This place, whatever it was truly, was teeming with magic. Ambrose could feel it, the unknown and possibilities of this new world setting his curiosity ablaze as he made his way to the one place he would recognize. An understatement given he'd served seventy-five years of his sentence there before Blackwood had released him, but it wasn't just the place he was seeking as much as the people he hoped to find within.
Slightly surprised that he had no trouble entering, Ambrose stepped into the entrance hall of Spellman Mortuary and found it overwhelmingly familiar when everything else was strange. "Home sweet home," he murmured, listening for signs of life within the walls. He made his way to the kitchen, spotting Sabrina before she noticed him.
"Ah, there you are," he said, announcing his presence. "Tell me cousin, how is it that everyone here seems to know you? And while you're at it, where exactly are we again?" He'd watched the video, listened to the speech, and even offered a noncommittal answer about joining a defense squad. But once they'd recognized his surname and asked about his relations, one thought had kept his mind preoccupied. Now face to face with the subject of his thoughts, he broke into an easy smile. Hell knew, stranger things had happened before and he trusted his cousin to fill him in.
Sabrina had been enjoying a lazy morning routine. Without school to head off to she had less of a reason to rush off anywhere as soon as the sun rose or even before that happened. It was still taking some getting used to for her to not wake up as soon as the sun shone down on her face, but after almost a week of no classes she’d nearly managed it. Salem’s butt on her face was definitely a worse wakeup call though. They were going to need to have words later. Until then she enjoyed glaring daggers at him as she ate her sugary cereal. He ignored her, as did the other two cats who were laying out on various spots on the kitchen table.
She froze at the sound of a voice behind her though, not expecting anyone else moving around, and the voice one she hadn’t heard in months. But once everything caught up with her brain, Sabrina turned, eyes widening as she took in her cousin standing there. Nothing felt off to her. In fact everything finally felt right.
Cereal left behind and forgotten, she launched herself at her cousin for a hug, causing the three cats to scatter and meow their displeasure at being woken. “You are so late.”
"Am I?" Ambrose asked, grinning ear to ear as he opened his arms in time before Sabrina reached him. "I had no idea this place existed, let alone that my presence was requested." He had a multitude of questions, but held off as he hugged his cousin back, wondering just how late late was, how long Sabrina had been here in what appeared to be an alternate dimension.
He was in no hurry to let go, but when they finally stepped back he added, "So, tell me everything I need to know."
“Where do I even start?” There was so much to tell him, so many things to fill him in on. “So, Aunt Hilda is here, but Aunt Zelda isn’t any longer. She went back home.” Or at least that’s where they hoped she’d gone. It made the most sense though. “But the mortuary is kind of full. As you see we have more cats.” She gestured at the three of them who were watching the exchange with various levels of curiosity. “That’s Azzie, Dan’s cat--I’ll explain Dan in a second. And the other is Maleficent or Mal. She’s just a regular cat but Azzie is like a death sensing cat.”
Sabrina walked back over to the table, intent on finishing her cereal before Salem tried to drink the milk. “Dan and Allison live here because they’re a couple and Dan was kind of my guardian at first and he still basically is. Even if he hides vegetables in pancakes. Abra lives here too and Morgan. Sometimes Stan. But your room is still yours because like I was letting anyone take it. Plus no one should sleep on your bed.”
“I’ve been here since January and it's now June. Also there’s a version of the Dark Lord here but he’s not a misogynistic crazy asshole who wants me to rule Hell by his side. So that’s really nice.” She held out the box of Lucky Charms. “Do you want some?”
It was not often that Ambrose Spellman found himself rendered speechless, and if he had his wits about him he'd have taken better note of the fact that he now was, as he mentally calculated the dates in his head, trying to work out some sort of timeline that would make what Sabrina had told him make sense.
He gave up, taking the cereal box and moving around to find himself a bowl. When he finally spoke, it was to address the comment about his bed, of all things. "Plenty of people should sleep in my bed. Just preferably not without me there, as well." With his cereal properly arranged, he sat down in his normal chair, a full spoon hovering in place as he stared at his cousin.
"I just saw you, cousin. Right before I met Prudence at the Academy, where we were going to leave in search of her father." The details were hazy. One minute he'd been watching Pru decapitate the statue, the next minute he'd found himself in a completely different world. "You're telling me you've been here for six months?"
Not within the realms of impossibilities, of course, but his curiosity was piqued. "And in the meantime you've managed to turn the mortuary into a bed and breakfast?" That was the least surprising discovery amidst the ever growing list.
Sabrina scrunched her nose at his information, letting out a sigh of relief over when he seemed to be from. That meant he didn’t know about what she’d done, how there were two of her back home. Her, enjoying her mortal and witch life, and the other down in Hell becoming Queen. She wasn’t in a hurry to explain that part either. While she’d been certain everything would be just fine when she’d done it, after being in Vallo for so long, Sabrina was beginning to think that messing with time was going to have some dire consequences. It was why she didn’t try it there, even if it might solve a few issues every so often.
“I did, yeah. Though no one actually pays any rent, but they do keep me fed so it's working out pretty well.” Because being raised by Hilda meant she’d never needed to learn how to cook for herself. At only sixteen it wasn’t something to start teaching her until a few decades more when she’d be traveling off on her own. Witch years were weird.
“I think time works weird here. Like we’re here and we’re home. I’m not exactly sure how, but that seems to be what’s happening.”
"Right," Ambrose agreed with a nod, even if he was still processing. This was a lot to process, a completely new experience which was both puzzling and exciting. "If Aunt Zelda has been here and back, she certainly never mentioned it."
He helped himself to a couple spoonfuls of cereal, eyeing off the cats except for Salem, who he recognized. A death sensing cat living in the mortuary made sense, though that raised another question. "Are we… open for business?" he asked her, pausing as he framed the question. "And what sort of magic exists here? It's different, I can feel that."
He almost fell silent to give her time to answer when a new question arose, the most important. "But you? You're doing well here?" Sabrina's ability to adapt to new situations apparently extended to brand new worlds as well, it seemed.
“No, but we probably can get the mortuary operational if that’s what you want to do for work. Though you can also try out something new too.” She didn’t think anyone would object to the house being used for what it always had been. All anyone had to do was avoid the basement and viewing area if they didn’t want to deal with that aspect. Salem maneuvered himself into her lap, demanding to be pet as she finished her first bowl.
She couldn’t explain the Aunt Zelda part and didn’t bother to try. There were so many unanswered questions about how they were there and why, that thinking about it hurt her head if she focused on it for too long.
“I’m doing great. I got asked to join this one magic school here and passed all my classes for the semester. Which good because it's summer and I didn’t want to do summer school. I work at Bonnie’s magic shop a few days a week in the city and I started a coven to do different magic stuff with. I’m auditioning for a musical! Which we should know who got parts in the next day or two I think. Ummmm. I’ve got some friends.” Though she still missed her ones from home. There was no denying that. She wasn’t sure if she wanted them to show up though. But maybe if everyone was in Vallo they wouldn’t have to deal with the chaos of their lives back home.
Sabrina utilized her power to get the box to pour another bowl full of cereal on its own before summoning the milk over as well. “And the magic here is old and I guess related to the world. I’m still learning about it but I’ve got connections to most of the native covens and they’re pretty willing to talk and teach things once they decide they like and trust you. Then throw in everyone else’s magic and there’s so much to see.”
"I suppose it depends if there's a need for the mortuary," Ambrose mused. "They mentioned patrols at my orientation, if you want to call it that." He was mostly unconcerned now about the hows and the whys, not when there was so much to explore, new magic to study. Leaning into the chair as Sabrina rattled off a list of activities she was involved in, he couldn't help but smile. Of course she was keeping active.
"You've started a coven? Family invited?"
His mind was racing with possibilities, of what he wanted to do first even as the question of what was happening with Prudence now lingered. Perhaps Sabrina was right, and he existed simultaneously in two realms. He suspected he would need to convince himself of that at least, in order to sleep at night.
"Look at the roles reversing, cousin. I'll be coming to you now with my many questions."
“I could be persuaded to get you an invite to the coven. There’s no like leader thing going on. We just meet and talk and do spells and help each other with magic.” Leaders just seemed to corrupt everything.
She wiggled a little in her seat, feeling a bit smug about being the one with the answers this time around. “Oooh! We should throw a party to introduce you to everyone!!” It would be the perfect way for Ambrose to get to know the various people she knew and even more in Vallo. “I bet we can hold it at Lux. That’s the night club that Lucifer owns and I pretty much have him wrapped around my finger so I bet I can swing this.” Plus he liked throwing parties so it wasn’t like it’d be a hardship.
"You have the Dark Lord wrapped around your finger?" Ambrose asked, brow quirking upward. "And a party sounds fantastic, as does meeting all of your friends here. And joining a coven. I don't even know where to start, really. Is there a library?" He had no qualms being less informed than Sabrina, grateful that he had someone he could ask questions to as he dove into this new realm. She was always going to surpass him anyway, something that had been made readily apparent in the past few months. But as he studied her now, something was different and he sensed that whatever it was could be deemed positive, even as he couldn't quite put a finger on it.
Of course, he was still trying to wrap his head around Vallo and everything to do with it. Which brought up yet another question.
"How is it that the mortuary is even here?" he asked. "Was that your doing?"
"Lucifer. He's not like the Dark Lord in his world. Probably on account of not being an asshole." Their version sucked in so many different ways, but she wasn't going to think about him and enjoy her reprieve as best she could. "But no, I didn't cause the mortuary to show up. Stuff from home just does sometimes. It's weird and a lot of people think it's the place trying to pacify us, but I think it's less that and more it trying to make sure we're happy."
Because it definitely didn't always get it right when it sent things to them. She really would have preferred not to get her throne or coronation dress. Or the Book of the Beast that had showed up that morning on her dresser. Way subtle.
"So you might get some random things from home popping up in your room."
"A welcome change," Ambrose replied, finishing off his cereal. "I wouldn't mind Prudence showing up in my room. Maybe then I could know if we saw our mission through." Though that was far from the sole reason he desired her company, something he was certain wouldn't be lost on his cousin.
"Any suggestions on where I should start?" he asked, though perhaps a visit to his room was in order, to see what exactly had made the trip over. However the mortuary had arrived, Ambrose was grateful that he had a place to live. And with Sabrina and Aunt Hilda already there, it could feel very much like home.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind if…" It didn't matter. If he did show up he'd probably either have Satan trapped in him still or they'd be broken up. So better to not think about him. "I say check if your clothes are here and if not then we can go shopping!"
Because whatever he did, Ambrose was going to have a Sabrina attached to his side for the next few hours. "And maybe say hi to Aunt Hilda."