Crisis Averted

[Harlequin]

When the druid and the policewoman agreed to meet Sabrina at the Parlor after picking up Wren's things, Sabrina couldn't help but notice, and appreciate, the look of confusion on Lacy's face when she provided the address. The old hotel on Belleview? that look said, I thought that dump was abandoned. But she was gracious enough to keep it to herself. The last they saw of the witch was her carrying Siobhan away cradled against her chest.

When they arrived, they'd find the exterior of the hotel festooned with scaffolding, in the midst of repairs. Perhaps not as abandoned as previously thought. The heavy oak double doors retained their message in bright orange spray paint, however: "IT WAS MORE FUN IN HELL."

When the pair approached, the doors opened of their own accord, giving them a view into the fully-restored lobby. Candlelight from the grand crystal chandeliers shone warmly off of mahogany side and coffee tables surrounded by velvet-upholstered furniture original to the jazz-age building. Sabrina herself was seated on a chaise just inside, bent elbows-to-knees over a coffee table. She stared intently at an elaborate tarot spread on its surface, but looked up and rose as the pair approached -- if they approached. Siobhan was nowhere to be seen.

[Trillian]

Wren had left his belongings in the vehicle in favour of helping Lacy, though he'd thrown on a shirt. She was back to her senses by this stage, by what he could tell, but still obviously overwhelmed. Neither of them had commented on the Parlor in Purgatory's external appearance, instead only exchanging a look with one another, and Wren was too awed by the inside because of the sensations it gave him. There were so many different types of magics zipping around it was like the building itself was sentient - an impossible idea. He wondered if it felt this way because Sabrina lived with a coven or perhaps because she was experienced in many different rituals.

It would be rude to ask without knowing her a bit better. It would also be rude not to begin with an apology. He'd leapt to the conclusion that Sabrina had been the caster of the undead horde. While it was a reasonable assumption, it would also be insulting to someone who'd specifically arrived to help.

He saw the tarot spread before he saw her eyes, and when he and Lacy drew close - walking hand in hand, fingers linked like lovers but only because of a different kind of shared intimacy - once again he felt their gazes connect like a bolt sliding home into its slot. He'd been so busy looking at everything and everyone at the cemetery that he hadn't had a chance to review that familiarity about her. He didn't understand it, but it was... pleasant.

"I'm sorry I tried to attack you. I'm glad the earth resisted." His words were direct and he'd wanted them to have resonance to convey his sincerity, but they sounded flat to his ears, as if the parlor had dampeners in the very air itself. "I appreciate your forgiveness and generosity."

He squeezed Lacy's hand a little tighter for security, but not painfully.

[Black Philip]

Detective-Sergeant Lacy Velez had taken the week off. She called it in as soon as the zombie crisis was averted. She had smoked half a pack of cigarettes out of sheer nerves, and she didn't think of herself as a nervous person. Then again, seeing that poor cat get killed and a knife going through her chest were hardly normal stressors. Or were they actually normal, and she'd been living her life under a rock. She had quickly called Aunt Daphne and told her that she was now a believer.

Oh my sweet girl. I am so proud of you and you're sister is proud too. She whispered it to me.

Lacy hadn't believed Aunt Daphne all these years she said she'd been talking to Regina. She thought that her good old Aunt was either deluding herself, or lying to be kind, but now she wondered if she really could learn to speak to her sister and channel her spirit. She would need to ask Sabrina about it. Wren had been a reassuring force since they'd met, and he seemed to need her as much as she currently needed him. A full blooded lesbian, she felt weird about seeking comfort from a man. Men were normally problems in her life; perps, pimps, politicians, or other such impotent losers who tried to keep her career from advancing. But this man seemed different. Maybe it was the magic he had. Maybe it was because they were both people of color, but she knew she could trust him.

The house of Sabrina was strange, but Lacy quickly got used to the strangeness of it all. It was far less crazy than anything at the cemetery. She saw Sabrina and used her free hand to wave, her face a mix of puzzlement, anxiety and determination. She wanted to catch blondie, whoever she was. She was here to learn more about magic, but also to learn how to track down that woman. She needed to be brought to justice. Lacy's eyes traveled from the tarot cards to Sabrina.

"Nice house. Sorry for trying to shoot you. I'm new to all this." She reaffirmed her holding of Wren's hand, tightening her grip as he did. It felt nice.

[Harlequin]

Sabrina smiled benevolently, waving away their apologies, "Water under the bridge," she assured them.

Now that they were inside, they could see the walls of the lobby covered in chaotic, black-and-white murals depicting flora fauna; great beasts and towering trees of myth. The place smelled of fresh paint, furniture polish, and incense. In the tarot spread, Wren would see an awful lot of the suit of swords. The Devil also made an appearance, and The Tower.

"Please, sit." She gestured to the loveseat across from where she'd been sitting; a cozy red velvet and hardwood affair, with a matching side table and stained-glass table lamp, "Can I get anything for either of you? A stiff drink, perhaps?"

[Trillian]

Wren led Lacy to the loveseat but released her hand once he sat, so that she could make herself comfortable. They would be sitting quite closely together.

"Perhaps a glass of water, please?" Wren politely requested before looking at the policewoman. His focus shifted to the images on the walls behind her, which helped make him feel more comfortable in spite of the acrid smell of paint. He let his gaze travel along the artwork naturally until it ended back at Sabrina and onto the tarot cards ahead of her. He wasn't skilled in reading them as runes were more his thing, but the spread before her still filled him with dread.

It was the only thing in the room he didn't like.

[Seragil]

Siobhan had never felt so drained before in her life, her head felt muffled in cotton wool and her magic was so quiescent within her it was like she had none. Her naturally born talent would return with more rest but the rest, the rest would only come to her with work and practice. For years she had repeatedly drawn upon the power inherent within her bloodline and simultaneously suppressed and denied it. It had built up in her like an unattended pressure cooker, letting out barely controlled bursts of power when the pressure was too much, until tonight when it had all finally escaped. Such power would not come so easily to her call again, she would need to embrace all that she was, accept all that she was and prove herself worthy of such power first.

Her bare footed steps were quiet as she approached the parlor and the stairs that led to the bedroom Sabrina had kindly given her for the night. She was making her way back from the kitchen where she had just made a herbal tea to help with her headache and mental fogginess. The scent of the tea was fragrant but delicate with tones of honeysuckle, mint and raspberry. She was dressed in a pair of clean, faded blue jeans and a grey t-shirt that once started out life as a solid black color. Her long curling hair tumbled around her and fell loosely down to her waist. The clothes had been provided by Sabrina and had once belonged to tenants who had long since left.

As she came around the corner of the hallway near the stairs, she spotted Wren, Lacy and Sabrina and stopped. She hadn’t meant to intrude and although Sabrina had made her feel welcomed and had filled her in on what has happened after her collapse at the cemetery, she still felt embarrassed and guilty about her lack of magical control and her violent use of her powers. These feeling were amplified when she looked at Wren and unable to meet his gaze from her feelings of shame she quickly glanced at Lacy and offered her a quick smile of welcome, glad at seeing that she was indeed alive and well after all.

Unsure if her presence would be welcome amongst the group however, she decided to continue towards the stairs and the direction of her room.

[Black Philip]

Lacy's eyes traveled all over the room, her police training taking over and defending her against all the real things she was feeling and thinking. She didn't mind her hand being released but also liked that her friend was still close at hand. When Sabrina asked if she wanted a drink, the Detective sighed relief.

"Tequila, with limes. If not, just Tequila."

She looked at the spread too, wondering if this was for her, Wren, or something else entirely. Her Aunt Daphne did Tarot but preferred to case the runes. She wondered what the big difference was.

[Harlequin]

The young witch wasn't getting away that easily.

Siobhan!" Sabrina called, turning in her chair to look at her newest charge as she crept toward the stairs, "Come, join us, I insist."

Turning back to her other guests, she smiled, "Water and tequila. I can do that. Limes are...well, we'll see." She didn't elaborate on what was to be seen.

She waved Siobhan over again, "You three chat for a minute while I run to the kitchen. Let me know if any of you see anything but doom and gloom in this mess." She flicked a hand toward the tarot spread on the table, "OR feel free to gather them up and put them away. I'm tired of looking at them." A simple carved oak box rested on the far corner of the coffee table, presumably their home. "I'll be right back."

She rose a nd retreated to the kitchen -- back the way Siobahn had come -- with long, lazy steps.

[Trillian]

The tarot spread made Wren uneasy so he scooted forward on the loveseat, perched on the edge and reached to scoop all the cards together. He made them into a deck even as he watched Siobhan approach, and absently shuffled them, mostly to give his hands something to do. Without thinking, he took a card out of the pack and looked at it.

The Hermit. Upside down.

Not liking what he saw, he shoved it roughly back into the deck the right way up and shuffled them some more.

"Hello," he said to Siobhan. "I'm Wren Maddoc," he said, and looked at Lacy for her to introduce herself. When she did, he pulled another card out of the deck and looked at it.

The Hermit, and it was upside down again.

He hastily put it back into the pack and put the deck onto the table. He pushed himself back into the cushions of the chair, settling himself beside Lacy and mostly withdrawn from their conversation - however full or scattered it might be. He heard them speaking, but he wasn't listening.

[Black Philip]

Lacy watched Siobhan approach and remembered she was the one who healed her. She gave her a welcoming eye, and introduced herself after Wren.

"Detective Sergeant Lacy Velez," she introduced to the girl, and then looked at the cards as Wren finished with them. Her friend didn't look happy at what she saw, but Lacy grew curious and picked a random card. A woman, cloaked in robes and holding hard hand high, stared back at the officer. The card read, THE HIGH PRIESTESS. Lacy grew curious and held on to the card, not sharing which one she'd drawn just yet. She wasn't too talkative, but did say to the girl, "thank you for healing me. I remember you doing that somehow."

With that she went quiet, staring at the card.

[Trillian]

Wren watched Lacy draw a card and then continue to hold onto it. He shifted, rocking on his seat to try and take a peek at it. She moved it away and he smiled apologetically at her, not wishing to cause her distress. He hadn't shown his card to her after all. But then she offered him a quick view of the picture, and his smile of apology broadened into one of relief. Lacy was in a calm place right now, in a location of safety and assessment. That card heralded good things for her.

"It's a good one. Sabrina will probably tell you more," he said. He was fairly sure The High Priestess was good. It would suck if Sabrina returned and contradicted him. "Go ahead and draw one, if you like," Wren offered to Siobhan, curious to see if she would. After his shitty drawing, he would prefer to see two good-news cards.

[Seragil]

Shiobhan approached and gave Sabrina a hesitant smile as she passed her. She was nervous, as outside of her family she hadn't met any other witches, occult practitioners, pagans or psychics. Hell she had denied the existence of most anything magical outside of the little bubble she had made for herself and the first time she did mingle with her "kind" she had lost control, violently attacked another witch, nearly killed Lacy by pouring such a large and unnecessary amount of power into her for the healing and then passed out before being able to help with the zombies.

Her cheeks were flaming scarlet when she joined them and sat down. "Shiobhan Williams" she replied softly in introduction after Wren and lacy re-introduced themselves. It had been a crazy and wild night, she wasn't surprised they didn't remember her name.

"You're welcome and I am glad to see you're okay." she smiled softly at Lacy. her eyes flicked towards Wren and she felt like she needed to apologize to him for her actions but he seemed lost in his own thoughts and so let it slide. She didn't know why he pulled at her but he did. She wanted to think it was his connection to the earth, it was very similar to the feel of her earth power but then there was also the image of him sitting in the back of the truck, half naked, his body gleaming with muscles flexing as he moved.

Her cheeks were once again bright pink as Lacy drew her card and she quickly took a sip of her tea in the hopes no one would notice. The tea was still hot and burned as it made its way down her throat and sarcophagus.

Umm okay" she replied hoarsely as she sucked in air in the hopes of cooling her innards. She put her tea on the table and reached for the cards. She closed her eyes as she gave them a quick shuffle and placed them back on the table. She picked the top card and flipped it over on the table for everyone to see. It was The Tower, again! At least it was upright this time instead of upside down like it had been every other time she had done a reading for herself lately.The Tower represented the breaking down of existing forms. In her case it was the tower she had built around herself, to keep her hidden, to keep everyone else out. It was a tower of lies and denial, of pain and grief and anger. Upside down it meant the tearing down would be done by outside forces. Her life would be changed whether she wanted it or not. Upright it mean the tearing down of her world was her choice, it would be hard and painful and life altering but it also meant a chance to rebuild anew, with a fresh start and a clean slate. The card represented a mind and life currently in turmoil and confusion.

She bit her lip and was tempted to flip another but the others had only picked one and so sat back. "It could be worse I guess"

[Black Philip]

Lacy listened as the witch talked, and smiled at Wren as he told her the card had a good meaning. She wondered if it meant the other witch who wasn't here, Maria. She'd been some kind of high priestess. She never thought it could be her. She had no real magic. All she'd done is make Wren's magic stronger. Then she saw her healer's card. THE TOWER. Well, that card didn't look nearly as nice as her's did, but then again Lacy knew very little about Tarot, so for all she knew it was a good omen. Having no way to judge the truth of Shiobhan's statement, Lacy simply relaxed back into the love seat, sitting with her legs slightly open, and her overall posture was on the masculine side. She turned to Wren and tried speaking Spanish to him.

"What card did you get mister," she said, feeling hopeful that she had someone to speak in her native tongue with. If not she'd repeat the question in English. She wouldn't press him too hard though. She understood needing to hold your cards close to your chest, this time quite literally.

[Trillian]

Wren gave Lacy side-eye, understanding her question because he'd learnt some Spanish. Not as fluent in it as his ancient magical tongue, it was still one he'd found useful when travelling through South America before coming to her northern brother. He considered that Lacy might have thought him hesitant to speak of his card to anyone but her, and in that she was clever, but he didn't want to exclude Siobhan either. He hoped that neither of them understood the Tarot major arcana quite so well, but if they were going to know anything, it would be those central cards.

"El Ermitaño," he replied to Lacy, then he looked at Siobhan. "My card was The Hermit." He shrugged, like it was no big deal. It spoke of introspection, learning, knowledge and meditation. But it had been upside-down both times (and he'd put it right way up in the deck as well!) and he kept that to himself because it would give away his current status.

Exiled.

Such a thing was not desirous for any druid, to be banished from their circle. Considered the lowest form of dishonour. A druid without the support of their circle was weakened, all but useless, and he'd felt that when he'd plunged his hands into the earth to call out his magic to the undead... and had needed the help of a magic-illiterate to boost his signal. He had only a breath of his former power to play with. It was so much worse because he knew what real power felt like.

He could've rippled the earth and levelled entire cities, once.

[Seragil]

Shiobhan bowed her head and took a sip of her tea as Lacy started talking to Wren in what she guessed was Spanish. Even in her weakened state she could sense there was no malice meant by it. It was a way for two friends to speak privately among themselves in a mixed group without having to resort to whispering and or talking behind their hands.

When Wren replied in kind she cast her eyes around the table in the hopes of finding something to help her pass the time till Sabrina returned, her eyes falling instantly back to the tarot deck. She was about to reach for it when Wren spoke to her.

"Your card was The Hermit?" She asked softly, her tone was mildly curious but in her core she was shaking slightly "And your's was The High Priestess yeah?" she asked Lacy. "Maybe you could ask Sabrina to do a reading for you, using your cards I mean. It could be interesting"

Both of those cards had been showing up in her readings lately; those, and The Fool, The Magician, The Hierophant, The Star which at times was also Temperance plus a bunch of swords and wands, The Devil, Death and the upside down The Moon. Deciphering her own The Tower and the cards around that had been bad enough but the rest had just seemed like typical vague portent gibberish. Or maybe it hadn't been. She thought about saying something but changed her mind.

Hey I think your cards have shown up in my readings

Just sounded lame and pretentious, so instead she went with.

" I'm really sorry about your cat Wren, was it your familiar?" She flicked her gaze between them and bit her lip in hesitation before continuing. "And I'm really sorry about my behavior and lack of control at the cemetery too" Unable to meet their gaze any longer she looked down at the floor as she once again blushed in embarrassment.