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.
A warm cup of tea and a nice book were the ingredients for a perfect morning. Valencia sighed as she settled into her chair with a little smile. The week that she'd been having was riddled with craziness and she preferred the simplicity of the Sun Cafe. It was rather quiet early in the morning with most individuals sleeping off their hang overs or preparing for work later on in the day. And yet, seeing as she had the day off, she chose to move her training session to the later hours in the day and just enjoy the peace.
It was nice if not a little comforting to know that even Sundial could experience a bit of sleep. Valencia raised her cup to her lips as she took another sip. Chai tea was her absolute favorite and she'd made sure to stock up on it when she returned home the night before. It did wonders for her sleep and made it easier for her to ignore pulling an alnighter in favor of the realm of dreams.
While she opened her tome and began reading, a staff member came over to ask her what she'd like for her meal. It was around breakfast time so she ordered something light so that it wouldn't make her sleepier later. She regarded the staff member with a curt nod and a soft thanks before going back to reading her tome. It never crossed her mind before but she wondered how many individuals in the Sun Cafe were from different covens.
It was the home of the Jester's Den and she assumed most of its members were working there or at least milling about. Maybe it was something she could consider for a later time when she wasn't hungry or so at peace.
Honestly, not a lot of people had expected Damsel to actually work. She was an outsider big time, from an entirely different culture of people who simply avoided society for the longest time due to the issues they posed and the threats that gave to their society. So when she took on a mission or two, rather than just exploring, it was a surprise. A pleasant one, but a surprise nonetheless. She'd spent her days exploring and now she wanted to make something of herself, maybe get enough money to open a small shop where she could sell her glass wares.
Nothing special or big.
She wandered into the Sun Cafe with a swish of her red cloak, ever present, and Bambi in tow. The waitresses all giggled and teased the girl as she tried to direct Bambi into the shop, though his antlers were too large to fit through the door. Giving up with an exasperated but fond smile, she allowed him to return to the realm of familiars before entering alone.
However, in her excitement to talk about her travels, her foot caught on the chair of someone she was passing by and she flew forward with a loud squeak, slamming rather hard into the ground.
Valencia lifted her cup to take another sip before a heavy jolt and pained groan interrupted her reverie. She blinked and looked around before glancing around the corner of her table at a young woman who seemed rather hurt from the impact. A few giggles followed and she raised her head to find the source of the noise. Her gaze falling on a group of waitresses that were crowded together and looking in the girl's direction, poorly hiding their smiles and laughter behind their hands.
While she wasn't one to interfere in the business of others when unannounced, bullying wasn't something that Valencia could tolerate. Her eyes narrowed and she set her tea cup down, pulling back her chair with as much control as she could muster. The laughter came to a halt as she knelt down to offer her hand. This person was rather peculiar, when she took another glance. Donning a red cloak that was almost the same shade as Valencia's hair and tanned skin that could've only come from intense sun exposure.
It was blatantly obvious that she may not have been from around Sundial originally. However, being a foreigner didn't warrant alienation.
One thing that never seemed to fail Damsel, her reflexes for crying were on point. She heard the laughter and felt the sting in her palms and knees, and her eyes began to water. Her cheeks turned red, as did her ears, and honestly she wanted to curl into a ball and just....die.
But then a hand appeared in front of her face and she quickly wiped a stray tear from her cheek, sniffling as she took the hand and dragged herself off the floor. She rubbed at her eyes, sucking in a deep breath through her trembling lips.
"T-thank you."
She sniffled again, trying desperately to compose herself but was mostly unable to. Whispers curled around her as the waitresses loitered uncertainly, most of them seeming somewhat sheepish of their actions. One of them had the food that Valencia had ordered but was too shy to bring it over in light of recent events. Damsel wiped her eyes one more time and finally regained her composure, giving Valencia a shaky smile.
"I was on my way back from a mission...I thought they'd like to hear about it but...."
She was quiet then, glances darting between the red haired woman and the group of uncertain girls.
Valencia frowned as she sized up the intensity of the moment playing out right in front of her. This girl was a foreigner and being teased by people who should have been helping her. However, despite her initial thought to scold the waitresses, she offered the young woman a little smile.
"Well, if you would humor me, I'd like to hear about it."
She gestured for her to take up one of the chairs at her table. No one else was coming to eat with her and a bit of company never hurt anyone. Arion seemed rather proud if the warm fuzzy feeling in the back of her mind was any indication. And if she wasn't talking to another person, she would've rolled her eyes at the horse's reaction. It wasn't as if she was a stranger to social interaction.
Just someone that didn't crave it or at least want it as much as anyone else did.
"My name is Valencia Godfrey," she said as she took her seat.
She closed the tome in front of her and set it inside of her purse as to give her new companion her full attention. The waitresses whispering around them were antsy as Valencia motioned for the one holding her food to come closer. She settled her hands on the table, steepled together with her chin resting on top of them.
"Would you like anything to eat?"
With an incline of her head to the waitress whose back straightened like a ruler, Valencia's smile was thin. To anyone who knew her it would've been rather obvious that she wasn't pleased with the service that she'd seen thus far.
But that would be handled at a later time in a professional manner.
To say she was surprised was an understatement. Her dried her eyes again, her red cloak shifting around her, and smiled slightly. Someone wanted to actually hear about her adventures? They were simple, nothing to actually write home about, but they were new experiences for her. So many flowers and so much grass, like a deep green sea she'd seen, and yet ...
"Really? Oh wow"
She slid into one of the seats, pooling her cloak around her as she clutched it reverently in her hands.
"I'm Damsel. Damsel Endystress."
A slight flurry of giggles erupted behind her and she lowered her gaze, smile wavering. The waitress with the food rushed over, biting her lip to prevent a smile, and set down the plate before scurrying off.
"I don't get much why they laugh at my name..."
Food though.....she couldn't remember when she'd eaten last. Was it yesterday? But when? Morning, afternoon? She hadn't eaten supper that was for sure, so she was rather hungry. She dug around for her coin purse, shifting through the contents and setting her lips in a line. She could afford breakfast....but what to get?
Valencia's smile was thin and she did her best to remain positive for Damsel but the growing irritation was becoming a bit too much. While the younger woman introduced herself and began to sift through her coin purse, Valencia lifted her to look at the gaggle of waitresses. The look in her eyes was short of kindness but filled with the unspeakable rage belonging to a person who would bring hell down upon your head without fail. Once Damsel spoke up to her, the kindness returned and she hummed while thinking about some of her favorite things to eat at the Sun Cafe.
"I'd say it depends on how hungry you are," she said. "You were returning from an adventure so you must be famished."
She settled her hands in her lap and tilted her head at the waitress fleeing. Valencia was getting older but she was surely no fool. And even though Arion was pleading with her to take it easier on them, everything inside of her screamed to make their serving experience a living hell.
"Excuse me," she called.
The young woman stiffened up and slowly looked over her shoulder. Valencia made a beckoning motion with her hand.
"I'll pay for your breakfast," she informed Damsel. "All you have to do is tell our darling friend what you'd like."
The way that she spoke the word friend must've been off-key as the waitress gulped, gaze flickering between Damsel and Valencia.
The waitress approached with her head bowed, and Damsel flushed red. It really wasn't hard to guess what was going on. But still, it was nice to see her getting some respect for once, and she felt Bambi perking up with a sense of happiness in the familiar realm. No longer was Damsel a pushover for once, which was nice. She knew the menu by heart by now and pondered what she wanted while looking over the poor girl shaking in her shoes.
"Uhm, poached eggs and toast please? With a coffee if you wouldn't mind?"
She knew it wasn't expensive, but it was also delicious. She smiled happily to herself as the waitress nodded quickly and scampered off, and the rest of the gaggle scattered to clean and generally make themselves busy. Shyly Damsel turned back to her savior and smiled, squirming in her seat.
"Thank you so much, for dealing with them. It's hard because I'm a foreigner. They just....they're kind of mean sometimes. I wish they wouldn't be, I want to be their friend...."
Valencia knew that she was behaving like a bully would but they had it coming.
No, they didn't.
Of course they did. Picking on someone who wasn't from around these parts was a crime punishable by public humiliation. Though, just as she said it aloud in her mind, Valencia almost winced because it did sound a little harsh to her ears. Maybe she was taking out some pent up aggression from her own youth and projecting it.
We may need to work on that.
Oh hush.
Valencia leaned back in her chair and did her best to ignore Arion even though she could practically hear him tutting in the back of her mind. Her attention diverted to Damsel as she spoke her thanks and confirmed her suspicions of being a foreigner. Though, her heart ached and she was a little ashamed of her actions. All the girl wanted was a friend and that shouldn't have been so difficult to obtain. She was sweet from the looks of it.
"I see," she said. "Well, if it is any consolation you could be my friend."
What?
"I know how hard it is to make friends when you don't feel like you belong and I'd like to help."
Damsel really perked up at that, making a new friend could be so easy? She'd lost her own friends so long ago it seemed, so making new ones seemed to be her only option at this point. Not to say she was giving up on the ones she'd momentarily misplaced, but to have someone new to rely on...what a thing to behold. She smiled brightly, like the sun, and hummed to herself happily.
"I'd really love that a lot. It's not often that you find new friends, not someone like me anyway. The red cloaks are a tight knit community so everyone already knows everyone. We're all friends in our own way."
She was animated as she spoke, with elaborate hand movements. She giggled and pressed her fingers to her lips, delighted at this wonderful woman before her. Ideally she'd have a whole new band of friends within the month to show off to her fellow red cloaks when she managed to find them, but for now one or two would suffice.
