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 Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:55 am
Merida looked sharply at Alicia. "Don't be a fool Alicia," she hissed. "The hunters are stronger and smarter. They are even getting natural born witches such as us." She looked up as there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Merida stood up and walked around the desk with the paper until she stood in front of Alicia. "Did Cassandra ever tell you how your grandmother's passing happened?" She was quiet for a moment, her lips pursed. Merida sighed and shook her head. "She is going to kill me...Your grandmother along with your grandfather were both killed by one single witch hunter. They were both very powerful witches. More powerful than you can ever imagine. And they were no match for a single hunter." Merida grasped Alicia's shoulders gently. "I cannot believe I am saying this...but now is not the time to be rash. That is why in a couple of days the other coven leaders and myself are going to meet somewhere to discuss things."
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:23 pm
Alicia frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly in reaction to the grim news.
Merrick frowned as he recalled something. "There is something I remember seeing a couple of days ago... it was strange to say the least. It reminded me much of that guy chasing us... but the one I saw that night was different, broader in the shoulders and chest, but somehow... dark, as if he wasn't fully human in nature; I saw him crouching over a young woman's body... with a sunburst on the right side of her ribcage," he said, remembering the guy he'd seen that night; he had pale blond hair that seemed to gleam silver even in the dim light of the alley and he'd only seen the sunburst because the odd knife the guy had used had cast an odd pale blue glow all on its own. "You're saying that witches are real... and witch hunters... but what about demons?" he said quietly, not liking the idea at all. His grip, as he mentioned the sunburst, had tensed, though as he mentioned the idea that demons did exist, almost the moment it had passed his lips the same semi-transparent silver aura ignited, this time with denser silver edges as if something within him rebelled or didn't tolerate demons at all.
Lorcán frowned as he started to open the door in reply to the invitation. It was then that he felt a strong ripple of magical power that made him shift momentarily a half step back without even realizing it. He shivered slightly, feeling the potency of the energy; he could tell almost immediately it was uncontrolled but surprisingly powerful. He slipped into the office, his gaze finding the black haired young man almost immediately before shifting to Merida.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:28 pm
"Demons, yes they do exist." Merida said with a nod as she watched Merrick. She didn't show any reaction to the sudden burst of magic that came from him. It was obvious the young man had no idea about anything. Frankly she was surprised that he had lasted this long. When she had heard the knock again she went to the door and pulled it open. "Ah, Lorcan, do come in." She stepped back and as she did so handed him the piece of paper where she had drawn the symbol. "Two things. One, we have two that need help. One you may know. She is Cassandra's niece...and this young man just saved her from a hunter not too far from here. And two...do you know that symbol at all?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:22 pm
Alicia shifted as she sighed softly, bowing her head. We have to find how those hunters are getting stronger against our magic... unless it isn't them growing stronger, but us getting weaker, she thought. She smiled as Lorcán entered; she often spoke to him both on the phone and through the Internet about magical theories.Merrick tilted his head thoughtfully, half closing his eyes. He had a feeling he knew at least part of the reason why the hunters were getting stronger. "So it's possible that a demon could mate with a human...." he muttered. He couldn't shake the feeling that his suspicion was very close to the truth for some reason. Lorcán tilted his head in greeting before he looked at the symbol. A sharp inhalation was the only sign of surprise from him. He glanced at Merida, then at Alicia. "I assume since you didn't say that the mark was found on Alicia, it was found on the young man. This mark is quite ancient and descends from two of the old Irish deities, specifically Camulus and Mórrígan," he said thoughtfully. He blinked, hearing Merrick's muttering as his gaze shifted to the young man.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:32 pm
Merida stared at Merrick for a moment before nodding. "Of course it is possible. There are stories scattered throughout time of Gods and angels mating with humans, so why not demons as well?" She walked back towards her chair and sat down. She leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Look, let's try to find out as much about this symbol as possible. Can you do that for me, Lorcan?" She smiled sweetly at him. "We have a couple of days before we are leaving." She looked between the three of them. "When the other leaders and myself decide to have our next meeting, I would respectively request that you three join me. You, Alicia because I am sure your aunt would love to hear all about what has been going on and your friend because frankly I don't know him well enough to leave him here alone with the coven. And Lorcan I would like you to go to to lend your voice. After all...you can be more tactful than I can sometimes. Gods know I'll need help with Carolyn being there," she muttered.
Merida picked up some other papers as she grinned. "And I am sure that Cassandra would love to see you, Lorcan. I think she has the hots for you even if she won't come out and admit it." She cleared her throat and shook her head. "I think that is all. Unless you want to stay here and speak with your Aunt, Alicia? I am going to contact her here in a minute."
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:51 pm
Alicia snickered, amused at the idea. "Not really... though I was surprised when that hunter showed up... it was like he knew I was going to use that shortcut from work to home," she said quietly, frowning slightly. She was troubled because the moment the hunter had touched her, her attempt to hit him with a high pressure water blast from the nearby puddles from the recent rain had simply fizzled out; it had felt like the energy she'd lashed out with had simply hit a metaphysical wall, as if blocked off.
Merrick shifted in his seat, but wasn't all that surprised by the woman's words. "I'm not a witch... that I know of... what exactly is the symbol of your coven?" he said quietly, his tone cautious.
Lorcán chuckled. "I do admit Carolyn has her faults, just as we all do, though she does tend to lay back more often than not, unfortunately, when action would work best," he said with a sigh. "I will find out all I can about this mark, but the last time I found anything written on it was roughly eight hundred and twenty years ago," he said idly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:59 pm
"Very good Lorcan, I appreciate it." Merida said as she nodded at him. "Whatever you can find would help. If you need to speak with anyone else about it I suggest Amelia. After all it is her coven that keep all the records and she is older than all four of us combined." She then looked over at Merrick, a small smile on her face. "And yes you are a witch. Us coven leaders---we can tell when somebody is a witch. There is a certain aura around them." She stood up and walked over to where he was standing. "The four great covens all have different marks. Alicia's coven is a red rose, another coven is a purple rose, the third is a sunburst and mine...well this is it." She turned and pulled her hair aside so that he could see the skull tattoo on the back of her neck.
Merida turned back around, allowing her hair to fall around her shoulders. "Now I insist, if you feel the need to go out don't go alone. We have a working theory that because the hunters got so strong so fast is because a fellow witch has betrayed us all." She crossed her arms and nodded to each of them.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 5:55 am
Alicia cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. "There's one ofhter thing that troubles me... I heard that hunter coming up behind me and went to hit him with a high pressure water blast... enough to knock him on his a**... but when he grabbed me... the energy I'd concentrated and was about to release... it felt like it simply hit a wall.... like he'd somehow blocked my use of energy for my powers with his physical contact," she said quietly.Merrick cocked an eyebrow. He recognized the mark, since it was similar to his birthmark at the small of his back. "I have something similar," he said carefully, half turning to pull up the back of his shirt and vest to reveal the birthmark, which normally was two or three shades darker than his tanned skin, unaware it had changed to be mainly black and red. "Is it possible that a fellow witch may have been seduced by someone that was half demon and is being manipulated?" he said cautiously.Lorcán nodded slightly, tilting his head thoughtfully when Merida mentioned Amelia; the leader of the Amaranth coven found him interesting, but wasn't all that fond of him. He blinked at Merrick's quesion; it was an interesting theory and very possible. Interesting, it is possible and one of the theories Gauren had as well as myself, he thought.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:27 am
((it's Cassandra, Alicia's aunt that finds Lorcan interesting...A couple of posts back...Amelia was mentioned because her coven keeps records))
"Well, well well," Merida said slowly with a smile on her face. "Welcome to the Dark Coven." She looked at him thoughtfully when he voiced his question. "I do suppose that could have happened. Like I said we have a meeting to go to in a couple of days. I still want all three of you to accompany me." She pushed her hair from her face before taking off her coat. "Okay you all can go about your business now. Sorry to disturb you, Lorcan." Merida sat back at her desk, waiting for them to leave before contacting Cassandra. It looked like they may have to speed up the time table. "Alicia, I am sure that you and your friend are hungry. Why don't you go on down to the kitchen and have Constance cook you up something? I am sure she'll be glad to see you."
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 7:30 am
Alede ((I meant that Amelia found Lorcán interesting for some of the theories and ideas he came up with, not in a romantic sense.)) Alicia grinned at the idea. "Okay," she said, grabbing Merrick's arm.Merrick nodded as he let down his shirt. "Aye," he said carefully. He tilted his head as he pulled something out, the bowie knife the hunter had had. "The hunter lost his grip on that when I kicked him in the face... it feels.... wrong," he said as he laid it on the desk; even in the light, the blade seemed to ripple with a malevolent red aura on the razor sharp edge.Lorcán snorted. "Disturb me? When have you ever done that except when it was important?" he said teasingly, amused. He knew that Merida could come off as hotheaded and rash at times, but he found her amusing and shy because she was actually very talented and not just when it came to magic; she had charisma that had people liking her easily, though she didn't seem to notice it sometimes.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 7:42 am
((ah, gotcha)) Merida chuckled and shook her head as Amelia and Merrick left the room. "Hmm, I suppose you're right." She looked down at the knife, her eyes narrowing. She could feel the evilness to it. "That is an interesting knife..." Merida went to pick up the knife and when her skin made contact with it she hissed and pulled her hand away. On her fingers, where her skin had touched the knife, were red welts. "Damn it," she muttered as she watched the welts get bigger. "Well I had better not touch that anymore." It was incredibly painful, but she was managing to keep a straight face. "I don't think anyone else should touch it."~~~~~~~~~~~ Constance danced through the kitchen as music blasted around her. She found it easier to work when she had music going. Just about everyone had eaten already and now it was time to clean up the mess. Sure she could use magic, but what was the fun in that? She was a young woman with long, black hair and amazingly blue eyes. She always had an upbeat attitude and a smile for someone.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 7:58 am
Alicia grinned as she darted into the kitchen. "Hey, Constance," she said loudly and cheerfully. She tilted her head as Merrick came in; he'd sidetracked into another room moments before. Her eyebrow rose upon seeing the guitar in his hand.
Merrick saw the look Alicia was giving him and he shrugged in reply. He had a natural talent for music and a fondness for it, though he didn't play as much as he would prefer to. "What? I like music," he said simply, shifting one shoulder subtly. He cocked his head at the attractive woman before he spoke. "For a second, I thought you were a celebrity," he said quietly.
Lorcán tilted his head. He noticed the raction when Merida touched the hilt of the blade, though he noticed that when Merrick had touched it nothing had happened at all. "Intriguing... I think the boy may have one of the rarest magical gifts... aura manipulation... it may explain why the knife reacted that way to your touch, yet not to his," he said, pulling out a small tin of healing ointment from his pocket and smiling faintly; he looked at Merida as a sister more than anything else.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:07 am
"Well that's good for him then." Merida muttered as she watched Lorcan take the ointment from his pocket. "Always carry that around, do you?" She grinned a little at him. He always seemed ready for anything, and she was glad. They had been friends for years and she saw him as the brother that she never had. Merida took the ointment from his hands, opened it up and began to apply it to her fingers. Already it was soothing the burns, causing the welts to go down. She let out a sigh of relief as she handed the container back to him. "Now shoo so I can get my work done," Merida laughed as she moved her hand, motioning for him to leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Alicia!!" Constance exclaimed with delight as she ran up to the young woman and hugged her. "It's so good to see you!" When the young man entered and spoke to her she blushed a little. "Oh no, not me. Just a normal little witchy girl."
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:41 am
Alicia laughed at Constance's blush. "Yeah, right... she could probably cook Gordon Ramsay under the table and probably make him weep with her food," she said teasingly, amused.Merrick shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me... she'd probably win Miss America a half dozen times in a row if she tried," he said wryly, teasing Constance. His fingers shifted over the guitar, though he didn't really seem to notice as music pulsed out.Lorcán chuckled. "Preparation saves time and lives, you know that," he said with amusement with a slight chiding note in his voice as he slipped out of the room at her dismissal. When he got into his own office, he tilted his head thoughtfully as he pulled out the paper with the inscription of the Gaelic runic marking on it. "I wonder if it's possible... more likely than not his ancestors were blessed by them rather than born from them," he muttered under his breath.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:53 am
Constance couldn't help but beam when Alicia complimented her cooking skills. She really didn't think she could out cook Gordon Ramsay, but it was nice of Alicia to say so. Her blush deepened when the young man said she could probably win Miss America. She turned away and stuck her head in the refrigerator. "So, what is it that you would like to eat?" Constance asked as she rummaged through it, trying to get the blush in her cheeks to go away before she looked at them again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So now we have a dagger that burns," Merida said as she held up her hand. "And the thought that maybe demons are behind this." She rubbed her face and shook her head. "Luckily that young man showed up and helped Alicia, don't worry, she's safe Cassandra.""I have no doubt," Cassandra said as she seemingly paced around the room. "It's a good thing she was close to your place. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her too." She turned back to face Merida. "This is turning into a huge s**t storm. I don't know if we are really truly prepared for what's coming if demons are involved. It's been too long since any of us have dealt with one.""I know," Merida said with a nod as she stood up and stretched. "Oh...and I might have mentioned to Alicia how your mother and father died." She cowered a little at the look that Cassandra gave her. Although the woman rarely got angry, she was a fearsome sight to behold when she did. "I had to Cassandra. She wanted to go right back out without taking someone with her. I know, I know...I had a rare moment of caution. I don't want you to lose anymore family."Cassandra sighed and nodded. "I should have told her before. I just...couldn't talk about it. It is still hard to talk about it." She rubbed her eyes. "I'll contact the others and let you know when and where we are meeting. Keep my niece safe Merida." And with that she disappeared from the room. Merida let out a deep breath as she walked from the study. She needed to get some rest. So much information in such little time.
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