Cfhiraeth - Hiraeth

—  BRENNAN’S / OPEN 

What a fucking day this was. Charlotte had been woken up way too early with the awful news. It wasn't one of her own, that she knew, didn't even have to ask to know. Her trust in them was complete, absolute. But the facts could not be denied either. Animal attack, that was the official culprit. It had been years since such a thing had been used in Silverkeep, long enough that suspicions were not present. Except for those who knew better. Day drinkers were not many and Brennan's opened at noon, serving a very small menu and that was where Charlotte was, behind the bar, as usual. "Fucking awful," she groaned to the person sitting at the bar. "This doesn't happen here." Because they had a system, a way of doing things. Because her father had made sure it didn't and she was supposed to do the same thing. What a great job she was doing.

You (2018), dir. Victoria Mahoney Season 1 Episode: The Captain 

Don’t make it painful.

[ ELODIE YUNG, 35/249, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER ] FRANCINE SEANG just walked down main street. They are a CEO who has been in Silverkeep for 1 MONTH. They are part of the OBSIDIAN clan and act as SECOND IN COMMAND. People know them as DEDICATED & LOYAL but also HEDONISTIC & BRUTAL. They are described as CRIMSON LIPS, PARTYING ALL NIGHT, A SNARL THAT CAN FREEZE YOUR BLOOD.

MURDER, MISCARRIAGE & DEATH TW

Francine’s story is a cautionary tale for the ages. Born in Paris in 1774 to a family that belonged to the aristocracy, she knew a lavish lifestyle from the moment she took her first breath. The only daughter in the Sean household, she was doted upon, something that angered her. While she liked the attention and endless possibilities that her family’s wealth gave her, she wanted more.

The Seang family were known as a legacy in the supernatural world, hunters and black magic objects with a reputation for being as ruthless as the monsters they were chasing. And Francine wanted in more than anything. And it was by showing on one of their hunts and taking down a vampire that she showed her family she was just as good as the others. From then on, she trained with her brothers and was allowed out after dark.

The family needed to keep the appearances, attending soirées, balls, and all sorts of events were required. And somehow, Francine always found a way to step out of line all while remaining charming. She became known as the life of the party, envied and hated by the other girls and sought out by the boys.

When the time came, Francine had to marry, an unmarried woman always being frowned upon. The match was one made by her family, a man who dealt in the same kind of things as the Seang. It was mostly a loveless marriage, one of convenience for both. There were moments of tenderness but they always seemed to be followed by screams from both. He wanted Francine to be a dutiful wife and stop hunting. And that was something she would never do. They seemed to be unable to bore children, something that did weight on Francine who dreamed of having a daughter who could follow in her footsteps. There were miscarriages, many of them, and the last one almost left her for dead. Maybe that was why she had been more careless that night.

Her father had recently killed a vampire’s mate, the one left behind was hell bent on revenge. And she wanted the Seang to pay, every single one of them. Death was too clement for what they did and only one thing would truly hurt them. And that’s how Francine became a vampire, taken by surprise and turned into what her family hated the most. The vampire who turned her thought that the Seang would forced to kill their only daughter, causing them great pain. But like it happened so often, someone was underestimating Francine.

When the Seang realized what Francine was, they tried to kill her and fought until their last breath, all of them. With an instinct for survival more powerful than anything, Francine was the only one to walk out of her family’s house that night. And by the time the bodies were discovered, she had fled France.

Francine traveled Europe, changing her name every time. When she left her life behind, she took every penny her family had, along with priceless artifacts and dark magic objects. Secured away, she let them become legends, things that no one alive ever saw. It wasn’t until the 1900′s that she took her name back and started to build her own fortune through the dealings her family once did. The value of the objects in her possession was unable to even put a price on, which attracted a lot of buyers.

Meeting the Obsidian coven was the end of her life on her own, family having found the family she always wanted. These days, she is a very powerful and rich CEO of a tech company, investing in the right places before most even thought to do so.

Gabriel could be counted on to be there for the coven and it was with a kind smile that she looked at him. It was impossible to deny that things in town had taken a wrong turn this morning. Amara had been here only for 3 years, but it was not something she saw since moving here. "I'm good, all things considered," she said warmly. "What about you?" An animal attack. Code for werewolf attack. It didn't involved the coven, but since Gabriel was on the council, it involved him. "Here," the witch said, taking a special treat for Penelope from behind the counter. "Maybe that will put her in a better mood." It had taken a little time to get used to the bat, but now Amara liked seeing her and she kept a few things around for her. She did for a lot of animals. "Yeah, I feel it too. It's not just the poor soul in the town square. It feels...bigger." There was a shiver that ran down her spine as she said the words. It was impossible not to feel like this was only the start of something and she didn't like it. / @tcurniquets

As he did, many other times, Gabriel looked up toward the crystal and squinted at it. Perhaps it needed a kind word a recharge given all its work. "I came to see how you were," he said, glancing around the shop. He could be convinced to buy something, truthfully. On his lapel, a very tired and annoyed fruit bat opened its eyes to yawn and scowl before digging into him harder. "You didn't have to come," Gabriel reminded the bat, as if she was a child, as if she wasn't latched onto him. He found it funny — what he was, what she was, and irony of it all. "The Balance seems to be skewed this morning," he hummed, wondering if she could feel it too, he felt everything. He was able to look through all the world, into the dead world, and things were off.

As soon as she knew, well, as soon as she processed it, she had told Kayden and her siblings. The whole pack, really, in order. This wasn't the kind of thing to found out from the news, not for them. She hadn't ask if it was of them, she knew it wasn't. But the ranks needed to be solid, all of them needing to be closer than ever. Charlotte knew what those who knew would think, whisper. Already, she felt some had came by only to have a look. Still, when Kayden asked, she couldn't say it hadn't crosser her mind, at least for a second. "Not from the pack," she said confidently. "But can't know for a lone wolf. Or anyone just passing through." Keeping their eyes open, that was for certain. Charlotte couldn't help but feel guilty, like this was her fault. This would not have happened if her father was still here. Maybe it wouldn't have happened if her brother was in charge. "I went this morning, before the news really got it. It wasn't pretty Kayden." She had seen death before, but that was especially gruesome. "It was deliberate, I'm sure of it." Maybe this was only her way of putting the blame on someone other than her. "Gonna need one of these board, 2 days without an incident. It's been years since we saw that. Have you been there?" @kaydenbedard

Gossip is poisonous, malicious, and destructive. But to the ones who knew the reality of the situation, that this animal attack was far more malicious then what false narrative the news was setting forth. This was no accident. It was deliberate, but Kayden was aware that Crescent had more structure then this. So, he found himself navigating to Brennan's like it was second nature. "You can say that again." Clearly, he wasn't the only one who had worries about this incident. Something wasn't right. "Do you think it was a straggler?" His tone barely above a whisper, not wanting to gain any unwanted attention considering the subject matter. Perhaps it was a lone wolf who wasn't a native. "We should keep our eyes open." Or better yet, determine who did this so they could be dealt with.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: ↪ 3.01 “Anne”

Apparently it does. The words sank deep in Charlotte and she couldn't deny them. It had happened here, the other was right. Still, it angered her, somehow. Charlotte couldn't say if it was because of what happened or because it was being put in her face. She had to turn around not to try and stare him down, a second to control herself. She had been a brawler once, not thinking before rush head first, but she couldn't do that anymore, hadn't been that version of herself in a while. "Wonder if they'll arrest the animal who did that," she said with a tired smile. That was the official cover up, one they hadn't use in a long time. "Guess it happens more often in zip codes near a forest or something." Downplaying it was what she had to do, what was expected of her. "Can I get you anything?" / @tcurniquets

Those that were in the know knew. Now, this level of brutality was something that Cord didn't need — he wasn't really into the whole human aspect of things. They tended to just get in the way, if he was honest. Thought they were powerful. Then, you had people like the Crescent pack who patronized them by pretending to work with them. Most might've called it a noble cause, but Cord saw it for what it was. Fear, in both directions. He needed something to eat, he'd been awake since well before dawn. Unsure that he liked it here, he preferred places he could roam. But he was here, and that was that. "Apparently, it does," Cord drawled. "What's the old saying..." Cord tried to think of the leasing agent that showed him his property and her nervous chuckle of, "Crime doesn't have a zip code, or so I was told."

[ MELISA ASLI PAMUK, 34, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER ] AMARA AYDIN just walked down main street. They are a MANAGER who have been in Silverkeep for 3 YEARS. They are part of the DAWN coven and act as MEMBER. People know them as EMPATHIC & FRIENDLY but also as DISOBEDIENT & SECRETIVE. They are described as BARE FEET IN THE MORNING, THE SMELL OF RAIN IN THE AIR & ORNATE OLD FASHIONED RINGS.

There was a time when Amara had it all; family, friends, love. But it all went away slowly. First, her parents died in an accident, then friends were lost as she grieved the dual deaths, and then, tragedy struck again as her fiancé was killed during war.

Grief was too much for her and she left behind whatever left she had, her sisters and the only life she ever knew, and moved to the United States.

First, she moved around a lot, unable to find a place that felt like home. What she needed was a coven, a place to ground herself and start over. New Orleans called to her and she decided to move there.

She hadn't been in the city for more than a month when she sought out the Dawn Coven and they welcomed her with open arms. She started to work at the Apothecary, finding her place among the other witches of the city.

Still, there are moments when Amara lets the darkness of her past swallow her and becomes sharper around the edges.