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.
If Valentia was known as the calm before the storm, then it was almost certain that Loraina was the storm itself, personified. Storms, although categorized as natural disasters of sorts, were often beautiful, weren't they? Internally though, they were catastrophic, destructive and, most importantly, chaotic.
The heiress of the Brooks family often wondered what it'd be like for other people to share her mind, if only for a moment. From a young age, she knew she didn't function properly like regular beings did. She lacked compassion, empathy, and was often pointed out to be quite cold even through her various attempts to make conversations seem interesting. It was a skill that she'd eventually come to master, and it has helped her a whole lot in becoming the epitome of elegance that she was today, or so it seems.
This was quite the feast, and the old her would have definitely finished everything on her plate without a second thought, but after coming to know her body quite well over the years, especially in more recent times, her metabolism wasn't as strong as most people's, and she often had trouble digesting a lot of what she ate. Although she didn't have a strict regime of how much she could afford to consume in a day, she didn't achieve this figure by sitting around - she worked for it.
"Come to think of it, it has been awhile since you've tasted my cooking, no?" It was by no means, a direct attempt to veer the conversation away from the topic of this woman's long lost brother. Loraina simply tasted good food, and it reminded her of her efforts back then to learn and hone her own craft in the culinary arts. For someone her age, she made simplistic dishes that tasted good, but lacked a certain pizzazz that she now possessed. If offered the chance, she most definitely would like this close friend of hers to sit down and enjoy a home cooked meal, and possibly reconnect on lost times under less stressful circumstances.
"The only way I could is to show you. It isn't far from where I currently reside, and I think the lot of you may have already had that figured out?" Informed, most likely, by messengers of her father. Living alone in a foreign land, Loraina, whom was always a bit of a daddy's little girl, would certainly encounter her own fair share of troubles. The first ones that plagued her journey to becoming a stronger witch though, were simple directions. Street names, which she often forgot, along with particular landmarks that were used to signal how far off she was to any locations.
Just for a second there, it felt like the pinkette reverted back to her timidness as she fiddled with her fingers under the desk, fidgeting nervously with a slight red blush surfacing on her cheeks. "I.. I'm not really good with directions. I remember the how to's, but not the where and what they are known as. I apologize, Val dearest."
It wouldn't last long, of course, but she still had her moments.
Come pull the sheet over my eyes So I can sleep tonight
Although Valencia's first thought was to continue the conversation about Cain's whereabouts, she hushed the thought as quickly as it'd come. The information that she received thus far from Loraina was sufficient enough for her to at least figure a starting point. If she could go from there then his whereabouts would be revealed to her in a matter of time. Her only hopes was that the information was kept solely between them and there weren't any wandering eyes or perked ears ready to use it for their own need.
Loraina's question about her cooking brought Valencia back to better days. The days when she was happy to stuff her face with whatever set on her plate. And during those times, she was also had a very large sweet tooth. She could recall every instance in which she'd taken the time to steal a few cookies from the cookie jar or sneak a few candies after dinner time. No one caught her of course, but perhaps her parents knew of what she was doing. They just couldn't prove it when it came time to punish her for her misdeeds.
Valencia pondered about the days of old as she listened to Loraina's invitation to show her the place where Cain was staying. That would have been the most preferable thing for her at this point in time. She could've asked her family where Loraina was staying instead of inferring from the source but it would only raise suspicions on why she was trying to rekindle relations with the Brooks considering she was so busy with her work, as she often said to her parents. While cutting away at her food and taking bites, she looked to the woman across from her.
And just like that, the adult that Loraina had become regressed somewhat back into her childish self.
The slight stutter. Redness to her cheeks. Even the fiddling was alike.
A little smile formed and she hummed softly as if considering the invitation although her mind was already made up.
"Very well," she said. "But I get to choose what we eat."
She gestured to Loraina's food with a quirked brow.
"At least eat a bit more, and if not, I'll gladly take it home for Arion."
In the back of her mind, she felt a warmth blooming as her familiar graciously thought of a warm meal rather than the feed that she bought him from time to time.
Was what she often told herself when she was younger. Eventually, bits and bits piled up to become a lot, and that was how she ended up being slightly supersized. Granted, with the amount of energy she expends within every single day, Loraina could have increased her intake of foods more than what she's planned for herself, but the fear was there. After having experienced such ridicule just because of her weight? Sure, she was the next heiress of the Brooks family, and understandably so, she had to look the part. Those memories, however, they never really left her mind - the scenes of her being surrounded by a circle of kids, having sand be kicked on her dolls, or pages of her diary read aloud and then ripped to bits. No one understood her humiliation until the very first of those incidents started happening, and was labelled as accidental.
Imagine boasting so highly of your child yet somehow, they managed to die just from carelessly slipping on a toy and falling off a lethal height. Such a shame.
"Oooh, I love challenges." No, no she really didn't. When it came to the culinary arts, there were a lot of details that she's picked up from all the personal chefs that her father had hired to their estate. At the end of the day though, those people spent their entire lives honing and perfecting their craft, and most would tell her that they've had to wash dishes for years before their superiors even considered letting them touch anything else. It was a humbling experience, one that tested the patience of most, and a large portion of underlings wouldn't have made it through the first week, let alone consecutive years of being treated like an absolute tool.
Loraina on the other hand, she loved taking shortcuts and liberties that would get her to what she wanted in the shortest amount of time with the smallest amount of effort. To her, it was all about getting to the destination, rather than the experience gained through the journey. Second place, at the end of the day, was still second place, and that was all the record books show, not how valiant someone's efforts were. "I'll gladly accept it."
The strange shift from stoic to timid was a type of mood swing that often occurred in the strange mind of the pinkette. There were far worse days than this, and even if she had a bit of a rough morning just struggling to clear her mind from all the visions and voices that wouldn't leave her alone, she cleaned up just fine. The corset underneath her dress was fairly tight in certain areas, but nothing she can't handle.
"Now that's a name I hadn't heard in awhile. Arion that little nutter, how has he been?" Ironic, wasn't it? How she'd called someone else's familiar a nutter in an affectionate way, what with her own being a complete lunatic. Often more than not, animals had this weird sixth sense that allowed them to detect most oncoming dangers. For whatever reason though, most of them - from wild to tame, avoided her like the plague. If she were to set foot into a zoo, the whole establishment would've erupted into a frenzied state because her mere presence would trigger some sort of 'danger alert'. Familiars though, they were a different idea altogether. Some still sensed a sort of maliciousness radiating from her, but most kept their mouths shut. They'd warn their masters, yes, for it is their sworn duty to keep them safe from any and all harm, but being wrong would've also resulted in unnecessary wounds to their pride.
Not wanting to be rude to her host, Loraina polished off most of what was left on her plate, outside of a few stray pieces of vegetables, which had been the bane of her existence since the day she was finally allowed to touch solid foods after her birth. An amazing steak, and the scalloped potatoes were simply ravishing. The salad she could do without, and the wine - well, let's just say she's had better, as she was sure Valencia would agree.
"A majestic mount for a majestic lady, how fitting."
Come pull the sheet over my eyes So I can sleep tonight
Arion preened at being remembered so fondly by someone else. Even if the compliment was that he was a "nutter", at least she remembered him, he thought. And Valencia couldn't take away her familiar's pride so she allowed him to parade about with the knowledge that he was remembered. Nonetheless, she couldn't forget Loraina's familiar which was somewhat of a mystery to her for quite some time. The accent seemed rather familiar but she couldn't put her finger on what or where. And for the most part, she enjoyed his remarks although some of them could be crude.
Perhaps the familiar mimicked the personality of the witch.
Seeing as Loraina switched faces so quickly just as her familiar would when they were children. Nonetheless, the thought was pushed from Valencia's mind and she smiled softly.
"He's happy to know that you remembered him," she said. "And I hope that your familiar is doing well."
She noticed that Loraina hadn't finished her vegetables and just like a chiding mother, her eyebrows furrowed and she sighed.
"You really haven't changed."
Waving her hand for a server to come over, she asked for a box for the remaining veggies. He was gone in an instant and she polished off the last bit of her wine. It was weak and she would still be sober but at least this conversation wasn't a dream. Or the events that happened during it.
"Well, if you're going to lead me to where Cain was, I'd suppose that I should accompany you home for the evening."
Valencia could hear Arion's sputtering in the back of her mind.
Watch your words Valencia, please! There are children in your midst.
And sometimes she forgot her familiar was a man in every sense of the word.
"I'm bettah than well, baybay. But I gots ta admit, the years have done ya wonders. Lookit that massive rack! Lookit that massive piece of ass-"
"Crimmy, manners."
Such a strange sight to behold, wasn't it? Though the red feathered familiar hadn't made his presence known physically, his telepathic comments would reach his targeted audience, which were the two individuals within the room. Thankfully, his master cut him off before he could speak another colorfully vulgar sentence. Yes, she was a firm believer that some familiars would grow to reflect the personality of their masters, but was she truly as scummy as that darned crimson bird?
.. Yes, in every sense of the word, yes she was.
Still, that look of disappointment written all across the face of her host, it had always been a bitter pill to swallow whenever someone judged her lack of fibrous intake. Hey, she did partake in the feasting of oats, and that was far more helpful to her digestive tracts than any godforsaken piece of broccoli or any hideous gatherings of kale. They could see it however they wanted to, but in the end she'd be the one with the last laugh, diving into her blueberry honey oatmeal breakfast while all the other health nuts in the world consumed their torturous tree trinkets.
A nervous laughter would be her only response, along with the slight pinkening of her cheeks, signifying a small bit of embarrassment which was often the case even when her father pointed out certain flaws or mistakes she's made. Though she's used to being imperfect after having such a traumatic childhood, she strove to be as close to a prime specimen as possible after her renewed confidence came about after the physical transformation of glorious puberty.
"Oh, that wouldn't be necessary, but it is along the way, so I suppose it shouldn't be that big of a hassle. I must admit though, most men I've dated wouldn't have dared make such a bold statement." Alluding to the earlier internal struggle of whether or not she had a similar personality to her familiar, this merely confirms the hypothesis. Outside of her somewhat unstable and sadistic mentality, the gaps were filled by lust and determination - lust holding a more prominent share of her brain. She's yet to make it known, and it is unsure whether she ever would to the only person in the world whom she thought understood her, but let's just say she harbored an interest to representatives of both genders.
"Also, is there dessert? I would love to have dessert!" Legends tell the tale of a second stomach, served only for the purpose of storing the sweet after-meal treats. Not once in her life had she rejected the offer of those luxurious nourishments, not even during the time of her harsh diets. Cakes, candies, ice cream, pies, anything at all. "I've heard the place serves glorious cream pies of a wide variety of flavors. If I weren't watching my figure, I'd have ordered them all. Sadly, my diet restrictions permit only one, and thus the final decision would be.."
"Strawberry, because it reminds me of a particularly delicious person." In making that claim, Loraina eyed her childhood friend with a narrow, harrowing gaze that might have betrayed some of the fantasies that had already occurred within her mind. Of course, one could only assume and make an utter ass out of themselves, and it isn't like she'd ever admit to the truth - unless the right situations presented themselves, that is.
"What about you, Val dearest? Which would you like?"
Come pull the sheet over my eyes So I can sleep tonight
This wasn't one of the few times in her life that Arion may have been right. However, the idea that her childhood friend may have been interested in her in more ways than she was used to had crossed her mind. Valencia pursed her lips as she heard the jarring tone of voice which could only belong to Crimmy. When she was young, he'd always been quite the character and had a particular interest in using vulgarities. She'd grown tolerant to it but hoped that the same ideals wouldn't project onto Loraina when they entered adulthood.
Perhaps she hadn't watch as closely as she should have.
Nonetheless, a fond smile formed and she shrugged. There were some things that would change about her friend and others that would stay the same. No matter how they confused her. And she'd never understand where Loraina could put all of the food that she consumed. The figure that she possessed now was much different than the one in their youth. And from Valencia's knowledge of the human body, it would take her a longer amount of time to digest food now than it would in childhood.
Yet the comment about the cake caused Arion to choke on his words.
Valencia's eyes widened by a fraction as she mulled it over.
"Strawberry is my favorite," she reminded her. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
She smiled a little and tilted her head to the side. It may have been better to get it out in the open. Beating around the bush wasn't exactly something that she liked to do. It took up too much time and left too many opportunities for fallacies.
"Before we order," Valencia said. "I have to ask."
