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Maryam needed to figure out where the witches of Holloway gathered their supplies, what she had brought over from the other side was slowly running out, and while she could not outward ask people for obviously magical things exploring all the little shops in town took a lot of her time. She hadn't been really looking for anything in particular when she entered the candle shop though, already convinced that this would once again be a place without that particular spark of magic she needed. Her eyes scanned the things on display, looking for anything that reminded her of home and was pleasantly surprised when she spotted bright yellow candles. A way to send a message home was better than nothing.

As she made her way through the shop a face appeared in the doorway and Mari immediately stopped in her tracks. She blinked, as she had not expected such strong undead energy. What a strange town this was. The fae quickly caught herself and smiled at him. "I am looking for something that might be a little bit peculiar. Do you have candles with herbs in them? Not just the scents, I mean. Burdock Root maybe or Chamomille?" While she waited for the man's reply she reached for one of the yellow candles, making it more than clear why she needed these particular smells. Yes, a message to the other side always needed the protection against ghosts.

There was something methodically soothing to measuring, cutting, dipping. A repetition that kept his hands and mind focused on the task at hand. He couldn't allow thoughts to wander lest he mess up a recipe. Supplies were precious, not to be wasted. In the back of the shop, Kerem could pretend for a moment that this was normal. Scents of bergamot and lavender drowned out any humans nearby. For the most part. The pounding in his head, the tightening of his chest and occasional sway of balance said he'd gone too long without hunting. It wouldn't kill him, but it was rather unpleasant and made functioning difficult. His head cocked at the little bell on the front door going off. No Nonscents was supposed to have someone at the front the entire time. Had they gone on break and he just hadn't noticed? Kerem stripped off gloves, hauling himself off the chair hoping whoever it was would just leave. True part of his income came from people buying soap and candles, but he didn't care much about that. With a long sigh, he stuck his head out the door separating product area from back room. "Can I help you? If anything is out of stock, you'll need to give us another few days or so. It takes a month to cure."

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Maryam bit her lip, her mask only a heartbeat away from falling. It did not happen often that she found herself unable to control her feelings or what she showed of herself, but in those few instances of control slipping away it usually revolved around her brother. "There is no reason to be sorry, no one is at fault but he.", she shook her head then, leaning a bit on the counter, "And no, I have yet to find him. That does not mean that I gave up the search I just… I do not really know where to look." Then she shook her head, as if to chase away this topic and forced a smile back onto her lips. It was a sad copy of the one she wore earlier. "Yes, I heard very interesting things about this town and it sounded like something that could give me a break. So here I am, barista-ing a few months of my life away, before it is back on the road for me." Her eyes grew a bit bigger as she heard his next words. "A writer? That's quite interesting. I can imagine that she must have loved this place, the stars and the sky almost seem like something out of another world." There was a twinkle in Maryam's eyes now as she waited for his reaction, wondering how much he knew of said otherworld.

Alex gave the girl a soft smile as his dark eyes studied her face. He'd never moved too far from home. His grandmother was even from Holloway. And his parents just a drive away. He often wondered if he should've been braver but his life had fallen easily into place in Holloway when he got the job at the comic store and soon after bought the place. "Oh, I'm so sorry," he started, giving her a sad look. "Your brother? Did you ever find him?" he found himself asking. "And you ended up here?" He nodded. "I guess, my grandma, she told me so many stories about this place growing up. She was a writer. And when there was a job here. I just, I felt like I had to do it. It is a really pretty place though too."

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Before she came to Holloway Maryam had done her research. About this place, about the country. Most of her sources had been outdated, the wall between their worlds had been in place for a long time after all. But she had done her best to come up with a story, something close to the truth so that she would not easily slip, but still far enough away from fae court. She was ready for questions like this, otherwise she would have never prompted them in the first place. "No, I am not from here. In fact I am not even from this continent. I came here, well I can't really say. I started out looking for my brother, he has gone missing a couple of years ago, but I somehow ended up stranded here in Holloway. Weird, right?" She filled the cup and placed it in front of him. "So you came here to follow your family, too? Get back to where it all started? Or was it the purple sky that made you stop here? The pretty forest? I hear this place is great for hiking."

Alex continue to smile, it wasn't in his nature to be an asshole. He'd never understand how someone could be rude to a stranger. The girl was just doing her job and he had no idea what was going on in her personal life. "Thank you," he replied, glancing down at his phone before looking back up at her. "Oh yeah? You're not from a small town in North Carolina?" he gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry you feel homesick. What has brought you here then? I wasn't born in Holloway. I am from North Carolina though. And my grandma was from here."

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"Well, I am pretty sure your students act as if the marking is not happening, too", Mari allowed herself a chuckle that was almost real. Fae schools were different than mortals, she was sure of it. But she knew enough of the mortal world to understand as much. "What age are you teaching? Honestly, I would have thought you are a student yourself", she batted her eyelashes as if she was flirting with the woman, underlining the gesture enough to make it more of a light-hearted banter. Her eyes returned to the small vials inside her bag and Mari tilted her head to the side as she thought about the woman's request. "Adventurous but kind to the back, coming right up." She took the iced coffee and sprinkled her dust in, fingertips tingling with magic. It looked like glitter dancing through the air before it gave the beverage an almost unnoticeable purple hue. "Ah look, even fitting for Holloway", Mari laughed as she handed the woman both finished drinks. "I always recommend Willow Bark, if you have trouble with pain. But this", she motioned towards the coffee, "Is something to get your heart racing, too." This woman was a teacher was she not? Maryam almost hoped it would be for something like literature. She could be a little Puck here, she thoughts as she watched the woman take the coffee turned potion. For a human love was, after all, the greatest adventure of them all.

"Oh adventure, why not? It's a celebration. My last day of teaching. It's officially my summer. Well... there's marking but i'm pretending that's not happening." She waved her hands as she talked, her excitement showing through her animation. "If you have anything for my back that'd be great." She joked, expecting nothing but a laugh from the strange barista. Viv looked down to her wallet, pulling out two cards and a loyalty card that had been stamped more times then she was keen to admit. Her eyes were entirely on her purse as she obliviously placed the card onto the counter.

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"Oh, a deal then?", Mari's smile grew a bit more wicked, "That sounds only fair to me, I like deals and games." She stepped closer, sitting down between the man - he was clearly not mortal. Her fae magic might not have been as strong as others' but she saw this clearly in the energy around him. "I am new to town, you see, and to the customs of", she waved her hand around to include the room they were sitting in, "Crowds like these. If one were to look for someone that went missing in a place like this, where do you think one should start?"

Fran liked to think he had some kind of morals for a vampire. He knew he had come a long way since his early days. His dark eyes looked up at the voice, though he had already noticed her scent. "I believe you can ask me a question, yes. Then you can answer mine," he said, returning the smile. He was intrigued, wondering what the girl could want to know.

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The only thing of interest in Holloway so far had been other non-mortal creatures. And though Maryam had not met many of them personally yet, she watched them all from afar, hiding in plain sight. That was something she was good at, something she could understand, hiding. When she entered The Midnight Mistress, curious as to what she might experience it took her off guard, that feeling of death being all around her. Maryam's eyes met a stranger's and her face lit up in a smile. "Excuse me? Can I ask you a quick question? Promise I won't waste your time."

Open to all

"Was that it?" Fran asked the person stood in front of him. “I am a busy man. I was hoping that would entertain me. It didn’t.” He spoke, his tone gentle and yet, his expression showing his lack of interest in the mortal. His dark eyes glanced across the room, taking in someone else who had caught his attention. 

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Her smile moved into something more on the honest side of things as she heard his questions. So many mortals were truly genuine, it always surprised her a bit. This place was different than fae court, where you always had to watch your back. "Yes, of course. Sorry.", she started the coffee machine to prepare his order immediately and then shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I am good. I have just been thinking... About how different this place is then home. Maybe I am a little homesick even, but that's no big deal. Were you born here in Holloway?"

Alex was tired. He'd been up late playing DnD with friends and the smell of coffee was making him realise how much he needed caffeine. He raised a brow at the woman, though he still gave her his usual kind smile. It wasn't in his nature to be an asshole, not even exhausted. "I just asked for a caramel latte," he replied with a smile. "And asked if you were okay. You look a little spaced there."

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"Coming right up", Mari kept the smile on her face as she grabbed the blender to throw in frozen berries. Her eyes flickered back to the customer, a woman she had seen before in Holloway but never talked to. Maryam gave her a quick glance over before pondering on the syrups. "A surprise, hu? Feeling adventurous today? Or do you need something more on the calming side of things? You know my grandmother always said with the right blend one could cure any illness, be it bad memory or heavy heart. So what shall it be for you?" An idea woke in her head and the young fae could not quite decide whether or not it was a bad one. Yes, the risk of getting caught was high but the fun she could have if this worked? Maryam put the Berry Cooler in front of the woman before grabbing another to go cup. But instead of the syrups she reached under the counter where her purse was, the dust she had brought over from her world - in case of emergencies. It had been so long since she last had fun, this definitely was an emergency. Which one to pick?

Viv always seemed busy, but with her teaching nearly over she was starting to wind down for summer and she was on her way for her annual coffee to celebrate. She really knew how to live. She moved to the counter, the barista’s enthusiasm catching her with a pleasant surprise. “One iced coffee with some sort of surprise in there.” She nodded to the syrups as she moved into her card wallet. “-oh and a Berry Cooler.” She replied quickly, realising that Maya would kill her if she came into Lavender Haze and didn’t pick up her favourite. 

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"Sorry, did you say something?", Maryam took out her earbuds and looked at the person in front of her. She had tried to find a good cover, here in the mortal realm, but she did not understand people's obsession with the hustle, the speed, always rushing around. Neither their addictions to this bitter-tasting drink they called coffee and which seemed to be the only thing that kept them awake throughout their boring existence. Maybe that was what happened when time worked against you and magic was out of reach. After a quick glance at her manager she forced a smile onto her lips. "Wait, let me rephrase that. Hello and welcome to Lavender Haze, I am your barista, Mari. What can I get for you today?" Cheerful enough? Honestly, she did not care.

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CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Maryam de'Vitari

Age: 192 (appears to be be 25) Gender: cis-woman Pronouns: she/her Species: fae Face claim: Naomi Scott Character Occupation: spy / Barrista Neighbourhood of residence: Amethyst Ridge Affiliation: Fae Court Length of stay in Holloway: appeared out of nowhere a week ago Maryam always heard that mankind had many stories about Fae. Fairy-godmothers who helped those in distress, wicked witches who stole innocent babies and tricked travelers that stumbled too close to their mounds. She knows, she herself belongs to the later kind.

Character summary

At Fae Court Maryam filled many roles. Lady in Waiting, spy, assassin if needed. She lived a life far from peaceful close to the queen and she has sharpened her wits with every day. Until recently she has never set foot into the mortal world, but she has grown up on stories about it, similar to those told on the other side of the veil. But in the stories her mother, survivor of the witch hunts in 1666, told her and her younger brother every night before bed, mortals were the wicked ones, stealing babies and burning powerful women.

Her brother was fascinated with those stories, with the world on the other side of the veil. He dreamed of the day he could cross over, do a grande tour like so many before him, and explore a world full of wonders. Maryam still remembers the day she last spoke to him, the day he disappeared. An entire decade before the gates were opened, yet she is more than sure �� her brother was taken by mortals, kidnapped to the other side of the veil. And with this new opportunity arrising she basically begged the Queen to allow her travel to Holloway, begin her search of the one she calls family.

Now Maryam is ready to face whatever challenge this new world may offer her, determined to survive and find her brother she is ready to grow, to change like a snake shedding its skin. And her bite can be just as venomous. In her own world fellow fae have learned to fear her and her powerful magic for she can be ruthless, emotionless, calculating even. She is not above hiding in the shadows to get what she wants and those mortals that dare stand in her way will soon learn that simple fact. Without balance, power is chaos and chaos is destruction.

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Naomi Scott for W Magazine