two can keep a secret

Maia Cruz. 28. Bookstore Owner. The Magic Tome.

[wdmaialen]

Do I want to play someone evil or funny? That is the question.

[wdmaialen]

working nine to five: maia and hwanji

@wdhwanji

She should have never cured that insomnia.

Really, it was Maia's own fault. She knew this would happen, but her heart ached for the poor student. She knew what it was like to struggle during exams and how nerves could keep you up late at night. The student had rambled about their family and their high expectations. So, Maia had sold them the potion. They had come back this morning, overjoyed about a good night's sleep and happy that they had enough potion to last the week. Maia, meanwhile, had bags under her eyes.

She had managed thirty minutes of sleep last night and was not looking forward to the evening. Maybe there would be time for catnap later. Her mind drifted off, thoughts of her comfy couch filling her mind.

Maia's head lolled, when she heard the bell ding above the door. She jumped off her seat, accidentally knocking it over. "I'm up!" she said. The clang made her flinch. Yes. Very professional.

Her face flushed even more when she realized it was Hwanji at the door. Well, that was certainly a good luck. Who didn't respect a boss who they found asleep at the front desk? She quickly straightened herself out. "I was just... meditating. It helps me come up with potion recipes." That sounded believable, right? "It's been a bit dead this morning."

[wdmaialen]

wdghost

Maia tried not to pout. She didn't want to seem like a child. Unfortunately, it was hard to resist. She liked dancing, even if she wasn't often asked, she was good at it. She took classes for fun and took it as an athletic credit. However, most people felt she was too tall to be their partners. There were some bodies twirling, but Maia knew it wasn't worth the risk. She didn't want to dance until she died, which she learned was a real possibility.

"Why are so many people here if everything is dangerous?" she asked.

Maybe it was a stupid question. They were probably here for the same reason she was: blatant curiosity. Fairies had been heavily featured in most of her childhood fairytales. In some ways, finding out they were dark creatures just made her more intrigued. She just didn't want to die over it.

There were a lot of ways to die this evening, which certainly put a damper on things.

Maia looked over at Mr. Kim. At least she could trust him to look after her. She smiled at him. "Should I just introduce myself as Mia?" That was what he called her. At first, she thought he was hard-of-hearing. She never had the guts to correct him. But, it turned out he was perfectly aware of what her name was. He was just too respectful to use it. "I have grown attached to the name."

[wdmaialen]

wdyong

Maia nodded. She bit her tongue, trying not to ramble on and on about the history of witchcraft. She had quite a few books on curanderas that she had specially requested as well. They hadn't been useful, but they had been interesting.

The librarians now knew her by name. One even jokingly offered her a job. But, Maia didn't plan on staying here forever. Still, the library comforted her like nowhere else. Even if there was an ocean between her and her real home, a library was still a library.

Maia shivered slightly. Then, she realized he was probably referring to the witches from fairytales. She forced a laugh. "I think a bucket of water should do the trick. At least, according to the Grim Brothers."

Those stories were surprisingly hard to read about since her discovery. They felt strangely personal. The Salem Witch trials now gave her nightmares. "Thank you for helping me. Are you also interested in the occult?" she asked.

[wdmaialen]

wdtaeyang

Maia hesitated. She knew better than to overshare, but even the sanitized version of her life story was incredibly personal. She chose for something close to the truth. "I came here to get closer to my mom's side of the family. I still have stuff to do here, so I can't go back home yet."

There were days she wondered if it was worth it. Her grandmother would be more than happy for her to come home and forget about the whole witch thing. It would certainly cost her a lot less emotional and physical pain. But, deep down, she knew she couldn't do that. Her connection to her family's magic was too strong to ignore, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important she needed to learn. Denying her witchcraft would be like denying a part of herself.

"I plan on visiting soon. But, it's also pretty pricey. It gets harder during the holidays. It is just... so different here," she said. "Though, I do feel closer to my mom being here." It took a moment for Maia to realize she was diving closer to extremely personal territory. People usually clammed up when they heard about her parents. Instead, she switched gears. "Are you from around here?"

[wdmaialen]

i'm only human

@wdyong

Though Maia had always daydreamed about being a witch, realizing she was one was a different animal. Though she hated to admit it, she was much better at being human than being a witch. After many years of the former, she had plenty of practice. Being a witch involved frequently learning her own limits.

Maybe that was why most people assumed she was a charlatan. She didn't necessarily look like a witch. She did wear a decent amount of black, but it seemed like a costume on her. She sighed.

Libraries didn't often carry materials on the occult, but due to the amount of supernaturals in the neighborhood, this one was used to odd requests from the people here. However, their eyes still widened slightly as Maia carried a stack of books that slightly blocked her view. It was a combination of gothic fiction and occult history books (also thought to be fiction).

Of course, she slammed into someone. Maia apologized profusely before starting to pick up the books. "Sorry. I didn't see you there," she babbled. "I haven't been into the library in a while so I got excited." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain her stack. Still, the redness continued to spread. "Hi, I'm Maia by the way."

[wdmaialen]

birth of a rivalry

@wdxhyemi

Maia was not used to being disliked. Well, not until she met her cousins. After that, she started to realize jealousy was an ugly emotion. It didn't matter how much she wanted to connect with them, how she wanted to see them as family. They still saw her as less than them, undeserving of the abilities she possessed.

However, even that made more sense than why Hyemi disliked her. Maia never liked to ruffle people's feathers, so for the life of her, Maia couldn't figure out what she'd done to earn Hyemi's ire. She was polite whenever she ran into her. She offered compliments. Was it casual racism? Xenophobia? Did she not like tall women? Or librarians? Maia had given up and decided it would be best to avoid her.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. Maia was now staring at the last person she had ever expected to enter her shop. She crossed her arms. "Welcome," she said in a monotone voice. "Can I help you?"

[wdmaialen]

I need more threads for Maia, so please like this for a random starter or reply "Plotting" for, well, plotting.

[wdmaialen]

I need more threads for Maia, so please like this for a random starter or reply "Plotting" for, well, plotting.

[wdmaialen]

candy from strangers//open

location: hallasan (fae ball)

Despite her reluctance, Maia had taken Ghost's warnings. Which was why when she saw someone attempt to eat the food at the ball, she knocked it out of their hands. "Are you crazy?" she yelped.

Realizing what she had done, Maia began to blush. It was not the normal kind of blush either. It consumed her entire face, turning her beet red. She had knocked the food at of someone's hands. Albeit, it had been with good reason, but it was still something difficult to explain.

Maia cleared her throat, wondering how she needed to phrase this without sounding like a crazy person. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out how to diffuse the situation. "A friend told me fairy food isn't safe," she said, lamely. "I have some snacks. If you trust them, I mean."

[wdmaialen]

a family outing

@wdghost

location: hallansan (fae ball)

Maia did not know fairies were real until a few months ago, during a fascinating family dinner in which her cousin mentioned them. Maia stared, dumbfounded. The family had made light of it, but Maia was embarrassed. There was so much of the magical world that she didn't know. However, today she was one step closer to expanding her worldview.

Initially, Maia was not sure if she wanted to attend the ball. Being on the mountain made her choke up. Her parents had met on this mountain so long ago. Still, when Mr. Kim invited her, she knew she had to come. He was one of the few friends she had.

She had told her grandparents and they had put in the money for a new dress. It was a whimsical, floral gown. She felt more like a nymph than a witch. She hoped it wasn't too much. She was in high heels and towering over a lot of people. Hopefully, giants weren't real. She did not want to be mistaken for one of those. Though, it would explain a lot.

Mr. Kim had given her an entire lecture on what to do at the ball. Or, more specifically, what not to do. Which was why she was currently drinking something he brought for her, as opposed to any of the decadent beverages surrounding them. "Are you sure I can't have anything? Not even a cupcake?"

[wdmaialen]

i’m okay, thank you. just please, stop talking to me.” a bit of dramarama </3

Maia looked at him, concern all over her face. This was definitely not like him. Normally, she couldn't get him to quiet down. In fact, most recently, she swore he had broken into her shop just because he was lonely. "Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything. Or Kiki." She pointed at her cat. "We are here for you."

Send a Wicked Sentence Starter

[wdmaialen]

“you’re kind of an ugly crier.”

"You're a lot meaner than you first come off, you know?" She continued sobbing, but it was broken by a small laugh. Maia wasn't sure why, but his frank assessment managed to pull her slightly out of it. "Though, at least you are honest."

Send a Wicked Sentence Starter

[wdmaialen]

“to the night you’ll never remember!”

Maia was not used to this type of thing. She was also a bit of a lightweight, so alcohol usually ended in poor decisions on her part. However, she was having a difficult time making friends. Well, when in Rome. She smiled, holding up her glass. "Cheers!"

Send a Wicked Sentence Starter

[wdmaialen]

wdtaeyang:

"you scared all my fish away." disappointment lacing his words, "this isn't a hobby is it? scaring fish?" a brow raises, "seems selfish." a snigger leaving him, impressed by his own pun, fighting the smirk that etches at his corners.

Maia had a bad habit of blushing. She blushed when she was nervous. She blushed when she was happy. She blushed when there was someone attractive. She blushed when she was embarrassed. Once she realized it was happening, she began to turn redder. It was a horrible cycle that was currently occurring at this moment, even though the party didn't actually seem that bothered.

"I swear it wasn't on purpose. I was just looking for a place to swim. I am from Los Angeles," she finished lamely.

Maia looked around, wondering which was the most unobtrusive way to avoid bothering the fish or the fisherman anymore. Maia chose to wade into the water, figuring it was a lost cause. She looked around this particular beach. It truly was beautiful. Peaceful. Maybe it was because of the time of day.

"Hi, I'm Maia. Maia Cruz." Maia really needed to remember Korean etiquette. She had learned, though, that referring to herself as Maia instead of by her full name was helpful for fae. Not that she knew many. She thought. It was hard to tell. "Come here often? I was a bit homesick so I wanted to try swimming around here."

[wdmaialen]

Please like this post to plot for the event!

[wdmaialen]

“those things you said yesterday…did you mean them?”

Maia laughed. She didn't know why he wanted to hear it again, but she rolled her eyes before ruffling his hair. "Yes, I suppose I did. I've grown quite fond of you."

Send a Wicked Sentence Starter