Shopping of the magical kind
Who: Ravyn Girnwood and Dylan Kingston Where: Many Paths When: Late afternoonish What: Ravyn continues exploring Scarlet Oak
There was a slight skip to Ravyn's step as she made her way towards Many Paths, the herb shop Lucas had mentioned the day before. She figured it was the kind of place where she could get supplies for the spells Cedric was supposed to teach her, and he'd all but beamed at her when she said she planned to stop by the place while he was on his date. Maybe that made him feel a little better, to know she was going into town with a purpose in mind, instead of just wandering aimlessly while he tried to convince this woman, Peyton, to date him.
It was charming, really, how eager Cedric was to impress her. And while Ravyn wanted to do everything in her power to help, the only thing she could do for him tonight was to get out of his way. No one wanted their little sister hanging around, even if it wasn't supposed to be a real "date."
So, she did something she knew she was good at: She went shopping. The moment she stepped into Many Paths, looked around at all of the different herbs and supplies, she smiled. It reminded her a little of the coven back in England. Perhaps her transition to life in Scarlet Oak wouldn't be so bad after all.
Dylan moved from the back of the store to see who'd come in. She was wearing an abstract printed red t-shirt and blue jeans. "Hello." She said, approaching the girl. "If you need any help please ask." Dyl said, with a grin as she gave her a little nod and moved over to one of the counters.
"Oh, will do. I'm mostly just looking, now." Ravyn looked up to see the girl behind the counter. She looked about Ravyn's age and the smile on her face just got bigger. Picking up a basket, Ravyn started to wander about, drifting over to the candles she saw on display. Her mother had been big on candle magic and she'd like to follow those same footsteps, someday. Her book from New York on the subject mentioned needing white candles for protection spells and she reached out for them, turning them over in her hands. Cedric might have some that would work, but she didn't want to keep using all his supplies.
Dylan started to restock some items, they'd be closing up soon- not yet, but soon and she wanted it to go as smoothly and quickly as possible. So that meant restocking and straightening the shelves in the middle of the store. She'd already figured out a lot of what she needed which was in the box on the counter that she started to stock the shelves from.
Ravyn wandered from display to display, just looking to see what was here. She had a little spending money from Cedric; she didn't ask him for it, but he'd given it to her anyway, since she was working on her magic and he felt she needed it. It meant she might be able to get the white candles and maybe some fresh herbs. It sucked having everything she'd used back in England, as nice as Cedric's set up was here, it wasn't the same. Not looking where she was going, Ravyn literally backed into the sales girl, grabbing onto one of the displays for support. "I'm so sorry," she said, offering a hand to the girl. "I've not made you drop anything, have I?"
Floundering to keep things on the shelf nothing fell off. "No." Dylan said. "You're good. Just... careful." She chuckled as she straightened the boxes of tarot cards and stepped away from the shelf. "You new in town?" She asked. "I"ve not seen you in here before." Though they'd had a lot of newer faces since the Light of May.
"I've just moved here actually. A friend of mine told me about this place, and my brother's been in a few times." Yes, Ravyn saw Lucas as a friend, though she wasn't sure when she'd see him again. Everyone here would know she was new in town; the accent gave her away every time. She didn't mind it so much, the extra attention. "I'm Ravyn. And normally I'm not so klutzy."
"Dylan." She said, offering a hand. "And it's ok. I've done worse. You going to SOHS in the fall?" Dylan asked, the girl looked about the right age- but what did she know.
"Should be, yes. As much as I'd rather skip through the rest of school and go straight to graduation, I don't think my brother pulls enough weight in town to make that happen." Ravyn straightened an invisible wrinkle in her sundress, fingering the cotton material. The pouch Cedric made her clashed with the red of the dress, but she didn't care. If it was keeping her safe from Westley, all the better. "I take it you'll be there too?"
Dylan nodded. "Last year, thank goodness." WIth her reputation the less amount of time she said yes the better. "You a senior too?"
"Yes, I should be. Though I haven't exactly looked into yet, not sure if I'm going to have to take a test or something, coming from across the pond and all." The look on Ravyn's face said exactly what she thought about tests of any sorts. School was a necessary evil, but that didn't mean she liked it. At least her magical training was fun, and school was only fun when you were doing something besides schoolwork.
Dylan giggled, 'the pond'. "Well, I hope that goes well f'y." She said as she moved back to the box and pulled out some rune kits. "You practice, or just curious?" Dyl referred to the candles in her basket and the fact she was standing in a magic shop. Ninety-percent of people were just curious or 'casual' witches- those who weren't born into a family of them but stumbled into the religion for one reason or another. Then there were the 'wannabes'- though Dylan tried not to judge them too harshly, most were always just a little off base when it came to the true meaning of magic.
"Thanks." Ravyn looked over the tarot boxes she'd almost sent to the floor earlier, but just like every other time she'd had the opportunity to get some, she passed them over. She wasn't really concerned with reading the future. "Practice," she said. "It's hard, since everything I had is still in England. My brother's got his own supplies, but I feel like I need a few things of my own, you know?" It wasn't like Ravyn ever had her own altar, but she had a small set up in her bedroom. Enough for what she needed, to be sure.
Dylan nodded. "That sounds a bit rough. Couldn't send everything to you?" She asked, grabbing some basic magic books to stock. "We have some 'starter kits' that would replenish probably all of what you left, we have two kinds; one that's complete and one that doesn't have the items a witch should -make-."
Something darkened in Ravyn's face and again she wondered if her father was looking for her. If Westley had managed to convince him that Ravyn, too, had been tempted by blood magic and had fallen to the darkness, just like Cedric "had." Keeping on this side of the Atlantic Ocean was going to keep her safe, she had to believe that. "Not exactly an option," she managed to say, looking away for a second. "The second kit sounds like it might be good. I'm still learning, you see, but it should be good practice." And that was a purchase Ced couldn't get mad at her for.
"And some things you should always make yourself." Dylan moved over to one of the counters and waved the girl over. "These items you get to choose from." She said tapping the glass and then a piece of paper on the glass. "This is what you get."
"Exactly." Cedric had always advocated that, learning to do things on her own. It would give her something to do when he went back to work tomorrow. When she wasn't trying to meet his Peyton at the comic book store, that is. Ravyn followed Dylan back to the counter, looking over her options. "Ah, I see. Seems like I can do this." In theory, anyway. A lot of Ravyn's magic backfired, but that was part of being a grey witch. You never knew if fate would be kind to you that day or not. "What about you?" she asked. "You practice as well, I take it?"
Dylan shook her head. "I know how to do stuff, but I don't seem to have the gift for anything to actually work. My mother does though- she owns the store- so I've learned a lot from her." She said, directing the girl which items she could choose and how many of each to make her kit. As Ravyn selected items she put them in a special box.
"From what I understand, it takes a lot of practice. All of my brothers were better at it than I am, at the moment, when they were my age." There were a lot of factors behind that - Cedric being exiled and Westley refusing to train her, for one, but she thought she'd be able to play catch up now. The items she added to her box were practical ones, though she added a few extras in as well - a raven's feather, because of her name, for example.
"It does, but apparently I've been gifted with 'other gifts'. My mother tries to make it sound as if it is better than not being able to follow in her steps... but when I say it doesn't work I mean really doesn't work- not even a little." Dylan said with a small frown.
"Other gifts?" Ravyn tilted her head to the side a little, confused. "Like what?" It probably wasn't her place to ask, but she couldn't help herself. Her magic was the only bonus she had, when it decided to work, that is.
Dylan tucked some hair behind her ear and shrugged slightly. "Gift." She corrected herself. Her mother had taught her to be secretive about what she was due to what happened to her father, but as she'd found strength in the local coven she accepted what they did more- with the store, the balance was allowing people to believe you could really do the magic while acting 'fake' enough to detour hunters. Since the Light of May, things changed even more and her mother seemed to be even more open and truthful to what she was. So why shouldn't Dylan? "I'm a visual empath." She said softly.
A visual empath? It took Ravyn a second to put it together. "You see... feelings?" She bit her bottom lip, thinking it over. She'd heard that there were people with psychic gifts, yes. There was a woman in their coven who claimed to see ghosts, but it was common knowledge that she was not all there most of the time, so Ravyn never really believed her. Maybe she should have paid attention more. "I've never heard of that before. What's it like?"
Dylan shook her head. "Not really something I can explain. But it's kinda like colors.. and I just... know what they mean." She blushed ever so slightly. "Sometimes it can get a little overwhelming in crowds." Which caused a few events that caused her to blush at the memory of them.
Kind of like how some people could see sounds as colors, Ravyn had heard of that. "That's neat," she said, not understanding why the girl would be blushing. Did she see something embarrassing when she looked at people? "Oh, crowds, I didn't think of that. I don't suppose the colors mix together, like a rainbow?" Ravyn was trying to understand what Dylan saw, aware the question was a bit ridiculous.
"More like a Jackson Polluck painting with no white space." She replied. "They can get bright sometimes too, and that kinda hurts."
Ravyn made a face, imagining that would get annoying after a while, especially if you didn't have a way to turn it off. She'd never thought of that before; her magic was getting stronger, yes, but she didn't have to use it when she didn't want to. Not that Ravyn could ever go without completely, it was in her blood, but the option was there. "They're not bright now, are they?" she asked. "If so, I apologize in advance."
Dylan laughed a little. "One on one it's ok." She replied capping the box of items that Ravyn had picked out after putting in a small 'complementary beginning spells' book that included hints, and guides on how to construct the items that were not included- like a wand. "Football games are really bad." She said, giving an example of what is not ok.
"Well of course it's not okay. It's a sports game." It took her a moment to realize Dylan was talking about American football, not the same game they played in Europe, and she laughed. Ravyn wouldn't be caught dead in either situation, to be honest; that was more of her big brother's thing. "I suppose you don't have the option of just... not going?"
"It's one of the reasons I don't go. Plays, concerts and other big events like that are hard to be at too." Especially concerts. She laughed a little. "But it's not all bad, sometimes it comes in handy." Dylan shrugged, not that anyone at school would think she was anything more than a klutz and a freak.
Ravyn didn't think she was a freak. After all, everyone had something special about them. The Light of May let people believe they could talk about some of those things. And while her coven had not been the most vocal - her father had been livid that the Light of May even happened - she was proud of who she was, what she was. "I'd miss the concerts," she admitted. "I guess it could help you read people, know how to approach them."
"Able to know when my friends-" Friend... who was now moved away. "-are feeling. If the teachers in a bad mood. When people are lying." She chuckled slightly. "That one can come in really handy. Can kinda tell who likes who sometimes too."
"All of which sound like good things." Ravyn giggled a little at the thought, "Especially that last part." Not that Ravyn had her eye on anyone in particular, though Lucas came to mind. She certainly wouldn't be opposed to knowing the boy better, at any rate.
"It's not always precise, but sometimes you can deduce why someone is feeling a certain way. Sometimes it's completely unclear." She shrugged, realizing she'd been talking a bit too much about herself. "So, you're a practicing witch then?" Dylan asked. "I bet it's different practicing in England... with a history of use and what not." Seeing as in the grand scheme of things America was still a young country- comparatively.
She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears. It was good to have someone her age to talk to, a girl - not that the boys she knew couldn't listen, they did, but there were some things only girl talk could cover. "Practicing. I come from a coven back home." Which she was sure she was no longer a part of, officially, though she'd always follow the goddess in spirit. "We've been there for several generations, and there's so much to learn. I'm not good yet, but my brother, he's promised to help me."
Dylan smiled. "That's cool." She said with a nod. "Always nice to have family to help you out." She pushed the box over to Ravyn. "So, will there be anything else?" Not that she didn't mind the talking, but it just dawned on her how late it was getting.
"Agreed. Cedric's always been there for me." And he had been, through every up and down, until he'd been sent away. Even then, she reached out through email, breaking the coven's rules, but she didn't care. He was her big brother, how could she not talk to him? "Oh, I'm sure there will be, I just can't think of anything now. I'll be back again, if you don't mind the bother."
"Hell no." She said, escorting Ravyn to the register. "Always nice to meet new people and talk to people- which tends to happen a lot here. Rare to find someone my own age though." Dylan said with a grin. "Of course it's nicer to hang out and talk in a place where you can sit and that serves coffee, but you can't have everything." She added with a laugh.
"Really?" Ravyn hadn't realized there weren't a lot of teenage witches around. There had always been children of the coven, children of Maia, who were following the same path she was. "Next time we'll just have to meet up outside of the store, then. Like normal kids?" She giggled, reaching into her purse for the money Cedric had given her. "It was very nice to meet you, Dylan. And thank you for the help."
Dylan gave her change and a frequent shopper stamp card. "Nice to meet you too, and any time. It'll be nice to know the new girl when school starts." And maybe prove herself not to be a spaztic freak. Maybe even have a friend- now that Moira had gone.
"It'll be nice to know a few people before walking into those big, crowded halls," Ravyn agreed. Not that she knew if the school was big or not, she hadn't actually been in it yet, but she was sure Dylan understood what she meant. Tucking her things under her arm, card now in her purse, she grinned at the other girl. First Lucas, now Dylan. This was looking to be a good summer indeed. "I'll see you around!"
Dylan gave her a small wave. "Totally, take care."