addisonlockheed

[addisonlockheed]

[addisonlockheed]

FORGOTTEN SD CARD #7

When: October 31, 2017 Where: New Orleans, Louisiana Who: Jude Melançon What: Addison convinced Jude to carve pumpkins with him as he had never done it before; they upped the game a little bit with the introduction of homemade smoke bombs. 

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon‌:

Man, Addison could bullshit with the rest of ‘em. Jude shouldn’t have been surprised – he had been raised to take over a multi billion dollar arms company – but he was usually so quiet. Most of the time she wondered if he was capable of even leading a hunt for food, let alone leading a reading that she had so seriously stressed the importance of.It wasn’t that what he was saying was bullshit, just that she was so shocked by how easily he led a session, after only having a few minutes introduction into the craft. He sounded like he had been doing it for years. He actually sounded a little like pawpaw.

Jude forced that thought – and the accompanying sadness – out of her mind and turned her full attention back to the cast members of this reading, listening as Addison searched for the answers hidden in the leaves. Maybe Marie was watching Addison with the utmost interest. She was hanging on to his every word, like a mormon listening to his corrupt pastor at some fucked megachurch. Completely in love with the moment, regardless of what the intention of the reading was. Zach had a look of almost nausea on his face. He had not experienced a kind first reading, himself. Jude remembered fondly the moment she told him that his business was failing and his girlfriend was cheating on him. In response, Zach turned as white as Addison was now, and nearly puked in his coffee cup. She remembered having to revert to paramedic mode to talk him and his anxiety down. Jordan was stoic as ever, until Addison paused.

The tension in the room was building quickly. Were it visible, Judas doubted that she would even be able to see the man on the chair in front of her.

And then it broke.

Jude dropped her head into her hands as Jordan launched himself across the table and onto her partner. Once again, a porcelain cup that did not belong to them was shattered. Shards skidded across the floor, as if to illustrate how the brute would like to see Addison. The boy was bleeding. The woman was screaming. Zach and Jude stood back. Though jumpy, Zach knew that there was no stopping his brother once he got started. He’d told Jude all about that; about the times he’d been beaten up as a kid. How it usually took their father grabbing Jordan by the scruff of his neck and pulling him off his younger brother to get the berserker to stop. He was going to kill Addison.

Judas lifted a hand towards the two men on the floor, palm outstretched. Just as she had done with Alice, Jude pulled an unnatural amount of oxygen from the air. Not as much, this time – she did not want to cause damage to the unborn child – but enough that Jordan would slow his progression. She used the oxygen gathering in the palm of her hand as a force, and sent the two men flying across the room. Addison landed on a couch, but Jordan hit the wall and landed in a crumpled ball on the ground. The room fell to silence. 

“Now,” she said through mildly labored breathing, “As my associate said, we have treated you with the utmost respect and hospitality. As you’ve failed to meet our expectations for basic human interaction, I am invitin’ you to leave now.”

The room, Addison aside, watched Jude in terror. While she didn’t like using magic if she could help it, Jude did love scaring shitty humans. They were almost always well behaved after that. She walked over to Maybe Marie and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You too, slut. Go home an’ stay outta other people’s shit if ya can’t handle ya own.” She gave a glance to Jordan, now standing, and smirked. “Looks like you got a lot a explainin’ to do t’ your husband.”

It felt as if it was happening all at once, and yet very, very slowly. Addison was convinced he would never breathe again, pinned between the back of the chair and the burly man on his chest. He spared a poor attempt to wedge his arms between his face and the fist, no fists, that pounded into him like a hammer. Jordan was not to be deterred by the smaller boy’s attempt at self-defence, and it only took one good hit to the bridge of Addison's nose to cause him to go slack. Not unconscious… stunned…. he had been hit before, but never like this… never with such rage and raw power. This was certainly not the sloppy hit of a drunken or drug-addicted man. It was meant to harm, perhaps to kill, the thought passed vaguely through Addison’s head.

There’s a Buddhist parable: “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” One was meant to change their relationship with pain by opening up to it, by paying attention to it. Addison had previously ‘put out the welcome mat’ for pain; not because he was masochistic - no, that was Jude - but because pain is there and it exists. He wanted to understand the nature of the experience and the possibilities of it. Pain was a sensation… and once you understood it as that, as information, liberation would follow…

None of that mattered to him.

Jordan got in another good hit to Addison’s left eye. It came down upon him slowly, as if the man was tiring and he wanted to make sure to get in one last shot. It was surely the hardest of them all. The sound of it was deafening. His heartbeat thumped loudly in his head as the room swam and spun. Addison couldn’t see beyond the blood running into his eyes and down his face. He firmly fought to retain consciousness, and for a long moment, it felt like a losing battle. A thick nausea ran up and down the lanky boy’s body as blood filled in his mouth, coppery and coating.

Dimly, Addison felt relief wash through him upon hearing Jude’s steady voice fill the sudden silence left in the absence of another impact. There was a secondary awareness that he was now on the couch across the room, but he was only concerned with the abatement of Jordan’s weight. Addison curled into the pillows, seeking safety as best as he could, until he was nearly in the fetal position. There was no guarantee that the beating was over.

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon‌:

Sure, man. Grab the small woman carrying boiling water by her wrist. That wouldn’t end poorly. But Judas had no need to worry. As she assumed, based on his father, Addison knew how to command the attention of the room. And Jordan Colton respected that. She knew that a man like him would never believe the things she said. Everything she told him would be tainted by his misogynistic and, frankly, stupid beliefs. She also knew, though, that a prime negotiation tactic was to change plans on the other party at the last minute. By forcing Addison, a male, to do Jordan’s reading, Jordan was given very little time to reevaluate the situation and adjust his perception of what was going to happen. He would be forced to pay attention.

“Of course, bae,” she purred. She set the teapot back down with a light thud and gently touched the balled up fist Jordan had resting on the table. He, like his brother, had a physical reaction to her touch. Like he caught a chill, almost. Or the tale end of one. Interesting. “I really appreciate y’all comin’ over here for this. I know the trip from the city was a long one, but I promise y’all this’ll be worth it.” It was not straight out flirting, but there was enough sexuilization in her voice that he might stop viewing her as an enemy, and — once again — be forced to reevaluate the situation. She poured the steaming water from the teapot into his cup, and Jude noticed the marks left on her wrist from the angry man. She wondered, for a moment, if he ever touched his wife to his right this way, but knew that his pent up aggression was usually spent on the men and women he picked up at the bars on Capitol Hill.

The woman — Marie, maybe? — wiggled in anticipation once again and leaned forward to look in the teacup, completely ignoring the much more attractive woman talking to her husband beside her. “I don’t see anything,” her sharp whine of a voice cut through the tension that Jude had created with Jordan like a knife. Trying to get her husband’s attention back, maybe?

“Well, ain’t that why ya here?” Jude responded, miraculously keeping the sarcasm out of her voice, while maintaining eye contact with Jordan. She winked, he smirked, and his wife pouted. The woman harrumphed and leaned back in her seat, defeated, crossing her arms across her large belly like a petulant child.

Addison spoke up, taking control of the situation once again, and instructed Jordan on what to do with the teacup, while Judas retreated from one brother to the other to brood and watch over the situation. She placed a gentle hand on Zack’s shoulder, as if to encourage him, and he smiled up at her with an odd mixture of anxiety and comfort. She did not feel this connection that he seemed to — which, she had decided long ago, was a result of him sensing magic but not knowing what it was — but she could always guarantee that he would stick around as long as she was willing to let him.

Beside them, Jordan did as instructed. He drank his tea, swirled the tea leaves around the cup, and placed it back on the saucer.

It was as if he had entered a different dimension; Addison’s composure was barely held together as the situation developed. He had seen Jude in a good mood before… he had even seen her flirt with clients before… but this was something entirely different. She was laying it on thick.

In even Addison’s earliest memories, he can recall his father’s demands for concise and confident communication. Even a simple dinner conversation was only tolerated by Adrian Lockheed if it could hold up “in front of a boardroom” and there were many nights where a smaller, hungrier Addison was sent away from the table for failing to meet those standards. Silence was not tolerated either, as that was the place for a woman or the behavior of a demure man; Adrian Lockheed would have neither from his son. In this instance, that was helpful. Jordan Colton reminded Addison of his father in every way, except appearance. It was easy to fall into the routine of presentation.

There wasn’t much to it from the client’s side, and Addison was able to give instruction… and it was time…

“So, Jordan,” Addison pulled the attention back to himself, in an attempt to guide the process. It was surely not going to happen on it’s own. “Now we wait for a few minutes and then you drink the tea, and as you do this, it is extremely important that you focus on the questions that you would like answered, the truth that you seek.” The younger witch continued to speak as Jude moved in his peripheral vision, finally settling behind Zach. “I know you have reason to doubt the efficacy of our methods, but you must, for only this instance, attempt to open yourself,” a rueful chuckle interrupted Addison, as Jordan rolled his eyes and harrumphed.

Addison had to reset… the faint voice of his father told him so: And do not let anyone treat you with disrespect or else they will find a weaker adversary in you and take advantage of that. It was this type of advice that Addison lived his life in direct contrast to, but he knew what people like Jordan were. He knew what Jude wanted in this instance, and a small part of him resented so easily bending to her will. “Mr. Colton,” it was said firmly and as a result, the atmosphere of the room changed. “We have given you nothing but respect and hospitality and have honored your request to keep this quick, we ask that you give us the same in return.” The sudden shift in Jordan’s attitude was impressive; either the tactic worked wonders, or he was ready to get this over and done with.

“Okay. Continuing on. It’s simple, sir. Drink your tea, and just listen to what the leaves have to say,” Addison quickly summarized. Jordan did as instructed and quietly, and rapidly, drank his tea. He replaced the cup on the saucer and sat back in his chair, maintaining eye contact, as if to challenge Addison.

Before Addison could speak the next set of instruction, a waspy hand darted out and took possession of the tea cup. Jordan’s wife brought the mug to her mouth and drained some residual tea from the bottom of the cup before replacing it. “You didn’t finish it… and like I said, this is too good to sit out on,” she remarked.

Addison had no choice but to continue. He was sure that her participation would change the outcome, but there was no room to go back. “Jordan, take the cup by the handle with your left hand,” he complied, “from left to right, move it in a circle rapidly three times…” he wasn’t exactly sure if this was the proper technique but it was what he had seen Jude do earlier without effort, and with magic, Addison had learned that the key was often found in the smaller details, “… some of the leaves will cling to the sides, others will fall to the bottom. Once you are satisfied, slowly invert the cup over the saucer and leave it until all the liquid drains…”

And now it was Addison’s turn.

With a delicate caution, Addison retrieved and revealed the contents of the teacup to himself. Nothing was immediately clear; the tea leaves were scattered all over the cup in apparent confusion. He took the time, as he walked from Jordan, to the open chair across from him, to mentally review Jude’s crash course in reading tea leaves. From the top, Addison gently reminded himself, as lines, circles, dots, and small groups of figures began to reveal themselves. His brow furrowed unconsciously as sense began to come together rapidly, almost too rapidly. It was like he was suddenly reading a book of the man sat across from him.

“The tea leaves reveal,” he cleared his throat, more overwhelmed than underwhelmed, “a journey, though it is unclear as to whether this is an external or internal one.” Addison glanced up from the cup to Jordan, and then to Jude; the leaves were not revealing good things the further he ventured into it. “There will be a period of disconnect, you may go a while without speaking to someone you care very much about… but,” but…? There was no answer, but there was certainly a but. That familiar warm feeling filled his body - magic. “It will be followed by a deeper connection, a growth in trust… in love… no, not love, just trust, and…”

Addison felt his face flush white. In an instant, the fortune revealed itself plainly. Almost scarred into the bottom of the delicate teacup, was the truth and the consequence of Jordan’s wife drinking the tea.

“And…” Addison repeated… his heart pounding in his ears, “…and…” was repeated once more in a quiet tone.

“And?” Jordan’s wife prodded eagerly.

“Would you just get on with it?” Jordan grunted, shifting in his seat. He felt the tension. Everyone felt the tension.

“The child isn’t yours…” Addison blurted. There wasn’t so much of a reaction from Jordan as there was the very sudden and rapid launch of the heavier man across the table. The teacup flew from the young witch’s hands as the chair he was in was forced backwards. Addison grunted loudly as the air was expelled from his lungs from the impact of the floor and the intrusion of Jordan’s knee in his gut; he had no time to recover before a very hard fist made contact with his face. There was the vague realization that Jordan’s wife was screaming or crying or something when a second hit landed, this one more savage and wet with blood.

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon‌:

A tall, but slightly pudgy man stood behind the door, trying to hold himself to a height of intimidation. For an awkwardly long moment, his eyes searched for someone at eye level with him. He found her, finally, and frowned. “I’m–”

“Jordan Colton,” she interrupted. “Welcome t’ maison des baiseurs.” French always seemed to impress people. Even bullshit and assholery sounded cool. “Right this way, please.” 

Judas stretched her arm out, pushing Addison against the wall, and letting three near strangers into her house. Red was gone, the assigned parking spot was empty of the maroon Tesla that normally occupied it, and Jude was thankful for the freedom it allowed her. She wouldn’t have to worry about being too loud and waking him up. 

Behind the first man came a second, a shorter, but slender man. Zach. Jude welcomed him in with a hug and a smile. While this was not her normal MO, Zach responded well to her touch. He about shuddered the first time she read his palm, and he hadn’t stopped coming back to her since then. The woman that came next was the shortest of the three, but she still towered over the little witch. She was well dressed, a Chanel suit, despite her very obviously pregnant belly. She looked uncomfortable, but like she still needed to carry herself well. Ridiculous, but form the sounds of it, everyone was always in everyone else’s business in the Colton family, and she was here for the pure drama of it.

“Kitchen’s t’ the right, gentlemen,” she called, pointing after them. Addison looked somewhat perplexed, but she pushed him along after them without offering any explanation. The two walked back through the hall and to the kitchen, where the party of three were awkwardly gathered. “Tea, everyone?”

Without waiting on answers, Judas pulled a mismatched set of various styles of beautiful gold leaf and hand painted porcelain tea cups from the cabinets and placed them in front of the guests. “Remember what I told ya,” she murmured to Addison, “Trust ya gut. You know whatcha seein’.” 

“But, wha--,” Addison urgently muttered back to Jude, attempting to grasp for any extra tips… any extra information possible… there was hardly a lesson in the last handful of minutes...

“No; only me,” the man identified as Jordan Colton boomed, slamming his fist on the dining table in punctuation, as he sat. The room instantly stilled, everyone pausing to take count of the sudden disruption. The only people unfazed were Jordan’s wife, as she sat beside her husband dutifully, and Jude. Addison watched, his mouth ajar, as Jude continued to move about the kitchen without pause; the kettle was pulled from the stove and brought to the table, still steaming. “You’ve taken enough of my brother’s time and money as far as I’m concerned. We are going to cut to the chase… everyone sit and I want you to convince me that this whole con you have going on isn’t a con.” A small trivet was placed in front of the head of the table, in front of Jordan; the eldest witch moved to place the kettle on the table when a burly hand reached out and grasped Jude’s lithe wrist.

“Hey, bitch,” Jordan spat, “I’m talking to you! Zach sit down! I’m tired of my brother being conned and manipulated by a cu--”

“Jordan, honny, you know I don’t like that word,” his wife interjected, whiny, “and this is too good to sit out.” The still unnamed woman actually wiggled in her seat with anticipation as Zach quickly, and loudly ducked into an empty seat - the chair’s legs screeching on the wooden floor as he slid into place.

“I don’t fuc--” the woman glared at Jordan as he began once more, and decided better. Jude raised an eyebrow across the room at Addison. It was time.

“It’s time, Addison,” his father lurched in the doorway of the atrium. Addison jumped, his eyes snapped open and obediently trained themselves on his father.

“There is still time… you said one more lesson, please…” a younger, clean-cut Addison bargained with urgency. At thirteen, his voice was beginning to deepen and he had learned that as long as he kept his tone steady and away from anything remotely whiny, or begging, his father would be more inclined to relent. This was the last lesson he would have under the Venerable Gyatso; he was losing a mentor and a friend. His heart ached deeply and he longed to hold on to the moment longer. He needed it to last longer.

Adrian Lockheed had hired a professor of philosophy and religion to teach Addison; to be able to manipulate nearly ten percent of the world, the most influential Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese business leaders, one had to understand the language. Addison’s mother encouraged it for all these years because it kept the young boy occupied and it trended well amongst the philanthropic crowds. But, Adrian had burned enough money, as he so told Addison, to be hearing the boy speak endlessly about humility and charity. That was for the women, and now that the hormones were finally working, Addison needed to act more like a man, and not such a pussy. 

“Your father is right, young Addison,” Gyatso spoke first, looking up from their seated position amongst the plants. Addison silently noted that even the plants in the doorway seemed to wilt away from his father’s presence; as if they, too, could sense the darkness in the austere businessman. Only Gyatso was unaffected by Addison’s father, a quality that the young boy desperately attempted to learn to no avail. “Allow us five minutes more to wrap up this lesson and say our goodbyes.”

As a scholar and a monk, the Venerable Gyatso did not speak in question, he spoke in truth. Adrien held eye contact with the man for a few moments longer before disappearing from the hallway without another word.

“Bhikku,” Gyatso called upon Addison, “When you find your guru, it should not be a long relationship. I wonder if you understand that. A guru is not some talisman that you keep. It is not meant to be a long relationship…” The boy threw a hand up over his mouth to stifle a small sob. It hurt to hear these words. Addison had grown close with his teacher, as his closest confidant, his only confidant. Now that his father had disappeared, tears fell freely down his face and on to his crossed legs. His teacher spared no comfort in this moment, their last moment. “Suppose you bring a hungry lion; you bring one deer in front of that hungry lion. Oh dear, who is going to remain? You can guess.” The boy looked up, confusion obvious in his features. Gyatso only laughed loudly.

“So, like this; the relationship of a guru should be like that. No more of that ‘oh yes, now I have someone to tell me what to be and to show me how to be’. No, no. It is to merge the ‘person’ into its own source, its own beingness, to transcend the personal idea of self. Follow your self, and the truth, the path is there for you to follow, it is only your choice to follow it.” The sage monk floated from the ground, and Addison’s tear filled eyes followed.

“But, Geshe-la,” Addison began. His teacher extended a hand to silence the student, then helped him to a standing position and embraced him deeply.

“Your path is your own. It is time.”

“It’s time!” Jordan yelled, obviously growing impatient. Addison still was not entirely sure what his teacher meant about the lion and the deer yet, but he felt like he was getting closer to that answer. The young witch silenced the music still playing from the headphones around his neck.

“Excuse me, sir,” Addison stepped forward, his voice calm but stern, “if you don’t remove your hand, then you may leave.” It was suddenly obvious that while this man had no respect for Jude, he did respond to Addison; it was archaic and sexist. Even as a novice witch, he knew that women held true power and authority. Jordan removed his hand from Jude’s wrist and swiped his own arm across the table, sending the tea cup and saucer placed in front of Zach flying across the room. It shattered against the wall and the only one to respond in exclamation was Zach. 

He was ignored by the rest of the present company.

“Who do you think you are? I am not going to sit quietly and let this whore sell her bullshit services to my brother any longer!” Jordan spoke in measured tone, using only volume to emphasize his point. Addison looked to Jude, who stood silently, eyebrow still raised; she was not here to help.

Addison did what he knew he could do: brew tea. He spoke as he moved around the room, “Sir, Zach has been seeing Jude for a while now, any reading performed by my mentor could be disrupted or tainted by energy and information shared over these last few years,” He used a small silver spoon to scoop a mixture of loose-leaf tea into the bottom of the tea cup; it was a bright a colorful mix, filled with life. “As you are concerned about us conning your brother, I will be performing your reading today...” Jordan’s face filled with pink, anger taking hold of the man. He was ruled by his emotions and it showed as a knee hit the underside of the table. It shuttered, the porcelain tinged with the movement. Addison continued, “As Jude knows a lot about your brother, and I know nothing, this will give you the true chance to test if we are manipulating your brother, manipulating you. I am unbiased and much more untrained than Jude; you can judge for yourself if what I have to say is false after you hear it. All we ask is your time, sir.”

There was a long stretch of silence; the air was tense, stagnant, until Jordan expelled a forceful breath in resignation. “Fine! You, bitch,” he pointed to Jude, and waved his hand dismissively. Addison’s eyes widened, fearful that the anger-prone witch would finally have enough and revel in her vengeance. It seemed he had heard that Addison was the higher rung on the ladder now, and Jude earned no more attention, “pour the water and let’s get this going. I don’t have all day.”

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon‌:

“Words have power an’ meanin’, Addison,” Jude responded, sounding a bit harsher than she intended. Her tone softened as she continued. “Y’ need to know that, bein’ a witch. Why d’ you think I don’t use my birth name anymore? ‘Cause it comes with implications I don’t want associated wit’ me. Just like you don’t want profit associated wit’ ya magic.”

She understood the hesitance, but there was no more fucking around. Jude would not be made homeless, she simply refused. The irony of the situation did not escape her, with refusing to become homeless, while simultaneously refusing to do the one thing she believed could keep them profitable. One of the contingencies of them living in the home, though, was that Jude would not bring dark magic under his roof. And, unfortunately, readings from Jude almost always seemed to create a hotbed of sinister events. Which is why she refused to do tea leaf readings. But they didn’t have time to find somewhere else, and this was what was demanded. Zack’s brother needed proof today, or he was going to have his brother cut off. 

A faint sigh of relief escaped her lips when Addison indicated his intent to learn, but she had to work hard to not roll her eyes when he called her teacher. “Y’ gotta start from the top, like I said.” She indicated, once again, the swirl of leaves around the cup. “Start from the top, tell ‘em what ya see. Try t’ say somethin’ ya think’ll hook ‘em in for the rest of the readin’. It’s not always best t’ come out with the defining information like that, some people’ll get real freaked out an’ leave. Sometimes ya gotta wait until you’re half way down the cup t’ say anything you think might scare ‘em. It’s partly about feeling out ya customer, and partly about trusting ya gut.” 

Judas leaned forward and looked once again into her cup. “Try findin’ something else in there ‘bout me.” She tilted the cup up to look into it, but dropped it in surprise as a heavy fist pounded on the front door. The two witches sat in still silence for a few seconds, before they heard the thumping again, and Jude hopped off the counter. “I’d better go let in our guests.”

Jude was in an argumentative mood. “I understand that words have power...” the younger witch replied, pausing to take a sip of his cooling caffeine, “however, my statement stands: words are just words when the intent is different…” Addison had plenty more that he could say, even some that he felt compelled to say. It wouldn’t serve a purpose to push the subject any further... not when the both of them severely disagreed on the subject matter.

It wasn’t that Addison did not want his magic linked to profit, it was that he did not want his life linked to greed. Wealth was temporary and the quest for currency only led to the craving for more currency; the cyclical pointlessness of it all was something Addison did not, would not, subscribe to.

Addison could reason it out, he knew he could. There were always excuses to be made when personal morals were bent. There was always a way to twist it, to make it fit, to sell the idea to yourself in the name of comfort and a quiet mind. But, as a Buddhist, he made the mental choice to pursue the truth above all else. And the truth was, while he was about to take an action against his creed, he did not know where this would lead. The greater good was a mystery and doing good things was good business - something good could come out of this...

Jude’s voice, and the swirling of the tea cup once again, stirred Addison away from his thoughts. He listened carefully, growing more and more uncomfortable with the upcoming situation as time passed. There seemed to be a lot of deception involved with the reading, in the way that Jude told it. A subtle, but sour seed planted itself in Addison, and with it grew unrest. Addison’s attention shifted starkly as he attempted to take stock of his inner self. A small frown took hold on the younger witch’s brow, as he was unable to trace the source, to understand this new feeling. Was it simply nerves? Or was this bad feeling his intuition sending off warning alarms?

The bang on their door signaled the end of choice, and with it, Addison’s hesitations. “Now is as good a time as any…” He quipped as he followed behind Jude to the front door.

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

aliceheed‌:

It’s astonishing to hear how calmly Addison speaks, nudging at her thoughts with the stablising notion that an unknown path is okay, acceptable. For Alice, who has spent much of her life having her life dictated for her, passing by rather smoothly due to the passive control her father maintained. Whose explosive emotions made planning and routine a necessary requirement for mitigating stress and decreasing the risk for conflict. Maybe she was content to live at home for so long because it was easier to let her father make all the decisions Alice wasn’t ready to make for herself.

At least her cousin’s rambling has untangled some of her tension and she returns to her default self.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll stick around you, I suppose. You’re the one with a level head anyway.” Alice plops her chin into her palm, leaning against her thigh. 

The moment he mentions being able to use magic, a smile pulls at her lips. “I’m not going to say your revelation is a total surprise. Dad and I used to imagine what kind of witch you’d be if you had the magic in the family too. I was sold on  air and dad was putting his money on water. We also thought you might be skilled with healing. We were both wrong! Man, I wish I could tell him. Dad always hoped you’d get magic but he also worried that it would turn your dad against you.”

She snorts. “I suppose he didn’t need to know you had magic to do that though.”

Instead of lamenting the past, Alice does her best as Addison suggests to remain focused on the present. “So what else can you do? Grow a whole tree right out of the ground? Mould giant mud balls to throw at assholes who look at you wrong? Or, knowing you, you have some secret plot of land in this town where you grow every flower and herb known to man and use them to like–save people or something. And you grow your own weed, like the weirdo that you are.”

Addison laughed at his cousin’s name calling, loudly and fully. He felt the laughter roll through the entirety of his body as tears gathered at the corner of each eye. The sound of it filled the empty apartment. “Oh boy, Alice,” he settled back into himself, a large smile glued in place, “I have missed you very, very much.” He will filled to the brim with solace and contentment in the current moment, a piece of enlightenment came with her presence.

“No, no,” he returned to the original line of questioning, “I cannot do any of those things, but even the oldest spruce began only from a seed; just ask Kalaloch that when you meet him, as he can assuredly attest.” Addison spared a moment to briefly glance around the room, as he wondered where the elder elf was. Kalaloch was extremely reclusive, but happy to share his experiences if prompted. There was no sign of him, so Addison moved on with haste, “I do dabble in herbal remedies… and I know where to find most flowers and herbs native to the region. Perhaps the mud balls will come in the future.”

“Tell me more about your life, cuz,” Addison probed. There was once a possibility where the both of them would have shared a lifetime of memories of growing up. The universe took them each on a separate, but necessary, path. Alice was inundated with the weight of attempting to reside in the past, a place that was home to no being in existence. Humans were the only creature that seemed to hold on to the past so vehemently and Addison knew that it was nothing but a death sentence. “Start at the beginning,” the young witch, with his legs pulled up to his chest, rocked back and forth with the excess of excitement. If Alice wanted to live in the past, Addison could vacation with her in the sunlight and the stormclouds.

Reunited ~ Alice & Addison

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon‌:

“I…” Judas paused, taking the time to consider her phrasing, “I wouldn’t say that. Think of it less as a profit point, an’ more a somethin’ that’s gonna secure income in the future.” Her lips pulled into a light pucker as she searched her vocabulary for the right word. The pucker spread to a sly smile when it came to her. “Think of it as an investment.”

She didn’t ask him for much. At least, she thought that she didn’t ask him for much. Addison got to live in a warm home, with food, electricity, and pot, and all for virtually free. But she needed this from him, or else she might lose her best client. Zack’s brother was chomping at the bit to get Zack cut off, and that would be a massive loss for her. “I know ya aren’t a fan a what I do, but it’s the only reason we ain’t totally fucked right now. I don’t know how long the old man is gonna let us stay here, and we need t’ have some kind a funds to keep us goin’.”

In one fluid motion, Jude made an about-face and hoisted herself up to the counter top, then turned on her hip and sat crosslegged directly in front of Addison. Using both torso and arms to stretch, Jude grabbed a now slightly cooled cup of coffee from beside the sink and placed it beside him on the edge of the counter with a heavy thunk. “Y’ look like y’ might need this.”

“No matter how you twist the words, Jude, that’s all they are,” Addison countered candidly, with the slightest shake of his head. He disagreed from a moral standpoint. His father had the same certain way of twisting words, but intent always shone. “But, I understand…” his sentence interrupted with the momentary clack of ceramic meeting stone, “you want to secure the future. Fear of the unknown.” Addison knew without a doubt that they would both be okay; even if Kalaloch did kick them to the curb, they would manage fine on the streets… better than most…

All Addison wanted to do was fearlessly follow his bliss. The fearless aspect of it was a challenge at moments with the ever variable Jude. She didn’t wait for doors to open, she kicked them open. 

The words of venerable Zen Master Kaizen, a monk Addison studied under in Seattle, swam around in his head: “Here is a secret nickname I use for the most troublesome people in my life. I call them ‘teacher’ in my mind. Try it; you will be surprised what they teach you when you really mean it.”

“Alright, teacher…” he sighed the word, collecting the coffee mug from the counter and pressing it to his lips. He considered the older witch a teacher, surely… occasionally… when the mood struck her at the right moment. This particular interaction was less about teaching, and more about profit. But, as most things in life, lessons only happen when you are open to them. Addison had to be open. And he had to remember earlier teachings. “What next?”

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

wessonmelancon:

“Smart kid,” Wesson mentioned offhand. Herbs weren’t his forte in any sense, though his wife did enjoy to share her knowledge with him on some occasions. That knowledge would do him no good in this area, however. And while he wasn’t typically quick to trust, Addison seemed young and naive enough to be uninterested in swindling someone of Wesson’s kind.

He nodded along to Addison’s talk, putting his hands in his jeans pockets and mostly making eye contact with the sidewalk. He would look up a few times in between to make sure he was meeting eyes with the other witch, to gauge his personality and trustworthiness over time.

“I’m sure.” They turned together down an alleyway near the cathedral, where Wesson sometimes chose to do business and other dealings. “Here,” he motioned toward Addison after pulling both hands out of his pockets to free them, “this should work jus’ fine.” His hand stayed out and waiting for something to be placed in it. “Give ‘em here.”

@addisonlockheed

The alley near the cathedral was as enriched and engaging as the rest of the city had been. Addison was in awe of ancient placards on every street, on most buildings, declaring the age and history. He attempted to read and absorb as much as possible, and was even more excited to introduce a higher plain of thought to the equation.

“Oh!” Addison essentially squeaked. There were a few stragglers around, mostly homeless minding their own business peppered with the odd tourist too absorbed in their own life to take notice to the pair of them. The younger witch shrugged with animation, a goofy action, “I guess so! They don’t taste so good, did I already mention that?” he spoke as he pulled the ziploc bag from his jacket pocket, popped it open, and grabbed a small pinch. He thought better, and pulled a bit more, before placing them in Wesson’s open palm. “Okay, so, just give them a good chew. The nausea will hit before the trip, but once you get through that, it is smooth sailing.”

A few of the shriveled, almost greenish mushrooms were plucked from within the deeper contents of the bag. Addison closed his eyes for a brief moment, to center himself, and to give gratitude to the universe before departing on the voyage. The pause was short, no more than thirty seconds at most, and Addison tossed a few shrooms into his mouth, chewing with gusto.

Day Trippers (Flashback) || Addison & Wesson

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon:

Judas cocked an eyebrow when she heard the note of disappointment in Addison’s voice. He did not seem the type to react negatively to learning something. His confusion was clear in his posture and face, but there was something in his voice that sounded almost sure about his interpretation. Jude pushed saucer closer to him, encouraging Addison to look further. “Uh-uh,” she replied, a light smirk playing across her lips. “Listen t’ ya instincts.”

She remembered that feeling. That conflict between the conscious and unconscious mind, trying to read through the crap that sat on the surface to the truth beneath it. Readings could be hard – she knew – but Addison was honest, and anything he might say to their clients would come through as truthful. Which is why she was forcing him to the reading today, instead of her. “And anyway,” Jude continued, “Ya have it right. We do have a visitor comin’.” She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled the longest tresses into a small ponytail on top of her head. “A man an’ his wife are comin’ by for a tea leaf readin’. I don’ do readin’s like that anymore, but that’s why I have ya learnin’.”

The witch bit the edge of her left ring finger nail and ripped it off with her teeth. “I’s a pregnant woman an’ her husband. We’re doin’ this as a favor t’ one a my other clients.” A smile split on her face and she spit the nail into the garbage disposal. “An’ by favor, I mean he offered me three hundred bucks t’ get this guy off his back. I guess this guy comin’ by is his brother, an’ the brother’s gettin’ all pissy ‘bout my client givin’ me his money for readings. He just wants proof that we’re the real deal.”

“It’s hard…” Addison closed his mouth, at the first utterance of an excuse. It wasn’t hard, it was different. He had always trusted his instincts prior to this moment. Now, today, shouldn’t be any different. It wasn’t any different, if you took the youthful witch’s fear, confusion, and hesitance out of the equation.

Overcoming doubt and hesitance was one of Addison’s biggest pitfalls. For a young man that claimed freedom - freedom from society, from the traps of money and fame - he was still quite bound by the subconscious narrative of his father. Aiden Lockheed instilled into his son the firm belief that there were no shortcuts in life, that everything was a direct result of hard work and perseverance.

Magic was the biggest shortcut of all.

But, Addison was growing to learn that magic was not a shortcut… not in the least… it was just a different door, a door that only few had the key too. It was foolish to make his journey longer, only because he had been told there was only one door, only one path, all his life, particularly when there was a door right in front of him, open, with Jude standing beside it, beckoning him inside.

“So… my first reading…” he cautiously chose his words, “... is something that you are profiting off of?” Addison didn’t have to say any more, they both knew his stance on this particular topic, as money was what they fought over the most.

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

aliceheed:

Alice lets her cousin talk, nodding in agreement at the mention that innocence was never a favourite of the Lockheeds. Of course, the Heeds were different. Anthony Heed was anyway. Her mother was another story entirely. But that wasn’t what they were here for. Here because of, but Alice is ready to move away from the topic.

“Quite the philosopher you’ve become,” Alice quips when it’s clear Addison’s finished sharing his experience for the moment. “I can’t say I understand the loss of innocence or really care to know how that works but I take your word for it.”

The girl begins to fiddle with the end of her hair, catching it between her fingers and staring at it as she winds it around her digits and then lets it go free. Talking all the while. It’s a habit she has had since childhood, one of the reasons she has unconsciously feared cutting her hair too short. “I guess I’m blind because I don’t know what the hell happens now. Maybe if I’d been on my own since seventeen I’d have a better grasp but–dude–this is all new to me. I wasn’t thinking about moving away from my dad until at least twenty-five, hoping I’d have better magic control by then. Or I’d have found another witch to live with.”

Giving a shrug Alice looks up at her cousin through her lashes and adds, “I suppose finding you is a better alterative to dealing with someone unfamiliar and unrelated to me at least. But like, clearly there wasn’t hellavu lot of plannin’ that went into this. I don’t like not knowing what each next step is. It’s–” the hair around her fingers twines tight enough to cut off circulation, “fucking scary having no clue what to do.”

“What happens now,” Addison circled back around to his cousin’s self-professed blindness, “is you live each day as it comes. The place is here and the time is now. There are no guarantees that you will have life past today, or that I will, and so living as if a guarantee serves no purpose.” He leaned back a little, keeping his hand on his cousin’s knee, to rest against the windowsill. The young witch extended his leg, a sharp numbness invading his lower leg and gaining territory with each passing moment. “It is scary. It’s terrifying, but you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here, and you can be here too. The place is here and the time is now.” Addison repeated the short mantra, with the hope that it might reach Alice. There was a turbulent windsheer surrounding her now, so deep and thrush that he could barely see her aura on the other side, and Addison was not sure exactly how much was heard on the other side. He could, and would, repeat himself as much as it took, for as long as Alice was willing to listen.

“And,” Addison inhaled deeply, a smile building, “As long as you are willing to put up with hearing my philosophy, I can help you to the best of my ability. It seems that our blood runs deeper than we both knew; I am a witch as well. A lot more subtle than the fireworks,” he chuckled deeply, shoving playfully at the knee beneath his palm before retreating to his lap, and then the unlit joint.

“While your element affinity rests in flame, mine rests in earth,” he rolled the joint between his thumb and forefinger, splitting it open to let the contents spill out. He recalled seeing a tiny seed when he was rolling the joint earlier. He had already been stoned and had been a bit less particular than usual when assembling the joint. Addison found what he was searching for without much trouble. A small seed. He placed it in the palm of his hand and extended his arm to show Alice. Addison’s eyes slowly slipped shut, as he searched deep within for the power of the nearby ley line. It was difficult, nearly impossible, for him to use his magic without the extra boost of this, or Jude. But Jude said he was improving.

The small seed sat, untouched. “Alice, you have to focus all your energy not on struggling with the old, but on building the new.” And with that, the seed burst open to reveal a deep green plant embryo, a single wilted leaf growing… extending… before standing straight up.

Reunited ~ Alice & Addison

[addisonlockheed]

@thebetrayermelancon

[addisonlockheed]

aliceheed:

“I’m blind to my story from this point forward if that’s the case,” Alice retorts with a bitter edge. She lets out a heavy sigh, expelling the last of her anger before dropping her face into her palms and rubbing with vigour. When she deigns to lift her head, her face holds a tired happiness, ruined only by the dark circles of anguish that cling to the edges of her eyes.

The smirk she offers is wry as she adds, “I think my mother stole my innocence long before this, but–this just sealed my innocence’s fate. It ran off. Never to be seen again.

“But what the fuck ever.” Alice shoves her mourning deep down where she can gnaw on it like a bone later. Right now she wants to find an escape, something to distract her. Addison, grown up with his lanky limbs suiting his frame, spending time growing marijuana. Her cousin is the distraction she desperately needs. “You know the most recent development in my semi-adult life. I want to know what you’ve been up to. How did you get here, in this oddball town? What did you do to piss off Uncle Adrian?”

“Why blind?” It was a simple question to, what Addison knew, was a reactionary statement. It held little truth, and he guessed that when pressured, Alice would not be able to defend the statement. He didn’t ask the question to provoke his cousin, rather, he wanted her to see that she had choice. There was always choice. “And innocence is always stolen away in pieces throughout life, it doesn’t mean that it is locked away and forever banished from your life. I know it probably seems like I’m speaking in rhymes or riddles, but there is and will always be innocence in the world. I think that perhaps, our family, is particularly just fond of rushing the process, that or they aren’t too fond of innocence. It was always made out to be a negative trait to have by the Lockheeds’.” 

There was a hint of bitterness in Addison’s own voice, as he reminisced on the many times his father had chastised him for being too ‘innocent’ or for spending too much time ‘with his head in the clouds’. It was a nicer way of saying stupid, in the eyes of Adrian Lockheed. Not that Addison hadn’t been called stupid plenty enough.

Addison took his turn to sigh heavily, “Uh, not too much. I ended up here by chance, as most of life seems to run by. I was living in Seattle still, and I ran into a woman, Jude, and she asked me to come along to New Orleans with her. So, I spent some time down south, and then we came back up here. There’s a lot more to it, obviously...” He began by telling the easier parts first, leaving out plenty but understanding that they had time to get into the details later on. “And my father actually ended up making me angry. I found out how they made their money. I left the family home when I was barely seventeen, and I’ve been on my own since. I haven’t spoken to anyone in the family... ya know... until tonight.” 

Reunited ~ Alice & Addison

[addisonlockheed]

thebetrayermelancon:

Jude uncurled a pinky from her right fist and pointed to a deposit of tea leaves on the gold-plated rim of the cup. “Y’ gotta start from the top,” she answered. “Readin’ leaves is ‘bout readin’ the future. Top’s the nearest future,” She ran her finger above the swirl of leaves that had deposited onto the edge of the cup, “An it progresses through time down the cup.”

The taste of peach tea spilled into Jude’s mouth. Memory of that morning on Pawpaw’s porch felt like peach tea and warm wind. Thibaut Chevalier always taught forcefully. There was never a chance to avoid what he wanted to teach, but never a chance to ask for his teaching either. She had to take what was given; a style that would be mimicked by his granddaughter as she aged – first with Lucy, then with Stuart, and now with Addison. Lessons in tea reading took place daily, at the crack of dawn, for six years straight. It became a practiced ritual between the two. They would sit on their porch, smoke a cigarette together, and drink their tea in silence. When the cups were drained, they would read for each other. Thibaut never judged, never pressed for information. All he did was interpret, up until the day she was kicked out of the coven.

“Don’ jus’ look at the shapes from the leaves. Y’ gotta look at the light shapes alongside the dark.” Jude pointed to a distinct shape, formed in the white of the leaves. “This, f’ example. Looks like a boat, aye? An’ boats are used for journeys. An’ this particular boat is in white. Knowin’ what ya know ‘bout the world, what d’ ya think this shape means?”

Addison listened carefully to each and every direction shared by Jude; Jude never wasted time to mention irrelevant information in her teachings. He knew from experience, recent experience, that inattention would not be tolerated by his roommate. The learning curve was far too high, and the consequences even higher. Addison’s mind flashed back to the incident on the fire escape, both anticipation and excitement flashed momentarily in his chest.

With all his weight put on one leg, Addison leaned far off of his chair to peer inside of the tea cup. His eyes searched, attempting to find the aforementioned boat. “Oh,” the word slipped from his lips, like disappointment, upon spotting the boat made out in the contrast of dark tea leaves. Jude had mentioned a journey, and Addison knew that he should probably say something to that effect. But... 

In the white of the boat, Addison felt differently. This was not a journey, it was the ending of a journey. “A visitor...” The words left his mouth without intent, as if some greater force pushed the thought free from the air, and through his vocal cords. 

Addison shook his head softly, “I don’t think I am seeing what you’re seeing.” He felt uneasy, uncomfortable with his inability see, to understand, what Jude was. The young witch retreated back to his chair, eyebrows furrowed as he attempted decipher the meaning, “Maybe we should start again, from the beginning?”

Don’t Believe in the Things That I Do; Addison and Jude

[addisonlockheed]

wessonmelancon:

Wesson had missed Addison’s question about where he wanted to visit first; he was too busy getting up from the table and leaving money. His eyes lingered briefly on the coins he left behind, raising a curious eyebrow, but deciding not to speak up about it.

“You mentioned the cathedral, right? Should be able to find somewhere around there t’ munch ‘em.” Wesson reached over and patted the witch’s shoulder, pushing him slightly in the direction that they were headed. The cathedral was a short walk, but a walk nonetheless, so he decided there should be some sort of conversation between the two of them before the tourist talk began.

“Where’d ya get those, anyway?”

@addisonlockheed​

“Yes sir!” Addison allowed himself to be guided in the correct direction. He could see the top of the cathedral already; it was buried behind at least half a dozen blocks. The black peaks of the temple stood tall above most of the city. 

A light giddiness permeated the lining of Addison’s stomach as they walked alongside each other. He placed his hand over the bag, safely tucked away in his jacket. “Oh these? I picked them myself. They’re most easily found in this area, and I was quite lucky! It just took a few days for me to get them properly dried... and now that they are...”

Addison kept speed, walking alongside his new friend Wesson, “And they are much more enjoyable with company.”

Day Trippers (Flashback) || Addison & Wesson

[addisonlockheed]

It is very easy to conform to what your society or your parents and teachers tell you. That is a safe and easy way of existing. To live is to find out for yourself what is true.

Jiddu Krishnamurti (via aspiritualwarrior)

[addisonlockheed]

aliceheed:

Addison’s hand pulls the girl back to herself. His touch grounds her, the motion of his thumb against her skin drawing its own kind of sigils of peace into her body. Does she feel like lashing out at her mother, making her pay for taking the one person she loved most from her? Hell yes. But is it feasible? As much as she hates to admit it, no, it’s not. Her cousin is right. Not that she thinks she’s destined for anything other than difficult and dangerous paths.

Alice decides she’d rather not linger on these thoughts.

Her fingers unclench and she shakes her hand out, both to relieve the strain from her joints and to make certain the flame is fully dissipated. Rubbing the back of her other hand across her eyes, Alice sighs. “Sorry. I–It’s still a lot to process and, fuck, I’m just so angry.”

After a moment, she feels more collected and leans back on her hands as she says, “But yeah, that’s what brought me here. You’re basically the only good thing left in my life and I couldn’t stay there after that so–here I am. I just wish it was under better circumstances and all that crap.”

Alice appeared to be returning to the present moment. The flame disappeared and her breathing leveled out, a few moments, later, and his cousin was speaking once again. “There’s no need to apologize, Alice...” Addison’s voice is low, measured, but filled to the brim with only love and concern for his family, his only real family. 

“The way you feel is expected. It isn’t wrong, or misplaced. It just is. You have experienced a great loss, not only of your father, but also your mother... and your...” Addison inhaled deeply, unsure of the best way to explain the concept that rolled around in his head, “innocence... but, a great loss of innocence is the beginning to most stories. It is just up to you what that story will be, from this point forward.”

Reunited ~ Alice & Addison