Hedgehawk

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

_{A collab between @Hedgehawk & @HaleyTheRandom}

It was a pretty safe bet to say that September was turning out to be a terrible month for Carlisle Aston. From curses, to rejection, Werewolves, to being disowned by his mother. It seemed that Carlisle couldn't actually catch a win anymore. He was fairly certain he had lost the respect of the entire coven. He had fallen for a trick and as a result people in the coven got hurt because of him. His mother had made that perfectly clear.

He had spent the past two nights in the Coven household. After his mothers outburst, he hadn’t left the household at all. He was still technically recovering. He had finally gathered enough energy to put up a new barrier around Tanner, it was only temporary, and was better than nothing. He had been meaning to speak to Lilith about giving him a hand with the barrier. But the thought of having to call her scared him.

He had to get out of the household however, there was no way he could stay here. Firstly, sharing a house with Hayden was driving him crazy. She was quite the territorial female, and the fact she was hurting, made her even more explosive. He couldn’t deal with it. Plus he was doing so much extra work, it was kind of sad. He actually finished all of the hellish Guild Paperwork with regards to the dead Magi they found in the Tanner Forest. He needed an escape. Somewhere. Anywhere.

And that was how he found himself outside the gate to the Montgomery ranch. He didn’t even remember how he got here. His brain went on autopilot. He didn’t even drive. He walked the entire route. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what time of day it was. All he could say was the dark clouds loomed in the air, disguising the temporary barrier protecting the town. Not that Lilith would need to see it to know it was there. He could almost hear Cordelia mocking him on his shoulder.

”This is a mistake. Turn back” His brain fired off to him. Of course it was a mistake. This was almost suicide. In his hour of need, He came back to Lilith. The one person who had enough of him. The last person who would help him. So why could he not stop walking down the long driveway to the ranch house? This was the longest he had ever spent not speaking to Lilith. They had at least texted every single day at the bare minimum. He hadn’t actually spoken to anyone really. Walking up the dirt path, Carlisle kept his head down. He didn’t want to focus on his destination. Acknowledging where he was going just made him feel a deep sense of shame. Finally arriving at the destination, He knocked on the door, not wasting any time to try and have second thoughts. There he stood, still wearing the clothes from the party, small speckles of dried blood on his shirt. This was it.

Lilith had taken the last few days to avoid Miles - per usual. While they had exchanged a few messages (mostly memes) she had avoided his questions about meeting up or anything in regards to Sunday dinner. He hadn’t questioned it so far, but Lilith knew that she couldn’t keep this charade up forever.

Aside from avoiding the largest elephant in her subconscious, the young woman had taken over most managerial duties of the family ranch. John’s health seemed to be doing okay so far, but Lilith refused to let any extra stress be added to his life, despite the old man's protests that he could still outwork any of the ranch hands. John Montgomery was right - he was a strong man, and it was a challenge for his granddaughter to still see him as such. Between watching the news, cooking dinner and sharing whiskey - they had argued. A lot.

In the quiet moments when her and her grandfather's spirits refused to agree, Lilith had thought about Carlisle. The scene of her slinging the tequila bottle had replayed over and over in her head - one of the few things she actually remembered about the night of the party. She still cared for him deeply - how could she not? He had been her best friend for years, and they had gone through countless trials together. Over all, Carlisle had been a fairly decent friend aside from getting himself into trouble and freaking out over Miles. Deep down, Lilith worried that she had over reacted, and nearly even convinced herself that she had done so - but she still believed that Carlisle needed to learn how to solve his own problems. She had spent countless hours worried about him, but she knew that she had to dial back on her own hero complex as well. Deep down, she knew that they could be friends again one day, but Carlisle needed to mature.

Standing there that night, Lilith was cooking dinner as John cleaned one of his various guns at the dining room table. She had put her ‘old country’ playlist on shuffle, allowing them both to vibe in each other's space in near silence. Bending down to pull the baked chicken out of the oven, Lilith crossed the kitchen and entered the dining room to place the entree on the dinner table. Setting the baking dish atop the pot holders, Lilith turned to see her grandfathers eyebrows narrowed in curiosity.

”Why’d you make so much for just the two of us,” he questioned.

”You’ll see,” Lilith responded. As if on cue, a knock came from the front door.

Making her way over, Lilith opened the door to find a disheveled looking Carlisle. His clothes were filthy, his hair still stuck to his head with blood, and they bags under his eyes could have given Liliths a run for their money. Before she even had time to respond, John called out from the living room.

”Who is it?”

”Carlisle,” Lilith yelled back, her voice emotionless while she never broke eye contact with the boy.

”Well, let him in,” John insisted. Lilith could hear the smirk in his voice.

With a sigh, Lilith opened the door further, walking away and back into the kitchen to stir the pasta to keep it from burning.

Carlisle watched as the door opened and Lilith stared back at him. The fact there was no emotion in her voice was unsettling to Carlisle. It was great that there was no angry emotions, but the fact was, there was no good emotions there either. This was a mistake. But there was no backing out now.

As Lilith walked away and left the door open, Carlisle followed suit. For a moment he stood there, kind of confused and both stunned as to what to do. Eventually he snapped back to reality and closed the door behind him. With a soft sigh he began to follow Lilith into the kitchen. He decided to stay quiet for the moment. He knew that opening his mouth was likely to trigger something in Lilith.

She had almost snapped when Carlisle had forgotten to close the door for those few brief moments. Thankfully he had managed to save himself without being told to do so. Listening to his footsteps falling on the hardwood floors, Lilith stared intently at the boiling water in the metal pot before her. Taking extra time to stir the noodles, she huffed before breaking the silence.

”So speak the fuck up,” Lilith nearly shouted. ”Why have you shown up on my doorstep like a lost puppy,” she questioned.

”My doorstep,” John quipped, taking the time to turn his attention to the drama unfolding in front of him. Lilith took a brief moment to look over her shoulder, glaring at her grandfather.

While Lilith couldn't see it as the mention of the word 'Fuck' Carlisle froze for a moment. It was clear from his body language he was scared. He didn't want to speak because he knew exactly what was about to happen. He coughed lightly and poked at his collar before taking a deep breath and finally speaking up. "I need your help" He said, letting the words hang in the air.

Moving the pot from the stove to the sink, Lilith turned off the burner before beginning to drain the water from the pasta. She was doing the best that she could to remain busy, and to make sure that her gaze never met Carlisle’s. When he finally spoke, Lilith let his words hang in the air for a few moments, pondering on how to respond. She could tell that John's overall mood was curious, whereas Carlisle’s overall energy was sporadic.

”My help,” she mused, now beginning to add herbs and spices to the bowl in front of her. ”I swear to the fucking gods… It’s not even been a full three days yet, and here you are - once again! ’I need your help’” she mocked him, making air quotes with her hands as she did so. Beginning to stir the pasta with way more force than was required, Lilith scoffed. ”What the fuck did I tell you about asking me for help,” she snapped, throwing the wooden spoon on the counter before turning to glare daggers at Carlisle.

As she spoke, Carlisle began to retreat backwards a couple of steps. Doing his best to not hit anything, or make a smooch noise as possible. Upon hearing the sudden clash of wood on wood, Carlisle let out a small yelp and jumped back, pushing his hand forward into the counterspell position, letting out short sharp breaths. Not that he actually had the energy to be able to do anything if he wanted to. ”I know. I … know. You told me not to bother you. Not to ask for Help anymore. But this isn’t something petty!” Carlisle lowered his head, trying not to make eye contact with Lilith after he finished speaking. He could almost feel the glare penetrating his skull.

While Carlisle coward and moved backwards, Lilith crossed the room again to place the food on the table once more. She hadn’t intended to close the space between them, but standing at the dining room table had put her closer to Carlisle than she would have liked. John took the opportunity while the pair was distracted to put his gun back into the cabinet before returning to his place at the head of the table. Keeping a close eye on his granddaughter, the old man began to fix his plate, knowing that Lilith probably wasn’t going to be sitting down anytime soon.

Standing there with a hand on the back of one of the wooden chairs, Lilith raised a single brow as she turned her attention back to Carlisle.

”’Nothing petty?’ Everything is petty with you, Carlisle Aston,” she yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration.

”Lilith,” John grumbled. ”Don’t you think you’re taking things too far? Let the boy speak for cryin’ out loud.”

”Absolutely I am not,” Lilith stated defensively. ”He wants to act like a child, ignore my visions, interject himself where he isn’t needed - nor wanted - thinks he has a say so in who I do and don’t get to date, and they cherry on top if it all? The amount of absolute disrespect he has shown.”

”Now I can understand why you’re frustrated, but Carlton there looks like he’s been through hell and back.”

Jaw clenched, Lilith looked back and forth between the two men.

”Good,” she retorted. As silence filled the room once again, she sighed. ”Well, what is it then,” she questioned Carlisle.

Carlisle was certainly taken aback at the comments that Lilith was throwing out. If an outsider was listening in, you would think the duo weren’t even friends at any point in their lives. Carlisle tried to speak, but croaked his voice. He nervously coughed before then trying again.

”Look, I am really sorry about the whole ignoring the vision thing. I should have known better. You haven’t been wrong in the past. And if I had listened to you, then the Coven wouldn’t have been attacked and people wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I don’t care about the damage I have taken, I deserved that. But I have to live with the guilt of the pain that I ended up causing to others…. Emotional and physical” He looked and spoke with a nervous sincerity. If Lilith was ever going to use her powers to probe Carlisle and see what he was truly thinking; then he was being earnest. Fear was his biggest and most dominant emotion currently.

”As for how I acted about you rejecting me. Yeah I was a jerk. I was upset. I guess I have never truly felt rejection before. I didn’t know how to process it. I was an ass. A stupid fucking doucebag. But hey… you got your own back with that tequila bottle throw” He said with a nervous laugh, trying to break the ice a little ”You can date who you want to date. I was just upset that it wasn't me. But I am happy that at least it is Miles. He is a good kid. College helped him grow up alot. Kinda” He would finally lower his hand, feeling safe to do so.

”Throwing tequila bottles,” John questioned.

Lilith rolled her eyes, taking a seat beside her grandfather. ”Long story.” Listening to Carlisle's words, she wasn’t going to praise him for a half-assed apology. In all honesty, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

”Well I’d like to hear it sometime,” he laughed.

Pursing her lips, Lilith reached for the bottle of whiskey on the table. ”You still haven’t answered my question,” she responded to Carlisle. ”Why are you here?” Lilith asked once more, her tone acidic.

Carlisle was going to tell the story, but decided not to. He had been trying to avoid actually asking the question. However Lilith was starting to become insistent. Carlisle let out a deep sigh.

"Well. I kinda need both of yours help. I don't know how to say this, so I will try and be as direct as I can. I am not sure how much you have heard about the last couple of days. After the party. Well, my mother came to the household and basically began attacking me. I won't go into the details, but Mary managed to get me away from her. The upshot of it is, I have been disowned. I am no longer an Aston. And now my mother is going to try and make sure I don't become the permanent Coven leader" Carlisle had still dodged the actual question. He still needed time to gain the bravery to ask.

Listening to Carlisle speak, Lilith focused on the whiskey burning down her throat. The warmth of it seemed to pool in her chest, adding to the fiery anger that was already brewing there. As she sat there, Lilith tried her best to put his words together, trying to see how any of this - once again - was her problem.

”So you want us to vote for you or something,” John questioned him.

"Well that would be nice. But no. That's not it. I kinda need a place to stay." He rubbed the back of his head.

At Carlisle’s request, Lilith choked on her drink.

”You want to move in with us,” she responded incredulously. ”After all of this, you really walk in here seeking solitude? Are you insane?!”

”Now Li-”

”No,” she protested. ”Absolutely fucking not. I’m not going to have this fucker living across the hall from me, making puppy dog eyes every morning, begging for forgiveness. He has nothing to offer us, the ranch, or anyone else.”

”Well that’s a bit harsh,” John retorted, now taking a drink himself.

”Like I give a good goddamn! He wants me to solve another one of his problems, and somehow I’m the bad guy again?”

It went exactly how Carlisle had thought it would do. Lilith was adamant. This wasn't going to work. Carlisle took another step back. "No, No. Lilith is right. I am intruding. I shouldn't have even come here, I will just stay back at the Coven household. I just couldn't stand trying to cook on my own and look after myself"

”So you not only expect us to provide a roof over your head, but you want us to look after you as if you’re a toddler?” Lilith shrieked.

”Lilith Jade Montgomery,” John spoke, raising his voice. ”If you don’t shut up and act like you have the sense I raised you with, so help me -”

Knocking back the rest of her drink, Lilith now returned her grandfather's glare as he spoke to Carlisle.

”Carlton,” he began, keeping his tone as calm as he could. ”You can stay here.”

”Oh, what the fuck,” Lilith cried out. ”You’ve gotta be shittin’ me, right? Right?! Tell me you’re joking, gramps.”

Clearly frustrated with his granddaughter, John poured himself another drink. ”The Ranch has been a secondary safety location for Coven members since the founding of Tanner. We have responsibilities to uphold, and childish games can’t get in the way of that.”

”To hell with you both then,” Lilith retorted, nearly snatching the bottle of alcohol from John.

"I will gladly help in the ranch and do whatever it is you want me to do" Carlisle said as he held his hands together in a thankful motion. He knew that Lilith was going to be furious. "Only if you are sure though. I can easily go ask Serena and her family. That's no bother. I don't want to cause friction between you considering your condition" Carlisle commented.

LIlith couldn’t help but to laugh at Carlisle’s words. The scene of him begging Serena for help with anything was comical - and then he wanted to talk about her grandfathers ‘condition’. At this point she had to laugh to keep from hitting him.

”Cut the shit dude,” was all she could manage to say before John glared her way.

”I’m not sure that it’s the best option for you, given the circumstances,” the old man grumbled. ”But it’s better than having you on the streets, I guess.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Lilith was sure to get her two cents in once more before taking another drink. ”The streets build character.”

”So does waking up at the asscrack of dawn to shovel horse shit out of stalls,” John snapped back, tossing his fork on the plate out of anger. ”Does that please you your highness?”

”It’s a start,” Lilith quipped in return, now filling her grandfather's glass for him.

As their eyes met, the stubborn, frustrated, and mischievous glimmer that John saw in his granddaughter's eyes made him sigh. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. ”Come sit down, Charlie,” he requested.

Carlisle was far too parts equal and grateful to start correcting Grandpa John over his name. Right now he knew that for some reason the male was on his side, and normally it was the other way round. He wasn't about to sabotage it. He carefully sat down on the chair, looking around for a moment. "I wouldn't survive in the streets. The coven house was far too big and lonely to be in all the time on my own. Plus I couldn't stop working. Got a lot of paperwork done at least" He was once again back with the nervous laugh.

As Carlisle sat down across from her, Lilith couldn’t seem to shake the disgusted expression that now seemed stuck on her face. She wanted to make another smart remark in regards to his small talk, but she chose to drink some more instead before speaking.

”You stink,” she stated simply. ”And I don’t just mean your personality - you literally smell.”

Carlisle couldn't really defend himself on that one. He hadn't changed his clothes in three days, and had spent most of his time either cleaning up the household after the party or sleeping to try and recover. "Yes, sorry about that. I have kinda been preoccupied with trying to recover and fix the barrier and all the other shit to worry about selfcare right now"

Looking him up and down, Lilith’s eyes eventually rested on her grandfather. Standing up from her chair, the young woman silently fixed her dinner plate and poured herself another glass of whiskey. Disconnecting her phone from the sound system, Lilith cleared her throat before speaking.

Food in one hand, drink in the other, she stood there for a brief moment, her lips pursed as she thought of what to say.

”I can’t deal with this,” she said, her tone the softest it had been all evening. While speaking, she kept her gaze locked on grandfathers. ”If you want to take in strays, then you can take care of them. I’ll be in my room for the remainder of the evening in case you need me.”

Carlisle sighed and bowed his head as he heard Lilith's remarks. The bridge was still very much burnt. He waited a moment until Lilith was out of earshot. "I am so sorry for putting you both through this. I didn't expect my mother to act the way she did. I know the past few days have been rough, and I haven't exactly been a good man. But I want to fix all that. Lilith means alot to me. Heck means the world to me, and while yes, I am upset and salty. I don't want to lose it all. She is worth fighting for and keeping in my life. Plus, she has kick ass powers" Carlisle spoke, a slightly goofy grin plastered to his face.

When Carlisle had finally finished speaking, John huffed. ”You aren’t putting me through anything, except making me uphold family traditions - which really ain’t an issue.” Continuing to eat, the older man took a moment to decide on what to say next. ”Find it really ignorant that you’re pissed off at her for not returning your feelings though. She loves you - just not in that way. And I’m pretty sure it’s killing her to have to act like she doesn’t.”

Hearing John's words, Carlisle felt like a proverbial knife had gone through his heart. He swallowed hard before continuing. "I know. Trust me. I know. I was completely out of line and deserved that bottle to the back of the head. I wasn't thinking right. I really hope you are right though. I miss the old Lilith. I want to go back to being a good friend to her. But after I was resurrected, she started talking like I had been a deadweight to her for a long time. So I am not even sure if she wants to carry on liking me" Saying it out loud only helped it set in once more in his mind. Had he been a burden to her forever?

”Only she can answer all that,” John responded, briefly pointing at the food in front of him with his fork. ”Help yourself. She made some for you too, after all.”

Carlisle was about to brush off everything he had just heard until John mentioned the last few words. She made some for you too. Carlisle took a breath as he hesitated for a second but eventually took a plate and began to plate up some food. "I should have known Lilith would have seen this coming. I wonder if she saw the argument me and mother had? Well. Not really an argument. She just kept berating me. Mary had to step in and shoo her away." Carlisle dropped his head somewhat, dejected, as thoughts of his mother's words rang in his head.

John shrugged his shoulders. ”More questions for her. I’m not a mind reader, kid.”

"I know. I will be back in a moment" With a shuffle, Carlisle got up and began to walk in the direction that Lilith had walked away too. On the way he stopped by a mirror, and took a moment to adjust his hair, and try and wipe away some of the fatigue that covered his face. Once he was as confident as he was ever going to be, Carlisle made his way over to Lilith's room. Staring at the door for a moment before gently knocking on it. "Lil? It's me"

Lilith had thought that she was going to be safe in her bedroom - she had thought wrong.

The young woman had had just enough time to lock the door behind her and flop down on her bed before she heard the knock. With a groan and a roll of her eyes, Lilith did the best that she could to glare at Carlisle through the door.

”Go away,” she called back.

"Look, I won't take a minute, and you don't even have to answer the door or even speak back" Carlisle took a minute. The silence became somewhat awkward, but he knew he had to take his time and get these words right. He owed it to Lilith and to himself to get this right. "Okay, so. I just want to say that I have valued all of our time together. Not just this summer, but everything. When I returned from college early with my tail between my leg, you didn't have to talk to me. You could have just kept living your life. But you did. And I am really grateful for that. I know there have been times where it always seems that you solve my problems for me. I guess that might be a part of being a diviner. But I never intended to lean on you, or take advantage of your abilities. I came to you because I could trust you. And if there was ever a chance to return the favor, I would have. It's just the chance never really came. This week has been a massive shitshow. I am not proud of what I did. I just don't want us to end this. That's my biggest fear. I don't want to lose my Best friend and also my only other friend as well. Not over something like this. There I said my piece, I will leave you alone" Carlisle rubbed his hair and began to turn on his heels. He wasn't exactly sure whether what he had just said actually helped. But he had to believe in it nonetheless.

Part of Lilith was proud of Carlisle for trying to apologize, the other half just desperately wanted him to shut up. He could have apologized a thousand times over, and she still wouldn't really have anything to say. Lilith would never believe him unless he actually showed her how sorry he was or wasn’t.

”Be up at five,” she grumbled. ”We have shit to shovel.”

That was the best she could do for the time being. If he was honestly expecting everything to be fine after that, than he was dumber than she originally ever thought.

"Alright…" Carlisle responded as he retreated from the bedroom door. Perhaps it wasn't a good enough apology. But he wasn't going to push it. She had her powers, she could probe his emotions whenever she fancied it, so he knew there was no use hiding things. As he went back to the dining room and sat down he let out a soft sigh. "Well, I said my bit. I don't know if I helped or made it worse. But it looks like she is going to make me shovel actual shit"

”As she should,” John replied with a chuckle. ”Did you honestly think she wasn’t going to make you suffer just a little?”

"I get the impression that she is going to make me suffer a bit more than a lot. But hopefully she will forgive me." Carlisle began to eat his food. "Question: Was my mother always such a nasty person? Mary seems to think that she made quite a few mistakes as Coven leader and that she might not have been as great as she told me"

”Aston women have always been a pain in the ass, but your mother - that woman’s outdone them all. Arrogant. Self-centered. Power hungry.” Raising his glass to his lips once more, John took a large drink before he continued to speak. ”Amanda has blatantly ignored other Council Members, harmed Coven members. It’s part of the reason I took a back seat on so many things for so many years. Just wound up teaching y’all. Got tired of always arguing with her.”

Hearing how John described his mother, made Carlisle wince. He had not heard any of this before. "Well, I knew she could be demanding. She was obsessed with me being a witch. It was bordering insanity. I never understood her obsession with me being a witch" Carlisle would take a bite before nervously smiling.
”Was?” John questioned, overhearing that the evening news was ending. Standing up from the table, he grabbed his empty plate and walked it over to the sink. ”If you’ll excuse me, Wheel of Fortune is coming on, and well - I don’t want to miss my show. You’re more than welcome to join us, but I’d sit on the far side of the living room if I was you.”

Crossing the room, he shouted ”Lilith, show time!” before sitting in his favorite chair.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

_{By @Sailorsadie, @Hedgehawk & @SouffleGirl123}

Clara leaned her head against the window of her last interstate bus. She was late, 3 days late to be precise. She hadn’t texted Carlisle of her dilemma, sure she had intended to but it always seemed to slip her mind as quickly as she was reminded that it was something she needed to do. Time had slipped the young woman as she spent some time in Denver with the coven and next thing she knew was the day of the first meeting for the Tanner Coven. Luckily for her, she had a transportation circle in their coven’s central property. Not-so-luckily for her Denver’s coven house had a cat that walked in and distracted her while she was adding the markings to send her to Tanner and she ended up in Georgia. A long distance teleportation took enough magic out of her for a whole day and she was already late at this point so she decided to stay in Georgia for the night and just to take the bus the next day. Clara loved buses. Just as truthfully she was terrified of flying and trains were a lot more expensive.

As the bus approached ever closer to Tanner Clara couldn’t help but bounce in her seat in anticipation. For as much as she loved the bus she hated being confined to one small seat in one small place. She looked between her phone and the window hoping Willow would indeed be there to meet her. She’d arranged to meet her, well more accurately after just not responding to her messages for a couple of days she called her friend, admitting her blunder for the insistence that Willow meet her.

After having received the phone call to meet Clara, she huffed out a breath as she leaned back in her office chair. All she had been told was to meet at the Coven, but it wasn’t time yet. The meeting wasn’t until next week. Willow looked up at the calendar on her office wall and her eyes widened. ”That was this week?!” She groaned as she realized the meeting in fact had been three days ago. The young woman had been swamped with back to back caseloads that she had been an entire week behind. Not the first time she accidentally overlooked something.

With a shake of her head, she stood and smoothed out her black pencil skirt and lacy white top before grabbing her keys and heading out to her car. She knew Clara’s bus would be pulling up at the stop any minute now. She had to worry. Willow cranked up her car and headed off to the large house, Carlisle’s face in her mind. At least one good thing would come out of this: she’d be able to see the man who had plagued her dreams during countless nights. A smile pulled at her face as she stepped on the gas.

As the bus arrived at its stop in Tanner, Clara made her escape down the aisle, waving goodbye to the couple of kids she’d been intermittently keeping entertained through magic ‘tricks’ with a large grin on her face.She received her luggage, a colourful suitcase and a purple backpack, from under the bus and looked around her. When she’d looked on google maps Tanner’s transit stop seemed so close to the coven house but a mile looked a lot shorter on paper, well on phone, than it did in person. She huffed at the distance ahead of her and went on her merry way.

She tried running for a while but her suitcase clacking on the ground and backpack bouncing on her back got irritating. Not to mention having to hold down the hem of her green sundress half the time. She decided walking was better, it made singing to herself easier too. Then she came to a crossroads, it was left here, right? Or was it right here and left next? Clara was not the best navigator, even in a town she’d lived in her whole life. Well left felt like the right way but right looked like the right way. She didn’t even come to consider straight ahead. She huffed, pulling out her phone to look at her maps- hey someone tagged her in a photo on instagram. From there she found herself on the corner of the road scrolling through her phone- getting nowhere useful.

Willow continued to drive the way to the Coven as she sang loudly to ‘Walking On Sunshine’, her car stereo on high and her windows down. She couldn’t wait to see her friends again, even if she was running behind schedule. She was also possibly going to be at the end of a lecture for being late. Though really, what could have possibly have happened in three days?

As she turned down the road, she noticed a bright green dress and a head full of brunette hair bopping along down the street. Her eyes brightened and she gave a small laugh before pulling over at the curb a few feet in front of the woman. ”Clara!” Quickly parking and getting out of the car, she squealed as she ran over to Clara and enveloped the woman in a bear hug. ”I’ve missed you!”

Clara hadn’t even noticed the car stop until her name was being called by a voice she knew well. ”Willow!” she calls out in return, reciprocating her friend's hug. After a few moments she pulls away bouncing on her feet. ”Denver’s coven got a cat, just like a coven cat! Actually I think it’s a stray they picked up but we should get one. For the coven house, I don’t think my dogs would like a cat,” she rambles, bouncing on her feet. ”Oh, and I missed you too. You should come with me next time!” she says, completely overlooking the fact that transportation was not one of Willow’s specialties and Clara herself could only take others with her for short distance transport.

”Oooh!” She immediately perked up and nodded. ”We should definitely get a cat! Wouldn’t that be just the cutest thing ever?” With a small giggle, she shook her head and noticed the woman’s suitcases. ”Oh! Here!” Popping her trunk, she helped load the woman’s bags before bouncing on her feet.

”So I totally thought the meeting was next week, so we need to hurry to the Coven. Come on!” She hopped into her car and leaned over, opening the passenger door for Clara.

Clara slipped into the passenger seat, closing the door next to her with a bang that was a little too loud and made her jump slightly in her place. ”Do you think Carlisle, Lil and Serena were wondering where we were? Good thing I sent Carlisle a mess-” she opens up her messages to Carlisle to find a half written message about her absence not yet sent. ”Whoops,” she quietly replies to herself, becoming smaller in her seat.

Raising a brow in question, she started the drive to the Coven. She glanced over at the woman as she became quiet. ”What’s wrong? Did-” Willow stopped when she realized what must have happened. She giggled and shook her head. ”You forgot to send it, didn’t you?”

She huffed out a breath as she made a turn and shrugged her shoulders. ”If it makes you feel any better, they’ve known I’ve been in town and nobody has checked in with me. So they couldn’t be too upset, right?”

Clara rubbed her face with hands, echoing a strained ”I forgot to send it.” It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something like this, it was probably far from the last time too. At Willow’s next statement Clara sighs. ”I think they might have forgotten about us,” she says simply with a shrug, rolling her window down. She closed her eyes, allowing the warm air of the day to rustle her hair.

Willow scrunched her nose at that thought as she stopped at a red light. She shrugged her shoulders and glanced over at her friend. Seeing her eyes closed, a gentle smile tugged at her lips before her attention returned back to the road. ”How could anyone forget about us? I’m sure there were other people who missed the meeting too. That’s the only reason they didn’t reach out to us personally. Heck, I’m sure at least someone would have stopped by my office if it were dire.”

Clara shrugged at Willow’s response, staying silent as she pondered over the answer. ”Is this one of those things when you say it’s all ok so I ‘feel better’?” she questions, turning to her friend. ”I’m fine with being forgotten, it doesn’t bother me,” She knew Willow had a tendency to ‘make light’ of situations that really weren’t all that bleak to her. No, not just Willow, a lot of people tended to do so to her.

”Oh, you hush your face.” She huffed out a breath as she continued driving on at the green light. ”I’m not trying to shrink you and you were not forgotten. If you were forgotten, then I was too, and we are not the type of women to be forgotten.” Willow nodded her head and reached over to pat her friend’s knee. ”So stop the pity party. Sing with me!” She reached out and turned the radio back up, ‘A Thousand Miles’ playing.

Clara shook her head as her friend spoke. Honestly she really didn’t mind being forgotten. No, there was something almost freeing about it but before she could correct her friend Willow had turned up the music. ”It’s not a pity party,” she huffed to herself in a hushed whisper. Within a moment she was transported into the music with her friend and was almost as quickly singing along with her for the rest of the short trip to the Coven’s manor.

Soon the pair pulled up to the Coven and Willow decided to park at the curb. She turned off the car and clapped her hands together in excitement. Hopefully Carlisle was inside and she’d be able to see him. It’d been a while since the two had seen each other and she was really looking forward to it. As long as Lilith wasn’t around. Willow didn’t stand a chance at being noticed if the woman was anywhere within fifty feet of the man. She let out a breath and looked over at her friend. ”Maybe we should call him first. Make sure he’s here. Can you do it?”

”Or we could just see,” she says, gesturing to the house in front of them. ”Come on!” With that the young woman slips out of her car and bounds to the front door, hair bouncing with her every step. As she gets to the house's wideset doors she rings the doorbell then steps back in anticipation.

”I- Clara!” Groaning, she looked in her rear view mirror and made sure her hair and makeup was just right. She shook her head and quickly bounded after her. Standing next to the woman, she grumbled under her breath. ”Hopefully he’s here. Where else would he be?”

Carlisle leapt from his chair after hearing the doorbell. He couldn't even remember what it was he was actually doing. Maybe he was doing nothing. Getting up, he pulled at the edges of his dressing gown. He hadn't taken it off since last night. He couldn't be bothered. It was too comfortable for him. Securing the tags, he walked over to the door, wondering who in the heck would ring the doorbell at this time.

Opening the door he saw the two females and gave a small exhausted smile. His face still looked like crap since the events a couple days ago. His eyes and face were still surrounded by black lines and bags. Now attempting to be disguised, poorly, by concealer that was a slightly different colour to Carlisle's skin.

"Ah, you two. I didn't think you were ever going to turn up" He stated as he moved aside to let them in.

”Car!" Clara cheers, wrapping her arms around the man's torso in a hug before entering the grand house she knew all too well. She took a good look at him. He looked like an utter wreck. She blinked once. Then a second time. Before simply asking ”What's wrong with your face?" She then squinted her eyes slightly to zone into his eye areas, something seemed very off. ”Your concealer's the wrong colour, it doesn't look good." Now, Clara wasn't trying to be mean, she was just pointing out what she could see. On the contrary, she was trying to help in her own way, she'd sure want to know if her makeup was the wrong colour so she figured Carlisle might too.

Willow sucked in a breath at the sight of him. He looked tired and beaten down. Furrowing her brows, she followed Clara into the house. At her friends statement, she lightly smacked her on her upper arm before offering Carlisle a soft grin. ”What she means to say, is that it’s good to see you. Are you okay? You don’t…look well.”

Carlisle had forgotten just how direct Clara could be at times. He was well aware of how mismatched his concealer was. It was the only one he could find in the bedroom at the time. He bought the dressing gown draped arm up and wiped the make up away, revealing the true extent of his exhaustion. Even two days of rest wasn't making that much of a dent in it.

"Things have been complicated. I got cursed, then died, technically. Bought myself back, but that has caused me to be exhausted and lose a good chunk of my magic. Oh the barriers down too. I don't have the Energy to restore it. Oh and even better, my mother disowned me yesterday. So now I am just little old Carlisle, bunking out in the coven until I figure out what to do." His word were exasperated and exhausted just as he was. He raised his arms to gesture to the whole Coven. He then looked at Clara. " Enough about me though. How was your trip?"

At Willow's slap on the arm Clara hissed in response, ”Owwww, what'd I do?" before redirecting her attention to Carlisle.

”That sounds like a long few days. Say, if you’re not an Aston anymore does that mean you won’t be Coven leader? Or what about the adminy job you do now? Is that gone too?” she asks. It seemed Clara had missed more than she ever would have dreamed, and she hated that thought. The barrier being down was an issue but Clara was sure it would be fine… maybe. She tried to think of what would fix it, or at least help. She went through her mental notes of each of the Coven member’s schools of magic. ”Lilith! Lilith’s an abjuror, you two are super besties, you should ask her for help! And maybe Delaney’s magic enhancer! That should be enough,” she says, her voice triumphant. The question of Clara’s trip almost seemed lost on her as she racked her brain to figure out solutions to the barrier.

Eyeing Clara, she let out a breath before looking back at Carlisle. There was so much she wanted to tell him, wanted to do with him, but the L word was mentioned again. Lilith. Though, the sound of everything the man has gone through had her significantly worried for his mental state. Willow furrowed her brows and laid a hand on his shoulder, searching his face. ”You're not little and your mother is an idiot. What do you need from us? What can we do to help?”

Carlisle’s mind almost shut down at the words that Willow spoke. It had been a while since someone had actually asked how they could help. Or perhaps his memory was all over the place with the exhaustion. ”Well, Me and Lilith are at a bit of a…” Carlisle stopped for a second, unsure exactly how he wanted to word this one. ” We aren’t exactly getting along at the moment you could say. Been demoted to ‘Coven Business Only.’ Not entirely sure she could stand being near me at the moment. So I am trying to bring the barrier up myself, or at least felt things cool for a bit.” Carlisle let off an awkward laugh.

Willow couldn’t let the squeal that was building in her chest out. Him and Lilith were at odds? Maybe that would be her way in. No, no. She couldn’t think like that. The man was obviously hurting. She had to rely on her work experience instead of letting her heart explode at him. Clearing her throat, she held back a grin and nodded. ”Well, Clara’s right though, you could use Delaney still. She’s like a spell enhancer, right? Or- could someone else besides Lilith help? I’m not up to date with everyone’s abilities.”

She felt a gentle smile tugging at her lips as she shrugged her shoulders. ”You’re not alone in this, Car. Let us help. We want to. That’s what we’re here for.”

”Did you and Lilith have a fight?” Clara asked. Willow asked topical questions to help so maybe her question would help? She wasn’t sure how it would help but honestly she had no clue how any of her friends’ brains worked. They were probably a hell of a lot more boring. ”Oh, I know everyone’s school, I keep a list! It’s in my head. Well, actually there is a paper somewhere but I kept losing it so now it’s in my head,” she replies.

”Now, abjuration, abjuration,” she muses to herself, thinking through the list of coven members once more. ”Nope, nothing. Just you and Lil. Maybe someone from the last generation does though? It’s not like they don’t have their magic anymore,”

”Nah, We didn’t have a fight per se, just a disagreement over us” Carlisle was trying his best to answer the question without giving out any kind of specific details.

”Thank you both for your concern, but I will be fine. Just gotta figure a few things out and get my energy back. Then me and Lilith will have the barrier backup in no time” He wasn’t lying this time. He was telling the truth. He just needed to spend some time in recovery before he could be of use to anyone again.

Willow was trying to not make it seem like she was super excited for their argument, and had almost failed before she cleared her throat. She rid her face of the grin before she gave him a solemn nod of her head. ”Okay, well. The offer to help still stands. Anytime you need it.” She hoped she didn’t sound desperate.

Shaking her head of the thought, she blew out a breath. Then something he said earlier finally processed. Willow blinked and folded her arms across her chest. ”Hold on. You said you were cursed and died?” She side eyed Clara before shaking her head. ”The heck did we miss?”

”A disagreement over us?” Clara echoes, trying to unravel the meanings of those words, that sentence simply just didn’t make sense. ”What do you mean by us, like did she think she was you or something?” Even Clara knew that last question was a bit preposterous but it was the closest to an understanding she could gather.

At Willow’s question Clara gave a small chuckle, ”This sounds almost as exciting as Denver. They have a cat, Carlisle. A coven cat. Why don’t we have a cat? We should get one,”

Her face brightened and she nodded along with Clara. ”Oh, we should totally get a cat! How adorable would that be?” She looked back at Carlisle and cleared her throat. ”Sorry. Uh. Yeah. Same question from before. The heck happened to you?”

Carlisle let out a sigh. Being near Clara was exhausting him already. He had little energy as it was, and she was draining the last of it. Willow seemed to be a little bit on topic at least. ”Someone cursed a book, and then made Lil have a vision about me touching the book. They knew I wouldn’t listen as I was trying to be helpful, and thus I got cursed. The curse froze me, and without me, the barrier went down. And then some werewolves attacked later on that night. At the moment I don’t know alot more, I am still trying to piece it together myself.”

More talking yet not a single one of Clara’s questions had been answered. Maybe Carlisle had forgotten them, Clara forgot questions she was asked sometimes too and Carlisle definitely looked exhausted enough to forget things like that. ”What did you mean about you and Lilith disagreeing over ‘us’?” she repeats. Sure, the conversation had long departed that topic now but the idea was stuck on her, she needed to understand what he meant. She knew she’d be lost thinking about it until he did.

Carlisle nearly choked. Why wouldn’t she give up? A visible look of annoyance came over his face until he finally spoke ”If you must know. I asked Lilith to go out with me and she said no. and to rub the salt in, got back with MIles in the same night.” Saying it out loud hurts. It was still a stinging emotion for Carlisle right now. While he wanted his friends to be happy. He still felt left out. ”I didn’t take it very well, and we got into an argument. And now, well. I don’t know exactly what we are anymore”

”Oh,” Clara replies softly, shrinking down in her spot. She pushed away the urge to ask Carlisle if she made him mad. In her experience asking people that just made them more mad.

Feeling Clara’s energy shift next to her, Willow reached out and held her hand. She gave her a smile and a wink before looking back at Carlisle. ”She was just asking a simple question, Car. No need to take out your anger and frustration out on her.”

She kept looking at the man and raised a brow. ”Im sorry you’re hurting. I really am. But we’re family. We just want what’s best for you.”

”We aren’t family!” Carlisle nearly spat out. ”We are just people who work together because of a gift we were born with. None of us are here by choice!” Carlisle began to breathe hard, the exhaustion making his breaths deeper than they should have been for someone who was seething. Slowly he would regain his breath and calm down. ”Look there is nothing you can do now to help. I just need to recover. So please for the love of everything holy, stop asking”

”I mean, it’s not really a gift. From what I’ve learnt I think it’s all biological! See my theory is there’s some mutation in our DNA that causes an extra electrical impulse to travel through our CNS system that allows-” Clara cuts herself off as her eyes meet Carlisle’s again. Yes, that was definitely anger. Or at least the look Clara knew there was in someone’s eyes before she got yelled at. As if it were possible she shrunk down even more, taking a step back from the man for safety.

Clenching her jaw at his outburst, she looked at Clara and gave her an approving nod before looking back at Carlisle. She stood her ground and huffed out a breath. ”Fine. We’ll let you be. Just know there are people out there that love you.” Especially me. “It doesn’t hurt anything to let people in.”

Willow looked away from him and grinned at Clara. ”Why don’t we go see if there are any cats at the shelter?”

”Mm-hm,” Clara mused, sniffing a couple of times. ”Yeah, ok. We’ll see you Carlisle. I hope you’re not so grumpy next time,” she farewells him, slowly backing out of the door with Willow in tow.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

_{By@Hedgehawk & @SouffleGirl123}

The day after the party, Carlisle had spent his time cleaning up the coven household and trying to get everything back to a sense of some kind of normal. His day was a fairly solitary one. It gave him some time to reflect on his ideals and some of what had happened on that party night. He had decided to stay the night in the Coven once more. He was far too exhausted to risk driving, and his mother surely had a million and fifteen questions that needed answering. He couldn't be doing with it.

That next morning, life seemed to be coming back normal to the Coven. People were coming in and out, going about their business. Even if Carlisle didn't wake up until eleven in the morning. He still hasn't changed out of his party clothes, the speckles of blood from his nose had now fully dried on it. Leaving the bedroom he shuffled across the landing to go to the bathroom when he was interrupted by a loud screeching voice. One. He was familiar with:

"CARLISLE ASTON!"

Looking over the banister, Carlisle saw his mother looking up at him, a look of rage pasted over her face.

"GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW"

With a soft sigh, and the roll of his eyes, Carlisle turned on his heels and began to the process of carefully walking down the stairs. He was being careful not to stagger forward and fall down the stairs. Once reaching the bottom Carlisle was greeted by the look of his furious mothers face.

"Where do you think you have been? Did you really think that I wouldn't hear about what happened at the start of the week?" It was clear that she was furious. Carlisle didn't help matters by simply groaning at her statement.

"Mother everything's under control. We dealt with the issue."

Mary Price stood in the coven’s alchemy room eying the very bare healing potion racks, she’d heard about the fights that had happened the couple of night before but she didn’t think so much of the stock would have been drained. Although she was no longer an active member of the coven now she had passed the torch along to her son she made a point of dropping into the house at least fortnightly to check on the potion supply, someone had to keep that room stocked and she knew it wasn’t Amanda’s priority. She carefully placed pink bottles with haphazardly scrawled labels on the shelves. Her handwriting had never been the best but that was why she colour coded the bottles and left guides around the room, it wasn’t her fault if no one read them. She was halfway through shifting her stock when she heard a shrill scream she knew all too well, the one of her old leader. Mary herself had had that same scream directed at her quite a lot, not having any qualms standing up to the woman’s authority in their time in the coven. With a sigh she tucked the bottle in her hand back into her bag and, leaving it in the room, made her way up to investigate the yelling match going on outside.

"Amanda Aston,” Mary greets the woman from the doorframe between the dining hall and the reception room. A slight southern drawl coated her words, a memento of formative years in North Carolina long gone. "Y’know it ain’t proper to be yelling at your young’un like that. Leave the poor kid alone, he’s been through enough this week,”

Amanda was just about to say something when from nowhere a third voice interjected. Amanda's face dropped. Somehow her face had managed to look even more irritated. "Mary… Stay out of this. This doesn't affect you." She then quickly focused her attention back to Carlisle "I don't think you understand how much of an embarrassment you have been Carlisle. Throwing a party on your first day back. Crying like a girl because you got rejected, and then getting cursed and lowering the barrier. The barrier for fuck sake. It's a beggar's belief. Now if I was still in charge of the Coven I would.. "

" But you aren't in charge anymore mother. This is my coven now. I made a mistake, and it is upto my fellow members to decide what happens to me. Not you anymore" Carlisle interjected, his voice low and clearly leaching energy.

At the women’s dismissal Mary sighed and shook her head, moving ever closer to Amanda as Carlisle spoke. She eventually placed herself in front of the woman, filling the space between her and Carlisle. "You heard the boy, ain’t your playground anymore, Amanda. So get. Unless you have a real reason to be here despite hollerin’ at your boy?”

Carlisle watched as Mary seemed to get even more involved. He was surprised that Mary would defend him considering he was fairly sure that she would have been informed of the night's events. Amanda however looked really frustrated now.

"My coven or not. He is still an Aston, and he still brings complete dishonour to my name. Our name is supposed to demonstrate leadership and tough values, not this kind of wishy washy crap that Carlisle peddles. And you Mary, you shouldn't be getting involved at all. You are nothing but a pathetic little witch."

At Amanda’s final statement Mary scoffs, crossing her arms once more. "And here I was thinking we might have finally been beyond schoolyard insults at our age,” she replies followed by clicking her tongue. "I wasn’t kidding though, if you got nothing else to do here, get, woman,”

Carlisle fell silent. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he was prepping counterspell with his fingers just incase his mother attempted to do anything. Amanda huffed heavily. Steam almost coming from her nostrils. How dare this woman speak to her like that. She hadn't had time for this nonsense.

"Carlisle. You are a disgrace to entire family name. I knew having a warlock in the family would backfire. Should have sent you to some far away foreign school where you couldn't meddle. I would rather have the Aston name end on a high than have you drag it through the mud. Don't bother coming back Carlisle. You aren't an Aston anymore. And I will make sure that you don't take this coven over" With that Amanda stormed out of the household, leaving Carlisle to fall onto the steps, sitting down as he placed his head in his hands.

Mary stood in shock as Amanda said her peace, shaking her head in disapproval. As the woman goes for the door Mary holds back the desire to hurl an insult her way. Instead she makes her way to the staircase muttering "What kind of mother…?” under her breath, her thoughts cut off as she looks up at Carlisle on the steps.

"You don’t mind her, Carlisle,” she says gently, slowly making her way toward him. She takes a seat on a nearby step and gives him a small but warm smile. "How are you holding up, Kiddo?”

Carlisle didn't say anything at first. His brain was trying to process exactly what had happened. How bad he had screwed up. He knew his mother was demanding. She had spent a good point of her life berating him, usually for his lack of power, not his behavior. He had already felt ashamed with everything else going on this week. This was just the final straw. Rather than reply to Mary, Carlisle began to bawl his eyes out, sniffling hard as he didn't even try and and control his emotions for a while. A few minutes later he began to slow his sobs down and actually start to speak. "I messed up. I messed it all up. It's all over the place."

Carlisle’s sobs tugged hard on the woman’s heartstrings, being that wretch’s child was a fate she wouldn’t wish on her worst of enemies. Mary instinctively goes to her side to pull tissues from her bag that wasn’t there, left on the potion room floor. She gives a sigh, musing a gentle "Com’ere,” pulls him into her embrace as he sobs. When Carlisle finally calms himself down she pulls away and gives him another gentle smile. "Look, kid, I’d be lying if I didn't say some of your choices lately weren’t… wise but it’s nothing world ending.”

" You say that l, but I have ended up pushing both of my best friends away. The whole Coven think I am so weak piece of shit that falls for the first trick in the book" Carlisle rubbed the end of his nose on his sleeve before sitting back up. He did have to admit. It was very nice to be hugged. "Lilith won't even talk to me unless it's about Coven Matters"

Mary pursed her lips for a moment as Carlisle talked. "Has your ma told you about her… I think it was her 4th or so month as leader? She would have been a good few years older than you too. Some leader of a clan known to cause trouble told her they wanted to have our covens meet as a sign of peace or somethin’ of the likes. My divination essentially told me it was a bad idea, I did try and tell your mum but she refused to listen and marched the whole coven into a trap. Luckily for her I didn’t go, I was I think 5 months pregnant with Miles at the time and wasn’t runnin’ into that mess in that state. My divination showed me them in danger and I had to get all y’all memaws and pops to save them. My point, Carlisle, is that your mother made just as big and just as stupid mistakes as you. And you need your team to support you, this coven ain’t the Carlisle show, it’s a body. You need to use all its parts. Despite what your mother says, that’s not weakness, that’s the point of the job.” She clicks her tongue once again, thinking through her next words carefully. She was indeed closer to Lilith than Carlisle, having helped raise the girl in her teen years compared to Carlisle crashing at her house when his mum got too much every now and again.

"Look, kid, you fumbled the bag with Lilith but that don’t mean that friendship is done with forever. Just… give her time to cool off for a while. She still needs her friend but you need to actually treat her as a friend rather than a prize, y’hear me?”

Carlisle listened to the story that Mary had spoken. He had never heard his mother mention anything like this. All the things he had been told were that of glory and success. Hearing her mention Lilith however, he gave off a deep sigh. "I get it, but, I never treated her like a prize. Okay. Maybe not intentionally. I always wanted what was best for her, and what was going to right by her. I thought I could give her a relationship where she felt special and had no worries. I just don't understand what she sees in someone who has hurt her before. Even if that person is also my best friend."

"Look, Carlisle, I'm not the best to come to with relationship advice and honestly even I can't figure out Miles' and Lil's relationship but what I do know is Lilith likes who she likes. You can't blame anyone or pity yourself for it." she takes a sigh, looking out into the reception room before her. Memories of her time came flooding back. It seemed this generation would be just as dramatic as hers, if not more. "Do you need a place to stay? I've only got the couch or we can pop an air mattress in Miles' room. It ain’t much but it sure is better than nothing,"

Carlisle shook his head at her last question. "No, No, it's fine. I can stay here. I have been staying here for the past few days." He would eventually sit back up. "I am just clearly not cut out for any of this. I can't run the coven. It would be far better for everyone involved if Lilith or Serena took over"

Mary nods at Carlisle declining the place to stay and and stands up with a grown as her body ached. "You're no less unqualified for this job than your mother was," she says simply, looking down at the boy. "You've got heart, Carlisle, just need more gumption,"

Carlisle tried to stand back up himself having to hold onto the banister to support himself to stop himself from falling down. "Besides, I think I am the last person that Miles wants to see right now. And I get what you mean. Maybe one day I will have that kind of gumption." With a sigh he began to make the final few steps down the reception area. "Thanks for all this. Not many people would do this right now"

"Anytime," she replies, starting to walk toward the potions room before turning her head back to see the young man. "And Carlisle? Don't be a stranger. Miles needs you around to,"

Hedge's Testporium

Test

Hedge's Testporium

Test

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Hello everyone! Are you still accepting new characters?

@baraquiel

We are accepting Ideas for new characters. Feel free to jump into the discord! Link is in the main OOC post

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

_{A collab between @Hedgehawk & @HaleyTheRandom; Featuring Zach & Erin.}

Zach had too much to drink. Matter of factly, he couldn't actually remember what he had done at the party. He drank, he knew that. But he couldn’t quite recall doing anything else. He had a bit of a walk around, discovered what the commotion was out in the garden. Carlisle had ended up getting frozen, and the barrier had fallen. Fantastic. While the other males had offered to help or had been conscripted by Lilith to help move Carlisle, Zach had decided to very much not do so. Carlisle was a liability and to be perfectly honest had it all coming. He had been a drain in college and yet again here at the coven, he was a drain once more.

Naturally everyone seemed to be going back into the household, leaving him alone in the garden. Taking one more swig from the whiskey bottle he let out an audible sigh as he realized that it was empty. He casually tossed the bottle into the bush as he made his way inside to join the rest of the gaggle. It seemed everyone had congregated into the dining room. In getting Carlisle to the basement, everyone now had seen what had happened. It didn’t long however for things to really kick off, and those werewolves turned up. Zach was in no state to fight. The full bottle of whiskey was now starting to kick in properly. He attempted to stagger forward, trying to create a physical barrier between the werewolves and some of the females of the group.It was his odd way of trying to be helpful. Thankfully none of the werewolves even got close as several coven members went forward and broke free.

Eventually the Werewolves retreated and Zach lowered his guard with a rough pant. He needed more drink, or perhaps, maybe, a pillow to lie with. He knew it was going to be hard. Nearly every girl here was aware of his antics. That was the one thing he missed about college: The female pool was bigger, and it was easier to swim in and pick up new fish. Here however, he was going to have to really let off his charm. He scanned the room for people to work over, and his eyes rested on Erin. Now that would be a catch. He would saunter on over to her, pressing his body up against the nearby wall before looking over to her. ”Well, that was something. Once again, Carlisle somehow manages to ruin a party.”

Today had been an absolute whirlwind for Erin. From arriving to New York, to kidney punching a werewolf - the mere thought of any of today's events gave her a headache. As the crowd dispersed, Erin soon found herself alone as Delaney disappeared to find Rowan, and Serena was probably off flirting with some girl.

The blonde had made her way over to the drink table, doing her best to find something to drink. How she had ended up being one of the only sober people here this evening astonished her. As her eyes settled on a half bottle of Rum, Erin scrunched up her face in disgust while grabbing on to her consolation prize. She had acquired a taste for the alcohol after being friends with Delaney for years - but that didn’t mean that Erin enjoyed rum. Pouring some into a solo cup, Erin retreated to one of the corners of the large room before propping herself up against a wall and beginning to observe the scene around her.

She had been one of the lucky ones when it came to the fight. Most of her friends had jumped into battle, leaving Erin to fall back and protect some of the younger Coven members. She had gotten a few bumps and bruises, but it was nothing compared to some of the injuries others around her had seemed to acquire.

A familiar voice broke her away from her thoughts, her eyes falling on someone she definitely did not want to see.

”Seriously?” Erin scoffed. ”You really couldn’t come up with a better opening than that?”

Zach for a second didn't know what to say. It was like his brain stopped working. A moment later, he finally piped up. "Sorry." He half mumbled half slurred. "I forget most people didn't have to experience college with Carlisle. It was interesting. Always hanging off Miles side like a lost puppy" Zach let off a chuckle before taking the final sip of Whiskey from his solo cup. He then sighed softly "You did good tonight. With the Werewolves, and that other girl, whatever her name is"

The more that Zach spoke, the more Erin drank. She allowed the liquid to burn in her throat, rising with the anger swelling inside her chest. Zach was an absolute dog. While Delaney may have wanted to act like she had forgiven and forgotten - Erin wasn’t so big on taking the high road.

”Hayden,” she replied simply. ”Her name is Hayden, and you’d do well to get to know her and the rest of your Coven members names, honestly. ‘Would help if you showed up for a meeting from time to time, hm?” she questioned him, looking him up and down as if she was sizing up her next target.

Well this wasn't going how he planned it. He knew he was out of practice with the trip back and everything, but drunk girls normally swooned over his bad boy vibes. He popped open the new bottle of whiskey and took a deep swig. He watched Erin drink the rum before raising his own bottle.

"I was moving back in, only just managed to get everything in place. Parents didn't want me cramming up their place so I had to come back from college and find my own place right away… So that's her name…" He would hold out the nearly full bottle of whiskey infront of Erin " Have some whiskey hmmm? Better than that rum crap you are drinking. Still, I forgot how badass you can be when protecting people. Everyone things that Serena is the bad girl and Erin is the Softie innocent one. But when it comes down to it, Erin got those vicious powers" He said with a slight joking chuckle.

Completely bewildered as to why Zach had even dared to approach Erin of all people, she quickly snatched the bottle from him - realizing that she wasn’t drunk enough for any sort of conversation with him. As she pressed the bottle to her lips, the blonde took a large sip and nodded her head in recognition towards his compliment. Surely he wasn’t expecting their conversation to be all sunshine and rainbows.

”What is it that you want from me, exactly,” she questioned him, a storm brewing behind her blue eyes. ”You don’t really expect me of all people to welcome you back with open arms, right?” she continued on, taking another drink from the bottle and adding one more thought as the liquid sloshed. ”Especially after what you did to Cupcake.”

"Well, I know what I want"He said with a suggestive smirk "Always liked taller women" Hearing the rest of her cements though, Zach let out a small sigh. He really wished he kept the drink now. He could have used a stiff shot right now. "Look, it's not my fault that she got hooked on the good stuff. I made it clear from the start, I don't attach to people, I do what I please. That's her problem. You want a one night stand, I am your guy. Anything deeper, go find someone else"

Zach smirk made Erins skin crawl, her knuckles turning white around the bottle of whiskey as he continued to choose his words poorly. ”You’re expecting that from me?” she questioned him in shocked disgust. ”Please get out of here before I fuck you up worse than Kolbys whore.”

"Woah, calm down a bit girl. I think all the fighting has gotten you wound a bit. Take another drink and relax. You have been through a lot tonight. You just need to unwind" Zach would change his tone to a disarming one. He was trying to be careful here. He didn't want to totally blow his chance. "I am just trying to say that I think you are a beautiful girl and you deserve some relaxation. And I am here to help with that. Why should Serena be the one to have all the fun?"

Fighting back the urge to gag, Erin quickly raised the bottle and swung it at the side of Zach’s head. She had had enough bullshit for one night, and was tired of him piling it on. It was a little out of character for her to be so volatile, but honestly she had thought the world would have been better off without Zach for a while now.

Zach let out a yell as he felt the bottle smash into the side of his head, sending shards of glass everywhere and dousing him in the remaining alcohol. He leant against the wall, holding his head. "God damn it woman. What the fuck is wrong with you!?" He let out a low growl, having to resist the urge to try and swing at her. He wasn't that kind of person, even if he had just been embarrassed. "... You have no idea what you are missing out on"

As a pleased expression appeared upon her face, Erin let the remaining glass fall from her hand and onto the floor with the rest of the broken bottle. Zach should have known by now that Erin didn’t make empty threats. Why he had kept pushing her for sex of all things she’d never understand. He had to have lost the remaining brain cells he used to have at college. She knew that Zach would never swing - but deep down, she really wished that he would.

Shrugging her shoulders, Erin wiped her hand clean on her dress before taking a drink from the previously acquired solo cup in the other. ”Oh please,” she mocked him, her voice sour. ”I wear heels bigger than your dick. The only thing I’m missing out on is syphilis.”

Zach had his fair share of rejections. It was par for the course. But for some reason this one hit harder. He had always considered Erin an easy target to pick up. Compared to the rest of her extended family, Erin had always come across more as the loner type. This shouldn't be happening. This was embarrassing. Raising his hand to the side of his head, he ran his fingers along the impact site, using them to shift glass shards out of hair, as well as seeing if she had managed to draw blood. After pulling his fingers away he could see the tips of them now covered in crimson. It wasn't thick, but it was enough to signal that he had been hurt. "Please, you haven't had dick this good in your life. If I was so shit why do you think Delaney kept begging for more"

”This conversation is over,” Erin retorted, turning away from him and attempting to weave through the crowd. If Zach kept going down his current path, he’d have a lot more to worry about than a concussion.

Seeing Erin try to walk away, Zach would reach out and attempt to grab Erin by the wrist to hold her in place for a moment. "You are making a big mistake, girl. You don't want to walk away from any of this" He would then let pull on her wrist to try and bring her back.

Feeling the grip around her wrist, Erin yanked her arm from Zach's grasp. Quickly turning back around to face him, she balled up a fist and hit him on the same side of his head as the bottle - aiming specifically for the temple this time.

Sharply inhaling through her teeth, the blonde tried to shake the pain out of her hand, watching him slump to the floor with another smirk on her face.

Delaney would be proud.

/

Edgebaston Academy - SoL High School RP

Featuring Alistair & Daphne

Alistair was just about to fling another insult at another newly arriving freshman when he caught the eye of someone he knew. Listening to her words, Alistair turned to face her, and that was when he got a proper view of her clothes. He arched his own eyebrow in response to what his eyes were telling him.She wasn’t exactly leaving a lot to the imagination wearing just the jacket. Still, Alistair couldn’t exactly take his eyes off her. He took a moment to bite the corner of his lip slightly while looking her up and down. He wasn’t being discreet about it. He wanted her to know he was doing it.

”What are they going to do? Leave? Nah. I have all year to do what I like to them” He commented back at her original remark. ”So you're wearing that just to get at me huh?” He asked.

Daphne's lips curled into a mischievous smirk, well aware that his eyes were tracing her curves. With her jacket barely concealing the lacy bodysuit beneath, it was a deliberate invitation for attention. Her fashion choices always hovered between barely appropriate and just enough coverage, yet she never failed to exude a sense of elegance. And while she always dressed for herself, she found it amusing whenever Alistair wondered if her daring attire was a deliberate ploy to provoke a reaction from him. In response to his remark, she retorted, "Contrary to what you may believe, not everything I do revolves around you." Her voice held a playful edge. "Although I won't deny that it is somewhat enjoyable to toy with you," she added, feignedly adjusting her top of her lingerie, but in reality, drawing more focus to her cleavage.

”Uh-huh, And those DMs we traded over summer?” Alistair came back with. It was a constant game with the two. Who would break first? Who would give in? But Alistair knew what he wanted this time. He liked the games, but he also liked other things too. ”Now, We only have another year before I depart. SO, better make this year count.” He replied with a soft smirk, his eyes taking in her clothing ‘adjustment’.

A soft laugh escaped Daphne's lips as memories of their racy messages danced in her mind. It was remarkable how a single uneventful evening had ignited a series of daring exchanges between them. From Alistair's shirtless display to her own mirror selfie, revealing the provocative lingerie she had worn that night. "Those pictures," she quipped, her tone tinged with playful revelation, "were merely to satisfy your thirst for me while I was away. Obviously."

The game of seduction they had played, the constant back-and-forth, had become an exhilarating dance between them. Each seeking to maintain an upper hand, testing the boundaries, and daring the other to succumb to their yearning. Daphne's smirk deepened as she responded to his remark about making this year count, it almost sounded like a challenge. She refused to yield. "You're right, just one more year..." she mused, her tone laced with defiance. After all, they had only surrendered to their lust only once before. Surely, she can continue her streak until his graduation day. "I'm sure there are plenty of impressionable sophomores who can fulfill your needs and make this year truly unforgettable for you," She explained with a hint of sarcasm. "In fact, with Homecoming just days away, you'll have the perfect opportunity to employ your charm on an innocent, unsuspecting newcomer," she taunted, a touch of malicious amusement in her words.

”Well, that is true. Will have to have a look closer at the time” He then placed his hand on her shoulder. To the observers around them it simply looked like they were embracing and greeting each other as friends who had missed each other over the summer. Alistair however leaned in to whisper into her ear. ”Or you know, I could keep my eyes on the target; you. I know you like to think you are winning this little contest, but deep down I know you want me. And the longer you resist, the more you will squirm. And the more I will enjoy it”

Daphne leaned in, her body subtly inching closer to his as she caught his whisper; her vanilla scent intermixing with his cologne. Alistair's insufferable arrogance was undeniable, and yet, there was a flicker of truth in his words. While she enjoyed sex - like really enjoyed it - she believed her desires were always under control, a hunger she could restrain. As he drew closer, she took the opportunity to delicately hold his belt, her fingertips slipping behind it to caress his lower abdomen, teasingly tracing invisible lines. Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper, the words laced with a mix of confidence and mischief. "Oh, Alistair. It's cute that you think you're in control," she breathed into his ear. "I'm the one thing you want, but can't have, and it kills you," she continued, her mocking words dripping with seduction. "You had a taste, and now you want more. Perhaps one day, I'll let you have your fun again, but for now..." Her voice trailed off, leaving an air of anticipation. Her gaze fell to his crotch, a devilish smirk playing on her lips. "Down boy," she concluded with a tantalizing hint of control, stepping back and retrieving her hand in the process.

There wasn’t a lot that Alistair could do or say. She was right. But at the same time he was fairly sure he was as well. They both wanted each other, both wanted to give in. Their lives would be alot more exciting if they were to give in, but both were far too stubborn to do such a thing. Alistair gave off a small smirk as she pulled away. ”Well, we will have to see won’t we hmmm? Now I do believe you better get going, your… help looks like they are nearly finished. Perhaps we can meet after assembly, maybe I can give you a bit of ‘help’ with that belt of yours. It seems to be giving you trouble”

Daphne glanced over her shoulder at the bustling helpers attending to her belongings, her blue eyes meeting Alistair's gaze once more. "Now that you mention it, this belt is quite bothersome. I might need one of the football players to lend a hand," she playfully teased. Before turning away, she gave his arm a quick, knowing squeeze. "We’ll catch up soon. I'm curious to hear about the chaos you plan to unleash this year," she said with a touch of genuine warmth, a reminder that beneath their complex dynamics, they were still close friends. With that, she followed behind the last of her helpers, lowering her shades to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun.

Edgebaston Academy - SoL High School RP

Summer in New York was always so unbearable. It wasn't that Priya hated it. It was her home, after all. She was glad to see her parents, or at least what little time she had with them. Her mother, exhausted from running as many shifts as she could, was saving up to retire early. Her father, on the other hand, was simply tired and saw driving her to Edgebaston Academy as just another chore. Their dynamic was an odd one, but the duo was so consumed by their own circles that they never questioned it. For most of the summer, Priya had spent her time volunteering at her old acting school, the one she used to attend after regular school hours during middle school.

Before she knew it, the summer had come to an end. All she really wanted was to leave the city and get back to North Carolina. She longed for the fresh air, open spaces, and the nearby sea breeze that occasionally wafted over the campus. Edgebaston Academy had become her sanctuary since her freshman year, when she had earned an acting scholarship that allowed her to attend. The campus boasted some of the best performing arts facilities she had ever seen, and Priya couldn't wait to return to the stage and showcase her talent once more.

Finally, the day arrived when Priya's father reluctantly drove her to Edgebaston Academy. His weariness showed in his eyes as he maneuvered through the bustling New York streets and out onto the interstate. Priya understood that he wasn't emotional about her leaving; it was simply the fatigue and the feeling that this was just another task on his long list of responsibilities. If anything was just an inconvenience.

As they pulled up to the imposing iron gates of the school, Priya's heart raced with a mix of excitement and nervousness. She stepped out of the car, her gaze fixed on the grand entrance of Edgebaston Hall. The building stood tall, emanating a sense of history and tradition. It was here she was greeted by the sight of Alistair LeRue and Marabeth. She could already tell this was going to be tense.

Her father helped unload her luggage, a heavy silence hanging between them. Without a word, he nodded to her, conveying his unspoken message: "Make the most of this opportunity, Priya. Work hard, follow your dreams, and don't let anything or anyone hold you back." He meant well, even if he was self-centered. Priya nodded in understanding, her eyes filled with gratitude. She hugged her father tightly, cherishing this brief moment of connection before he retreated back to the car.

With a deep breath, Priya turned to face the entrance of Edgebaston Academy. She ducked away around Alistair, avoiding his gaze while giving Marabeth a quick wave. After successfully avoiding a free mockery from Al, she made her way over to Edgebaston Hall. Unlike most of the seniors, she couldn’t exactly afford anything on the fourth floor, and ended up spending her entire school life in the same dorm room: 111.

Entering her dorm room she took a moment to breathe in and take in the scent. It had been cleaned that was for sure, but she could still smell the slight lingering scent of some of her perfumes from last year. It was bringing back memories for the past year at the school: The countless hours she spent here practicing her lines and her parts. Closing the door she would place her bags down at the end of the bed and lay back on the bed, letting the yet to be made sheets eat her up whole. A content sigh escaped her lips. She was home.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

---

_{Location: Coven Household}

^{Time: 09:10PM}

---

TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM
Carlisle was exhausted, shattered, tired and completely out of it. While he had been trying to put on a brave face for Lilith. He wanted nothing more right now to curl up into a ball and go to sleep for a very long time. He watched as Lilith and Miles walked away together. A sigh escaped his lips. He didn't know what to do or think regarding the Lil and Miles situation. His brain had been overload with information over the past few hours, and his poor brain was in no state to process it all. Hearing Kirstie's exclamation about how lame the party was just caused Carlisle to sigh heavier. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her.

"When you are all done partying see yourself out. I will deal with everything tomorrow" Carlisle declared to the rest of the party goers. He then began staggering off towards the stairs, leading upto the second floor in the entrance hall. If a gone tried to speak to him or see if he was okay he would just wave them off. He didn't want to know right now. Unlike healies, there was nothing to deal with rapid exhaustion. He was going to need to rest. He could deal with the barrier tomorrow. Right now there wasn't enough energy in his tank to be able to do anything magical.

It was a slow and steady climb, and Carlisle looked to be struggling as he held onto the handrail as if his life depended on it. Well actually. It kinda did. He would stumble into the master bedroom. His new Coven bedroom. It was a nice little suite. He then moved forward and climbed onto the bay window to the side of the bedroom. It gave him a nice little view of the front of the Coven. From here he could look out onto the stars and the treetops. He used to sit here as a teenager when he needed to unwind and relax. It was a safe space for him to ponder and reflect. And boy did he have alot of that to do.

There was no more denying it. He was broken. Lil and Miles was the final item that had destroyed the fragile and vulnerable psyche that was Carlisle's mind. He was in two minds: He wanted to be happy for his two best friends. But at the same time he wanted to scream and demand that Lil loved him back. He wanted his happiness. He was fed up with being second best to Miles. But Miles had sacrificed so much for him. At least in Carlisle's mind.

Before he could ponder more, his eyes drifted downwards. They settled on two people lying on the ground and staring at the stars. Once his eyes made out the forms of Lilith and Miles kissing, his heart hurt again, feeling like it was shattering in two. That should have been him. He should have been making out with Lilith and enjoying the stars. Yet here was, sitting alone in his bedroom, barely hanging onto his life. He was a failure. He was a fuck up. He was such a fuck up that his own best friends had decided to leave him alone when he was at his weakest. He couldn't blame them. But if Lil or Miles had eyes as black as the void and struggled to climb the stairs, he would have been there the entire time. Regardless of what happened before hand.

A lone tear ran down his cheek. His broken form curling up more into the fetal position as he struggled to keep looking out the window. He was both repulsed and enthralled by looking at Lil and Miles getting comfy. His brain really couldn't figure it all out. With a whimper, and another tear, Carlisle watched as Lil and Miles went off into the night. Pressing his forehead against the window pane, Carlisle began to bawl his eyes out. Whimpers, became howls, the music from below hopefully disguising his emotional weakness.

It hurt. Why would it not stop hurting? How did he make himself feel better? His hand gripped the opposite wrist and he began to dig his nails into the skin. The pain he felt caused him to lightly gasp. It hurt, but it felt good. It felt right. This was his punishment. He deserves it. He would keep pressing harder, nails pushing into the skin as his head still stayed resting against the window. He just kept applying more pressure, until a lone, tiny speckle of blood began running down his arm. He gave a heavy releasing exhale. Did it make him feel better? A little bit. Was it enough? No.

And this was the duality of Carlisle, he wanted to be there for his friends, while also caving their skulls in. He couldn't decide which path was the right one. And he wasn't sure that he wasn't ever going to be able to. The only thing he could think of, was that he was certainly to blame for it. Everything was his fault. Wiping the blood stain on his shirt, he moved over to the bed and collapsed on it. His thoughts are still running around his brain like super cars. Does it ever get easier to deal with? Rejection? He pondered. He couldn't change the outcome of tonight. Lilith had rejected him. He was going to have to learn to deal with it. But not tonight. Tonight he wanted to have his moment. Have his paddy, and release his emotions. Pulling his legs to his stomach as he lay down across the entire bed, Carlisle rested his head awkwardly on a pillow and once more began to cry. He would continue this for a good hour, before eventually the exhaustion kicked into overdrive and Carlisle cried himself to sleep. In a household full of people: Why did he feel so alone?