witch-born

Dorothy rolled her eyes at Beau's playfulness, but she couldn’t hide the small smile that tugged at her lips at the very same time. She needed this, the hug that lasted a beat too long, the gentle reminders of their familiarity through old nicknames, the excessive offer of an entire cake bought just for her. "I don't think I could polish off a full cake, not even with Elias' help," she began, though she appreciated the gesture very much. "If anything, I would really appreciate a slice of white chocolate cheesecake," she suggested, appreciation written all over her sad little face. "Thank you." Dorothy's usual order would have been a New York style cheesecake, but considering her uncle was going to the effort of ordering for them both, she didn't want to force him to carry anything with cinnamon in it.

As Beau moved to order, she watched him for a moment, appreciating the familiarity in such a hard time. When he came back, she felt a little more relief just from his close presence, knowing he’d come through with exactly what she needed - support, even if indirectly, due to Dorothy's evasive nature. She almost immediately picked up her fork and took a bite of cake, after once again thanking her uncle. For a moment, the sweetness helped quiet the dark storm brewing in her mind, but it didn’t last; Dorothy’s shoulders sagged a little as she set her fork down, and her gaze dropped to her chipped fingernails as she thought about Beau's words for a moment.

"Well, it's Avalon," she began, her throat tightening a little as she spoke the name. “I just... can’t stop thinking about it," her eyes flittered back up to meet Beau's. "It’s opened up this wound I thought I had closed, to a certain extent. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but every time I hear her name, it reminds me of Perry,” she sighed deeply, speaking of her ex-girlfriend, someone that just about everyone in her life - and in Cardinal Hill back then - had known at one point or another. "Sorry, I know it's a lot, I don't mean to be a bummer, it's just a really... sucky time."

#threads with: dorothy #dorothy x beau 001 #ooc: this is a hundred years old~#ooc: and my gifs aren't working bleh

beau watch dorothy carefully - the sadness in her expression, the soft sag of her shoulders, the way she didn't meet his eyes. it would be natural, for her to be scared and upset by what had happened to avalon. a young woman of a similar age, and a witch too... it was awful what had happened. it made beau nervous and worried for his nieces, and the other young people of the town, but especially the women. had her gender made avalon a target?

"don't apologise, dotty." beau reached out and put his large hand over hers, giving it a squeeze he hoped was reassuring. "death and grief are strange, they always find a way of catching us unaware and reminding us what we've lost. don't say sorry for talking about perry, it's a natural connection to make." beau assured her. "i've been thinking about someone i lost too, even though it happened decades ago."

"...it's hard to tell you not to worry, because i think we should be thinking about avalon. it feels... strange. the timing of everything. i don't want to scare you, dot, but i think we should be careful and aware of what's going on." beau admitted, his expression grim.

Winter blushed slightly at Beau's words, but he smiled. The pair could have easily been rivals, but the fact that they were competing for the same market had never been a thing to make them enemies. On the contrary, they had bonded over it, and Winter was glad for that. "This is just really nice," he said, his smile growing; if there hadn't been a table between them, then Winter would have hugged the man. "As soon as I get home, I'm going to show them, and I bet they do recognize it," Winter said. "Once I used their honey in a recipe and showed it to them, and I swear they were happy. I don't know how to explain it, I...could just tell." Again, Winter was totally missing the fact that this pointed to their bond being very unusual. He just thought that he and the bees were especially close.

Beau's answer intrigued Winter. It wasn't a confirmation that the man believed that magic was real, but it also wasn't not a confirmation. "And what do you think?" he asked. "Do you think the...spells or whatever, do you think they work? And have you ever tried one?" If magic was real, was that something just anyone could do? Winter had a lot of questions. He shrugged, nodding at Beau's remark. "Yeah, I guess even if it doesn't actually do anything, it doesn't hurt either," Winter reasoned. "And if it helps you feel more at ease, then why not, you know?"

Shrugging, Winter answered, "I sort of already do journaling every day. I mean it's more like reminders and random thoughts I don't want to forget, but it's journaling-adjacent I guess. Maybe taking that extra step would help." It seemed like Beau was having a hard time, and as Winter listened to the man, he felt for him. "Are you alright? Did the tree hurt anything?" Winter asked. "The day of the storm, I was worried too, but the wind like...missed the hives and me." He knew that sounded vague and made no sense, but he didn't know how else to explain it. "Maybe you need some of those protection candles," Winter added, only half-joking.

#threads with: winter #threads with: beau #winter x beau 002 #ooc: gonna wrap this one up

"bees are smarter than we know. they have... a whole different world, an entirely different brain and body. i know they can sense things we can't, and they understand things without us knowing how. they're just... they're closer to nature, y'know? they're unburdened by the constant, useless thoughts we have." beau snapped out of his trance. he'd been thinking of his bees back home. "sorry, just my old man ramblings." he chuckled.

"i think... that belief can have a powerful effect. when you believe something will happen, then you give your mind a clearer purpose. you focus on that thing. it works both positively and negatively. the mind is strong, and if casting spells or prayer gives people strength, then that almost is like magic... don't you think?" of course beau wasn't going to admit that magic was very real to winter. he had tried spells, but they would never work in that way for him. "i have my own little rituals. lighting candles, drinking tea. we all do, whether we realise it or not."

"i'm fine, physically. just shaken up, thinking about my mortality. i'm not young anymore, i don't believe i'm invulnerable or going to live forever." beau answered, giving winter a wink to lighten the mood. beau listened to what winter said and nodded. "they missed mine too. we were lucky, or maybe someone was looking out for our bees." at winter's suggestion, beau chuckle. "maybe i should take them back off you." he suggested, but it was clear he was teasing him.

END.

As was almost always the case, Goldie was running back and forth through the theatre, bouncing from one task to the next seemingly endlessly. It seemed like every time that she turned around, there was something else that needed her attention, from fixing light cues for upcoming shows to replacing burst bulbs in the foyer; Goldie did more than her fair share of the work, and it was lucky that she loved it, or else her exhaustion certainly would have seen her quit long ago.

She was in the middle of what felt like one hundred different tasks when she heard Willa's voice calling out to her; she stopped, her boots squeaking against the floor as she turned her attention towards them. "Ah!" Goldie was clearly pleased to see them there, especially once she learnt that they were the one who would be saving the costumes needed for the upcoming showcase. "You can talk to me about that, I'm Goldie," she spoke as she moved forward, until she was able to stretch out a hand for them to take and shake if desired. "You have no idea how great it is to see you," she chuckled. "I can show you to the green room if you're ready, I've got them all hung up out there," she explained.

#threads with: goldie #goldie x willa 001 #threads with: willa #ooc: sorry my gifs dont want to work for some reason

"goldie, hi. i'm willa." willa reached out and shook goldie's hand, their grip the practiced balance between confident but not overpowering. "it's great to be here, thank you for the opportunity to help out." willa flashed a grin, letting go of goldie's hand. it had been warm, and surprisingly soft. "sure, lead the way."

willa followed after goldie, taking in the surroundings with curiosity. "so this place is like a historical site, right? kinda like a... protected building? or just one with a lot of history?"

Winter hadn't been into The Closet since before his accident, and maybe not even then because he couldn't remember ever being here. Though when he entered the store, there was something familiar about it, which made Winter think he'd had to have been in here at some point before. When he heard a voice call a greeting, he paused, and then he began to laugh a moment later. "I haven't been in the closet since I was a teenager," he retorted, an obvious joke, but still one that made Winter smile. Looking around for the source of the voice, Winter saw the person and headed over there. "Is that name supposed to be a pun?" he asked. While Winter didn't know a lot about The Closet, he knew that it seemed to have a large queer client base, so maybe there was something to the name.

Looking around the store, Winter thought about why he had come in here. "I really need some new flannel shirts and sweaters for the colder weather," he explained. "I haven't had to buy clothes in awhile because I usually just mend mine when they get torn or something, but...well, they're getting pretty threadbare, and there's only some much you can do." Even thought the bees would be less active in the winter, they didn't fully hibernate like they might in areas with harsher winters, so he would be working with them year round. Plus at the very least, Winter would be visiting with them; they were his friends whether or not they were producing honey.

#threads with: winter #winter x willa 001 #threads with: willa #past thread #ooc: we wont mention how old this is oops #ooc: idk if you wanna wrap this one up seeing as it's a hundred years old - my bad

"well, now you get to come back in." willa responded with a chuckle, stepping away from the clothes they were tidying to approach the other. they were quietly glad for the customer, they were getting really bored. "i guess... i didn't pick it." willa shrugged, but there was an amused smile on their lips.

"we got some serious levels of flannel here. in fact, we've got most of it in one section." willa motioned with their arms to the left corner, then started leading winter in that direction. "oh yeah? make do and mend? i can relate. you sewing your own stuff too?" willa asked, turning to look at the other over their shoulder.

with: vivian prior ( @vivianprior ) where: beau's farmhouse, 9am

"vivi?" beau knocked on the door of 'shed', which was a lot nicer inside than it sounded. his niece was staying with him following her accident, something vivian still hadn't opened up about. beau didn't mind - he was patient, and what vivi needed was to recover before anything else. beau let her sleep as long as she could, and do whatever it was she felt like doing. she didn't have set chores... yet. maybe once she felt more up to it, she could feed the animals, collect eggs, and try her hand at milking a goat.

"incoming." beau said, opening the door and popping his head around to see her, flashing her a bright smile. "i'm making breakfast. pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage. i'm also attempting homemade hash browns. can i take your order?"

#threads with: vivian #vivian x beau 001 #ooc: decided to put her in the shed lol hope that's okay

ritualove

Open starter: @cardinalstart

Location: The Ceramic Cup

"Got an interestingly horrorfying personal story for an upcoming novel? Acclaimed published author Silas Addams wants to talk to you!" is the sign that Silas had placed on the edge of his booth at The Ceramic Cup. Alongside a spattering of posters around Cardinal Hill, Silas had turned to the public for ideas for his new book. While it was his brother Stoker's idea originally, Silas normally dismissed it as a silly concept, but just the ambience of the town had proved ineffective in sturring his writers block. So in The Ceramic Cup he sat, coffee in hand, with a slice of pie in his stomach from earlier in the day, waiting for someone to approach him.

He had a handful of people come through, though none of them had anything good to use, but he had a good feeling in the figure that approached him. "Hi," he said to the person standing above him, "Feel free to take a seat, do you want a coffee or something first? My treat." He had a polite smile on his face, eager to hear what this person had to say. Hopefully this experiment would prove fruitful.

#threads with: silas #silas x willa 001

willa had come in looking for their usual coffee post-work, and the 'booth' set up had kinda pissed them off. people were christmas shopping and trying to take a break, and this guy was taking up a table to... chat to them about their horror stories? willa spent too long reading the sign and trying to interpret it, and now they were getting pulled in.

"'acclaimed author'?" willa said quietly to themselves, then met the other's gaze. "...is this a free therapy thing, or you run out of ideas thing?" willa asked, smirking. they were kinda interested in a free coffee.

tabithaelicot

who: Tabitha and Willa (@twistxdcrafts) where: Willa's apartment when: 7am on November 21st

Tabitha was a big fan of birthdays. She wasn’t sure where it came from, but she’d always loved celebrating the people in her life. Willa had mentioned a few weeks ago that their birthday was coming up, and since then Tabitha had been preparing. Usually she would make a custom, handmade gift for any birthday, something like a quilt or clothing, but even she couldn’t do that in less than a month. Instead she’d touched up an old embroidery she’d done of John, since Willa’s familiar was also a magpie. But she’d made the time to make a cake, and a paper crown, and she had plenty of decorations she’d made over the years.

On the morning of Willa’s birthday, Tabitha waited until a time she thought they’d be awake to head over to their apartment. She arrived laden with bags and boxes, and had to juggle them a moment before she could knock. When Willa opened the door, Tabitha was ready with a smile. “Happy birthday! I need to put some things down before I can give you a hug.”

#threads with: tabitha #tabitha x willa 002 #ooc: roughly a century later

willa answered the door with bedhead hair and sleep still crusting their eye. the sight that greeted them was both sweet and unexpected, but willa had been woken up by the door and could only blink in response, holding the door while standing in their 'pyjamas' - an old band t-shirt and cotton shorts.

"...oh, uh, okay." willa finally responded, stepping aside to let them inside. "kitchen is on the right." they closed the door and followed them into the small, cosy apartment. "do you... want a coffee or something?" they asked, glancing at the pile of unwashed dishes and suddenly feeling self-concious.

Eyes fluttering open, the first thing Leo registered was that he was cold. Normally when he slept, he kept himself covered by a multitude of blankets when the weather was chilly, so this didn't initially make sense to him. Why would he be cold? The next thing he realized was the he was most definitely not sleeping in his bed because something hard and rough was digging into his back. And then once his vision cleared, Leo realized what had happened. "Fuck, not again," he groaned as the realization took hold. He was in the woods slumped against a tree, an empty bottle of beer lying next to him. Memories of the prior night came back to him, and Leo recalled his late night - and drunken - decision to go for a walk in the woods outside his cabin. He wished that he could say this was a one-time thing, but the truth was that - while not a frequent happening - this was not an isolated occurrence. Leo tried to stand and immediately was hit with a wave of dizziness, his head pounding. So for a moment, he just sat there against the tree, closing his eyes again.

Once Leo felt like he might not immediately fall over if he got up, he opened his eyes once more. The empty bottle was there next to him, and Leo didn't much feel like taking it with him as he tried to find his way back to his cabin. "Please just fucking work," he muttered, putting his hand against the bottle as he muttered an incantation, and mercifully the bottle disappeared. That was one less thing for him to worry about. Finally Leo very carefully got to his feet, using the tree for support. When he looked around at his surroundings, Leo realized he didn't know where he was. All he could see were trees everywhere, and he sighed. Why did he do this to himself? So picking a random direction, Leo just started walking.

About 20 minutes later, Leo heard the sound of running water and made his way toward it, hoping it was the river that ran through the forest because at least then he'd know where he was. Sure enough, when Leo emerged from the trees, he saw the river, and even better, he saw someone he knew. "Thank fuck," he said under his breath as he approached Beau. "Hey man," Leo greeted him, suddenly very aware of the fact that he looked like a mess, especially his hair and bloodshot eyes. Reaching Beau, Leo looked around and tried to act nonchalant when he said, "So...where are we?" But then he realized there was no way to sound nonchalant in this instance, so Leo sighed and explained, "I'm sort of lost." There was no need to explain about how he'd ended up that way.

#threads with: leo #beau x leo 002 #threads with: beau #ooc: hello from a hundred years ago

beau turned towards the sound of crackling leaves, and spotted leo. he recognised the man he'd sold candles to and given notes to about making wards, written by himself and his family. he hoped those notes had helped him. now, he was unsettled by the sight of leon... he looked like he'd been dragged through the woods by a wild animal.

"leon, oh my god..." beau put down his fishing pole, then quickly moved to grab his nearby blanket, and bringing it over to throw around leon's shoulders. "what happened? what are you doing out here?" he asked, pulling the blanket tight around the other man. "do you need me to call someone? here, come sit down." beau said, gently leading leon towards his camping chair to sit down.

tabithaelicot

Tabitha edits 001: Happy Birthday, Willa!

For Willa's birthday, Tabitha made an extravagantly decorated cake in their favorite colors, as well as a birthday crown. She reused old decorations, and Willa's gift is actually something Tabitha already had on hand, an old embroidered portrait of John.

@twistxdcrafts

#musings; willa #birthday; willa

Romeo was so often so busy; he took his work more seriously than anyone in his life thought he should - in terms of how often he was at the hospital, at least - and while he was slowly becoming aware of how important it was to prioritise more than just work and distracting himself by simply working more, it wasn't something that Romeo had been able to implement just yet. So naturally, Romeo stood in the bakery with a fatigued look on his face, having just come from a shift in the emergency department.

Will wasn't the only one who was struggling to figure out their order as they stood there, rather out of it. It was a shared moment of struggle, Romeo realised as the other stepped back into him, and that was exactly why he let out a laugh that reflected his amusement and understanding. "Don't worry at all," he told them, having no hard feelings. "I totally get what it's like - it's just one of those days," he reassured them.

#threads with: romeo #romeo x willa 001 #spongebob narrator voice: one thousand years later

"mm. yeah." willa agreed, stepping away from the other, getting that safe stranger-level distance back. they smiled politely, then looked back the board. there was just... so much choice. it was overwhelming.

"listen, if you know what you want, go right ahead. i'm still deciding." they told them, signally with their hand to go ahead of them. "actually i'm... trying to decipher the options, there's just so many. i might be here a while."

Winter kept looking at the candles and thinking about what a nice thing this was that Beau had done for him. "Hopefully you didn't waste all my beeswax on me," he told the man, hating the thought that Beau would have sacrificed profits for him. As he looked at the candles, Winter said, "It's so weird to think that these came from - in part at least - my bees. Like they helped make these. I can't wait to show them." And he would: as soon as he got home, Winter would take the candles out to his backyard and show his bees what they had helped create. They'd be pleased, he thought, not even recognizing this as a sign of their unusual bond.

Even though Beau's explanation made sense, Winter felt a little unsatisfied with the answer. It took him a moment to realize why, but finally when he did, Winter said, "Oh, I thought maybe it was for like...magic or something. Like magic spells of protection." He said this with a joking tone to his voice, laughing a little, though Winter had said this to gauge Beau's reaction. More and more, Winter had been hearing rumors and rumblings about the hidden things in Cardinal Hill, and he didn't realize at first that he was investigating it. But now he had recognized that, though Winter had to do it subtly so people wouldn't think he was strange.

At Beau's question, Winter shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I've been...uneasy every since. It's like I've got too many thoughts and can't sort through them all." Really Winter had felt that way since his accident, all of his fractured memories still floating around somewhere, but that seemed even truer now. "What about you?" Winter asked, wanting the spotlight off of himself now. "Have you been alright?"

#threads with: winter #winter x beau 002

"don't be silly, winter. i paid for that wax fair and square, i'll give it to whoever deserves it." beau gave him a wink, chuckling at him. "yes, take them to the bees. see if they recognise it. i like to do that with my candles sometimes." beau told him, feeling pride well up in him - for himself and for winter. he'd been beekeeping longer than winter had been alive, but he could see the dedication and hard work winter gave to his hives and his bees.

beau hesitated, giving winter an odd look. he was considering hisanswer, trying to figure out how much winter knew. "yes, well... there will be some who use candles for that. those who believe in... spells, and that sort of thing." he answered carefully. "i suppose if it helps people feel more safe, then why not? those of all kinds of faith take solace and prayer within the presence of candles."

just then, their breakfasts appeared, and beau thanked the staff and asked for a refill of his coffee. once they were alone again, he shifted his attention back to winter. "i see. i can understand that, a lot is going on. i'm here if you need to talk or have you thought about what i mentioned? about journalling?" beau had suggested it a few weeks ago, to help winter deal with their scattered memories.

he blinked at winter's question. "i'm... i'm okay. honestly, i've been a little shook up. the day of the storm, i could've been killed by that falling tree. and i worry, about my animals and my hives, about my family and my friends. about you. i'm a natural worrier." he chuckled, cutting into his sausage, fried eggs, hash browns and toast. "that's why i can't sit still without a book in my hand, i always have to be doing something. it helps with the worrying."

with: goldie green ( @innocentcurse ) & willa where: the enchantment theatre

willa hadn't been seeking more work, but as it was the way with seamsters, work always found them. at least this work had a cash incentive, and willa could never say no to cash in hand. they had experience with theatre costuming, which helped them wiggle their way into the clique-type sphere of theatre work.

now they were here and didn't know where to go or who to talk to. they stood in the reception hallway and happened to catch someone walking through, so they quickly moved to talk to them. "excuse me!" they said, flashing a smile, attempting to disarm. "hi, i'm willa. i'm here to repair and alter some costumes. do you know where i go, or who i should talk to?"

#threads with: goldie #goldie x willa 001

The sight of Uncle Beau wasn't able to yet bring her calm, but it was able to prompt a feeling of hope inside of her. She had support, even on her darkest days, and even while she still struggled to let any of her loved ones in to the extent of her troubles. She would likely continue to feel the hardship of this time that Cardinal Hill was facing, but even while she felt that pain, she wasn't alone, and that was a nice thought for the woman who had always had a habit of detaching herself from those who loved her.

"I would love for you to join me," she nodded her head and she gave him a side on hug. There was no dancing around the point, no beating around the bush; Dorothy could only welcome her uncle into her moment and hope that his kindness would lift her spirits as they so badly needed lifting. "Thank you," she added, thanking him more for his company than for the monetary promise - though of course, that was extremely appreciated also. "I think I need a warm drink to cut through this chill," she suggested.

#threads with: beau #threads with: dorothy #dorothy x beau 001

beau hugged her back, the gesture easy and practised. both arms went around her, giving her a tight squeeze. he left the hug a little too long, to annoy her, in the way an older brother or uncle might. "what do you want to order, my precious polka dot?" he asked, leaning down to rest his cheek against the top of dorothy's head. "i'll get you whatever you want. you want a whole cake to take home? ooh, how 'bout a cake made up of slices of every different cake?"

beau moved to order for them, getting himself a black coffee with two sugars and, after checking which cakes contained cinnamon, he took a slice of ginger and apple cake. he was quietly very pleased to have an apple paired with something that wasn't cinnamon. he returned with their order, sitting them as far away from the cinnamon rolls as possible.

"so are you gonna tell me what's eating you while we eat cake?" beau suggested, offering dorothy a warm smile. he set all her things in front of her first, before setting his own place.

hxesandruin

Location: Beau's farm.

"Thank you again for taking me in, I felt so stupid coming back after having sold my family home years ago." Daniel said scratching the back of his head as he strolled around Beau's home. His longtime friend having received him with open arms, and even in the phone call he felt so warm and generous, and Daniel could swear he heard another voice in the other end. "You don't know how much of a life saver you are to me, Beau, and if you need help around the farm with the animals well...I do have a degree."

"So tell me what have you gotten up to recently?" @twistxdcrafts

#threads with: daniel #threads with: beau #beau x daniel 001 #tw: sex mention kinda

"don't mention it, daniel. you know i would do anything for you." beau told him confidently, bringing him a fresh cup of coffee, and handing it to him with a warm smile. "truth be told... it's good to see you again. i've missed you." beau admitted freely, his expression open. "and yeah, the help would be great. did you think your room and board was free?"

"recently? uh... not much." beau answered awkwardly, tapping the side of his mug. he was glad to have something in his hands to keep them busy. "the usual farm stuff. helping the bees get ready for winter. making sure the barn and the coop are gonna be warm enough. worrying about if i'm gonna have enough stock to keep me going and selling through the cold season." beau was looking at the window. he felt strange about admitting this next part.

"i'm seeing someone. his name's layken. it's early and... mostly sexual, if i'm honest." beau chuckled. "i asked him not to come round tonight."

tidescfchaos

STATUS: Open to all @cardinalstart

LOCATION: Glasswater Lake

A restless feeling still stirred around inside Priya following the news about Avalon Rivers, and the strange occurrences as of late certainly didn't help this feeling either. Wanting a moment of peace, no matter how brief, it was only natural that she found herself among nature. She sat upon a blanket close to the edge of the lake, bundled up in warm clothing fitting the season and pulled her knees in towards her chest. "I'm going to miss spending more of my free time out here as winter rolls in." She lamented with a soft sigh to her present company. The plummeting temperatures unfortunately meant less time among the serenity of nature. "Are you at least looking forward to the upcoming season?"