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Several of Rowanwood's residents enjoy a quiet afternoon.
January 14th, 2017
San Francisco, Rowanwood
Lucas had just called River and Noell over and is steering them both through the house to where Aidan is working on a potion. He'd told Aidan all about the new empathic witch he was helping to train but their schedules hadn't meshed right. For once though Aidan was working on something simple and far less likely to explode. At Least unless Lucas helped. For all his power Lucas didn't do well with potions at all.
Really potions very rarely exploded when Aidan didn't want them to explode. The dark haired witch was making it look really easy. His blue eyes are focused on the liquid that he was brewing. The potion was one of his sleeping potions. He enjoyed making potions. It was something that he was good at, and unlike most of the younger witches he was not exactly an active talent person. Humming softly to himself as he added ingredients.
Noell finds himself being led through the house (which he was still having problems navigating, given that he's only been there a few times) and ends up in a room with so many things that were way over his head. Being new is hard! Though, as he watches the stranger work on a potion, he instinctively steps behind River, almost as if he were hiding. After all, the last time he walked in on someone doing a potion, they got knocked clean out of their shoes and across the room.
River is still a little sniffly, but seems to be getting over his cold, as he follows along with Lucas and Noell. "What're we doing here again?" he asks, looking around the workroom. "Oh, hey Aidan. What's up?" He glances over whatever potion ingredients are nearby, trying to figure out just what the younger witch might be brewing up.
Lucas very carefully walks up behind Aidan and gives him a hug and a peck on the cheek, then blushing rather crimson breaks it off. "Noell this is Aidan. The best potion maker and Cutest witch to ever come out of Australia. Aidan this is the new witch I've been telling you about." Well at least they think he's a witch. so far they just know he's an empath. Lucas steps a little away from Aidan still blushing and his usual calming aura also includes a little bit of 'butterflies in stomach' for a moment until he can lock his emotions down.
The back door, the one leading to the courtyard, opens to admit a woman of indeterminate middle age. She's dressed in what might be an homage to 1950s house dress fashion, complete with heels and pearls, with a heavy shawl draped around her shoulders, a wide-brimmed hat tied to her head with a scarf, and a large basket of freshly gathered winter herbs on her arm. As she spots the group of boys, her lavender eyes light up a bit, and she greets them brightly, "Hello, my dears! Have you all come by for tea? We'll be having it soon--goodness, River, do you have a cold? I have just the thing for that!" She hardly pauses, bustling in and setting down her basket, shedding her hat and shawl (which she deposits neatly on a coat tree near the door), and then beginning to hang the bundles of herbs up to dry. All the while, she speaks in that same cheerful tone. "And, oh, you must be Noell! Lucas told me you'd be joining us--did he get you settled into a room all right? Of course he did, but I do like to check on these things." As she hangs up a bundle somewhat near Aidan, Nessa also remarks, "Oh, that looks lovely, dear--you really have just about perfected that one, haven't you?"
"It's my sleeping potion." Aidan says in his aussie accent. However, there was someone new present so the teen lifts his head a up to look at Noell rather curiously. "A pleasure to meet you Noell." He says smiling at the teen before he looks at Lucas,"Let's try and keep to the facts though. I'm not even as good as my mother was, so I'm sort of out of the best potion maker since mother was also from Australia." He pauses against to look at Nessa,"Well I had to get it down." He says cheerfully. Noell seems rather bashful at the moment, his attention on the floor and his fingers fretting with the edge of his jacket. As he looks to Nessa, his dark bangs swish to the side and clear, silver orbs rest on her face for a moment before he seems to snap out of his daze. "Thank you for having me, Madame," he says softly, his clear, neutral voice still heavy with his French accent. "I am, ah, settling in alright." He turns to Aiden and nods to him quickly. "It is...nice to meet you, as well." Noell is genuine about that, of course, but his eyes shift toward Lucas, then back to Aidan after a few seconds, and he tries to separate himself from the pair's mutual emotions. With reddened cheeks, he brushes the back of his hand subtly against River's with twitchy fingers. "A...sleeping potion?" he asks curiously.
River sniffles again, but he grins brightly. "Hi, Auntie Nessa! Yeah, I have a little cold, but I took a potion, so I'm not contagious, and I'm almost all better now." He suddenly throws his arm around Noell, his grin brightening further still. "And this is my not-yet-boyfriend, Noell. Isn't he cool? But he's way bashful, so I won't embarrass him anymore." And then he goes on to embarrass Noell even more by giving his cheek a quick kiss."
Lucas grins a bit at Aidan and wants to hold the his hand, but lucas knows better than to interrupt a potion. "Well okay you're the cutest. And keep in potion lessons with Aunt Ness and you'll be that good soon. "Hello Aunt Nessa. And yes this is Noell. " He just smiles content for the moment as most of the people her cares most about are all in the room. He does get his emotions back under control and flashes everyone a quick smile of apology for sending his emotions out for everyone to feel.
Nessa nods in agreement with Aidan, saying, "That's quite true, and so you have. It's always good to see a thing properly done." She moves on to another section of the room, taking the basket with her, and resumes hanging herb bundles -- each different type in a different part of the room, it seems. "I'm quite charmed to meet you, Noell, but please do tell River to behave himself if he starts to make you uncomfortable." She levels a fond yet slightly reproachful look at the elder Troy brother, adding, "He can be very enthusiastic about things. Also, he'll be having a cup of my honey ginger tea to help chase off that cold of his." The tea, which River and the other boys well know, also features garlic and cayenne pepper, so it can be a bit intense. As she finishes hanging this batch of bundles, she pauses to give Lucas' shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I also imagine there are some sandwiches and fresh fruit tarts, if anyone's hungry," she adds to her earlier offer of tea.
"A thing well done is always good." Aidan says smiling weakly,"And cutest is always a subjective thing." He says grinning at bit at Lucas before he takes the potion off to cool and walks over to Noell to offer a hand,"It's a good thing to meet you properly." He says casually,"I really am from Australia though." He says running fingers through his messy dark brown hair,"It's been awhile since I've met someone new."
Noell finds his head hanging bashfully as River slinks an arm around him and there's a peck to his cheek, though he makes no motion away from River and his lips turn up at the corner in a slight smile. To Nessa, Noell shakes his head slowly. "Ah, the pleasure is mine, Madame. River...does not make me uncomfortable." He looks toward Lucas with a fond smile, then turns his attention once more to Aidan, specifically at his outstretched hand. There's a pause as he takes in a deep breath, and he reaches out his own hand, engulfed in the sleeve of his slightly-too-large microfleece jacket, to quickly shake Aidan's hand without risking touching his skin. "It is nice to meet you, as well. Lucas speaks of you quite often, and with great kindness," he says as he slips his hand into the pocket of his jacket and teases his teeth at his lower lip. "I am from Quebec," he admits, his breathing quickening with nervousness. "Though, I am not sure if I quite...ah....belong."
River tightens his grip around Noell's shoulders. "Of course, you belong! Oooh, tea! Yeah, I could definitely go for a cup of your tea, Auntie Nessa. It's the bestest for making me feel better. Thank you." He steals another cheek-smooch, then peeks at Aidan's potion. "Oh hey, it didn't even explode! Good job, dude. My potions always explode at least a little. Too much cinnamon or ground pepper, usually. I never quite get a pinch to be just a pinch, ya know?"
Lucas smiles and reaches over to give a very soft reassuring pat to Noell's shoulder. "It's okay. It takes a while to get use to all this. The rest of us were born to it. We've had our whole lives to get used this world. You'll get used to having a family that's tied by something beyond blood." He grins again at Aidan, "Nope You're the cutest. Deal. With. It." Hrm hanging out with River again seems to be reviving his sense of humor.
Nessa sets down her basket and moves to usher River and Noell to the inner door. "River, take your new friend and get him some tea. And you have some of that ginger-honey tea for your cold! Make sure you offer him something to eat, too." Once the older two boys have been seen off, Nessa turns back into the room and sinks into a chair with a contented little sigh. "I should have brought some of that tea in here for us," she reflects, easing back into the chair. "Hm. What is it about this time of year that makes the afternoons feel so sleepy? All my life, I've wanted to nap on winter afternoons."
After a moment, though, she gets back to her feet. "Well! I think I'll go and see to that tea, after all. You're all welcome to join us in the kitchen when you're ready." She smiles fondly at them all, then makes her way back toward the kitchen, taking her basket with her.
"I think it has to do with a body's desire for sunlight." Aidan says looking towards Nessa for a moment before he blushes a bit at Lucas,"Maybe to you." He says smiling at the other boy before he looks at Noell,"You belong as much as any of us. This is pretty much a ragtag bunch of folks here." He says with a bit of a laugh,"As far as the potions go, I think you're adding a little too much too fast or at the wrong point if you're getting explosions."
River Troy nodnods to Aidan, letting his arm drop from Noell's shoulders, but taking his hand instead. "Prolly. I get a little impatient sometimes, so I add stuff too soon." He shrugs a bit, then grins once more. "I'll get it eventually! But right now, that tea sounds good. Wanna come get some tea with me, Noell? Not the cold-fighting tea, but something nice and comforting and soothing. C'mon!" Grinning like a lovesick puppy, he starts tugging Noell toward the door, and eventually, the kitchen.
Noell still looks unconvinced of his place with everyone, as he hadn't actually done anything witch-worthy yet, but he finds himself smiling to Aidan and Lucas both. "I am glad to be here with kind people," he says, his cheeks instantly flushing as River takes his hand. Whether it is from River's emotions and prerogatives, or from his own desires to be around River, the second the other witch touches his skin, his mind is more-or-less made up. "Ok," he answers promptly without truly thinking over what he was being asked. Luckily, they were just heading a few feet away for some tea! The lithe fellow smiles sheepishly to Aidan and Lucas, lifting a hand as he is tugged behind River.
Lucas smiles and wraps his arm around Aidan as the others all start to go. A Blush much like Noell's on his own cheek, "Let me help you finish cleaning up and we'll go join everyone?" He holds on just a moment then starts to help Aidan get things ready to decant the potion and clean up after.