The meeting with Saferra Coven had gone pretty smoothly. Bonnie had updated them on the current Vallo tricks, with a special guest star of the future version of Seren being there with her. They had met him as a baby, and now here he was as a fully grown adult. They’d discussed the upcoming Samhain celebrations, potential for Saferra members to come speak with the Outlander covens, and discussed some of the always-present concerns that Outlanders were even there to begin with. Bonnie had also sent a message ahead of time requesting that members close to Seren’s age come along, so introductions could be made while he was still here.
When it was over it was nearly lunch time, and Bonnie offered to buy. It wasn’t a surprise to learn that Indian food was basically his favorite (thank god Sirius’ could cook), and after figuring out that his favorite place here didn’t exist yet, she took them to one of the places that she knew was Black Sibling Approved.
“So weather magic, right?” she asked him after they sat down at a table and left with the menus. “That became your area of specialty. I was wondering if you’d be up for helping me work some magic before you get sent back.” It was going to be strange to not be able to have fully formed conversations with the twins again. “Silniara is looking to employ a weather witch to spell their vineyards against too much weather damage this year. They had someone in mind but it fell through at the last minute. I thought maybe between the two of us we could come up with something that would last the winter.”
“Weather magic,” he confirmed as he cheerfully took a seat across from his mother. It had been a longer day and he was starving after socializing. A number of the people he knew older having met him at this age was a lot. But Seren held fast and exchanged information, social niceties, and had really learned how to play along with the Coven politics from growing up close to Bonnie.
“The elements have always come more naturally to me, but it was pretty clear air and weather won out when I used to create wind storms and lightning strikes so the power would go out at school.” He grinned, clearly unashamed by his younger self’s ingenuity. “I’d be happy to help, though. I know they’ve struggled in my past whenever Vallo throws a surprise snow storm into the mix - I designed them a self-regulating greenhouse once, for one of their hybrid grapes once. It needed a certain amount of light and a specific temperature.”
The elements she understood. Fire especially. Fire had been a staple in Bonnie’s practice since she first started, and had saved her life on many occasions. She had dabbled in weather magic. Nothing extreme, as she understood it, it seemed like advanced magic. Or maybe just not her specialty. But either way the fact Seren had managed to have such a handle on it even in school made her proud. She would overlook the chaos that might have come with it, that was something she would deal with in the future, not now. Bonnie hadn’t managed to successfully impact weather like that until after she had channeled the power of the deceased Bennett Coven, and here was as the witch version of Thor.
“Oh, they must love you in your time.” The wine industry was new to Silniara now, but she was happy to hear that it was still going in his time. It was a delicate balance to maintain, and they were still trying to figure out the best ways to mitigate threats from weather. Their whole setup relied on crops in general. Not just their wines, but the healing magics they worked, to the food they grew to live off of. Protecting their crops was always a priority. “Wednesday, if you’re free? It shouldn't be more than an hour or so in the afternoon.”
She glanced briefly at the menu, but already knew what she was getting based on a previous visit to this place.
“It’s good business,” Seren knew it was more than that, but he also knew he followed somewhat in his mother’s footsteps, helping people as they asked. Wednesday, hour or two. I’ll put you in my very empty calendar.” That was not normally so empty, but he still always made time for his parents.
Perusing over the menu, Seren leaned back in his chair. This place had been closed already by the time he’d been old enough to really appreciate spice, he’d have to put it to the test now. “I may just follow you around if you’re not tired of me, I’ve been working 60 hours a week for the last few years, so this is kind of like a vacation in a way. No business to run, I’m just here to visit family and help people out?” He grinned at his mom across the table. “And to let you see what a great job you did with both of us.”
“Much appreciated, thanks for adding me to your empty calendar.” she was trying not to sound too pleased, but probably failed miserably. For a long time Bonnie figured she’d be the last of her line. Then there were the twins, and Seren even took to her magic. She wasn’t the last, and the future she saw sitting in front of her was perfect.
Though apparently her habit for working too much always passed down to him, and she wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that. She had her own ounce of excuses, starting a business, making connections, and education. Bonnie knew how much it took to run a business, but she hoped he wasn’t working himself to the bone. “You’re taking a vacation from work by following your mom around at work.” she said, arching an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. “Not that I’m opposed to that arrangement at all. But I hope you take actual vacations or days off from time to time. Or I may have to drag you to Galadin Quay one of these days before you’re gone back.”
She could already see the person he had become, even with only knowing this older version of him for a short period of time. “I can already see that. But at some point I think we have to stop taking credit. I’m more interested in seeing the person you’ve managed to become on your own.” Bonnie said with a smile, leaning forward on her arms. “Someone I’m sure I’m very proud of.”
Seren laughed. This was not an unfamiliar argument, by any means. “Will it make you feel a little better if I go get a massage and a mani/pedi?” Following his mom around at the shop was something of a vacation, to him, but he hadn’t worked with her or at the shop in a decade, so in a way it was. He’d always loved those afternoons after school where he could go through any new stock or help her take care of things.
“I think Zayna and I could’ve become like.. Those HGTV memes. I sell umbrella insurance and she trains iguanas. And you guys still would’ve been proud.” He wasn’t complaining, not by a longshot. He liked feeling as if he could do anything and his parents would love him, it was unconditional. “Does that mean you have questions? I don’t mind some of the sort that won’t change the future.”
“It would actually, yes.” She said with a grin, “At least then I’ll know you’ve taken a couple of hours to not work.” Even with her own packed work schedule, she always made sure she booked time for herself at least once a month. Her sanity needed it, and she did her best to make sure Sirius did the same, even if it just meant he was laying around the fire as Padfoot.
He was joking, but actually, “You you two manage to become one of those memes I’ll know you’ve made it. You’re joking, but those people buy million dollar homes.” With ridiculous careers like umbrella insurance and pet trainers. Somehow. It was more than magic. “Then you’re father and I can move into the parent wing and retire in peace.”
She had so many questions, but she also wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. “I do. But I also don’t. I want to know everything I can about you, but I also am really excited to watch it all happen too? If that makes any sense?” She looks forward to watching the twins grow up, and watching them have their first experiences with life, figuring out what they loved and what they didn’t. “Mostly I just want to know that you’re good. That you’re doing something you actually enjoy doing, and have a life you’re excited about.”
She wasn’t wrong, and it made Seren double over with laughter. How often they’d all mocked those shows and made jokes like that in his own time, it pleased him to know things hadn’t changed in the past. “Better for you, I design those million dollar homes. I’ll build a giant compound and give you guys a parent wing, I promise.”
Not that they would really need it, he knew, but also he hadn’t necessarily been against the idea either. It’d taken him long enough to move out in the first place, and that only happened because he ended up designing and building his own place. “But I think it’s fair, I doubt we could really explain everything anyway, so I’m sure there’s going to be surprises along the way for you. I hope there’s surprises.”
He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her across the table. “But I promise I’m good. Happy. Visiting and seeing all this at the start’s fun too.”
“Perfect, now I just have to make sure I don’t do anything that might cause the younger you to take a different career path.” She had no idea how much of this was set in stone. How much could possibly change based on choices, or if this was Seren that the baby version would become. Now she wanted that parent wing. “No pressure, but old me is getting that wing.” she joked with a wink.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about surprises.” Most things with them had been a surprise so far, from the two of them floating out of their cribs and around their bedrooms, to their very existence at all. “I have full confidence in both your abilities to keep us guessing.”
Their happiness was all that really mattered. From the moment she realized she was pregnant, and knew it was twins, she was going to make sure the two of them had a happy childhood, teenagehood, and young adulthood. Anything that didn't involve the same kind of things that Bonnie and Sirius had experienced. “Let’s order, and then you can tell me more about what got you and your sister into business together?”
Seren considered for a moment, as if he was seriously pondering. “Okay, but if you wanted to push me towards a life of umbrella insurance or iguana training, that would be cool too.” He wasn’t serious, but then he also wasn’t worried his parents were about to inadvertently mess something up for either of them.
He looked over at his mom, watching her expressions, taking it all in. She was the same person he’d grown up with, and loved having as a parent, and Seren wouldn’t trade that for the world. Career? Nothing, in the end. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, and trust me, the dominos’ll fall as they’re meant to. I’m not worried.”
But he did lean forward and dropped his voice low, taking on an ominous tone. “You might want to be worried about the level of spice I like, though. Bring on the heat.”