Ophelia sat on her bed, staring at the wall in front of her, trying to calm herself down further. This was something she had been used to when she first came to the coven, but for a few decades the bad dreams had slowed down. It was when the other covens started coming around more that they had started back up again. She heard the light knock on her door before seeing Mitchell come in and she sighed. “Fuck.” She muttered under her breath, and when he asked about the bad dreams she nodded. “They have been frequenting more and more lately. I’ll be alright though. There isn’t any need to cancel lessons in the garden. She’s been far too excited about it, and I won’t take that from her.” She said, standing up, and looking around the room, and she walked over to Mitch, hearing Kat going into her bedroom. She brought her hand up to his shoulder and patted it before she exited her room. “I do need you to carry a few things for lessons today though,” she said as they got back down into the kitchen and she motioned to the two crates beside the door. “We are going to be working on a very pure form of old magic today, and those plants will be easier to teach her on than the ones actually in the garden, and then we’ll be moving to the ones in the garden.” She walked over and fixed herself another cup of tea, and when she saw the path heading up to the main part of the coven grounds, she noted the East Coven. That concerned her immensely. She sighed, and she took a sip of her tea. She heard Kathleen, her tone off, and she nodded. “We will head that way in a few moments.” She informed Kathleen. “I just need to make sure that I have everything for our lessons, and plus there are a lot more coven members visiting us this week from the east coven, and we can’t be bothered with them.” She finished up her tea and she walked over to the crates with the plants in them and she walked over and placed a few books in a crate and she lifted it up. “We will head out the back door today.” She said, heading towards the door in the main living room and opening it, her crate still in hand. She held it opened for the others as they exited and purposely remained behind them as they headed towards the garden. She sighed, closing her eyes briefly, but when she did she could still see the orange glow behind them and opened her eyes quickly. These dreams were leading up to the worst one, and she knew it. It had been ages since she had hat dream, since before Kat came and she nearly burnt down the cottage. She would need to speak to Checkov later and see if they would allow Mitchell and Atticus to stay for a few days. Just until the dream passed. Her dreams were the only thing that threw her magic off kilter and she could really do some damage. Mitch had barely made it to the door the last time, and Ophelia couldn’t risk this dream hurting anyone. Her head turned slightly to Mitch. “Would you mind accompanying me later? I need to speak to Checkov and I would prefer Kathleen not know. I don’t need her to worry about it.” She asked him, “And to be honest, I don’t like being in the same room as Checkov alone anymore. With the covens coming through more he’s been off. He’s got a lot on his mind it seems.” She looked to the contents of her crate before she looked ahead to see Atticus and Kathleen pretty far ahead. “Stop in front of the lavender!! We’re going to start there!!” she called out to them. She saw Atticus give her a bit of a wave and she set down her crate, briefly, getting a better grip on it before returning to her previous stride. Her mind was a haze and she could only hope the nightmare she feared would come quickly. Ophelia was almost too private, she felt. As much as she would love to tell others, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t go on about her pain, tell them the struggles she faced, nor could she just leave herself open like the coven wanted her to. The most emotion she had shown was nearly twenty years ago when they said they’d wanted to change her guard detail. [I] “I must apologize for asking you here so early. I didn’t want Mitchell around for this conversation.” Checkov began and Ophelia looked him over before looking to the elders. They had just managed to catch her as she was going to bed after a late night in the library. All of them sitting in the council hall very ominously it seemed. “It is quite alright. You do have me concerned though.” She said, and Checkov nodded. “Do forgive us, but we have been talking lately, and we won’t make the decision without you. Mitchell and you have been around each other for quite some time.” Checkov said and Ophelia nodded. “Twenty five years almost. Time is only relative though. Why bring this up?” she inquired. Another elder spoke. “Perhaps it is time for a change in the guard detail.” She spoke, and Ophelia looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Why? Do you feel Mitchell isn’t doing his job well enough?” Ophelia crossed her arms over her chest. “Why change something that works well?” Checkov sighed, “It isn’t that. We fear he may be doing too well. Perhaps all of the time you have spent together has made you both grow soft.” She scoffed, “Like we are emotionally involved? You are far worse than humans.” “Can you blame us for the assumption?” the woman asked. “So are you alright with the change in guard?” “I’m going to make myself perfectly clear. If you take Mitchell off of my guard detail, I will leave. I have just gotten used to him, and if you are wise, you won’t make me get used to another.” Ophelia stood her ground and Checkov rose a brow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more research to do, and I am quite tired.”[/i] Ophelia shook her head a bit, snapping from her thoughts as she stopped before the lavender and began setting up for the lesson. “Kat, mind picking me some rosemary and sage?” she asked, setting up a few incense burners. -- It was odd. The way the room suddenly fell tense once Ophelia left, and all Atticus could do was try to diffuse it. He caught the look he had received from Kathleen, but there was nothing he could do now. It was always best to leave Ophelia to cool off when she got like that. But then the scream came and the tension that had once fallen over the room had changed. It became eerily silent and soon Kathleen was speaking to Mitch. He knew that she was expecting the lessons to be cancelled, but if any of them had learned nothing, it was that Ophelia would bend over backwards for Kathleen for some reason. Atticus didn’t quite know why, but it was there to notice. Mitch left them, but before Kathleen headed up he gave her a smile. “Chin up, Kitty. You know even if Lia couldn’t teach you anything she wouldn’t take this from you.” He assured her. He watched as she headed up the stairs and he took the dishes and began washing them. Less for the girls to do. He put them in the drying rack and soon he heard footsteps coming down. Ophelia and then Mitch not long after. “Lia, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Atticus began but Lia waved him off. “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.” She dismissed it. Kathleen came down not long after, and hearing Ophelia speak just confirmed his theory. He tossed a look to Kat before they began heading out, and he fell into step beside her, remembering when they first met. [I]”She’s in that room right there.” Ophelia told him and he gave her a look. “Why aren’t you coming?” he asked, and Ophelia gave a knowing look. “Mitch has to help me with one more touch to the cottage. We will meet you down there. Be careful.” She chuckled and took off. Atticus gave a shrug and headed towards the room he had been directed was Kathleen’s. He noted her bags near the door and he went to begin picking them up when his hands got swatted away. She was definitely different. That was certain. “Well, I was going to help you. You have quite a few bags, and the cottage is a bit of a walk. I’m Atticus Slater.” He said with a charming smile. “Ophelia said she will meet us down there. Had one finishing touch to add to the cottage before we got down there.” He offered his hand for her to shake and once he shook her hand he began picking up her bags. “So take your time, I am almost certain that her and Mitch are arguing over it.” He had chuckled at the thought and when a few vampires peered in he gave a stern look. “Bugger off, this isn’t a museum… Nor a blood bank.” He said, recognizing them ad a few newbies that they had taken in a few weeks prior to Kat’s arrival. They gave a snooty look and headed off before he rolled his eyes. “At least you don’t have to worry about them anymore. You just get to deal with the ice queen.” He joked, picking up one other bag before seeing she was nearly ready. “Let’s get you out of this room and then we will take a tour around the coven grounds when you get settled in.”[/I] Atticus smiled a bit. “I told you so.” He whispered to her, looking back to see Mitch and Lia talking. “She would do damn near anything for you.” He said, remembering the thermos he had grabbed with her coffee in it as he placed in her hands. “It’s awfully chilly, figured you’d want it to go.” He looked behind him, waving off what Lia said and when they got to the lavender, he noted the benches. He remembered this place for an entirely different reason. He and Mitch had met here one day, waiting on Lia after she had a meeting with the elders. [I] “Mitch, how do you put up with her? She’s scary.” He asked, rubbing his neck where a faint red rash still showed. “She is definitely not…” he stopped, looking over Mitch’s features. He couldn’t continue with it, not being able to read his friend was unnerving him a bit. “Is something wrong?” It was the first time in the last two weeks they had been able to talk without Lia around in the daylight, and he knew that Mitch had offered to train him for this, but he was beginning to wonder if he’d ever be good enough to actually do it on his own, and it had only been two weeks. He looked down the path and saw the blonde walking towards them with a basket over her arm. It was odd, but he looked to see Mitch watching her, closely. He was watching her almost too closely, but with as important as she was to the coven, he could see why. “You really think I can do this?” he asked.[/I] Atticus shook his head, hearing Lia ask for rosemary and sage, and he began looking through the herbs to help Kathleen find them as a brisk wind came through. A few sprinkles came down, but quickly left. “What if it rains?” he asked, looking to Lia and Mitch. “I can whip up an herbal remedy. We can’t start this lesson and not finish. Well spend some more time here in the next few days once the rain stops.” Lia answered and she opened up her books and placed them strategically around and Atticus watched as she took the rosemary and sage and placed it around them. “Mitch, Att, get in the circle too.” Atticus watched as Lia sat Indian style on the ground, a fern before her and she motioned for Kathleen to sit before her. “We will be learning a very pure form of old magic today. The ability to draw magic from a natural source in a constant manner. With dark magic you take what you need all at once, old magic requires constant pulses of energy. We’re going to start with you taking energy from me and helping the plant to grow. You will start after I demonstrate understood?” Atticus looked to Mitch. This sounded dangerous, but perhaps that was why she wanted them so close.