this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
So it turned out not doing things the way he was used to was super duper hard. Trying not to stick in an alley and proposition people was a nightmare, and he was very stressed and high strung, and therefore he was occasionally hiccupingbubbles. Which was even more annoying. Anass didn't make it a habit of making a fool of himself, so he was wondering what he was even doing out and about at this time of day when he usually didn't even get out of bed until the sun sank deep into the sky.
Oh right, turning over a new leaf or some bullshit.
He pressed his fingertips into his eyes as he weaved through the midday crowds rather easily, Poppy perched on his shoulder. She was quiet for once, her nagging surprisingly not in his ear. Maybe it was because she was the reason they were out. She wore a tiny little sweater with a hole in it and - dear the heavens - it was the flippin' reason they were out.
Poppy wanted a gods damned bird sweater. Why was Anass sinking his hard earned cash into bird sweaters? He had no freaking clue. But he was. The thought made his head spin and he slowly shook it, hiccuping another bubble and grinding his teeth as a passing teen giggled. He wanted to throttle someone, but kept his composure as blood rushed in his ears.
That was when his shoulder knocked into someone, displacing Poppy who trilled with displeasure and took to the air, flapping desperately and hovering in the air.
Post by ashanti verna on Apr 28, 2017 12:32:22 GMT
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Carrying the pieces of scattered glass inside a little pouch, Asha attempted to navigate downtown Sundial in search of a capable enchanter. Or a transfigurations expert. But she wasn't exactly happy about it. She hadn't been able to do the thing herself despite taking on the responsibility. Polaris had argued that the most reasonable thing was to pay the fare to get the statue fixed as she would technically be 'doing it herself.' But Asha' own incapablility vexed her, to the point where she wasn't really looking where she was walking.
She slammed into someone (and not the kind of oops I brushed into you slam, either) and immediately clutched her head. She felt dizzy and wobbled backward, shouting an "Ow, ow, ow!" as she went.
She heard a similar exclamation of pain -albeit, more profane- from the person she'd bumped into and cracked open her eyes to give them a casual glance over. She flashed the man an apologetic smile. "Ah, Im sorry, it was my fault!" She hoped the man wasn't the kind to shout, because she didn't want to make a scene. Not like that was possible here downtown, considering everyone was so busy you could probably mug someone and get away with it.
"Are you okay?" she asked good-naturedly, trying not to be swallowed by the current of voices and noises of the street
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
Someone else knocked shoulders with Anass as they passed, a taller man as opposed to the slighter female that he'd crashed into, and this time Anass was more....crass with his frustration. He scowled and shoved the guy with a glare, who glared back but continued on his way. Huffing and brushing himself off he carefully glanced over the girl and momentarily mentally blanked. How did one talk to a female? He'd been approached by females in his previous....profession before but he'd brushed them off with a simple proclamation of his sexuality and they'd left him alone. He figured this time blurting "I'm gay" when she was apologizing wouldn't really be contributing to the conversation though so ....that was a no go.
He realized he'd been silent and staring at her for too long to be comfortable (and unblinking at that) so he blinked and shook his head slightly, turning down his gaze.
"It's fine. You okay?"
Poppy settled back down on his shoulder and he glared at her, brushing her off and watching her flutter nervously in the air before landing on his head. He grumbled but allowed her to nest there, scowling something fierce. He wasn't exactly....he wouldn't call it a fondness for his familiar. They had an odd relationship that was for sure. He digressed though. Turning his attention back to the female in front of him he wondered if he should introduce himself, but found he really didn't care to. She was just another face in the crowd after all. But what was she.... before he could control himself, he found himself blurting out-
Post by ashanti verna on Apr 28, 2017 12:53:01 GMT
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Asha looked at the male expectantly and cringed slightly when someone else bumped into him almost right after she did. What made her eyes go wide was how he shoved and cursed the person out, and how the person seemed to take it with a bucket of salt and just walk away. It felt like she was all the way back in the big city of Mirrorlight, and honestly she could do nothing but blink and brace herself for the worst.
She expected some form of shouting, but when she peeked one purple iris out of its eyelid, all she saw was the man looking (er, staring) right back at her. Unblinkingly. Asha looked back curiously before an awkward, half-hearted smile graced her lips. "Er..."
She heard Polaris grumble and ask if she wanted him to come out. But she told him no because she'd gotten into trouble for bringing out her giant polar bear in public before. "Ah yes!" She blinked when he did. "I mean, I'm okay."
"Oh, uhm, about that. Are you a witch?" Despite everyone being a witch, when asked like that the question usually meant are you learning as a witch of a coven? "Or maybe you're from around here, so you know some enchanters? Or a transfiguration expert?"
She laughed nervously. "Well, you see, I'm in a bit of a pickle..." She grumbled mentally about having to ask for help, but Polaris told her the end result would be worth it. She could only hope he was right, and that the stranger would take the hint and move to some place less crowded. Or shrug her off.
She was used to being shrugged off, she thought bitterly.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
Was.....what? He gave her a strange look for the question, wondering if she'd maybe hit her head a bit harder than he thought. He had to formulate a response, and took the few seconds to reach forward and...ew...grabbed her arm and gently "escorted" her to the edge of the crowd so they wouldn't be bowled over by the crowd. He let go of her as quickly as possible. Touching people wasn't his forte, it still gave him the heebie jeebies.
"Everyone is a witch."
He said carefully, with great deliberation. Were all girls like this? This was exhausting. He clearly wasn't used to being asked such a thing, and seemed desperately confused, but very unwilling to answer the question further. If she was asking about his coven he wasn't comfortable sharing that, that was too personal for a first meeting. Especially an accidental run in.
"Uh....yeah. Actually there was one in the direction you came from was he closed?"
He leaned his weight on his right leg and shoved his hands in his pockets, craning his neck above the crowds and spotting the store he was heading to. It was.....across the fucking street.
Amazing.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and when Poppy trilled sweetly he batted at the bird with great annoyance, causing her to cry out and fly off his head, leaving behind a great mess.
"Fuck off Poppy. We'll get your stupid god damned sweater just shut up. Anyway a pickle? Did you really just call your problem a pickle? Well what kind of pickle are you in?"
Post by ashanti verna on Apr 29, 2017 13:22:39 GMT
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"Ha--"
Asha was usually never caught off guard by people, but when the gruff and...grumpy man just grabbed her hand to escort her away she ended up staring at the hand oddly like it was out of place. The initial surprise faded and she blinked as she stared on. She wasn't opposed to being dragged around, hell she often touched and jumped about strangers. But this was just. Awkward. On a whole new level.
She stared at him, frown deepening. "Yeah, that's not... what I... meant...Well if you don't want to say that's fine, too." She wasn't used to being met with such a response, everyone usually cheerfully responding with Jester's Den or some other, smaller coven.
"Oh yeah, I saw it. I asked around, apparently, the owner isn't in town. Is there one further down or..?" She shrugged nonchalantly. Surely the infamous Downtown Sundial had more than just a single small room enchanting shop to satiate her curiosity. The pout didn't quite leave her face. Something was just awkward and off about the whole interaction. As someone used to fast paced (if not one-sided) conversations, being lulled into someone else's pace was quite off-putting.
She blinked and looked a little startled when the witch swatting away at what she thought was her familiar. Automatically, her hand reached out for the poor bird, trying to give it a place to perch. "Hey!" She said, glaring at the man. "My pickle can wait. That's no way to treat your familiar."
Maybe she was overstepping her bounds, maybe she was misreading the situation. Maybe she had just caght offguard by the man's profanity. Or maybe the man looked so awkward and tired and she just wanted to wake him up.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
At this point Anass just wanted a crack in the ground to split open and swallow him up. This was all becomming just too much for him to handle and he could feel a headache beginning to form behind his eyes from a combination of the persistent sunlight, Poppy's trilling, and the girl's awkward chatter. He felt like revealing his coven was revealing an awful lot about himself, especially with the kind of reputation his coven had. So he stood in awkward silence and let her do the talking. He glanced around, especially since transfiguration and enchanting wasn't really his forte, and puffed out his cheeks.
Then she kind of .....threw him an attitude about his own familiar.
He felt something inside him building up. A sort of tidal rage that overwhelmed him and stole his breath for a few seconds. He stared at her slightly bewildered, lips pursed and eyes hardening. Poppy however, settled on her. The rock martin felt perfectly at home perching on Ashanti's hand, raising a wing and shaking it at Anass with a sweet trill, surely giving him some sort of lecture.
He was honestly about to tear her a new one. Maybe that'd teach her a lesson about assuming shit about other people.
Then he hiccuped a bubble. And then another. And another. And another.
The stress of the conversation was getting to him and he covered his mouth firmly, whirling around and crouching down in the mouth of the alley he'd pulled them toward. He bent over, shoulders shaking with the force of each hiccup, bubbles escaping his fingers and dancing colorfully in the air. His face was red, his eyes tired.
The plump little bird rested on her hand, to wich Asha smiled and tilted her head to the side. The bird's trilling was soft and pleasant, and for a few seconds her stare became intense and passionate, like the bird was the only thing that existed in the world and everything else could blur away and be forgotten. Polaris called the stare creepy, but Asha preferred the word charm.
At least, that was her intention until she turned to see silent, undeniable rage written all over the boy's face. A sinking sensation filled her stomach, and for a bit she felt like she was about to get attacked by a wild animal. Her eyes met his in a sudden clash, her pupils going wide...and then he hiccupped.
"Eh...?"
Bubbles started flying out of his mouth, one by one in a child-like fit. She had heard things about immature witches or even adolescents coughing or accidentally blurting their element out like this. Maybe he was sick? He did look sick, now that she thought about it. Red face, tired eyes...Maybe she was too harsh on him.
"H-hey! Are you okay?" She reached out trying to touch him, give him support or anything at all, but the unease had settled in her stomach. "Listen, are you sick?"
Asha's mind whirred with uncertainty. Hiccuping bubbles? What kind of symptoms were those? Uncontrollable element bursts. Wasn't that something that happened when a witch was first hearing the voice of their familiar? Then again, it could be something a lot more serious. She had no medical certificate, but she knew something was wrong and that she wanted to help.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
Admittedly, Poppy got a little freaked out. She flapped her wings after a few seconds of staring, though she didn't fly off. She trilled sweetly, hoping to break whatever spell was on this strange girl until she turned away. When Anass started his fit, she took to flight and hovered over him, ending up nesting in his hair again as he shook and shivered. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the rising panic and overwhelming emotions in his chest, but it was...hard.
Are you okay, was she for real? No he wasn't freaking okay he was hiccuping bubbles! He glared at her weakly, eyes streaming from the force it took on his ribs and how sore his lungs were getting. His glare eventually turned into something a bit more resigned, very tired, as he slowly stopped. One last bubble escaped him and he panted against the sidewalk, palms pressed down into cool cement. Poppy trilled sweetly from his head, brushing a wing against his forehead, and Anass leaned forward to touch his forehead against the pavement. She hops onto his back and he sits for a second, regaining his breath.
"Y'know."
He starts off slow, and this might hurt her but he's gotta be honest.
"You girls are a lot more trouble than you're worth."
He raises his head to give her a decidedly unimpressed stare. Was he sick? No this just...happened a lot. Did he explain himself? No, she probably didn't really actually know if anything was wrong with that. But still, he hesitated.
"Do people just not do that? With their elements?"
Asha's face grew more and more distraught, looking helpless as the man turned from angry predator to unknowing victim. The bird left her hand to help its master, and her hands clasped around eachother as fear took hold. She thought for a few seconds that she was witnessing someone die slowly, on the inside and out, but the profound thought left her as he hiccupped the last of his bubbles. She fell to the pavement with him, kneeling over with her hands supporting her as she closed the distance quickly.
"Hey I--"
Asha glared at the way he interrupted her, peeved before her eyes and mood melted at his next words. "Oh yeah?" she asked, the insult absorbed into her thick skin. "I don't want to hear that from someone who hiccups bubbles and collapses onto the pavement a minute after I meet him."
Anything to lighten the mood.
He looked at her with an unimpressed glare and she responded with a toothy, half-nervous and half-hopeful smile. He didn't seem like the type to smile back, but for Ash that was more of a challenge and less of an observation.
Asha's gaze hardened when he asked her such an unfathomable question. "Are you kidding? I thought you were going to die." Well, that was an exaggeration. Or maybe not. She was overdramatic, but right now she needed to brief the man on the gravity of his situation.
"Are you telling me this happens all the time? People only do this when they're like...thirteen, or something!" She hadn't been sure of this fact mere seconds ago. Yet his uncertainty evoked a kind of certainty from her, even though it hadn't been there mere seconds ago. It was the kind of way despair begets hope, but in a less dramatic sense. "We need to find you an alchemist, or a therapist, or someone." She looked to the crowd, trying to scan for a sign towards a nearby remedy store. But then she looked back at the man. He just looked...tired. Like he wanted to take a break and disappear into the pavement. "Don't worry! It'll be okay," she tried to offer, disguising her own panic with striking reassurance.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
The moment he saw she was close, he flinched and violently jerked back. A knee-jerk reaction surely, but still. He covered his mouth with his arm, staring at her with an incredulous expression. He really...wasn't sure what to say at this point honestly. How do you respond to such a sick burn if it was true? He needed ice that was for sure, and maybe a cool tap.
Instead he opted to try and block her out, to keep himself together by closing his eyes and combing a hand through his hair. Tried to enjoy the minuscule breeze that decided to blow by.
"It's been happening for years. Since I can remember really. I never thought about it honestly, it only happens when I'm upset anyway."
Okay so maybe he was a little worried. He may have a shitty life but his self preservation was getting a bit better. He leaned forward and rested his warm forehead on the cool pavement, sucking in deep breaths to calm himself.
"I just, need a moment and I'll be good. That's all. Then we can pretend this never happened and just continue on our own ways, forgetting about this entirely. Deal?"
He glared at her weakly, praying she'd just agree.
Asha's outreaching hand pulled back suddenly and uneasily when the boy did, and her expression reflected some kind of empathy, a little pain and minor reflection of what the stranger must be feeling. But then again, when did she never know about personal space.[break][break]
For once though she listened quietly, still sitting on the side of the road. Asha was immune to people's whispers, genuinely desensitized to the looks of others after years of living as the gateway to her older sister's spotlight. Regardless of who passed or how much time passed, she stayed at the stranger's side. [break][break] In the middle of his reflection, she even gave up on her awkward position and completely flopped to the pavement on her bum, dusting her hands off and pulling her hair over one shoulder so it didn't touch the ground and instead rested carefully on her lap. She was now leaning against the same wall as Anass, peering over at him and giving him a pitying look. [break][break] She didn't say anything for a bit, pressing her lip as she considered the offer. It wasn't that she was going to take it at all, but she just let herself wonder for a brief second what kind of mentality he had to even make that 'deal' in the first place. [break][break] "No," she said stubbornly. "That's not the way you should live, and that's no way I'm going to just walk out on you! I'm checking you for a fever," she declared, hand moving to his forehead, the little warning given mere seconds before she'd make her attempt.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
Wow no wonder people thought women were annoying. It was because they were. Disgruntled by the lack of space he felt she was providing him, and her constant presence, he leaned away from her again. He shifted himself so that he was leaning back against the wall and sighed, watching the people passing by. A few glanced at them, surely a bit of a strange spectacle just sitting in the open mouth of an alleyway arguing, but a few well placed heated glares got rid of any curious wandering gazes.
She wasn't going to "walk out on him?" Tell that to some of his clients. Ex-clients. Ex. He wasn't like that anymore. He briefly closed his eyes, listened to the trilling of Poppy in his ear, her sweet song that annoyed him so thoroughly. Then she reached forward and touched his forehead. He jerked, and his eyes flew open, but he froze. He stared at her with an incredulous look. He always ran hot, or so he assumed because he always felt warm, so he figured she wouldn't get a good read on him.
Maybe he should tell her that.
"I run warm, so that won't tell you anything."
He furrowed his brow and squirmed a bit, not liking how....vulnerable this was starting to make him feel. He hiccuped again, covering his mouth as a singular large bubble escaped him. It was something he'd lived with for forever, something he was used to. He didn't need to be fixed dammit, he just wanted to help her find the damn shop and be on his way!
All this because of a stupid bird sweater he swore to the gods...
He seemed to just lean away from her, as though repulsed by her presence, or maybe simply a presence so nearby. She knew she was making him uncomfortable, and she wasn't sadistic enough to complain that she didn't care or revelled in the intrusion-- she was frequently caught in situations in which she had to weigh her desire to make people happy and the sheer stubbornness with which she was used to operating.
His eyes flew open and she felt her muscles tighten, wondering if he was going to lash out. She hadn't seen people lash out to the touch before, but this boy felt like he wouldn't see the harm in doing that. She gave him a look and pulled her hand back, frowning. "Well then, we'll just have to see an alchemist about this, right?" she asked cheerily, smiling despite being sprawled across the pavement and uncomfortably close to a total stranger. Her long white hair had piled up on the ground like the edges of her dress, and finally she sighed and relaxed her legs- instead of her previous awkward mix of a kneel and a crouch, her legs were now laying easily as she sat on her bum in the street.
It was the kind of posture that said she had almost given up, that she wouldn't resist if the boy stood up and walked away. But it was the kind that also said she would still be here to help. That was assuming, of course, that body language was one that he spoke and understood. "You don't want me to help," she summarised, wondering where all the nice and easy going people in Sundial had gone for vacation and if she, too, could possibly join them. She looked at the pavement awkwardly before summoning up the courage to look at the boy again. Dejected (ah, but not quite defeated) she looked at him in the eyes with violet irises looking far too zealous for some random meeting in a random alley of random section of Downtown Sundial. "Why not?"
Like a petulant child. But perhaps she was on to something.
it's easier when you know you'll be fine on your own
He was tired.
It showed in his eyes, the way they shadowed and drooped and dulled. He was losing steam, and he hiccuped again. He watched the stress induced bubble float into the sky and sighed into his hand, which massaged the bridge of his nose. How was he supposed to explain to this little girl how the world worked when he himself was still figuring things out and being surprised every day?
He was annoyed now, irate and unable to do much about it.
He frowned at her, brow scrunching, and was silent for a few moments as she spoke to him. She looked so down now, and admittedly he was starting to feel a little bad about it. She just wanted to help him - some genuinely nice bullshit going on it seemed - and he was fucking it all up for her.
Maybe she just wanted to do her good deed for the day.
"Listen."
Starting off that way was never good but there was no going back now. He puffed his cheeks out and stretched out his arms, sliding his legs down to lay flat on the sidewalk.
"Kids like you don't hang around guys like me. Okay? It's just this, like, unspoken rule type of thing. Plus I....I don't know kid. I'm abrasive. Awful. Gross. Pick one."
