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Phoenix Woods

"this thing could get the better of us if we let it."

0 · 2,443 views · located in Greythorne

a character in “greythorne”, as played by partially-stars

Description



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this thing could get the better of us if we let it.
give me a minute - the coronas
somebody to love - queen
hopeless - halsey



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F U L LXN A M E
Phoenix James Woods

N I C K N A M E (S)
Nix, Phee-Phee (jokingly).

B I R T H D A Y
January 13.

A G E
24

S E X U A L I T Y
Asexual homoromantic

E T H N I C I T Y
White Canadian

H O M E T O W N
Greythorne

H E X
#c4a7be



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S T Y L E
Phoenix describes his style as “the emo who grew up”. Primarily, he sticks to a spectrum of black, white, and grey, with the occasional pop of colour coming from band t-shirts. Business school changed him a little, in that it introduced him to button down shirts and jackets. When he’s working or presenting himself professionally, he tends to dress up a little more in that his jeans aren’t (usually) ripped and he makes sure his Vans or Converse are clean. When he’s going out with friends, he’s been known to embrace eyeliner and even occasionally eyeshadow, but day to day, he keeps things a little more conservative.

H E I G H T & W E I G H T
5’11”, 150lb

A P P E A R A N C E
With those blue eyes and a huge, slightly lopsided grin, Phoenix charms people easily. Naturally, his hair is dark, but in search of a change he decided to bleach it and hasn’t looked back. He’s a little taller than average and an average build, in good physical shape thanks to early morning runs. He has a couple of piercings, namely helix, daith , and rook in his left ear. He’s got his fair share of scars, mostly from childhood accidents or dumb teenage stunts, but noticeably there is a jagged scar just above his left collar bone where he was stabbed in the shoulder with a silver knife. It’s still healing but there’s already some scarring from the burns. He has a few tattoos- a forget-me-not on his right wrist, a paper airplane on his ribs, and a tiny tree behind his right ear.



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L I K E S
Unsurprisingly, Phoenix adores coffee, the stronger the better. He took up running a few years ago and finds it does wonders to clear his head. He loves plants, especially herbs and scented flowers. Rock and metal are his favourite types of music. He adores summer and autumn, when the weather is warm and the days are long. Baking is perhaps his favourite pastime and there’s pretty much always freshly baked goods and bread in his apartment.

D I S L I K E S
Phoenix hates winter, the days are too short and he hates the cold. He hates people making assumptions about him. He has developed an aversion to blackberries. He’s a terrible patient and hates being sick. He’d deathly allergic to peanuts and even the smell of them makes him nauseous. Classical literature is a surefire way to put him to sleep.


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P E R S O N A L I T Y
Many seem to think that Phoenix is a little naive. They wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Phoenix trusts easily, and loves even easier. When he falls, he falls hard, regardless of the consequences. As a teenager, it seemed that he was in love with just about everyone he met. And then he experienced real, raw love, and experienced exactly how much it hurts. And yet that hope still thrived within him. Perhaps naive is the wrong word for Phoenix. He’s just eternally, utterly, unbreakably hopeful. Even when he forced himself to come to terms with the realisation that his love was unrequited, he found hope elsewhere. Even at the worst of times, Phoenix finds hope. He sees the best in people and desperately wants to believe in that good.

But doing that has also hurt him. An abusive relationship in his late teens lasted far longer than it should have done, because he wanted to believe that there was still good there. That he could help the boy, that the boy loved him really. Phoenix holds on to hope far longer than he should, even when holding on is hurting him, even when he needs to give up on somebody for his own good, or even for their own good. He believes that he can fix everyone, fix everything, if he just finds the right way of doing it.

From the outside, it could seem that Phoenix was the more mature, less chaotic one of his friends. But ask his eleventh grade French teacher and she’d tell you he’s just as bad, if not sometimes worse. He was practically raised by Alex’s abuela, so perhaps it’s no surprise they rubbed off on each other. It was just that Phoenix was better at hiding it. He claims they’ve grown out of it for the most part, but leave him and his friends alone for long enough and you might just find the opposite to be true.

But despite all of this, Phoenix isn’t naive or immature. He can read when somebody is attempting to use him, and day by day, he’s getting better at standing up for himself. He’s experienced so much hurt and pain that he knows it’s out there... he just wants to ignore it. He’s business savvy, having already set up his own business at a relatively young age. Some shook their heads at some of the decisions he made, and presumed that it was just that old naivety coming out again, because they cost him money at first. Quite a significant amount of money. But now, he’s making it back. Perhaps not as quickly as he’d like, as he’s scraping pennies together at times, but he’s getting there. He’s intelligent and personable, the perfect balance for the job he’s in. Many underestimate Phoenix, because of his soft nature. But cross anyone he cares about, and he’ll show you otherwise.

He doesn’t talk about the night of the attack, but it affected him more than he’ll admit. He made bad decisions and is afraid that his hope, his determination to see the best in people may have contributed to the events of the night. Nearly losing his best friend terrified him and still terrifies him. The burn in his shoulder every time he moves too fast is already penance for what he’s done, but he’s determined to try and make things better. No matter the cost.



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H I S T O R Y
Phoenix’s family had lived in Greythorne for generations. Magic ran in their blood, and they never left. Often they were too powerful, and couldn’t live among the humans. But with time came control, and Phoenix’s parents decided that they would leave and find their fortunes elsewhere. They were powerful but could easily hide their magic, and they longed to see the world. And then they discovered their two year old son could restore life to flowers with a single touch and made poppies and daisies grow as he played in the garden, without even having to try. Phoenix was powerful at a young age- and would not be able to live among humans.

It wasn’t Phoenix’s fault, and deep down, they knew that. But growing up, Phoenix knew that resentment was there and it was clear. It was only worsened when they’d go on holidays for two, three weeks at a time and leave Phoenix with his grandparents, or when his grandmother became too unwell to look after him, with a neighbour. The one good thing that came of this was Phoenix’s friendship with the neighbour’s grandson, Alex. Phoenix considered them his second, and often preferred, family.

There was no dramatic coming-out speech for Phoenix. He knew, everyone else knew, he didn’t see the point. At the age of fourteen, he got his first boyfriend, and it was public. And so began Phoenix’s long streak of unsuccessful relationships. Phoenix fell in love at the slightest smile, a kind gesture, and it never ended well. By the time he reached senior year, he’d been cheated on twice by different people and had been the result of several pranks. But at the start of senior year, he had started dating Will, and things finally seemed to be going right for him. He didn’t notice the slow descent into manipulative and downright abusive behaviour until it was too late. And even then he stayed, hoping that maybe he could fix it. But when Will went to hit him, less than a week before they graduated, Phoenix stopped him and broke up with him there and then, cutting off all contact.

Leaving to go to college wasn’t really an option, so he enrolled in online classes and worked in a local coffee shop. He learned quickly and before long, was the best damn barista they had. He took on a managerial position and was doing pretty well for himself. Things started to go wrong shortly after that. His parents decided to up and move to follow their dreams. Which was fine, except they told Phoenix this two days before they intended to leave. Their relationship had never been good, but announcing they were selling his childhood home to fund it didn’t exactly make things any better. They gave him some money to try and make him feel better, and he moved into an apartment in town. He met his downstairs neighbour, Matt, and the two of them became friends. And, as often happened, Phoenix fell in love. Their banter often took a veer into the flirty and teasing. They’d been friends for years, with Matt throwing Phoenix a surprise graduation party when he finally finished his degree. And then, out of the blue, Matt introduced Phoenix to his girlfriend. It broke his heart, but what truly smashed it was when Matt confessed he was thinking of proposing.

Phoenix was destroyed. He couldn’t let himself believe he’d been so blind. Suddenly his life felt empty and dull, and he needed a change. So when a local cafe went up for sale, Phoenix went for it. Every penny he had was funneled into the business. He moved into the small apartment above the cafe and spent every waking hour renovating it. It took almost a year, but it was successful from the moment it opened. Things seemed to be going well- and then the attack happened, and it feels like nothing can ever be the same again.


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A B I L I T I E S
Phoenix's magic allows him to manipulate the earth, specifically plants and flowers. As a child, flowers would grow behind him as he ran, and even today, if his emotions are particularly strong, it's been known for flowers to sprout through concrete behind him. He can restore a flower to peak health with only a touch, and he can cause a seed to grow into a fully mature plant with only a little bit of energy. He can also manipulate the movement of plants, including trees. This is the only element of his magic that is potentially offensive, as he causes tree branches to wrap around his target or causes vines to sprout from nowhere and attack or restrain. For the most part, he actually uses his magic to help heal. The plants he grows hold some of his magic. This means that simply adding some raspberries from the bush on his balcony can save a batch of cupcakes about to go wrong, or basil from his windowsill can bring together a dish. If someone is tired, injured, or just not feeling themselves, a batch of his own blend tea and a cookie can do wonders. Of course, with this amount of power comes a number of downsides. Phoenix is extremely sensitive to silver. Momentary contact results in a nasty first degree burn, while prolonged contact can lead to second degree burns. His piercings are in fact stainless steel, not silver. Solid silver causes more damage than silver plating. His powers are intrinsically linked to his emotions, which he has always been terrible at controlling. And despite the fact he can't control it, it still drains him significantly. There are some days where he has no idea why he's so tired, only to discover the plants in his apartment are looking particularly healthy.

T A L E N T S
baking - making coffee - diy - cooking - gardening - business savvy - persuasive - picks up languages easily

S T R E N G T H S
he can add up long strings up numbers in his head and is a budgeting genius at times. he's able to handle incredible amounts of stress and can continue working even while under these conditions. he's an incredible multi-tasker. he's loving and reliable and the friend you can ring or text at any point and he'll answer.

W E A K N E S S E S
while he's great at simple maths, throw in algebra or geometry or anything more complicated and he's lost. he's sometimes too easily pulled in to trouble or lets something go too far. while he works extremely well under pressure, don't expect anything from him for a day or two after the pressure is removed because that's when he'll crash and have to take a while to recover.


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So begins...

Phoenix Woods's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxhow it should be
xxxmany years after the disasters that we’ve seen
xxxwhat have we learned?
xxxother than people burn in purifying flame
While Alex was gone, Phoenix took the precious few seconds to try and pull himself together. He wasn’t the only one dealing with this, he reminded himself, and having meltdowns wasn’t going to help anybody. This would work. It had to work. For everyone’s sake. He made sure everything they needed was in the bag and that he had the tea and the promised baked goods, knowing that keeping himself busy was key. He just needed to get through the next few hours.

He managed to shoot a smile at Alex as he came back. Alex reaching out to fix Phoenix’s hair was such a natural familiar gesture, but Phoenix flinched away from the touch for a fraction of a second, his body reacting almost instinctively to the wrong hand. “No. I think… we needed to say it,” he admitted softly, before taking Alex’s hint to move on and picking up the bag. Alex joking about Triss getting hurt made him crack a proper smile.

The walk back to Zada’s was quiet, but Phoenix was glad for that. Reflecting on and discussing what had happened seemed like something they should do when everyone was back in their correct bodies and the whole thing was behind them. Carrying the bag gave him something to do with his hands and made the absence of Alex’s hand feel less strange.

They let themselves back into Zada’s and went back into the main room. Phoenix dug the healing paste out of the bag and handed it to Triss. “You only need a little bit, and it should start to work right away,” he instructed. “I also brought some protective tea. Me and Abuela figured it out a while back, when the attacks were… really bad.” When him and Alex still weren’t talking to each other. The memory alone made the hollow feeling in his chest come back. “It’s all herbs, fruits, and flowers known to have a protective effect in necromancy and other forms of magic, and I grew them myself which means their effects should be increased. We don’t know for sure if it makes a difference, but I think we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves.” He explained it mostly for Triss’ benefit, as he guessed she was the most likely to question it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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T R I S S GLASSER
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unless i am myself,
outfitx|x#3a0a4d
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzi am nobody.
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Trisstana let Zada take her hand and watched her inspect it, lightly twisting and rotating it to see the full damage of the silver bracelet. She tensed a bit at the touch, but tried not to show any more pain from it. Triss nodded as Zada said the burn wasn’t too bad and was looking better. Her hand hung for a second in the air as Zada let go and checked her phone. She seemed a bit more happy and spoke about the others on their way back, and with things with the pain. “Good.” She said quickly, looking back towards the sink again.

When Zada spoke again, Triss looked back towards her partner. She simply just stared and kept eye contact with her, soaking in the words she spoke. She hoped what she was saying was true, that this was only temporarily and soon be gone. When the mermaid called her lover, the word struck her differently. Trisstana’s internal temperature rose as she continued to speak, promising to be there for her, and knowing she was speaking the truth. She let Zada take her hand again and gently dry it off.


Triss was going to follow Zada to the main room, wanting to embrace her, talk to her, bathe with her. But it didn’t feel right at the moment, so she just turned and headed back to the main room. She heard Zada join her but didn’t face her yet, just staring out the window as Phoenix and her body approaching the house.

Phoenix motioned towards Triss and she walked over as he handed her a paste, speaking that it was to help with the burn and not use much of it. “Thanks.” She replied and walked a bit away, ending up next to Zada. She started putting the paste in her burn, Zada quickly assisted, spreading it out in a more calm manner and evenly across the burn.

The witches continued to talk, speaking soemthing about attacks, which confused her. Besides the silver burning her, nothing has really attacked her yet. “Attacks? What attacks?” She asked. If there were to be more side effects to being stuck in this body, she would like to know. “I don’t need anything to protect myself.” Trisstana said sharply, not exactly trying to be so hostile, but might be coming off that way. “Are we ready to go? Seterah wants us to make this shrine, and the sooner, the better.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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A L E X GARCIA
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i am out with lanterns,
outfitx|x#D4AF37
zzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.looking for myself.
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Alex had gotten over the need to fill every silence between himself and Phoenix years before he’d felt any inkling of romantic attraction towards him, but the silence on the walk to Zada’s was far from comfortable to him. He knew it was because he felt guilty, as he often did. He really had been trying to do better, to not fuck everything in his life up yet again. He tried not to dwell on it- he didn’t want to spiral down into self-loathing just yet, that would be far from helpful.

He was relieved to see that Triss had only been burned on the hand- he knew it hurt like hell, but it would heal fairly quickly. That was good for the both of them, really. Something about seeing the way Zada didn’t shy away from Triss made the sadness and dread in the pit of his stomach more intense than it had been before before, so he went about finding a space to set down the box he’d packed his things in. He could get it loaded up with the candles then, and everything would hopefully be manageable. He could get through this if he just stayed busy.

He was half-listening to Phoenix talk about the tea as he started to carefully pack the candles up, and when Triss asked about the attacks he said, “Hunters. The attacks were,” He paused for a second, considering his words, “Intense when they first started.” He hadn’t turned away from his task, but when Triss spoke up saying she didn’t need any extra protection, he turned to look at her, “I know it seems like a waste of time, but you really can’t be too careful with things like this. I promise we’ll make the altar soon- I want this over with as badly as you do- but you never know. One thing could go wrong, and you’ll be cursed or something. Besides, it’ll probably help keep the spirits off your back.” He paused and, less flippantly, added, “I know it can be a little overwhelming.” He remembered when he’d first started to actively see and hear spirits in his everyday life, and not just catch glimpses of them out of the corner of his eye. It was a lot to deal with, even when you’d spent your entire life knowing that day would come. He couldn’t imagine if it came out of the blue.





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Z A D A min ALBAHR
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you never really understand a person
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zzzzzz.zzzuntil you consider things from his point of view
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Phoenix explained the paste to Triss, but Zada listened intently. She wanted to do whatever she could to ease this for Trisstana. This situation was intense- it was hell. Zada couldn’t think of something she’d enjoy much less, but they just needed to get through it. If they could just get through it, it would be fine. Zada felt better when Triss was at her side- wrong body or not, it was easier to make sure Triss was okay when she was beside her. Maybe she was too protective, but Zada had lost everyone she’d ever loved before, and she wasn’t ready to start losing the people she cared for again. When Triss started trying to apply the paste to the burn, Zada thought that it seemed difficult, having to apply a paste to your own hand. Zada gently took the paste from her and smoothed it over the burn, trying not to irritate it any. It was a strangely intimate thing, helping someone with an injury.

As the paste was being applied, Phoenix went on to talk about a tea with some sort of protective properties. It made some sense to Zada- even if she didn’t want to waste any extra time, there was no telling what they might encounter out there. They were dealing with magic and demons, not humans who had the strange idea that everyone different than them was evil.

Triss was insisting that she didn’t need any protection. Zada understood; she was impatient, wanted to get back to normal. It made sense, felt natural, and Zada found herself resting a hand on Triss’ shoulder, almost instinctively, “He’s trying to help,” Zada reminded her. Then Alex was speaking of curses and spirits, and that made Zada uncomfortable, maybe even afraid, “If it’ll help, it might be worth it.” She spoke softly, so only Trisstana would hear. She wanted this to go smoothly, and she didn’t know overly much about things that were more magical. Mermaids had their own sort of magic, but Zada had the inkling that it worked very differently from this.

Zada normally wouldn’t concede to any point Alex made, but he had a point. She was sure he and Phoenix knew more about this sort of thing than they did, so she offered, ”Obviously, we don’t want to spend more time than absolutely necessary,” Zada sighed, and looked at Phoenix. She knew she felt very helpless, and wished there was more that she could do. She understood that. She glanced at Triss, ”But I don’t think any of us know exactly what to expect.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxhow it should be
xxxmany years after the disasters that we’ve seen
xxxwhat have we learned?
xxxother than people burn in purifying flame
Phoenix just frowned as Triss refused the tea. At any other time, he would have considered it to be her own damn problem, but while she was in Alex's body, he didn't like the thought of her turning down protection. Both Zada and Alex spoke in favour of her drinking the tea, but a small pit of anger burned in Phoenix's stomach. He wondered if she'd be so reckless if she was within her own body.

"This is a demon we're dealing with," he said, quietly but firmly. "We can't take any chances. And besides. It's not your body that's going to have to deal with the consequences if you do get hurt," he said, a trace of warning in his voice as he pushed the tea into her hands. He was frustrated and the whole situation was beginning to wear him down. He handed Zada and Alex their tea. He had never thought that they'd be in a situation where Zada would be the one trying to keep the peace between them all, but there they were. He shot her a look of thanks.

"It's better that we take the time to discuss exactly what we have to do anyway. Trust me, I want to be out of this nightmare as soon as possible too, but rushing is only going to risk putting us all even more in danger which none of us want. You don't take chances when you mess with demons." He said.

He sighed and sat back down, both hands wrapped around his own cup. "So. What exactly do we need to do when it comes to building this altar. Is it just... find a place where it won't be disturbed, light a few candles, lay out a pattern of charms and so on, and hope for the best? Or are there specifics we need to be aware of now?" He asked, looking at Alex.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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T R I S S GLASSER
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unless i am myself,
outfitx|x#3a0a4d
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzi am nobody.
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xx
Triss sighed when the others insisted on this further protection, not entirely caring about more protection and just wanting to get things back to normal, get back to her body, get back to enjoying her time with Zada. She wanted to retort back at Phoenix when he seemed to get hostile, speaking in a much firmer tone. But Zada quickly calmed her down, putting her hand on her shoulder and whispering into her ear. She took a deep breath and nodded to her, taking a sip of the tea. “Fine. But I don’t know anything about these attacks or spirits you are talking about.” Trisstana spoke as she continued to sip the tea as the others spoke.

Phoenix spoke again, talking about taking time to discuss instead of just going to make an altar. It’s an altar. How hard or difficult is it? You already have the items in that box. Triss thought to herself, she didn’t understand any of this witch and demon nonsense. She was content with her solemn living with her mermaid companion, but now all that is gone and at risk to not come back. She didn’t want to wait, she was getting frustrated after being told what to do so many times instead of just going and fixing the problem.

But Trisstana knew it was best to just stay quiet for now, knowing Zada had their best intentions in mind, more so than Alex’s and Phoenix’s. She didn’t want to force Zada to keep trying to calm her down. She met Zada’s glance for a second, flashing a short smile to the beautiful mermaid before staring back down at the tea before lifting it to her lips and finishing it, setting the cup down on the table. Her gaze rose up to Alex as Phoenix asked him more about the altar.

“What do you mean?” Triss quickly said in response to Alex, quickly before anyone else could. “Seafish has the candles, you have the box of items, I have what Seterah gave me. Why can’t we just go out and build this altar?” She continued, a bit of sharpness behind her tongue. This is witch magic, to Triss, witches should know about this sort of thing.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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A L E X GARCIA
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i am out with lanterns,
outfitx|x#D4AF37
zzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.looking for myself.
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xx
Alex absently sipped on the tea Phoenix handed to him, glad that Triss at least relented and agreed to drink the stuff. When Phoenix asked about what was next, Alex took a brief moment to mull the question over in his head. It was easy enough to answer, or, at least, it should have been. “Well,” He started, fully aware of how unconfident he sounded, “She never really specified what she wanted, so… I’m not sure,” He shrugged, “I’m sure it’s not going to be as simple as building an altar but-” He stopped, mulling over the words in his mind when Triss jumped in. Alex understood that this was frustrating. Truly, no one in this room understood what Triss was going through like he did, but the anxiety that had been simmering just under the surface had come to a rolling boil, and- as seemed to be the custom- was presenting itself as anger.

He walked the space between himself and Triss (standing there smugly in his body, refusing to take this seriously) until he was right in front of her, “Have you ever built an altar?” He questioned, “You know, just in general?” He paused for a moment, but not really long enough to let her answer, “Do you have any idea of the amount of care and planning that typically goes into this?” Alex shook his head, “I have never built an altar to an ancient demon that could condemn me to a life in someone else’s body. Have you?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, really, but he had before he’d realized it, “Forgive me for wanting to make sure we don’t fuck it up and make things worse!” He should have paused, taken a breath, tried to compose himself, but he went on, “This is all my fault. I understand that, there’s no delusion in my mind that it isn’t. If this goes wrong, that’s going to be my fault too. I don’t want that hanging over my head for the rest of my life, because I know at least one person in this room who’s set on making sure I remember that I’m a piece of shit.” He did take a breath there, tried to calm down a little, “I promise you that I’m doing my best. I need you to not be a fucking idiot and get us killed. Can you do that for me?”





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Z A D A min ALBAHR
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you never really understand a person
outfitx|x#78B0AD
zzzzzz.zzzuntil you consider things from his point of view
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Zada really wanted everyone to calm down so that they could get this over with, but Triss seemed to continually be getting under Phoenix and Alex’s skin. She hurried to Triss’ side as Alex had his little temper tantrum, but ultimately didn’t feel a need to intervene until Alex accused Triss of being an idiot, “Excuse me,” Zada raised an eyebrow, “How is that helpful?” Zada crossed her arms as Alex rolled his eyes, and the two stared at one another for an uncomfortable moment before Alex finally said,

“You’re right,” And then, directed at Triss, “I’m sorry.”

Knowing that was the best they were going to get, Zada gestured vaguely around the room, “I know that we’d like to be better prepared, but sitting around arguing isn’t helping. Trisstana and I don’t know anything about… Witch business.” She sighed, it was hard feeling powerless, and not knowing how, or if, she could help. “Some of us here are just feeling very out of the loop, I think.”

She glanced over at the box of candles and trinkets that Alex had been putting together and said, “I think I have some newspaper we can use to keep things from getting broken,” Normally she wouldn’t dream of being helpful to Alex, but this was bigger than her usual disdain of the man, “Wouldn’t want anything short of perfect for our demon friend, yes?” With that, she removed herself from the situation, if only temporarily, to go grab a small stack of newspapers that had been waiting to be recycled. She handed some of them to Alex, and since the candles were hers, and there was a chance they wouldn’t use all of them, she went about helping him more properly package everything up.

It always astounded her, how he could be so meticulous and careful when he wanted to be.

With that work finished, Zada stood and smoothed out the back of her pants, “Now, if everyone’s feeling better,” She shot a pointed look at Alex, and then gestured towards the door, “Staying here is only making it worse.”

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxhow it should be
xxxmany years after the disasters that we’ve seen
xxxwhat have we learned?
xxxother than people burn in purifying flame
It took a lot for Phoenix to fully lose his temper. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been properly angry at someone. But Triss was very rapidly driving him to that. She didn't seem to grasp the concept that this wasn't something they dealt with every day. Or even at all. For the most part, his magic was innate, something he didn't have to actively work at. And the few spells and rituals he had learned were small, mostly protection spells. But Triss didn't want to know that. And if she kept up this reckless, impatient attitude, she was going to get them all killed. Or worse.

And Alex apparently shared the sentiment. At any other time, it might have been enough to earn a half-smile from Phoenix, but mostly, he was just exhausted. The demon had known exactly what she was doing when she'd decided to switch Alex and Triss. The chances of them messing something up and either rendering the whole thing ineffective or making things worse were significant, and Phoenix knew that, and Alex did too. Phoenix got the impression that Zada had an inkling of the danger they were all in, something he was somewhat glad for.

Throughout the whole argument and as they began to pack things up, Phoenix just stayed sitting, steadily staring in to his tea. It would have been so easy to get caught up in it, but he needed to keep his own emotions under wrap. If Alex and Triss were going to stay bickering this whole time, Zada needed him to be able to keep himself in check and step in if needed. He drained his tea and put the cup in the sink as Zada suggested they leave. He nodded and stepped outside into the fresh air. "We need somewhere quiet. Somewhere it won't be disturbed, and somewhere difficult to find so nobody will find it accidentally." He said as they stepped outside, before glancing at Triss and sighing, figuring she'd demand he explain. "We don't want to be discovered while building it for obvious reasons," he explained. "We don't want it being accidentally destroyed in case that just pisses her off more. But we also don't want people to find it and... either get the wrong idea about why it's there... or think it's something that should be worshiped. Bad things happen when people decide to get entangled with demons they don't know much about." The last sentence was out of his mouth before he even knew it or had considered how it sounded, but in that moment, he found himself struggling to care. He stayed walking towards the woods, hoping the familiarity and proximity to nature might help him relax somewhat.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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T R I S S GLASSER
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unless i am myself,
outfitx|x#3a0a4d
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzi am nobody.
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Trisstana was a bit surprised when Alex approached her and started speaking, quickly asking questions back to back and not much time in between them to answer them. She started getting more annoyed as he raised his voice towards her. Triss just rolled her eyes as he continued, crossing her arms as talked about stuff being his fault, which she wasn’t going to argue that with him. But then he decided to insult her, calling her an idiot. Trisstana’s arms went to her side, but before she could say or do anything, Zada spoke up, stopping her in her place. There was a moment of silence, as if Alex and Zada were having some sort of conversation, then Alex apologized to her. “Whatever.” Triss turned around and walked to the side of the room.

Triss mostly watched as the others seemed to have some sort of idea of what they were doing. She did start to get a bit jealous watching Zada and Alex putting things in the box together, seeing her partner with basically her own body didn’t feel right. She was brought back to reality when Alex spoke to her again, expecting another sort of remark, but instead a request. Well, more of telling her to take some stuff and carry it. She looked over at Zada for a moment who just nodded at her and took a box that held the candles and some other items, before following Phoenix, Alex and Zada outside and quickly into the woods.

The group had been walking for a while and Trisstana wanted to say something, but the moment she opened her mouth Alex pointed and spoke about a tree stump, hidden a bit by some shrubbery and saying that would work. Triss set the box down gently and dusted herself off, as well as brushing some sticks that had gotten caught in Alex’s hair, well her body’s hair. She didn’t say anything about it to him before turning back to the others. “So… I guess this is where we are doing this?” And then pulling out some items. “How does an altar get built?” She asked.

Triss felt a pull for a moment as Alex went to take the items out of her hand, but she held fiercely. "No. Let me." She spoke shortly, basically saying she wanted to help, but not exactly choosing the right words. Alex paused for a moment, before giving her directions on what to do and how to do it. Trisstana would've usually just sat back and done nothing, but something felt different right now and there was something that make her feel like she should help. Not sure if it was some anxiety with what was going on, a change in emotion and attitude, or just the demon behind all of this guiding her.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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A L E X GARCIA
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i am out with lanterns,
outfitx|x#D4AF37
zzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.looking for myself.
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When Zada suggested they get going Alex hoisted up the box of candles and trinkets to rest on his hip. It struck him, then, that he didn’t know how intensively he was going to have to look for a suitable space, and when paired with the simmering anger he felt towards Triss, he decided to make her carry it. “Here,” He said, calmly, “I might need my hands free. Would you mind?” He held the box up, an offering and indication of what he was talking about.

Once Trisstana had taken the box, Alex nodded and turned to follow Zada and Phoenix out the door. Phoenix started to explain the situation to Triss, and Alex was glad to be spared from having to try to explain all of this, himself. He understood it, himself, but he was more inclined to just tell Triss that she needed to trust him than try to help her understand.

“Bad things happen when people decide to get entangled with demons they don't know much about.”

As those words left Phoenix’s lips, they hit Alex almost like a slap in the face. He didn’t need to be reminded that this was all his fault, yet reminders kept coming. He’d made a deal with a creature he didn’t understand and now he was in this situation, and he’d dragged everyone down with him. He wondered, sometimes, at times like these, why anyone bothered with him.

He tried not to let it show how that hurt him, instead busying himself with looking around the forest. There wasn’t likely to be anything like what they were looking for until they got farther in, but it was a plausible way to try to distract his mind. A thousand thoughts swirled around his head, but at least they weren’t accompanied by the lamentations and urgings of the dead, beckoning him ever closer…. He still knew exactly where they wanted him to go. He wished they hadn’t picked somewhere so sentimental. They’d grown louder since he’d stepped foot into their world, since he’d survived his own death. Creatures of death don’t like giving up one of their own. The pact he’d made softened their cries, sometimes blotted them out. He knew that no one here understood the significance of that. Besides maybe….

He glanced in Triss’ direction. Were they whispering to her? Would they try to tempt her farther and farther into the woods? Would she listen if he told her not heed them?

As they walked deeper into the woods, Alex started looking in earnest. He knew these woods well. They had been a solace for him for many years. When he couldn’t find a reminder of his mortality in someone else’s arms, he often sought out trees and rocks and streams to ground him. The spirits had always been loud and overwhelming, and their voices had distrubed him ever since they’d started whispering to him in his dreams. If he’d known then how far he’d eventually go to quiet them….

When he finally spotted a good place to set up the altar, Alex felt himself letting out a sigh of relief. This whole thing coming to an end was looking more and more real, now they just had to hope they didn’t fuck it all up. “There,” He said, pointing out the tree stump. It was hidden away from the path most people walked on, but not too far out that he’d forget where it was, and it was obscured enough from view that he doubted anyone would notice it if they weren’t looking for it. “That’ll work.”

Alex didn’t pay much notice if anyone was following him as he walked the short distance to better check out the spot. He doubted they’d find a better spot without spending an extensive time searching, and figured he could move the stuff later if the demon wanted something grander. But if she was doing all this she was desperate, so he was willing to wager that she would accept whatever they offered to her. When he turned to face the others, Triss was right there, and then she was picking some twigs out of his hair. Her hair? It was confusing, and Alex could feel the warmth in his cheeks, and then he felt embarrassed about it all.

Luckily, Triss made it so he didn’t have to try to address it at all; she started rummaging through the stuff, asking how an altar is made. “There’s really no one way to build an altar,” Alex said with a shrug, “It’s mostly about intention.” With that, he reached out for the items Triss was holding, and the surprise was evident on his face when she resisted.

"No. Let me."

She wanted to help? Alex sighed, then nodded, “Okay.” He went rummaging through the box and nodded when he found a paint marker. They were a game changer for stuff like this. “Come here,” He instructed, kneeling in the dirt beside the stump. “Left arm.” He said, as he held out his hand. When Triss gave him her arm, he gently turned it until he could see the ugly scar the demon had left there, and he copied the shape down- albeit much larger- on top of the stump. “Now,” He said, turning to look Triss in the eyes, “We just… Make it look nice.” He turned to grab some crystals and candles and went on to put them across the stump, sort of bordering the symbol he’d drawn, letting Triss help and give input as they went.

Once they’d finished, he nodded, “Now to light the candles.” They’d ended up using four candles, and while the lighter he’d packed had settled to the bottom of the box, it didn’t take long for him to fish it out and start lighting candles. Since Triss had wanted to be involved in building the altar, he figured he’d let her light some, too, and passed off the lighter to her after he’d lit half the candles.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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T R I S S GLASSER
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unless i am myself,
outfitx|x#3a0a4d
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzi am nobody.
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xx
Alex quickly replied, but giving an open ended answer to her question about altars, but it made sense. Trisstana had seen a vast number of altars and not many of them were that similar, though so many of the temples humans made look identical to each other. But she was relieved when he allowed her to help, she had an inkling that Seterah wanted, or demanded, them to work together for this to come to an end without much more issues.

Triss followed Alex’s lead, and doing as he asked, a bit quizzical about holding out her arm and analyzing the scar on it. She hadn’t really noticed it before but after watching him trace it into the stump with a knife and he went back to setting up crystals. Triss sat for a moment looking around wondering what to do, and her eyes went back to the knife. She shrugged before picking it up and making a small slice on her right hand and adding some drops of blood to the stump before being nudged by Alex. “What? Don’t demons like blood? Am I wrong?” She asked, before being scolded. She just rolled her eyes and went back to setting up a few crystals, and adding a few flowers to the outside, making it a bit more prettier.

Trisstana stood back up when she felt like she had added enough to the altar and let the other two witches finish, glancing over at Triss and giving a light smile. Hoping this would all be back to normal sooner rather than later. Her attention was taken back to the altar when Alex lit two of the candles and held out the lighter to her. It took her a second to realize what he wanted her to do, light the other two candles. She nodded and took the light and knelt down in front of the altar, taking a look at the tree stump and the items they had laid out across it to make it into an altar. and eyes fixing on the last two candles.

It took her a few clicks, but Triss was able to light the last two candles, but stayed kneeling down in front of it as the flames flickered, waiting for something to happen. She heard Zada ask a question and Alex said something that caused another remark from Zada. Triss mostly ignored what they were saying and remembered the piece of paper that Seterah had given her and quickly took it out and held it in her palm before looking back at the altar. Trisstana stared at it for a moment before holding it over one of the candle flames and watching it slowly burn and wither into ash.

In less than a moment Triss felt herself get pushed to the side, barely catching herself as she watched Alex as he tried to grab the burning piece of paper. After he burnt himself and dropped the paper, part of it still unburnt, he leaned over Triss, quickly interrogating her. She wasn’t sure exactly why she did that, while it was impulsive, it felt as if someone else was guiding her hand. But she didn’t appreciate how Alex was reacting to what she did and being so hostile.

“Get off me!” Trisstana said sharply as she pushed Alex back and stood up, brushing some dirt off of her. “I did it because...” She paused for a second. “I don’t know why, but I did.” Starting to get a bit more defensive, especially when Alex called her stupid. “I am not stupid. I’m just trying to deal with this, what feels right!” She shouted back, bending back over to try to pick up the piece of paper and finish burning it. Triss almost had it over the candle when she was pulled back again by Alex, but ignoring what he said. “I said, get off of me!” She shouted again, trying to separate her and Alex, forcing them both to the ground.

Usually Triss was used to overpowering someone when having to wrestle against them, but that was her old body, not Alex’s. She was quickly pinned to the ground by her old body as she could tell Alex was getting upset, and unintentionally using the nixie’s bodys claws. Luckily Alex was quickly pulled off of Triss, and she was pulled back as well. She was confused as to who was pulling her back when she looked back and saw it was plants, quickly shooting a look over at Phoenix. Witch magic… Trisstana quickly wrestled against the vine, reaching for the knife and cutting herself free. She used this opportunity to crawl over and finish burning the paper on the candle. Doing it now out of principle and Alex telling her not to.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxhow it should be
xxxmany years after the disasters that we’ve seen
xxxwhat have we learned?
xxxother than people burn in purifying flame
Phoenix felt useless as he watched Triss and Alex build the altar. He had a decent knowledge of spells and charms and enchantments; you didn't spend most of your childhood and teenage years with Abuela without picking something up. Alex hadn't wanted to know or engage, so Abuela had taught him instead, possibly in the hopes that one day, he could teach Alex. None of them could have ever imagined this, though. Building an altar was something they'd always been steered away from.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting as Triss lit the last candle. A flash of light, some sort of visual indication, something. But nothing happened. He watched Triss and Alex, waiting for their behaviour to switch back to their proper selves. But nothing happened. And then Triss lifted the piece of paper up to the fame, and everything fell apart.

Phoenix didn't have time to even say anything or step between them before Alex had tackled Triss to the ground. With that kind of strength, Phoenix knew that getting involved could be dangerous. And so he acted instinctively, vines and branches wrapping around the two of them and pulling them apart. He almost regretted it as Triss finished burning the paper, possibly destroying everything. He couldn't just stand back and say nothing now. Triss and Alex were constantly at each other's throats, and that was going to ruin everything. Which was what she wanted.

"Okay. Time-out. We need to take a moment and seriously think about what the hell we're actually dealing with, because you both seem to have forgotten that we can't trust demons." He stepped forward until he was standing between the two of them in case things turned sour again. "Did you even read the paper she gave you? Did you even stop to consider the implications of burning it?" He asked Triss. "You can't just trust your gut when it comes to demons, because she wants to ruin things. You don't know the slightest thing about demons, so for fuck's sake, ask us before doing anything else stupid, before you get stuck like this because you couldn't take two seconds to double check something."

"And have either of you considered that you two constantly being at each other's throats might be exactly what she wants? To stop us from actually working together and finishing this properly?" He asked both of them. "She's watching us right now, and she's laughing, because we're playing right into her hands. But a deal is a deal, and she's bound to fulfull her part it. So just... stop it and... give me two moments to think so we can figure things out, okay?" He walked a short distance away, far enough that if they started bickering again, he wouldn't be able to hear them. Sighing heavily, he ran his hands through his hair, trying to remember the books he'd read with Abuela. He closed his eyes, trying to visualise the books he'd read when bored in Abuela's. Almost out of the blue, it came to him, and he headed back to the others.

"Give me the knife." He said, holding out his hand to Triss. "And don't argue." She stared him down for a few seconds, glanced at Zada, then handed it to him. "Most altars can be built like this, which is enough. But she's a older demon,more powerful, so we'll need something more. We'll need blood. From both of you." He held out his hand to Alex first, knowing Triss would refuse to go first and that Alex would trust him.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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Z A D A min ALBAHR
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you never really understand a person
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zzzzzz.zzzuntil you consider things from his point of view
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Zada didn’t understand this altar building stuff, but she figured she didn’t have to. She hung back, standing stiffly- and far beyond- the rotting tree stump Alex and Triss were consecrating for their demon. She wondered what lasting impressions this would have on the town. They didn’t have much of an option though, did they? Zada occasionally glanced over to Phoenix, as if searching for some sort of emotional support in this; but Phoenix was at the end of his rope. Perhaps being with Alex did that to a person. Zada wondered how often things like this happened.

When the candles were finally lit, they all stayed very still for a moment, but finally Zada couldn’t handle it and asked, “How will we know if it worked?”

“I assume we’ll go back to normal.”

Zada fought the urge to say something cruel- Alex had never experienced something like this before, of course he didn’t know exactly what would happen. “I was just expecting something… Bigger.”

Zada heard a stifled chuckle fighting to escape Alex’s throat, and for a moment she thought that- just maybe- this tense atmosphere could dissipate. She looked down at the ground, wondering if maybe someone should think about bringing some food in case they’d be here for a while, when she heard shouting. Alex and Triss were fighting now, physically. Zada had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Panic rose in Zada’s chest- they were going to rip each other to pieces.

Thank the goddess that Phoenix was there.

Phoenix started demanding cooperation from Triss, and when she looked to Zada for encouragement, Zada nodded. She had to trust that the witches present knew what they were talking about. That Phoenix could help fix this.

But blood? Zada didn’t like the sound of that. Demons and blood felt… Strange. Wrong. Twisted. Blood was the water of life, and even under the sea everyone knew of its power.





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A L E X GARCIA
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i am out with lanterns,
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zzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.looking for myself.
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xx
The candles were lit, everything looked good, why was nothing happening? For a moment, Alex let his thoughts run away from him. This was all probably something the demon didn’t intend to honor. Had Triss signed any sort of contract? Probably not. How do you even get a demon to uphold a bargain without a contract. He should have asked her more questions about that. Then Triss produced something from her pocket. That paper the demon had given her. Maybe there were some sort of instructions, or-

She set it on fire.

Did she really just set it on fire?!

“What the fuck?!” He shouted, pushing Triss aside with a strength he didn’t quite realize he possessed to grab the paper out of the flame. The paper singed his fingers, and he quickly dropped it. “Why would you do that?”

Triss pushed him then, gave some sort of a weak explanation. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? How fucking stupid it is to just take what a demon says and do it?” Alex gestured between the two of them, as if the consequences of such actions should be obvious to her.

Triss tried to get the paper back to the candle, and Alex grabbed her arm, “You have no idea what you could be unleashing, you-” But Triss just yelled, and fought, and Alex just hated her in that moment. In the struggle, they both toppled over to the ground, but Alex managed to get the upper hand, pinning Triss beneath him. He hadn’t meant to use the Nixie’s claws and strength, didn’t even know how he’d done it. But nearly as soon as the fight began, they were pulled apart. Phoenix.

Alex shot Phoenix a dirty look as Triss finished burning the paper. “I wasn’t going to hurt her,” He said weakly. He wasn’t sure he believed it.

Alex crossed his arms as Phoenix spoke, feeling ridiculous and small. He didn’t say anything as Phoenix walked away, just looked down at the grass and wished he were far away. Wished he’d never dealt with demons. Wished that Rory and Oliver and Violet had just let him die. At least two of them would still be here if they hadn’t insisted on saving his stupid ass, and what was he doing with the chance he’d been given?

When Phoenix came back, asking for blood, Alex almost said no. “Phoenix, maybe we should…” He looked at Phoenix, and he knew he looked defeated, tired. But what was he supposed to say? He didn’t like the idea of what adding blood to this mix might bring them, might bring the world, but when he looked at Phoenix, any objections died in his throat. He presented his arm- Trisstana’s arm- to Phoenix. A little blood from both of them, and maybe they could be done with this business. Convincing Triss was easier than Alex expected. Maybe seeing him go along with it helped, or the promise that they could be back to normal, he didn’t know. He didn’t care.

For a moment, Alex thought nothing was going to happen, so he started to say as much, “I’m not-” Suddenly, he felt a little light-headed, “Woah…” Then the world went black.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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When Alex opened his eyes, he wasn’t sure where he was. He wasn’t in the forest, or anywhere he’d seen outside of his darkest dreams. This was just… Nothing, void of some kind. Was he dead? No, he’d been dead before- or near enough- this wasn’t quite the same.

“There you are,” Said a voice, velvety smooth, that traced terror up his spine like the errant touch of a lover. The demon appeared, then. This was her domain, she’d brought Alex into it. For what, he couldn’t know, but he didn’t like it.

“Good job,” She spoke to someone else, though Alex didn't glance away from her face, but the demon moved past him to Triss, gently patting her cheek, “You put my little pet right back on his leash.” A condescending sort of chuckle left the demon’s lips. “You really do wonderful work together,” She was mocking them, now, “I so enjoyed watching that.”

Trisstana woke up first, sitting up and taking quick deep breaths and looking around. The first thing she noticed, and was a bit excited for, was seeing Alex’s body, and she quickly looked down at herself, seeing her own body. Triss looked down at her arms and ran her hands over her legs and upper body making sure it truly was her body, even pulling her hair in front of her face and seeing the familiar yellow color. A smile came across her lips before seeing Alex move and get up.

She was about to talk when a familiar voice spoke, seeming to come from all directions. Then she appeared infront of Alex, but walked past him and up to her, patting her on the cheek, the demon’s touch was gentle and smooth. Triss wanted to be upset, say some sort of smart remark, but the feeling of anger couldn’t come across her, she was kept in a calm state, though this wasn’t keeping her from being annoyed. “Yes. I did as you asked Seterah.” She spoke, before finally taking a chance to look around, seeing a lot of, nothing. “Where are we?” Trisstana asked, looking back at Seterah.

Seterah smiled at Trisstana, and tucked a lock of hair behind the woman’s ear, ”Home.”

”This is the demon’s-” Alex started to interject, but Seterah cut him off before he could continue.
”You,” She said, turning on her heel to look at him, ”Have disappointed me.” All at once, the color seemed to drain from Alex’s face.

Seemingly satisfied with the fear instilled in Alex, Seterah turned back to Triss, ”He wasn’t raised properly.”

A wave of euphoria came over Trisstana for a moment as Seterah tucked her hair behind her ear, saying ‘home’ in an enticing voice. Alex spoke up for a moment, but in a matter of moments was cut off when Seterah turned back towards him, speaking to him a hard tone, much harsher than how she was speaking to Triss. The fear that came across Alex’s face worried Trisstana, he knew what more the demon was capable was.

Triss just nodded when Seterah spoke back to her, trying to get her mind clear again. “Its…. nice.” Triss trails off, speaking about Seterah’s home. Something felt off right now, but at the same time there was a feeling that things were perfectly fine. “So... what you asked is done. Your altar is built, that was the deal. What else do you want?” She questioned the demon. With all that had happened, and being back in her body at the moment, she wasn’t going to waste time getting past all of this.

Seterah smiled at Trisstana, ”And the altar is beautiful. You did an excellent job.” Seterah reached out to rest a hand on Triss’ shoulder, ”I could use someone around that actually knows how to get things done…”

”We’ve done as you asked,” Alex interrupted, ”Can we go, or are you planning on breaking the deal you made?”

Seterah whipped around and was face-to-face with Alex in an instant, ”I keep my promises.” Her voice was strained, annoyed.

”Do you?” Alex questioned, ”Why don’t you put us back to normal, then?” He smiled, trying not to look as terrified as he felt.

Seterah grabbed Alex’s face in her hand and forced him to meet her gaze, ”Any other requests, Mr. Garcia?” Her voice dripped with the same venom that no-doubt ran through her veins.

”I want them back.” The demon knew what he meant, he knew by the disgusted look on her face.

”So ungrateful,” Seterah turned her attention back to Trisstana then, smiling sweetly. ”What do you think, little one? You could stay a while longer.”

Trisstana wanted to take a step back away from the beautiful demon, the hand on her shoulder keeping her still though. The words the demon spoke to her differed than the ones to Alex. To Trisstana, they were sweet, seducing, and calming, causing her to blush and be speechless. But towards Alex they were sharp, harsh, and hostile. Alex did quickly interrupt Seterah again, pulling her attention away from Triss and allowing her to let out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding in.

Before she knew it, Seterah was back in front of her, a smile across the demon's face that seemed to pull Trisstana in. “I-I…” She struggled to speak, but unable to form the words on her tongue. Seterah used the back of her hand to move some of Triss’ hair out of her face. A redness coming across Trisstana’s cheeks again, a bit of flustering being built up inside of her. “Okay.” Was the only word that came out of her mouth. Whether it was actually her wanting to stay, or something else influencing her, she wasn’t even sure.

Alex didn’t like Triss, but this wasn’t right. ”Triss, don’t she’s-”

Seterah turned to look at Alex, onyx eyes fixed to his very soul, and he knew then that the deed was as good as done. ”Isn’t it time you got back to your body?” She moved to him, placed a hand in the center of his chest and pushed. He was falling, and then he was gone.

Seterah turned her attention back to Triss, ”Now that he’s out of the way,” A smile, sweet and charming and hungry, ”Is there anything I can do for you?” She had a look on her face like she wanted to say more, but held herself back. Like she didn’t want to reveal all her secrets straight away.

The moment after she spoke, Triss felt like she made a mistake. Hearing Alex try to speak up, tried to tell her not to, but it was too late. She watched as Seterah pushed Alex, watching him fall back and fade into the ground and disappearing. And within moments the demon was back in front of Trisstana. “I, I don’t know.” She swallowed, trying to get a bit of confidence back in her voice.

“I’ve been told not to make deals with demons. Look at what you did to us, to me.” Trisstana spoke, her voice coming back to her, trying to fight through the seducing charm of Seterah. “I’m not familiar with what demons can do. When I get my body back, I’ll be happy. I have my seafish. What else is there?” She continued to speak, referencing her partner Zada in conversation.

Seafish,” Seterah repeated, as if it were the quaintest thing she’d ever heard, ”How sweet.” She tilted her head to the side, as if in thought, ”Tell me, Trisstana, what if you could give your ‘seafish’ all she desires?” This was her home, her rules, and before long images of little mermaids were dancing about in Triss’ head. ”Family is… So important, don’t you agree?”

Triss squinted her eyes as the demon repeated the name she said, her name for Zada. Then the demon asked her a question about Zada. When she closed her eyes to blink a wave of visions filled her sight.

Zada being happy in the shallow water of a beach, cradling a small creature that Triss couldn’t make out at first. Zada beckoned her over and turned revealing a smaller mermaid, a child, a baby. As she blinked again the vision changed to the three of them splashing around in Zada’s bathtub, faces full of smiles and the air full of laughs. And in a moment, it was gone.

“What? What was that? What did I see?” Trisstana asked quickly, taking a step closer to Seterah, intrigued.

Seterah tilted her head forwards, subtly leaning into Triss’ space, ”A child. A family. You don’t need any special abilities to see that’s what she wants,” The demon shrugged, ”Mermaids don’t do so well alone, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” She turned her back to Triss, ”It would be easy, you know…” She made a sort of dismissive gesture with her hand, ”Oh, but if you aren’t interested… Though I don’t know how long your seafish will be interested in you if you can’t give her what she wants…”

Trisstana stared back at Seterah, trying not to back down, but just falling more into the demon’s trap, her eyes drawing the nixie in more. But as she spoke about Zada and they weren’t meant to be alone. Triss knew this was true, from hearing the stories from Zada, the tone that would always be underlying the words. But when Seterah spoke about how Zada wouldn’t be interested if Triss can’t give her what she wants, the words felt true.

She skulked back a moment, thinking to herself. She cared about Zada, more than herself, and Seterah was right, doesn’t take any special abilities to know that she wants a family, not just a partner, but a real family. Triss’ demeanor dropped as more of the thoughts of Zada and the possibility of not being able to keep her happy.

Trisstana’s eyes rose back up from staring at the ground, Seterah back in front of her, a foot or two at most away. “What do I have to do?” She asked, her question being met with a smile and an outstretched hand.




One moment, Alex was falling into oblivion, and the next he found himself lying in the grass, a layer of cold sweat making him shiver. He sat up quickly, looking around frantically, ”What-” He looked first to Phoenix, then Zada, both hovering nearby, undoubtedly keeping watch over his and Triss’ bodies. Triss. Triss’ body. ”It worked.” He sounded more amazed than he was probably meant to, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t trusted it would work out, but there was a part of him that didn’t expect to ever be back in his own body.

”What happened?” Zada sounded worried, for Triss, most likely. She hadn’t woken up yet.

”I…” Alex glanced at Phoenix, ”I’m not entirely sure.” He lied.

”Where’s Triss? Zada demanded.

”I don’t know.” That was the truth.

Zada knelt down, right in Alex’s face, ”What did-”

Triss sat up suddenly, taking a deep breath as she looked around, the first thing she saw was Phoenix next to her, asking if she was okay. She glanced around and saw Alex, back in his body, confirming things were back to normal, and her gaze settling on Zada.

“Seafish!” She just about shouted as she lunged forward and just about tackled the mermaid to the ground, holding her tight as they rolled a small distance.

Alex was grateful when Triss finally seemed to return, as it got Zada off his back. He looked at Phoenix, sighed, and went to go gather up the things that hadn’t been used for the altar. He just wanted to go home.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser
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He’d hoped that Alex would trust him, that he’d trust that Phoenix knew what he was doing. And there was a moment that their eyes met, and Phoenix swore that he could see a moment of hesitation. And then Alex held out his arm. Phoenix was as gentle as he could, drawing as little blood as he could. Triss didn’t resist, something he was surprised by for a moment. There was an awful moment where Phoenix thought nothing was going to happen; and then Triss and Alex both dropped. Phoenix shot a glance at Zada, knowing that she was probably about as anxious as he was. “At least it… did something?” He said.

It was impossible to tell how long had passed before a sudden movement made Phoenix jump. It was Alex. He was back, and it was him. Phoenix knew it had worked even before he said so. He couldn’t say how he knew other than he just did, knew by the way his expressions settled on his face, by his movement, by the tone of his voice. Phoenix’s face broke into a relieved smile, almost without even realising. But then he realised that Triss was still unresponsive, and anxiety settled back in at the pit of his stomach.

But before things could deteriorate any further, Triss woke and suddenly launched herself at Zada in joy. Phoenix smiled despite himself, relief flooding through his veins. He felt Alex’s eyes on him and glanced back over, expecting equal relief. But there was something unreadable in Alex’s expression, before he just sighed and went and started cleaning up. Phoenix’s smile slipped. All he’d wanted was for things to be back to normal, but that distance was there. Had Phoenix ruined things? Had he been too harsh, had he reacted too strongly? He went over to Alex and helped him pack up the last few bits, before picking up one of the boxes to carry back.

These silent moments were excruciating. Alex wanted nothing more than to let everything back to normal, but there was something there that he felt he needed to address, and he didn’t want to do it in front of Zada and Triss. That was sure to be an uncomfortable display of vulnerability that he wasn’t prepared for. He’d been embarrassed enough for the day.

If Phoenix were paying attention, and Alex knew he was, it was probably very obvious that Alex had something he wanted to say. He knew he couldn’t just let it go like that, so after a few minutes he sighed and set what he was carrying down on the ground, “Phoenix?” He waited a moment and took the box out of Phoenix’s hands, setting it aside. “I, umm…” There were a lot of things he could have chosen to say. I understand why you said the things you said, I’m not mad at you, or even I was so scared. Instead he stood there, awkwardly, for a few seconds before wrapping his arms tightly around Phoenix, burying his head in the crook of Phoenix’s neck. “I’m sorry,” He murmured against Phoenix’s skin, “I’m so sorry. It was all my fault, I…” He stopped, willing himself not to start down the road of teary theatrics, “I was convinced I’d be stuck that way forever and lose you.” He’d wanted to believe that he’d be back in his own body the whole time, but the farther along they got, and the more he and Triss fought, it had seemed utterly impossible at the time.

He took a moment there, pressed so closely to Phoenix he could feel the rise and fall of the other man’s chest, before pulling back to look Phoenix in the eye. “I love you,” He said, simply, “So much.” He forced himself not to ask for reassurance there, “I’m not trying to make things difficult or fuck things up... I’m… I’m just so scared.” He’d lived his entire life afraid, but things had gotten a lot worse since the attacks started.

Phoenix’s stomach twisted as Alex said his name. He knew that there was something unspoken hanging in the air, and he was afraid of what would happen if they spoke it. He couldn’t quite meet Alex’s eyes as Alex took the box from his hands, almost afraid of what was to come. All of that disappeared the moment Alex wrapped his arms around Phoenix. Everything felt right again when they were like this, and it felt like everything that they both wanted to say was said in that hug. But even still, Alex apologised, admitting to being scared. Phoenix just nodded. “I know. I know. It’s okay. We’re okay now.” He said, just loud enough for only Alex to hear.

As Alex moved, Phoenix expected him to pull away altogether, but they stayed pressed together, arms wrapped around each other, the only difference that now they were looking each other in the face. There was a lump in Phoenix’s throat, but it was relief, relief that things were okay again and that they’d worked it out. “I love you too,” he said. “And… I know you’re not trying to fuck things up. I know you’re scared. I am too. But you’ve got to promise to talk to me, okay? I can’t fix everything but I can try, and if nothing else, you won’t have to do it alone. Okay?” He said.

“Okay,” Alex repeated. He could talk to Phoenix, he knew he needed to if he wanted this to work out, and god did he want it to work out. “Thank you,” He didn’t know what else to say, really. He pushed thoughts of not deserving all of this out of his head, “We wouldn’t have gotten through all of this without you,” He admitted, “It was a mess.” He thought about the implications of what had happened there, when he and Triss saw the demon. He would tell Phoenix about that later, at home.

Reluctantly, he pulled away from Phoenix. They couldn’t stay here forever, nor did Alex want to. He gave Phoenix the lighter of the boxes, as if that would make up for the day. As they walked this time, he said, “I’m gonna start having the dreams again,” He blew air from his nose in a bitter sort of laugh, “Well, hopefully anyway. I asked her to stop blocking them out. I didn’t expect she’d totally stop them in the first place, I just wanted the spirits to stop-” He didn’t know if he’d ever really told Phoenix the way they urged him to join them. He needed to figure out how to deal with that. “I just needed them back. If I can properly interpret them, I can help. I mean, you know… If we can figure out when an attack is going to happen.” He sighed, he had a lot of work to do; he wished he hadn’t been so afraid of his abilities when he was younger, or that his fear had spurred him to learn about his powers rather than shun them. Abuela would be thrilled that he was finally interested in learning, at least.

Phoenix grinned a little bashfully as Alex admitted that they couldn’t have done it without him. Growing up, Phoenix had seen how Alex had struggled with the voices and the dreams, and he never had been able to help. Alex said that Phoenix just being there was always enough, but Phoenix always felt useless and unable to help. He was just glad that, for once, he’d been able to actually make a difference.

Phoenix was a little glad when they finally began to make their way through the woods back towards home. It felt like the moment they were out of earshot of Triss and Zada that Alex opened up properly and began talking about the dreams. Phoenix didn’t interrupt, just let Alex talk. Even if he knew the theory of necromancy, he could never know what it was actually like. He couldn’t imagine what it was like. Their abilities were so different and affected them in such different ways, and all he’d been ever able to do was listen. So that was all he did.

He was taken aback for a moment as Alex admitted to asking for the dreams back so he could use them to try and predict the attacks. He was silent for a few seconds as he tried to put the words together. “That’s really admirable. I can’t ever understand what they’re like but… I know they’re… unpleasant.” He fell silent for a few more seconds, unsure of what he could say that hadn’t already been said. I’m here for you. Please stay talking to me. I’ll do whatever I can to help. Alex knew that. Phoenix knew he did, and besides, if Alex wanted to learn more about them, there was only one person he could ask, and she’d make damn sure he didn’t bottle it up any more than he already had. But there was still one more question Phoenix had, one he didn’t particularly want to ask, but that he needed to know.

“Is… is this over now? Our dealings with… her?” He asked. “Or do I need to just start burning sage on a constant basis?” He asked, managing half a smile.

While the dreams certainly were unpleasant, Alex wasn’t sure he’d go so far as to say it was admirable to try to use them to help. A part of him felt like it was what he should have been doing all along. Something in the back of his head reminded me that he’d been through a lot, and it really was going to be a big task to try and sift through the dreams he sometimes had for any meaning, let alone try and steer them towards the information he wanted.

Alex shook his head when Phoenix asked about the demon, “Either way, you live with me, I don’t think some extra sage would hurt.” he shot Phoenix a brief, cheesy, grin, and then added, “I’m not sure we’ll ever really be rid of her, but I’m going to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.” He sighed and, before Phoenix had the chance to remind him, added, “Of course, I’ll let you know what’s going on, I won’t let myself get in over my head. Don’t worry,” He paused, considering his words carefully, “I want to have a lot more time to spend with you.” He wasn’t sure he’d expressed that out loud, or so explicitly, but if he were being completely honest he might have used even stronger language there.

The grin and the joke about the sage lifted the remnants of the weight on Phoenix’s shoulders as he laughed. The fear and the stress of the past few hours seemed to be fading more and more as they got further and further away from the altar and the thoughts and the memories associated with it. Phoenix had known that hoping that would be the end of their dealings with the demon was a long shot, so he wasn’t disappointed when Alex said he didn’t think they were rid of her. There was a drive in Alex he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before. He meant it when he said he was going to make sure it wasn’t going to happen again, and Phoenix knew that. He also knew that Alex meant it when he said he’d make sure Phoenix knew what was going on.

The comment about wanting a lot more time to spend with him caught Phoenix off guard, but in the best way possible. Things had felt so right since they’d gotten together that it was hard to imagine not being together now. The events of the day had only done more to solidify that, that Phoenix couldn’t picture not having Alex by his side. And hearing Alex express the same sentiment made the biggest, cheesiest smile fix itself on Phoenix’s face.

“Good,” he said, leaning over to kiss Alex’s cheek. “Because you’re stuck with me now. Me and my habit of baking bread at three in the morning and drinking far too much coffee and forcing you to watch Disney movies with me. I’m not going anywhere. And neither are those bad habits.”

“Dammit,” Alex said, not even trying to suppress the smile on his face, “However am I going to deal with fresh baked goods and cheesy children’s movies?” As far as he was concerned, Phoenix was absolutely perfect, “Good thing I’m so accommodating.” He shot a wink at Phoenix, “There’s no one I’d rather be stuck with.”

They made a quick stop by Zada’s to drop off the unused candles, Alex didn’t want to have to deal with Zada and Triss again for a few weeks, at least, before really steering themselves back into town proper. Every new level he and Phoenix reached was entirely unfamiliar to Alex, and sometimes he felt insecure, like he couldn’t possibly live up to Phoenix’s expectations, or to those that had come before him, but seeing just how happy Phoenix looked, Alex had never been so sure that he was on the right path before. No matter where life led him now, so long as he had Phoenix, he knew he would be okay. The events of the day only proved that to be true.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser Character Portrait: Zoe Peña
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ZADA min ALBAHR
zzzzzoutfit - #78B0AD


her liquid gaze held fated depths, her full lips invited touch. there was power, too, in her air of stillness: she might have been an Archangel, something winged and terrible come to rest.
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With Triss back in her own body, she and Zada were more than happy to go back to Zada’s home to celebrate. The next morning, Triss found a letter as Zada sat on the couch, calmly sipping a cup of tea. Zada asked Trisstana to read it, and the nixie sprawled across the couch to rest her head on Zada’s lap.

Some hunter was to be put to trial. Zada didn’t really care, they could all rot as far as she was concerned. Still, she was a little curious. ”Anyone you know?” It was half joke, half serious. If the person on trial was anyone who’d ever hurt Trisstana, she’d gladly go to watch them suffer. But when Triss said that name, Travis Graveson, Zada sat up a little straighter and reached for the paper in Trisstana’s hand.

”Why would he come back here…?” She mused. Most of the town wanted him dead on the basis of being a hunter, he’d betrayed all of them, and he’d hurt Rosie in the process. Zada decided then that she was going to be at that trial.

When the day came, she was ready. A large part of her wanted to see him suffer, not just die. Zada didn’t believe in second chances for crimes like his, how could he make up for the lives the town had lost? He couldn’t. But she glanced over at Triss before rolling out of bed, and Zada wished her lover could have seen the town before the attacks. It had been so vibrant and wonderful before, but humans came in and ruined it all. She dressed, went to get breakfast started, and when she heard Triss rummaging around in the spare room Zada went to go check on the other woman. ”New dress?” She asked, referencing the one laid out in the room. Zada raised an eyebrow at the explanation, and followed it with, ”Would you like tea, or coffee?”

Later, as they sat at the table, Zada looked over at Triss, ”I’m going to the trial today. I am interested in seeing what becomes of Mr. Graveson.” She tilted her head ever-so-slightly to the side, as if to manually indicate that she was going to ask a question, ”Were you interested in joining me? I know attending the trial of a man you’ve not met isn’t exciting, so if you had other plans I’d understand.”

Genuinely, she wouldn’t have been upset if Trisstana chose not to go, though she had no clue what she’d do if she didn’t.





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ZOE PEÑA
zoutfit - #6E9ECF


she let herself drift along the meanders of melancholy, her ear attuned to the music of harps echoing over lakes, to all the songs of dying swans, to all the falling leaves,
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Zoe had spent most of her time over the past few weeks settling into her life above the flower shop. She loved it there, felt truly at peace among the different plants. They’d only recently opened back up for business, and every day seemed like an adventure. Zoe was meeting new people every day, it seemed, and had gotten to the point where she’d started to recognize familiar faces. Something about all of it was really empowering to her.

She knew there was some kind of trial, but she wasn’t invested. She hadn’t been in town long enough to know what was big or important; of course, hunters were a big deal, but Zoe couldn’t fathom the thought that they hadn’t had to deal with them before. She preferred to spend her day much like she’d been spending all her days lately: tending to, and getting to know the plants that were quickly sprawling through the ground floor of the shop. She’d started learning how plants almost have personalities, and she certainly had more to talk about with Phoenix anymore.

There was a sort of lingering magic there, in the flower shop. Not the kind that helped plants grow, as much as Zoe may have wished for that, but the sort of magic that made you feel calmer, more real. She figured that Aurora must have been a special person, for her magic to still have that effect on the building after her death. Zoe wondered, sometimes, if it was alright that she was there. She’d thought about whether or not she was interrupting something and had considered asking Alex for some guidance there, but she figured he wouldn’t be much help, so she hadn’t bothered.

Zoe saved a lot of watering time by using her powers; a gentle mist often wafted across the shop in the mornings, and when necessary she’d hit other plants again later in the day. Zoe was anticipating Jaiden coming by, she often did. They’d been spending even more time together since Zoe moved into the apartment above the flower shop, and she looked forward to it in earnest.

So when she heard the door open, Zoe turned around with a bright grin to see Jaiden, ”Good morning!” She said, chipper as ever. The two got to working, chatting idly as they went. The time she spend with Jaiden had quickly been shaping up to be the best parts of her days.

”Thanks again,” She said as they went, ”You know, for all of this. Taking a chance on me, being such a good friend, coming by to help. It all means so much.” Zoe was sure Jaiden was sick and tired of her thanks by now, but she didn’t know how else to express how grateful she was. Truly, this had been one of the most fulfilling experiences of her life, being able to do something for herself that she could be proud of, totally separate from her family name and expectations. How do you properly thank someone for that? She wasn’t sure.





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ALEX GARCIA
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but the past is a closed door, and she can’t see any future. maybe she’ll go on from day to day and year to year until she simply withers, folds in on herself, shrivels up like an old spider.
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There was a sort of tension, the morning after the swap, when Alex wasn’t sure he was going to wake up in his own body or somebody else’s, so when he woke up in that familiar cocoon of blankets he tended to make on stressful nights, he felt more relieved than even the night he’d nearly died. True to his word, he’d gone straight to his abuela’s house, came home with a whole stack of books. Ancient things, some of them, hand-written and hardly any of it in English. He put long hours into studying, phone calls and visits with Abuela. He hadn’t poured himself into something like that since he first started collecting rocks and crystals.

He didn’t particularly enjoy it; he’d always struggled with the nature of his abilities, they scared him. He knew it was long past time he learned to properly utilize them, though.

When they’d found the note about the trial, Alex wasn’t initially sure what to think. Yeah, Travis had been a hunter, but Alex also remembered him fighting hunters at the last attack. Ultimately, like with many things Alex felt conflicted about, Alex decided to just stay out of it and hope it resolved itself.

There was one other thing weighing on Alex’s mind: the flower shop. Or, rather, the person who used to own it. Jaiden had fixed the place up, and nearly every day Alex saw the building, felt almost compelled to go inside, see how the place had changed. He’d spent a lot of time there before Rory had died, but that felt a lifetime away now. Sometimes he wondered if he would’ve gone with her to the festival like she wanted, if things would have been different. He was perfectly happy with Phoenix, but he felt an immense sense of guilt for Aurora’s death. If he’d just listened and been careful…

Thinking like that wasn’t helpful, though.

Instead, he was sitting at the table leafing through one of many books he’d borrowed that probably should have fallen apart years ago. He’d not been sleeping much lately. He’d been having nearly the same dream every night, and he was trying to figure out just what that might mean. Going to someone and saying “hey, I had a nightmare, something bad is going to happen.” historically didn’t work out very well, though Rosie might be more willing to listen than people had in the past.

He shut the book and sighed loudly, hoping to catch Phoenix’s attention without having to ask for it. ”I was thinking,” He called out, as if vaguely hoping he’d be told his idea was a bad one, ”I think I’m gonna head over to the flower shop today, say hi.” He paused for a second, ”I, uh, I’m interested in seeing what Jaiden’s done with the place… You know?”

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia
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PHOENIX WOODS
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xxxi fought all through the night
xxxoh, oh, but i made it alive
xxxthe sun's starting to rise
xxxoh, oh, these are beautiful times
Phoenix was more relieved than he could put into words when things were normal the following morning, and the morning after that. Phoenix knew that their dealings with the demon weren't likely to be done. But as things settled into their new normal, it was easy to put that to the backs of their mind. Alex was spending more time with Abuela, learning about necromancy and demons. Some visits, Phoenix went. Others, he left Alex to go alone. He knew tat as they learned about demons and dark magic, it should have been stressful, scary. Phoenix knew that it unsettled Alex sometimes, that it was frightening. But they were in it together. And they were finally coming to terms with this thing that had haunted Alex for so long, a bittersweet feeling.

But it came with the caveat that Alex hadn't been sleeping. Phoenix could tell that something was weighing on his mind. He trusted Alex to talk to him about it whenever he was ready, or at least, if it was related to necromancy, that he'd tell Abuela. Now, he knew that Alex would talk about it. Phoenix wondered if it was the trial. The trial had been sticking in Phoenix's mind more than he'd expected. Maybe it was because Trav had helped them, had saved them. But at the same time, it was hard to reconcile what he'd done. Phoenix had decided almost as soon as they'd gotten the invitation that he wasn't going, but there was the occasional moment when he wondered if he should. But on the morning of the trial, it was the last place he wanted to be. He was sprawled across their couch, flicking through one of the many books they'd gotten from Abuela. It was one about protective charms, one Abuela had mentioned to him many times before, but it was only now he was getting to read it. Abuela had given it to Phoenix, knowing that Phoenix had a knack for managing to work protective charms in using plants and teas, but it was old fashioned and difficult to work his way through.

So when Alex sighed and shut his book, Phoenix gladly looked up. He wasn't quite sure what to expect, but honestly, he thought it was a good idea. He'd been meaning to drop in himself, but just hadn't gotten around to it. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Can I come?" He asked, stretching. In reality, the question was, "Do you want me to come?" He didn't want to overstep the mark if Alex wanted to talk to Zoe or Jaiden himself, but also knew that Alex might appreciate the moral support

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Trisstana Glasser Character Portrait: Zoe Peña
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ZADA min ALBAHR
zzzzzoutfit - #78B0AD


her liquid gaze held fated depths, her full lips invited touch. there was power, too, in her air of stillness: she might have been an Archangel, something winged and terrible come to rest.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Zada nodded as Triss said she had no plans for the day. That seemed to be the trend. ”Well,” Zada started, getting up to clear the table, ”I would love to have you join me.” She stopped to plant a kiss on Triss’ cheek, ”I believe it’s going to be starting before too much longer.” She said, as she loaded their few dishes in the dishwasher (she loved that thing), ”I hope they find him guilty, Trisstana. Men like him have no business walking around free.” Zada took all that Travis had done very personally. Hunters killed people like her, and on top of that he’d hurt Rosie. Some things just weren’t forgivable.

After she finished with the dishes, Zada turned to Triss and looked her over, eyebrow raised. This new dress was nice, she liked it. She reached out and grabbed at some of the fabric, feeling the texture on her hand, before letting it slip from between her fingers to drape back over Triss’ body. ”I like this,” She said, voice dripping with approval, and maybe something else, ”You’ll have to wear it again.” It was a suggestion, not a demand. Zada knew she wouldn’t have the time to properly appreciate the garment until later, and even then it might have to be put off until later.

It wasn’t long before she was pulling on a coat (she didn’t really need it, she didn’t get cold very easily, but it tied the whole outfit together) and running her fingers through her hair, making sure she looked perfect. She nearly always did, she made sure of it. ”Are you ready?” She called out as she applied a layer of red lipstick, slowly fixing herself up to the level of perfection she expected to see looking back from the other side of the mirror. A light spray of the same perfume she’d been wearing for the past twenty years and she was ready.

She and Trisstana walked arm-in-arm towards the town; Zada had enjoyed the closeness of another person. Even since opening up her home and her heart to Triss, she’d felt more… At home in the town. She may never be able to return to the sea, but maybe she could create her own pod here, in some way.







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ALEX GARCIA
zzzzoutfit - #3A0A4D


but the past is a closed door, and she can’t see any future. maybe she’ll go on from day to day and year to year until she simply withers, folds in on herself, shrivels up like an old spider.
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”Can I come?"

As far as Alex was concerned, Phoenix could follow him just about anywhere. He knew the hidden meaning behind Phoenix’s words, though. You don’t know someone as closely as they’d known one another for as long as they had without learning how they think.

Alex nodded, ”Actually,” He started, speaking even as he got up from the table and made his way over to the couch, ”I was wondering if you’d do me a little favor.” He held out a hand, a silent offer to help hoist Phoenix up off the couch, ”I need a cup of green tea to take over, with so much honey that it’s absolutely sickeningly sweet.” Alex paused, wondering if Phoenix would recognize the tea he used to get for Aurora in that short span between Phoenix opening his cafe and Rory’s death. He almost hoped Phoenix wouldn’t make the connection. ” And then I guess it’d only be fair to let you tag along, too.” He rolled his eyes, feigning like it would be some burden if the absolute love of his life joined him on a little trip to the nearby flower shop. He’d need moral support, anyway. He didn’t talk about it much, but Alex knew that Nix knew how guilty he felt.

The whole thing would be a nice distraction from the trial, anyway. Alex wasn’t interested in it, really. He knew he probably should care more, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

As they made the- admittedly short- walk over to the flower shop, Alex decided to confide in Phoenix. ”I’ve been having nightmares again,” Phoenix knew that, of course. They shared a bed. ”I’m not sure what they mean, but I keep having the same one, so I’m sure it’s… Something.” There wasn’t much else to say, really, ”I’ll spare you the details. They’re often more gruesome than they really need to be.” He’d never told Phoenix details about his dreams, just what he thought they’d meant sometimes. Sometimes interpreting vague prophecies was harder than others.

As they got to the flower shop, Alex got the door, holding it open for Phoenix to go in ahead of him. This was a twofold kind of situation; it gave him a chance to be nice to Phoenix, and it gave him a chance to hang back for a moment, hesitate at the door without it looking like hesitation. This might not seem like the biggest deal, but Alex was afraid of what he might find waiting for him inside. Aurora might not have died in the shop, but she’d spent time there, her spirit would be comfortable. Alex could have easily avoided the place for the rest of his life and been happy, but he knew he needed some sort of closure, so he was forcing himself to do the difficult thing and face the feelings he was afraid of.






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ZOE PEÑA
zoutfit - #6E9ECF


she let herself drift along the meanders of melancholy, her ear attuned to the music of harps echoing over lakes, to all the songs of dying swans, to all the falling leaves,
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Zoe had known that Jaiden would brush off her thanks, but she continued to be of the opinion that Jaiden simply didn’t understand just how much this all meant to her. If she hadn’t been given this opportunity, Zoe would be back in Arizona, teaching piano and babysitting the coven’s children. While Zoe loved the coven she’d grown up in, and she was so thankful for all they’d all done to raise her, it had never felt like her life. It had always felt like her parent’s life.

"Besides, I think you're the only person in this town who'd be able to handle this. Aside from Phoenix of course, but I honestly think his true love is caffeine."

Zoe had to smile at Jaiden’s joke, ”I think he’d literally die without it at this point.” Something about bringing Phoenix up reminded Zoe of something she’d wanted to talk to Jaiden about, ”Jaiden,” She started, a little unsure of how to broach the subject, ”I was wondering if,” She broke off her train of thought as the door opened up again, but instead of the “typical” customers walking in, Phoenix and Alex came through the doors. Zoe grinned at the two of them, ”Hey guys!” She shot a glance at Jaiden, a silent promise to finish up that thought later, and then turned back to Phoenix, ”Good to see you. Is there anything I can help you find?”

”We wanted to come in, check the place out, see what you’ve done with it.”

Zoe shot Jaiden a look; she didn’t know if Alex had been close to Aurora, and she never knew how to gauge his mood, but Phoenix was there, which was typically a good sign as far as she was concerned. ”Well, Jaiden and I would be happy to-”

Alex cut her off, ”Is there somewhere I can put this?” He held up the cup in his hand, indicating that’s what he was referring to, ”I brought it for Rory,” He’d said that to Jaiden, and Zoe had to admit that was the most sincere she thought she’d ever heard him, ”I wanted to, umm…” Alex shrugged, not finishing his own thought.

Zoe walked out from behind the counter, gingerly taking the paper cup from his hand, ”I’ll find somewhere out of the way for this, where nobody’ll bother it.” She offered a gentle smile, and Alex nodded in return. For a brief moment, she could tell they understood one another. Then she turned to go find a spot for… Whatever this was. She wasn’t going to ask.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Zoe Peña
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxi fought all through the night
xxxoh, oh, but i made it alive
xxxthe sun's starting to rise
xxxoh, oh, these are beautiful times

xxx
xxx
Phoenix raised an eyebrow as Alex asked for a favour, taking his hand and the offer of help getting off the couch. He’d been lying there for long enough that he was already starting to get stiff. He nodded at the order. He hadn’t made it in a while, but it rang a bell of familiarity. It didn’t take long for the pieces to fall together about why it was so familiar and why Alex was requesting it now of all times. But the minute that Phoenix realised what- who- it was for, he immediately made the decision to not acknowledge the fact that he knew. Alex didn’t need that today.

He made the tea in a to-go cup, and gave it to Alex to carry on the short walk over to the shop. It seemed like something he wanted to do and Phoenix figured it was important that he was the one to handle it and to… do whatever it was he wanted to do with it. When Alex mentioned the dreams, Phoenix just nodded. He didn’t claim to know much about the dreams or even to understand them, but he did know that repetitive, graphic dreams were seldom a good sign. He wasn’t sure what to say in response to it. This wasn’t something he could really help with, as much as he might have wanted to. So instead, he offered the only support he could. “You know, if they’re bad, you can wake me up. I don’t mind. You don’t have to deal with them by yourself.”

Phoenix’s emotions tended to have an effect on plants, but the opposite was true too. Just walking into the shop, filled with plants and flowers of all kinds, seemed to be enough to lift his spirits even more. Phoenix would have liked to have said that his decision to give Alex and Jaiden some space to talk after Zoe left to leave the tea somewhere safe was a conscious one, but truth be told, some succulents caught his attention and he wandered over to examine the display without even thinking.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Jaiden Price
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxi fought all through the night
xxxoh, oh, but i made it alive
xxxthe sun's starting to rise
xxxoh, oh, these are beautiful times

xxx
xxx
Phoenix was engrossed in the plants while Jaiden and Alex spoke. He was glad that they were talking, and that they were talking here of all places. It felt right. To Phoenix, the place felt exactly the same now as it had when Aurora was alive; and maybe that was the point. Jaiden and Zoe had done an amazing job, and even Phoenix was impressed with their range of plants. For the most part, that was all that held Phoenix's attention. But he shot the occasional glance towards Alex and Jaiden to make sure that everything was okay.

He knew it was an emotional conversation, and so he made sure to watch to see if everything was okay. He was almost surprised when they hugged, as neither of them had ever particularly been huggers. It was usually Phoenix hugging them, if anything. He took a moment to appreciate it, before slowly fishing out his phone and taking a picture of it to tease them with later, before going back to examining the succulents. It was only when he heard his name being mentioned that he glanced back at them again, seeing Alex holding a flower, one he didn't recognise. Well, if Alex was also getting flowers, Phoenix figured that it was fine for him to get a few plants. He picked up the couple of plants that had caught his interest and that he hadn't seen before, and turned back around to head back towards Phoenix.

As he reached them with an armful of pots, he overheard them agreeing to meet up. "You're coming to ours, for dinner, no questions asked. And Zoe. Next week," he announced. "Whatever night you're least busy. It's been too long and frankly it's weird not having food stolen out of my fridge and cupboards because you're not around as much." He adjusted the plants in his arms as he spoke. "And we've got to celebrate the good work you guys have done on the store too. Sound good?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Zoe Peña
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Jaiden Price
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Witch | outfit | #800000
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I'm way too young to lie here forever
I'm way too old to try so whatever come hang
Let's go out with a bang
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Jaiden's head turned when she saw Phoenix making his way over to them, countless plant pots in hand. She side-eyed Alex with a I told you so look, before turning back to look at Phoenix. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as Jaiden placed her hands on her hips for a moment, "Fine. You win, Woods. You win." Jaiden finally said with mock surrender. As long as she knew Phoenix, there was no arguing with him. He'd get what wanted in one way or another. There was a brief pause when Phoenix had also mentioned Zoe going too. Her hands getting a bit more sweaty than normal. Usually she would have questioned him, but as he continued, it made sense. He wasn't assuming anything, but wanting to give the both of them a break and bit of a thank you.

Clearing her throat as she shuffled on her feet for a moment. Jaiden finally nodded again, "Yeah uhm, sure. Whatever uh, whatever day works with Zoe, I can probably make it work. We'll figure something out I'm sure." Jaiden said with a small smile. It was really only now, that Jaiden had realized it. This was the first time, in a long time that she genuinely felt happy and that things were going to be okay. Hell, she hadn't even realized how long it had been since she really found herself looking forward to her friends. She had spent almost the entirety of last year, in such a dark ad gloomy place, that she didn't think she'd ever get out of it. And the only possible solution that did come to her mind, wasn't a good one. So to say. So, the fact she was still here now, talking with her friends on when a damn dinner sounded good? It was little things like this that made Jaiden remember that there were still good parts and small moments of life to stick around for.

Jaiden finally blinked out of her thoughts as heard the small chime of the front door again. Signalling another customer had come in. She turned to her friends for a moment again, "Look, I gotta get back to work but, like I told Alex. Those plants are on the house, Phoenix. Consider them a small thank you, for everything." she gave them both a small nod and smile, before turning on her heels and made her way over to the customer who had walked in, seeing as they had motioned for some help.