Open On the cusp of now

[Selene Le Fey]

It was late pn a Thursday evening. and selene was wandering home. She had been to see her grandma who was currently in St mangos and she didnt want to go home yet. So she wandered along the obsidian waterfront pausing half way along the jetty and leaning against the rails as she looked out over the water. Above her the late autumn sky was crisp with stars, and the water reflected the lights back in its own sea of stars.
Some people were made of sunshine, Helia, was one of those people, all golden smiles, people who made the room feel warmer as soon as she entered. Selene knew she wasnt the sun. She always liked the night, there was something safe in the darkness, the anonymity of it. night was like a warm blanket of shadows wrapped around her, and right now she wanted safe. Sighed as the cool wind brushed her hair out of her face. She wanted to look at the water and shift her focus from the now to the future. but she was scared. terrified down to her core of what she would see. both for her family, for Morgan, She hoped that she would see Morgan in her garden a trowel in hand and covered in dirt but she didnt dare look inside she saw Morgan in a garden covered in dirt a different way. She was also scared for herself. After all recently helia hadnt been the only sun in her life. after her sister had run off on her adventure to Greece Selene had met poppy, and she was feeling increasingly drawn to the girl but didnt want to see the future in case that foreknowledge was the start of her setting things up for doom like it had done in the past. she sighed again letting her mind settle into the moment focusing on her breath and keeping it in time with the waves as she let her mind clear its self.

 

[Professor Marigold Cooper]

Marigold was new in town, in more ways than one, probably. It's not that she has any specific thing she needs to do here, but she knows there is more that she wants if she can just figure out what that is. It's hard enough being a newcomer to a place, it's a lonely adventure, but one she has only been too happy to undergo, since she was so excited to bring what she knew to other people. Her time growing up back in Arnhem Land had allowed her to want to get to know how the rest of the magical world works and to get out there and learn about other people, about other places and their relationship to magic. It's not every day that she can just waltz up to someone and pick their brains about something, but it's going to be the Solstice in a couple of weeks and if anyone knows how powerfully important that kind of thing can be, it's Marigold. She's grown up and been raised on all of those stories.

Walking along, she takes everything in and comes to a stop as she looks out at the Harbour. She's not the only one lost in thought though, she realises and moves over to occupy some of the woman's space. "With a face like that, I reckon you believe in divination forces just as much as I do." she says, looking at her. She doesn't seem to have having as good of a day as Marigold is and so she wants to help, if she can. "Want me to do a runic spread for ya? I find they're great for figuring out how I want me day to go. And forgive me, but you look like you could use a bit of focus... maybe this could help?" She loves giving readings, because whilst it's not the powerful force of true divination - she's not a seer - it is powerful in how it makes someone feel and sometimes that's just as important.

@Selene Le Fey ​

 

[Selene Le Fey]

Selene took a deep breath in in time with the swish os one wave and out with the crash of the next. Her eyes gently closed as she focused on the hear and now.
It seemed like she failed at focusing on the present as a voice next to her made her jump back to reality. oh um sorry. she said turning to face the lady ”huh is it really that obvious? she said as her brain caught up with what she had heard. Though she wasn’t sure if it was a belief if it was something she knew all too well to be real.
She listened at the other lady having an odd out of body experience wondering if this is how strangers saw her if she offered them some help in the shop. thank you for the offer. That is very kind of you. But I’m afraid I am trying not to know too much of the future right now so I can let it play out naturally. she said sighing slightly before looking at the lady thank you very much for the offer.” she said again.

 

[Professor Marigold Cooper]

Marigold smiled warmly at the woman, understanding the hesitation in her voice. "Maybe not to everyone, but it is to me, yeah," she said, taking in the woman's appearance and letting that inform the kind of vibe she wanted to convey. She wasn't exactly an expert at reading people, but she did her best to get across the things she thought were important. "It's all good, mate," Marigold continued softly, her gaze drifting to the waves for a moment. "Sometimes, it's better not to know. The future can be... a bit much, ya know?" secretly she didn't think she needed to tell this woman that, she seemed like she might have known a little more about such things than Marigold did, but she still thought she could use some sage advice. Even the best and wisest people amongst her community sometimes needed to turn to their peers to seek certain advice, and Marigold wasn't really above giving advice for the sake of it, even if it was unsolicited. She just wanted to help.

She turned back to the woman, her expression gentle and encouraging. "I get it if you don't want a reading. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is let life unfold naturally, without trying to peek behind the curtain."Marigold paused, considering the situation. The woman’s refusal made her wonder if there was something she was trying to ignore or perhaps she was more familiar with the spiritual than Marigold had initially thought. It made her feel a bit silly, realizing she couldn’t expect everyone to have less knowledge on such subjects than she did. "I respect your choice, mate," she said with a kind smile. "And I understand. The unknown can be daunting, but it's also brimming with opportunities. Even if you glimpse the future, you've still got the power to mold it."

"I know we've only just met, but did you feel like you wanted to talk about anything? Maybe you're not keen on peeking into an uncertain future, and that's fair enough. But if something's on your mind, sharing it with a stranger can sometimes lighten the load. If not, well, maybe we'll both have made a friend somewhere along the way." this might have been silly, maybe the woman wasn't even in the market for new friends, or even old friends, but Ari was, and she wanted to let the woman know she was here for her if she needed her. Even if they had only just met.

@Selene Le Fey ​

 

[Selene Le Fey]

Selene cocked her had as the lady said it may not be obvious to most but it was obvious to her that she believed in divination wondering what had led the lady to the conclusion. most people around here recognised either her or her mum from school, or the inner eye. but this lady didnt seem familiar. She smiled at the lady, she knew she was just being nice to her. but she did seem nice. "Yes, right now there are things I just dont want to know. but the closer it gets the stronger it pulls even if you dont want it to" she said not sure if she was making any sense at all. She smiled as the lady mentioned a curtain ”like the curtain getting caught in a wind what is getting stronger she said. Wondering if this lady was like her
As she asked if she wanted to talk about something she shook her head. Words had power and saying something out loud made it real. And she didn’t want to make the thoughts stirring up her mind real or she didn’t want them not to be. sorry. I know you are being nice I’ve just got a bit going on that i don’t really want to talk about. She said feeling a little bad for turning down the ladies attempts at being nice, at least she assumed that was the ladies goal, and she wasnt trying to soften her up to . "But it is lovely to meet you, I’m Selene by the way" she said she said.

 

[Professor Marigold Cooper]

Marigold watched the young woman closely, her interest piqued by Selene's cryptic words. She could sense the underlying tension and the reluctance to delve deeper into whatever was weighing on her mind. She tried to ensure smile was warm and reassuring as she spoke, hoping to ease Selene's burden even just a little. "I hear you," she said softly. "Sometimes the unknown can be overwhelming, especially when it feels like it's crowding ya. But you don't have to face it on your own, eh? Even if it's just sharin' a bit of it with someone who cares." She wasn't specifically asking the woman to open up and share her life story, though that is something Marigold would probably do if she felt like someone would be receptive to it. Mostly she's hooked on the idea that the woman knows about the craft, divination, ancient runes, they're both such interesting forms of magic and Marigold can't help be feel she might have been led to a kindred spirit. She's always believed quite deeply in the theory of everything for a reason, even her family and community have always felt quite strongly about red strings of fate, though perhaps not quite in the same manner that most Europeans do.

She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing. "It's all good if you ain't ready to yarn about it. Everyone's got their own pace, their own way of dealing with things." Marigold extended her hand gently, her eyes reflecting genuine kindness. "Nice to meet ya too, Selene. Name's Marigold." She had not really been expecting to run into anyone today, but she was glad that she had, perhaps she can distract the woman from whatever was weighing on her mind right now instead of worrying about it. "If not a reading, how about a bit of distraction? I was feelin' a bit peckish and thought it'd be lovely to have some sandwiches and soup. The view's grand out here, but eating alone's a bit of a drag. Fancy sharing a meal with me? I'm new to this country, though we've been neighbours most of my life, until I finished me studies and went traveling for a few years." Maybe all of this was a little forward, but she could do with some distraction herself. And there was nothing wrong with making a new friend, right?​

@Selene Le Fey

 

[Selene Le Fey]

selene nodded as the lady spoke not really knowing what to add on to the conversation and to be honest it wasnt the kind of conversation she was wanting to have right now. especially with a stranger especially in a late night, in a dark obsidian harbour when she was trying not to think about the future, and also not to think about not thinking about it in case that brought thoughts to her mind. she didnt want words of wisdom she wanted distraction, or a focus on the here and now, on the waves, on the crashhhh innnn and crashhh ouuut. she wondered again if this was what she sounded like when talking to people.
the lady did seem to genuinely just want to be nice nd not have any ill intentions at heart but tellling her worries to a stranger in the moonlight on a dark harbour wall seemed like the start of a folktale. the kind of Folktale that ended in someone being turned into seafoam.
she was relieved when conversation turned to introductions even if only for a moment. "nice to meet you marigold." she said her thoughts quickly going perroulously close to a banned topic as she realised this was the second friend she had mad in a year with a flower name. . a little surprised at the direction the conversation went. "I have already had my dinner. but but if you want to go to the leaky I am up for a drink and dessert" she said. as the lady said she was new to town she nodded. "I didn't think I had seen you around before. what brings you to obsidian?"she asked.

 

[Professor Marigold Cooper]

Marigold hadn't been to the Leaky Cauldron yet, she wasn't always the biggest fan of bars, but she also didn't feel like she wanted to leave company right now either and it might be nice if she can't do a reading for the woman, she might be able to at least offer her a drink and a distraction. From her, admittedly limited, experience, places like the Leaky Cauldron tended to have that effect on people. So, instead of letting herself wonder, she decided it might be an interesting turn of the evening to take the woman up on her offer. "Alright, sounds like a good plan. Do they have tiramisu there? You know, I've actually never tried it before. It's not a big dessert where I'm from," she laughed, and it was true. They didn't like too many sugary sweets in her area of the world and when they did it was under strict watch of either of her parents. It was the same for all of them, the community was very tight-knit but they liked to know what their children were eating and tiramisu was not on their list of good foods. Which was a shame, because that meant she also mostly grew up without ice cream except for those times when her Djäma took pity on her and allowed her to actually go out and have some with her friends - not that her parents were happy about it at the time. Something about living off of the land. She would argue that the land included sugar canes, which were crushed up and put into foods. How did bread count as living off of the land and sugar didn't? Personally she was just sure her parents were health nuts, well, them and the rest of her little community.

"Travel's the easy bit, simple answer - but it's more of a research journey, ya know? Been learning about Runes and their place in mainstream magic since I was a little witch. Finished me studies and got curious about how it's taught elsewhere. So here I am, just back from a stint at Ilvermorny." She wasn't sure where she would go next, but it was still fascinating to move around like she did. She'd always loved learning about the world they all come from, even if sometimes the history isn't so bright and shiny. Nothing was, ig you looked back far enough. "Do you know most of the mob 'round here, eh?" It seemed a little strange to think the woman might know everyone in wizarding New Zealand, but perhaps the tight community was tighter even than back home in Arnhem Land, she certainly didn't know everyone there and she was related to quite a few of them. Her poor Bäpurru had ten kids and then each of her children had so many children of their own. At last count, Marigold had around forty two cousins. Sometimes she was thankful she was an only child. And that was just on her Bäpa's side. "Knowing everyone, or most of 'em, must mean you meet heaps of people in your day."

@Selene Le Fey ​