Familiar/ 329 / Male
Location: Mansion grounds
Tags: Ceobes, open
The warm autumn sun was just the right temperature for sun bathing. The morning was still new, but the sounds of the city echoed through the woods around the mansion like a ghostly reminder that human society was pressing ever inwards.
A black cat laid sprawled across a table, its black fur gleeming with red at the tips in the light. It lifted its head lazily and blinked as someone walked by. The man reached out and scratched the animal behind the ears, right before he seemed to remember that this was not actually a cat. Not that Ismael minded; he'd long since stopped getting hung up on things such as being petted. Besides, it felt nice.
The cat stood and slowly stretched. A wide yawn, and then he gracefully leapt down from the table. In the blink of an eye, the cat was now a man.
"Morning Ceobes. You're out early." Ismael straighted the hem of his pull over. He'd definitely gotten comfortable with modern clothing. Very few witches wore the traditional garbs outside of ceremonies now. Still, some held on to old habits. Ceobes, for example, was always dressed in black.
"I don't sleep well here," Ceobes admitted, "I don't see how anyone does with all the noise."
"You get used to it," Ismael offered. He paused before he shot his old friend a side glance. "Are you sure it's just the noise?"
Ceobes shrugged silently.
Ever since his return, Ismael had been trying to carefully probe for details on Ceobes's absence. Where had he been? What had he been doing? Why had he come back now of all times? It was like trying to draw blood from a stone.
The two started off at a leisurely pace down one of the many cobblestone paths. It was nice having an old friendship renewed, but the circumstances were certainly odd. "Whatever is bothering you, you can trust me with it. That's more or less the entire reason I exist."
"I'm not sure what you mean." Ceobes was playing dumb.
"You've been acting distant ever since you've come back."
"Well, I was gone for forty-five years. I don't recognize many faces here anymore."
"But it's not just that, is it?" It wasn't phrased like a question. Ceobes fell silent once more. Ismael sighed. "Whenever you are ready to talk, just know that I'm here, and forty-five years or not, our friendship still stands. In the mean time, I may have a favor to ask of you."
"Which would be...?" Ceobes looked back at him, an eyebrow raised.
"I'd like you to teach a class on defensive magic. There's been rumors going around about hunters in the city and I want to be sure our young ones are safe."
Ceobes smirked. "Ismael, are you signing me up for extracurricular activities?"
"No, yes...maybe. It would give you a chance to get reacquainted with the coven. And you know what they say about idle hands. Besides, you're one of the best duelers our coven's ever had."
"You flatter me. Okay. I suppose ensuring our future generations are protecting themselves is important. When is this class?"
Ismael chuckled to himself. "Today...in two hours..."
Witch / 401 / Male
Location: Mansion kitchen
Tags: Ismael, open
The two men parted ways after some more exchange of words. Mostly Ceobes expressing his annoyance at Ismael being a mother hen. The coven's familiar hadn't changed a bit. He headed back inside to prepare for this sudden duty he'd been strapped with. And to get some coffee. Very strong coffee.
The mansion's kitchen was old, but cozy. The sun shined through the windows onto ancient cupboards and modern appliances mixed together. Ceobes fiddled with the moka pot, filling it with fresh grounds and water before setting it on the stove. While the espresso brewed, he silently went over his short notice lesson plan in his head. Teaching was no big deal; he'd done it before. It was more the youths that he was afraid of...
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