Imbolc

[undergroundmods]

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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.

Comments

[falsify]

"Eames." He could be oblique about the whole thing, but Eames recognises the way her body language relaxes and decides not to push it by being pointlessly annoying.

"So--" a quick glance around says no one's paying much attention to them, uncaring about some guy and a wolf, so Eames feels free to ask, "which way do you think it's going for your lot?"

[brightwitch]

"Too early to say." She doesn't hesitate with that response. It's true and even if she knew more, she'd be reluctant to share it with a relative stranger. "Your lot?"

[falsify]

"The same," which is the truth, personal misgivings aside, "but between you and me, I'm not too hopeful." He tips his head with a rueful smile and a wistful sigh, a little tiredness showing around his eyes, "witches are usually more interested in control than friendship, in my experience."

[brightwitch]

"Huh." She's being noncommittal about that. Something has been bothering Katherine since he first walked up to her: why is he here? It's hard to imagine that he only wants a friendly chat. "We say the same about vampires. Spreading all over the city like rats."

She doesn't bother hiding the disgust in her tone. Katherine hates vampires and she resents the Night Council for letting them back in like the craven scum they are.

[falsify]

He's working up to it, the point of coming over to her. Eames just wants to get an idea of what her feelings are exactly, which isn't the easiest task with how taciturn she's being, but it's not the same as being unreadable.

The mention of vampires gets a scoff from him though, genuine disgust at the thought of them, and he shakes his head, "don't get me started on the vampires. It's disgusting."

[brightwitch]

"Yeah," Katherine agrees. "Reading between the lines, our princess Mother over there doesn't like them much either. Got a 'London is for the living' kinda vibe."

She shrugs. Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn't. It gives her hope that they have this in common, though she isn't going to let herself get too excited yet. She's pretty sure that Sylvia Redbright hates vampires too but that hasn't stopped her from letting them back on the Night Council.

[falsify]

"Pretty sure Redbright didn't care too much for them either." At least not with their propensity for falling out of line at the slightest provocation. "I suppose only time will tell if she's willing to kowtow to them too."

[brightwitch]

She scowls at the name. Guess what, Katherine doesn't like Sylvia.

"Wait and see, yeah. I've done that and it hasn't done us any good. What do you want, Eames?"

She folds her arms again. Time for him to get to the point.

[falsify]

"This isn't the venue I'd had in mind to discuss it, but I've been meaning to speak to you about the possibility of an alliance for some time now." He switches from conversational to businesslike easily enough, like it's just another social cue to respond to, "sadly I haven't had much time until recently, what with the vampire situation."

[brightwitch]

...Huh.

"What kind of an alliance?"

It isn't what she'd expected to hear but she hides it well. Might as well hear him out.

[falsify]

"Ideally? Protection that goes both ways, a furthering of eachother's interests."

He drops his voice a little, bit by bit as the conversation continues. Don't want any witches listening in, etc.

"We're both persone non gratae as far as the powers that be in this city are concerned, and being isolated has done neither of us any favours." It's up to her whether or not to trust the genuineness in his words and expression, but it's at least partially the truth. "I'd like to change that, if I can."

[brightwitch]

He's... not wrong. About any of it. But she knows fae are tricky. What does he get out of it?

Katherine keeps her voice down, her gaze even. "So what, you help us kick out the vampires, we help you... do what exactly?"

If she's understanding him right, he doesn't like vampires or witches. But taking on just one of them seems barely possible right now. Would he really want to fight both?

[falsify]

"My interest is our safety," he says plainly. No grand plans, no machinations. "I just want to live in my home without being attacked or told how or where I can travel."

[brightwitch]

Again, he surprises her. She wouldn't expect such plain honesty from any fae. He seems remarkably unambitious as well. No plans to grab power? No mischief or trickery?

It seems too good to be true.

"Let me get this straight," she says slowly. "Literally all you want is our help to defend your homes if you get attacked. That's it, nothing else. What's the catch?"

[falsify]

"Well, it'd be nice if you'd support us being able to open doors wherever we like, but yes."

Eames is a piece of shit, it's true, but he's never had any high aspirations where this is concerned. Only ever became a Lord through his dedication to the things he's describing to Katherine now.

"Were we to become allies, I'm not going to expect you to support everything we do, just as I'd hope you wouldn't expect that of us. I'd like us to treat eachother as equals."

[brightwitch]

Doors? She frowns, unsure what he means. Katherine hasn't talked to many fae and what little she knows about them only scrapes the surface. The rest of it though... It sounds both promising and not promising, since it doesn't bind them to do anything.

"All right," she says. "I'm listening. But I have to know one thing. Would you help us take down the vampires?"

Fuck vampires, right? They're enemy number one in Katherine's eyes and she sees no point in allying with anyone who won't fight them.

[falsify]

That's... A difficult question, and the hesitation from Eames is obvious. Taking someone down is a bit of a loaded concept, and he's not sure it's something he's willing to do if he doesn't have to.

"Depends on what you mean by 'take down'," is the response Eames settles on, holding up a hand to indicate he has more to say but he just needs a moment to think his words through. "I helped to... Remove the previous Duke. I don't like them, but that could be a lot more useful to capitalise on than fighting them."

He didn't let Harris bite him just to throw that goodwill away.

[brightwitch]

"Did you?" Her respect for him goes up a notch upon hearing that. Helped to get rid of Raymond. God knows someone needed to. The rest of his response, though, isn't what she wants to hear. Katherine sighs, putting a hand on her hip. "Look. I've no interest in making friends with vampires. I want to take back the territory they took from us and more. And then I want to drive them out of their fancy hotels and their shady sex clubs and back into the piss end of the Tube where they belong. If you won't help us do that, we might as well not be having this conversation."

This is the make-or-break moment. If Eames tells her yes, he will commit to allying with her against the Islington Nest, she will choose him over Samantha. If not... Well, Samantha made her an offer she's going to find difficult to refuse.

[falsify]

Well that's disappointing, but Eames can't say he doesn't understand.

(He'll understand a little less when he finds out just how much this has worked against him, but for now? He can't exactly begrudge her wanting to side with someone who'll go against the nest.)

"Much as I want to see the vermin out of the city? I can't commit to that, not on the scale you're looking for, I'm sorry." And Eames is entirely genuine when he says it, struggling to hide how conflicted he is about the answer he's given, "but, thank you for your time."

Jean-Claude had better fucking appreciate this.