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We've got some of those too.

[Not the kind of magic Josie usually practices, but enough that she's not baffled by the idea that that's the kind of magic that exists in Jon's world.]

Not the witches that I know.

[She pauses.]

Though Hope's aunt is appropriately scary so she may dabble in some of that.

[ It half makes Jon wonder if magic of the variety that Elizabeth and Josie practice could be done in his world as well. He knows it likely was one day with the children of the forest. They're all gone now, but at one time they had magic that came more from nature itself. ]

Figured dark magic of your world had to involve... some of that.

[ Or else what would make it so dark if it didn't involve sacrifice? ]

...Hope's aunt?

[Darkness comes in intent sometimes too. Sacrifice can make things darker, but sometimes it's about what you want. You want to make something hurt. You want to do it for no one else's gain but yourself.

But sometimes you need something dark to vanquish something dark. It's a fine line to walk.]

Yeah, my friend Hope comes from this super powerful witch line. Her grandmother was the witch that created the first vampires, and the firstborn witches of the line all are hugely powerful. Freya, her aunt, is ... really scary in a disarming sort of way. She can be really nice, but if you piss her off ...

Well, you don't want to piss her off.

I'll keep that in mind. [ Jon makes it a habit of trying not to piss off those who have the kind of power Melisandre had (not that she ever would have hurt him when she thought he was the prince that was promised). It sounds like those witches in Josie's world had even more, because they weren't bound to worshipping a specific evil god that told them what to do.

They had their own motivations. ]

...is she related to Elijah? He was one of my first roommates.

[ And the first person to explain to him what vampires meant and how he was one of those first vampires ever made. ]

Yeah, she is.

[She didn't know that Jon and Elijah knew each other.]

Klaus, Elijah's brother, is Hope's dad.

[ Elijah was Jon's first experience with a vampire, and he was quite honest and forthright about it all, which helped. ]

...Oh. [ There's a softness to his expression even as he nods. Ancient vampires having children so many years later. How does that even work? He won't ask. ] Sounds complicated.

What's your favorite thing you can do with your magic? [ He's curious since he's still so new to it all: magic, the fact it doesn't require sacrifices too great to give for vague prophecies. ]

It is.

[Hope is the loophole miracle baby, after all. She knows that the world has put a lot on Hope. That she was either the key to her family's redemption, or the key to destroying them, or even that she was created solely to contend with Malivore. Josie couldn't imagine having that kind of destiny put on her shoulders until she found out about the Gemini Curse.

Now, she wonders if she and Lizzie were saved from dying with Jo to stand a chance at breaking it. At the same time, however, she can't let herself have too much hope.

The question, however, makes her smile. She considers carefully, trying to think if she really has a favorite thing ~~that isn't setting things on fire~~.]

Can I show you?

[ Jon is quiet for only a moment as he considers the question, considers that she thought to ask instead of simply showing him without asking. It's a testament to how much he trusts Josie that it doesn't take much hesitation at all for him to respond.

His expression is curious and not apprehensive. ]

Aye. You can.

[ He'd like to see. ]

[She pats down her pockets, pulling out a packet of seeds she intended to bring over to the greenhouse, but this will do just as well.]

Be right back.

[She disappears into the bathroom for a moment, before returning with a glass of water. Tearing open the top on one of the seed packets, she fishes one of them out, before dropping it into the glass of water.]

Okay, watch.

[After siphoning a bit of magic from the table, she cups her hands around the glass and begins to chant, quietly, closing her eyes to focus. As magic flows from her to the glass, Jon can see the seed split open, and roots begin to unfurl into the glass. Soon the stem stretches upwards, breaking through the surface of the water as the flower starts to bloom.]

[ Jon waits for her to leave and then return with the glass of water in hand. He stares in surprise at the seed falling into it. He didn't know what to expect when he asked Josie what her favorite thing she can do with her magic is, but it wasn't this.

He's ordinarily so stoic, but there's no hiding the wonder in his expression as he watches. Jon always believed in the Old Gods more than the Faith of the Seven, because he believed in nature, believed in the power that can come from nature, and so this may have been the best magic she could have shown him too.

Growth of plants, of vegetables is such a sacred thing in the North where they don't grow well at all. It's why his wonder shifts to an actual smile. ]

Josie, that's amazing.

Thanks.

[She can't help but smile, because it really is something she enjoys. Seeing other people enjoy it too is a gift she doesn't always get to share.]

It's one of the first things they teach us - how to make things grow. Most of us can only take it one plant at a time, depending on how powerful we are, but it reminds us of where our magic comes from. We're supposed to take it from the earth and try to do good with it.

[ Jon reaches out to gently cup the flower, as he feels how real it is despite the fact magic grew it. His smile lingers before he draws his hand back, dropping that hand down. ]

It's a beautiful sentiment.

I didn't know magic could do this. Should have. I always believed in the Old Gods, their old magic, but- [ The magic he's seen and experienced has always been so destructive. ]

Magic can do anything, really. Good and bad.

[A lot of it depends on the person.]

It's not so much what it is, but how people use it.

Like a weapon.

It's about who wields it, how they do. [ Magic just has the capability to do far more than Longclaw can. ] The Old Gods in my world are part of nature like the wind and trees, like the plant you've grown here.

[ Even if that power comes from within her and not some Old God. ]

[She nods with a smile.]

That sounds like the spirits, for us. They try to keep the balance.

An important task, but it... can't be easy to keep the balance.

[ Especially in worlds like theirs with such tragedy, such darkness in it too. Westeros rarely feels balanced. ]

No, it's not. The witches that are still living are supposed to help. We're ... not always good at it.

[Case in point.]

It's much for the world to ask of someone.

[ Especially while they're dealing with their own imbalanced cruelty of the world. Well, he wanted to check in on her, and he is grateful he did and learned more about her magic in the process. ]

I am glad you are well, Josie, and glad you told them both.

Yeah, I'm glad I did too.

[Even if things are rough for a little while. Then she pauses as she gets up to walk him to the door.]

Also ... I know you aren't always super big on words, but Elena can be pretty forgiving if you use the right ones. Just ... a little advice.

[And by right ones she means "tell her the truth" not "come up with a really convincing lie."]

[ Jon stops abruptly on the way to the door at Josie's words. He pauses, sliding a hand behind the back of his neck as he realizes abruptly- Were they more obvious than he realizes? Is he even more obvious now?

He seems to shift awkwardly like he's not sure how to respond. ]

Thank you, Josie. I'll do my best.

[ And he will, genuinely. ]

Come to me if you should have need of anything. [ and with that, he'll take his leave, stepping out the door as he thinks about the best words to use- ones that are honest even when they're hard. ]

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