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cljordan-imperium · 4 months

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Bayou Witches - 3

Heaven Shelby belongs to @call-sign-shark “Follow.” Mel grinned, biting her lower lip as she beckoned Heaven with all the fingers on her right hand, backing towards the staircase to the lower floor from the doorway of the blonde's bedroom. The women had ended up spending the day shopping in the nearest small town with Mel’s mom and sister, both named Marie, having fun and exploring all the little shops. Heaven had thought the place reminded her of something out of one of those holiday TV movies that came to life, where everyone was super friendly and all had the most amazing accents. Not to mention there were plenty of places selling delicious smelling treats that tasted even better. Now she wondered what her new friend was up to, there was no missing the impish grin that lit up the brunette’s face, all the way to her oceanic blue eyes.

“What?” Heaven started to reach for her sandals, when Mel rushed forward to grab her hand and pull her forward before she could.

“Nope. Tonight is barefoot.” Mel’s grin grew. “I promise you don’t have to worry about delicate feet at all.”

“Meeeelll…” Heaven drew out her name as she started to follow, laughing and wondering what was in store.

“Adoption ceremony time.” Mel spun, her patchwork skirt flaring out in a wide circle around her as she did.

“I’m sorry, what?” Heaven’s eyes went wide as Marie suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere and take one of her hands.

“You are now a bayou witch, child. Come and meet your ancestors. They have been waiting a long time for you to show up.” Marie’s heavy Creole French accent made her words sound rich and aristocratic. Her face though, it showed all the love a mother could have for a child as she gazed at Heaven and placed a kiss on her cheek. “It is time you meet all of your family.”

Heaven watched Mel almost bound down the steps of the interior of the mansion with child-like enthusiasm, while Marie gently led her. Marie II was a the bottom of the stairs waiting for her sister. A tight hug was exchanged before Francois and Dontanion also stepped into view, hugs once more being exchanged. Then the two sisters scampered off like children towards the back of the house.

“Do not worry about Arthur, he is in Alexander and Cade’s capable hands for the evening. They are very familiar with how important family ceremonies are.” Francois offered his arm to his new little sister. The last time there was a new female LaVeau had been the birth of Melania. They were rare. Heaven would be the only adoption, and she would be just as loved as those born into the bloodline.

“Your brothers will escort you to the ceremony, child. Welcome home, Heaven LaVeau-Shelby. You will always have family in the Louisiana bayou.” Marie kissed both Heaven’s cheeks before leaving her in Dontanion and Francois’ care. She, like her daughters headed for the back of the mansion.

“Tonight, you will meet aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews within the line of the LaVeaus. Then you’ll meet the ancestors. No one tonight will mean you harm. We perform the same ceremony when there is a birth only then the baby is carried by its parents, you get escorts.” Dontanion explained in his accent that mirrored his mother’s.

Heaven was led across the back lawn of the mansion towards the bayou. She could see a golden glow within the cypress trees that hung with Spanish moss and the low mangroves that were dotted among them. As they drew nearer, she could hear the beat of the drums, and words in a language that she didn’t understand. The closer they got, it was no longer discernible whether the singing was coming from in front of them, or from all around them. It was as if the ancient cypress were singing themselves, the drumming coming from inside them. The firelight made the shadows cast by the spanish moss to make the trees look alive. It was like the entire bayou was welcoming Heaven home, and in a way it was.

Finally, they were close enough that Heaven could see the circle. In the center was a bonfire, the wood piled so it was highest in the center. Around that danced all of the females of the family. Long skirts that brushed the ground, and like Melania’s, they all flared out when they spun. Behind them were the males and the drums of all kinds. Some were small enough to be carried, while others had to be placed and the drummer stood behind. It was a sight unlike anything that Heaven had ever seen before.

When the three reached the edge of the firelight, everyone fell silent. Marie came to the front, her rosary in one hand, her small staff with a silver head in the form of Baron Samedi in the other. Twirling her rosary and moving the staff in a rhythm, she began to do a chant in the same language that Heaven had heard as they’d approached. One of the drummers with a drum came forward to match the rhythm that she was indicating. After two times through whatever incantation that Marie was doing, the other women and girls joined in. There was also an intricate kind of line dance that the women did as they moved around the fire, making sure their skirts did not get too close to it. It started slow at first, then slowly began to increase in speed, but the rhythm stayed the same.

As Heaven watched and listened to the beautiful song, she started to notice what she thought were shadows moving across the waters of the bayou at first. Later, she realized that it was the spirits coming out of the bayou and joining in the movements with the members of the LaVeau family. The spirits each carried a candle, a yellow flame atop each one. Their voices echoed like soft breezes through the leaves of the trees as they joined in with the living LaVeaus. Over 300 years of family came together to welcome their newest member to the fold. The love almost palpable in the air as the members of the family, both living and passed on, now surrounding her in a circle. It was a ritual that had been performed countless times over the centuries and would be performed countless more in the future.

See blood did not make one a LaVeau, it was more than that. Amongst those, living and dead, that were in the bayou that night, there was an energy, a presence, in the very soul, the very being, that tied them all together. It was a bond that even death could not break and distance could not thin. Time did not diminish, and the more members that came into the fold, the greater it grew. Love is what made one a LaVeau and once you were one, all of those who came before and after accepted you without hesitation and loved without reservation. Never, no matter where you were in the world, would you walk alone, because your ancestors would walk alongside you. Tonight, Heaven became a LaVeau, and forever more she would be one and get to experience everything that came along with it.

@blind-the-winds @saltysupercomputer @pheita @writingmaidenwarrior @dreaminggoblin @toribookworm22 @korblez @aziz-reads @evita-shelby @call-sign-shark @cillmequick @raincoffeeandfandoms @spookyceph

#bayou witches #my writing #my ocs #friend's oc #melania laveau #heaven shelby #mel & heaven #writeblr #writeblr community #writing #fiction #paranormal fiction

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bayouwitches · 3 months

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#new blog #heaven x arthur #melania x cade #LaVeau & Shelby #modern Heaven #bayou witches

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nataliedecorsair · 1 year

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Problem solving Heather style (without ruining her favorite dress)

A feminine urge to unite with otherworldly entities and get rid of the shackles of mortal flesh P.S. - pay attention to the frog

#heather greenmire #original character #original work #anthro #witch #swamp #bayou #swamp witch #bayou witch #frog #art #comic #artists on tumblr #natalie de corsair #nataliedecorsair

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luvrlola · 1 month

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where the moon shines

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lilystrations · 7 months

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"Beware The Whispers"

I finally got around to some swampy murky goodness, and these oh so lovely bog ladies couldn't be happier about it. 🔥👀🔥

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theinvitedrider · 1 month

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#swamp witch #witchblr #witch art #witch #witchy #fantasy art #bayou witch #frog art #frog lover #watercolor style #ai illustration #ai art #ai art community #smquinn #dreamweaverai

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firelise · 7 months

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Film & TV I Think About A Lot » Eve's Bayou (1997) dir. Kasi Lemmons

"When I was your age, before I ever did the counseling, I could look at people, complete strangers, and see their whole lives so clear. But when I looked at each of my husbands, I never saw a thing. That's how it always is. Blind to my own life."

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wherethewolfsbaneblooms · 1 year

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Okay so I caved into @zeroinvador and made another siren OC. So here she is, big ol’ gator mommy Dominga. She was inspired by my recent trip to Florida. My apologies, Tumblr ruins the quality. Tap for a better image. Some info —

Freshwater siren. Amphibious reptilian clade.

American Alligator

About 15 ft long and THICK. A big gorl.

Lives in a dense Louisiana bayou the locals call the “Gator’s Smile”. It is named for the main river’s jagged shape. Her territory is expansive, but she resides mainly in an abandoned fishing hut directly in the epicenter that is only accessible by boat or bravery.

She is extremely charming but lazy and self indulgent. Eloquent and enticing words tend to manipulate her victims into doing her bidding, whatever that may be, on the promise of something special in return.

Practices ancient voodoo magic. Her dark, mysterious services are sought out by wayward fishermen and river-folk alike.

Rarely encounters other sirens. Has only met a handful in her life and usually only when she travels through brackish rivers closer to the sea.

Not inherently kind or generous but has a “help me and I help you” attitude.

Loves to lounge in the sun on the river bank.

Cannot breath under water but can hold her breath for up to two hours depending on her activity level and the temperature of the water. Has the ability to slow her heart rate down in colder waters to conserve energy and oxygen.

Does not do well in cold climates. Becomes slow, sluggish, and, in severe cases, almost catatonic.

Very old but it is unknown exactly how old she is. Appears to be in her late 30s-40s.

Has a deep, raspy voice. Slight Cajun accent. Can growl and bellow like normal gators.

Obsessed with piercings and has many. Even some explicit ones. Much of her jewelry was given to her as compensation for her witchcraft — for which her clients either pay in gold, their lives, or both.

She has a single reoccurring client that keeps her legend alive on the mainland and brings in more visitors to her. Her engraved gold “D” necklace was a gift from this client.

Sometimes is referred to as “Dom” for short, though she rarely allows it.

Has a natural flair for dramatics.

Egotistical but personable. She is a very good conversationalist and could talk you out of your last dime while making you feel like the most special person in the world.

Has a silver tongue 👀

Very inviting. She makes you want to get to know her better despite the fact she’s most likely playing you like a fiddle.

Most who seek her out are men and they make up the majority of her diet. However, on rare occasion she is visited by a woman and these are the visits she enjoys the most. Dominga jumps on the chance to have her other appetites satisfied — she very rarely consumes the women who visit her. Instead, she spends a few days enjoying them while they become hopelessly attached to her before she sends them on their way.

BIG Mommy vibes

Protective in nature for what she cares about (usually material things — hardly ever living individuals). But if someone were to win this gator’s love truly, she’d go to extraordinarily great lengths to keep them safe.

Likes to flip unsuspecting fishermen who’ve travelled too deep inside her territory out of their boats. She finds their fear amusing. And delicious.

Loves to eat and is a fantastic cook. Eats in BULK. If you please her well enough, she will likely cook for you.

HUGE BOOBIES

If you think you’ve found all her piercings, no you haven’t.

#siren #siren oc #siren au #mermaid oc #mermaid #gator mermaid #alligator #american alligator #lousiana #voodoo #witchcraft #witch doctor #magic #bayou #Dom’s Bayou #merfolk #the siren squad

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for-the-love-sinnamon · 5 months

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Time to stop making excuses and just become the feral swamp witch of my dreams.

#swamp #swamp witch #swamp core #swampcore #creature #witchcore #witch #pagan #marsh #bayou #let's befriend an alligator

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swamp-gothic · 6 months

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I looked at myself in the mirror and saw an exhausted existential dread hanging loosely over my shoulders. My mind hadn’t stopped its roiling since I’d woken up on the banks of Bayou Sauvage. The exhaustion in my very bones wreaked turmoil so stealthily yet somehow resonating like the longest gongs of the parish’s church bells. That voice, the one swimming in the back of my head was unfaithful to its promise to make sense.

-Stormborm, [Chapter TBD]. (C.B. Winchester)

#bayou gothic #bayou aesthetic #swamp aesthetic #swampcore #swamp witch #swamp gothic #spooky #gothic americana #louisiana gothic #new orleans gothic #southern gothic #southern gothic revival #southern goth aesthetic

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cljordan-imperium · 7 months

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Heaven & Arthur Visit The LaVeaus

@call-sign-shark CELEBRATES 1K

This is part 1 of Heaven & Arthur visiting Mel and her family because I'm cutting it off at 2680 words. LOL

Modern AU

@call-sign-shark's OC Heaven and her husband Arthur Shelby travel to Louisiana to visit some military men Arthur served under and with in the military. But it is Heaven that gets the biggest surprise of the visit.

“We leave in an hour to pick up Arthur and his wife, Heaven, from the airport,” Cade entered the kitchen to let Mel know. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, then looked around at Mama Marie, Dontanion and Francios. “You two, behave.” He pointed at the brothers with a serious expression. Arthur was suffering from PTSD from the Gulf and the last thing anyone needed was the two LaVeau brothers being assholes and causing him to have some kind of attack.

“One wandering ancestor and we will forever be doubted.” Dontantion smirked and winked at his sister, as his shoulders raised. “One wandering ancestor who wandered in on my friend who was getting dressed for her wedding and gave her a death prophecy.” Mel rolled her eyes as Cade took a seat next to her and planted a kiss on her cheek this time. “You are lucky she did not stroke out.” Casting a look over to her mother, “can you please make these two behave, mama?”

“Boys, do not make me resurrect your fathers.” The smile she gave her sons made everyone’s blood run cold. As loving and warm as Marie was, no one ever forgot she was also the scariest person currently walking the planet. Only Rasputin may have ever topped her, and she had far outlived him.

“Yes, mama.” Francois replied before putting a strong elbow into his younger brother’s side. Even at over one hundred and fourty, Dontanion sometimes did not act a day over 16. “No ancestors scaring Cade’s friend, or his lovely wife.” The look in his eye was serious. Even if the death prophecy HAD come to pass, and they HAD hated Mel’s friend, and it HAD been hilarious at the time, causing a brave soldier still bearing the mental wounds of war further trauma would not be something they would partake in.

“Please, he was over in the Gulf with me and some of the guys on the team. He was under Alexander. Has some bad PTSD, seeing spirits that he would think were hallucinations from there might just send him…” Cade raised his brows and tilted his head, he didn’t need to finish, both brothers were nodding. “His wife, I don’t know much about but he says she is an angel and shy. Her name’s Heaven. She seems to have dont him a lot of good, he seems to be healing more. Figured she and Mel would be the ones hanging out, maybe with Mama Marie too.” He winked over at the woman who was like a second mother to him and who could make anyone feel welcome and loved.

“Of course, any of your friends are welcome here.” Love and warmth emanated from Marie. While she had immense powers, which she did not hesitate to use to protect those she loved; she was, at her heart, a mother. All of Mel’s friends had been adopted as surrogate children. None were turned away if they needed a mother figure, that was just Marie and the time she came from.

“Thank you, mama.” Love radiated off of Melania too as her gaze alternated around the other four in the room at the time, before her attention turned to Cade. “When do the others get here? I know Alexander got in last night and is still passed out in his room.”

“Tomorrow.” Cade answered, picking her hand up off of the table and kissing the back where there was a scar that lay across running from just below where her pinky met her hand to the crease of her wrist. The last evidence of the whole ordeal involving Ambrose and Adama. Even though it was long ago, it still made his heart clench and sometimes made him want to ask Marie to bring the assholes back so they could kill them again. “So you girls will have twenty-four hours before testosterone rules the house.” He winked at her, banishing thoughts of the past.

“Lovely. Just remember, Archibald can contain you all if you get out of line.” The whole room erupted in laughter at the threat of having her pet albino alligator snack on people. Not that he hadn’t been used as nature’s body disposal device before when required, but not on people they liked.

*****

Louis Armstrong Airport in Kenner was a bustle of activity as Mel sat on Cade’s lap down on the first floor by the baggage claim. It seemed the easiest place for Arthur and Heaven to find them. Although, from what Arthur had told Cade over the phone, Heaven shouldn’t be too hard to spot with snow white hair and skin just as fair. A statement that had apparently gotten Cade promptly cussed out for mentioning she should fit in with the aforementioned alligator in the swamp. Mel had a feeling that her fiance was lucky he’d been on the other side of the ocean from Arthur at the time.

They watched as the flight from Heathrow Airport flipped over from “On Time” to “Landed”. It still amazed Mel that they had direct flights, and for no more money, not that money mattered to her family…with Ambrose and Nic “missing”, she had complete control over Meirs Enterprises Worldwide, which meant more money than she cared to think about. For friends of Cade, money was NOT an option anyway.

About 20 minutes later, Mel felt it, somewhere near was a powerful witch. Her hand went instinctively to Cade’s, their fingers interlacing. The signature was not one she recognized, the magic different, old world like her mother and brothers’. Her eyes scanned the crowd as people descended from the second floor on the escalators. She could more than stand on her own, but after the past events, having Cade there without her family was not something she was altogether comfortable with. If whomever possessed the magic was hostile, it could get ugly fast if they sensed her as well. Not since Adama had she faced down a threat, and that…she closed her eyes and swallowed before the thought fully materialized.

“Do I need my gun, or is this something of the invisible sort, babe?” Cade’s chin rested on her shoulder as he spoke just loud enough for her to hear. He knew her signs well enough. When she was tense, it was never a good one.

“Shooting them is as good as dropping a house on them, I guess. A lot easier when inside too.” She tried not to let her nerves show with some humor, but she was anything but lighthearted with the situation. As they sat there waiting for Arthur and Heaven, she did not stop scanning everyone coming in their direction. It was that scanning that produced what would be the biggest shock of the day, the revelation that the witch was Arthur’s wife. “You are definitely NOT shooting the witch.”

Cade chuckled, having no clue what had suddenly changed the beauty on his lap’s mind. “And that would be because….”

Mel stood as the pair approached them, “you must be Heaven,” she greeted the tiny woman with a bright smile and offered hand. There was no way that Heaven couldn’t sense her as well, but seemed to completely not notice. She then remembered that Cade had mentioned that Heaven was originally from France, and since Louisiana is a bilingual state, she had an idea to make the woman feel even more welcome. “Bienvenue en Louisiane où dans le bayou, les sorcières sont vénérées. Je crois que vous et ma famille vous entendrez très bien. Ma mère est une grande prêtresse du vaudou. (Welcome to Louisiana where in the bayou, the witches are revered. I believe that you and my family will get along very well. My mother is a high priestess of Voodoo.)”

Heaven’s eyes widened at her words, clearly not having expected them. “Comment le saviez-vous? (How did you know?)” The woman looked absolutely confused, which was when Mel remembered she still had the talisman on that Dontanion had given her when they were hunting Adama that cloaked her magic.

“Parfois, une sorcière en connaît une autre. J'ai aussi deux frères sorciers à la maison. C’est en quelque sorte une affaire de famille. (Sometimes a witch just knows another one. I have two warlock brothers at home too. It kind of runs in the family.)” Mel gave the woman a wink and then turned to Arthur and Cade who were both looking at her with rather confused expressions.

“What, can’t one girl fluent in French welcome another? Do you know how often I get to use that?” She smiled, Cade giving her a look that said he knew better and she’d have to explain once that they were alone. “You must be Arthur.” She extended her hand to him, “it is such a pleasure to meet any friend of Cade’s. You both are now family, that is how it works here. We will spend a couple of days out on the Plantation, and a couple here in the Garden District. My mother has been up since dawn cooking, so we best not keep her waiting too long. Mama Marie is not one to be kept waiting.” Mel laughed.

Cade knew his fiance better than that. Those were far too many words for just a polite hello, and he did recognize enough to know that she’d found her witch. But, he was a good boy and would say nothing. Things normally worked out more in his favor that way. “You’re discussing how to bankrupt us in the French Quarter aren’t you?” A brow rose and he nudged Arthur with an elbow. “I hope you brought all your plastic, bro, my girl can shop!”

Arthur for his part either missed what the exchange was about or was so entranced by his bride he gave not one fuck. He did, however, growl at Cade’s remark, which told the fellow soldier that he probably had experienced a similar shopping excursion to the one Mel had more than once put him through. Although, to bankrupt them, Mel would have to literally buy the entire French Quarter, as in the land it was sitting on and all the buildings.

"Can you not behave for two minutes?" Mel’s brow rose as she looked between the two men, Cade trying not to laugh and Arthur about taken aback at her words. “No growling.” She raised both brows and looked pointedly at the Brit. Heaven giggled next to her, which just had Arthur rolling his eyes. “Now, you boys do the heavy lifting of getting the luggage, Miss Heaven and I are going to go get the car from the garage and bring it around. And you two can ride in the back.” She dropped a kiss on Cade’s cheek with a big grin and a wink over to Heaven. She already liked the striking and beautiful woman. Wait till her family laid eyes on her!

*****

From the airport, to River Road, Mel gave a guided tour to their guests of the historical context of each and every plantation along the road. Her mother had been alive for the building of many, although she did not share that quite yet. For Heaven, it might not have surprised her, for Arthur, he might have tried to exit the vehicle while at 60MPH. The latter was more her concern.

Finally they arrived at Vita Pacis Plantation (Life of Serenity). It had been renamed after Ambrose’s death, her mother choosing the name for what this now represented to them all. It was a place of peace, of respite from the life they lived in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, from the missions they went on collecting artifacts around the globe. It was to this estate, to the buildings that rested upon the land and had for over 300 years, that Mel and her friends returned to find peace and to be at peace. It would be on this estate where she would marry Cade in six months.

As they drove up the red brick drive, live oaks arching over it with their green leaves and the dangling spanish moss providing shade, she heard Heaven gasp as she got her first view of the grand plantation house mansion. It was impressive with white limestone exterior and grecian columns that rose three stories, the floor to ceiling french doors that served as windows to the rooms were framed with dark red hurricane shutters. It created an impressive picture when famed with the arch of the live oaks over the drive. Just the guest house had four bedrooms and was a sight, but the grand mansion was something out of a movie. Lovingly preserved by the Meirs family, and now the LaVeaus, it was a piece out of time and history. The dark stains of the past that it held could never be erased, but they would be made up for over time. Now it stood for the LaVeau legacy, and that was a strong, vibrant, and proud legacy.

Mel knew that when she had opened the wrought iron gates of the drive, it had alerted those within the guardhouse and the mansion of their arrival. No one got onto or off of the property without being noticed. If you tried to come on secretly, there were things seen and unseen that would greet you. You had better hope the former got to you before the latter did. So, when Mel pulled the large black SUV around to the back of the mansion, it was of little surprise that her mother stood flanked by her brothers, waiting to greet their guests. She could not wait till they discovered the surprise that lay in store.

Once the car was stopped, and everyone was out, Mel led Arthur and Heaven over to her family while Cade unloaded the luggage from the back. She could tell that all three of them immediately recognized in Heaven what she had and the adoring smile her mother cast on Heaven warmed her heart. Marie was known for taking in anyone needing a mother and love, and it was clear she was already looking that way at Heaven, no matter if she had family back home or not.

Marie was the first to speak, stepping forward and taking both of Heaven’s hands in her own. “Salve, fili mi, maiores te ad nos perduxerunt. Hic semper domum habebis. (Welcome, my child, it seems the ancestors have lead you to us. Here you will always have a home.)” Then she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss in the middle of Heaven’s forehead.

Arthur tensed and Mel leaned over, “my mother adopts anyone she feels needs love. She sensed that in Heaven and has welcomed her to always see this as a home.” She kept her voice low as to not embarrass Heaven who was now tightly embracing Marie and she swore she saw a tear on the porcelain skin of her cheek. “You too Arthur, Vita Pacis means Life of Serenity. Any friend of Cade’s is family here, where the mind can find peace when one needs.” With a soft and warm smile on her face, her eyes gently closed as she inclined her head.

The stoic man just inclined his head in return before turning back to the scene where both Francois and Dontanion were further introducing themselves to his wife, who seemed to be taking everything in stride. As dwarfed as the beauty was by her gruff husband, she looked absolutely tiny next to Mel’s brothers who were both well over six feet in height and broad shouldered. “See, I told you this trip would be good for you.” Cade finally made it up to them and clapped Arthur on the shoulder. “And Mama Marie and the spooky bunch has adopted another stray. I guess we’re brothers now, Arthur. Wait till you taste her food! We may never get you back to England.” They all laughed as they began to head in to see exactly how big of a feast Marie HAD prepared.

@call-sign-shark @raincoffeeandfandoms @saltysupercomputer @blind-the-winds @sunset-a-story @touloserlautrec @aziz-reads @toribookworm22 @outpost51 @late-to-the-fandom @writingmaidenwarrior @spookyceph

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