( though the hauntings had plenty of reasons to shake rowena, particularly after she met with lucifer during it, she's quick to try and put that from her mind after they end. in truth, the experience has her more determined to try and rebuild her magical strength.
some days rowena can be found in the woods, foraging for herbs and plants to build up her stock, or meditating and communing with nature there. often her communing seems as if she's just stood there, her eyes closed, arms stretched slightly out with her palms pointed towards the ground.
there are other moments where rowena can be found with a tarot deck that she'd found, sometimes at the inn, sometimes sat around the settlement. she doesn't read for herself, not publicly, but rowena does have the cards out with her and to anyone that comes near or looks a little interested she would offer that question to: if they wanted to be read for.
somewhat begrudgingly, the recent celebration had gotten rowena more involved with the natives in the settlement and it's something that's continued. they're not awful (aside from how strongly they speak of the gods) and rowena does remember what a small community is like: she needs the people even if she doesn't want to admit it. so she keeps her ears open (or astral projects at times), eavesdropping for when someone may need help or be considering offering something to a god, offering that service instead. it may be a potion, a salve or a small spell. most of what rowena offers are protective enchantments, particularly after the hauntings, or offers her advice about magical and supernatural things, trying to worm into their favour for when she needs something.
and, no matter how often rowena tries to make the fish stay at home, she can be found with one of nanaue's feety fish following close behind her every step )
[ Between the strange tremors which have the townsfolk talking and whispering about the gods' influences and the news that's been shared about the Singularity expanding, it's hard for Tifa to just keep up with life as usual. Life hasn't been anything close to usual since she arrived here, and while Cloud and Yuffie's presence offers her some much-needed stability, she also appreciates the structure that working in the inn offers her.
Even if she feels as if she should be doing more.
She's seen Rowena visit the inn a number of times now, though they haven't had the time to talk to each other one-on-one. Usually Tifa is busy or Rowena's chatting with someone else, but today the inn is pretty quiet — almost unnervingly so.
Tifa feels the need to break the silence, and so she stops by Rowena's table to give it a wipe down with a cloth. She's about to offer a drink, but then Rowena asks if she'd like a card read, and Tifa straightens up, blinking in quiet confusion. Queen's Blood is one thing, but... ]
That is what they call them here. Most witches refer to them as tarot.
( witches from her world, certainly, and she's already had some interesting discussions with locals that she's read for about the difference in them, about what the arcana represents to those that live here compared to how rowena interprets the cards )
[ Witches? Tarot? Tifa isn't really used to either thing, though she understands that the arcana symbols hold some importance here. They're each assigned one, and that symbol shows up when they go in the Horizon. It all has to mean something.
Wanda has referred to herself as a witch before, during their magic lessons. So has Julia. It seems a lot of them get brought to Solvunn for some reason, if Rowena is also one, and that does seem to be what she's implying. ]
I can't say I have, no. This wasn't really a thing where I come from, at least not as far as I know...
[ Cait Sith's fortunes weren't really the same thing at all; those didn't seem to be anything more than a hokey gimmick.
Tifa places a hand on one hip and tilts her head. ]
That depends on the witch. Some will tell you that the cards hold the key to your future-- ( though her tone tells what she thinks of those witches: hacks, money-grabbers, people with little skill. whilst the cards did give you much it wasn't solely the cards ) They're a tool. Divination, insight, and clarity, though it also depends on what it is you're seeking.
( and that was half of the problem with witches that had little skill: they didn't ask the right questions, or those that they sought answers for had questions that needed more than just a little clarity for them )
I don't use them often but they can be a useful reminder.
[ It did seem farfetched that anyone could see into another person's future, and yet when there were other timelines in the mix, maybe there was some possibility of that. Tifa barely understood how that all worked, though, and it didn't necessarily apply here in Abraxas.
But Rowena does seem to be saying that certain witches have some ability to look forward and understand things. Maybe it's not the clearest look, but it's something. ]
You... wanted to try it on me? [ She tilts her head, her expression pinching slightly because she's not all that sure about it.
Then again, it's probably harmless, right? So long as neither of them read too much into it. ] Is this something you normally charge for? Because if so, I should definitely get you another drink first.
[ There's no straightforward way of paying people here in Solvunn, that much is true. Tifa still tries to keep to the bartering system however she can, though, and it seems only right when a service is being offered to her.
So with a nod, she strides back over to the bar, settling behind it as she starts to pull bottles out from under the counter or from the shelving unit behind it. ]
[ Oh, Tifa knows what whiskey is, and unlike the locals, she hasn't opted to limit herself to just beers and ales. ]
I think I can manage that.
[ She does indulge in a sly smile as she grabs for another bottle and a matching glass. She grabs for a large ice cube, compliments of Jack and his magic boxes, and then pours the brown liquid in, almost up to the rim.
She walks back over to Rowena's table and sets down the glass. If she tastes it, she'll find that it is in fact whiskey.
Tifa chuckles and sets a hand on her hip. ]
It helps to have a few magically-inclined people willing to help with the stock here.
( it's a relief to her that in a place this strange, in somewhere that's not quite to her tastes that at the very least a good drink exists. minus the ice cube, but that's something that she fixes when the drink gets brought over, a little magic to remove it from her drink )
I wouldn't have expected magic to have been part of this.
( if only because she's never had whiskey that's been made with magic involved before, though usually humans were alone in that )
Though I suppose if it didn't naturally exist here it may have needed it.
[ Tifa blinks when the ice cube just vanishes, but she doesn't question it. She's gathered that Rowena has some magic of her own, and if she'd rather drink the whiskey straight, that's her choice. ]
It makes things easier if we're missing the necessary ingredients for something and don't have a way to get our hands on them.
[ Trying to coordinate an import of drink components seemed like more trouble than it was worth, but Tifa still wanted to have most of the basic options for liquor on-hand in case people had a specific preference. Rowena has proved that was a worthwhile task to ask for Wanda's help with. ]
Anyway! You enjoy your drink, and if you want to do that reading, just let me know.
[ She doesn't want to rush Rowena, or put her on the spot. ]
[ On her wanderings Rowena may stumble upon a grisly, but not uncommon sight: a manshark indulging in his most basic instincts, the corpse of some large and now unidentifiable creature half eaten in front of him. Too large to simply shove down in gullet in one go, Nanaue has been tearing limbs off and eating them one by one.
Around him, three little feety fish scramble to pick up scraps.
Incongruous to the gore, the baby bipedal seal sits on a log, chewing on a piece of jerky. Baby notices Rowena first, turning its wide, black eyes on her with something like recognition on its usually unreadable expression. ]
( her own little fish senses the carnage as they get closer, little taps at her to beg, and it's the subtlest gesture from her that permits her little fish, one that's become incredibly fond of her through how well she's treated it. and away it hops, joining its friends to feast on the scraps that nanaue's leaving, a little of rowena's magic wordlessly cutting smaller pieces away from a part he's not yet eaten from.
despite the gore she's not disturbed by it, and whilst this isn't a scene that she'd usually find herself in (nor exactly enjoys) she can stomach it. she's seen and done worse.
she does wait until nanaue looks up, at least, before disturbing his feast )
( and whilst she did have fire magic she also preferred her meat a little less human. but he was enjoying it, as was her little fishy friend who was joining in with the scraps now )
I assume he won't be missed?
( she was starting to like you, nanaue, she didn't need you getting locked up )
( after dean's suggestion rowena is never alone when she travels to nocwich, making certain to plan the moment with someone before crossing over to keep herself safe. she can't risk meeting lucifer there, can't risk him after their meeting, afraid enough of the possibility even with dean's hope of a truce.
whilst rowena doesn't like admitting her vulnerability (and shrouds it as much as she can) it isn't the worst thing spending time in the markets with someone, seeing the place in their eyes, learning of things that she hadn't yet found out from someone who's spent more time in nocwich. and after castiel had bought her new clothes she's very high fashion as she walks through the streets. places that are most appealing to rowena in nocwich are the markets, lady elin's divinations (still closed, though she's nosy), and the woods for any of the flora there -- if someone accompanies her, though in return she would visit aspects that her "buddy" wishes to see )
( It's less by intentional design or with any real purpose in mind that the introduction happens. It's more that him and Geralt happen to be walking toward the Nocwich portal together around the same time, talking about some bullshit neither of them are likely to remember in fifteen minutes, and around the time they make it through to the other side the idea occurs to him.
He reaches over, absently swatting the dude in the chest with the back of one hand. )
Hey- you got anything going on right now? You feel like grabbin' a drink? I got somebody I want you to meet.
( It's been a while, hasn't it? Since he's thrust somebody new from his home into Geralt's lap with an unspoken hey, if you happen to see this person around and they're actively dying could you maybe step in or give me a heads up? It's partly that, partly always his instinct to bring the people he cares about together, so. Here they go, striding into the less crowded of Nocwich's drinking establishments.
It serves the secondary purpose of making sure Rowena's compliant with that whole buddy system thing for at least an hour or two, if she didn't take Dean's suggestion and conscript Julia or someone else from Solvunn into it. He'll pay for the first round for them both for humoring him, and introduce them with pleasant: )
Geralt, Rowena. Rowena, Geralt. Witch, Witcher. Everybody play nice.
[ Dean has become a casual presence for some time now, and so it's not unusual for them to get a drink wherever they happen to cross paths. It is unusual for Dean to suggest he's someone new he wants Geralt to meet. Not for months since the disappearances.
Curiosity piqued, Geralt tilts his head in acknowledgement. He doesn't ask questions, just follows with little more than a light cloak over his shoulders against the cold.
It is not, admittedly, what he expected. He'd presumed perhaps another hunter—maybe yet more angels (how many are there?)
His gaze roams over the woman. No doubt much older than she looks, being a sorceress. And if Dean has not bothered to explain what a Witcher is, Geralt certainly won't—but the distinct golden shine from his eyes suggests he's a touch more other than not.
Interesting. Dean had said once, offhand, that his brother was the witch of the family. Geralt had assumed it was not meant to be literal. Now he wonders if there's more to it. ]
( when dean had let her know of the plan rowena had actually been with someone, having a wonderful little time shopping (as judged by the small box that rowena places by her feet when she sits), though dean will note that she doesn't approach with anyone, figuring she could manage walking through the bar alone since dean was at the end goal.
so she sits, glancing over geralt, and though it's only the briefest look there's a lot that she can pick up about a man: like those gold eyes. she doesn't comment about dean's play nice, giving him a slightly fonder roll of her eyes (because they both know her too well by now) before keeping her attention on the other man )
A witch.
( it's a slightly pointed note of correction because whilst that's been a word that's damned her over the centuries it's also a point of pride for her. she's a witch, and whilst in hate or fear people might come out with other words for her she wants the right one when it matters.
dean also hadn't told her what a witcher was but she doesn't ask knowing she'll either learn as they go or she can ask later. clearly him being a witcher is a fact dean wants her to know but isn't the most important point of them meeting )
And Dean doesn't know many witches... that he hasn't killed.
( but there's no accusation there, just a casually stated fact, a jab somehow still in fondness... and she hadn't promised to play nice about dean, who else is she going to poke at? especially when she's definitely done worse to witches )
( Frankly, Gerald, he's perfectly content not seeing any more hunters or angels turn up here. The former's 50/50 on whether or not he could trust them around his people, the latter's 90/10 that they disrupt the delicate angel war ecosystem and screw up the truce for everybody. And besides, he's had enough "losing people, getting them back, losing them again" whiplash for one lifetime. He'd like to be done.
Rowena's easy enough to accept and integrate without too much dread. Somebody like Mary or Bobby, on the other hand... that would be harder.
Anyway, enough dwelling on all that crap.
He pulls a face at Rowena, flat and unimpressed, just a little bit defensive. His voice pitches up an octave higher when he retorts: )
I know a few!
( Don and Maggie Stark are still alive and weird. That bitch Claudette's still kicking. Daniela's alright. )
I usually only meet 'em because they're murdering people in gross... body fluid spewing... obviously witchy ways. It's not like I'm tracking down the ones that are just minding their own business. Anyway- shut up.
[ A witch. Geralt raises an eyebrow but accepts the correction. Fair enough. Most sorceresses on the Continent do not like being referred to as witches, but there are those outside of the Brotherhood—druids and old crones and mystical healers in small villages—who call themselves witches of the woods.
She doesn't strike him as a witch of the woods, though. Perhaps that's merely a hunch.
They haven't spoken much of magic and mages, he realizes suddenly. He and Dean, that is. He's beginning to sense their conception of magic diverges somewhat.
Still, his curiosity lies more with Rowena. ]
And what of you? Were you minding your own business?
( her expression is a little giveaway, a weeeell... because she had been, it's how she'd survived all of those centuries. until she hadn't.
oops? )
Dean found me after I killed a demon he seemed to want.
( honestly, killing that demon had been entirely a good thing. except what she'd done after had gotten their attention a little more. she blames the grand coven, if you bind her magic it's not her fault if her spells end up boiling people's brains. one off thing.
(not)
maybe she'd been less careful in those few weeks than before that, enough that it had gotten hunter attention. she'd wanted attention but not from them )
But then he found my magic quite useful and... here we are now. ( skipping many years, curses, ends of the world... and some attempts at killing each other )
( The way Dean's eyes roll to the ceiling suggests that he has some very strong opinions on how she summarized their whole first meeting, and it's all he can to do hold out his hands like woah, wait a second- )
Yes, okay, it started out with her magic being useful, but then a bunch of other crap happened, there was back and forth, it was a whole... saga that he's not gonna rehash right now. Gerald's attention span probably isn't up to the task. )
The point is, she almost never boils people's brains out anymore, and she and Sam had a whole- thing, so long story short, we're cool now. She died for us back home, but she's Queen of Hell now, so it kinda worked out.
[ Of course it's another demon. Oftimes, it seems as though there is nothing but demons in Dean's sphere. And witches, apparently. ]
Mm-hm. [ Almost. Geralt's tone suggests he is well aware neither of them are telling the story in full, and that he will let it go for now. He thinks he would like to hear the whole story, however, if only because Rowena sparks more intrigue in him than others have. And, in part, because she is the one of Dean's few friends who does not look at him as though he's a monster lurking in their midst.
Although...
He peers at the two of them for a moment. Deep confusion furrows his brows. ] I thought Lucifer was the Prince of Hell.
[ She can't be...Lucifer's mother. (Can she?) Perhaps she merely took threw a coup. ]
( the look that she gives dean is barely shy of a glare, because whilst dean might trust this man rowena does not, and she hasn't brought up the fact that she's dead at all, partly to hide it from lucifer, partly because her current situation feels very complicated. queen of hell, no longer currently dead and existing as a semi-damned soul.
it makes her almost miss the tone in geralt's question and though she doesn't know it she's very glad that he didn't voice the rest of his question. though he will note the strong unease in her as the topic shifts, her glare dropping (disarmed), a little surprise floating in, and some fear that she doesn't completely manage to hide )
Hell had no ruler when I took it. Lucifer... was dead at the time.
( and still is as far as she knows. there's too much that happened after she died and whilst dean's been filling her in it's a lot to go through )
My son was King once... ( she sighs, looking away from both of them, not realising that leaving her sentence there might only make geralt really think that lucifer is her son. but dean at least will know of the regrets that she has and the reason why he no longer was king )
( Hey, you know what's really awkward? Thinking about Crowley, former King of Hell, and knowing in the back of your mind you had an orgy with him, while having a drink with his grieving mother. Does everything in his life have to be constantly, deeply, unsettlingly weird?
He clears his throat, and for Geralt's benefit, leans over and quietly mutters some additional context: )
Different guy. Crossroads demon that climbed the ladder. It's a long story.
( A lot longer than that ladder, in fact.
He straightens up then, expression going a little more serious. )
That's part of why I wanted to introduce you. She's, uh- she's got kind of a history with Lucifer. The kind that probably ain't covered by our ceasefire, and I'm a little worried the hornet's nest might get stirred up again soon.
( The peace has been nice while it lasted, but. You know how it goes.
And then, aimed toward Rowena: )
Geralt's a good guy. He's family.
( Read: you can trust him — or, at the very least, if she's ever at a hallway with a T-intersection and her choices are Lucifer or a random yellow-eyed silk shirt model, choose the latter. )
[ A deeper squint. And he thought the Continent's royal politics were complicated. Well, no matter; it isn't as though there are such realms in existence here. Whatever titles they held back home, they don't much exist on this sphere.
Instead, his attention shifts rapidly to Lucifer. ]
That's too bad. I was enjoying not thinking about him.
[ Not since...hm. The year prior? Most of his conversations about Lucifer as of late have been through Istredd, anyhow, whose relationships Geralt will not comment on. Not for Istredd's sake but because it gives him a fucking headache to think on it too hard. It was only a matter of time before something of Lucifer's nature became a problem once more, he supposes.
Still, Dean is right that if Rowena needed his aid, he would be there. As much as he continues to keep to himself, where he can, that has steadily become less and less true over the years. His own family has grown a bit more than he expected. ]
( there's a significant pause in the conversation from rowena now that the topic has fully turned to lucifer before she very quickly downs the rest of her drink, putting the glass a little heavier back down due to the feelings this topic brings up.
whilst rowena doesn't know geralt she does trust dean and she also trusts when dean says that he's family -- she knows what that means, she knows the depths of it and it's why she tells geralt just enough of that history for him to understand more )
Lucifer has killed me before. ( twice she does not add, an unnecessary detail but clear enough on how rough that history of theirs is. and whilst her fear doesn't slip into her voice there's enough tension in her posture that it wouldn't be wrong to assume it ) And he would happily kill me again if he met me.
( she'd been a little more wishy-washy about it when she'd spoken to dean but she believed despite the truce that lucifer and dean had that he'd kill her. she wasn't part of it, even if she couldn't send him to the cage here.
she doesn't add any kind of sarcastic remark about how she'd love to not think about lucifer either, for once just giving a fact )
( The brief look he flashes to Geralt reads yeah, no kidding — but he's got the good grace not to say it out loud. It might give the impression that he blames Rowena for this, when he really doesn't. He's glad she's here, glad to see her, and always glad to look out for his people. It's his biggest drive in life, hands down.
But the quiet was nice for a while.
Anyway, more important is reaching over to press a gentle hand to Rowena's bicep, and firmly assure her: )
I'm not gonna let that happen.
( Not on his watch. He's tired of losing people. At least when they disappear from Abraxas, there's always the chance they'll come back — like Sam, like Cas. But dying here... dying here is something else, and it's where he draws the line. )
[ Geralt tilts his head, considering. Steadily, the pieces are falling into place. Dean says, She died for us, Rowena confirms Lucifer was responsible for her death. The story is taking shape.
But if Dean believes this truce (which, in truth, Geralt was not entirely aware was a formal truce; he'd assumed Lucifer simply had other things preoccupying him) is something Lucifer won't honour where Rowena is concerned, then...there must be a reason. A good one. As far as he knows, Lucifer was keen to kill Dean to begin with, too.
Extremely keen.
Still, he suspects he's pried enough out of a woman he's met for all of ten minutes. He saves the questions for another time. ]
It's doubtful he can breach the borders. If you're elsewhere, though... [ He's not certain Rowena wants a permanent bodyguard attached. Mages like her seldom do. Instead, he offers a neutral: ] There's enough of us within reach.
( though she doesn't quite smile her head lifts slightly, looking at him before she nods, understanding his meaning, grateful for it )
Well, Dean did have me promise to have an escort around Nocwich.
( though her tone starts as if it's such an imposition she somehow manages to end with a lighter note in her tone, starting to relax a little more again. rowena didn't hate the idea, she just hated part of it, but having a very attractive man on her arm would not be something to hate )
If we happen to be here together... you could escort me.
( completely innocent smile )
i think we can pretty much wrap this one up if yall like! mission accomplished.
( Oh, boy. He recognizes that look, okay, he's not an idiot — and he's also fully aware of the fact that, for whatever reason, Geralt's basically like catnip to spooky attractive Super Witches.
And so, quite abruptly, he points at the two of them accusingly. )
No sex in the bunker library. Those tables are for learning.
( she hasn't yet completely figured this out yet, not knowing how to protect it, how to keep aspects off-limits to the world, but rowena's horizon is a comfort to her: somewhere she'd settled and called home, had made her own, and somewhere that now was her domain, reimagined in her whims. somewhat.
though rowena brushes through her aspect of hell it's her apartment that she can be found in, perhaps sat at her desk flicking through the journal that she had there or making some notes, tidying her bookshelves a little, or making a hex bag. none of it's exactly real, she doesn't know if the magic of her hex bags would work here, but rowena does want to be prepared in case, sat on the floor of her apartment by a coffee table as she puts them together. and really, the practice is calming for her, familiar, something she knows well.
but she does also venture outside of her domain, a nosy curiosity about her, poking into other people's domains if she's able to (even uninvited), wanting to see just what else there is here, whether to know as caution or to find something useful )
( In her curious searching of the Horizon, Rowena will stumble across a few public domains. Istredd's library is notable, Dean's bar is an obvious choice, but perhaps the strangest of these public spaces is a shitty little gas station at the edge of a deep and ominous forest. It has the forgotten, slightly grimy air of an establishment that is not doing well financially, and on its own, might not be tempting enough to lure Rowena inside — perhaps she wouldn't even be willing to touch it with a hundred foot pole.
But being the unparalleled witch that she is, whether her powers are on the fritz or not, she's likely still adept enough to sense it: there is something off about this place. Even though it's a facsimile, even though this is not truly the same establishment sitting atop the same void rift as in Jack's reality, even though the rift itself does not exist like a splinter here... an echo of it does. Jack brought it with him.
He's a sponge for the radiation it emits. He's absorbed enough of it to power a demigod for a thousand lifetimes, and he is in the accidental habit of dreaming things into being. Incidentally, unintentionally manipulating reality just a tiny bit on the chaotic weirdness scale. All this to say, the Gas Station resonates with a pale shade of void rift energy, a nexus point, the ultimate crossroads, a cosmic dumping ground, a hole connecting realities.
And it is a very, very contradictory vibe to the completely innocuous, somewhat sleepless looking skinny guy sitting at the cash register, reading a book with a picture of a werewolf wearing an astronaut helmet on the cover. Werewolves on the Moon. It looks fucking awful, and he is so engrossed he doesn't even notice her enter. )
( it's the forest that draws rowena's attention first, not one to be dissuaded by a creepy vibe, the gas station avoided completely at first as her attention settles onto the trees and potential plants of another universe that she might see within. or another creature. and whilst nothing can be taken back to solvunn with her it's a familiar thing still.
except, the closer that rowena gets the more that she realises there is to the place and it makes her stop, her eyes glowing purple as she reaches out with her own magic, trying to properly feel what it is she's been able to sense. there's a strength of power, an alluring force, and it drags her towards the gas station instead, lighting like a beacon in her mind.
which is where she finds jack, ignoring everything around him except his book, and that's certainly one that she wouldn't at all touch. nor would she have come in here if she hadn't been looking for something.
when she speaks her eyes will be back to hazel in colour, though her expression is still tinted with curiosity, even if she really looks out of place here given her dress in comparison to how run down the shop itself is )
I'm sure you've had some confusion about this place.
( given some of the people she's spoken to they wouldn't have a clue what a gas station was )
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★ SOLVUNN
some days rowena can be found in the woods, foraging for herbs and plants to build up her stock, or meditating and communing with nature there. often her communing seems as if she's just stood there, her eyes closed, arms stretched slightly out with her palms pointed towards the ground.
there are other moments where rowena can be found with a tarot deck that she'd found, sometimes at the inn, sometimes sat around the settlement. she doesn't read for herself, not publicly, but rowena does have the cards out with her and to anyone that comes near or looks a little interested she would offer that question to: if they wanted to be read for.
somewhat begrudgingly, the recent celebration had gotten rowena more involved with the natives in the settlement and it's something that's continued. they're not awful (aside from how strongly they speak of the gods) and rowena does remember what a small community is like: she needs the people even if she doesn't want to admit it. so she keeps her ears open (or astral projects at times), eavesdropping for when someone may need help or be considering offering something to a god, offering that service instead. it may be a potion, a salve or a small spell. most of what rowena offers are protective enchantments, particularly after the hauntings, or offers her advice about magical and supernatural things, trying to worm into their favour for when she needs something.
and, no matter how often rowena tries to make the fish stay at home, she can be found with one of nanaue's feety fish following close behind her every step )
no subject
Even if she feels as if she should be doing more.
She's seen Rowena visit the inn a number of times now, though they haven't had the time to talk to each other one-on-one. Usually Tifa is busy or Rowena's chatting with someone else, but today the inn is pretty quiet — almost unnervingly so.
Tifa feels the need to break the silence, and so she stops by Rowena's table to give it a wipe down with a cloth. She's about to offer a drink, but then Rowena asks if she'd like a card read, and Tifa straightens up, blinking in quiet confusion. Queen's Blood is one thing, but... ]
Those are arcana cards, right?
no subject
( witches from her world, certainly, and she's already had some interesting discussions with locals that she's read for about the difference in them, about what the arcana represents to those that live here compared to how rowena interprets the cards )
Have you been read for before?
no subject
Wanda has referred to herself as a witch before, during their magic lessons. So has Julia. It seems a lot of them get brought to Solvunn for some reason, if Rowena is also one, and that does seem to be what she's implying. ]
I can't say I have, no. This wasn't really a thing where I come from, at least not as far as I know...
[ Cait Sith's fortunes weren't really the same thing at all; those didn't seem to be anything more than a hokey gimmick.
Tifa places a hand on one hip and tilts her head. ]
How does it work?
no subject
( and that was half of the problem with witches that had little skill: they didn't ask the right questions, or those that they sought answers for had questions that needed more than just a little clarity for them )
I don't use them often but they can be a useful reminder.
no subject
But Rowena does seem to be saying that certain witches have some ability to look forward and understand things. Maybe it's not the clearest look, but it's something. ]
You... wanted to try it on me? [ She tilts her head, her expression pinching slightly because she's not all that sure about it.
Then again, it's probably harmless, right? So long as neither of them read too much into it. ] Is this something you normally charge for? Because if so, I should definitely get you another drink first.
no subject
( mostly in that rowena is approaching the world differently. and that most seems to happen under trade rather than simple payment )
Though I wouldn't say no to that drink if you insisted.
( partly out of politeness, partly in that she really wouldn't say no )
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[ There's no straightforward way of paying people here in Solvunn, that much is true. Tifa still tries to keep to the bartering system however she can, though, and it seems only right when a service is being offered to her.
So with a nod, she strides back over to the bar, settling behind it as she starts to pull bottles out from under the counter or from the shelving unit behind it. ]
What's your preference?
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If you have something resembling whiskey, that'll be grand. Otherwise... something strong?
( did this woman even know what whiskey was? some of the locals didn't )
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I think I can manage that.
[ She does indulge in a sly smile as she grabs for another bottle and a matching glass. She grabs for a large ice cube, compliments of Jack and his magic boxes, and then pours the brown liquid in, almost up to the rim.
She walks back over to Rowena's table and sets down the glass. If she tastes it, she'll find that it is in fact whiskey.
Tifa chuckles and sets a hand on her hip. ]
It helps to have a few magically-inclined people willing to help with the stock here.
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I wouldn't have expected magic to have been part of this.
( if only because she's never had whiskey that's been made with magic involved before, though usually humans were alone in that )
Though I suppose if it didn't naturally exist here it may have needed it.
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It makes things easier if we're missing the necessary ingredients for something and don't have a way to get our hands on them.
[ Trying to coordinate an import of drink components seemed like more trouble than it was worth, but Tifa still wanted to have most of the basic options for liquor on-hand in case people had a specific preference. Rowena has proved that was a worthwhile task to ask for Wanda's help with. ]
Anyway! You enjoy your drink, and if you want to do that reading, just let me know.
[ She doesn't want to rush Rowena, or put her on the spot. ]
in the woods, cw: animal death, gore
Around him, three little feety fish scramble to pick up scraps.
Incongruous to the gore, the baby bipedal seal sits on a log, chewing on a piece of jerky. Baby notices Rowena first, turning its wide, black eyes on her with something like recognition on its usually unreadable expression. ]
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despite the gore she's not disturbed by it, and whilst this isn't a scene that she'd usually find herself in (nor exactly enjoys) she can stomach it. she's seen and done worse.
she does wait until nanaue looks up, at least, before disturbing his feast )
A fresh kill or one discovered?
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FREEEESH...
[ He continues gnawing on the bone for a half minute while the fish gobble up the shredded pieces, then: ]
WANT?
[ He holds the femur out to Rowena with a toothy smile that could be interrupted as kind, if not for all the blood and viscera. ]
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( and whilst she did have fire magic she also preferred her meat a little less human. but he was enjoying it, as was her little fishy friend who was joining in with the scraps now )
I assume he won't be missed?
( she was starting to like you, nanaue, she didn't need you getting locked up )
★ NOCWICH
whilst rowena doesn't like admitting her vulnerability (and shrouds it as much as she can) it isn't the worst thing spending time in the markets with someone, seeing the place in their eyes, learning of things that she hadn't yet found out from someone who's spent more time in nocwich. and after castiel had bought her new clothes she's very high fashion as she walks through the streets. places that are most appealing to rowena in nocwich are the markets, lady elin's divinations (still closed, though she's nosy), and the woods for any of the flora there -- if someone accompanies her, though in return she would visit aspects that her "buddy" wishes to see )
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He reaches over, absently swatting the dude in the chest with the back of one hand. )
Hey- you got anything going on right now? You feel like grabbin' a drink? I got somebody I want you to meet.
( It's been a while, hasn't it? Since he's thrust somebody new from his home into Geralt's lap with an unspoken hey, if you happen to see this person around and they're actively dying could you maybe step in or give me a heads up? It's partly that, partly always his instinct to bring the people he cares about together, so. Here they go, striding into the less crowded of Nocwich's drinking establishments.
It serves the secondary purpose of making sure Rowena's compliant with that whole buddy system thing for at least an hour or two, if she didn't take Dean's suggestion and conscript Julia or someone else from Solvunn into it. He'll pay for the first round for them both for humoring him, and introduce them with pleasant: )
Geralt, Rowena. Rowena, Geralt. Witch, Witcher. Everybody play nice.
( Nailed it. )
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Curiosity piqued, Geralt tilts his head in acknowledgement. He doesn't ask questions, just follows with little more than a light cloak over his shoulders against the cold.
It is not, admittedly, what he expected. He'd presumed perhaps another hunter—maybe yet more angels (how many are there?)
His gaze roams over the woman. No doubt much older than she looks, being a sorceress. And if Dean has not bothered to explain what a Witcher is, Geralt certainly won't—but the distinct golden shine from his eyes suggests he's a touch more other than not.
Interesting. Dean had said once, offhand, that his brother was the witch of the family. Geralt had assumed it was not meant to be literal. Now he wonders if there's more to it. ]
Dean didn't tell me he knew a mage.
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so she sits, glancing over geralt, and though it's only the briefest look there's a lot that she can pick up about a man: like those gold eyes. she doesn't comment about dean's play nice, giving him a slightly fonder roll of her eyes (because they both know her too well by now) before keeping her attention on the other man )
A witch.
( it's a slightly pointed note of correction because whilst that's been a word that's damned her over the centuries it's also a point of pride for her. she's a witch, and whilst in hate or fear people might come out with other words for her she wants the right one when it matters.
dean also hadn't told her what a witcher was but she doesn't ask knowing she'll either learn as they go or she can ask later. clearly him being a witcher is a fact dean wants her to know but isn't the most important point of them meeting )
And Dean doesn't know many witches... that he hasn't killed.
( but there's no accusation there, just a casually stated fact, a jab somehow still in fondness... and she hadn't promised to play nice about dean, who else is she going to poke at? especially when she's definitely done worse to witches )
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Rowena's easy enough to accept and integrate without too much dread. Somebody like Mary or Bobby, on the other hand... that would be harder.
Anyway, enough dwelling on all that crap.
He pulls a face at Rowena, flat and unimpressed, just a little bit defensive. His voice pitches up an octave higher when he retorts: )
I know a few!
( Don and Maggie Stark are still alive and weird. That bitch Claudette's still kicking. Daniela's alright. )
I usually only meet 'em because they're murdering people in gross... body fluid spewing... obviously witchy ways. It's not like I'm tracking down the ones that are just minding their own business. Anyway- shut up.
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She doesn't strike him as a witch of the woods, though. Perhaps that's merely a hunch.
They haven't spoken much of magic and mages, he realizes suddenly. He and Dean, that is. He's beginning to sense their conception of magic diverges somewhat.
Still, his curiosity lies more with Rowena. ]
And what of you? Were you minding your own business?
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oops? )
Dean found me after I killed a demon he seemed to want.
( honestly, killing that demon had been entirely a good thing. except what she'd done after had gotten their attention a little more. she blames the grand coven, if you bind her magic it's not her fault if her spells end up boiling people's brains. one off thing.
(not)
maybe she'd been less careful in those few weeks than before that, enough that it had gotten hunter attention. she'd wanted attention but not from them )
But then he found my magic quite useful and... here we are now. ( skipping many years, curses, ends of the world... and some attempts at killing each other )
It worked out for him.
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It's- that's oversimplifying it, it's- complicated.
( Is it, tho. Is it.
Yes, okay, it started out with her magic being useful, but then a bunch of other crap happened, there was back and forth, it was a whole... saga that he's not gonna rehash right now. Gerald's attention span probably isn't up to the task. )
The point is, she almost never boils people's brains out anymore, and she and Sam had a whole- thing, so long story short, we're cool now. She died for us back home, but she's Queen of Hell now, so it kinda worked out.
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Mm-hm. [ Almost. Geralt's tone suggests he is well aware neither of them are telling the story in full, and that he will let it go for now. He thinks he would like to hear the whole story, however, if only because Rowena sparks more intrigue in him than others have. And, in part, because she is the one of Dean's few friends who does not look at him as though he's a monster lurking in their midst.
Although...
He peers at the two of them for a moment. Deep confusion furrows his brows. ] I thought Lucifer was the Prince of Hell.
[ She can't be...Lucifer's mother. (Can she?) Perhaps she merely took threw a coup. ]
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it makes her almost miss the tone in geralt's question and though she doesn't know it she's very glad that he didn't voice the rest of his question. though he will note the strong unease in her as the topic shifts, her glare dropping (disarmed), a little surprise floating in, and some fear that she doesn't completely manage to hide )
Hell had no ruler when I took it. Lucifer... was dead at the time.
( and still is as far as she knows. there's too much that happened after she died and whilst dean's been filling her in it's a lot to go through )
My son was King once... ( she sighs, looking away from both of them, not realising that leaving her sentence there might only make geralt really think that lucifer is her son. but dean at least will know of the regrets that she has and the reason why he no longer was king )
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He clears his throat, and for Geralt's benefit, leans over and quietly mutters some additional context: )
Different guy. Crossroads demon that climbed the ladder. It's a long story.
( A lot longer than that ladder, in fact.
He straightens up then, expression going a little more serious. )
That's part of why I wanted to introduce you. She's, uh- she's got kind of a history with Lucifer. The kind that probably ain't covered by our ceasefire, and I'm a little worried the hornet's nest might get stirred up again soon.
( The peace has been nice while it lasted, but. You know how it goes.
And then, aimed toward Rowena: )
Geralt's a good guy. He's family.
( Read: you can trust him — or, at the very least, if she's ever at a hallway with a T-intersection and her choices are Lucifer or a random yellow-eyed silk shirt model, choose the latter. )
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Instead, his attention shifts rapidly to Lucifer. ]
That's too bad. I was enjoying not thinking about him.
[ Not since...hm. The year prior? Most of his conversations about Lucifer as of late have been through Istredd, anyhow, whose relationships Geralt will not comment on. Not for Istredd's sake but because it gives him a fucking headache to think on it too hard. It was only a matter of time before something of Lucifer's nature became a problem once more, he supposes.
Still, Dean is right that if Rowena needed his aid, he would be there. As much as he continues to keep to himself, where he can, that has steadily become less and less true over the years. His own family has grown a bit more than he expected. ]
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whilst rowena doesn't know geralt she does trust dean and she also trusts when dean says that he's family -- she knows what that means, she knows the depths of it and it's why she tells geralt just enough of that history for him to understand more )
Lucifer has killed me before. ( twice she does not add, an unnecessary detail but clear enough on how rough that history of theirs is. and whilst her fear doesn't slip into her voice there's enough tension in her posture that it wouldn't be wrong to assume it ) And he would happily kill me again if he met me.
( she'd been a little more wishy-washy about it when she'd spoken to dean but she believed despite the truce that lucifer and dean had that he'd kill her. she wasn't part of it, even if she couldn't send him to the cage here.
she doesn't add any kind of sarcastic remark about how she'd love to not think about lucifer either, for once just giving a fact )
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But the quiet was nice for a while.
Anyway, more important is reaching over to press a gentle hand to Rowena's bicep, and firmly assure her: )
I'm not gonna let that happen.
( Not on his watch. He's tired of losing people. At least when they disappear from Abraxas, there's always the chance they'll come back — like Sam, like Cas. But dying here... dying here is something else, and it's where he draws the line. )
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But if Dean believes this truce (which, in truth, Geralt was not entirely aware was a formal truce; he'd assumed Lucifer simply had other things preoccupying him) is something Lucifer won't honour where Rowena is concerned, then...there must be a reason. A good one. As far as he knows, Lucifer was keen to kill Dean to begin with, too.
Extremely keen.
Still, he suspects he's pried enough out of a woman he's met for all of ten minutes. He saves the questions for another time. ]
It's doubtful he can breach the borders. If you're elsewhere, though... [ He's not certain Rowena wants a permanent bodyguard attached. Mages like her seldom do. Instead, he offers a neutral: ] There's enough of us within reach.
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Well, Dean did have me promise to have an escort around Nocwich.
( though her tone starts as if it's such an imposition she somehow manages to end with a lighter note in her tone, starting to relax a little more again. rowena didn't hate the idea, she just hated part of it, but having a very attractive man on her arm would not be something to hate )
If we happen to be here together... you could escort me.
( completely innocent smile )
i think we can pretty much wrap this one up if yall like! mission accomplished.
And so, quite abruptly, he points at the two of them accusingly. )
No sex in the bunker library. Those tables are for learning.
( Especially you, Rowena. )
★ HORIZON
though rowena brushes through her aspect of hell it's her apartment that she can be found in, perhaps sat at her desk flicking through the journal that she had there or making some notes, tidying her bookshelves a little, or making a hex bag. none of it's exactly real, she doesn't know if the magic of her hex bags would work here, but rowena does want to be prepared in case, sat on the floor of her apartment by a coffee table as she puts them together. and really, the practice is calming for her, familiar, something she knows well.
but she does also venture outside of her domain, a nosy curiosity about her, poking into other people's domains if she's able to (even uninvited), wanting to see just what else there is here, whether to know as caution or to find something useful )
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But being the unparalleled witch that she is, whether her powers are on the fritz or not, she's likely still adept enough to sense it: there is something off about this place. Even though it's a facsimile, even though this is not truly the same establishment sitting atop the same void rift as in Jack's reality, even though the rift itself does not exist like a splinter here... an echo of it does. Jack brought it with him.
He's a sponge for the radiation it emits. He's absorbed enough of it to power a demigod for a thousand lifetimes, and he is in the accidental habit of dreaming things into being. Incidentally, unintentionally manipulating reality just a tiny bit on the chaotic weirdness scale. All this to say, the Gas Station resonates with a pale shade of void rift energy, a nexus point, the ultimate crossroads, a cosmic dumping ground, a hole connecting realities.
And it is a very, very contradictory vibe to the completely innocuous, somewhat sleepless looking skinny guy sitting at the cash register, reading a book with a picture of a werewolf wearing an astronaut helmet on the cover. Werewolves on the Moon. It looks fucking awful, and he is so engrossed he doesn't even notice her enter. )
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except, the closer that rowena gets the more that she realises there is to the place and it makes her stop, her eyes glowing purple as she reaches out with her own magic, trying to properly feel what it is she's been able to sense. there's a strength of power, an alluring force, and it drags her towards the gas station instead, lighting like a beacon in her mind.
which is where she finds jack, ignoring everything around him except his book, and that's certainly one that she wouldn't at all touch. nor would she have come in here if she hadn't been looking for something.
when she speaks her eyes will be back to hazel in colour, though her expression is still tinted with curiosity, even if she really looks out of place here given her dress in comparison to how run down the shop itself is )
I'm sure you've had some confusion about this place.
( given some of the people she's spoken to they wouldn't have a clue what a gas station was )