#nadia & kenzie 001.

[ofwrxth]

+ KENZIE / BATTERY PARK

Nadia couldn't say what led her to the park. She'd left the Institute an hour ago, intent on heading home when her feet carried her elsewhere. Each step brought her closer to her destination, though she couldn't say what it was. Not until she arrived.

The park itself had new verdure sprouting on branches – spring ushering in renewed life. There was magic in the air, the kind that was ever present amongst nature and its creatures. But there was something else. Nadia didn't understand why she was there, or what she was looking for, but she felt it. A bone-deep certainty that there was something amiss. Intuition told her to be on her guard and experience told her that whatever had drawn her here was powerful.

She walked a familiar path through the park, blue-eyed gaze observing and taking in the smallest of details. The squirrel scurrying up a tree, a bird flapping it's wings as he took off from a bench, a leaf falling. A haze, settled over the large pond in the middle of the park. Nadia paused, her steps faltering as she studied it from a distance. It shimmered as though light was reflecting in it, but with dusk soon descending into night, there was no reason for it to shine as it did.

Nadia probed it; her magic reached invisible fingertips against the surface of the haze, brushing it carefully. It lasted only a moment, but the next, her magic had recoiled and she started, unease filling her with a chill. She looked past the haze and then back the way she'd come and froze. The squirrel was still scurrying up the tree. The bird was taking off from the bench. The leaf was falling. Again and again.

She frowned again, taking another step back from the pond before she turned on her heels altogether. Nadia returned to the path that had led her there, retracing her steps as she twisted the talisman around her neck. She needed to think. But any thoughts were interrupted by a shift in the atmosphere. The presence of someone else on the very same path. Her head snapped up when she sensed a magical presence. Another witch. Nadia blinked at her, head canting to the side, "Do you feel it too?" @dxrkenedheights

[ofwrxth]

Nadia's mind was a storm, racing and whirling with a constant analysis as she weighed every cause and effect that might be in play. There was no clear answer, but she had to try. It wasn't in her nature to do otherwise. As far as she could tell, the other witch didn't seem hostile. If anything, she seemed as confused as Nadia. But what was clear was the fact that they were drawn here by something powerful and, dare she say, sinister. The sort of magic that should never be let loose but that she suspects raced into their world through the tear in the veil.

She gave the witch a cursory glance, not answering the question outright. Her silence, however, was as telling as an answer. No. No one had figured out what had happened. Or, rather, no one had figured out the full cause. If Nadia had to guess, foul play was afoot, though it did no good stirring suspicion or causing panic with unfounded speculation. "We're working on it," she settled on as a reply, gaze flickering to the jogger stuck in a perpetual loop.

Nadia nodded at her name and reached her magic out towards the jogger. But as she pressed forward, attempting to reach him, she frowned, brows pulled in concentration. It felt like wading through a pool of honey – thick and viscous. "We have no choice but to try," Nadia asserted, still trying to push through the haze around the man before exhaling and dropping her magic from him. "Unless you can get through whatever that is, we should focus on this." She pivoted and gestured at the haze covering the pond. Nadia was willing to bet that once they figured it out, they'd be able to help the man.

The haze swirled over the still water and Nadia blinked with the sudden realization that the moon was now in the sky and that the park was dark around them. Dusk had come and gone. Unease seeped into her as she checked her watch and her stomach dropped. "Oh." Oh no. Two hours. Two hours since she'd stepped foot in the park even though she could've sworn it was mere minutes.

Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves." She said taking a step towards the other witch. She blinked as a moment passed and Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves." Her heart was racing as a moment passed and Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves."

She realized what was happening with a thundering heart and felt another slip taking hold. Rather than reaching for her Talisman this time, Nadia took a step to the side and bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood. A different step from what she'd done before to break the pattern, a random action to disrupt the cycle before it could repeat.

Her wide-eyed gaze mirrored Kenzie's as her mind raced. "We have to break the patterns before we loop." She hopped from one foot to the other, gesturing at Kenzie to do the same and then glancing around them. "And we need to find the epicenter." Where this was all coming from.

It's always hard to tell what to expect when paths cross with other witches. Friend or foe. Sensing magic is one thing, but intentions are harder to read. Kenzie's eyes flicker over the other witch, then shift to the jogger, their motion looping in that unnatural way. Her hand rises instinctively, fingers twitching with the urge to connect to the strange haze of magic that clings to the park like a fog. But as soon as she tries, it curls back, retreating along her veins. "Damn." she mutters under her breath, her gaze falling briefly to her hand.

The mention of Grand Central draws her focus back to the other witch. Whispers have circled since the explosion. Everyone felt it, the ripple that was as if it tore through the city's fabric. "Has anyone figured out what happened there?" Kenzie asks quietly, though she doesn't ever expect information to be given so freely. After all, people build fortunes from selling what they know. Her attention keeps drifting to the jogger.

The name Nadia seems to settle something in Kenzie's chest, easing her for a moment. "Kenzie." she offers back, a small smile flickering across her lips before vanishing. "We could calm him down?" she suggests, nodding toward the jogger. "You think we're strong enough to handle that with… whatever this is?" her voice trails off as her eyes shift to the haze. The entire park feels muted, wrapped in something that isn't quite real.

Her gaze catches on the pond, the shimmer above its surface glinting faintly, but it's not the light that holds her attention. There's a familiar figure approaching the other side, making Kenzie's head tilt. "Wait, a second. Is that god damn..." the words stick as she takes a step forward but something stops her. It's a flicker that pulls her back to where she was standing just seconds before. Beside Nadia. "What the fuck?" she whispers, glancing at Nadia with wide eyes. "Did you just see that?"

[dxrkenedheights]

We're working on it. Nadia's reply makes something tense within Kenzie, her eyes now scanning over the other witch with a hint of suspicion. Only certain people use that phrasing, people that belong to something much larger than a coven. The institute is the first place Kenzie's mind travels to, but she pushes the thought away as quickly as it rises. Right now, it doesn't matter. She never thought she'd think this way, let alone feel it, but whatever is here matters far more than her distrust.

Kenzie's attention moves back to the jogger, a faint nod moving her head as her hand lifts again. The attempt to conjure her magic feels futile, but it's a strange sensation in her veins. Her magic doesn't feel weaker, it doesn't feel heavier or strained. It feels blocked, like it extends from her fingertips only to travel back again, like it's pricked at by something in the air. Her mind whirls, a thoughtful frown on her lips as she watches the stuttering steps of the jogger. Back and forth, over and over.

The haze around the park seems to shift, glowing and moving like it's alive and breathing. A heartbeat? No, like the steady ticking of a clock. "Holy shit," Kenzie whispers to herself, eyes following the haze for a moment. "Nadia, I'm sure you got your fancy spells and everything but...I think we're gonna need more witches." she says, only for her attention to fall to Nadia as the loop plays out for the other witch next.

All Kenzie can do is watch, her eyes flicking over Nadia with panic as the moment replays itself. The same words, the same actions. Magic glows from Kenzie's fingertips, but ideas to help escape her until finally the loop ends when Nadia breaks the pattern. "How do we know when we're gonna loop? I think that's a good question to ask." Kenzie says, her tone clipped but not from sternness from worry but she follows Nadia's lead and moves in a way she doesn't think she would, stomping in a circle in a way that feels both ridiculous but deliberate.

"Jesus Christ, I just wanted one mojito." Kenzie mutters to herself, cursing the night sky of New York above as the haze filters through the trees. She follows it's movements again, the pulsing energy guiding her eyes across the park. "See where there's more...whatever that stuff is?" Kenzie points upward to the gold, shimmering flecks swirling through the haze. She then wiggles her fingers quickly to break a potential pattern. "They seem more...together over there." she nods her head next in the direction of the fountain, her shrug moving awkwardly instead of how she usually does.

But her eyes flick to the grass, and before Kenzie takes a step she notices the faint impressions across the ground. "Shit, look." she says, pointing to how they lead from where they both stand. Like ghost footprints of their previous actions. Or...future ones? Kenzie tilts her head, her hand moving to Nadia's arm. "Okay so...we walk in a different way to those." she decides, nodding as if lodging the information in her own mind.

As soon as they both move, Kenzie keeps her gaze locked on the imprints through the grass. Together, they step in different ways, beside them instead of over them. Sometimes, Kenzie switches her movements to step backwards, or side skipping with an unimpressed glance to Nadia. Regardless of how absurd they look while gaining on the fountain, Kenzie can feel it. The way the energy shifts, how it feels stronger. A pull that's both sharp and unnerving. She sees it again, the familiar figure that catches her attention, this time more in focus. "I knew it was that motherfucker. Felix!" Kenzie calls, pointing in a strange wave and wiggle to the fountain. "We think it's coming from here, but you gotta break the pattern. Do what you wouldn't do."

@manybcdthings

Nadia's mind was a storm, racing and whirling with a constant analysis as she weighed every cause and effect that might be in play. There was no clear answer, but she had to try. It wasn't in her nature to do otherwise. As far as she could tell, the other witch didn't seem hostile. If anything, she seemed as confused as Nadia. But what was clear was the fact that they were drawn here by something powerful and, dare she say, sinister. The sort of magic that should never be let loose but that she suspects raced into their world through the tear in the veil.

She gave the witch a cursory glance, not answering the question outright. Her silence, however, was as telling as an answer. No. No one had figured out what had happened. Or, rather, no one had figured out the full cause. If Nadia had to guess, foul play was afoot, though it did no good stirring suspicion or causing panic with unfounded speculation. "We're working on it," she settled on as a reply, gaze flickering to the jogger stuck in a perpetual loop.

Nadia nodded at her name and reached her magic out towards the jogger. But as she pressed forward, attempting to reach him, she frowned, brows pulled in concentration. It felt like wading through a pool of honey – thick and viscous. "We have no choice but to try," Nadia asserted, still trying to push through the haze around the man before exhaling and dropping her magic from him. "Unless you can get through whatever that is, we should focus on this." She pivoted and gestured at the haze covering the pond. Nadia was willing to bet that once they figured it out, they'd be able to help the man.

The haze swirled over the still water and Nadia blinked with the sudden realization that the moon was now in the sky and that the park was dark around them. Dusk had come and gone. Unease seeped into her as she checked her watch and her stomach dropped. "Oh." Oh no. Two hours. Two hours since she'd stepped foot in the park even though she could've sworn it was mere minutes.

Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves." She said taking a step towards the other witch. She blinked as a moment passed and Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves." Her heart was racing as a moment passed and Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves."

She realized what was happening with a thundering heart and felt another slip taking hold. Rather than reaching for her Talisman this time, Nadia took a step to the side and bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood. A different step from what she'd done before to break the pattern, a random action to disrupt the cycle before it could repeat. Her wide-eyed gaze mirrored Kenzie's as her mind raced.

Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves." She said taking a step towards the other witch. Her heart was racing as a moment passed and Nadia gripped the Talisman around her neck; Aaron's wedding ring twined with her beginning to glow. She looked to Kenzie. "We need to anchor ourselves." Nadia realized what was happening with a thundering heart and felt another slip taking hold. Rather than reaching for her Talisman this time, Nadia took a step to the side and bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood. A different step from what she'd done before to break the pattern, a random action to disrupt the cycle before it could repeat.

Her wide-eyed gaze mirrored Kenzie's as her mind raced. "We have to break the patterns before we loop." She hopped from one foot to the other, gesturing at Kenzie to do the same and then glancing around them. "And we need to find the epicenter." Where this was all coming from.

[dxrkenedheights]

It's always hard to tell what to expect when paths cross with other witches. Friend or foe. Sensing magic is one thing, but intentions are harder to read. Kenzie's eyes flicker over the other witch, then shift to the jogger, their motion looping in that unnatural way. Her hand rises instinctively, fingers twitching with the urge to connect to the strange haze of magic that clings to the park like a fog. But as soon as she tries, it curls back, retreating along her veins. "Damn." she mutters under her breath, her gaze falling briefly to her hand.

The mention of Grand Central draws her focus back to the other witch. Whispers have circled since the explosion. Everyone felt it, the ripple that was as if it tore through the city's fabric. "Has anyone figured out what happened there?" Kenzie asks quietly, though she doesn't ever expect information to be given so freely. After all, people build fortunes from selling what they know. Her attention keeps drifting to the jogger.

The name Nadia seems to settle something in Kenzie's chest, easing her for a moment. "Kenzie." she offers back, a small smile flickering across her lips before vanishing. "We could calm him down?" she suggests, nodding toward the jogger. "You think we're strong enough to handle that with… whatever this is?" her voice trails off as her eyes shift to the haze. The entire park feels muted, wrapped in something that isn't quite real.

Her gaze catches on the pond, the shimmer above its surface glinting faintly, but it's not the light that holds her attention. There's a familiar figure approaching the other side, making Kenzie's head tilt. "Wait, a second. Is that god damn..." the words stick as she takes a step forward but something stops her. It's a flicker that pulls her back to where she was standing just seconds before. Beside Nadia. "What the fuck?" she whispers, glancing at Nadia with wide eyes. "Did you just see that?"

Nadia's gaze went to the runner. She'd seen him on the path earlier but he'd not made any progress. Instead, it was as though he was existing in a perpetual state of repeated motion. He took the same three steps before seeming to reset. Like time itself had rewound, hit play and then rewound again. Nadia took in the witch before her, gaze sharp and discerning. She shook her head. "I haven't...but it feels ancient." The witch affirmed, rubbing her arm as she returned her gaze to the haze over the pond.

"I tried to inspect it," Nadia gestured at the haze, "but it felt wrong." Enough that her magic had recoiled the moment she'd brushed it. "I'm willing to bet it's got to do with Grand Central." She didn't recognize the woman from Asphodel but word traveled through the supernatural community fast and everyone would've heard about the tear by now. The reasons for it remain a mystery but it would be impossible to ignore the way New York had shifted – the atmosphere thick with danger. "We should help him, no?" She nodded at the jogger again, sensing the panic emanating from him. While he might not have understood what was going on, it was clear that he was aware something was wrong.

"Oh, I'm Nadia," she introduced herself as an afterthought before taking a step towards the runner. She sent her magic out once more, canting her head while she inspected the air around him. "It's less subtle than the pond, but it's there – can you see it?" Nadia pointed to the faint outline around the runner, indicating the haze surrounding him. Barely perceptible but to someone who knew to look for signs of magic.

[ofwrxth]

Nadia's gaze went to the runner. She'd seen him on the path earlier but he'd not made any progress. Instead, it was as though he was existing in a perpetual state of repeated motion. He took the same three steps before seeming to reset. Like time itself had rewound, hit play and then rewound again. Nadia took in the witch before her, gaze sharp and discerning. She shook her head. "I haven't...but it feels ancient." The witch affirmed, rubbing her arm as she returned her gaze to the haze over the pond.

"I tried to inspect it," Nadia gestured at the haze, "but it felt wrong." Enough that her magic had recoiled the moment she'd brushed it. "I'm willing to bet it's got to do with Grand Central." She didn't recognize the woman from Asphodel but word traveled through the supernatural community fast and everyone would've heard about the tear by now. The reasons for it remain a mystery but it would be impossible to ignore the way New York had shifted – the atmosphere thick with danger. "We should help him, no?" She nodded at the jogger again, sensing the panic emanating from him. While he might not have understood what was going on, it was clear that he was aware something was wrong.

"Oh, I'm Nadia," she introduced herself as an afterthought before taking a step towards the runner. She sent her magic out once more, canting her head while she inspected the air around him. "It's less subtle than the pond, but it's there – can you see it?" Nadia pointed to the faint outline around the runner, indicating the haze surrounding him. Barely perceptible but to someone who knew to look for signs of magic.

Kenzie has learned not to expect much from any plans she makes. Call it being a mother, or call it being a Vaisman. She tries, but life always finds its own way to derail them. Tonight was supposed to be simple. Meeting friends, an evening that didn't require anything more from her than showing up. And yet, here she is, standing in Battery Park for no reason she can explain. The air doesn't feel different. It feels changed. It's subtle and almost easy to ignore, but the unease settles quickly. Her own magic feels off, like trying to flex a hand that's fallen asleep.

A single leaf hovers, suspended in the air, its path to the ground interrupted. Further ahead, a jogger repeats the same steps, over and over. The motion jumps and stutters, speeding up and slowing down, before snapping back to the start. Kenzie stares, her pulse quickening. This isn't ordinary magic. It's older but it's broken. Whatever's here feels heavier, stranger than anything she's encountered before.

The presence of another witch pulls at her attention. It's faint, like newer magic than the ancient haze draped over the park. Kenzie hesitates, unsure whether to approach or to stay hidden. But, before she can decide, the other witch turns toward her. Their eyes meet and Kenzie nods. "Yeah." she whispers, the thought of speaking too loudly feels wrong. Like it might pull something out of the dark. "Have you..." Kenzie pauses, studying the other witch for a moment. "Have you seen something like this before?" the question is simple but uneasy as she glances to the trees, to the jogger. "It feels old, right?"

[dxrkenedheights]

Kenzie has learned not to expect much from any plans she makes. Call it being a mother, or call it being a Vaisman. She tries, but life always finds its own way to derail them. Tonight was supposed to be simple. Meeting friends, an evening that didn't require anything more from her than showing up. And yet, here she is, standing in Battery Park for no reason she can explain. The air doesn't feel different. It feels changed. It's subtle and almost easy to ignore, but the unease settles quickly. Her own magic feels off, like trying to flex a hand that's fallen asleep.

A single leaf hovers, suspended in the air, its path to the ground interrupted. Further ahead, a jogger repeats the same steps, over and over. The motion jumps and stutters, speeding up and slowing down, before snapping back to the start. Kenzie stares, her pulse quickening. This isn't ordinary magic. It's older but it's broken. Whatever's here feels heavier, stranger than anything she's encountered before.

The presence of another witch pulls at her attention. It's faint, like newer magic than the ancient haze draped over the park. Kenzie hesitates, unsure whether to approach or to stay hidden. But, before she can decide, the other witch turns toward her. Their eyes meet and Kenzie nods. "Yeah." she whispers, the thought of speaking too loudly feels wrong. Like it might pull something out of the dark. "Have you..." Kenzie pauses, studying the other witch for a moment. "Have you seen something like this before?" the question is simple but uneasy as she glances to the trees, to the jogger. "It feels old, right?"

+ KENZIE / BATTERY PARK

Nadia couldn't say what led her to the park. She'd left the Institute an hour ago, intent on heading home when her feet carried her elsewhere. Each step brought her closer to her destination, though she couldn't say what it was. Not until she arrived.

The park itself had new verdure sprouting on branches – spring ushering in renewed life. There was magic in the air, the kind that was ever present amongst nature and its creatures. But there was something else. Nadia didn't understand why she was there, or what she was looking for, but she felt it. A bone-deep certainty that there was something amiss. Intuition told her to be on her guard and experience told her that whatever had drawn her here was powerful.

She walked a familiar path through the park, blue-eyed gaze observing and taking in the smallest of details. The squirrel scurrying up a tree, a bird flapping it's wings as he took off from a bench, a leaf falling. A haze, settled over the large pond in the middle of the park. Nadia paused, her steps faltering as she studied it from a distance. It shimmered as though light was reflecting in it, but with dusk soon descending into night, there was no reason for it to shine as it did.

Nadia probed it; her magic reached invisible fingertips against the surface of the haze, brushing it carefully. It lasted only a moment, but the next, her magic had recoiled and she started, unease filling her with a chill. She looked past the haze and then back the way she'd come and froze. The squirrel was still scurrying up the tree. The bird was taking off from the bench. The leaf was falling. Again and again.

She frowned again, taking another step back from the pond before she turned on her heels altogether. Nadia returned to the path that had led her there, retracing her steps as she twisted the talisman around her neck. She needed to think. But any thoughts were interrupted by a shift in the atmosphere. The presence of someone else on the very same path. Her head snapped up when she sensed a magical presence. Another witch. Nadia blinked at her, head canting to the side, "Do you feel it too?" @dxrkenedheights