eremington - Tumblr blog

[eremington]

He gave Jax a soft smile. "It makes sense as an anniversary." An odd question occurred to him, and Elijah glanced at the graves as if asking for permission before he said it out loud. "What would they think of Gwen and Caleb? I know only one of them is a blood relation, but you did help raise them both." And it made more sense than just asking what Jax's parents might think of the pack in general.

Jaxon's gaze remained on the witch's for a moment longer, as if in need of form of reassurance, and quickly moved on..back to those grave stones. 'No. I was the first one in the family to do so.' His parents had always wanted that life for him and fought hard to instill pack values on him, but sadly, had passed on before they saw it come to fruition. '..I try to, but no. I mostly do so around this time of year..for the lunar new year.'

[eremington]

That was... bizarre, but he wasn't here to investigate her parents' death - though he did take note of her description to look into later. "And did you call for someone?" He asked gently, trying to subtly turn the two of them so his body was blocking her view of the house. "How did an adult find you?" It wasn't clear exactly how young Daphne had been when this happened, but the backpack and few photos he'd glimpsed suggested that she hadn't yet been a teenager.

Even though she knew that his words were true, it was exceedingly difficult to separate herself from the memory. Never had an illusion felt more real. Elijah had done an excellent job of teaching her, yet she was now trapped inside something of her own making. She wanted to weep. She wanted to fall to her knees and cover her eyes. She wanted it all to go away, yet she was the only one who could make it end. "They were cold on the floor. There was no blood, but there was an unfinished salt circle." Or at least that is what the young witch thought when she saw the salt spread all over the floor.

[eremington]

So she'd been the one to find them. It was hard to imagine much about the situation that could be worse. Elijah furrowed his brows, worried about Daphne becoming immersed in the memory and losing control of her magic. "Daphne. I need you to listen to me; this is one of your memories. You've been here before." There had to be some point in her memory that worked as a way to pull her out of it, but they hadn't reached it yet. "What did you see?"

She trembled in his grasp. All those years melted away, leaving her the scared child that she once was. "I found them like that. They won't wake up. I think they are sick." Her voice wavered as if she was explaining it to the detective rather than reliving the worse moments of her life. She knew what would happen next. She knew what lay beyond that tape. She didn't want to see it.

[eremington]

Elijah groaned but couldn't help laughing at the comparison. "I don't know about surprise, but it's something you would probably like to know." He made casual filler conversation as the two of them got their drinks and retreated to a corner away from most of the other patrons. "I assume you heard about the hacks at norex a while back. I was able to help stop them, but a lot of data was exposed." He sighed and looked away from Naz, tracing a fingertip over the edge of his mug. It still hurt to admit Eiji's complicity in the hacks because the news had also come with the revelation that he had also been responsible for Elijah's curse. "Eiji may have helped them access our servers - though someone magically altered his memory, and he's in Lycaon custody at the moment."

Naz was unapologetic about that too. They would never want her imposing herself in witches business. "Sometimes you have to remind people." The spirit had also heard that Elijah was also on that kidnap list but she wouldn't bring that up unless he did. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, trying to put together what the result could have been. "Right, that's probably for the best. But this feels like a real life click bait article. The results will surprise you," she mimicked.

[eremington]

He kept his face neutral as the woman walked out of the office by him, saving the raised eyebrow for Astrid as he closed the door behind him. "Business seems to be booming." Ignoring the unease settling in the pit of his stomach at closing himself in with her, he made his way over to sit across from her. "I was here a few days ago and ran into Divya. She seemed... quite at home, and I realized the two of us hadn't spoken much." He wanted to see what Astrid's initial reaction to the name would be before trying to press for more.

There were more and more witches gracing the halls of Absythnia, much to her delight. She always wanted her club to be popular, sure, but people who came into her club were on camera view and she always hopped for some kind of footage that would be useful to her later. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware of the coven leader's presence in her club because she was otherwise occupied with someone in her office. She did, however, hear his knock. Astrid didn't know him well and she was ready to ignore him in favor for the woman in front of her, but she wanted to know what he wanted. With a sigh, she shooed away her paramour, watching as she opened the door and slipped out past Elijah. "Well, come on in, then."

[eremington]

"I..yeah thanks for the heads up." They gesture for him to follow her to the second floor her other hand activating a few of the paintings around the door to lock up and close the blinds. "Oh he's lovely causing mayhem and demanding attention from literally anyone that he can find."

Speaking of the devil he appears weaving between the two and will demand pets from the professor as soon as he's seated..

[eremington]

Elijah shrugged in response to their skeptical look. "I'm definitely not his favorite witch." Probably was somewhere near the bottom, but he'd at least learned not to ask questions like that when he didn't absolutely need the answer. "And how are you smart, Atlas? What's your skill? Other than good taste in art of course." He was curious what Atlas would say if forced to pick something positive about themselves.

They didn't mean to be jealous of Artus. It wasn't his fault that their father put the weight of the world on his shoulders. Atlas had never been jealous of his fame or success, they simply wanted to be seen by their father. "He does his best. I don't hold it against him," she assured. Atlas's brow rose, never having thought her brother would go up against Elijah. "I won't tell him. His head is big enough as it is," they promised. "I think we're all smart in our own ways and Artus knows how to read a person, it's a skill."

[eremington]

Unintentionally, his grip on her shoulders turned bruising for a moment when the illusion shifted completely and he scrambled to keep up with what he saw. "Daphne?" He knew she was taken in by her aunt after her parents deaths, but hadn't known the details. The police tape on the windows didn't bode well though. Elijah shifted to stand beside Daphne, keeping a hand on her shoulder in the hope that it would ground her at least a bit. "What happened here?"

Daphne could hear her name being called, but it wasn't Elijah's voice she heard. She trembled, losing control of the illusion. No longer were they standing in a coffee shop. Now she was back at home, Strawberry Shortcake backpack dropped carelessly by the front door. Family pictures littered the walls, but none were from beyond 1996. There was glass shattered near the windows and that horrid yellow tape, and the music that continued to play from the other room just beyond their sight.

[eremington]

He gave Max a small grimace to show how correct their comment was. "Not exactly, but it's something I think other supernaturals should know." It wasn't his goal to make people paranoid, but it was something for them to keep an eye out for. "Tea sounds perfect. And how's Montie doing? I assume he's around here somewhere."

Max's mouth fell open, this was the first she was hearing about it and to say it made worry was perhaps a little bit of an understatement. "I ...well damn." They brushed a hand through their hair and tried to put their shock back where it belonged. "I'm glad you're okay. Goddess..." She shook her head and sighed, "Thank you for telling me. I can't imagine that's something you're really hyped to talk about." They gave him a small smile, "Well since I got you here, tea? My mom just sent some in from Japan."

[eremington]

Elijah tried to stop the record player but his hand passed straight through it. He stepped away from the counter and walked back to Daphne, nearly tripping as the room shifted dizzyingly around him. "Daphne." He held her shoulders, trying to get her attention. "Daphne listen to me. I need you end the illusion." It would be possible for Elijah to break it himself but not without likely hurting Daphne in the process.

"You did say nothing that you can interact with. If there was a door, I would need to put a matching hall or exterior." She never thought to use an illusion to trap someone. There were indeed many uses for the skill, but not once had the idea of a deception so cruel crossed her mind.

She turned, looking at the yellowed record player. In the cafe, it would have been a vase of sunflowers. She took a step closer, gasping softly. "No... it's not." The vinyl began to spin, music crackling as the music filled the room. La Vie Rose. "No, no, no." She gasped, taking a step back as if the illusion was attacking her.

[eremington]

"That's because I could always trust you to deal with spirit affairs, also if anyone tried else tried to interfere, you were always happy to remind us of our place. I heard about Samara though." He sighed. There had been a result from everything that had happened, names and some basic information about the 'hunters' but very little that was tangible. Other than Eiji still being with the Lycaons. "There has been a result, but I suggest we get our drinks first and maybe discuss it in a less public area."

"That's because you don't deal with spirits," Naz replied. Izak certainly caused trouble but so did Mx Nakatomi. The two animal spirits were on very different sides of the law but Naz tried not to get in his way or interfere. Naz had kept pretty well informed about things but it helped when her friend was attacked. "Yes, Judas was also attacked. It doesn't seem like much has come from that. Again," she muttered, shaking her head. She might have been gone but nothing much had changed in the city. "We were lucky. I worry for the day when we're not so lucky and we have to deal with the aftermath."

[eremington]

Elijah rolled his eyes, used to Divya's jabs by now about how he was old and stuffy. He hadn't told her too much about his past encounters with Matthew and Izak. "I suppose it does make sense given the connection you all have to the spirits." Though Absynthia tended to lean towards the more unsavory side of dealing with spirits and the deals they could make. "As long as this fun doesn't involve your soul or someone stealing your body. There are a lot of people who would love to get a coven leader under their thumb."

"Don't tell me you've come here to be the fun police, Elijah. Did you not see the sign out front that clearly stated no party poopers," she pouted lightly, chuckling a bit at her own words. She considered her next carefully, not wanting to raise any suspicion from her mentor. "Where's the fun in that?" she added, before realizing he probably wouldn't stop until he got an answer. "A few of my witches had been spending a lot of their time at this club. I came to keep an eye on them and see what all the fuss was about, and maybe have a little fun of my own in the process," She let her shoulder rise and fall in a shrug, before her glass of wine met her lips again.

[eremington]

There was something in Atlas's voice that almost sounded jealous of their brother, but it wasn't his place to comment on that. "Even if he's 'the star,' making time for you is important." Elijah gave her a sad little smile, seeing some of his own family troubles reflected in her words. "I learned that the hard way, but I think in this case your brother is smarter than me." Artus had always been disdainful of Elijah's strained relationship with his sons, which gave him the impression the elf wouldn't make the same mistake with his sister. "Please don't tell Artus I said that though, I don't think I would ever hear the end of it."

Atlas's face filled with a smile, ignoring the her thoughts gnawed at her stomach. Their father would always be a sore spot it seemed and they had never been great at hiding it though. There was some comfort in knowing they weren't the only one with difficult familial relationships. "Not since my gallery opening," they admitted. "I talk to Artus every day, well at least text each other every day. He's always so busy though, I get it. He is the star."

[eremington]

Elijah looked around at the environment, watching the window for a few moments before turning back to Daphne. "Good job. The lack of a door is a dead giveaway, but that's not always a bed thing if you want someone to know they're trapped." He took a step forward to look across the shop counter, gently tapping various objects to test how they held up.

At one end though, he came to a record player that looked slightly out of place, but given the other decor he wasn't sure if it was something he was meant to notice or not. He rested a hand on the side of it and looked over at Daphne. "Is this here in real life?"

Daphne grinned. The request was easy enough. She let her mind wander to the cafe she worked at. The lace curtains that hung from each window to make it seem like home along with the smells of coffee and vanilla. The window shimmered, changing to show brick buildings and tree lined streets she passed everyday. Just to showoff, she added the occasional bicycle or car driving past. She purposely made certain that despite every detail of the shop being just as it was in reality, there was neither door nor chair present.

[eremington]

@astrid-lundquist

After his encounter with Divya at Absynthia a few weeks ago, Elijah had a suspicion that something was up with the younger witch, but he didn't want to confront her - gently or otherwise - until he knew for sure. It had brought him to Astrid's office in Absynthia. She had to know what was happening in her club, or at the very least she would have seen Divya more. The sound of voices inside made him pause, and he waited for a moment of quiet before knocking. "Astrid? I wanted to talk with you."

[eremington]

Elijah nodded, considering for a moment before deciding. "Show me then. Try to push yourself a bit though. Sometimes detail can be easier to add when it's somewhere you know well or somewhere mundane. Try to create something where the environment itself might keep someone from interacting."

Daphne sat a bit straighter in the chair, beaming with pride as the illusion faded to be replaced by the sunshine. She might not have had the advantages that some of the other witches her age had, but she was confident in what she could do. "I've still got a few issues on holding the illusions that require interaction, but I have a firm grasp on simple scenes." At least as long as someone with more experience didn't interfere with the illusion.

[eremington]

He couldn't help a small chuckle when the illustration waved at him. "I'm probably being over-cautious, but like I said, just being careful about who's around when you use magic. A few months ago, I was kidnapped along with a few other supernatural people. We were rescued, but it was certainly a was a wakeup call for the threat that humans can pose." It wasn't something Elijah enjoyed talking about, but Max did deserve to know about it for their own safety.

They raised an eyebrow as he spoke about glimpses, "That's news to me.. but I'm not exactly in the know." They waved a hand and the little ghibli sprite like creatures on the ceiling came to life grabbing a sheet and covering over the canvas. They went back to their spots and made a wave to the professor before returning to the wood they lived on. "Should I be worried about whatever it is that's going on? If it's got you uncomfortable well that's concerning." Max might not have been part of a Coven but they still respected Elijah's standing and what that meant for the others. "You know if you ever need my help I'm happy to give it."