Whisper the prayer of transformation.

[digophelia]

A- Returning to London , the tub

She waited with both great apprehension and joy for her release out of the hospital. Ten years and Alice was already making a list of the things she'd go see. She wanted to see the parks she used to play in, the old ports she would visit, and Hyde Park was on the top of her list. She was practically shaking with excitement when she was waiting patiently for her release. The doctors had given her a slew of medication -- not a surprise. Anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, SSRIs, and some to help her sleep at night. All of them with a big, bulky folder of directions, phone numbers, and other sort of paperwork with names and such. When she first entered care, she barely spoke a word, and now that she was being let go, Alice barely spoke a word, again. No goodbyes offered, even if nurses, patients, and doctors tried with her, Alice tore out of the hospital without a second look.

She was free again.


Hyde Park was quite a distance away -- she'd have to take public transportation to get there. And, of course, to get a cup of tea on the way there, since her medication often made her feel sluggish. As soon as Alice is out in the real world again, her reaction isn't that of joy and there is no running about. The world is much bigger than she remembered and much more frightening. Alice had left it, deeply shaken. She couldn't really greet anyone on the way back to the subway or anywhere else. She kept her head low, awkwardly rubbing her cheek or combing her hair, all odd little tidbits of hers when she was nervous.

She was terrified. Alice thought to herself what she could possibly be thinking. Upon getting on the old routes her family used to take to the coven (which, by now, Alice had memorized), she took it up to the assigned housing, with only a bag of clothing and her things, nervously teetering away on the train, with her old stuffed rabbit firmly in her arms. Alice was eighteen years old, but her skittish disposition and short, malnourished stature surely presented her as someone much younger and the stuffed rabbit didn't help. She looks like a child and acts the part, ducking her head as people passed by her. While the idea of looking at others filled her with dread, her mind was racing with thoughts and visions.

Today could be an off day.

B - Redbright Institute, because Alice is lost

Two days after her initial release, Alice secluded herself to sleeping in a bed of her own, with no round the clock check ups from doctors. She slept tightly with her rabbit -- but decided that the bed wasn't enough halfway through the night and took to under the bed. When she awoke, Alice was combing through notes and drawings -- clues to her past and where to go. She was obsessed with remembering these things, the jittery little thing kept them in a notebook, pieces of papers popping out of pages. Redbright Institute. Now she remembered, that was one place her father worked at, one place she knew would give her clues to where to go and what to do.

The world was still very much bigger than she thought, so stepping upon the campus isn't what she expected. It was bigger than she remembered and very foreign. And Alice spent a good time pacing about outside, carrying her rabbit firmly in her arms until she worked up the courage to speak.

Sort of.

She probably hadn't spoken a full sentence in months, so her matter of speech was strange, almost monotone and low. Sucking in a breath, the small, Alice tried to ask for help and where to go -- no one helped her, she jumped into this without thinking.

"Sorry," She mutters, keeping her head low and her rabbit close to her chest. She wasn't this meek, she nearly forgot how to interact with others. "I'm lost? Help?"

If that even worked, if she could formulate a sentence, but talking to others again was so difficult.

C - Coffer's Shop

It is not a coffee shop she's familiar with; her father had a penchant for the fancy coffee shops, in which he met some of his colleagues there, or, according to her older sister, he goofed off at them, playing chess with others. Tea sounds nice -- it sounds great. Upon entering the shop, Alice takes a sigh of relief that it's not busy. Still clutching her rabbit in one hand, Alice fumbles with her side bag, feeling around for the coin purse -- she stuck some money in there, she's not sure how much.

What she does remember is the smaller pleasures helped a lot, but ordering tea was proving to be a difficult feat, especially for a girl who was struggling just to talk to others. One step, just one step that was recommended in therapy to deal with social anxiety. She watches how others order and what they do, standing at the counter before she steps up bravely and orders tea.

Just plain chamomile, since anything caffeinated will rile her. As soon as she gets it, Alice nearly runs over a patron, whisking herself to a nice, quiet corner.

"Sorry," She mutters lowly, keeping her rabbit and cup of tea gripped tightly in her hands before she continues.

D - Wildcard!

Comments

B

[livelongenough]

She looks so young. It's the first thought that Henry has when he really sees her. He might have walked right past her if she hadn't spoken, but, now, she has his full attention. He offers a faint smile. Even as he does, he corrects his initial perception. She doesn't necessarily look young; she seems young.

"Where are you trying to go?" he asks.

A calm, practised voice. Father and doctor speaking at once. After all, an anxious tone could spread. Make someone far more nervous than they had to be.

[digophelia]

She's small enough to where she could be mowed down by the passing traffic in the school. Wide green eyes, clutching her things, Alice flinches as soon as he speaks. "Ah-" Alice is trying to juggle her two things; she seems really reluctant to put away her rabbit, but she has to, just for now. In the hospital, she didn't cling to it as much, but the past few days shes been out, it hasn't been the case.

She's not sure what she's doing, to be frank. She doesn't stammer when she speaks, she has trouble finding the words.

The years she spent in catatonia make it difficult. Breathe. Maybe one of her medications isn't helping.

"I was hoping to, ah-" Alice pulls out her notebook, thumbing through her notes. Not only is she young, her behavior is a little strange, "Enroll."

[livelongenough]

Nerves are nothing new to Henry. After all, Redbright Institute has quite a few youngsters who have never been somewhere they could be accepted before. He's used to seeing fear and uncertainty and suspicion and... everything else. Even if he hasn't worked here for very long.

That she is without any sort of guardian... is sadly unsurprising.

"I can show you to the admissions office, if you'd like, or I can tell you how to get there." After all, sometimes an authority figure could help someone settle into the halls a little more. Other times, it was the worst thing in the world.

[digophelia]

There is more she wants to add, but Alice is far too stricken to even utter it. She's almost tempted to ask about her father -- he had taught here, he was well-liked. Anything regarding her father, Alice wanted to throw herself into it. Alice isn't necessarily shy, just overly cautious. Just to make sure, Alice looks him over to ensure he's not holding anything.

Like a needle or something, but that's an irrational thought. She gives a small affirming nod -- a yes, that would be fine, until it dawns on her that she didn't really answer his question.

"I'm not very good with directions," Alice admits softly. Or rather, the heavy dosage of medication today make it difficult for her to focus. "I'm not very good at my craft, either." Alice seems to blurt out, only because she feels she owes an explanation as to why she's here.

[livelongenough]

"This way." He motions and begins walking, though keeping his pace moderately slow. It's a good way to gauge whether she'd rather walk behind him or beside. Which let him know how to talk to her.

But at least she'd provided a good avenue for conversation.

"Your craft? A witch, then? Missus Redbright will be happy to hear that, I'm sure."

[detectiveofthewest]

"Don't worry about it," said Heiji cheerily, pulling his drink out of the way so it wouldn't get smashed or worse. The sudden motion sloshed a few drops out of the lid despite his efforts.

Man, that was one beat-up rabbit.

"Crowd's died down a little here lately, but it's still tough to find a seat!"

[digophelia]

It's a little hard to believe that this is a much tamer crowd, but Alice's experience with anything deemed worthy of a "crowd" was a filled room during group activities. The only plus was that people were lively, they weren't drooping in corners from medication and other ailments.

Maybe they were a little too lively.

Alice is trying to find a seat, preferably somewhere in a nice corner with all doors and windows in her sight. It doesn't look like she'll be having either. She gives a slow nod, until his words really start to sink in, "Died down? It's slow?"

[detectiveofthewest]

"Yeah, a little while back a bunch of those ghost hunter types swooped in to try and do one of them lock-ins or exorcisms or whatever." Either/or. Possibly both. With night vision cameras!

"You wouldn't know it to look at the place, but it's pretty famous for being haunted by... the Harrowing Ghost." This last was said in a mildly spooky voice completely out of proportion to how terrifying Clara actually was (not at all).

"They say she blows up lightbulbs every now and then." Well, that part was true. But she never did it on purpose, and anyway, she helped straighten out the mugs, didn't she? That ought to count for something.

[digophelia]

"There's a ghost here?" Alice asks, almost disbelieving. And, she feels, she has every right to be doubtful; it was one of the things her sister used to tease her about ghosts as a little girl. The concept of ghosts are not that unfamiliar to witches, they were her father's favorite research material.

Like divination, something that her father freely crossed a line when humoring regular humans. Alice leans to the side, squinting at the coffee shop, as if that's going to help her see an actual ghost, "How do you know there's a ghost if all you hear are stories?"

C

[knightscode]

"Not at all -- here, do you need help?"

Lancelot holds out a hand to her, smile easy and calm as he regards Alice. His other one is only holding a pre-packaged sandwich, so it's no trouble. She's so tensely drawn in on herself he wonders if the concept will upset her more, so he clarifies quietly --

"I can hold the tea for you so you can keep hold of your friend, save someone bumping you and spilling it onto them. I'm a little bigger and harder for people to knock over. Corner seat?"

[digophelia]

Rationally, she knows he means well, but Alice is still feeling a little out of it from one of her medications earlier this year, she's not sure which one. She answers his offer by pulling her rabbit closer. Childish aversion isn't really much of an answer, yet it does well for those slight seconds just his presence almost knocked her little, lithe self over.

"That's fine," She hasn't spoken that much, if at all the last few months she was there in the hospital. Alice just reluctantly offers her tea, with her head low. It's an odd display, how she shuffles in her stance before, yes, a corner seat sounds nice, she can huddle in a corner and keep an eye on her surrounds like the overly vigilant girl she is. "Fine enough." Just as long as she can keep the old rabbit in her arms.

[knightscode]

"Then that is how it shall be."

He takes the tea from her carefully, smile still in place, and tilts his head the direction he means to walk -- carefully shifting chairs and things out of the way, clearing a path of sorts. He glances around to make sure nobody else might be intending to come crowd her before setting the tea down carefully on the corner table, turning to offer her another easy smile.

"There we are, will this do?"

His eyes flick over her a second before shifting to take in the rest of the room, not wanting to stare her down too much. She seems nervous, nervous enough that Lancelot wonders if she's truly here alone. Someone with her level of unease would do better with a carer of sorts, he thinks. Unless something has startled her, and this is not how she might normally be? It's almost a worse thought, when he knows he's in no real position to pry.

[digophelia]

She watches him with great curiosity -- he seems so genuinely nice that Alice wonders if there's some sort of catch to it. She glances around the coffee shop, watching people pair up with one another or sit in groups, absolutely lively in their discussions. Then there is her, a mess and holding her things tightly and frightened by a simple gesture.

Maybe she can take that chance, just because she wants to drink her tea and hope it helps calm her down. "It's fine," She nods.

Her first obstacle would to be conversing regularly, which still remains a monumental feat, still. She forgets her manners, something that her parents were very critical for her to have. As she slowly sinks down with her rabbit clutched in her arm to her cup of tea, she glances at him and finally remembers, "Thank you, sir. There was no need, you know."

C

[constantprisoner]

Coffeer's shop is probably one of the few locations Sirius feels safe enough to visit, thanks to Clara's advice. He tends to keep his face hidden, but has become familiar enough that he can at least get a pastry and some tea to go without raising too much suspicion.

Granted that never lasts long for him. One of the issues with keeping your head down is that you don't really pay attention to your surroundings. Or other people running into you.

"My fault," he replies quickly, "You okay?"

[digophelia]

"I'm fine," Alice slowly bends down to pick up a piece of paper that had fallen out of her notebook upon impact. Doing so with a stuffed animal in one hand and tea is difficult, but she manages it well enough she figures out to put her drink aside. For the life of her, she just can't let go of the rabbit, she refuses. Long hair falling into her face, Alice doesn't make a motion to pull it aside. It hides half of her face, an insecurity of hers.

Today was just not a good day venturing out on her own, and after today's visit to the coffee shop, Alice has decided she won't venture it again, at least, not for a while.

"I'm very sorry, sir, I haven't been here before."

That's a good enough excuse, right?

[constantprisoner]

"It's alright," he answers, probably faster than he needs to, "I was the one who wasn't paying attention."

Which he's mentally kicking himself for. Staying more aware was something he was supposed to be getting better at. The last thing he needs is to be recognized again.

"I can help you find a table or something?" he offers.

[digophelia]

Once more, Alice glances around the coffee shop to see who was around her. It was strange to see so many people, so relaxed and moving around so quickly, in her opinion, after spending so much time around patients that were often sedated.

As for him, he would be in a good presence; Alice really had no idea about any sort of recent events or even the neighborhood.

Having help getting a seat was perfectly fine. She gives a small nod, "That's fine," She's sure her preferences sound ridiculous, "A corner or close to doors."

She just liked being closer to exits, it made her feel secure. If she needed to bolt out, she would be fine.

D - i can cook something else up if this doesn't work!

[kleptofaeniac]

It had spread throughout Circle Midnight quickly enough that Enfield was a safe-haven now. If you wanted to live without worrying about being attacked or run out of town because someone found out you practiced dark magic, that was the place to be.

On top of that, the coven that had won the territory - Shadow Coven - had a halfway house for witches who would evacuate to the area. There were rooms to stay in long enough to get on your feet, and even some work to be found if you didn't mind exploiting your gifts long enough to give someone a little charm or reading for a few pounds.

Fronting as a psychic and magic shop was a little on the nose, true; but it was almost stupid enough to be clever...

Kenzi was managing the front today - she had decided to take a break from her usual work to brush up on her defensive magics. She was teaching herself how to make barriers for homes and such - after just recently being broken into, she wanted some safety she could trust.

no worries, dude

[digophelia]

The transitional housing was horrid in Alice's opinion. It was full of other people recovering from similar issues, some of them too much for Alice to handle. It reminded her too much of the hospital, where rooms were tiny, shared, and very close together. The only thing it needed was an orderly checking in on patients every fifteen minutes in her opinion -- it even had the sterile white walls. Thankfully, however, her father, himself, made sure that Alice would be taken care of, should the worst case scenario would happened.

She just doesn't know what to do with that amount of money, other than poke around local haunts for witches. Nothing felt welcoming, however, Alice was constantly shuffling around. Little details of Enfield from her childhood were lost on her she was trying to remember for guidance.

A few days after visiting the insitute, Alice would try her luck in shops for books. She was a novice again, she had no real understanding of the scorn for dark arts. She was drawn to it.

Alice found herself drawn to a shop she'd never been before, a place her parents certainly would have gone. Quietly and unusually so precarious as she enterd in, Alice slipped in the doorway, peaking around the shop. She looked a little torn and she was a little torn -- she wasn't sure if it was what she was looking for.

What would go unsaid by Alice is that she wished she had more guidance into going back into the world of witches, her family.

[kleptofaeniac]

Abigail had stressed one thing to Kenzi when she agreed to watch the shop for a week. She was doing some charity drive or whatever. A marathon? Kenzi hadn't really been paying attention when she asked, but said yes because she wasn't doing anything for the rest of the month. All she was focusing on was mastering this warning system spell. Once she got it, she was gonna put up a barrier over anywhere she went more than once a month.

Kenzi heard someone walking on the very old wooden floors they had in the downstairs area and practically fell down them in her rush to see if it was a customer - she could maybe give them a reading and get some cash asap.

She threw on a smile for the slip of a girl that was looking around and spoke up.

"Welcome to the Seven Sisters, we magic you bag it!"

Her face twisted as if she realized how horrible that sounded.

Yeah, I need to come up with something better.

"What can I do ya fer?"

[digophelia]

She would have been content wandering around for a few minutes longer, until her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. Startled, Alice turns around around, clutching her bag as if to shield herself. She forgotten that shops always had people greet you as soon as you entered.

"Uhm," She glances around -- for a moment, Alice forgets why she's in here, up until she glanced at a scrying mirror that reminded her of her mother and Alice remembered.

She was looking to get out of her housing. Unsure of herself, Alice's green eyes darted back before she could look at the floor before she regains her bravado.

"I was... I was wondering about this area, not so much the shop."

A

[emotioneater]

"Need a spot t' siddown?" Cooper asks. The train is unusually packed at this time of night and Alice looks quite in danger of being swallowed up amidst the crowd. Cooper was lucky enough to get a seat, but he's certainly not going to keep in with the waif standing before him with a stuffed bunny rabbit (creepy as it is) in her arms. She looks like she's about fourteen years old at most.

[digophelia]

"Mm?" Alice too busy trying to tie a loose string on the said stuffed rabbit in her arms. Certainly, it was worn and very dirty, and it was her only friend, as far as she was concerned. Alice nearly loses herself in thoughts, yet again, when she heard a voice. It's an odd reaction, because Alice seems to lightly flinch as she sees him. She hadn't really paid attention to him until now.

He's offering a seat, Alice realizes, and before she gets trampled by much larger and passengers that aren't as sedated as her, Alice reluctantly accepts, "Oh, um- yes." She shuffles out of the way from an older gentleman with a briefcase, telling Alice bluntly to move out of the way.

[emotioneater]

"Couldn't let you an' Peter Cottontail disappear, now, could I?" Cooper gets up from his seat. Chivalry isn't dead as far as this old vampire is concerned. He's short as far as height goes, but he steps on enough toes and glares at enough people to carve out a small spot for himself amid those who are forced to stand up. It's still not the ideal, with a musical instrument case pressing into the back of his knee and the overpowering scent of too many people's deodorant inside his nose.

"You headin' somewhere close by?" He hopes so for her sake. Someone as little as she appears to be is only going to attract trouble the minute she steps off the train.

[digophelia]

"Not for a while," She admits, fidgeting as he refers to her stuffed rabbit in such a way. "Rabi" was his name, nothing extraordinarily special when it was given to her at the age of three. Alice recalled that the world was dangerous, but she didn't put much thought into what would happen to her as soon as she would make her way to assigned housing.

Alice wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, despite not being tired. She certainly looked the part of it, dark circles underneath her bright, green eyes. It was from the medication, that made her wobbly as the train moved along, as if she was going to break any time soon from just the slightest rock, "But- disappear?"