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[indent][indent][indent][indent]Greeting everyone had been an exhausting task. Carlisle was grateful that Mary was there to accompany him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he held Mary in a higher regard to his own mother. Sure, his mother was nothing short of a monster. But it still felt a little wrong to love someone else as your mother rather than your own. Carlisle had done his best to contain his mother within his mental prison. He had decided that she was far too dangerous to leave around the party.

As he continued to greet guests, the words that Salem spoke previously rattled through his head. [i]Your children, however, have broken one of our most ancient laws - Magi and Witch alike - without even knowing it… If I’m right - there’s nothing anyone can do at this point…When two great bloodlines merge - seeing as the Leightons are one of our major families - one can’t beat the other. It creates a whole new species entirely - one that we’ve never seen before because we’ve always made it a point to avoid situations like these.[/i] Those statements rattled around his brain, trying to find some way to dismiss the truth that was dawning on him. Carlisle was actively trying to dismiss it. He didn’t want to face the reality of what was about to happen.

As the greeting segment of the night had drawn to a close, Mary had rushed off before Carlise could really ask her about anything else. With a soft sigh, Carlisle walked around the party, contemplating. He could go speak to Lilith and Miles, try to at least give them the heads up. He could also try to tie up Salem and stop her from getting anywhere near Miles and Lilith to do any kind of probing. He was still due to speak to her later however, and decided he would use that time to his advantage. For now, he had to trust that Lilith and Miles kept their wits about them. 

Carlisle spent the next twenty minutes speaking to various leaders of the other covens around the world. It felt weird having everyone addressing him as leader. Everyone within Tanner Coven simply called him Carlisle. He didn't really have a title, well, perhaps 'pain in the ass'. His eyes once more drifted over to Willow and the dress she was wearing. It was such a jaw dropping dress. Had she picked that just to make him gawk? If so, it was working.

 The ceremony was due to start soon, and Carlisle was getting angsty. He was doing a good job of controlling the mental prison his mother was trapped in. Her magic wasn't exactly doing a very good job against his own wards. If there was one thing that Carlisle was good at, it was a good ward. Carlisle had to give his welcome speech and leaders speech, and then the second part of the ceremony would begin, the actual handover. With his mother still trapped in his head, he wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen. The whole ceremony was supposed to be when the old leader hands over the coven seal to the new leader. Carlisle had made sure Amanda had given up the seal a week ago, but then he would need someone to present it. He couldn’t dwell on it for long however, as the organisers ushered Carlisle towards the stage to speak.

Carlisle stood behind the stage, taking a moment to go through his speech one last time. He had to make sure this was right. You only got one chance to make a good first impression, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite focus properly. His brain rattled with thoughts about Miles and Lilith, everything Salem said and his own mother literally rattling around in there. Carlisle walked up onto the stage, his walk wasn't exactly the most energetic or powerful. It wasn't exactly the kind of presence that a leader should be projecting. He could almost hear his mother chastising him in his head. Finally reaching the podium, he took a moment for everyone to quieten down, taking a second to check if the microphone was on. Once it was quiet enough and all those eyes focused on him, Carlisle would begin to speak. 

[color=00FFFF]"Thank you everyone for coming all the way to Tanner tonight"[/color] Carlisle started, his voice shaking at the edges as he couldn't quite find his stride in the first sentence. [color=00FFFF]"I know that for some of you, this was a long journey, traveling from all corners of the world. Y'know, I always find it weird that the new leader's speech comes before the handover ceremony. You know. Always thought it came the other way around. But what do I know? Never actually been to one of these before"[/color] Carlisle gave off a nervous chuckle, looking down at his written speech. It was monotone. It was never going to win any awards. Maybe he should just go off the cuff. 

[color=00FFFF]"I want to start tonight by talking about family"[/color] Carlisle started, folding over the pages of his original speech [color=00FFFF]"And why it is so important to Witches, warlocks and Magi alike."

"We have to keep our identities a secret to those around us. We can't just use the Internet to learn, or find new friends to hang around. We have to be selective. And this is isolating. Truly isolating at times. To compensate for this, we have to rely on our family more than mortals do. Sure covens and guilds can teach you your magic, but it's your family that supports you. That helps you through transition into magic, and helps you adjust to the magical world. Even after you grow up and become members yourself, that family bond persists."[/color] Carlisle gripped onto the side of the podium, trying to give himself the strength to carry on. 

[color=00FFFF]" Our leaderships and our histories are built on the backs of it. While the modern world transitioned into individualism, we stayed behind. And that isn't exactly a bad thing. Growing up I have seen strong parental figures guide their sons and daughters to some extraordinary heights. Even in more tragic situations where parents have passed on before their young have grown, new family units were created as a shield to protect those growing up."[/color] Carlisle gave out a soft sigh. His mind playing back memories of John and Mary, Miles and Lilith, alongside those of his own upbringing. 

[color=00FFFF]"And then there are those mothers and fathers who abandon their duty to their young. Those who are obsessed with power, reputation and lineage. Those that would [i]discard[/i] you if you didn't fit the mold they had designed for you before you even conceived. While I would love to say that I came from the former type of family, sadly I came from the latter. To those of you have worked with my mother: Amanda Aston, it would come of no surprise that she would treat me how she did."[/color] Carlisle took a moment to survey the crowd, looking around and seeing how they were doing. 

[color=00FFFF]" I was always told that I wouldn't amount to much. That the coven would never accept a warlock as its leader, yet alone a warlock that could only do abjuration. And she may be right. I won't contest it. My soon to be fellow council members are insanely powerful, more so than I. They have a better grasp of leadership and diplomacy. Either of them, Lilith or Serena would be far better placed to take over than I. And do you know why that is?"[/color] Carlisle asked the crowd. 

[color=00FFFF]"It is because they had a loving and caring family. Their elders supported them. They had affection, love and support. Their families understood that. The importance of mentorship and mutual growth. For me however, it worked in reverse. I am standing here today, not because of my blood, but in spite of it. Mary was more of a mother to me than Amanda, and Tiberius was more of a father to me than my own father. At every possible turn my family did whatever they could to change me or put me down. My own mother merely a month ago tried to disown me and cut me out of the race to be leader altogether. Just because she thought that had somehow disgraced the family.”[/color]

[color=00FFFF]”Now I know some of you may be looking around and say: ‘Well if Serena and Lilith are better people, why aren’t they leader?’ Well the answer to that is quite simple. To become the leader of the coven is to accept an insane amount of responsibility. That responsibility requires personal sacrifice. It is a massive undertaking for any such person to take on. Put simply, it would be a disservice to tie the pair of them to a desk when they have far more important and powerful roles to play in the community.”[/color]

[color=00FFFF]”So, I know that I might not be a perfect leader. I wouldn’t be able to survive the trials that Salem may have been put through when she became Guild leader. But I do have drive. Passion. A desire to be able to protect everyone and make sure that the relationships that we have forged with our fellow Magi over the decades endures. I am not my mother. Amanda had a callous and cruel approach, running the coven more with an iron fist than diplomacy. She fired most of the coven staff, and used the coven funds to fund the expansion of her own wealth. Some of you may have even witnessed the debacle of what happened at the entrance earlier this evening. Suffice to say. My mother has been removed from any active role tonight, or any other night. As of now, Amanda Aston is not a coven member.”[/color] Carlisle took a deep breath as he finished speaking those words. He could feel his head hurt. Someone on the inside wasn’t happy with his choice of words.

[color=00FFFF]”I want to restore the coven to how it was before. Where the household was a hub of activity. Where people from around the world could visit and take refuge, share knowledge and forge bonds. Move away from others viewing Tanner as some kind of castle that people fear coming to. That change won’t happen overnight. But I promise it will happen. Now I know most of you want to get back to mingling, catching up, and drinking as much of the coven alcohol stores that you can find. So I will wrap it up here. Please enjoy yourselves, and we will reconvene here in twenty minutes for the actual handover ceremony. Thank you”[/color] Carlisle would take a step back from the podium, wiping his forehead with his hand as we watched the crowd to see what kind of reaction people were having. [i]That was terrifying[/i][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]