zoewh

[zoewh]

He appeared taken aback when seeing her, but admittedly, she hadn't expected to see anyone else either. She shifted a little in her seat to get a better look at him; he didn't appear to be here to swim, and he didn't strike her as one of the local stoners coming out to get high. Frankly, she would have brushed him off as a wandering tourist were it not for the sizable knife at his hip. What was this man really doing out here... is he a hunter? Zoe discarded the notion, although the knife struck her as odd, it was not enough evidence for her to label him as a killer of her kind. Still, she had to force a convincing smile on her face.

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't having much luck focusing anyways." Fighting an eye roll she sighed, of all things to be distracted by, she just had to have been dwelling on the past. Goddess knows nothing good comes from that train of thought, this man's appearance might have actually been needed. "...Yea, this is a favorite spot of mine. No buildings around, little foot traffic, plenty of nature, it's a good place for inspiration," she mused, gesturing towards the painting with a wispy smile. Looking back to the hiker Zoe's eyebrows knit together with a small show of worry, shortly followed by a light hearted jest, "Are you lost? Not looking for the Tower of Dreams are you?"

If one knew what to keep an ear out for, Ashed had learned at an early age that eavesdropping was sometimes better than direct questioning. Especially in small towns, where people were protective of their own; and particularly in Hexmore. Where Ashed realized the town perhaps held big secrets, but not exactly terrible secrets?

Supernaturals, Ashed couldn't tell how many in the town, who lived amongst clueless humans, and pretended to be just like them. The idea was mind-blowing to a Hunter like Ashed, trained only to see supernaturals was mindless, monstrous, vicious beasts.

Regardless, one conversation he eavesdropped on in the Lanes, had him navigating through the woods. Mention of something called a 'Tower of Dreams' that to a normal ear would just sound like fiction, fantasy chatter. But apparently it was located in Hexmore, and apparently only the most determined could find it.

Ashed considered himself determined (to kill supernaturals, but close enough), and maybe it would give him answers to the whereabouts of his great-Aunt.

And he did run into something, after half an hour of trekking, but it wasn't a tower, nor a doddering old woman.

"Oh - erm, pardon me," Ashed said first when he emerged into the copse, and found a woman there, with her easel and paints. She herself looked like a painting with her poise and the light shining through the trees just right, Ashed had to admit. He assumed the role of hapless tourist easily. "I don't mean to interrupt your work. Are you a local?"

#Ashed

[zoewh]

With her nose in one book, and two more open beside her, Zoe sat soaking up the sun. A blanket cushioned the ground while she perused through the aged books; she searched for answers, details, clues, really anything that related to the omen she saw. It was all in hopes of getting a lead on all the strange happenings in town; unfortunately, omens were often vague in what they're warning, she had yet to find anything of great importance in the tomes.

So engrossed in her studies, Zoe was unaware of the muscly dog bounding towards her. Seconds before he leaped at her, toothy wet grin on the dogs face, did she finally look up. "Oh n—" The book went flying, an excited tongue all but blinding her. Gently, but firmly, she was able to pull the hulking dog off to get a proper look. "Well aren't you a big guy," Zoe huffed good naturedly, the friendly dog lunged to lick at her face again. "— Oh! Yes, you're a good boy—"

Location: Outside the Dog Park For: Anyone Time: 4:55pm Character: Bellamy Beau

"Hazel would be able to answer this," he muttered as he dug his cellphone out of his pocket, flipped it open, pressed the down arrow repeatedly so he could select her name and was a second away from hitting the call button when he remembered -- while Hazel would be able to figure out the answer to his problem, she wasn't here.

He hit call anyway. As if that was going to make it so he would get through to her this time.

It rang and rang and rang.

and rang.

Unlike his phone which was currently nearly full with voicemails he didn't bother deleting, Hazel Mora's phone seemed to have a limitless amount of storage capacity.

(it'd have to -- he called her at least twice a day).

"Heya Babes, it's me -" he paused, waiting to see if she'd pick up. He sighed and finished with "ya boy" as he had done forever. It had started as a joke and then ... stayed. "So, believe it or not -- Hank got out. There's no hole in the fence, or under the fence and unless he climbed a tree ... Scout's honor - I didn't leave the gate unlocked or nothin' - and he's a big dog, ya know? Like 130lbs of muscle. I'd see him if he was out running around--" the tell-tale beep as the limit was reached for the message. He hung-up, redialed and continued. "So now, this cane corso is runnin' around. Any ideas? Love you, bye."

Now, he hung up for real.

"Ah fuck ... first day with Hank at dog-care and he's out getting his flirt on the fucking bastard," he grumbled, hands shoved in his pockets, as he tried to think of where he could start looking. Hazel had gotten him the job at the vet clinic. He picked some time as a dog-walker and utilized the park at the end of the day for pick-up... now he was one dog shy.

#Bellamy

[zoewh]

Gripping the door frame Zoe gave a timid smile, "Sorry, it looked like you had an important visitor, wanted to make sure you were done first." Her ankle, now swollen to the size of a baseball, throbbed as she entered the room. She never fancied herself an exceptionally graceful person, but her movements lacked any of their usual fluidity. Limping over to a chair close by she tried to easily lower herself into the seat, failing and dropping herself down with a thump. "I hope you're not too busy to take a quick look at my ankle; I don't think it's broken, but as you can see it doesn't look great."

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: open​​​​ (@hexstarters) 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: hexmore general

❛ YOU WERE SO BRAVE, MY DARLING, ❜ Anastasia smoothed the girl's hair back, her tearstained cheeks finally drawn up in a smile as she followed her mother from the room. The smell of blood still hung in the air, a vestige of the chaos that had first befallen the exam room. Melanie's scrape had appeared worse than it really was, a mishap with the sharp end of a knife bringing her and her frantic mother into Anastasia's waiting room. Five stitches and she was as good as new.

As she threw away the soiled gauze, the coppery odor rested as little more than a dull ache in her throat. It was paired with something else, she noted then, a presence lingering in the doorway. ❛ It’s rude to linger. Especially, in doorways. ❜

#Anastasia

[zoewh]

It was hot and a little humid, a sheen of had sweat gathered at the back of her neck, but it wasn't hot enough to abandon her task. A weathered brush smoothed paint across the easel in front of her; various colors already embellished the canvas in her attempt to preserve the scenery. Hexmore wasn’t a place she had missed much, but the mirror lake had been one thing she thought of with something close to longing. A gnarled tree to the left acted as a tombstone for a bird she had buried at ten, the frayed rope at the bank catalysted a minor trip to the hospital at the age of five, and subsequently a fear of heights. The lake itself seemed to reflect all the memories she had made here, smoking the joints her cousin had stolen from her brother, skinny dipping during the full moon, the summer days spent wet, and love drunk with him.

Focus, Zoe; you'll smudge the paint.

Before centering back in to the project she became aware of another presence approaching in the woods.

@ashnadir

#Ashed

[zoewh]

Zoe Whitman Witch

Zoe was an only child and most definitely the apple of her parent’s eyes. She had never struggled in school, exceling in art and literature, rarely argued with her parents, and always followed the rules.  She didn’t have the perfect life, loneliness was a frequent visitor, but she was content. Her family was close with other members of the Hexmore court and very loyal to the coven, Zoe knew her parents hoped she would marry someone who shared their affiliation. Imagine their surprise seeing her hand in hand with a known wild child.

Where her parents might have seen a hinderance to their daughters future, Zoe saw freedom and adventure. Jay was like a breath of fresh air, all worries and walls would dissipate for him; it wasn’t a mystery why everyone gravitated towards him, but he only ever entertained her attention. Her once overbearing thoughts would finally be focused on one thing; him. It was her first love, maybe that contributed to the speed at which she fell, but he made her feel alive and she was addicted to it.

Their senior year of high school a reality check came crashing in in the form of a positive pregnancy test. The shift was almost immediate; the two tried to continue on as normal, as if there wasn’t a heavy tension in the air. Jay began getting antsy in her presence, and creating more time to spend with his friends. Not only did they begin to argue more but people began to look at her different, some even going as far to spit demeaning words in her direction. The boring life she had once been satisfied with was worlds away; the small baby now staring up at her making that painfully clear. They had tried to stay together after she gave birth, but she no longer felt the passion she once did, rather a sour taste was left in her mouth. As fast as she could Zoe left Hexmore to hopefully never look back, to forget about the love, and loss, and judgment. Unfortunately, even then she knew, Hexmore wasn’t a place that was easily walked away from.

Wanted Connections

Zoe had a very interesting youth; where as most girls her age in Hexmore might be honing their supernatural skills, she was taking part in a whirlwind romance that resulted in her getting pregnant. This boy had changed the course of her life the day they met, he taught her that letting go of inhibitions was sometimes a good thing and to grab life by the horns because their biological clock was always ticking. With his help she had shrugged off her cautious, quiet demeanor. Things began to spiral between them when it was announced that she was pregnant, eventually causing Zoe to leave Hexmore. It’s been roughly eight years since Zoe has been back home, and though she doesn’t have a longing to see her old flame the thought does inspire anxiety within her. (in her bio i have his name as Jay but that’s not set in stone)

It’s been years since Zoe has laid eyes on her home, part of her wonders if people even remember her. She’s surprised when someone from her past does in fact recognize her, funnily enough Zoe and this person had never gotten along. Now with years apart under their belts it seems the animosity they had once felt for each other has simmered, in fact, Zoe’s mood doesn’t plummet every time she’s around this person. There is still a slight an awkward air between the two, but that’s an improvement in her book.

Her family has always been deeply involved with the Hexmore coven, but now that she’s back in town Zoe would like to fly as much under the radar as she can. However, she realizes her power comes from the connections her ancestors have built with the court so she waters those relationships where she can. One day, she makes a surprising friend out of someone who has no ties to the court, and once again she tastes a little bit of that freedom from her familial expectations when with this person. She wouldn’t go as far as to say they are best friends, but there is no denying she feels relaxed with this person.

#hexintro

[zoewh]

#mirror*

[zoewh]

#musings*