chasingtwisters | Shining light on the things that we've done. (Open)

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Shining light on the things that we've done. (Open)

Moira's out of jail, off from work, and now she has a rare moment entirely to herself. She grins. Her feet begin their path to the beach almost of their own accord; she knows the way as well as the skin on the back of her hand. A slight breeze ripples through her light summer dress. She carries nothing else with her but her satchel, filled with various magical apparatus.

She feels the magic flowing through her veins, as rough as sea salt. It itches, eager to get out, and this evening, she is of a mind to let it. She passes by her sweet little cottage, tucked away in the dunes like a sea shell. She allows herself a small smile, anticipating the left over strawberry shortcake she has stored in her fridge.

Tonight, she is free, empowered, ready for magic, and fully clothed. She continues at a steady pace until she reaches the edge of the water just behind her house. Her grin widens.

She drops her satchel at her feet before tracing a circle in the sand with her foot. She pauses, murmuring an ancient, Gaelic blessing before closing it. She takes out a small sapphire, her chosen instrument for the moment. Briefly, she pauses to scan the area around her. Utterly alone. Perfect.

She begins murmuring incantations, sweet, beautiful incantations she found in an ancestor's Book of Shadows. They are words of harmony, peace, and inspiration, and as she utters them, she begins to weave the sapphire in the air, in time with her words.

Sparks of light, as cobalt as the New England ocean, start to fly out before forming ribbons of smoke-like material, transforming into runes, letters, words, animals, and various other shapes. Tonight, Moira is using magic solely to bring herself peace. Tonight, she is strengthening herself by practicing illusionary spells.

Tonight, a shiver runs through her that has nothing to do with the breeze.

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Riley had been on her way to Moira's since she hadn't seen her friend in a few days. She figured it had something to do with the commotion she heard about. And probably James Thornton. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, taking a short break once she reached the cottage. Riley's home wasn't exactly close to Moira's, and she was tired.

First she tried the door. When there was no answer, she rounded the corner of the cottage and started along the path to the ocean. If Moira wasn't inside her home, she had to be by the water. She smiled warmly when she saw the back of her friend, the wind blowing her hair and skirt around, beautiful blue images playing in the air - she was truly free at this moment. Riley thought twice about interrupting her, but she also knew Moira would chastise her if she didn't make her presence known and slipped away.

"I don't see my name written in that magic. Tsk tsk, Moira. I thought you loved me," she grinned.

Moira is so enthralled by her own magic, she doesn't hear Riley approach, nor even sense her presence as soon as she steps onto the beach. It's the kind of night where she has utterly given herself up to the lull of the tide and the oncoming night.

She is almost startled when she hears the warm familiarity of Riley's voice. Yet she cannot help but grin, regardless.

"I was getting there, before you interrupted," she sing-songs as she turns. With a flick of her wrist, she transforms a prancing deer into Riley's name, spelled out in bottles of potions. "See? I adore you."

Riley's face lit up as her name appeared before her. "Always such a charmer. I still have no idea how you do that," she said in awe of Moira's abilities. "I believe you now."

She sat down in the sand, keeping a comfortable distance from the water, and dug some food out from her bag. "Where have you been, Ms. Coombs? I haven't seen you in days."

"It's actually quite doable," Moira grins back. "I can teach you whenever you'd like."

Riley has such a lovely smile when she's genuinely happy, Moira appreciates it every time she sees it.

"Ah," Moira rubs her free hand against the back of her hair, now slightly tangled from wind and magic. "That is something of an embarrassing story. Would you like something to drink? I also have some leftover strawberry shortcake, as well."

"Maybe we can have a practice night soon?" Riley got up and helped fix Moira's hair, pulling it back out of her face. Moira was one of the few people she'd do this for, Val being the other. It was an act of endearment, and after all these years, she sometimes didn't know when to turn off her big sister instincts, even though her friend was older.

"Mmhmm. A drink and a story sound lovely about now." Her eyes grew large at the mention of shortcake. "I'm definitely in for a story and shortcake."

"That sounds lovely, yes. We will totally have a practice night, whenever you'd like." Moira nods, keeping still so as not to disrupt Riely's work. Riley is the only person besides herself that she allows to touch her hair; her fingers are deft and gentle, fixing strands without tugging on them. Moira appreciates the gesture very much, and lets Riley know with another smile.

"Any preference for drink? I have all sorts tucked away," she takes delight in the way Riley's eyes widen at the mention of food. A girl after my own heart, she thinks.

"You'll teach me a few things and I promise to show you a really cool book I found." She pulled Moira's hair into a loose braid, swinging her long hair over her shoulder. "There. Now you're presentable."

"I'll take anything with that has alcohol in it." She tied her own hair back, the wind having picked up. "It's been a weird week. Something tells me yours has been weirder though."

"A really cool book? Now I am very intrigued," She says, patting her hair once Riley's done with it and taking pleasure in how soft and refined it feels. "And thank you for fixing my hair; the beach air always sends it in a tizzy."

"Alright, two alcoholic drinks and one strawberry shortcake, coming right up!" Moira could, of course, physically go inside and fetch the items herself. But, as a witch, what fun would that be? Also, the sand is comfortable and after having her hair done, she feels quite content and lazy.

She uses her magic, feels the pull of several cabinets and doors in her kitchen as she retrieves what she needs. Within moments, two glasses of a concoction called gingermint she prepared earlier that afternoon, the strawberry shortcake itself, and all of the utensils required of an impromptu picnic on the beach.

She lets the items float in the air while she cuts two large slices of cake for Riley and herself; moments later, she hands Riley her drink and a plate of a helpful serving of cake with a grin.

"There you go. Bon apetite! Or something like that. My French is rusty."

"Yeah," she says, settling in with her own food, "well, to begin with, I'm pretty sure the whole town has seen me naked now, so that's a thing."

ooc THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM I GUESS

"Mhmm, even Val's interested in the plants it mentions. Has some potions and ingredients I've never heard of before." She grinned, "I think you secretly like when it's all in a tizzy."

She used to be shocked at how freely Moira used magic around her home, still used to how her family had to hide at their old home. But after all these years, it didn't surprise her anymore. It was still funny though, and Riley bursted out laughing when she glanced over her shoulder to see the damn strawberry shortcake floating in the air.

Riley grabbed the plate and immediately shoved a forkful in her mouth, mumbling a "Don't ask me. My brain shuts down at anything other than English or Korean." She took a sip of her drink and nearly choked, carefully setting the glass down in the sand. "Okayyy, that one's going to need explaining."

ooc: Well 3 is a ~magic number~

"This book of yours sounds more fantastic the more I hear about it," Moira observes in between bites of cake and sips of her drink. "You know me too well, my dear Riley."

Moira never felt ashamed of her powers, even when others made disparaging remarks about her for being a witch. She always managed to navigate through the awful comments with her enthusiasm for magic. Since the loss of her father, she has only grown more determined to make use of her powers, especially for good, since many in town think of her as some sort of Jezebel. Still, she is glad to find others who can get amusement out of her powers, and Riley's laughter only encourages a smile out of her.

"Well, you know those morning walks I like to take?" She asks before taking a long gulp of her drink. "As a cat? I happened to transform without extra clothes with me. Hence, I was caught with my pants down, so to speak."

ooc I'm legit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I'm excited about it. Unfortunately, James knows about it too. I quite literally ran into him the other day." Untying her shoes and setting them to her side, Riley stretched out in the sand, slowly relaxing more with that wonderful glass in her hand. "I may need your help finding a few ingredients. Some are water-related and I don't," she waved her glass toward the sea, "do that."

She tried to stifle her grin, but as soon as she made eye contact with Moira, she laughed loudly. "I'm sorry! Did the whole town see you? Knowing you, I bet you kept your head held high the whole time."

"I'm surprised he didn't confiscate it then," Moira musses between more sips of her drink. The alcohol warms her as the chill of the breeze deepens. "Of course. For you, anything. And, you know, if it means I get to spend more time by the sea, well. That's just an added bonus."

Moira grins back, even as the voice of her mother echoes in the back of her mind that she ought to be ashamed. "I'm pretty sure at least the morning population now knows me pretty intimately, at least. Honestly, it was worth it for James trying so hard not to stare at my chest."

"Lucky me, I guess." She grinned as she started to absently draw figures in the sand. "This is why I keep you around," she joked.

"Of course he was there. Did he do the whole 'you should be ashamed' and cuff you routine?"

"Of course. Who else would fetch you sea shells and other thingamabobs like Ariel?" She replies with a crooked, amused grin of her, watching Riley draw in the sand while gnawing on her cake.

"But naturally. Made a spectacle more of himself, really. Has to let everyone know who runs this town and all." Moira manages to flatten the bitterness before it seems overly much into her voice, but it remains there.

"Exactly. You're irreplaceable in that regard." Even though she disliked James, Riley knew Moira's feelings were hotter than a thousand suns. If only they'd just kiss and make up. "Did you get your usual cell at least?"

"Yes," Moira says before finishing her drink in one fell gulp. "I'm pretty sure I ought to just get my name engraved on the thing and make it all official."

"Think they'd let you take a few personal items? I mean, might as well make it cute and homey, right?"

"I would hope so, considering James seems to be making it his personal mission to keep me locked up there forever," Moira says, finishing her cake in the process.

"He should just ask you out already." Riley froze, her eyes widening at the slip. "I mean, what???"

Moira freezes at that, a slight blush growing across her face. "I'm sure the thought crossed his mind one or two interrogations ago," she waves it off, taking the opportunity to magic out a bottle of wine. "More booze for you, miss Riley?"

"I'm sorry, it just seems like a first grade boy pulling on the girl's pigtails." She laughed it off, grasping at anything at this point. "Yes, more wine, please!"

Moira snorts before bursting out into laughter herself. "It really does, doesn't it? All that's missing is me spilling pain on his favorite truck, at this point." Moira grins as she pours a glass of wine for Riley and then herself, taking a long swig of the stuff when she does.

Riley sipped her wine, laughing at the image. "You should do that anyway. I think his brain would explode."

"I would, solely for the look on his face," she giggles while sipping at her drink. "But I think he would also actually kill me."

"Well okay, don't do it then. I can't replace you quick enough for comfort." She grinned and lifted her glass. "To James Thornton, may his truck never find paint splashed on it and never blame Moira Coombs for it."

"And we probably just jinxed it, but you know what? It's a beautiful evening, we have wine and strawberry shortcake, so who cares? To James!" She clinks her glass with Riley's before taking another sip, a long, deep gulp almost as if she were breathing the wine instead of drinking it.

Riley laughed and clinked glasses, finishing off her drink before watching the waves. "Think his ears are itching? Probably trying to sleep and thinking "Those damn witches won't leave me alone!""

Moira tosses her head back in delight, her newly braided hair dancing in the breeze. "His ears and feet both, probably. Amazing how he even still lives here, considering how many witches are about."

"Maybe he secretly loves us all?" She shrugged. "The guy's a cop, he could get a job anywhere, and yet~"

Moira snorts. "Oh, yes. Loves us all so much he'll look for any reason to pull us over or arrest us. I can feel the love from here. Yeah, I mean, his family's wealthy enough where he could literally be working anywhere else, yet here we are."

"Uh, see any excuse to spend time with us. He hardly ever talks to anyone else."

"It's actually kind of sad, when you think about it," Moira says, shifting so her chin rests in her hands as she puts her empty glass to her side.

"Hmm. Sad, yeah. I hadn't thought of it that way." She thought for a moment and smiled again. "Give him a hug?"

"He'll have me back in my home away from home for attempted assault, probably," she remarks.

"Yes, but maybe he'd arrest you with a hint of a smile, and isn't that all that matters?"

Moira giggles. "You and your matchmaking skills are a force to be reckoned with, you know that?"

"Noo, don't say that! Val will try to bring me onto her crazy train. I'm just saying take one for the team, Moira!"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Moira looks up at her and laughs again.

Riley laughed with her. "I'd have to actually check on you and maybe use a healing potion on you to make sure you're alright."

"No kidding," Moira agrees, still shaking with laughter. "Probably one of your higher doses, too."

"I'd make a special, one-of-a-kind potion just for you. Throw in some of Val's special flowers and Lara can add in some extra siren-y measures."

She grins. "That sounds like it'd do just the trick. With all of you lovely gals looking out for me, how could I not make a full recovery?"

"We'll make sure you don't mess up and run off with a Thornton. Think of the tantrum your mother would throw!"

She would probably murder him, is the grim thought that runs through Moira's mind, but she keeps it to herself.

"She would throw a spectacle akin to something out of Phantom of the Opera, that's for damn sure," Moira says, her face falling a bit at the mention of her mother. She pours herself another glass and takes a long drink.

"It'd probably rival his own family's reaction." She watched the waves and really wished her own parents would call back. "Family is weird."

"The poor town would get caught in the middle, the way it always does," she remarks, letting her gaze drift out to the open ocean, feeling herself sink more into the sand with each pull of the waves. "It really is, isn't it?"

"How we live with them and without them, i'll never know."

"One of the greatest mysteries of life, to this day," Moira says, eyes still out on the ocean.

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Shining light on the things that we've done. (Open)

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