[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pBVhYT8.png?1[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Aj0PAHt.png[/img][/center][center]  [img]https://i.imgur.com/rCd1NjG.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/hS06bsh.png[/img]  [/center][right][b][code]The Vanburen Estate[/code][/b][/right][hr]

[color=darkgray]“Thanks, Blu. I appreciate the offer. Sorry you had to be involved in our family’s mess,”[/color] said Ezra as James’s ward proposed falling on the sword that was dealing with Georgie. 

Sabrina suggested she do it alone. Ezra felt a weight push down on his shoulder as she asked him to believe in her. Even though he had been the one to approach Sabrina, he doubted anyone in his family would be a surefire way to get Georgie out of the house. An outside perspective might be what was really needed to snap some sense into Georgie. Yet he had a history of questioning Sabrina’s confidence, and the last thing he needed was another family member storming away.  He nodded in approval and Sabrina jogged away. It was only when she was out of earshot that he leaned over to Blu to whisper.

[color=darkgray]“Go with her but hang back and let Sabrina do the talking. If Georgie doesn’t respond to her, maybe you can work your magic,”[/color] said Ezra, his focus shifting over towards Arabelle as she began to explain her plan. [color=darkgray]“Sabrina’s going to take Georgie to the construction site with the others to help setup a trap. If Justin’s right about them being able to track the skull then Georgie’s going to be at the center of any conflict no matter what. It’d be safer to have a spot where we have an upperhand. Although you are right that once they arrive Georgie should be as far away as possible…”[/color]

Ezra snapped his fingers. [color=darkgray]“I got it. Justin, give me five minutes.”[/color]

[hr][right][b][code]The Vanburen Estate - Foyer[/code][/b][/right][hr]

What were the rumors being spread about Shane? So many swirled through Tansy’s mind, but it was hard to parse the ones that could be true from the ones that she had started as excuses to explain his absence. She wiped her eyes and caught his cold, narrow stare as he said they could be right. She stepped back as he stepped forward and looked to the ground as his expression softened. Shane maybe didn’t care what others thought about him, but Tansy cared. Why was it so difficult for him to realize that maybe some of the people in his “stupid” family actually wanted him to have a good, successful life? 

The silence was chillier than the wind blowing through the shattered windows. Tansy studied the carpet, burnt black and slashed to pieces. Shane asked her to trust him, yet he didn’t trust telling her the truth. She sat down on the arm of the sofa, her face knotted in disgust as she glared at her brother. All Tansy needed was for him to look at her, but he just stared forward, looking at something that wasn’t even there. Her manicured fingernails dug into her coat. [i]Look at me.[/i] Her lips quivered as she shivered from something that wasn’t the wind. [i]Look at me.[/i] Just at the edge of Shane’s peripheries a soft, golden glow began to emerge.

[color=springgreen]“Look at me—”[/color][color=darkgray]“Shane!”[/color]

Tansy closed her eyes and the golden light disappeared as Ezra staggered into the room holding something a few feet large wrapped up inside of a blanket. [color=darkgray]“A hand!”[/color]

[color=springgreen]“What is that?”[/color] asked Tansy, stiffly standing from the sofa as she ignored the sick feeling in her stomach. 

[color=darkgray]“Heavier than it looks. Help me carry it to the car. I’ll explain in a minute.”[/color]

[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hS06bsh.png[/img]    [img]https://i.imgur.com/rCd1NjG.png[/img] [/center][right][b][code]East Aaraminta - Construction Site[/code][/b][/right][hr]

Two cars pulled up in front of the construction site in East Araminta for what would become the Vanburen Memorial Rehabilitation Center. That was at least according to the massive, moonlit coming soon sign that had James’s smiling face on it, the shadow of the billboard falling on the derelict structures in the neighboring lots. A twelve-foot tall barred fence surrounded the construction site which was peppered with bulldozers, some cranes, one crane with a wrecking ball, and forklifts as well as a number of shipment containers and mobile trailers doubling as offices. The rehabilitation center itself was still little more than a skeleton, three stories of steel, stone, wood that rivaled most large  department stores in length. 

Tansy stepped out of the backseat of one of the cars, looking as pale as the fresh layer of snow that draped all of the construction equipment, as she stepped towards the gate. She punched a code into a keypad and the gate parted in the middle. She waved the cars forward and followed behind them on foot, closing the gate on the other side, thankful to be out of those death machines. The cool air calmed her nerves as she moved with pride towards her baby, the snow crunching beneath her boots. It would be a shame if it got wrecked by the Wiccans, but the airtight insurance policy and the certainty that charitable, goodhearted folks would come out in droves to donate to the next fundraiser eased her worries. 

She pulled a little key out of pocket and opened the door to the foreman’s office as the others pulled Ezra’s package from the top of a car. The space inside was cramped but tidy, blueprints pinned on the wall showing plans for an olympic size swimming pool and tennis courts to be constructed eventually in the lots nearby. Two desks and a couch were crammed into the office. One of the desks clearly belonged to the foreman, while the second one was decorated with familial memorabilia. There was a photo of Trisha in a graduation cap smiling with her friends, an article about Oscar winning a science fair, a photo of Sabrina and Tansy at a fashion show, some of Georgie’s favorite flowers pressed in a frame, a photo of Ezra and his (now ex) wife on their wedding day, and a family portrait from a Christmas several years ago that upon closer inspection appeared to have been folded to fit the frame. 

[color=springgreen]“Place it down there,”[/color] said Tansy, shaking her jitters from the car ride. After the others placed the wrapped item against the wall, Tansy stepped forward and pulled the blanket from it. Her reflection stared back at her in the full length mirror. She pulled out her phone, stepped back to get some of the foreman’s office in frame, and took a picture and sent it to Ezra. [color=springgreen]“There. Ezra said if the Wiccans show up or if something goes wrong to give him or Arabelle a call. Supposedly she can use the mirrors to open a gateway if we need reinforcements or to retreat.

“But in the meantime, let’s begin setting things. All the keys to the fun stuff are in there,”[/color] said Tansy, nodding to a lockbox on the wall that contained the equipment keys to the construction vehicles. [color=springgreen]“But it’s locked and, I’d imagine, quite sturdy. I doubt any of us know how to drive those things anyway, so we might be limited to our hands. Anyway, Tuyen, I don’t know why I’m talking since you are the expert. What should we do to set up an ambush for the Wiccans? We are yours to command.”[/color]

[color=MediumOrchid]“Alright,”[/color] Tuyen cleared her throat.[color=MediumOrchid]“For this trap to work, I need to know what you can all do. Abstraction or mundane skills, anything that can help and any ideas.”[/color]

Tansy rotated to the office's couch and took a seat as Tuyen explained her abstraction. It was nice to know that there was someone there that could take down a few of the cult's monstrosities. Although, Tansy did not know if she wanted to be explicitly candid with her abstraction yet. She had mentioned to her family that she had come in contact with an Apparition that knew their father, but had neglected to mention that the Apparition was still hanging around. She certainly couldn't tell them all it was capable of doing. Not yet, anyway. Didn't need to give any of them another reason to treat her like she was some kind of invasive parasite.

[color=MediumSlateBlue]”I won’t be fighting,”[/color] said Trisha.

[color=springgreen]"I'd hope not,"[/color] said Tansy sweetly, her hand on her heart as her words dripped with a suffocating level of sincerity. [color=springgreen]"We would all just be mortified if you were badly hurt or, worse, disfigured. Don't worry, Tuyen, I'm sure that Trisha's little imaginary friends that she makes will be so helpful that we wouldn't even miss her not being there! Anyway, I will of course help in anyway I can, although I do not know how strong of an abstraction I have. I can create a blinding light, but can only really focus on one person at a time. Otherwise I know the site here like the back of my hand so I can probably help with determining what's the best spot to, ahem, welcome the cultists at."[/color]

[color=MediumOrchid]“I don’t know this area very well, what direction is where we think the cultists are? If we know where they’ll come from we can figure out where’s best to set up,”[/color] asked Tuyen.

[color=Springgreen]"If they come from their resort then they would be coming from the woods east of here,"[/color] said Tansy, getting up from the couch to point at the treeline through the front window of the office. [color=Springgreen]"The only way inside is through the front gate, although judging by our house they could just crash through the fence over there. We can walk the grounds in a moment after everyone—what was it your friends say, Trisha? Sips the tea?"[/color]

[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pBVhYT8.png?1[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Aj0PAHt.png[/img][/center][right][b][code]Outside the Sunrise Resort[/code][/b][/right][hr]

This had been the longest day ever and ending it with a hike through the woods just felt miserable. Ezra already knew his body would be kicking his ass for the next week once morning came and the adrenaline wore off, but for now he’d push through it.  A hand mirror was wrapped carefully up inside of his jacket that he could Configure large enough to allow Arabelle to crouch through, giving them a way to link the two groups if things went south. The jacket was a camo one used for hunting. It had belonged to James and Ezra felt like an asshole wearing it, as he’d never gotten the appeal of creeping around in the woods while masking his smell with animal piss at five in the morning. Still, some testing had shown that it could serve as a catalyst for his spells.

Although Ezra did not need to become a hunting prodigy to know that Justin was moving through the forest like a thundering herd of bison. Each crunch of snow and sticks was like a sharp knife being jabbed into Ezra’s ears. If any of the Wiccans were at the resort then hopefully they were all inside, because anyone would hear their group stepping through the winter wonderland. Justin had seemed to get a little heated early with Georgie’s little stunt. Ezra couldn’t blame him, but there was an impatience to the kid that rubbed Ezra the wrong way. Rushing was a surefire way to screw something up.

Mystical lightning crashing and a girl screaming only reinforced Ezra’s doubt as the bracelet on his hand glowed orange and he cast a prodigy spell on himself. He felt his muscles stiffen as his focus tightened. His vision didn’t improve and his hearing didn’t sharpen, but he began recognizing the difference between everyone’s footfalls as they stopped. He glanced over at Arabelle and made sure she was close by in case they needed to make a hot exit. He’d already shown her the image Tansy had sent him of the mirror at the construction site just in case. 

[color=red]"Before we get a move on, what do you all think?"[/color] asked Justin, Oscar replying that they keep going.

[color=darkgray]“Wait.”[/color] Ezra held a finger up to his mouth and signaled for everyone to crouch down. He heard what sounded like shifting earth and the large thundering mitts. Something was headed their way, although it may not be on their direct path. He continued in a hushed whisper, [color=darkgray]“Those dogs are on the move. But remember, we’re here for the healer. Let’s try to hide and let them pass first.”[/color]

It was possible that the hellhounds had their scent and could find them. Fortunately, their group had Oscar and all the snow he’d need to give those dogs an unending bath. He just hoped Oscar wouldn’t turn out to be totally gungho and try to get the drop on them. Ezra locked eyes with his brother and mouthed: [i]only if they find us.[/i]