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endlessevenings · 1 month

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Maritime Magic || Mahuika & Marcus

Timing: Current-ish

Location: The beach/ocean, Hanging Rock, Harborside

Parties: @thenavysealkie & @endlessevenings

Triggers: None

This made number three. The third person that Marcus had to drag back to shore, just this week! Weren’t the winter months supposed to be less busy? Once the would-be victim got his legs back underneath him, he was sent on his way with, hopefully, a powerful lesson about not getting in the water without knowing how to swim.

“I swear, if the town doesn’t kill some of these people their own stupidity will” Marcus said, shaking his head. He couldn’t be there for every swimmer turned victim. He’d found plenty of corpses and dragged them back to shore just as he would a living person. However, they did serve as a reminder that every person he saves very easily could end up like the floating bodies he came across instead.

He was tired, and he was hoping to return to the lighthouse just to kick back and relax for a bit. The sun had yet to set, so his watch hadn’t technically started yet, but he took more solace in the lighthouse than he had in his own home recently. Just as he was about to head inside, however, he heard a screaming in the distance.

She was actually totally chill about water. In the same way that someone with ophidiophobia was chill about snakes. (That was the phobia of snakes, by the way – she’d googled it for funsies one day). So why Mahuika had stuck around a coastal-freaking-town in freaking-Maine of all places was as much a mystery to her as it would’ve been to anyone who knew her.

Luckily, few people did. Which was totally chill, because the fewer number of people who knew her, the fewer number of people who could figure stuff out that she didn’t want figured out. Which was good.

Except that sometimes she got a little cocky about things – and yes, she could admit this about herself. That was part of what made her such a good person. Mahuika very much figured that she was a good person, and this was just further proof of that. She liked science, she’d excelled in mathematics. She was freaking good at proofs. Just, as it would happen, not so great at looking where she was going (on the coast), and a few rocks got loose and suddenly she was in the water (salt water, which tasted horrible in her mouth) and she couldn’t help but scream. She was a shit swimmer, and the water was really really super dark.

Marcus looked behind him to see a woman crashing into the water, and it didn’t seem like she was doing a great job of even treading water. Marcus took a deep breath and put his head into his open left palm before shaking his head and running towards the drowning woman. Given how the waves were already starting to come over her, he knew he wouldn’t have much time until she was submerged. At that point, it’d be very tough to find her without shifting into his seal form first. He palmed his pelt, ensuring he had it just in case.

“Hold on!” he yelled as he ran closer to the woman.

He really hoped that she wouldn’t completely go under before he got there. Some people had a tendency to sink like stones and, while swimming was something he excelled at, diving was not. His feet padded along the wet sand as he finally neared the woman, who looked to slowly be losing her struggle with the crashing waves.

Salt water tasted funny. Not funny good – and honestly, not totally funny bad, either. But it wasn’t good. It was horrible, actually. Nothing to do with the ocean was good. Well, Mahuika supposed that some animals were good and beneficial and helpful, but the ocean on the whole was just bad. She heard someone’s voice, vaguely, far off (though she hadn’t been that far from shore, had she?).

She slipped under, for a moment, then back up, before she was about to try and see if somehow she was able to control the water (it didn’t work). But a figure appeared next to her and without even thinking twice she grabbed onto them. “I – shore. Now. Please.” Mahuika coughed out. “I’d very much like to not be in this fucking water any longer.”

As Marcus approached the drowning woman she quickly clung onto him without missing a beat. He was used to people grabbing onto his shoulders with their full weight, and was grateful he was strong enough to keep both of them afloat as they did so. Too often a rescuer would be pulled down by the victim they were attempting to rescue, resulting in both people drowning. He had heard many stories of it happening, and had even seen it a time or two out on the field.

He made sure the woman had a secure grip on him before he made yet another grueling trip back to the shore. At least in this instance he didn’t have far to go, but the fatigue from the day was seriously starting to set in, and it was obvious he was moving more sluggishly than he normally would.

Soon after, the pair reached the shore line and Marcus ensured the woman he rescued was on her feet before collapsing onto the sand, spitting out sea water as he did so. The woman didn’t appear too worse for wear, and he hoped the same could be said for himself. After catching his breath for a moment, he sat up and said “You gotta be more careful. The currents this time of year are unpredictable, and a riptide can come on at any moment. If I wasn’t here…”

Then, rather than chastise her further, he simply shook his head. He was frustrated at the folly of humans, but this woman didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of that frustration. Hell, she had just avoided drowning to death, the least he could do was show a touch of sympathy rather than berate her. Marcus took a deep breath to recompose himself.

“Sorry, just having one of those days. Are you okay? Do you need any kind of medical attention?”

She wanted to snap at his reminder for her to “be more careful”, because what? Mahuika was a very careful person (when she wanted to be) and this stranger judging her? So not it. Still this stranger had saved her life and she was probably supposed to be grateful for that (not even probably, she genuinely was), but that didn’t mean she couldn’t also be annoyed and frustrated about things. She was amazing at multitasking, after all.

Mahuika brushed her hand through her hair. She was so going to have to go home and wash it with extra shampoo and conditioner, which was a total waste of money, proving once again how stupid and awful and terrible the ocean was.

“I’m fine.” She coughed, spitting water out of her mouth, “or, like, at least mostly, haha.” She resisted making a face and figured she should be rewarded for that. Except that this dude had just saved her and asking for a reward at a time like this was so not tactful. Mahuika wanted to be tactful. Most of the time. “I might need a towel? But I don’t think I need medical attention. Unless it looks like I do?” She frowned.

For having almost drowned, Marcus couldn’t help but notice the woman seemed pretty non-chalant about the whole ordeal. Something told him this wasn’t her first offense. To Marcus, she seemed okay. Her color was good, she was moving appropriately. She was able to speak without difficulty, and Marcus hoped he wouldn’t end up being annoyed by this fact.

“You seem okay, aside from being soaked of course. I don’t have a towel on me right now unfortunately, I came running as soon as I heard you hit the water.” He said flatly. The adrenaline from the situation was starting to subside and he finally started to look at his rescuee as an individual instead of another dumbass almost getting themselves killed.

“I uh, take it you don’t swim much.” Her ineffective flailing was proof enough of this. “What brings you to the beach then? Especially so close to the shore line”.

Marcus was always perplexed by people who made it a habit of being near the water yet never learned how not to die in it. It was like setting up a lawn chair next to an active volcano.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know if I’m okay, but it’s – I’m alive.” It was easier to focus on that than on her fear. Her fear that shouldn’t have ever even existed, because fear made you weak and Mahuika was not weak. She refused to be, and that would work.

“Well, I’m glad you were there to rescue me.” She offered him a small smile. Because she did have to be nice because he’d saved her life, and she wouldn’t be alive without him, because you couldn’t control water no matter how hard she’d tried (she could remember trying when she was tiny, being pissed that she could help people confess love, could make her siblings bring her snacks, but couldn’t move water around.

“I don’t. No. I – well, I can’t. Not technically.” Or well at all. Much at all. Mahuika sighed. “I was out for a walk and I slipped. I don’t usually do that.”

“Alive is a very underrated thing to be,” Marcus began. “You’re on solid ground now. Well…solid as sand can be I guess,” he continued, finally allowing himself to laugh a bit. He had saved a life. And while the work could be tiresome, it was also rewarding. Remembering this is what he needed to help keep himself going.

“I’m glad I was too. Don’t know if I’d forgive myself if I saw you washed up here tomorrow morning.” There was a brief pause, just enough to be really awkward, before Marcus realized how morbid what he had just said really was. “Not to be all gloom and doom or whatever. I’m just saying. I’m glad you’re alive.”

“A lot of people slip around here,” Marcus often wondered how. He figured the sand would add a little extra grit to people’s feet, but it seemed to do the opposite for most. “Maybe they should set up rope barriers or something? A lot of other piers and beaches do that. Makes it a lot harder for people to fall in.” He then shrugged his shoulders. “What do I know? I’m just the guy that hauls people back in.”

“That it is. It’s a great thing, and too many people make a waste of it.” Mahuika wasn’t exactly going to go about explaining in what ways she thought people were making a waste of it, and then of course, there was that girl, whose name she tried to forget, who’d been taken and not even had a chance to waste or not-waste her life.

She thought she was going to be sick for a moment, but she spat against the rocks and shook her head and everything was better (temporarily, at least). “Doom and gloom’s part of life sometimes, but yeah, that was a bit… much.” It was, and he’d admitted as such, so wasn’t it more rude of her to claim that things were super wonderful and hunky-dory? It was, Mahuika decided. If he didn’t think so, his loss.

“Ropes might be good. Yeah. You also should get a better job. Unless you’re a lifeguard in which, well, I think I might still tell you to get a better job but at least saving people would be your whole job.” She fought off the desire to roll her eyes, and, just for a little bit of fun, willed her savior to do a spin in place. Something simple. Just to make sure that nearly dying hadn’t taken her powers. That would be worse than death.

Marcus found himself agreeing with the woman’s sentiment. People often squandered their life and health. He figured people in this town would be more grateful for their lives than in other places.

“Sorry…I don’t have much of a filter lately.” It was true, Marcus had much less tact since William was killed. The burdening weight of death seemed to be looming everywhere for him ever since.

“Lifeguard is only part of the job. I do maintenance and lookout work at the lighthouse over there” he said, pointing to the lighthouse nearby. “I really like it actually. Guiding ships to safety, saving wayward swimmers caught by the waves. It’s rewarding work, but incredibly exhausting.”

Without warning, Marcus felt his muscles twitch and he quickly did a small rotation in place. What the hell was that? Marcus eyed the woman suspiciously before slowly backing away. She must have been more than she appeared to bed to be

“I’ve been told that I, too, at times lack a filter, so you’re all good there.” At least he was relatively easy to talk to, though Mahuika certainly wasn’t paying too much attention to their conversation. Which yeah, was probably rude, especially to somebody who’d just saved your life, but she also didn’t really care. Which sounded bad, even if her head, but there was simultaneously a certain delight in that.

She gave a half-hearted shrug at his comment about work. “Well, lighthouses are quite nice.” Which was a lame and half-baked sort of thing to say, but what exactly else was Mahuika supposed to talk about? The weather? As if!

He backed away from her after she’d made him turn around, which was intriguing. It might’ve meant nothing but it also could’ve easily meant that he knew more about Things than most people in this town. Huh. “You good? If you want any like, payment, I’ve got some random-ass Certs in my car. Or I could give you like, five bucks? It was in my jeans, so it’ll need drying out, but it’s something. Or I can just leave.” Mahuika raised an eyebrow. “I don’t even know your name, though, so like, what’s up with that?”

Marcus was thankful the woman seemed to understand at least. “I’m usually more…reserved. Just one of those days, you know?” Marcus found that “one of those days” was often a surprisingly good excuse for mildly bad behavior.

“Well, they help stop shipwrecks and save thousands if not tens of thousands of lives a year. So I’d say they’re very nice” he said, somewhat defensively. He could tell the woman didn’t have much interest in maritime affairs but figured she could at least appreciate the business of saving lives.

As Marcus looked on at the woman horrified at what she may be, his anxiety rose when she asked for his name. The odds of this being some sort of fae magic were far too high for him to give her his name. No way would he fall for that.

“My name…you can call me Mark.” He figured it was close enough. “You really don’t have to repay me. Honest. In fact, I should really get back to work. Never know when someone else might need saving. Nice meeting you though!” He said, hurriedly turning to leave. If she were some sort of malicious fae, he needed to get out ASAP

“Yeah, valid.” There wasn’t much more Mahuika could say, and she was pretty sure there wasn’t much more that needed to be said, honestly.

Another nod. They were nice, and they were very Maine-vibe-aesthetic too, or whatever. A lot of Maine knickknacks had lighthouses on them. That, and blueberries, and moose. The guy was getting defensive and she really didn’t like that. Didn’t like the whole vibe he was giving off, mostly because it seemed like he didn’t like her, and that meant his vibe was off. For sure. Nobody could not like her. He hesitated, and she figured his name was a lie. “I’m Missy.” She chirped. Short for misinformation. She giggled at her own joke. “That’s fair, dude, I’ll see you around, okay? And I’ll do my best to stay out of the water.” Goodness knew that that was more for her sake than anybody else’s. She watched him move quickly away, before giving another shrug and turning on her heels to walk back to her car. A little bit of trauma was no excuse to leave the bedrooms at the motel uncleaned.

#c marcus #chatzy #writing #maritime magic #// this is just all m's #MMMM #anyhow #i loved this sm #ty tyler <3 i love marcus

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endlessevenings · 1 month

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Out of Depth || Van & Mahuika

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Like A Charm PARTIES: Van ( @vanoincidence ) and Mahuika ( @endlessevenings ) TRIGGERS: None! SUMMARY: Van ventures into a magic shop out of curiosity and nerves. Mahuika spots her practically like a spider with its prey, and pounces. But in a nice way. Probably.

Van bit down on the inside of her cheek, shooting furtive glances over her shoulder. The woman behind the counter eyed her from behind the book she was reading, eyebrows pulled together in suspicion. This was so stupid. She wasn’t even… what was it, a spellcaster? A magician? A witch? She just had magic. It was an inherent and unfortunate part of her. It was something she didn’t mind the thought of getting rid of, but she didn’t know how. She figured Like a Charm might be the best place to find that information, but for the most part, she wasn’t finding anything that would aid her in her desperation. She thumbed through a couple of different tarot decks, not able to make sense of any of the symbols or images. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t… somebody who would take to this, she was something else entirely.

A nervous sweat beaded across the back of her neck as she tried to tuck tail and run, but instead of making it through the door, she was slamming into a girl quite a bit taller than herself. Something from the other woman’s hands fell to the ground, and Van dropped into a kneeling position to pick it up. It was a number of herbs, as well as a book that Van couldn’t read the title of. “Sorry– I, sorry.” She gathered the items, straightening up as she shoved them towards the girl, gaze fixed on her own hands and how they shook slightly.

Like a Charm seemed like an absolutely kitschy sort of place – or maybe that was just Mahuika’s good views manifesting themselves. Though she knew that she was right at least to some degree, because some of the things in the shop were absolute junk. Still, she wasn’t going to say that out loud (at least not while she was in the shop), and maybe there was something of use here.

Correct, there were many somethings of use here, and she was totally shopping local, which made her a totally good person, right? Mahuika knew it did, and being in a place dedicated to the appreciation of magic was always good in her book. A place that showed just how better those with magic were. How much more deserving of… everything.

She’d collected some herbs and a book, though those items had suddenly found themselves on the ground and someone else was in front of her and apologizing and Mahuika grinned, giving a shake of her head. “No worries, I was in your way. There’s nothing you need to apologize for.” If the girl wasn’t magic, then she’d have a few other things to work through, but she figured that she should just go ahead and try optimism for the heck of it, at least in this particular moment. “Are you okay? I wouldn’t want you to get hurt or anything like that.”

Van wasn’t sure that was right– she had definitely run into the girl. She resituated the items so that they didn’t fall out of the girl’s hands again and she wiped her palms against her sweatshirt. “What? No, I’m totally fine.” She offered a weak smile. She was trying hard not to look at the items that the girl had, mostly because that was rude, but she was never good at minding her own business. Ever.

Finally, her gaze dragged down and she took note of the herbs, of the book. “You’re really going to buy that stuff?” Was she just some girl, looking to grow a garden, or was this something else? “I mean– sorry, that’s not the right question.” She felt heat rise to the back of her neck again. “I was just wondering. This is my first time here, and I don’t really know what I’m looking at, and honestly I just thought it was a place for tourists.” She kept her voice low as she spoke, as to not offend the clerk who was shelving items across the store.

“Yeah, I am really going to buy all this.” Mahuika did her best to keep her expression light – curious – neutral. Any number of good things because pissing everyone she met off was simply not it. Even if a part of her wanted that to be it, but she’d learned through enough trial and error that being nice and pleasant got her what she wanted most of the time. That was – whenever she wasn’t getting what she wanted through her more preferred means of such eventualities.

“I think some of it is for sure for tourists.” Mahuika nodded toward a deck of mass-produced tarot cards by the front. “But some of it’s legit. Because magic is legit.” She couldn’t help but scrunch up her face ever-so-slightly, ready to duck out or duck somewhere if the girl made fun of her. There was still a bitterness about the possibility of that, but Mahuika liked to avoid thinking about that whenever possible. Besides, she could deal with this girl if she did decide that Mahuika was full of it. “Do you want … help … knowing what you’re looking at?”

“You must be like, rich or something.” Van had no clue how much everything cost, there weren’t really any price tags for her to snoop on. “Sorry– or you’re just really good at managing your money? I mean, I’m like, not. At all.” She bit the inside of her cheek, sending an apologetic glance towards the brunette. God, she was terrible at communication.

Van’s gaze swept over the goods stacked into the shelves, a minor chill running down her spine at the mention of magic, and how it was legit. It was weird, hearing other people discuss it so nonchalantly. She’d been hiding from it her whole life, and now, she was in public discussing– or rather, being talked at about magic. She swallowed thickly, clearing her throat. “Um… I don’t… really know what I’m looking for? This is my first time in a place like this.” She looked at the girl with a pleading expression, as if begging her not to tell her this wasn’t her place. It had to be. Where else was there?

“I don’t… I’m not familiar with like, any of this stuff.” How dangerous was it to come clean to somebody else who also believed in magic? Probably dangerous. Van forced her gaze to not linger on the brunette for too long. “What do you… recommend? What are your favorites?” Was she even going to be able to afford it?

“I’m not.” Which was probably something too blunt and personal or whatever, but it was true. She was working at Bearcliff to make money, not because she was some fancy hotshot princess (well, she was one of those things) who wanted to know what normal life was like. Mahuika’s nose threatened to scrunch up into something resembling disgust but she flipped it around and grin. “No, o-m-g. I’m really not. I guess I’m good?” She shrugged.

“Your first time?” Now Mahuika’s grin was far more real. Which was incredibly rare, but her smile nearly reached her eyes. “Let me help you! If that’s okay, because I’m a stranger?” She’d already decided that she was going to help, but the girl didn’t need to know that. The girl who she very much hoped was not some freakish magic witch-spellcaster murderer. But if she was, the Mahuika would just deal with that. She didn’t go around without physical items for self defense.

“Well, it depends on what you want to do with it. It’s not like you can get one crystal or one paper — and it’s also about laws, and what the person intends to do as their magic.” This girl better not up and try to steal her thunder, Mahuika thought. But she desperately wanted to know someone else magic, and this girl looked like she needed help, so it could be a double win. A new magic-user to know, and a charity case to work on. “Do you have any clue about any of that? Or we could just take a walk around? Just get comfortable vibing with the place?”

Van eyed the girl apprehensively as if willing some kind of mask to fall away from her face, to reveal her true intentions. But there was nothing– she seemed nice, seemed like she wanted to help in the way that Van so obviously needed. She tucked her balled up hands into her sweatshirt pockets and bit the inside of her cheek as she nodded, a little too pathetically for her own good. “I mean, like I’m old enough to know not to talk to strangers, but this is like, super public and you seem to know what you’re doing.” Van wasn’t really afraid of what might happen here, mostly because she could run away if needed. It wasn’t like they were secluded and alone.

The stranger was discussing laws and about what she intended to do with her magic, and Van had to stop herself from telling the brunette that the only thing she’d done with her magic was kill people and melt tables. “I– no, I don’t know anything about… are there like, magic lawyers and stuff?” Was she being secretly watched by some kind of witch-y unity circle? Did they know everything bad she’d ever done? Was this girl here to make her pay? Van’s mind ran wild with the scenario and a small sweat broke out across the back of her neck as she considered the possibility.

“To be fair, I think even some eight-year-olds have that sense.” Mahuika offered the girl a small smile. “But I get that – and you’re right. But this is public, and I wouldn’t ever hurt you.” Assuming, of course, that this girl was also a magic-user. Which was a bit of a gamble, but Mahuika liked to think she had a good read on people. Though there was little that she wouldn’t think she was good at. It just meant that she had really super solid self-confidence. Obviously. Some might have seen it as being overly self-important, but she didn’t, and that was clearly what mattered most.

“Also yes, I do know what I’m doing.” She grinned. “Oh, not laws like that. Laws like…” Mahuika paused, trying to think of a way to explain it without scaring her off. “There’s things that balance the world, and magic plays a role in that. I don’t want to overwhelm you. But you’re not like, in trouble. Fuck the law, right? Human law, I mean. Not the magic law. That is actually important.”

I wouldn’t ever hurt you. Van had to keep herself from telling the girl that sure, that’s what somebody who wanted to hurt somebody would say, but because this wasn’t some low budget horror film, Van kept her mouth shut. She gave a small nod, not sure what else to say to that. Was she supposed to tell the brunette that she wouldn’t hurt her either? Was that more menacing than anything? Probably, right?

Balance. Yeah, that was the word– that made more sense than the idea that there was some kind of witch institute teaching magic users how to be lawyers or something. “Oh… balance. Right, okay.” There was not really any balance within her own realm of experiences, she realized. Everything felt severely out of balance. “Yeah, fuck the law. Not… magic law, I guess.” Van kept her voice low, despite the fact that they were in a like minded shop. For all she knew, these could be fake people with fake things to say about magic. But then why would somebody who said she knew about magic be here? Was she fake, too?

Van’s mind ran away with the limitless possibilities, uncertainty clouding her expression. “So you… you know a lot about like, all of this?” It was so unfair, she thought. To have been taught nothing; to have existed in this without really knowing what was happening to her. Why had other people gotten lucky enough to know what they were?

“See? We’re already on the same page!” Mahuika resisted wrapping her arm around the girl, because that wasn’t good to do without asking and the last thing she wanted right now was to scare the girl off. That wouldn’t do anybody any sort of good anything. Especially because for all that it was absolutely a terrible idea, she already found herself drawn in by the other (assumed) spellcaster. If she could get her hands on someone who was confused and new to all of this, and help them become what they deserved, then that would be all kinds of absolutely perfect.

“I do know a lot. I grew up knowing.” She forced herself to frown, just slightly. Except that the pity she felt for the girl was so real that it was almost tangible. Which was not great (the pity, the loss of time being with magic that the other girl clearly had), but at the same time, worked out absolutely perfectly, just as she’d intended for it to. Mahuika nodded. “I got lucky, but I can help you, if you want. I’d love to help. Teach you whatever I can. I’ll even buy us snacks or lunch or dinner or whatever – and I can be free pretty much whenever works for you. How does that sound?”

Van should have been jumping with joy at the sight of another magic user. Between this girl and the shopkeeper at the Sugar Pot, Van should’ve been expressing immense gratitude, but all she could feel was… well, she wasn’t sure what she felt, but it wasn’t really anything good. Van stared at the brunette, mouth slightly ajar.

“I’m– I don’t know what you’re supposed to like, teach me.” She was recoiling from the help being extended to her again. Even when it came to Teddy, all Van had taken was the ring. The ring that sat heavy in her pocket, unused, because maybe she didn’t want– she wasn’t sure what she didn’t want, and she wasn’t sure what she did want. She took a small step back from the girl across from her, clearing her throat. “I’m– um, I don’t… really know what I’m supposed to be learning.” A small, nervous laugh escaped her as she clasped her hands together, eyes darting around the room. “I just sort of like, walked in here, you know?” This was all too real– the idea that somebody could help her– or a few somebody’s.. no, she couldn’t take up their time. “I’m sorry for wasting– um, your time.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. You’ll learn what you’re meant to learn, all in time. You walked in here and that means something, and I’ll be here for you, alright?” God, she needed to chill with the altruism. But, Mahuika supposed, it wasn’t so bad to be helpful when you were helping another spellcaster. At least this way this girl wouldn’t end up kidnapped or dead. Hopefully.

“We’ll figure it out. But how about I take you out for tea and coffee, or ice cream, or anything you want, first? Also, I’ll admit,” and now this part might’ve been a bit of a lie, “I’ve really been wanting friends, and you seem like you know what you’re doing. So maybe we can help each other? I’ll help you even if you don’t want to be my friend though. This isn’t conditional.” Mahuika hoped that was abundantly clear. “Let me just go and check out first.” She turned on her heel, before adding, “I’m Mahuika by the way. You seem like you’re going to be a lot of fun.”

#wickedswriting #c van #chatzy #writing #out of depth #// i love van and i love ci both sm #i am ridiculously excited to see where this goes

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endlessevenings · 1 month

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LOTTIE MATTHEWS | 1.01

#image #// baby-er mahuika vibes #i just rly want an excuse to reblog yellowjackets tbh

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endlessevenings · 1 month

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A Confrontation Interrupted || Alistair & Mahuika

LOCATION: Oldtown TIMING: Early March PARTIES: Alistair (@deathsplaything) & Mahuika (@endlessevenings) SUMMARY: Alistair gets a visit from a man who wants his wife's ring back. Mahuika steps in and stops him before he hurts him. WARNINGS: None!

After the confrontation with the man who demanded his wife’s ring back, Alistair had almost forgotten about it. Sure, he remembered the young girl who had stepped in, but the man? Waste of breath, really. It wasn’t the first time he’d had a rough encounter with a displeased husband. He strongly doubted it would be the last. Still, he hadn’t come back, true to his word, so Alistair forgot. Stupid of him.

It was after he’d closed the shop, and instead of going straight up to his flat, Alistair had decided to go on a walk with Brutus, get the guy’s energy out from being stuck inside most of the day and give him a chance to decompress from being in work mode all day. It was cold out, and the sun was starting to set, seeing as how it was still the dead of winter.

He and Brutus were about a block away from the flat when he heard footsteps coming toward him. It was a public space, so Alistair thought nothing of it, until they got close enough to feel the person’s breath on the back of his neck. Freezing in place, Alistair frowned as he listened to Brutus growl at the unknown figure behind him. “I’m going to ask one last time for my wife’s ring back before things get ugly,” the man’s voice was immediately recognizable, and Alistair cursed himself for forgetting about the encounter. Of course it wasn’t the last time he’d see that stupid git.

Alistair suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and slowly turned around. “She made a deal. She knew she could have traded anything in the world, and she chose to trade away her wedding ring. It meant something to her, so count yourself lucky that she saw worth in a stupid brute like you.” Alistair stared directly at the man, despite his lack of sight. The sun was setting behind the man, giving Alistair a rough outline of where the guy’s head was. “So I’m going to ask you to back off kindly.” The redhead flashed a venomous smile, acutely aware that there was the sound of another set of footsteps nearby. Would they intervene? He could only hope.

She wasn’t one for altruism.

Which was a bit of a lie, but facts still stood where they were. She wasn’t the sort to just do good things. At least not anymore. It was cold out, and Mahuika both adored and loathed that, all in one.

The warmth was far better, but the cold was far more at home. In a sort of brilliant kind of way, mostly due to the fact that it was easier to mentally freeze things out when the world was that way. Which was way too dramatic of a way to think about things, but that was that, and all that was, was how Mahuika saw things now, and much like many other aspects of her life, she had no immediate sort of plans to change anything about any of that.

Still, some dude had started yelling at another dude with a dog and there wasn’t even anything in particular that should’ve made her look twice, but something did, and wasn’t part of growing to be the best taking every chance you could to practice?

Yes, she answered, entirely to herself and entirely in her head.

That was part of the beauty of being alone. You could talk to yourself in your mind and think every single thought that you wanted, and nobody could tell you to stop, or think kinder things, or to chill out.

Mahuika bit her lip to keep a giggle from escaping, and strode over to where the two men were standing, giving a tap on the non-red-headed man’s shoulder. “You know it’s like, way totally illegal to accost people?” Before the man could speak a single word, her fingers had found his lips, and she grinned, and even let something of her giggle escape. “You’ll be leaving now.” She looked at him, grateful again for her height. And so maybe she did a little snap, and maybe she thought about how funny it’d be if he walked into a few phone poles on the way to wherever he was going.

– and, just as she knew he would, he turned around and began moving away. “You good now, dude? He’s elected to go and try hanging out somewhere else and not bothering people.” Mahuika’s fingers found the single strand of hair that had fallen out of place and tucked it right back in.

One second, Alistair was preparing for the worst, and the next? Someone had intervened. Alistair frowned, realizing something else was at play for why they were suddenly not being accosted. She was giggling, and something in the air made Alistair wonder what exactly she was.

That man was ready to rough him up, and now Alistair was fine. Alistair blinked. Once. Twice. “I…” his frown deepened, wracking their brain to figure out what had just happened. She was addressing him now. “I’m fine, thanks to you.” He finally spoke after trying (and failing) to figure out what had just happened.

He held Brutus’s lead a little tighter, once again faced with the reality that, in the grand scheme of things, Alistair was helpless in the face of a fight. He couldn’t see it coming, after all. He’d grown accustomed to being blind, but it was knowing how vulnerable he was that shook him to his core. “I owe you something for that.” He decided, brows shooting up above his sunglasses.

He waited for the girl to ask why that encounter had even happened. Surely she had heard it, right? He shifted his weight from foot to foot, feeling Brutus lick his hand to calm Alistair down. He relaxed, running a hand through Brutus’s fur to ground him.

“Well, no duh.” Mahuika couldn’t help but grin. Thanks to you. The gratitude felt nice. Very, very nice. It was true, after all, and Mahuika appreciated any sort of special acknowledgement of what she could do. “Thank you though!” She added on, with a grin, because of like, proper decorum and all sorts of things like that.

Then he said that he owed her, and that certainly made Mahuika’s grin all the more genuine. This was something she could work with. Being owed favors, that was. She hadn’t even had to do anything to get this particular favor. No work put in at all, which was all rather incredible. Maybe this town was more worth it than she’d previously figured, after all.

“I wouldn’t say no to any of that,” she acquiesced. “The you owing me, I mean.” She giggled, putting it off as a joke, even though it really wasn’t. But this guy didn’t have to know that. Nobody other than Mahuika, Cat, and Rat ever had to. Cat and Rat weren’t here, but she could tell them later, when they both curled up against her, their warmth seeping into her body.

“Okay, but, like, what was up with that? The dude goin’ all after you? What??”

Alistair smirked as the girl seemed keen on him owing her. He could respect it. The smirk faded away as soon as she questioned why he was accosted in the first place. That was a little harder to explain. Then again, seeing as how she was able to do what Melody could do, maybe it wouldn’t be. One way to find out. “Well, see, I own the Sugar Pot in Oldtown.” He began, rocking back and forth on his feet. “While it seems like just a tea shop, I also heal people in the back.”

He paused, waiting for her to say anything before continuing. “Instead of asking for money as payment, I ask for something that matters to them.” Saying it aloud, Alistair could understand how strange it sounded. “His wife decided to give me her wedding ring.” He further explained. “He wasn’t to keen on it and seemed hellbent on getting it back. That’s the second time he’s tried that.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “And now hopefully the last.”

“Tell you what, you’ve got a few free drinks on me if you want them. For helping me, I mean.” The redhead offered, grasping at Brutus’s lead a bit tighter, thankful that his furry companion was with him.

This person was far too willing to give facts about themselves away. So maybe she’d used her magic, but she wasn’t totally out here telling him what she did, exactly what she was. That got you in trouble, but if he didn’t care about getting in trouble, then it certainly wasn’t her problem. What was most important to Mahuika was that he owed her, and he was down to owe her.

“Well, that’s boring. If his wife gave it away, that’s their own personal marriage problem and like, so totally shouldn’t be taken out on you!” Though Mahuika would absolutely throw him under the bus if the occasion called for it. There were few (and right now, off the top of her head, she couldn’t think of any) people she wouldn’t throw under the bus. If the vibe was right.

“I won’t say no to drinks – do you mean alcohol or tea, because, like, totally down for either, but I just like to know what I’m getting into, y’know?” Her gaze fell to the dog. “What’s your dog’s name?”

Alistair didn’t mind showing their cards when the opportunity showed itself. After all, he came from a line of proud magic casters. Despite the hatred people had for necromancy, his family always held their heads high. He was no different. He smoothed his shirt out before running a hand through Brutus’s fur, grounding himself again. That could have gone a lot worse for him, yet here he was, standing on his two feet.

“That’s what I think, but many people don’t share that sentiment,” he answered with a simple shrug. Of course he knew the price he asked of people, how much people would give to get back things that mattered to them. If something like this happened again, he might have to insist on a different item from this woman.

“Tea! I don’t have alcohol on me.” Alistair pulled a face; the idea of asking someone that much younger for a drink made him feel weird. “Free drinks from the Sugar Pot, should you ever want it.” He spoke with a nod. “This is Brutus. He’s my eyes.” He didn’t speak on how literal that was. “He’s on duty right now otherwise, I’d allow you to pet him.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t always make everyone happy.” She figured that he must’ve known that. It wasn’t like she was someone who always made everyone happy, though she tried, really, she did, and she also pulled her fair share of strings to make certain that people usually felt good about her, even if initial ideas may have implied otherwise. But Mahuika didn’t really care, not completely, but she also did care, sometimes more than she wanted to.

Though Mahuika made note to not ask for him to heal her. She could get a doctor to do it. She’d watched Grey’s Anatomy on her late-night shifts. She knew how doctors worked. Even if she didn’t, she could just make them do their very best, and then she’d be fine. For all that she did, she wasn’t too keen on the idea of owing anyone.

“I’ll settle for tea, then,” rolling her eyes at his face, but quickly shrugging it off. “I do want it. Oh? Eyes in what way? But he’s charming. I’ve got a cat and a rat. “It’s fine, I understand that I can’t pet him. That’s how service animal rules go.” She made a face, as if to say, I don’t need you telling me what to do or how things work. “Like, now, or later on? I don’t wanna crowd you or anything.”

Alistair let his hand drop from Brutus and gave a half smile. “Both as my seeing-eye dog and as a familiar.” He tapped his temple knowingly, then struggled to keep himself from rolling his eyes at her comment of knowing she couldn’t pet him. Something about her tone led him to believe that she was pulling something over on him. He remembered himself at her age, thinking that he was all powerful. Little did he know how much he had left to learn, of course.

As she spoke of her own pets, Alistair found himself curious if the two got along, but found that wasn’t sure if he cared enough to ask. He’d already taken up more than enough of the young girl’s time. “Tell you what. Sugar pot’s open Monday through Saturday from seven to four. Stop by any time. I’d be happy to give you whatever you want.”

The girl had an attitude, and he wasn’t sure if it was one he could deal with or not. Then again, he was tired and it was getting late. He was old and had a bedtime, she was young and probably never slept. “Thanks again for the aid.” He spoke, giving Brutus a gentle command in another language, causing the dog to begin his journey back toward the direction of home.

#c alistair #chatzy #writing #a confrontation interrupted #// ty caitlyn for writing w/ me!!!#excited to see where this goes <3

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