Second Step to Healing Finished PV Willow&Ross

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood
Mentioning @Ross Stephens

Flash was lucky that she loved and trusted him so much, otherwise she would never be doing this. Her craft was incredibly personal and vulnerable and while she would show Flash any day and do a ritual with him, she absolutely didn't want to do it with Ross. While she was still mildly upset at him forcing her to talk to Ross in the first place which turned out disastrous, she really couldn't hold a grudge for that long. She also wasn't someone to deny friendship if the other person was willing to work on it as she was. There would just have to be a lot of tongue biting initially., thank the God and Goddess that her craft was an automatic source of peace and calm for her. Otherwise, this would be a much tougher battle.

There was a bag full of everything she needed, and also extra stuff as a peace offering to Ross, and an apology to Flash for being so dramatic. She wasn't one to deny that she had a flair to be dramatic, she just would deny it until she couldn't anymore, this was one of those moments. Cautiously she entered the classroom, taking a quick peek around to make sure no one was in it before finding a place to set up. She moved a few of the desks away from the center of room and used her broom compass to figure out which direction was North.

Once she figured it out she took out a black cloth with four shapes on it, and placed the cube where North was. She started unpacking the rest of her bag, pulling out three pink candles, three tiny vials with a clear oil, three pink silk ribbons, and three white silk ribbons. She created three stations with each one having one of each item organized neatly. Finally she pulled out three jars of offerings, one of water, one of air, one of ashes, and one of dirt for the elements to help bring them into the space when it was time.

The last thing she pulled out she held in her hands for a few moments, her athame. A double sided dagger that was wire wrapped with a gem on the bottom and at the top of the hilt. The blade metal itself shifted colors, it was her favorite part of it ironically so. Her breath caught as she held it in her hand, she hadn't touched it since the incident over break. While she knew that an athame was never to be used for violence, the feeling that came with the torture she endured had never faded. Tears began to prick her eyes before she heard the door open and her head whipped up, breaking her from the dark thoughts that seemed to increase with her daily ritual of Flash helping apply the scar salve. While she was grateful, it forced her to acknowledge it more often than she had before.

If Flash was paying attention he might see the quick look of familiar distress, but it was gone as quickly as it had came. She quickly stood up to greet them, meeting them halfway to set ground rules before they approach her sacred space that she had begun to create. "Hi, I'm glad you guys made it." She took out a hair tie off of her wrist and quickly tied it up into a ponytail as they were about to get down to business. "Um, just a couple things before we even approach. This is something super important to me, and I would appreciate if we could keep a semi-serious atmosphere. But, I do encourage questions about why we're doing anything or the significance of any of the ingredients we're using because that can be important. The things we do may feel silly, and it's totally ok to laugh but this is also completely judgment free witchcraft, so if you don't feel comfortable doing anything that's completely ok." She paused and took a deep breath allowing for questions if they had any before continuing.

She clasped her hands together and looked back at the altar cloth. "There are three stations set up for us, I ask that you don't touch anything yet because I cleansed everything and you two are... not cleansed. Not that you're dirty! There's just.. a different type of energy clean." There was a moment where she realized this stuff really isn't at all easy to explain but kept going. "I prefer to be at the cube area because that's the earth element which is my preferred element. But you can take fire, the triangle, air, the pentagon, or water the octagon I think is that shape?" She shrugged and moved to go sit by the symbol for earth waiting for them to pick their elements where she would promptly move their supplies to adjust to that space. "We'll be starting with meditation, cleansing, and creating a sacred space where we invoke the elements to help us in our friendship candle spell. It's important through all of this that we keep out intentions clear, and that you don't think of anyone specific. We're trying to attract friendship to us, and hopefully that comes in the form of each other. But to think of someone specifically would be altering someone's will and I don't do that type of magic, so..." She trailed off, once again leaving space for any questions or just general reactions to the whole set up. This could be a lot to take in for people who weren't familiar with it.

Pictures of the Tools Mentioned [Altar Cloth + Athame (Dagger)]

Reducio

The boy had only agreed due to the fact he was curious. That was all. While he was interested in a possible friendship and wanted it to end, those seemed to only be underlying thoughts he had not even considered when he had agreed to this. A mystery was all the boy wanted, and with the lack of decent mystery books without some magical twist in this school he was beginning to get desperate. While it was not much, he desired something even slightly more interesting than normal life that would not hurt him. This was the first risk he had taken on in awhile, and knowing he could blame any damages on anyone besides himself was a relief.

Entering the room, he was reminded of how serious this was to the girl. He could not blame her, and he himself decided he would take it as seriously as he possibly could. Even so, the boy could not help but seem unable to contain his surprising excitement. The tone Willow displayed was different enough for him to feel comfortable. In contrast to the one she had in the table, it reminded him much more of the friendly girl he had met in the courtyard that day. He seemed much more relaxed in comparison to how he acted prior now, though. Instead, he seemed ready and actually quite interested in contrast to normal.

Ross only nodded to her explanation. It was not that he did not have questions, but it was simply that he had too many to ask without coming off like he had not been listening in the first place. It would be difficult to put them all into one question besides 'what is happening.'

Ross, not expecting to get along with the girl in the first place, let out a small chuckle when she tried to clarify that it was not that they were not cleansed. Laughing way his way of calming down. It let out any tension he had, or really just helped fill the crippling void of silence at times. After the girl explained her rules, Ross quickly jumped into action when he found out he could choose what area he wanted. It felt like being sorted all over again, except he could actually choose.

"I want the stop sign!" the boy exclaimed, officially claiming 'dibs' on it as if someone was a threat to his choice.

It was almost as if he had forgotten what a stop sign looked like

At first the Hufflepuff tried to rush over to the water area, but he stopped himself before a brick of common sense slammed against his skull. He slowed his speed, now making his way carefully over to the water area. As he sat down, he mentally face palmed when it hit him that what he had done might've been disrespectful. He seemed to sink into himself.

"Oh erm... sorry.." the boy mumbled

Now directing his attention to the girl, he listened attentively in hopes to make up for what he had just possibly done. This whole deal was new to him, and it would be a total fib to say he was not fascinated by the concept of it. As the girl spoke, he felt relief. It would have been worse if he had to focus on a specific person considering how much the boy's head wandered to the clouds. He gave a thumbs up in order to show he understood, now a little nervous to speak. He did not bother to look towards Flash during this moment, as he feared it would come off wrong. It seemed he was already overthinking things

Interacting with @Willow Anderson @Flash Holmwood

Flash listened intently and carefully when Willow spoke, though he was admittedly surprised to see her acting so formal. Well, formal for her at least. He occasionally glanced at Ross to see if he was paying attention, which thankfully he was. Flash had decided on the course of action that the three of them would take to overcome the hurdle in their path, but in doing so he had to hand over the reins completely, which was something he did with no little reticence. Willow was in charge, and Flash simply had to learn and comply.

The room’s set-up was already of interest to him, his eyes scanning around to appreciate the attention to detail. He already knew that Willow was a more dedicated worker than she initially appeared on the outside. It was the part of her he admired the most, as she seemed to give her all into nearly everything she did. Something the two of them had in common, something he appreciated in a friend. It reminded him of Ross dedicating himself to getting a better grade in Potions, despite the stress he was under and his difficulty in grasping the subject.

Flash smiled when Willow tripped over her explanation of cleansing. Ross seemed to feel the same, laughing a bit. Unlike Flash however, his laughter seemed nervous. After Willow had only just explained that laughter was alright, Flash wished Ross would loosen up a bit.

”If it’s a spiritual cleansing, I suppose I shall be clean for the first time in my life.” Flash made a joke at his own expense to justify Ross’ need to clear the tension. Then, something for Willow. ”I look forward to it.”

As she described the elements paired with the shapes, Flash looked at them carefully, very interested in the fact that Willow chose the earth element, and Ross chose the water. Everything Willow was telling him was brand new information, and Flash’s mind was eating it up. He wondered if it was right to make his choice without understanding the concept of a ‘preferred element’, though somehow only one element seemed to fit him. He sat by the pentagon, the element of air.

”Preferred elements… what does it mean to have one?” Flash looked over to Willow from where he sat rigidly, worried about touching anything he wasn’t supposed to. ”Should I be worried about choosing the wrong one?”

While Flash had never meditated or cleansed himself, he was not a stranger to focused concentration. Most magic required it, so it was also a welcome familiarity. Still, he would have to understand the parameters Willow had set out. Trying to attract friendship using the aid of the element... he wondered how he was supposed to concentrate on that. Was he supposed to ask the element nicely? Was an element simply the forces of nature, or was there a magical elemental power that they were meant to invoke, some kind of spirit or god?

”Will this be a… guided meditation? I fear I don’t know how to invoke an element.” Flash had plenty of questions, but he tried to keep it to only practical ones.

@Willow Anderson @Ross Stephens

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood @Ross Stephens

A smile teased at Willow's lips as Ross and Flash seem to ease her into this as well, bypassing her clumsy words. She had only done a ritual with one other person, Elsian. He was the first person she had ever done a ritual with outside of her family and witch community. Even then it was messy and sort of disorganized as much as she wanted to keep it together. It was hard under new circumstances for Willow to get into the mood and rhythm. Having Flash here already put her at ease, something about him always managed to calm her down and ease her mind. She could never quite put her finger on it, but didn't necessarily feel the need to pinpoint it. She was slowly growing more comfortable with the unknown, and Flash was still largely unknown as was Ross.

Eyes were rolled when Ross shouted out for the stop sign, obviously not knowing what a stop sign looked like anymore, but she didn't even know what the shape was called so could she really be mad? After readjusting the materials to their element she took a second to think about Flash's question, first addressing Ross' apology. "Don't worry about it Ross, I'm glad you're excited." Another pause as she looked up to the ceiling as if there were hidden cheat sheets hidden. "There isn't really like... a wrong element to associate with. Some elements just kind of work for some people better. I prefer Earth, obviously associated with agriculture and nature, but it's also associated with responsibility, and perseverance. I'm honestly not surprised you chose air, Flash. It's associated with awareness, perception, illumination, more thinking type of people. For you Ross, you chose water. My mother actually prefers water. It's associated with healing, expression, peace, and compassion. Fire, if you're curious, is associated with passion, creativity, protection. My dad preferred the fire element. My whole family actually covered the four elements since my grandmother preferred air. But uh..." She drifted off, not wanting to focus on her grandmother even though it always came up since she was the one that brought her family into it.

Delicate hands gently picked up her dagger in her hands, pausing when Flash spoke again. She was glad he was asking questions, made her think about things that were second nature to her. It gave her the chance to really fall back into her craft. "Don't worry about invoking the elements, I'll be doing most of the actual spellwork, just because you don't want to upset the spirits. They'll mess you up. So you'll learn in a little bit how to invoke them, no worries!" She passed a reassuring smile towards the both of them, hoping she wasn't scaring them with that.

Slowly she stood up and stretched her legs out, they were already cramping up. She really hadn't been doing many rituals and it was showing in how little time her body could spend curled up in the position she would sit in, with her legs tucked in underneath her. "This is an athame, it's a dull dagger. Usually they're sharp but I... don't want mine to be sharp." Her eyes flicked over to Flash for a moment, the only other person in the world that would know why. Doing a ritual apparently made careless worlds spill out of her mouth before she could scoop them up and swallow them back down. "Anyway, I'm going to use this to create a witch's circle. This will protect from any bad entities or spirits that try and get involved. I'm going to guide you through the beginning of the meditation while I do this. So I invite you to get into a comfortable position, if that means laying on the ground then by all means do so."

Willow took a deep breath before beginning to walk in a circle around them, if they laid down she would make sure to widen the circle to accommodate them. With her dagger in her right hand and her left hand following the trail of the blade as if to reinforce the walls she seemed to be building. She would continue this circle three times before returning to her spot in front of them. As she circled she guided them through the beginning of the meditation. "Gently let your eyes fall shut, forget about your surroundings and focus only on my voice. I will keep you two safe, I promise. A sacred space has been created, and that shall not be interrupted. Focus on your body, is it relaxed, is it tense? If you feel tense try and relax your muscles let them fall into the earth with you. Let the earth cradle you, hold you close to her and keep you safe. Let your focus drift to your breathing, slow it down. Deeply in, hold for a moment and release through your mouth. Let all your worries of the day, of your mind slowly escape. For the moment there are no worries. Just the focus on bringing friends closer to you. Continue breathing." At this point she had finished the full circle and had returned to her spot by the earth element and breathed with them for a couple minutes.

"Slowly open your eyes, take in your surroundings again. How do you two feel?" It was important for her to gauge where they were at before going into the actual spellwork. If they weren't in the right headspace, meditation would have to continue.

Not knowing what a stop sign is with @Willow Anderson and @Flash Holmwood

Flash was drawn into the atmosphere the two brought with their combined relaxed presence. Now that Willow was not being antagonistic, Ross could see the part of her that was intelligent and well humored. Ross was able to make his off-handed observations without getting his head bitten off for making no sense. Even when Willow mentioned things that hit a sore spot, it felt as though the pain was dulled by the soft acceptance in the room’s general mood. Everyone was trying to make things better.

He took a particular interest to her description of the elements. It was good that he couldn’t technically choose the wrong one. It had felt right to him, but her description of it was not what he expected. He thought it might reflect someone who was influential without being seen. Or at least something to that effect. The descriptions she gave were generally all good things that anyone could claim to be, so he wondered what the point of picking an element was at all if it wasn’t important which one you chose. He didn’t really want to ask more nitpicking questions though, he could learn that better by asking her later on one of their walks. He was most interested that her Grandmother preferred air as well. He wondered if he and her had much in common, if perhaps that was part of what Willow liked about him.

It was at least nice that it seemed very little hinged on Flash doing anything correctly at all. Even though he did feel a great deal of comfort in being in complete control of any given situation, his trust in Willow and Ross meant he could actually relax. He couldn’t expect them to do anything to hurt him or make fun of him, they were both good people, with good hearts. He was glad to actually be told to take it easy. So few opportunities existed for him to do that.

So with that he simply sat cross-legged and folded his hand in his lap. Closing his eyes, he listened to Willow’s voice and tried to follow her instruction. He thought about his muscles and tried to relax whatever tenseness he had in his body. It made him remember how often he tensed his shoulders too tightly. He carried too much stress in his neck around all the time. Things always seemed to go wrong, the headaches were neverending, but in that moment he sighed as he let it melt off of him. It was nice to think of being held up by the earth. Everything she said helped put his mind at ease. Releasing the worries… thinking about friends… breathing in and out. It was so calming that he almost forgot where he was when he was asked a question.

Ross must have felt the same way, also seeming a bit disoriented after having felt so calm a moment earlier. After he got through his reply, Flash answered as well.

”I feel better too, very relaxed.” He wasn’t sure if that was the answer she was looking for, or if he was supposed to have had some kind of conversation or epiphany during the meditation and simply hadn’t. This was still such new territory. ”Should I feel a certain way?”

@Willow Anderson @Ross Stephens

Interacting with @Ross Stephens @Flash Holmwood

Willow couldn't help but roll her eyes the second time Ross mentioned stop signs, but it wasn't one out of anger. It was out of playfulness for once. "Ross, I'm sure stop signs would love to have you as their biggest fan. They don't get enough appreciation." Honestly she was surprised they didn't have more questions about the elements, but she was fine to fully move on from it. It's not like Flash wouldn't have the opportunity with her to ask more questions if he did have them, but she worried Ross was holding back due to her... less than kind attitude to him from the last time they met.

Just by their reaction of coming back to reality she knew they were in the right place. A little bit dazed, disoriented, having to return to less than ideal world. Patiently, she waited for their words and return of as much consciousness that they could give her. Flash seemed especially worried, maybe concerned, that he was doing this wrong. First with his question about invoking the elements, now with him worried about him being in the right headspace. With the gentleness of a soft flower petal she rested her hand on his knee, hoping to return the feeling of calm that he always gave to her. "Flash, I'll take care of you this time around. I'm here to help you, help both of you through this. As long as you're trying your best, and following along you'll be fine. The spell will be fine. I promise. Besides, both of you look a lot calmer than when we started so I'd say you're in the perfect zone for spells." With a reassuring smile she retracted her hand to her own lap.

They were ready to begin the actual spell work, but a small oversight on her part. She forgot, once again to bring anything to light the candles. "Um... quick question. Do either of you know incendio? I forgot... a lighter... for the candles." She hoped it wouldn't look to bad on her that she had completely forgotten a major component of the spell, but she had a lot on her plate! Luckily, Ross seemed to jump at the even the idea of knowing incendio. A sigh of relief couldn't help but come out. "I'm even more glad you're here then, Ross. We don't need to light the candles yet, I'll let you know. Um, I'm just going to do a quick prayer to help invoke the elements and my God and Goddess for assistance." Suddenly she felt bashful, she had never done the prayer in front of other people. She didn't even do it for Elsian. She reached out to hold Flash's hand. It wasn't required to hold hands during the prayer, but it sure did feel nice. She then reached out and offered her hand to Ross. "You don't have to, but it just will connect you guys better to the elements. If you guys are willing, I suggest completing the circle with you two holding hands as well." If Ross did not take her hand, it would come back to rest in her lap before taking a deep breath and beginning the prayer.

I come to you today with the strength of my God and Goddess.
I call upon the Guardians of the East, powers of Air,
May you breathe into me the spirit and pure joy of life,
I call thee up to guard and protect me in this rite,
Hail and welcome to my circle.
I call upon the Guardians of the South, powers of Fire,
May you kindle me with the flame of spiritual awakening and love,
I call thee up to guard and protect me in this rite,
Hail and welcome to my circle.
I call upon the Guardians of the West, powers of Water,
May you cleanse and rid me of negative feelings and thoughts so I may find peace of mind,
I call thee up to guard and protect me in this rite,
Hail and welcome to my circle.
I call upon the Guardians of the North, powers of Earth,
May you help keep me grounded and nourish me so that my hopes may grow to fruition,
I call thee up to guard and protect me in this rite,
Hail and welcome to my circle.

She slowly released their hands at the end of the prayer, a wide smile on her face as she felt surrounded with the warmth and love from the familiar presence of her God and Goddess and the elements to help her in this spell. She felt their blessing, and it felt wonderful. A chill of joy rippled down her spine before reaching back into her bag to pull out three small white plates she had taken from the great hall and handing both of the boys one. "We're now going to anoint our candle with friendship oil which is the vial of clear liquid. It has myrrh which helps with positive energy, rose for attractiveness, and lilac for charm. Just pour the oil over the top of the candle over the plate so my altar cloth doesn't get oil stains. Make sure to avoid the wick. While doing this, think about friends that you'd like to make. Not anyone specific, just things you'd like to do with friends. The laughter and joy that comes from friendship." She initiated the action of putting the oil on the candle, making sure to pour slowly so the candle was fully covered.

Her mind focused on laughter specifically, and comfort. The kind that you get from being with a friend. A special kind of sweet bubbly laughter that comes out of love and care, comes out of trusting the person that your with. The warmth of a friend's embrace in times of need. All of the friendship she had learned had been in the past year of being at Hogwarts and she couldn't be more grateful for having those experiences to draw off of.

After anointing the candle, she placed it in a candle holder which has definitely been there the whole time at her personal station. Her gaze went to Ross as they all finished up. "Could you light the candles for us?" Her hands were folded again in her lap, an idle position she had taken to after many years of practice.

Interacting with @Willow Anderson and @Flash Holmwood

Willow must have picked up on his uncertainty, so perhaps he should have done a better job at hiding it. Either way, she told him exactly what he needed to hear. She would handle everything. Just follow along, and everything would be fine. Strange, it was so different from the magic he was learning in school. There, it was always about doing things exactly right. The wrist, the movements, the concentration, the pronunciation was all key in producing the wanted effect. Was this magic something that Willow was doing around them, or even, something that the world was doing to them?

Flash was returned from his idle musings when Willow asked a question, promptly followed by Ross’ reply. He wanted to cast the spell, badly. Flash watched on, at first bemused, but then quite interested. Ross wasn’t just enthusiastic about being able to be useful during the ritual, he was unbounded, tripping over himself to be able to show his skill. Flash’s face instinctively lit up with a big smile. He always easily got caught up in others’ emotions, so Ross’ excitement flowed through him.

Willow explained that she was going to do a recitation in order to evoke ‘her God and Goddess’, as much as Flash wanted to unravel what exactly that meant, he would simply listen. When she suggested holding hands, Flash spared no hesitation to take Willow and Ross’ hands in his. Willow’s was soft, comfortable, and familiar. A hand that he held all the time. Ross’ was sweaty and slightly sticky. Wormy. Flash would have to be sure to clean his hands later.

The prayer was interesting, it gave Flash a glimpse of what he had planned to ask about the elements. It seemed she was calling them into their presence, to both support them and protect them. The spirit and pure joy of life... was that what air was, then? He could at least agree that Ross needed peace of mind. It seemed his mind never stopped tossing around random thoughts and ideas, he would do well to center them and let them flow more calmly. There was certainly some value in seeing oneself in another light like that, through the lens of raw elemental substance, and how one relates to it. Flash couldn’t let his mind wander too much, he was in the middle of an important meeting. They all let their hands go.

The next step was anointing the candle in an oil she provided. ‘Friendship oil’, she called it, listing the ingredients. It sounded like a potion, though the parts were all mostly commonly found muggle components. Nothing… ‘magical’. Was the combination of the oil and wax supposed to trigger a chemical reaction, or was this all meant to be symbolic? While Flash was fascinated with the way Willow’s muggle magic worked, any attempt at scrutiny only revealed more questions. His mind would never let him rest and simply accept things as they were. He wanted to understand everything. Still, he had an immediate task at hand.

While pouring the oil, he was meant to think of the friends he wanted to make, and things he wanted to do with them. He had to admit he wasn’t prepared to try to explain that, even to himself. It seemed like an incredibly complex question, one he would write a dissertation on if given the opportunity. Perhaps he could present a thesis to the elements in a month or so after a few edits. Alas, it was something he was supposed to simply think. He would just go with his gut, just try to think of what he enjoys in a friendship. It was more challenging than perhaps Willow knew, she may well know exactly what she wanted. Perhaps Ross too, they were both Hufflepuffs. For Flash, he was a bit at a loss.

A friend is… someone that is easy to talk to. Easy because I want to know more about them, because their mind is beautiful. Flash let his thoughts wander, trying to find the core of his interest in others. What attracted him to one person over another. Someone who is living life fully awake, participating, watching. Creating… helping… adding to the love in the world. For some reason, the thought made his heart beat faster. He had never narrowed it down so simply, but it rang true once he thought about it. Some people went through life barely thinking, barely alive. People who tried their hardest, who had passion in their hearts, and who loved despite the pain it could cause… were the people Flash wanted to be surrounded with.

As they finished, Willow called upon Ross to cast Incendio, he literally jumped up from the excitement. Flash barely stifled a laugh, as it still escaped his lips in bursts of controlled chuckles. This was certainly the ‘participating’ he was talking about. He hadn’t known what a fervor Ross had for Charms, quite the opposite of his disdain for Potions. Had Flash been more gracious, he would have introduced a way of studying Potions that more appealed to his learning style, rather than insisting that he figure it out himself. Clearly something about Charms inspired him, because he was leaping at the chance to show his mastery of it.

He did indeed perform the spell perfectly well, lighting the oiled up candles. The flickering warm glow lit up the three of their faces, all of them with varied smiles playing across the edges of their mouths. Ross cracked a joke, the kind that included the threat of immense destruction in service of a small pay-off. Quite funny. Flash almost thought to build on the joke, continuing the hyperbole, but he knew better than to joke too much about fire in front of Willow.

Instead, he kept quiet and watched the two of them carefully. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. The mood in the room was light and easy, so Flash was able to enjoy himself too.

@Willow Anderson @Ross Stephens