The Seanchaí Collection (clutch only) Chances Are

There was only so much a mind could wander over the tasks set before it like a checklist, knocking off one by one before growing absolutely bored. It was monotonous after a point which left Catrina to entertain herself in an aspect she certainly hadn’t pushed well enough along — her second power.

Standing in front of several of the chairs in the study, she considered the coin in her grasp. How exactly had she wielded it with dear Zachary had been tried about with various degrees of success. It was a tricky concept when her other power was much more tactile to the senses.

Centering herself, she thought of the coin, of it flipping to heads before flicking it from her thumb up and down into an ornate rug in the space. Shining in the warm lighting, the coin did its dance as Catrina intoned with a,”Heads.” And yet, it dared to land on tails.

And so that would be how Matilda found her domina in the clutch’s space, face drawn as she cursed at another failed attempt to have had the coin flip to the called out side. Quite devastating, wasn’t it?

Matilda had come to the Collection that evening to get out of her head a bit. Maybe run into a clutchmate and hang out. It was nice having Dani back in her space again after so much time apart but she also didn't want to hover over the other woman. So, she took off for Ridgefield for the night, figuring she could find a meal on the way back home later. Maybe see if a clutchmate wanted to go hunting with her?

She hadn't anticipated a downfall of rain the moment she got out of her car. Even the short walk to the clutch's building was long enough for the rain to drench her outfit and hair as she rushed inside with a laugh.

She made her way through the building to the area only for the clutch and went inside, finding Catrina looking rather frowny-faced.

Tilda removed her wet jacket and hung it up before greeting the domina.

"Catrina, are you alright?" Wet hair clung to her face, and she pushed it back with her hands.

The sounds of wet fabric and feeling of someone coming into the space had her briefly looking up, softening up a tad at seeing just who it was. Matilda in from the storm and wondering about dear old her.

”Physically, surely, but I’m having a wee bit of a tiff with luck of all things… if that really is what this is.” Her hand waved down towards the coin and her uncertainty if this was truly the second power she was graced with.

A tiff with luck! Matilda raised both eyebrows as she came into the main room to join her domina. She took a seat nearby and decided to ask what she meant.

There was a coin in her hand. Was she just playing a game of heads or tails?

"If that's what what is?" She asked curiously, wondering if she could help.

As Matilda got comfortable, Catrina had bent to pick down the coin in question scrutinizing it in a sense of disgust.

”Luck. A psychic was under the impression it was my second power and yet I cannae seem to make it perform.” She stood back up again.

Oh! Wait. They got more powers? Maybe it was a domina thing.

"Luck. Hmm. Maybe it'll just take more practice?" She eyed the coin curiously. "What happens if you tap into your other magic and then... focus on the coin?" Could she like transfer her magical energy between powers that way?

She waved a hand to say of course to the first point Matilda offered. ”Aye.” Practice, of course. But, how did one do so if they couldn’t trigger such a thing effectively?

”To use to trigger the other?” Hmm, using her other power to push through to this one… had she done so back then with dear Zachary? They had been practicing illusion at the time… Maybe, that had been the missing point, a sort of energy transfer. ”Worth a go.”

Catrina pushed her hair behind shoulders, getting the coin ready under a finger to flick. A feel for the energy just below the skin that flowed oh so easily. It hummed in answer as she flicked the coin up into the air again. ”Tails.” As the words left her, Catrina tried to push and connect it with the thought of turning the wills of the mortal realm to bend to her will. A picture of what she wanted, the coin on its rightful side, just as she would with illusion and bending reality.

The coin itself flickered to the side she imagined, an illusion transposing. No, she didn’t want it to look, she wanted it to be. Forceful with the want, a sudden branching of magic catapulted from what she knew and tension snapped in temples.

Once felled, the coin clattered to a halt and displayed bright and shiny — tails.

Matilda leaned back and watched as Catrina took in her point. As she seemingly thought about it for a moment before deciding to give it a try. Tails.

Tilda leaned forward now, hands on her knees as she watched the coin flip and land, tails side up.

She raised her eyebrows.

"It worked???" Did it??!!!

Had it? She squinted, deeply debating. It felt it had. A warmth in her chest as a sort of compass in intuition proclaimed as such, but still. ”Maybe, but it’s a wee hard to tell.”

Leaning down, Catrina picked up the coin and offered it over. ”Perhaps, this time you should simply drop it for me?”

Matilda accepted the coin in her hand and looked over at Catrina. She nodded slowly.

"Do you want to call it first? Or should I just drop it?"

She wasn't sure what the game plan was!

”We’ll do heads and I’ll turn around this time. Do let me know when you start.”

A smile and she turned on heel, a steady hold on her magic.

Heads. Okay.

"After three, yeah?"

A beat as Catrina turned around.

"One... two... three... go!"

She dropped the coin on go!

”Alright.”

And off the countdown went and Catrina focused on where the coin was behind her, its very presence in the room. The idea was that not exact sight of the coin may help her aim outside of simply illusion, not that that exactly limited her, but it certainly made it an additional hurdle.

Funneling her desires through the familiar channel and then imagining the coin landing on her preferred side, she pushed hard and all at once it seemed a bottleneck suddenly went through. Catrina internally stumbled at the sudden lack of resistance, magic branching out lightning fast in that new direction as pressure pulsed through.

The coin would land as wanted, clattering against the wood paneled floor as Catrina felt a waft of vertigo. She steadied her footing as the world seemingly needed to align again while a fated ending flipped.

”And?”

Matilda watched it happen. Or tried to. It all happened quickly for her and when Catrina asked how it went, she bent down to pick up the coin. Which had landed with heads side up.

"You did it!" Again, probably! She couldn't hide her excitement.

"How did it feel?"

A sound of shuffling movement had her turning around herself, looking on expectantly with some trepidation. What if it had not flipped to the appropriate side? Then, just what was her other power? It was a line of thought that could easily bring one to a headache.

But, as Matilda looked it over, there was confirmation in a throw of excitement that had her own brightening her features. ”Oh goodness!”

How did it feel? ”Like a sudden burst of energy was let free. A wee bit disorienting, honestly.”

It really was cool watching someone as powerful as Catrina still find ways to grow and adapt to new powers. It was a humbling reminder that they all were just trying to figure it out.

"Well, sit, absolutely sit!" Matilda insisted with a small gesture toward the couch. "That's amazing though! You know your second power!" Could they celebrate? Matilda had come here with a different purpose in mind entirely but this had really worked out so well!

A small laugh escaped her at the response, taking the reminder to do just that. She fell to the seat with a soft plop of cushions, giving Matilda a smile at the excited words.

Hands coming up to her chest, the giddiness had her kicking feet. Just a tad, but joy had to be expressed! ”Finally! It’s been a real headache, but I’ve got it.”

Matilda smiled warmly back at Catrina and nodded her head.

"Heck yeah you do!" She laughed and had a seat on the same couch, giving Catrina some room.

"I was coming here to ask you about mentoring again but now I feel like we have to celebrate!" She giggled.

It was good to be able to share in this joy with someone just as enthused. How fitting for it to be Matilda of all vampires as well.

Oh, mentoring? The dear had been working on that for a while, hadn’t she?

Hands to her thighs, she motioned for her to back up. ”Why don’t we talk of that first and maybe have two things to celebrate?”

Matilda turned and pulled one leg up on the couch closer to her as she faced Catrina a bit more fully.

"Alright," She smiled, and tried to think of the instances where she'd helped people recently.

"Before Arianell joined us, we went for a hunt and I introduced her to suggestion as a tactic for feedings. She, um. She didn't know about it before? So, we found someone and suggested them into letting us feed on them. It went well. Easy. Nothing to note, really about the encounter itself."

A beat and then she continued.

"I also went with Luka to a club and helped him find someone to feed from. He's... very anxious for someone so strong. But I think he just needs encouragement." Matilda didn't mention that they let the human go without suggesting them into forgetting who they were. It went well. There was no need to make things more complicated with a more consensual feeding.

"And more recently, I ran into a newer vampire who I'm keeping in contact with. Her name is Katie. She was... very frail when we met? I think she hadn't fed enough and was struggling on her own. I helped her feed and we exchanged information so I might continue to help her out."

It turned out, Matilda had been a busy little bee indeed. Three vampires had left her presence knowing more and having an incredible boost to the certainty in their skills.

Catrina nodded along to show that she was listening attentively. Arianell’s tale sounded familiar, a point she had been proud to hear of from the other. The summary of Luka’s hunt certainly sung true, the vampire had grown considerably and self confidence, encouragement, all with time would do wonders to continue his trajectory.

Katie, now there was one she hadn’t the pleasure to know. Frail without eating certainly had her worried and Catrina was pleased to hear Matilda was keeping an eye on the matter.

”I think that would be wonderful if you could. I would hate to hear about a vampire wasting away if it could be prevented.”

Outside of that though- ”Overall, it sounds to me that you have had a very successful time in trying out the role. All of it is very impressive. What did you find most fulfilling and challenging?”

Matilda nodded, glad to have Catrina's immediate support, though she expected nothing less. It felt good to help other people. Other vampires. To try and impart some of what she'd learned in the last few years on others and help them grow as much as they helped her.

It felt better than just sitting around and feeling useless, that much was clear.

"Helping others has definitely been the most fulfilling part. I think sometimes I second guess myself or why I'm still... well. Here. Like this." She whispered the last part. "After unturnings became known, I won't lie about how I was feeling. It felt like... like I should do it? I didn't. In the end. And I won't. I know I'm still new to vampirism as a whole, too, which means I may not always be the best mentor or counsellor for everyone. I'm still learning." Tilda paused. "But since then, I feel like I've found some purpose in helping other vampires figure things out too."

Helping others was the core of that role and matched her perfectly. There was something incredibly fulfilling about it. Matilda had a tendency to second guess herself, though the bit of ‘like this’ confused her some, brows furrowing a smidge, whisper heard and all.

Ah, unturning. A troublesome solution to a supposed problem that did not exist nor did Catrina agree with whatsoever. You did not turn away a gift, an opportunity to be more, of following the path fate had set for you since your birth. Ultimately, Matilda had not. She was still in this room with them now, speaking to the fact that the choice was not one she would make. Purpose had been found and it drowned out any doubts.

Experience came with time, but it was very self aware of the point about her perhaps not always being the ‘best’. Catrina certainly had faith and Matilda was hardly going about this in a silo. They had every vampire in the clutch to lean upon.

She crossed her legs under her, smiling. ”Purpose is a powerful thing. I am glad you have found it in doing something as noble as mentoring and that despite the news, you have chosen to stay. You have much to offer and I believe you have the skills to do a fine job in helping shape this clutch. Anywhere you may feel you come up short, you can always ask for help.”

A beat.

”I would be honored to offer you the role of Counselor.”

Catrina was once again supportive and in her corner, even pointing out that Matilda had much to offer their growing clutch, even if she had room to grow still. Knowing she could always ask for help was comforting and reassuring. Tilda smiled warmly at her domina and took a breath she didn't really need to survive, but needed to let the news sink in.

"Thank you, Catrina. For everything you've done for me. For Dani, too. All of us. I will definitely continue to seek guidance from you." It felt good. Like a stepping stone to something bigger. A brighter path ahead of her.

Sincere thanks that went from somewhere deep to broadening to Daniella and then, the clutch itself. She grinned wide, genuinely warmed by the words and that Matilda would continue to seek her out for mentorship still as well. It felt much like how a proud mother swan may watch its cygnet finally take flight upon snow white wings.

”Your words mean the world, dear.” Shifting, she moved to take her into a hug if Matilda was alright with it. ”I am incredibly proud of you.”

Matilda absolutely accepted the hug and tried not to cry as she let Catrina's words sink in. She was proud of her. Incredibly proud of her.

"Awww, Catrina. You're going to make me cry." She laugh-cried. Too late.

Matilda had grown into such a wonderful vampire, the words were entirely heartfelt and absolutely meant.

”Oh hen, if you do then I am doomed,” she laughed, eyes misting as arms squeezed. All they needed was to be found in a blubbering mess of happy tears by another member. Happy tears painted a quaint scene, though. How wonderful to share in such joy and love.

Catrina pulled back when it felt right, a smile holding back tears as she used the side of her hand to wipe against eyes.

Matilda squeezed back, glad to have the support and friendship of the woman in her midst. When she pulled, there were some tears in her eyes too.

"Too late," She laughed and sniffed and wiped at her face.

"Thank you again." A beat. "Should we celebrate?"

The response had her laughing through the grin, nodding while feeling a such a well of happiness. It was the perfect sort of night, truly.

”We absolutely should.” She’d move to stand, offering a hand. ”Let’s see what sort of mischief we can get up to.” Perhaps, they could do something here, or, around town. Catrina would allow Matilda to make the choice there. The night was young and there was plenty to celebrate.