welcome to Aeaea Who: Bia, Jadyn, and Cecil (NPC) Where: Aeaea When: Noontime
There were a variety of reasons why Jadyn wished she was back on the east coast, primarily because of the ocean, but also because of the little magic shop her aunt owned. Sure, it wasn’t the best paying thing in the world, but Jadyn loved working there and sadly there wasn’t anything like that when she initially moved out to Michigan. Most people just laughed at her when she asked around and... well, that never ended well for anyone. She constantly reminded herself she was out there for Cecil, who was no staying over at her place for the week, and the tiny blonde always brought a smile to her face. Didn’t matter what kind of shit was going on in her life; Cecil did a good job at cheering up mommy. The only thing that cheered Jadyn up some more was the fact that there was now officially a magic shop in town. None of this wanna-be bullshit. Or at least she didn’t think so. She had been meaning to go and visit it for what felt like forever, but her anxiety always got the best of her. What if it wasn’t the real thing and the people there laughed at her? It took a while to bite the bullet, but with her son in tow, he boosted her confidence even more.
The two dropped on down to Aeaea, Jadyn sheepishly propping the door open and looked around before stepping inside, holding onto Cecil’s hand in the process. The blonde boy stayed close while clinging onto his stuffed animal kitty. Of all his toys, he had to bring that one. How appropriate. “Mommy! Mommy! Books!” Her son tried dragging her on over to the display set up in the front, causing Jadyn to giggle lightly. She was too occupied taking in the scent of the shop, which made her think of the store back in Salem. And were those magical supplies off to the side? This had to be legit. It was kind of hard to fake it since the Light of May, but she had to be sure. Who knew, maybe she’d walk away with a new job.
Bia had been feeling a touch bored as of late - which was, of course, ridiculous. When the demons had been attacking and everyone and their mother wanted to commission her to ward their homes or even businesses, she had tired of it and wanted a break. Now she wanted something to do. Sadly, business was at its best when calamity reigned high. Which had brought her to the conclusion that she just may have to drum up some business on her own. The darker parts of her personality were starting to fight for surface time, which undoubtedly meant Bia would soon be doing something she’d feel the need to atone for at a later time.
She was in the back, planning these future sins (balanced with contrasting good deeds, at least, so as not to put herself back in the negative), when she heard the bell above the door. ”A woman and child,” Snowdrop said in her head. Probably not a tourist then. Bia nodded and rose from her chair, Snowdrop preceding her steps into the shopfront. Upon glimpsing their guests, she immediately wondered if that was a mistake. The child was quite young - exposure to Snowdrop could trigger any measure of unpleasantness. Oh well. Too late now. “Welcome to Aeaea,” she greeted.
Upon hearing the woman’s voice, Jadyn whipped her head around to spot the lovely lady and- HOLY FUCK, IT’S A CAT. Well then, good to see that the sign she glanced at was totally not kidding about the huge ass cat in the shop. It still didn’t stop Jadyn from being startled, jumping in place while fluttering her eyes. That was one way to shoot her anxiety up through the roof, and the fact Cecil was actually excited to see the panther wasn’t helping. “Kitty!” Jadyn had to do her best to keep a tight grip on her son or else he would have ran over and given the creature a hug. Sadly, it wasn’t easy to keep a hold of a growing were-tiger. As long as he didn’t spontaneously shift, she could live through that. “...hi!” Jadyn finally replied, pushing her messy black hair out from her face. “Sorry, my son here is wicked excited and-”
“Mommy! Mommy! Kittyyyyyy!”
“Cecil, not right now,” she tried her best to soothe the wibbling blonde before looking back up. “Just... looking around and stuff. Haven’t been in here yet.” She paused while thinking that one over. “Haven’t been to a magic shop in ages, actually.” Jadyn let out a nervous giggle as her eyes frantically glanced down to her son to make sure he was still human.
”The boy is not human, and has a distinctive feline scent. Something large,” Snowdrop informed Bia, her voice for Bia’s mind only. ”The mother is human. And terribly nervous.”
Thank you, love. I could guess as much on that last bit, Bia mentally replied. “I apologize,” she spoke, smooth as could be and without missing a beat. Her face never betrayed her mental conversation with her familiar. “Snowdrop can be a lot for children - and their parents - to handle. I did not have time to request she remain in back. I assure you, your son is perfectly safe. My familiar is gentle as can be - in fact, one of her own cubs is familiar to my niece.” Convenient, that.
To further drive the point home, Snowdrop lay across the floor and stretched out, flicking her tail lazily as she made a sound very much like purring. Of course, as a big cat, black panthers lacked the ability to purr. But as a familiar, she could imitate the sound and implant it in the minds around her. She was a clever creature, always working to appear how she wanted to be seen. Right now, that was as non-threatening as could be. Even if a week ago she had slaughtered a demon, solo.
The big, bad ass cat that was sprawling out on the floor was named Snowdrop? That was actually rather adorable. Not to mention Jadyn wasn’t one to talk when it came to familiars, seeing hers was a freaking lobster. Bubbler was safely back home in his tank and god forbid if she brought him along in a paper bag. Wait, she said familiar? That only meant one thing - this woman was the real deal, thus making the shop legit, as well. That actually eased her nerves just as much as the mental purring was. “Mommy, can I pet her?” She looked down to Cecil and for a were-kitty, he was giving her some serious puppy dog eyes to her. “If the nice lady says it’s ok, then you can,” she informed her son, then took in a deep breath, to bring her gaze on back to the woman. “He’s probably happier to be here than I am, I swear.”
Bia smiled and gestured to the panther with her hand. “Snowdrop can answer for herself,” she answered politely. And with that, the panther nodded.
”It’s alright, little cub,” Snowdrop’s voice chimed for all to hear. Her voice was warm and deep, like a wizened old matron from another time. There was something chiefly queenly about it, as well. Bia found it deeply comforting. It was appropriate, considering that Snowdrop herself believed her own name had come to her because it was the name of the flower that helped guard Odysseus against Circe’s potions.
Still smiling as politely as could be, Bia chuckled deeply as she walked around the counter. “We are happy to have you here. But does that mean that you are not?”
The second Jadyn heard the lovely panther’s voice come into her head - and damn, why couldn’t the typical voices in her head sound that awesome? - she couldn’t but feel at ease. And she needed that right then. Releasing Cecil’s hand, he immediately shuffled on off to Snowdrop, chanting “Kitty!” over and over while he reached out to stroke her head. “Gentle, Cecil!” Jadyn reminded him. Then again, how could a little boy be rough with an enormous cat like that? He was too busy smiling and giggling to even heed his mother’s words and in turn Jadyn found herself smiling. “Oh, no no no! I’m happy to be here, just... didn’t... expect there’d be an actually cat in here. Thought it was a different take on the whole ‘Beware of dog’ type of sign.” Shaking her head while laughing it off, she loosely folded her arms against her chest and shifted her weight onto one foot. The anxiety was starting to ease away, thanks to the kindness of the woman and the rather adorable familiar that was with her son. “No, trust me, I’m actually thrilled there’s a magic shop in town. One that actually looks like its knows what it’s doing. I used to work in one back on the east coast and you wouldn’t believe the looks I got when I told them where I worked.” Or maybe she did. That was before the Light of May, when witches and vampires were just fairytales. But Jadyn knew they existed and this woman had to if she had a panther as a familiar. Lucky, all I got was a dinner special from New England.
“You might be surprised,” Bia responded, laughing faintly at the idea. “Before we came here, my niece and I were in a small South American village near the Amazon, teaching its residents white magic. Try explaining that whilst establishing a new business.” Bia loved that game, actually. The more bankers and investigators she could freak out, the better. "What did you do in your magic shop, then?"
Ok, now Jadyn actually had to chuckle at that one. She never dabbled in magic, but she could only imagine how that went over with the locals. At least she was able to do some traveling while doing what she did. “Fortune telling, primarily with tarot cards and water, but I’ve done it all: palm reading, dice, bones, tea leaves, you name it.” Another timid smile formed on her lips as she waved her hands about in the midst of her anxiety. “I’m a reader, actually, so it sort of comes naturally, you know? Well, part reader, anyways.” It wasn’t exactly information she flaunted out to the public on a daily basis, but shit, it wasn’t like she was going to top teaching magic to Amazonians. This woman made her comfortable and she felt no fear in revealing what she was.
Bia found that an interesting tidbit of information. “Indeed? Are you looking for such employment again?” It wasn’t something she would have gone looking for, but of course the idea had appeal - certainly if it was just going to fall in her lap like this. All it was missing was a pretty little bow. Perfection. “I don’t mind telling you I think you’d do well here. Business is booming. The crowd drawn by the vampire bar does many things for me.”
...wait, did she just...? Holy crap, that was easy. Here Jadyn had been stressing out about finally rolling on down to Aeaea and asking for a potential job, worrying about the outcome. When people asked, ‘Hey, what’s the worse that could happen?’ Jadyn would always make up some over the top scenario. Hell, there was a panther in the room. She was pretty sure ‘they say no’ wasn’t the worse case scenario at this place. “Really?! Oh god, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve been wanting to get back into reading. Like, not just reading a friend’s palm now and then. I’d love to work here. Wow, I’d be honored.” And she was genuinely beaming that moment, a true smile at all as she pushed her messy bangs to the side. It took her a second, though, to relapse and realize what was being said about the vampire bar. “But uh... do you guys get like, a lot of vampires here a lot?” There was that twinge of fear that initially came up when she heard the news that she in particular was an ultimate high for vampires. She was pretty certain her scent alone was overbearing for some addict vamp and she did not approve of being munched on.
Apparently Bia had just offered the woman a job. Which suited her fine. I must be slipping, I walked right into that, she thought.
You all but asked her what she expected to be paid, Snowdrop pointed out.
Did I really? No matter, Bia thought back. Yes, she was definitely going to have to do something big soon. Something centering.
The question of vampires was slightly concerning, and Bia raised an eyebrow in question. "We may. I do not discriminate. Nor would I have people in my employ that do." A subtle hint, as she was not about to scold this woman - who had so far been perfectly kind - in front of her child. "If you are worried of your own scent, I would discredit the notion. Those that come here are unlikely to want a reading. The few vampires I have serviced have been all business, commissioning spells. But should you attend one, I daresay you will never find a building in Scarlet Oak more heavily warded than Aeaea. I served tea and cakes to guests during the demonic attacks without the slightest concern to what happens outside. The only ones who can inflict violence inside these walls are myself and my familiar, and you needn't fear us."
Jadyn didn’t consider herself to discriminate, either, though she couldn’t help but be paranoid around vampires. She knew they could pick her up by scent and some of them weren’t that stupid. She probably smelled like the most intoxicating drug ever and she preferred to not be made into a juice box, thank you very much. Though the words coming from this woman were reassuring. Jadyn couldn’t put a finger on it, but she could trust her. Hell, if she had the place warded and served tea and cakes, what was there to worry about? “No no no, no need to discriminate. Just... uneasy around them. Don’t want to become a midnight snack.” And she was certain not all vampires were like that, but paranoid Jadyn was paranoid. Old habits died hard. “I actually feel quite safe here. Cecil seems to think so, anyways.” She took a quick glance to spot her son curled up with Snowdrop and petting her while going ‘Rawr!’ on the occasion. Oh, the little weeboo just made her heart melt. Brownie points to the panther for putting up with him. “So color me impressed, Miss... uh... wow, where are my manners? I’m sorry, I didn’t even get your name.” Smoothing out her unkempt hair, the water elemental stuck out a hand to the woman and smiled. “Name’s Jadyn Cole.”
Bia gave a slight nod, deciding that the girl would do. If she did not overcome her fears and anxieties, she simply wouldn't last here. It was a problem that could be dealt with later. Bia smiled faintly at her familiar, who thankfully adored children. She got the feeling the bit of feline in the boy helped win her over as well. Looking back to her new employee, Bia took her hand and shook. "Asia Bia Ekaterina Zestos," she introduced. While each of her names might seem redundant, she always stuck to them to cover her bases. "For the most part, it will be just Bia."
Holy mouthloud, Batman. Thank god she didn’t have to repeat that on a daily basis. Though Jadyn’s eyes fluttered at the grandiose introduction, rather impressed to say the least. She was half expecting there to be a trail of legendary titles after that, like mighty witch of the amazon or conqueror of loitering emo boys. “Bia,” she repeat the name to make sure she got it right. “Awesome, it’s so great to meet you. So um... is this like, official? Don’t know if you wanted a resume or a test to make sure I’m a legit or what not.” There were plenty of crazies out in Salem who claimed to be psychics and witches and honestly didn’t know the difference between seeing a vision in a bowl of water and seeing their own reflection. Who knew, maybe Bia was just that bad ass enough to know by looking at her. With a name like that, how couldn’t she? And damn, if this is official, consider it the easiest job process EVER.
The truth of the matter was, Jadyn could have been lying and people still would have paid for the reading. A good fake could often be just as good as the real thing. It mattered not to Bia. ”Still, she has a point. You should have covered that earlier. You’re slipping,” Snowdrop informed her.
I am, Bia agreed. I believe I’ll need your help in reigning myself back in under control. Perhaps you could find some targets...
Still playing with the tiger-child, the panther eyed Bia curiously. ”For curses or blessings?”
Both, Bia returned. I believe I’ll send out a bit of instant karma. She heard a sound of approval in her mind, and her attention returned to Jadyn. She gave a dazzling smile and laughed. “I doubt you could tell me anything I do not already know. But I would be curious to hear what you would say. I accept that offer.”
With a confident smile on her lips, Jadyn stepped forward to Bia and cautiously took one of her hands into her own. “Don’t mind me,” she spoke, mostly referring to how cool her hands were. Not as cold as a vampire, but what else was to be expected from a water elemental. Bia seemed open to the reading - hell, maybe even partially amused - thus Jadyn asked a simple, mental question before going into it. The woman had mentioned something about a niece, which intrigued the psychic. Is her family well? Especially the little one. Normally, it took a second for something appear on the creases of one’s hand, but seconds after she asked the question, words and images flooded into Jadyn’s vision as she looked over Bia’s palm. While they overlapped and blurred with one another, she received the strong impression that Bia gained the niece on not the best of terms. Was someone killed...?! Her question was apparently too vague to get a definitive answer, though before the images and words faded away, her fingers traced over a single sentence that was only visible to Jadyn, thus she read it out loud, “Amaryllis is in very good hands now...” And with that, she gently released Bia’s hand, completely shaken up by the brief experience. That was going to take a while to overcome. Fluttering her eyes and calming herself, she smiled on up to Bia. “Guess I wouldn’t expect any less. Your familiar alone is good protection.”
Bia was indeed amused, and she applied no efforts into hiding that fact. She watched Jadyn’s expression with unchecked curiosity, wondering what she was looking for and of course what she would find. Perhaps she would see something she would not like. Snowdrop seemed to be thinking the same thing.
”Her heart-rate has altered. She may have seen something you should not have allowed,” the familiar pointed out, always a model of diplomacy.
Indeed, there were things worth hiding - by most people’s standards. Bia was cool as a cucumber. Perhaps, she returned. Though with the mention of her niece, she determined this was not the case.
”She may have seen the murder of Amaryllis’ mother,” Snowdrop commented.
Let her, I didn’t do that one. I avenged it. Among other things. Anyway, whatever she saw, a little fear is not always unhealthy. Bia smiled brightly. “Thank you,” she returned. “Perhaps someday you’ll get to meet my brother.” If he ever got around to dragging his arse Stateside.
Jadyn did feel bad whenever she saw something that she felt wasn’t meant for her eyes. Perhaps it had to do with the fact she didn’t like revealing her own secrets or she was just an overly sensitive water elemental who apologized for breathing. Though Bia just smiled at her and Jadyn couldn’t help but smile back, finding her anxiety to calm down once more. So confident, yet soothing. She would get along so well with Aunt Sally. “That’d be great!” Jadyn nodded her head in agreement. “I really can’t thank you enough for your kindness, Bia. I’m wicked excited.” And here she thought she’d never pick up fortune telling again. She couldn’t ask for anything more. “Cecil, sweetie, say goodbye to the kitty. We’re going to head on out soon.”
“But... but...” The blonde pouted while clinging onto Snowdrop, obviously too content to want to leave.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back and you can see the kitty again, ok?” That seemed to put an extra bounce in the child’s step, beaming all the while. He gave the panther a gentle pat on the head while saying goodbye to her and shuffled on back to his mother.
“Indeed, welcome aboard,” Bia agreed, stepping back and smiling down at Cecil. “Snowdrop isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.” Maybe next time Amaryllis would be around, and he could meet the kitten. That would probably amuse him. “I’ll see you soon, Jadyn. A pleasure meeting you.” Yes, having a reader around would be convenient. Her mind was racing with ideas already.