Between the Worlds
28th of August 2006 A.D.
Having decided not to push for any changes or open the can of worms marked 'electronic devils' you spend the next two days visiting around the other members of the Order of the Cauldron. Once you get over the initial wariness and in one embarrassing case having in someone's hallways for half an hour while they took apart the ward that would have woken half the building if someone as 'magically weighty' as you past it the younger practitioners are a really excited to talk to you and Lydia. You find yourself conjuring tools for all sorts of odd purposes just to prove you can, personally you think the bio-mechanical butter-churn takes the cake for weirdest Though you quickly dismiss it because unlike little Elly her aunt seems perturbed more than impressed by obvious displays of magic.
Lydia meanwhile puts on a dog and crow show, with the animals always getting well fed and petted for their neighbors. On a more practical note she manages to explain to one rambunctious terrier why he should not chew on his owner's slippers. By the wistful look on his little doggy face you suspect those slippers will not be safe for long regardless.
For her part Olivia Deol gives a quiet laugh. Everything about Olivia is quiet, from the muted colors of her leotard and tights to the way she hardly seems to make a sound across the creaky floorboards of the turn of the last century apartment building and it is not all wholly mundane. She seems to slip out of focus around the edges of vision, slip out of mind when she goes into the kitchen to fetch some tea.
"It sounds a little silly to admit, but that is why I took up dancing, the lights, the music, the story, all focus the attention of the crowd beyond what my wallflower power can hide." She laughs quietly. "I mean that is probably not the technical term for it, but if I were a Power Ranger my color would be beige or cream."
"Nothing wrong with beige," Lydia says stoutly.
Part of you wonders why she does not dress more obviously if it bothers her, but you do not want to put your foot in your mouth even if she is just eight months older than you, the youngest adult in the Order. Instead you note: "You could be one of those Ninja Rangers, like from the new one, Power Rangers Ninja Storm."
"There is a new Power Rangers?" Olivia asks, startled.
"Sure, they are always making new ones, they cost like fifty cents and a pack of gum per episode to produce..."
"And are they
actual ninjas or still wearing primary colors?"
"They are ninjas in spirit," you giggle.
You do give
some thought to poor Anna as her eyes start to glaze over, but it's been a long time since you have been able to talk Power Rangers 'lore' with anyone and Lydia is such a perfect straight woman for the sillier parts of the show.
***
Maria Casselli, proud owner of Spritz and Sparkle Car Wash, to which she offers a free monthly wash to every member of the order is the next youngest, college age though without any intention of going off has just gotten engaged, in the middle of what you can only think of as a storm of fabrics, dresses, leaflets for catering and photography, such that you feel the urge to but out almost as soon as you Lydia and Abby make it in the door. But quite the contrary to the bridal horror stories you hear sometimes Maria seems genuinely delighted for the company, her cheerfulness downright infectious.
Before the hour was out both of you had been invited to her wedding next month, Lydia had offered to use her magic to get a raven to do the Disney Princess thing with a flower crown at said wedding which the bride-to-be accepted and then they got to talking about the best places in Sicily to go. Maria's grandparents had been from there but she has never visited so she decided to take the opportunity of her honeymoon to change that.
When the matter of magic came up though Maria's smile fades a little around the edges, her eyes turning wistful. She explains that her particular talent is weather work, which in one sense makes her the most powerful talent in the whole order, though she has not had a lot of opportunities to use her powers beyond learning to control them
"Not a lot of reason to be changing the weather around here, well maybe in the winter," She gives a faux shiver and a wink. "Not really though, weather work's not something to do lightly, gammy drilled that into my head right-proper, you never know all you're going to change to get your will done and besides people notice,
things too." She stops a moment then launches herself into a a quandary that had clearly been on her mind long before the three of you had walked in the door. "I don't know if I should tell Alex about it. I'd have to
show him really for him to believe me and it can be a bit... overwhelming, but at the same time it doesn't feel right to go down that aisle and speak those vows when I'm keeping a secret that big from him. You two are out to your families right? What do you think I should do?"
"Yeah I'm really open with my dad about the magic stuff," Lydia can't help herself from saying, though she adds more seriously. "My experience isn't really normal for these things, you're better off taking this one Molly."
What advice do you give?
[] Show her fiance her magic
[] Do not show her fiance the magic
[] Write in
OOC: In mechanical terms Olivia has Psychic Invisibility and Maria has Weather Control 
