Charming the heart of a man is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Especially when it's already bewitched by somebody else - literally!
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All that former witch-in-training Avalon wanted was a simple job to get her life back on track and forget abo...
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"I have to be honest, though," the woman went on with a lopsided grin. "The cards said you'd be here sooner."
It took Avalon a moment to gather her wits. All she was able to do for now was stare at the woman, completely thrown. Her heart beat frantically in her chest, her breath coming short. She had trouble focussing on the woman or anything around her.
She wasn't sure what she had expected from this magic shop. But some old witch telling her she'd been waiting for her to come definitely hadn't been on the list of possibilities. A witch that, without even hearing her name, had immediately known who and what she was and had been able to see through her concealing spell. Well, figuratively, anyhow.
The sinking feeling in her gut that came upon realising that didn't sit well with her. Neither did the slowly rising feeling of panic. "How do you know who I am?" she asked, flabbergasted, and continued on a hopeful note, "Is it because of Lars' delivery?"
The woman chuckled. "No, silly! I just said it, the cards told me! But also Lars, if I have to be honest. Gave me a call not so long ago that a young woman would come pick up something. If you could just wait a moment, it's in the back."
The second she disappeared into the back room behind the counter, Avalon turned to Zelo, who hopped down from her shoulder onto the counter. From there, he watched the door to the back room curiously, sniffing the air. "You think she's sending word out right now?" she wondered.
"Calm your nerves, will you? I wouldn't think so," Zelo replied. He sat down around on the counter to face her, his tail moving from one side to the other. "I don't smell a communicator spell. And I'm pretty sure she's not on the phone either." He nodded toward the old telephone sitting on the counter. A modern iPhone lay next to it.
"Yeah, but she knew who I was and saw through my spell, so to speak," Avalon went on, worry growing inside of her. She lifted a hand to graze a finger over the eyebrow piercing.
"My, are we thick-headed today," Zelo retorted dryly. "Contrary to you, my magical otherness is not concealed. Any witch worth their salt would know I'm not a normal cat. Now, I'm not sure about the name. But, given that she just told us she talked to Lars, I would say it's safe to assume he might have told her. Or the cards told her, though I don't believe any set of tarot cards would be able to give her that much details such as your name. Be that as it may. You are part of the Spanish witch community, and many know you because of your–"
"I know, I know, please don't mention it," Avalon interrupted him quickly, feeling pretty much the opposite of jibbery just by the mere implication of her own stupidity years ago. And stupid for not coming to the conclusion that Zelo had just offered herself.
Zelo jolted his head quickly, looking like a dog would to shake water out of his fur. It was the cat-equivalent of a shrug. "Also, your coven – and, by implication, your family – is one of the most renowned ones in Spain. Magical folk are bound to recognise you. If not by sensing your persona magicae hiding behind the spell you put on your piercing, then by your name. Just think back to the time you first came upon Lars and his shop."
