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One year ago it was Christmas Eve... and James called all the Vanburens back to the mansion. He was talking about this huge Christmas party for a year now and was [i]ensuring[/i] that all of them were there. And he didn't disappoint, every corner and inch of the manor was a reminder of Christmas. A Christmas tree strategically placed at every corner, Christmas lights all around the house, and garlands overhead - it was obvious that James and the workers put a lot of effort into this year! 

The dining room had plate after plate of juicy food placed down, and the music was playing and there James was. Wearing a green sweater, jeans, sneakers, and having an expensive glass of whiskey in hand. Once they were all assembled, James gave them an exuberant speech, as per [i]usual[/i]. 

"Welcome, welcome, I know I've been harping on you all coming but it [i]has[/i] been a while since we all got together," James started before he took a sip of his whiskey, "But, I just thought that I'd try to get us together just so we can catch up. So we can have a bit of fun because you never know what can happen next, after all. I know there's a bit of discord between some of you but I'm hoping that tonight we can work past it - or if I were to stop being idealistic, we can ignore it."

James took another long sip.

"I'll stop here so I don't bore you all," James said, "We've got games, music, and all of our family friends... that I could gather."

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The cold winter air of Araminta hit Sabrina, even underneath this thick red sweater barely did much. Maybe she should politely ask the ghost inside of it to make it a little thicker. She stood on the deck of the mansion overlooking the garden in the back and it was coated with snow... which was usual for this time of year. Her hand touched the stone railing and she barely felt a thing underneath these thick gloves of hers - Sabrina would probably never get used to the cold again after living in LA for almost years now, and hopefully, it won't be an issue. The girl looked up at the sky and the sun was there, just barely piercing through the clouds, it wasn't that harsh so she could look directly at it. 

It was a beautiful day but no matter how beautiful it was, it was still another day without [i]him[/i]. Without father... Sabrina would always find the strength to keep pushing forward, but being here made those feelings worse. Every one of his things, every inch of this place; it reminded Sabrina of him - this was his empire, after all. Another wave of cold air hit Sabrina's face and she pulled the scarf that she had around her neck up closer towards the lower half of her face. She tucked her face in as she turned away, stopping herself from feeling the full brunt of the coldwave. She guessed that someone who lived here all their life would think this is nothing and walk around in shorts.

But Sabrina knew that there were greener pastures.

A greener pasture that desperately called out to Sabrina, telling her to go there... but she had to settle this curse that she was afflicted with. The idea of magic and being forced to turn into stone if they left the town seemed like it was straight out of a fairy tale. Things were crazy, but if it wasn't for her the Vanburens would have had a far worse time. That had to count for something, right? Though the Vanburens hadn't seen each other in a while, and there was always a bit of tension between the Vanburen children for one reason or another. Sabrina wasn't the type of person to hold grudges and that jazz but she was hoping that everyone would be able to put aside their differences. Just for now, because she knew that father wouldn't like them fighting each other but she sometimes wondered [i]why[/i] they drifted so far apart. Guess it was just them all growing up.

A sigh escaped Sabrina's lips as she finally walked towards the exuberant front doors to the deck. She opened the door and glanced over her shoulder to get one last look at the horizon. Maybe she'd come to enjoy it in time if she wasn't practically being caged into Araminta.

Or maybe there's something else stopping her. She didn't know.

When she stepped inside, the girl was greeted by the familiar sound and pattern of their family pet: LeBeau the Ocelot. The feline meowed at Sabrina as she smiled and knelt, and then she pets him. Making sure to get behind his ears as he purred, and then she grabbed him by both sides of his stomach as she carried him with her to the dining room.

[hr]

The Vanburen family had hastily assembled in the dining room at the behest of Oscar. Sabrina didn't know what he was getting into but he seemed to be the lead into the investigation of their little "problem". Each Vanburen and associate was seated in a different place on the table and in a different way. Sabrina in particular was sitting with her feet together in a very polite way... while she played with LeBeau, gently petting the Ocelot in her hands as the proud creature affectionately purred. She was going to give Oscar as much time as he needed to get his presentation ready, but the room was [i]awkwardly[/i] quiet. Eventually, Oscar came walking up, and then Sabrina put her phone down...

Oscar took his time to get ready, not particularly attune to the fact that there was an awkward silence across the rest of the room. He was checking notes he'd made in a particularly worn-out notebook. Eventually, having properly got his thoughts together, he stood up and walked to the head of the table, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. 

[color=gold]"As I'm sure you're all aware or have guessed by now, I've been looking into the problem we've all been afflicted with,"[/color] he started. [color=gold]"I've actually been researching the 'Supernatural' since before this began, and thanks to this I was contacted by two experts who want to help us out. I had a meeting with them just earlier, to discuss the situation and find out just how much they know. It was very interesting, and they know a lot more than I've managed to research- but that's going off track. After having had that meeting, I'm very confident that they'll be able to help and have invited them to the manor to talk with us. That is why I've asked you to all gather here." [/color]

[color=coral]"Um,"[/color] Sabrina said as she stroked LeBeau, [color=coral]"... Just [i]who[/i] exactly are they?"[/color]

[color=gold]"Ah, yes,"[/color] Oscar paused, halting himself from going into the details that he'd learned while missing important points most people would want to know. [color=gold]"Their names are Justin Liao and Tuyen Doan." He realized he didn't really ask any particulars about them beyond that, so he'd just have to make a sophisticated guess or two. "I believe they're something like traveling experts in the magical."[/color]

This was definitely interesting, but Sabrina had her doubts about the whole thing. However, if Oscar was willing to give these two a chance, it was better than nothing. So, despite her reservations about working with them - James warned them far too often of scammers - it wouldn't hurt to hear them out. [color=coral]"... Okay, where are they?"[/color]

Oscar smiled. [color=gold]"They should already be here, right about now..."[/color]

"... hey there, hey there," Justin said as he came from out of the hallway wearing a leather jacket, black jeans, and black combat boots. With Tuyen at his side wearing a black pullover hoodie and Adidas track pants, and sneakers. "How's everyone doing? I heard about your little problem and we're here to help with any supernatural related questions you may have."

"Hey, before we start," Tuyen asked, "Can someone tell me where the bathroom is?" She asked.

"I guess while she's gone, you all can explain to me what happened and anything you might know."