undergrounds | Imbolc

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The festival of Imbolc marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. It may not seem like it, but the days are getting longer and winter's grip is beginning to thaw. What better time to celebrate new beginnings and make a fresh start?

That's exactly what the witch community is doing, as Samantha Okeke takes her place as the newly anointed Mother of Witches. The event is being held at the Redbright Institute, courtesy of Sylvia Redbright the previous Mother, and will take place entirely outside. Carefully placed warming spells ensure that the air temperature in the grounds is comfortable rather than freezing.

The event begins at 5pm (after sunset at 16.52) and finishes at 8pm.

Order of Events
5pm-5.30pm: Flowers and Candles
The first half hour allows time for guests to arrive and mingle. The main area where guests will arrive first is the lawn and pavilion. Here there are two stalls selling a variety of early spring flowers and candles. A third stall is selling hot drinks where you can buy tea, coffee or brandy, a fourth is selling a variety of fruitcakes, cupcakes and seed cakes, and a fifth is doing excellent business selling plant pots filled with earth blessed by the new Mother of Witches and a variety of plant seeds. A sign on the stalls proclaims that all proceedings will be used to fund a new centre for magical innovation, sponsored by the Mother of Witches.

At the pavilion there is an altar where guests are encouraged to light their candles, lay down their flowers and wish for good health in the year ahead. It is also traditional for young witches to wear flower garlands, so expect to see a lot of flowers around in general.

5.30-6.15pm: The Mother of Witches
At around 5.30pm there will be a ceremony where Sylvia will officially pass on her crown as Mother of Witches to Samantha. Guests will be ushered through to the quad to witness the ceremony. A podium has been set up in the middle of the quad where Sylvia will wait for Samantha to arrive on a raised chair carried by four male witches. Wearing a white dress with gold lace trimming, Samantha represents the purity and fertility of the upcoming spring.

It's then time for Sylvia to symbolically hand over her power by giving Samantha her wand and setting a crown of jasmine flowers on her head. The final act is for Samantha to light the candles that have been placed around the podium, a symbol of new beginnings.

She will then give a speech, addressed to the witches of course, but she is aware that there are others in the crowd who will be interested in what she has to say.

6.15-7.15pm: Offerings
Samantha will be sitting on the raised chair which has now been set down on the podium, flanked by the four male witches. A small white cat sits in her lap. Now is the opportunity for all guests to bring gifts and offerings for the newly anointed Mother of Witches. Every coven will nominate a representative to present a gift and say a few words. It would be courteous for guests from other factions to do the same, though not everyone will.

In the meantime, the gardens are open for guests to wander around with fairy lights strategically placed to help guests find their way.

7.15-8pm: Mingling
The remainder of the event is open for guests to mingle as they please, with the quad, front lawn and gardens all open. The stalls will be selling food, drink and other wares right through to the end of the evening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'd love some coffee." It's thee safest option, and it still feels early for brandy. She's been drinking it steadily since going off blood. "Thanks."

Natasha's head tilts and she offers a slight smile. She's already decided she'll pursue this more in the future. "So are you looking forward to less responsibility?"

Natasha doubts that. She very much doubts it. Retirement may or may not agree with her, but it's hard to picture Sylvia actually running away from responsibility.

Yes, it probably is the safest option. She goes for brandy anyway, shaking her head with a smile while they wait for the brandy to be poured and the coffee to brew.

"I'd say yes, but I'm not sure I do have any less responsibility." She gives a wry shrug of her shoulders. "I certainly don't have more time."

She might be leaving this Imbolc event early, but no doubt there will be plenty of paperwork for her to deal with when she gets home. Her work is truly never done.

Natasha huffs a laugh at that. "That sounds about right," she says, her tone dry and sympathetic. "Once you have a responsibility, it never really goes away. Especially not if you earned the responsibility in the first place."

"Exactly," she agrees, handing over Natasha's coffee with a smile. Sylvia takes her brandy and moves out of the way of the queue before sipping the warm liquid. The grounds might be spelled to keep in the heat, but there's still the occasional chilly breeze disturbing the magic.

Natasha takes the coffee, cupping it in her hands like a person trying to warm them. She steps aside with Sylvia, not quite letting her go while she has the chance to probe, however politely, for more information.

"So do you know Samantha well? It's the first time I've run into her."

"I wouldn't say well, but I've known her since she was born. She's the daughter of my sister-in-law. Of course then I got divorced, she grew up and moved to Manchester..." Sylvia shrugs. "I hadn't seen her for years until she moved back to London."

It's amazing the difference a few years can make, she thinks. Samantha had always been a smart and self-assured young woman but she really seems to have come into her own now.

Natasha makes a thoughtful sound at that, somewhere between acknowledgement and sympathetic. It's not really new information, per se, but it does give her an idea of how much information she might be able to get from Sylvia. And how she tells the story says something about their current relationship.

"I hear that's how it goes. And a lot can change in a few years." She tilts her head, another question on her mind and considering how best to ask it. Perhaps this isn't even her business. She's not a witch, after all. Still... "Do you think we'll see more of her around the campus?"

It's an interesting question, one that Sylvia has been musing on too. Does she want to invite Samantha back? This time was meant to be a courtesy, one final gift from the old Mother to the new. But her impression so far is that Samantha doesn't intend to rely on favours from her. She'll want to forge her own way.

"I think we will on occasion," she replies, after taking a moment to think about it. "If there's cause for a visit. But probably not events like this."

She'd guess that any further large gatherings would take place in Circle Daybreak territory. It does make more sense.

"That sounds about right." And unfortunate, in some ways. Natasha would have liked more opportunity to observe her.

In some ways, that kind of shift is to be expected. Natural, even. And Natasha might have reason to be relieved, since it means the Outreach Group won't be pulled into Daybreak politics. But that came with benefits, as well, and Redbright losing allies and Daybreak becoming more protectionist toward their own interests, advancing them to the exclusion of other groups isn't something Natasha views as a win.

As far as political choices went, Natasha knew which she liked better.

"Well, I guess we'll see how it plays out."

Ever the neutral observer. Sylvia doesn't suppose she'll get much more out of Natasha than that; the vampire does seem to enjoy being an enigma.

"I guess we will," she agrees, taking another sip of her brandy.

Imbolc

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