The Elemental Witches

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A small sensation that he got when their hands met told him that the information on her Element was correct. It was definitely Earth. Hand released, he wrapped it protectively around the book he had been holding, both hands now once more clutching it to his chest. "It will be my sixth year of being here this February." He resisted a sly smile at her comment. "Not many people know I exist..." He sounded sad as he told her this but was actually quite satisfied with himself. Not being noticed was one of his highest achievements during his stay here, aside from being an information broker and sabotaging any mission he was allowed on. He continued on, a bit move cheerily adding, "I'm usually in the training hall, or studying." His eyes flicked over his book, but made sure to hide the cover so she wouldn't see just how far ahead he was trying to learn. He could barely do half of the things that the book suggested a fully unlocked witch, or warlock, could do, but it was understandable and still did him good to memorize the knowledge, even if he couldn't use it just yet.
 
Kelly's eyes widened when he told her of how long he'd been here, followed by his sadness about going unnoticed. She knew the feeling well. Maybe she understood him a little more than he thought. Then he told her of his usual hangout and she smiled. "I know what you mean about going unnoticed. The same thing happens to me all the time. I've gotten used to it though. Anyway, there's a training hall here? I'm sorry but this place is really huge and I'm not much of an explorer. That must be why I haven't seen you before. What's your element?" Kelly asked, swiftly crawling out of her shell with each sentence she spoke.
 
Cohen all at once relaxed, losing the sense of nervousness from before now that they had left the topic of him and were getting into more general things. His Element was something anyone could learn just by watching him for long enough a period of time, or by just looked up his performance and registration records. "There are actually five halls," he raised one hand and stretched out his fingers, bending each one as he listed them off like a child might, "Fire Hall, Water Hall, Air Hall and Earth Hall. There's also a Main Hall where anyone can go to practice together." He looked around them, glancing over his shoulder as if preparing to tell Kelly a great secret. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, he let go of the book with one hand and showed the girl his empty palm. His eyes closed half way, lids flickering as his breathing slowed to an almost non-existent speed. In his mind, he saw a yellow light that was his life force travel from the crown of his head, following the path of his veins until they reached the center of his chest and collided with a dull blue light. Cohen inhaled suddenly, a shuddering breath expanding his lungs as a true smile of enlightenment dawned his features momentarily before he smothered them away. Only a small smile remained and it was only because he allowed it to stay. A rod of water bubbled up from his palm, slowly at first but quickly rose up to three feet in height, then it would fall back into his palm in time for more to rise up in the previous water's place. "My Element's Water," he said softly, voice blending in with the sound of the flowing liquid. It took a fair amount of concentration and energy to keep the display up, but it wasn't exhausting and he could probably keep it up for half an hour. A full one at the most. "What's your Element?" he asked curiously with an innocent expression, as if he didn't already know.
 
Kelly was glad that Cohen could relax enough to tell her of the 5 main halls. She watched his expression grow secretive and then he began to concentrate, slowing his breathing before he inhaled sharply and smiled. Kelly watched in awe as a pillar of water rose from his palm and fell again. It kept dancing like a fountain would as he smiled. Kelly's lit up at the beautiful way the water moved on his hand and his voice changed with his magnificent element. His water continued to dance when he asked of her own element.
She decided to put up her own display. She wasn't superb yet, but she could still use the earth. So she closed her eyes as Cohen's mist blew softly onto her skin. She felt for her element inside her and redirected the green in her veins to her right hand. She pulled it up slowly, concentration furrowing her brow and pursing her lips as a small stem grew from the center of her hand. It was alive and climbing steadily until a small yellow bloom opened, blossoming brightly before his icy eyes. The sugar in Kelly's very blood fed the plant and small spheres of soil and rock rose to levitate in a circle around the simple flower. She could only keep it from withering until her blood sugar fell to dangerous levels. Then she'd have to eat a lot of sugary foods to recover. She knew. It was no fun.
Kelly's gray eyes opened and met Cohen's. She could feel every droplet of his water that landed on the petals of the living being growing from her palm and from there, she could taste it on the back of her tongue. It was refreshing. It showed just how connected to it she was. It was a part of her. Like an extra limb on her soul. Unbeknownst to her, the flower absorbed the water droplets and suddenly, there was a miniscule piece of his inner element that joined with hers. She would soon understand why Water and Earth mixed so well..
At the cool touch of his element, she sighed contentedly and opened her eyes. "Earth."
 
Cohen watched Kelly's display of her Element with an intensity that surpassed most of his normal behaviours. It had been a long time since he had been allowed to gaze at the usage of Earth in a slow and peaceful environment, without being in a situation where he was being attacked from such plants. This was different. Calm and deliberate. The show of life and death within the being of a small flower. It filled him with a want. A want to be able to control such forces as well. He desired it badly. "Lovely..." he whispered softly. He tore his eyes away from her creation and focused back on his own, allowing it to slowly decrease its intensity until it was little more than a puddle of water in his hand. Most of it had been returned to the air around them, turning the immediate atmosphere moist. He broke the connection with his core and shook the residue from his fingers, taking a step back from Kelly with a shy smile on his face
 
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Kelly smiled modestly in response to his softly spoken compliment. He got rid of his display and she did the same, turning the spheres of dirt into dust and reabsorbing the flower in a reverse process of its growth. Something felt off when it dissipated inside her, but she ignored it. Nothing to worry about. She clapped her hands together, wiping off the residual dust on her hands.
"That was amazing Cohen. What's it like to be a water user living here? 6 years wow...do you enjoy it?" Kelly asked, swiping her bangs out of her eyes.
 
"Just a job interview," he said dismissively, raising his eyes to meet hers. He began to analyze her, but stopped himself before getting to far. The man would keep his suspicions to himself. Of course, he had a little seed of paranoia that anyone and everyone could be a witch, out to get him, but that was the price for living in the middle --having to look over one's shoulder all the time.

He was pretty good at hiding his insecurities though. The man gave her another smile, and asked, "Could you get me something to drink? Surprise me." He sounded confident, as usual. But an experienced ear may have noticed a hollowness in his question that hinted at how busy his mind was behind a mask of affability.
 
The air witch, Adelaide, went in search for a couple others to help her track and bring in Clarity. It was of up most importance. Theodore was very insistence on the matter. He acted....strange when they talked of her. She there was more to it than he said, but that didn't matter right now and there wasn't time to question him on it.

She terraced her steps back to where she last seen Kelly. Not having been on an assignment with the woman, she wanted to work with her on this, see how she did. It seemed like any good idea to get to know her. This way she woukd be sure to get to know her and also work. Maybe she could another witch or two to go with them too. The more help, the better it would be. Always expected the worse. That was what she learnt. Warlocks were bad about springing surprises. This was one thing she didn't want to chance.
 
"Job interview?" So the mysterious, somewhat-creepy man is jobless. "How'd it go?"

Though talking to the man didn't top her 100-things-she-wanted-to-do list, it was her job to be friendly and, sometimes, flirtatious. Whatever gets the customers coming back, right? It is with that attitude that she turns to pour him a dark beer...Guinness was what it appeared to be. As she works, the female tilts her head just slightly so she could continue keeping eye contact with the stranger...a sign that, yes, she's still paying attention to him. Despite her accommodating personality though, Clarity's mind is calculating and analyzing the male's every expression, including the hint that his own mind was racing.

He's definitely hiding something, but... Clarity dismisses the thought. What he's hiding is of no importance to her unless she's going to be dragged into it and what are the chances of that happening?

"Here's something to take the edge off." The bartender slides over the perfectly-poured beer to the male. She's been working this job for quite a number of years and she's proud to always deliver excellence in every regard, including presentation. Wiping her hands from residual alcohol with a clean cloth, she awaits the male's response. "Did you want something to eat as well? Wings are on special tonight. Fifteen cent wings."
 
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Cohen pondered the question, pressing a finger into his cheek and leaning against it in pretend thought. Life here for him was almost the opposite from the life that he had left by coming here. The same number of rules, the same suspicious looks whenever someone chanced to look at him, the same spacious room and the same urges of greed. However, here he wasn't allowed to have what he wanted, he wasn't allowed to dry the blood in the witches' veins, he wasn't allowed to practice on living creatures and here he was not in command of the residence. "As a Water user, it feels... containing. Like a glass that prevents us from using our Element to the most that we can. You know? It's kinda hard to explain. I guess it's just precaution though so we don't misuse it and end up as some kinda Warlock or something." At the question of if he enjoyed his stay at the Coven so far, he simply shrugged, staring at her. What was there to enjoy? You could never do anything you wanted, you were sent on tasks now and then, where you were most likely risking your life in order to 'save' someone from the Warlocks. It was suffocatingly maddening. The pay was alright though and you had almost unlimited access to study materials, but that was it. "Not really," he said quietly, braking eye contact. They immediately flicked back to hers though. "What about you, so far?"
The water drops on the ground shook slightly as the vibrations from someone approaching broke their stillness. That was all they told him though, before either being absorbed into the ground beneath them or further evaporation into the air. The hairs on the back of Cohen's neck rose slightly in preparation for some kind of voice or body to suddenly appear, as his back was facing the door, so he would be last to see them.
 
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Kelly was a little disheartened over what Cohen had to say about living at the Witch Mansion, but she had enjoyed her stay. "I like it here. I've never really had a place where I belonged. So, unlike you, I feel kind of...free. The human world was no good to me, but since I've been here, sheltered, fed,..safe, things are better. I like having the opportunity to help people who are in the same situation I was. It gives me something to do with my life." Kelly gave a small laugh at her last sentence. She wondered why Cohen didn't like it here. And if he felt that way, why would he stay for so long? "Why don't you like it here? Don't you want to help the Witches in trouble with Warlocks? If it's so restraining, why would you stay for so long?" Kelly cocked her head to the side a bit.
 
Cohen allowed a light blush to come over his face at her questions, looking down at Kelly's feet now, bangs of blonde hair masking his plotting eyes. "Of course I want to help to Witches..." he mumbled rather indignantly. "It just feels like they don't allow you to reach your full potential here." He wrapped both arms cross his chest as a small shiver seemed to momentarily overtake him. "I stay here because there's only one other place that I could go, and I never want to go back there. Ever."
 
When Adelaide reached the library she took a deep breath before turning the knob and pushing the door open. Her only hope was Kelly would still be there. Her orders were not to do this alone.

As the door opened she barely caught the last part of Cohen sentence. His back was to her and Kelly stood acrossed from him. She let a out a sigh of relief, thankful she didn't have to hunt for her.

She clearer her throat so they wouldn't be caught off when she spoke. "Excuse me. Can I have a minute?" She asked, standing inside the doorway.
 
"Eh. Well enough, I guess," he said. The interview itself went well, but he was still uncomfortable. He had to use the same name, every day, for work if he got this job. He'd be forced to use the name Jack Sullivan everywhere else in this town as well, in case a co-worker happened to pick up on his name somewhere. Jack would just have to hope that he hadn't given another name to anyone around town.

He noticed the perfect presentation and nodded appreciatively before taking a sip. "Nice choice," he noted, in a voice directed only to the blonde. Jack took another drink before replying to her offer.

"Sure. I'll take the wings."
 
Adelaide's voice seemed to snap Cohen out of whatever memories he had been 'remembering'. He stood straight at attention, eyes innocently wide as he gave a quick nod and an immediate, "Of course," in answer, after turning around to face the Air Witch. He was not going to act like a frightened field mouse and scurry off now. The usefulness of such an act had already come to pass a few minutes ago, gaining him a 'companion' of sorts. Now was the time for obedient Cohen.
 
"Hot, honey garlic, or barbecue?" Clarity leans in just a tad to whisper with a friendly smile, "I personally enjoy the hot wings." The female bartender then straightens, just before loud shouts of "YEA!" explode through the bar. It would appear the home team has just scored a point in one of the highest anticipated football games of the year. The crowd's enthusiasm brings a grin to the girl's lips and, joining the excitement, she whoops and whirls her clean cloth above her head a couple rounds.

Gaze then dipping to the male once more, she offers him that same contagious smile. "You watch sports?" A tilt of her head seeks to direct his attention to one of the many flat-screen televisions in the room. Currently, there's it's showing flashes of the replay, to which the crowd still seems to be rather stirred up about.
 
Adelaide looked between the two a moment before speaking. Something seemed off, though she couldn't put her finger on it. Shurgging it off and assuming it was only her imagination, she then said, "I have... you could call it an assignment." She looked to Kelly. "Care to join me on this?" She asked the earth witch with a faint smile. "Of course, I'll need a few more on this one." At that statement she glanced to Cohen, as if to say he was welcome to join as well.
 
Cohen stood at attention with his arms on either side of him, book pressed against his thigh. He smiled brightly at Adelaide's offer, giving her an enthusiastic nod of his head that left a generous amount of his blonde bangs veiling his eyes. "It would be my pleasure," he assured her brightly. Now he would get to participate first hand in whatever mission it was the the girl and the Coven's Boss had decided to put into action.
 
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"Oh, um yes. Of course. I'll help any way that I can." Kelly responded. She didn't ind the interruption. Adelaide seemed to be a very important witch around here. She had an air of confidence with everything she did. Kelly admired that because she was nervous to go on her first mission. Of course, she had to start somehow and she knew she shouldn't be worried. She used to do this all the time for the kids at the orphanage. Defend and protect. It's what she does best. So, she gave Adelaide and her new acquaintance Cohen tentative smiles. "Do you need anybody else for this mission, besides me and Cohen? And what are we doing exactly?" She asked, her gray eyes back to Addie.
 
"Yea, I do sometimes." A half-smile accompanied his reply, noting his general interest. It was only an occasional pastime of his. Unlike other customers at the bar, he definitely wasn't a devoted fan. The enthusiasm radiated from the others in the room was contagious though, and his smile grew.

Eyes focused on the television screen, he absentmindedly answered the bartender's previous question. "Hot wings are good."
 
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