefully throughout Margery's explanation, and now he floats over to Junior and taps him on the shoulder.
Does he seem....distracted to you? It's like he's more interested in that stick than he is the magic lesson. -👻
Junior opens his mouth to reply, but Margery starts talking again, and he closes it, not wanting to interrupt her.
In order to find your affinity, you'll have to do something a bit unpleasant....meditate. -📱
Margery grimaces, shaking her head in disgust.
Empty your mind completely, and then focus your thoughts inward. Let your own essence reveal itself to you. Or, if that's too dreadfully boring, I could whip you up a little something that would force it to the front faster, but last time I did that the student was complaining about their singed eyebrows for a week, so...[she shrugs] Your choice! -📱
"How long would it take to meditate?" Kees did enjoy his company, but he did have a new semester starting. That, and he wanted to make sure he could do his tattoo apprenticeship.
The stick he was very enthralled by was made of a fairly flexible grain almost like a Larch tree. He quietly whittled it into a wand, leaving any knots and any beauty it naturally had as part of the stick.
"I do not mean to be rude, It's just that I do have school. I am down for either method, though. I am not picky."
How long it takes depends on you, dear boy. But if you're willing to try, we can begin right now. -📱
Margery takes a long pull on her pipe, closing her eyes as she slowly blows the smoke out.
Alright. Eyes closed, boy, and empty your mind of thought. Breathe in and out, and as you do so, imagine that the air is pure energy, filling you up and reaching every part of you. -📱
A reverent hush falls over the garden as Margery speaks; the children are listening with rapt attention as she guides Kees through the steps. Julian's eyes are even closed, his own breathing slowing along with Kees's.
When you're full of that energy, cast your mind down into the core of yourself. Think of what defines you, the building blocks of who you are as a person. Let the energy that fills you flow out into that foundation, illuminating it. -📱
Margery stifles a yawn; it's clear that she herself has no patience for these sorts of rituals.
Kees looks in awe at the garden he was led to. Being the last one to exit the house, he couldn't help but feel like that one girl in the old American movie that didn't start in color and then looked in awe when she saw color.
He looked to Margery and pointed at some sticks on the ground.
"Do I need a wand? Or staff? Or is that a stereotype?"
He looked curiously at the trees, it felt like the wood back here was special, somehow. The sticks even felt different somehow.
@een-man-band-tattoos
Margery chuckles at his words, and shakes her head.
Do witches need wands, or staffs or crystal balls or cauldrons or anything? No, not at all. Jasper dear, you've an affinity for fire, yes? Why don't you demonstrate? -📱
Margery points to a tree stump jutting out of the ground in one corner of the garden, and Jasper nods. He lifts his arm snaps his fingers, a ball of fire flaring to life in the palm of his hand. He holds the fire out, then with a pushing motion, sends the flames flying towards the stump. The old dry wood ignites in an instant, and Margery smiles as it burns.
Magic is an energy force, and it's all around us. It's concentrated highly in the astral plane, a dimension separate from the one we currently occupy, and naturally born witches have a special connection to it and to magic itself. Now, some do still choose to use objects of power. Jasper's grandmother used a crystal ball to get a clearer picture of the future, the Sisters of Slough have a fondness for enchanting ingredients, and the picture of witches with wands and brooms or wizards with staffs didn't come from nowhere. However, most people who use wands and staffs specifically probably either are witches who are weaker, or aren't witches at all. -📱
So...does that mean you don't need to be a witch to cast spells? -🌩️
Exactly. A Witch is a kind of person, with a connection to magic. But the average human doesn't need this connection in order to cast spells, and the astral plane isn't even the only source of supernatural power in this world. -📱
She waves her hand at Frankie as she speaks, and a pair of large angels wings become visible sticking out of his back.
Frankie here, for instance, isn't a natural born witch. His grandmother was on close personal terms with a divine being, and so his power doesn't come from magic or the astral plane at all, it comes from the big man himself. He could learn to cast spells using magic, but it wouldn't come as naturally as his holy gifts. -📱
So what does that make me, exactly? I'm not a witch or an angel, all I can do is see ghosts. -🌩️
Is that thing you did where you shot lightning not magic? It looked an awful lot like it. -🚗
Margery shakes her head again.
No, THAT is because Jim was possessing him. Jim spent years as a ghost with unfinished business, so when he possesses a willing host, he's able to imbue them with power from the astral plane itself. It helps that said host was Junior, who happened to be a medium. The results may not have been as strong with a normal human. -📱
But what does all this mean for Kees? -✨
Well, first we have to find out what his affinity is. Every witch has one, and even those who seek out alternative forms of spellcasting tend to have something they're pretty damn good at. Once we know that affinity, it's quite possible that he would need a wand or something like that. They make it easier for the weak to channel the power intentionally. -📱
Julian looks over at Kees, tilting his head a bit.
Are you doing okay? This can be a lot to take in all at once, I know that I had a horrible time when I first found out that demons and angels and magic were all real. -🚗
Kees did his very best to try to pay attention, but it was genuinely strange how much these trees seemed to mesmerize him. He had wandered a bit when Jasper had thrown his fireball and found himself holding that stick he was so interested in.
As the attention was turned back to him, he looked up, and cleared his throat.
"Well. I think that makes sense on how my friend sent her brother to hell to get her dad. As far as I'm aware, there's not a natural affinity to magic. And I did meet a ghost, a very kind old lady, whilst I was whittling."
He looked down at his hefty stick, doing his best to identify the plant.
"Plus, my..." He pauses for a second, but it doesn't seem out of heartbreak, but more out of confusion on how to talk about her. "My Ex? Was punk goth."
He just shrugs, like that explains why he would bring her up.
Okay, that's it. When we're done with the magic crash course, we need to give you a "normal modern life" crash course, it's embarrassing how much you don't know. -🪶
Jim has been watching Kees carefully throughout Margery's explanation, and now he floats over to Junior and taps him on the shoulder.
Does he seem....distracted to you? It's like he's more interested in that stick than he is the magic lesson. -👻
Junior opens his mouth to reply, but Margery starts talking again, and he closes it, not wanting to interrupt her.
In order to find your affinity, you'll have to do something a bit unpleasant....meditate. -📱
Margery grimaces, shaking her head in disgust.
Empty your mind completely, and then focus your thoughts inward. Let your own essence reveal itself to you. Or, if that's too dreadfully boring, I could whip you up a little something that would force it to the front faster, but last time I did that the student was complaining about their singed eyebrows for a week, so...[she shrugs] Your choice! -📱
Kees looks in awe at the garden he was led to. Being the last one to exit the house, he couldn't help but feel like that one girl in the old American movie that didn't start in color and then looked in awe when she saw color.
He looked to Margery and pointed at some sticks on the ground.
"Do I need a wand? Or staff? Or is that a stereotype?"
He looked curiously at the trees, it felt like the wood back here was special, somehow. The sticks even felt different somehow.
@een-man-band-tattoos
Margery chuckles at his words, and shakes her head.
Do witches need wands, or staffs or crystal balls or cauldrons or anything? No, not at all. Jasper dear, you've an affinity for fire, yes? Why don't you demonstrate? -📱
Margery points to a tree stump jutting out of the ground in one corner of the garden, and Jasper nods. He lifts his arm snaps his fingers, a ball of fire flaring to life in the palm of his hand. He holds the fire out, then with a pushing motion, sends the flames flying towards the stump. The old dry wood ignites in an instant, and Margery smiles as it burns.
Magic is an energy force, and it's all around us. It's concentrated highly in the astral plane, a dimension separate from the one we currently occupy, and naturally born witches have a special connection to it and to magic itself. Now, some do still choose to use objects of power. Jasper's grandmother used a crystal ball to get a clearer picture of the future, the Sisters of Slough have a fondness for enchanting ingredients, and the picture of witches with wands and brooms or wizards with staffs didn't come from nowhere. However, most people who use wands and staffs specifically probably either are witches who are weaker, or aren't witches at all. -📱
So...does that mean you don't need to be a witch to cast spells? -🌩️
Exactly. A Witch is a kind of person, with a connection to magic. But the average human doesn't need this connection in order to cast spells, and the astral plane isn't even the only source of supernatural power in this world. -📱
She waves her hand at Frankie as she speaks, and a pair of large angels wings become visible sticking out of his back.
Frankie here, for instance, isn't a natural born witch. His grandmother was on close personal terms with a divine being, and so his power doesn't come from magic or the astral plane at all, it comes from the big man himself. He could learn to cast spells using magic, but it wouldn't come as naturally as his holy gifts. -📱
So what does that make me, exactly? I'm not a witch or an angel, all I can do is see ghosts. -🌩️
Is that thing you did where you shot lightning not magic? It looked an awful lot like it. -🚗
Margery shakes her head again.
No, THAT is because Jim was possessing him. Jim spent years as a ghost with unfinished business, so when he possesses a willing host, he's able to imbue them with power from the astral plane itself. It helps that said host was Junior, who happened to be a medium. The results may not have been as strong with a normal human. -📱
But what does all this mean for Kees? -✨
Well, first we have to find out what his affinity is. Every witch has one, and even those who seek out alternative forms of spellcasting tend to have something they're pretty damn good at. Once we know that affinity, it's quite possible that he would need a wand or something like that. They make it easier for the weak to channel the power intentionally. -📱
Julian looks over at Kees, tilting his head a bit.
Are you doing okay? This can be a lot to take in all at once, I know that I had a horrible time when I first found out that demons and angels and magic were all real. -🚗
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
The children all look in Margery's direction, and she raises an eyebrow at them.
You know what? You lot explain it. I'll correct you if you get something egregiously wrong, but I want to hear how you understand it. -📱
The children look at one another, and then the one with the Scottish accent, Jasper, speaks.
The astral plane...is the source of magic. It connects everything...people, places...time. Most people don't even know it exists, but some have the ability to channel it for different purposes. -✨
Jasper gestures at himself and at the boy who'd introduced himself as Julian.
Like us, we're witches. We can use the astral plane to cast spells, see into the past or future, even travel to other realities. But that's not the only way to use it. Junior, he can see and speak with ghosts. The astral plane isn't the same thing as the afterlife, but spirits that are made of magic, like witches, they reside in the astral plane when they die, and so mediums like Junior have access to the astral plane through them. -✨
The boy with the northern accent, Frankie, speaks next.
I didn't know about the astral plane at all until I met Julian. My power comes from somewhere different. But because I have power, once I was made aware of its existence, I became more aware of it. I wonder if something similar happened to you, after you met other magical people? Maybe that's why we could find each other? -🪶
Kees' eyes trailed after each kid, as they explained his situation and he nods, stroking his chin. "Mmm yes. This makes sense. My friend Alice, needed help saving her brother from Hell and I performed some magic to helping her, and then I spoke to a ghost, and helped a magic pig also go to hell. So this makes sense."
He looks to Margery, "How do you know these boys?" He gestures, finding a spot in his whittling to gesture to them.
At the repeated mentions of hell, a frown flits across Frankie's face, and he glances at Julian. The two share a concerned look as Margery sighs and pulls a pipe out of her pocket.
If you're asking if I'm some kind of magical daycare, the answer is no. I don't have anything to do with these kids, our goals briefly happened to align. -📱
Yeah, just the tiny goal of stopping hell from rising up and taking over earth through the antichrist. -🪶
And you said you'd been watching me ever since the phantoms first tried to take me. You said I had potential. -🚗
Aye, and I was right, wasn't I? Before your powers fully awakened you were vulnerable to more attacks like the first you endured, and despite my reputation, I'm not in the business of letting the forces of darkness gain powerful pawns. -📱
You didn't even know who I was until I said Jasper was in trouble, and then you agreed to help us! -🌩️
Because Jasper was with my toxic ex situationship who runs an astral plane cult, you could have been asking me to rescue a puppy and I'd have said yes. -📱
You said you knew my mother. -✨
Jasper's voice is quiet, but at his words, the murmurings of the other children stop, and they all look at Margery curiously. She takes a long drag from her pipe, slowly blowing the smoke up into the ceiling before nodding.
Aye, I knew your mother. When she wanted a child, she came to me for help, and I gave it to her. S'pose I don't really have the right to say I have nothing to do with you, but in my defense, that was over three hundred years ago. And our kind can live an awful long time, but your grandmother always disapproved of my methods. I assumed a long time ago that you and your family had been wiped out by the Witchfinders. -📱
There's a beat of silence, then after a moment Frankie clears his throat loudly.
Not to interrupt this witch-fest, but Kees said he went to Hell. Multiple times, it sounds like? -🪶
He looks over at Margery, frowning.
Maybe his power doesn't come from the astral plane at all. Maybe it's like mine and comes from the Divine...or the Demonic. -🪶
Kees quietly listened to the groups talking, pausing for a moment to give Jasper a sympathetic look. He finished fixing the chair, pulled it upright again, and sat back on it, pulling out another surprising bit of wood from his pocket before correcting.
"No, no, I didn't go down to hell. I helped my friends go down to hell. I had to stay out of hell so they could get back by me doing the spell my friend Alice had shown me." He blew away some small wood shavings before switching his perspective and shaving off a bit from the other end.
"After Alice had shown me, I had the Magical pig and Ghost ask me to help them go to hell."
So wait, if he cast spells, does that mean he is a witch? Or, something like one, anyway? -🌩️
Junior looks hopelessly confused as he looks back and forth between Kees and Margery.
I mean, people who aren't capital W Witches can cast spells, they're just not as good at it as Witches are. Maybe his friend is a Witch and he just helped her. -🚗
How do you even know all this? -🌩️
I've been researching a lot ever since Hell tried to make me the antichrist. -🚗
Junior makes eye contact with Jim, who's floating nearby. The ghost shrugs, clearly not able to follow the conversation much better than Junior himself. Frankie rolls his eyes, and puts his hands on his hips, addressing Kees.
Look, are you a Witch, a Demon, or something else? -🪶
Kees finishes whittling the first thing and pulls out another piece of wood from his pocket, and begins whittling some more.
"Well, I know I'm not a demon." Kees continued to whittle away, each carving he makes skilled and professional despite him being a teenager. He proceeds to finish this second carving quite quickly and pulls out a third piece of wood.
"I'm just... I'm just Kees. Never really thought about if I had magic or not." Each piece of wood looked like one of the boys Kees was talking to, in striking resemblance.
"My friend, Alice, simply needed help, and so I helped, and then I met this ghost, and she needed help, so I helped her and the pig she was helping and now I am here." Kees just shrugs, simply accepting the reality of the situation as he whittles.
Kees adjusts himself so Jim can see better but doesn't react to what he says. "I just find myself in situations and just accept it." He pulls out another chunk of wood and carves Jim, pulling out some wood glue so that he can manage to have Jim floating by Junior.
"Is it a problem that I have run into a lot of magic situations?"
Jim grins at the little carving of himself, and he leans over to Junior and whispers:
I like this guy! And his accent is so funny, too! -👻
At Kees's question, once again, everyone turns to look at Margery, and she sighs.
Well, that depends on your definition of a problem, young man. On the one hand, you have a whole new world of possibilities that's opened up before you. If you didn't already have the affinity that Julian mentioned, then you almost certainly have one now, after contact with this lot. -📱
She gestures around at the children.
There's a lot of burgeoning power in this room, raw and uncontrolled for the most part. Between that, your previous experience with the supernatural, and the fact that you've traveled through the astral plane? You have potential to learn some basic spellcraft if you wanted to. But on the other hand....well, if you don't want to keep having contact with the magical world, I'm afraid you're out of luck. The scent of it is on you now, and that has a tendency to attract some...rather nasty folk. -📱
Kees sets his tools down on the table, deep in thought. He's not a big fan of nasties, but he also knows that ultimately, he's going to help his friends no matter what, and, well, Alice is one of his friends. He looks around at the kids, then back at Margery.
"Mmm. Yes. I like this. I will hone my skill like a stump winnowed into a needle. Yes. I will do it."
He nods as if he's in agreement with himself before he holds out a little wooden statue of Margery to her and stands up. "I will work on my magic with you."
That's a great idea! Maybe we could all train together! I want more practice getting control of my own abilities. -🚗
Julian looks around at the others, and Junior nods in agreement.
Me too...I feel like I don't know nearly as much as the rest of you about how all of this works. -🌩️
Frankie nods as well, and Jasper looks at Margery expectantly.
Isn't this the whole point of a coven? To share knowledge and power with one another? -✨
I told you before, boy, I'm not really a coven person. -📱
Then wouldn't it be nice to teach us more before we go? So that we don't keep coming to you every time we end up with problem that we don't think we can solve ourselves? -🪶
Frankie raises an eyebrow at Margery, and Jim snickers as she throws her hands up in the air in defeat.
Jesus Christ on a bicycle, FINE, you win. I'll teach you a thing or two. But not inside, the last thing I need is the house burning down. Follow me. -📱
With that, Margery spins on her heel and walks out of the room, and after a beat the boys file out after her. She leads them through the hallways of her house, which seem to be longer and more twisted than you would expect given the size of the place on the outside, before finally reaching a back door into a modestly sized garden. Margery turns to face the group, folding her arms across her chest.
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
The children all look in Margery's direction, and she raises an eyebrow at them.
You know what? You lot explain it. I'll correct you if you get something egregiously wrong, but I want to hear how you understand it. -📱
The children look at one another, and then the one with the Scottish accent, Jasper, speaks.
The astral plane...is the source of magic. It connects everything...people, places...time. Most people don't even know it exists, but some have the ability to channel it for different purposes. -✨
Jasper gestures at himself and at the boy who'd introduced himself as Julian.
Like us, we're witches. We can use the astral plane to cast spells, see into the past or future, even travel to other realities. But that's not the only way to use it. Junior, he can see and speak with ghosts. The astral plane isn't the same thing as the afterlife, but spirits that are made of magic, like witches, they reside in the astral plane when they die, and so mediums like Junior have access to the astral plane through them. -✨
The boy with the northern accent, Frankie, speaks next.
I didn't know about the astral plane at all until I met Julian. My power comes from somewhere different. But because I have power, once I was made aware of its existence, I became more aware of it. I wonder if something similar happened to you, after you met other magical people? Maybe that's why we could find each other? -🪶
Kees' eyes trailed after each kid, as they explained his situation and he nods, stroking his chin. "Mmm yes. This makes sense. My friend Alice, needed help saving her brother from Hell and I performed some magic to helping her, and then I spoke to a ghost, and helped a magic pig also go to hell. So this makes sense."
He looks to Margery, "How do you know these boys?" He gestures, finding a spot in his whittling to gesture to them.
At the repeated mentions of hell, a frown flits across Frankie's face, and he glances at Julian. The two share a concerned look as Margery sighs and pulls a pipe out of her pocket.
If you're asking if I'm some kind of magical daycare, the answer is no. I don't have anything to do with these kids, our goals briefly happened to align. -📱
Yeah, just the tiny goal of stopping hell from rising up and taking over earth through the antichrist. -🪶
And you said you'd been watching me ever since the phantoms first tried to take me. You said I had potential. -🚗
Aye, and I was right, wasn't I? Before your powers fully awakened you were vulnerable to more attacks like the first you endured, and despite my reputation, I'm not in the business of letting the forces of darkness gain powerful pawns. -📱
You didn't even know who I was until I said Jasper was in trouble, and then you agreed to help us! -🌩️
Because Jasper was with my toxic ex situationship who runs an astral plane cult, you could have been asking me to rescue a puppy and I'd have said yes. -📱
You said you knew my mother. -✨
Jasper's voice is quiet, but at his words, the murmurings of the other children stop, and they all look at Margery curiously. She takes a long drag from her pipe, slowly blowing the smoke up into the ceiling before nodding.
Aye, I knew your mother. When she wanted a child, she came to me for help, and I gave it to her. S'pose I don't really have the right to say I have nothing to do with you, but in my defense, that was over three hundred years ago. And our kind can live an awful long time, but your grandmother always disapproved of my methods. I assumed a long time ago that you and your family had been wiped out by the Witchfinders. -📱
There's a beat of silence, then after a moment Frankie clears his throat loudly.
Not to interrupt this witch-fest, but Kees said he went to Hell. Multiple times, it sounds like? -🪶
He looks over at Margery, frowning.
Maybe his power doesn't come from the astral plane at all. Maybe it's like mine and comes from the Divine...or the Demonic. -🪶
Kees quietly listened to the groups talking, pausing for a moment to give Jasper a sympathetic look. He finished fixing the chair, pulled it upright again, and sat back on it, pulling out another surprising bit of wood from his pocket before correcting.
"No, no, I didn't go down to hell. I helped my friends go down to hell. I had to stay out of hell so they could get back by me doing the spell my friend Alice had shown me." He blew away some small wood shavings before switching his perspective and shaving off a bit from the other end.
"After Alice had shown me, I had the Magical pig and Ghost ask me to help them go to hell."
So wait, if he cast spells, does that mean he is a witch? Or, something like one, anyway? -🌩️
Junior looks hopelessly confused as he looks back and forth between Kees and Margery.
I mean, people who aren't capital W Witches can cast spells, they're just not as good at it as Witches are. Maybe his friend is a Witch and he just helped her. -🚗
How do you even know all this? -🌩️
I've been researching a lot ever since Hell tried to make me the antichrist. -🚗
Junior makes eye contact with Jim, who's floating nearby. The ghost shrugs, clearly not able to follow the conversation much better than Junior himself. Frankie rolls his eyes, and puts his hands on his hips, addressing Kees.
Look, are you a Witch, a Demon, or something else? -🪶
Kees finishes whittling the first thing and pulls out another piece of wood from his pocket, and begins whittling some more.
"Well, I know I'm not a demon." Kees continued to whittle away, each carving he makes skilled and professional despite him being a teenager. He proceeds to finish this second carving quite quickly and pulls out a third piece of wood.
"I'm just... I'm just Kees. Never really thought about if I had magic or not." Each piece of wood looked like one of the boys Kees was talking to, in striking resemblance.
"My friend, Alice, simply needed help, and so I helped, and then I met this ghost, and she needed help, so I helped her and the pig she was helping and now I am here." Kees just shrugs, simply accepting the reality of the situation as he whittles.
Kees adjusts himself so Jim can see better but doesn't react to what he says. "I just find myself in situations and just accept it." He pulls out another chunk of wood and carves Jim, pulling out some wood glue so that he can manage to have Jim floating by Junior.
"Is it a problem that I have run into a lot of magic situations?"
Jim grins at the little carving of himself, and he leans over to Junior and whispers:
I like this guy! And his accent is so funny, too! -👻
At Kees's question, once again, everyone turns to look at Margery, and she sighs.
Well, that depends on your definition of a problem, young man. On the one hand, you have a whole new world of possibilities that's opened up before you. If you didn't already have the affinity that Julian mentioned, then you almost certainly have one now, after contact with this lot. -📱
She gestures around at the children.
There's a lot of burgeoning power in this room, raw and uncontrolled for the most part. Between that, your previous experience with the supernatural, and the fact that you've traveled through the astral plane? You have potential to learn some basic spellcraft if you wanted to. But on the other hand....well, if you don't want to keep having contact with the magical world, I'm afraid you're out of luck. The scent of it is on you now, and that has a tendency to attract some...rather nasty folk. -📱
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
The children all look in Margery's direction, and she raises an eyebrow at them.
You know what? You lot explain it. I'll correct you if you get something egregiously wrong, but I want to hear how you understand it. -📱
The children look at one another, and then the one with the Scottish accent, Jasper, speaks.
The astral plane...is the source of magic. It connects everything...people, places...time. Most people don't even know it exists, but some have the ability to channel it for different purposes. -✨
Jasper gestures at himself and at the boy who'd introduced himself as Julian.
Like us, we're witches. We can use the astral plane to cast spells, see into the past or future, even travel to other realities. But that's not the only way to use it. Junior, he can see and speak with ghosts. The astral plane isn't the same thing as the afterlife, but spirits that are made of magic, like witches, they reside in the astral plane when they die, and so mediums like Junior have access to the astral plane through them. -✨
The boy with the northern accent, Frankie, speaks next.
I didn't know about the astral plane at all until I met Julian. My power comes from somewhere different. But because I have power, once I was made aware of its existence, I became more aware of it. I wonder if something similar happened to you, after you met other magical people? Maybe that's why we could find each other? -🪶
Kees' eyes trailed after each kid, as they explained his situation and he nods, stroking his chin. "Mmm yes. This makes sense. My friend Alice, needed help saving her brother from Hell and I performed some magic to helping her, and then I spoke to a ghost, and helped a magic pig also go to hell. So this makes sense."
He looks to Margery, "How do you know these boys?" He gestures, finding a spot in his whittling to gesture to them.
At the repeated mentions of hell, a frown flits across Frankie's face, and he glances at Julian. The two share a concerned look as Margery sighs and pulls a pipe out of her pocket.
If you're asking if I'm some kind of magical daycare, the answer is no. I don't have anything to do with these kids, our goals briefly happened to align. -📱
Yeah, just the tiny goal of stopping hell from rising up and taking over earth through the antichrist. -🪶
And you said you'd been watching me ever since the phantoms first tried to take me. You said I had potential. -🚗
Aye, and I was right, wasn't I? Before your powers fully awakened you were vulnerable to more attacks like the first you endured, and despite my reputation, I'm not in the business of letting the forces of darkness gain powerful pawns. -📱
You didn't even know who I was until I said Jasper was in trouble, and then you agreed to help us! -🌩️
Because Jasper was with my toxic ex situationship who runs an astral plane cult, you could have been asking me to rescue a puppy and I'd have said yes. -📱
You said you knew my mother. -✨
Jasper's voice is quiet, but at his words, the murmurings of the other children stop, and they all look at Margery curiously. She takes a long drag from her pipe, slowly blowing the smoke up into the ceiling before nodding.
Aye, I knew your mother. When she wanted a child, she came to me for help, and I gave it to her. S'pose I don't really have the right to say I have nothing to do with you, but in my defense, that was over three hundred years ago. And our kind can live an awful long time, but your grandmother always disapproved of my methods. I assumed a long time ago that you and your family had been wiped out by the Witchfinders. -📱
There's a beat of silence, then after a moment Frankie clears his throat loudly.
Not to interrupt this witch-fest, but Kees said he went to Hell. Multiple times, it sounds like? -🪶
He looks over at Margery, frowning.
Maybe his power doesn't come from the astral plane at all. Maybe it's like mine and comes from the Divine...or the Demonic. -🪶
Kees quietly listened to the groups talking, pausing for a moment to give Jasper a sympathetic look. He finished fixing the chair, pulled it upright again, and sat back on it, pulling out another surprising bit of wood from his pocket before correcting.
"No, no, I didn't go down to hell. I helped my friends go down to hell. I had to stay out of hell so they could get back by me doing the spell my friend Alice had shown me." He blew away some small wood shavings before switching his perspective and shaving off a bit from the other end.
"After Alice had shown me, I had the Magical pig and Ghost ask me to help them go to hell."
So wait, if he cast spells, does that mean he is a witch? Or, something like one, anyway? -🌩️
Junior looks hopelessly confused as he looks back and forth between Kees and Margery.
I mean, people who aren't capital W Witches can cast spells, they're just not as good at it as Witches are. Maybe his friend is a Witch and he just helped her. -🚗
How do you even know all this? -🌩️
I've been researching a lot ever since Hell tried to make me the antichrist. -🚗
Junior makes eye contact with Jim, who's floating nearby. The ghost shrugs, clearly not able to follow the conversation much better than Junior himself. Frankie rolls his eyes, and puts his hands on his hips, addressing Kees.
Look, are you a Witch, a Demon, or something else? -🪶
Kees finishes whittling the first thing and pulls out another piece of wood from his pocket, and begins whittling some more.
"Well, I know I'm not a demon." Kees continued to whittle away, each carving he makes skilled and professional despite him being a teenager. He proceeds to finish this second carving quite quickly and pulls out a third piece of wood.
"I'm just... I'm just Kees. Never really thought about if I had magic or not." Each piece of wood looked like one of the boys Kees was talking to, in striking resemblance.
"My friend, Alice, simply needed help, and so I helped, and then I met this ghost, and she needed help, so I helped her and the pig she was helping and now I am here." Kees just shrugs, simply accepting the reality of the situation as he whittles.
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
The children all look in Margery's direction, and she raises an eyebrow at them.
You know what? You lot explain it. I'll correct you if you get something egregiously wrong, but I want to hear how you understand it. -📱
The children look at one another, and then the one with the Scottish accent, Jasper, speaks.
The astral plane...is the source of magic. It connects everything...people, places...time. Most people don't even know it exists, but some have the ability to channel it for different purposes. -✨
Jasper gestures at himself and at the boy who'd introduced himself as Julian.
Like us, we're witches. We can use the astral plane to cast spells, see into the past or future, even travel to other realities. But that's not the only way to use it. Junior, he can see and speak with ghosts. The astral plane isn't the same thing as the afterlife, but spirits that are made of magic, like witches, they reside in the astral plane when they die, and so mediums like Junior have access to the astral plane through them. -✨
The boy with the northern accent, Frankie, speaks next.
I didn't know about the astral plane at all until I met Julian. My power comes from somewhere different. But because I have power, once I was made aware of its existence, I became more aware of it. I wonder if something similar happened to you, after you met other magical people? Maybe that's why we could find each other? -🪶
Kees' eyes trailed after each kid, as they explained his situation and he nods, stroking his chin. "Mmm yes. This makes sense. My friend Alice, needed help saving her brother from Hell and I performed some magic to helping her, and then I spoke to a ghost, and helped a magic pig also go to hell. So this makes sense."
He looks to Margery, "How do you know these boys?" He gestures, finding a spot in his whittling to gesture to them.
At the repeated mentions of hell, a frown flits across Frankie's face, and he glances at Julian. The two share a concerned look as Margery sighs and pulls a pipe out of her pocket.
If you're asking if I'm some kind of magical daycare, the answer is no. I don't have anything to do with these kids, our goals briefly happened to align. -📱
Yeah, just the tiny goal of stopping hell from rising up and taking over earth through the antichrist. -🪶
And you said you'd been watching me ever since the phantoms first tried to take me. You said I had potential. -🚗
Aye, and I was right, wasn't I? Before your powers fully awakened you were vulnerable to more attacks like the first you endured, and despite my reputation, I'm not in the business of letting the forces of darkness gain powerful pawns. -📱
You didn't even know who I was until I said Jasper was in trouble, and then you agreed to help us! -🌩️
Because Jasper was with my toxic ex situationship who runs an astral plane cult, you could have been asking me to rescue a puppy and I'd have said yes. -📱
You said you knew my mother. -✨
Jasper's voice is quiet, but at his words, the murmurings of the other children stop, and they all look at Margery curiously. She takes a long drag from her pipe, slowly blowing the smoke up into the ceiling before nodding.
Aye, I knew your mother. When she wanted a child, she came to me for help, and I gave it to her. S'pose I don't really have the right to say I have nothing to do with you, but in my defense, that was over three hundred years ago. And our kind can live an awful long time, but your grandmother always disapproved of my methods. I assumed a long time ago that you and your family had been wiped out by the Witchfinders. -📱
There's a beat of silence, then after a moment Frankie clears his throat loudly.
Not to interrupt this witch-fest, but Kees said he went to Hell. Multiple times, it sounds like? -🪶
He looks over at Margery, frowning.
Maybe his power doesn't come from the astral plane at all. Maybe it's like mine and comes from the Divine...or the Demonic. -🪶
Kees quietly listened to the groups talking, pausing for a moment to give Jasper a sympathetic look. He finished fixing the chair, pulled it upright again, and sat back on it, pulling out another surprising bit of wood from his pocket before correcting.
"No, no, I didn't go down to hell. I helped my friends go down to hell. I had to stay out of hell so they could get back by me doing the spell my friend Alice had shown me." He blew away some small wood shavings before switching his perspective and shaving off a bit from the other end.
"After Alice had shown me, I had the Magical pig and Ghost ask me to help them go to hell."
So wait, if he cast spells, does that mean he is a witch? Or, something like one, anyway? -🌩️
Junior looks hopelessly confused as he looks back and forth between Kees and Margery.
I mean, people who aren't capital W Witches can cast spells, they're just not as good at it as Witches are. Maybe his friend is a Witch and he just helped her. -🚗
How do you even know all this? -🌩️
I've been researching a lot ever since Hell tried to make me the antichrist. -🚗
Junior makes eye contact with Jim, who's floating nearby. The ghost shrugs, clearly not able to follow the conversation much better than Junior himself. Frankie rolls his eyes, and puts his hands on his hips, addressing Kees.
Look, are you a Witch, a Demon, or something else? -🪶
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
The children all look in Margery's direction, and she raises an eyebrow at them.
You know what? You lot explain it. I'll correct you if you get something egregiously wrong, but I want to hear how you understand it. -📱
The children look at one another, and then the one with the Scottish accent, Jasper, speaks.
The astral plane...is the source of magic. It connects everything...people, places...time. Most people don't even know it exists, but some have the ability to channel it for different purposes. -✨
Jasper gestures at himself and at the boy who'd introduced himself as Julian.
Like us, we're witches. We can use the astral plane to cast spells, see into the past or future, even travel to other realities. But that's not the only way to use it. Junior, he can see and speak with ghosts. The astral plane isn't the same thing as the afterlife, but spirits that are made of magic, like witches, they reside in the astral plane when they die, and so mediums like Junior have access to the astral plane through them. -✨
The boy with the northern accent, Frankie, speaks next.
I didn't know about the astral plane at all until I met Julian. My power comes from somewhere different. But because I have power, once I was made aware of its existence, I became more aware of it. I wonder if something similar happened to you, after you met other magical people? Maybe that's why we could find each other? -🪶
Kees' eyes trailed after each kid, as they explained his situation and he nods, stroking his chin. "Mmm yes. This makes sense. My friend Alice, needed help saving her brother from Hell and I performed some magic to helping her, and then I spoke to a ghost, and helped a magic pig also go to hell. So this makes sense."
He looks to Margery, "How do you know these boys?" He gestures, finding a spot in his whittling to gesture to them.
At the repeated mentions of hell, a frown flits across Frankie's face, and he glances at Julian. The two share a concerned look as Margery sighs and pulls a pipe out of her pocket.
If you're asking if I'm some kind of magical daycare, the answer is no. I don't have anything to do with these kids, our goals briefly happened to align. -📱
Yeah, just the tiny goal of stopping hell from rising up and taking over earth through the antichrist. -🪶
And you said you'd been watching me ever since the phantoms first tried to take me. You said I had potential. -🚗
Aye, and I was right, wasn't I? Before your powers fully awakened you were vulnerable to more attacks like the first you endured, and despite my reputation, I'm not in the business of letting the forces of darkness gain powerful pawns. -📱
You didn't even know who I was until I said Jasper was in trouble, and then you agreed to help us! -🌩️
Because Jasper was with my toxic ex situationship who runs an astral plane cult, you could have been asking me to rescue a puppy and I'd have said yes. -📱
You said you knew my mother. -✨
Jasper's voice is quiet, but at his words, the murmurings of the other children stop, and they all look at Margery curiously. She takes a long drag from her pipe, slowly blowing the smoke up into the ceiling before nodding.
Aye, I knew your mother. When she wanted a child, she came to me for help, and I gave it to her. S'pose I don't really have the right to say I have nothing to do with you, but in my defense, that was over three hundred years ago. And our kind can live an awful long time, but your grandmother always disapproved of my methods. I assumed a long time ago that you and your family had been wiped out by the Witchfinders. -📱
There's a beat of silence, then after a moment Frankie clears his throat loudly.
Not to interrupt this witch-fest, but Kees said he went to Hell. Multiple times, it sounds like? -🪶
He looks over at Margery, frowning.
Maybe his power doesn't come from the astral plane at all. Maybe it's like mine and comes from the Divine...or the Demonic. -🪶
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
The children all look in Margery's direction, and she raises an eyebrow at them.
You know what? You lot explain it. I'll correct you if you get something egregiously wrong, but I want to hear how you understand it. -📱
The children look at one another, and then the one with the Scottish accent, Jasper, speaks.
The astral plane...is the source of magic. It connects everything...people, places...time. Most people don't even know it exists, but some have the ability to channel it for different purposes. -✨
Jasper gestures at himself and at the boy who'd introduced himself as Julian.
Like us, we're witches. We can use the astral plane to cast spells, see into the past or future, even travel to other realities. But that's not the only way to use it. Junior, he can see and speak with ghosts. The astral plane isn't the same thing as the afterlife, but spirits that are made of magic, like witches, they reside in the astral plane when they die, and so mediums like Junior have access to the astral plane through them. -✨
The boy with the northern accent, Frankie, speaks next.
I didn't know about the astral plane at all until I met Julian. My power comes from somewhere different. But because I have power, once I was made aware of its existence, I became more aware of it. I wonder if something similar happened to you, after you met other magical people? Maybe that's why we could find each other? -🪶
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
Honestly babs I have no idea what I am, I woke up one day met a bat and a human and another human, got chased by a bunch of mean humans, got trapped in a lab for a bit, now I unwilling commit murder every once in a while, but it’s fine! And now I don’t know where the bat is, he might be dead, I don’t know….. by the way, what’s your name??? My name is Twig
Delia slowly gathers up her dropped vegetables, not taking her eyes off the…creature?
Well, my names Delia. If you’re keeping track of what sort of people you’ve met, I guess you can add witch to the list…Say, what was that about committing murders? -🥣
Uh… it’s this thing where sometimes I’ll black out and “go hunting” and I usually end up killing a couple of small innocent creatures… I-I don’t mean to, it’s just….instincts….Lucas, the human who looks after me, has been trying to make it so that I don’t do it but nothing has worked so far so…..I-I’m not gonna hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about…..um……
Delia gets to her feet and gestures for Twig to follow her into the cottage at the edge of the garden.
Sisters! We have a guest! -🥣
Set in the middle of the cottage’s kitchen is a large cauldron, and two other women are bent over it, muttering to each other. The shorter of the two straightens, tucking a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, then frowns when she sees Twig following Delia into the house.
What on earth is that thing? -🍲
Delia smiles sweetly.
I haven’t the faintest idea, Nigella. Here, wash the carrots. -🥣
She shoves the vegetables into her sister’s arms, and the blonde woman rolls her eyes as she takes them to the sink. The tallest of the three sisters squats down to get a better look at Twig.
Hello there, little one. My name’s Prue. Who might you be? -🥘
Aaah, many things, many things! What would you like it to do? There are many spells we can cast, and this batch is not yet complete. -🍲
We have soups for unearthing memories, soups for amassing power, soups for divining the future, soups for healing and for harming, and soups that keep warm all day even if you don't have a thermos. -🥣
Is there a particular magic you'd like the soup to do for you? -🥘
Hang on, you said you had some friends before, right? Two humans and a bat, and you didn't know where they went? Perhaps a soup to show you where they are. -🥣
Aaaah, a location spell! Yes, yes, that can be done, if you so desire. -🍲
Though if you're looking for multiple people, I should warn you, the spell will only work on one at a time. If you want to find all three, we'd have to make more soup. -🥘
I already know where the humans are, I live them, and one of them is gonna come looking for me in a bit if I’m not home so….um….I don’t really know if the bat, my brother, is alive so I don’t know if a location spell would even work to be honest….I hope he’s alive….
Well if he’s not, the spell would still tell you where he is. And it could tell you whether he’s alive or not, if that’s something you wish to know. -🥘
There are a few ways we could go about it. The best would be if you have something of his with you, or at least something that has a lot of memories of him attached to it. -🥘
If you don’t have that, we’ll have to draw his memory directly from you, which is a far more…delicate procedure -🍲
Or we could simply give him a memory revealing soup first, and draw what we need from there, there’s no need to be so sinister. -🥣
Well yes, but then we’d need to brew another broth for the finding spell after the memory spell, and who has time for that? -🍲
If you’d just listen to me about the stock cubes— -🥣
What kind of witches use premade stock cubes?? It’s a disgrace to the craft, is what it is! -🍲
Prue pinches the bridge of her nose as the younger two sisters begin arguing, for what is clearly the hundredth time, about the pros and cons of batch preparing broth, and she turns her attention to Twig.
Do you have something of your brother’s to give us or not? -🥘
Honestly babs I have no idea what I am, I woke up one day met a bat and a human and another human, got chased by a bunch of mean humans, got trapped in a lab for a bit, now I unwilling commit murder every once in a while, but it’s fine! And now I don’t know where the bat is, he might be dead, I don’t know….. by the way, what’s your name??? My name is Twig
Delia slowly gathers up her dropped vegetables, not taking her eyes off the…creature?
Well, my names Delia. If you’re keeping track of what sort of people you’ve met, I guess you can add witch to the list…Say, what was that about committing murders? -🥣
Uh… it’s this thing where sometimes I’ll black out and “go hunting” and I usually end up killing a couple of small innocent creatures… I-I don’t mean to, it’s just….instincts….Lucas, the human who looks after me, has been trying to make it so that I don’t do it but nothing has worked so far so…..I-I’m not gonna hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about…..um……
Delia gets to her feet and gestures for Twig to follow her into the cottage at the edge of the garden.
Sisters! We have a guest! -🥣
Set in the middle of the cottage’s kitchen is a large cauldron, and two other women are bent over it, muttering to each other. The shorter of the two straightens, tucking a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, then frowns when she sees Twig following Delia into the house.
What on earth is that thing? -🍲
Delia smiles sweetly.
I haven’t the faintest idea, Nigella. Here, wash the carrots. -🥣
She shoves the vegetables into her sister’s arms, and the blonde woman rolls her eyes as she takes them to the sink. The tallest of the three sisters squats down to get a better look at Twig.
Hello there, little one. My name’s Prue. Who might you be? -🥘
Aaah, many things, many things! What would you like it to do? There are many spells we can cast, and this batch is not yet complete. -🍲
We have soups for unearthing memories, soups for amassing power, soups for divining the future, soups for healing and for harming, and soups that keep warm all day even if you don't have a thermos. -🥣
Is there a particular magic you'd like the soup to do for you? -🥘
Hang on, you said you had some friends before, right? Two humans and a bat, and you didn't know where they went? Perhaps a soup to show you where they are. -🥣
Aaaah, a location spell! Yes, yes, that can be done, if you so desire. -🍲
Though if you're looking for multiple people, I should warn you, the spell will only work on one at a time. If you want to find all three, we'd have to make more soup. -🥘
I already know where the humans are, I live them, and one of them is gonna come looking for me in a bit if I’m not home so….um….I don’t really know if the bat, my brother, is alive so I don’t know if a location spell would even work to be honest….I hope he’s alive….
Well if he’s not, the spell would still tell you where he is. And it could tell you whether he’s alive or not, if that’s something you wish to know. -🥘
There are a few ways we could go about it. The best would be if you have something of his with you, or at least something that has a lot of memories of him attached to it. -🥘
If you don’t have that, we’ll have to draw his memory directly from you, which is a far more…delicate procedure -🍲
Or we could simply give him a memory revealing soup first, and draw what we need from there, there’s no need to be so sinister. -🥣
Well yes, but then we’d need to brew another broth for the finding spell after the memory spell, and who has time for that? -🍲
If you’d just listen to me about the stock cubes— -🥣
What kind of witches use premade stock cubes?? It’s a disgrace to the craft, is what it is! -🍲
Prue pinches the bridge of her nose as the younger two sisters begin arguing, for what is clearly the hundredth time, about the pros and cons of batch preparing broth, and she turns her attention to Twig.
Do you have something of your brother’s to give us or not? -🥘
Honestly babs I have no idea what I am, I woke up one day met a bat and a human and another human, got chased by a bunch of mean humans, got trapped in a lab for a bit, now I unwilling commit murder every once in a while, but it’s fine! And now I don’t know where the bat is, he might be dead, I don’t know….. by the way, what’s your name??? My name is Twig
Delia slowly gathers up her dropped vegetables, not taking her eyes off the…creature?
Well, my names Delia. If you’re keeping track of what sort of people you’ve met, I guess you can add witch to the list…Say, what was that about committing murders? -🥣
Uh… it’s this thing where sometimes I’ll black out and “go hunting” and I usually end up killing a couple of small innocent creatures… I-I don’t mean to, it’s just….instincts….Lucas, the human who looks after me, has been trying to make it so that I don’t do it but nothing has worked so far so…..I-I’m not gonna hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about…..um……
Delia gets to her feet and gestures for Twig to follow her into the cottage at the edge of the garden.
Sisters! We have a guest! -🥣
Set in the middle of the cottage’s kitchen is a large cauldron, and two other women are bent over it, muttering to each other. The shorter of the two straightens, tucking a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, then frowns when she sees Twig following Delia into the house.
What on earth is that thing? -🍲
Delia smiles sweetly.
I haven’t the faintest idea, Nigella. Here, wash the carrots. -🥣
She shoves the vegetables into her sister’s arms, and the blonde woman rolls her eyes as she takes them to the sink. The tallest of the three sisters squats down to get a better look at Twig.
Hello there, little one. My name’s Prue. Who might you be? -🥘
Aaah, many things, many things! What would you like it to do? There are many spells we can cast, and this batch is not yet complete. -🍲
We have soups for unearthing memories, soups for amassing power, soups for divining the future, soups for healing and for harming, and soups that keep warm all day even if you don't have a thermos. -🥣
Is there a particular magic you'd like the soup to do for you? -🥘
Hang on, you said you had some friends before, right? Two humans and a bat, and you didn't know where they went? Perhaps a soup to show you where they are. -🥣
Aaaah, a location spell! Yes, yes, that can be done, if you so desire. -🍲
Though if you're looking for multiple people, I should warn you, the spell will only work on one at a time. If you want to find all three, we'd have to make more soup. -🥘
I already know where the humans are, I live them, and one of them is gonna come looking for me in a bit if I’m not home so….um….I don’t really know if the bat, my brother, is alive so I don’t know if a location spell would even work to be honest….I hope he’s alive….
Well if he’s not, the spell would still tell you where he is. And it could tell you whether he’s alive or not, if that’s something you wish to know. -🥘
Kees is hunched over his sketchbook outlining a new tattoo idea when he hears what sounds like….voices. Children’s voices, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
You can’t really believe that, can you? -🌩️
Why not? The whole reason I went there was to try and help Wilhelm, and all that happened was I put people in danger. Again. -✨
Hang on now, that’s not fair. You didn’t put us anywhere, we chose to come, alright? -🌩️
Kees looks up, confused, but as he tries to ignore the voices, it's very clear to him that they aren't going away anytime soon. So he closes his sketchbook, placing it and his pen in his pocket before calling out,
"Hallo? Children? It seems like I can hear you now. This may not be what you wanted, and I do apologize for hearing it."
"Oh. Good, this goes both ways. Hallo. My name is Kees. I was trying to draw a tattoo idea, but then I started hearing you both. So I wanted to tell you that I can hear what you are saying, so then you don't feel bad."
"I'm not a witch or a ghost. Though I did help a pig go to hell. And talked to a ghost. And I have a friend who is a witch and a friend who is a troll."
Kees stops for a moment, looking around his apartment. "I'm at my apartment for university."
Frankie looks at Jasper like he’s grown a second head.
What do you mean what’s an apartment?? -🪶
Hey, he’s from the 1700s, alright? There’s lots of stuff he doesn’t know. -🌩️
Wait, really? That’s so cool! -🪶
If you’re not a ghost or a witch, how can you hear us? -✨
Well, he says he’s met a lot of magic people….maybe because of that he has a…what’s that word..aff-in-ity, that’s it. Mr. Kees, maybe you have an affinity towards magic? -🚗
Honestly babs I have no idea what I am, I woke up one day met a bat and a human and another human, got chased by a bunch of mean humans, got trapped in a lab for a bit, now I unwilling commit murder every once in a while, but it’s fine! And now I don’t know where the bat is, he might be dead, I don’t know….. by the way, what’s your name??? My name is Twig
Delia slowly gathers up her dropped vegetables, not taking her eyes off the…creature?
Well, my names Delia. If you’re keeping track of what sort of people you’ve met, I guess you can add witch to the list…Say, what was that about committing murders? -🥣
Uh… it’s this thing where sometimes I’ll black out and “go hunting” and I usually end up killing a couple of small innocent creatures… I-I don’t mean to, it’s just….instincts….Lucas, the human who looks after me, has been trying to make it so that I don’t do it but nothing has worked so far so…..I-I’m not gonna hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about…..um……
Delia gets to her feet and gestures for Twig to follow her into the cottage at the edge of the garden.
Sisters! We have a guest! -🥣
Set in the middle of the cottage’s kitchen is a large cauldron, and two other women are bent over it, muttering to each other. The shorter of the two straightens, tucking a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, then frowns when she sees Twig following Delia into the house.
What on earth is that thing? -🍲
Delia smiles sweetly.
I haven’t the faintest idea, Nigella. Here, wash the carrots. -🥣
She shoves the vegetables into her sister’s arms, and the blonde woman rolls her eyes as she takes them to the sink. The tallest of the three sisters squats down to get a better look at Twig.
Hello there, little one. My name’s Prue. Who might you be? -🥘
Aaah, many things, many things! What would you like it to do? There are many spells we can cast, and this batch is not yet complete. -🍲
We have soups for unearthing memories, soups for amassing power, soups for divining the future, soups for healing and for harming, and soups that keep warm all day even if you don't have a thermos. -🥣
Is there a particular magic you'd like the soup to do for you? -🥘
Hang on, you said you had some friends before, right? Two humans and a bat, and you didn't know where they went? Perhaps a soup to show you where they are. -🥣
Aaaah, a location spell! Yes, yes, that can be done, if you so desire. -🍲
Though if you're looking for multiple people, I should warn you, the spell will only work on one at a time. If you want to find all three, we'd have to make more soup. -🥘
