[hider=Beth Buchannan] Name: Beth (Elizabeth) Buchannan Gender: Female Race/Species: Human Age: 27 Appearance: Beth has a tall, willowy frame, her hair is usually styled in a bun however reached the small of her back when released, with an auburn – coppery colour, which frames her dark, chocolate brown eyes. Her Celtic heritage has left her with pale skin that tends to burn with the merest hint of sunlight, so Seattle's weather suits her rather fine. Usually only wears minimal makeup and accessories, her most consistent item being a small silver bracelet in the style of intertwining vines. Personality: Beth has a upfront, blunt and dry style of speech that leave many thinking she is rather serious or harsh. However she is quite a warm, easy-going personality that is often accompanied by a light quip or two - there is no situation too awkward where she believes a well-timed humorous remark can break the tension. She is often proven wrong in this assumption but refuses to give up. Sometimes appears to have a questionable morality - however, Beth would consider herself moral enough but holds herself to a different set of standards than others. As her work contains much in the way of blood, sacrifices of small animals and various other magicks of the more darker nature she is much less perturbed by body parts, death and the more questionable side of the Occult than most. Beth believes, however, that her Coven's rules and teachings of these matters are more complicated and nuanced about such topics and that most people have simply dismissed it all as "creepy." Methodical by nature, Beth takes her abilities seriously, believing herself to be the inheritor of a rich history of magical lore. She therefore loathes much of the modern or New-Age Wicca and associated movements and those that express such interests usually receive the sharper side of her tongue. However, with those that are genuinely interested in her Craft she is eager to share and could talk for hours about the different grades of charcoal you can use for drawing a magic circle and the various effects it has - she has yet to find anyone willing to endure that offer, alas. A romantic at heart, she is quite eager for a boyfriend and subsequently is much more sociable than one would expect from a Coven witch. She is a frequent of many bars and parties, both paranormal and not, and is known to enjoy her alcohol very much which has resulted in a few fragile mornings in P&H where loud noises and bright sunlight are not her friends. Being a relative new foreigner in a different country, she does sometimes view American habits a little funnily or grow wistful for her homeland - however in general enjoys her new country immensely, feeling it still evokes the sense of wonder and novelty she had always imagined from the movies of the Golden Age of Cinema she adored as a child. Powers, Traits, and Abilities: As the descendent of of the Old Covens, Beth has inherited a legacy of generations of Witches knowledge and is quite the competent Witch. Witchcraft, however, is a tree with many branches, some more twisted than others. Beth's magic is of the old school, of blood and ritual. If you come to her wanting to discuss the healing properties of aquamarine quartz and your [i]Guardian Angel[/i] be prepared to be faced with barely restrained contempt. Therefore Beth is skilled in the more subtle, darker aspects of the arcane - curse breaking, exorcism, summoning the dead and summoning or forcefully banishing demons. However these require time, preparation and ingredients, some of them not easy or pleasant to get (Eye of newt and toe of frog can be the [i]least[/i] of your worries.) On the fly, if Beth can cut herself she can work some rudimentary blood magic, however at most it can only give access to some of her lower abilities and even then it can be unpredictable. Due to moving in some unsavoury circles prior to P&H, she does have a rather good amount of contacts amongst the "Other Side", although they may not all necessarily be [i]pleased[/i] to see her. Outwith the realm of the Occult, however, Beth's talents are limited. She is resourceful and good at utilising the environment and people around her to some advantage, however don't ask her to take down a hit squad or hack into the pentagon - it ain't going to happen. Often carries a small bag of essentials to her Craft - containing a knife, some chalk, some common herbs and pure sea salt. Allows her to work simple spells on site without the need for going back and forth with everyday ingredients. Background: It was one of [i]those[/i] bars. Most people would walk right past it, nondescript and sandwiched amongst the closed shops and abandoned apartments - that was the point. Its patrons valued their privacy, they weren't here to make chit-chat or for the excellent appetisers, (Apart from the Vampires, few placed sold warm blood these days,) it was the knowledge that they would not be disturbed regardless of the scaliness of their skin, the number of horns they had or their dietary preference. Beth sat at the bar, nursing a gin and tonic (although the dribble of tonic that had been applied barely qualified it for cocktail status) as she waited for Vince. She watched Lou, the barman, wipe down the work surface of the bar with a rag that, at best, could only be described as[i]marginally[/i] dirtier than whatever mess he was attempting to clean. Still, he made a mean Sidecar and he was never too pushy with the tab, so Beth didn't contemplate it too deeply. "Hey there," Vince said as he sat down and she gave him a small, half smile as she downed her drink. Vince had been ... well he had been a mistake but she supposed the technical term was her boyfriend a few years ago. She had recently moved to the States and he had been one of the few humans she had met that already knew of the Secret World, a few drinks and some questionable decisions that night had left Beth with a headache and his number. A couple of years later they had broken up - although more accurately she had thrown all his possessions out her window as she screamed a chain of profanities at him. "Looking for a good time?" He teased as he removed his jacket. "Oh definitely," She said with a small smirk, her Scottish accent still discernible even after all these years here. "However I suppose I'll take to you in the meantime, seeing as you made the trouble to call me." "How was the Coven in New England?" Vince asked, ordering a drink as he made himself comfortable. "I lasted a week," Beth replied, staring mournfully at the dregs of her G&T and debating the wisdom of getting another, "However I'm not sure if it was the thought of having to eat another bowl of soya beans or attempt to commune with the Great Earth Mother that eventually drove me off. Hard to say." "It's been four years, Beth," Vince said, sipping his beer, "You still haven't found a Coven for you, ever thought about heading back home?" "Constantly," Came her wistful reply, "But once Mags died we had no Elders left. Lilly had just got married, with only me and Mhari left it was dying. I thought coming here I could take some of the Old Ways with me, preserve something of our legacy but ..." Beth let the sentence die in the air, too disheartened to continue. "Still, better than that Vampire Commune you checked out, huh?" Vince said. "Definitely less soy beans," Beth laughed. "Here," Vince said, handing her a card from his jacket pocket, "The reason I called. They approached me a while ago, but it's not my thing Beth. You’re always looking for somewhere where your Coven's magic can be celebrated, it might not be a bad start." Beth raised her eyebrow, looking down at the smart, well designed business card pushed onto her hand, a firm's name emblazoned on the front: [b]Priest and Hawthorne Investigations.[/b] [b]Secret:[/b] Scene Prompt: [hider=My Hider] Beth was in awe as another drink floated over by the waiter and a couple of Martinis were placed on their table – “complimentary from the gentlemen across the room, ladies.” They were in one of the most exclusive bars in Seattle and had walked in and gotten the best table without saying anything. Beth hadn’t even opened her purse – they had barely been seated when the drinks had started flying from the men in the room. It wasn’t even as if Morgan was doing anything in particular – it was the way the room changed so subtly when she entered. It was as if it was no longer a public space – it was Morgan’s bar and everybody here was grateful she had let them join her for the evening. It wasn’t even as if she was exerting any of her talents at the disposal of a Succubus, Beth was certain she would sense it if she was – it was seemingly just effortless, the very way Morgan filled the space around her was provocative. “I need to go drinking with you more often,” Beth said, absentmindedly masticating her olive on a stick, before sipping the drink appreciatively, “All the other demons I met were not nearly this fun.” “Oh my dear,” Morgan said, running her fingers through the fine, perfect strands of her ebony hair in such a way that some of the men watching (and they were watching) bite their lips hard, “The few things out there that are anything like me.” “Although fairness, the only demons I’ve ever met were trying to kill me or break free of their bonds, so I suppose it’s not a fair comparison,” She continued as her Martini became more and more of an empty glass in need of a refill. “Although,” she mused, casting Morgan a strange look, “It’s weird that your still here … I mean whoever summoned you couldn’t give you this much freedom, yet once the contracts broken even the most determined spirit can’t maintain their shape and place in reality this long …” “I really wouldn’t know, the theory of all that is much more your area of expertise.” Came the reply, perfectly pleasant yet Beth couldn’t miss the bite that was there – signalling clearly, [i]don’t push it.[/i] She looked away, wondering if she had broken some form of etiquette amongst demons. It wasn’t like she socialised with them much - bit of a first for her really. Yet it bugged her – Demons didn’t belong in this world. Literally. Summoning Magic was difficult work, the laws of reality had to be altered to give the demon a form, place and point of existence within it. Beth avoided it when she could – it was reliant of contracts and bargains and Demons were notorious for finding loopholes. Banishing them was more her forte. “What about that one?” She asked to change the subject, nodding to a handsome, refined looking man with fair hair. “Gay” Morgan said with an amused smile. “Oh … what about him?” “Hmm, let’s say not as endowed as that Rolex on his wrist would want us to think.” “Him?” Beth asked, casting a suspicious glance sideward. “Into some pretty weird stuff, how comfortable do you find latex?” “You’re making this up, aren’t you?” Beth said, the corners of her lips lifting in a supressed laugh. “You know me so well, my dear,” came the reply, accompanied by the pair of women’s laughter and the chinking of glass. [/hider] Relationships prompt: [hider=P&H Team] [b]Robert Miller Jr.[/b] "Rob had initially been very welcoming to Beth when she first joined, however, when her magical talents and interests became apparent it caused Rob to hold back. Beth and Rob have never really seen eye to eye - nothing has ever gotten out of hand, but Beth's questionable forays into some of the darker magics has caused a friction between them, due to the older man's distrust of the occult. When working together they are professional and polite - in a very deliberate manner, almost clinical with the lack of chitchat. When Beth's Craft is required, she prefers to do it out of Rob’s way - who can barely bring himself to mention it, although sometimes out of mischief she can lay it on quite thick. Many have wondered what would happen if they were forced to work together." [b]Dr. Emma Stern-Hexen[/b] "Beth is intrigued by her fellow Witch but finds her branch of magic rather dry and has little interest in learning it. Sometimes gets into heated debates about the nature of magic - Beth strongly advocating for traditional approaches and the limitations of applying modern science and theories to the art, whereas the Professor sees Beth's unwillingness to adapt her magic to academic theory and rigor as a weakness and failing. Their relationship could not be described as strained, however, having their European origins as a common point, although Beth has been known at times to put of an exaggerated German accent when irritated (i.e [i]e.g "Ja mein Führerin!"[/i] They also have one of their few mutual agreeing points on Magic - a withering, scornful attempt for the New Age Wicca. [b]Jacob B. McAllister[/b] Beth has a lot of time for Jacob, feeling sympathetic for his past and family situation and occasionly offers her services as a babysitter. Is itching to try and get him to expand on his magical potential, yet hasn't found the right time to bring it up, although she doubts her own brand of magic would suit him she would enjoy helping him find his path." [b]Amanda Staten[/b] [i]Beth was nonchalantly eating a bag of peanuts as she flicked through the thick, aged grimoire that was nestled between her knees - seemingly absorbed in her work. The office was quiet, with most of the team out investigating claims of a Troll that had seemingly made a home in Aurora Bridge. Yet once Mandy got up to use the bathroom, Beth's eyes flickered up from the pages of her tome, watching with interest as she passed the threshold of the door. Lifting a small recording device to her lips, the Scottish Witch whispered, "Subject does not seem hindered by presence of horseshoe over door. Will try tomorrow, with blessed iron."[/i] - Beth and Mandy have moved from a wary distance into the beginnings of a friendship. Beth recognised the aura of Mandy as something reminiscent of the Seelie and Unseelie, although had no clue as to what Mandy could be. Wary, the Blood Witch tried some surreptitious tests to unveil the true nature of Mandy - as Beth's Coven have always had uneasy relations with the Sidhe. Mandy not appreciating such intrusions reacted defensively, however as the two have come to see the harmlessness of their respective positions they have grown closer, with Mandy's interest in Beth's magic a bonding point. [/hider] [/hider]