do_what_thou_wilt | to live where one will

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siren cove

to live where one will

It's raining, and that means it's muddy, and cold, and everything takes a little longer than it needs to. Auryn doesn't care. When he looks at the work in front of him, what he sees is freedom.

He knew, almost immediately, that he couldn't keep staying in the motel. It was good, in its way, for a while: motels and hostels have served him well in his travels, but he doesn't like paying what's basically overpriced rent to borrow something. There have been a lot of ways he's gotten himself from place to place, but the itchiness he'd been feeling to get out wasn't the same drive he usually felt to get out of a place.

He's not done with Siren Cove, yet, and that means finding a place to live. Making a home, not a camp or a place to crash.

His research had been meticulous. Someplace close enough to water to take advantage of the coast and the natural energies of the ocean, but far enough away that he isn't exposed. Away from town, easily hidden. He'd settled on a space a bit east of the Atwater place, undeveloped land but not so far off the road that it's hard to find again.

And then he'd started building, his tiny off the grid home. All told it's about 200 square feet with its upper half-story spiraling into the arms of a tree. He's done as much manual construction as magical lifting because it's his that way, his energy poured into the place, his blood in the wood when he gives power to the protections breathed into the place. But maybe he did a little suggesting to make the water collection work so well or to haul firewood.

No building permits, no permission, and the ward that makes people have a tendency to walk around it and forget it's there isn't, probably, legal either. The trees have accepted him, and no one's using the space, and that's all he's concerned with.
He's in a good mood then, heading back there, walking along the shoulder of the road with a knot of wood and a box that's equal parts hammer and nails and magical tokens.

[OOC: Open! Find Auryn and his tiny!house. Or get suspicious about what he's up to. But for the love of god, don't start googling tiny houses. Don't do as I have done.]

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Davin is on a run before work when he spots Auryn up ahead. It's been awhile since he's seen the guy, and Davin's honestly a little surprised to still see him here.

But then again, maybe not. Magic is in abundance here. It can be a nice place for a witch. It's good to see Auryn, actually. Davin was just thinking about how he wishes he knew more witches in the city.

"Auryn, hey!" Davin yanks his headphones out and jogs up to him, falling in step next to him easily. "How've ya been, man?"

Auryn's been wrapped up in his project for the winter enough that he hasn't been speaking to people too much. He's naturally pretty isolated; solitude doesn't bother him and he prefers close, intense relationships with a few people to small talk with many, so he's not exactly drawn out by the bar scene.

But he has a few friends here, and a few undefined alliances that he wouldn't mind exploring, and Davin is one of them. There's something about the young man's bubbly friendliness and the way power glows off him that intrigues Auryn.

"Davin," he greets him with a nod. "Not bad, thanks. Keeping myself busy with -- a bit of a project." He gestures with the wood he's carrying and a mysterious smirk. "And yourself?"

"Oh, I find that I can't complain 'bout much," Davin says with a happy grin. He raises an eyebrow at the look on Auryn's face and gestures at the wood. "Okay, I'm way too curious for ya t'pull that cryptic shit with me."

He gives him a happy grin and pushes his sweat-damp hair back away from his face. "What are ya workin' on?"

Davin's grin is almost infectious, and Auryn laughs in an exhale at being called on his mystery. "I thought if I was going to stay in Siren Cove, and I think I plan to, that I better find a place I can practice, and feel comfortable. I'm making myself a place to live that's a little more private than a motel."

He nods at the woods as the road turns away, the landmarks and paths that seem to him obvious trails to follow toward the clearing where he's built his little home. "Will inviting you to take a look ruin your run?"

"I s'pose it wouldn't hurt t'cut one short," Davin says with a laugh, patting his toned stomach through the thin, damp fabric of his shirt. "Worse things I could do than follow cute dudes out into the woods."

He gives him a good-natured wink and walks alongside him, tipping his head back to catch a soft breeze against his overheated skin.

Auryn has never actively thought of himself as "cute", or even particularly someone who other people think of that way. It doesn't trouble him particularly, it's just not part of his self-conception. Hearing it from someone as objectively attractive (almost pretty) as Davin is a little strange.

He smiles at it, anyway, and the smile widens at the wink, falling into step beside Davin easily. "You've never heard the fairytales?" he jokes easily. "You can't just leave the woods unchanged."

They venture down the trail, far enough that if Davin were on his own he might be feeling some pushback from the wards. Auryn's not honestly sure if they'd throw someone with as much natural power as Davin off the trail, or just feel a little discomfiting. He is sure, though, that Davin won't be able to see the house until he invites him to.

"Here," he says, and puts a hand on Davin's back, setting the wood down and nodding toward the clearing.

"I'm safe out here," Davin assures him with a smile. "Who would wanna hurt Bambi?"

As they walk along the trail, Davin starts to feel a little strange. It's like the faintest buzzing under his skin, like his magic is going on alert. He doesn't feel threatened, just prepared. He follows along curiously and raises an eyebrow when Auryn points towards an empty clearing. "Please tell me you're not squattin' out in the woods like some hobo."

The idea of Davin as Bambi makes him laugh. "Lord of the Forest, huh?"

"I have before," Auryn says, "but no. Come look." He walks confidently toward the stairs, gesturing for Davin to follow; the wards should fall away this close, with Davin in his presence. "I've been building myself a place to stay. Little, but more than enough for a person or two to sit and eat. Sleep. Something I can call mine."

Davin raises an eyebrow and follows along curiously, shuddering a bit when he feels a burst of magic. He blinks and suddenly there's more than just a tree. There's a small house built around it and Davin's mouth falls open as he approaches the stairs. "That's a neat trick."

"The wards?" Auryn asks. "It keeps foot traffic low, that's for sure. It won't harm anyone but they won't think to stop by unless they know what's here. Sometimes it's good to have a little privacy." He looks up at Davin curiously. "I could show you. I don't think it'd be hard for someone like you to pick up." Someone with that much innate power. But also, Davin's clever.

He runs a hand over the wood of the railing. "The rest of this is put together the long way, though. All winter I've been planning and building. I think that helps the wards, to be honest, some sweat and tears put in."

"Well, I live above a bakery. Makin' it invisible would probably be bad for business," Davin says with a laugh. "I'd hate t'do that t'sweet ol' Maddy."

He approaches the stairs curiously, tilting his head back to study it all. "This is really cool, man. I'm seriously impressed."

With a lazy smile, he looks over at Auryn. "This means you're stickin' 'round, then?"

Auryn laughs. "Yes, that seems impolite to your landlady." He regards Davin for a moment, with a curious smile. "You've got a lot of power, you know. If that's something you ever want to take out for a run, you know where I am."

His smile widens. "I appreciate that." He grins, leaning on the railing. "It does. For now at least." He glances back at Davin. "I should probably find myself some honest employment, if I intend to do that."

"Really? Ya can tell that, aye?" Davin knows that his powers are getting stronger. He's kept in touch with his grandmother about it, but she just tells him that he's coming into his own and not to worry about it too much. It doesn't feel dangerous, whatever is happening to him. It feels comforting. "Oh yeah? Ya got any marketable skills?"

Auryn inclines his head. "Just a little extra shine." He smiles before adding more seriously. "It's a gift, you should make sure to exercise it as you would any other part of you."

"In a fair world," he says, with a wry eyebrow raise, "Wards and spells would be marketable." He glances at the house and back to Davin. "I'm good with my hands, and I'm not afraid of a challenge or a day's hard work. Does that count?"

"I use my magic every day," Davin replies easily. He uses it at the shop and around the house, but he gets the idea that's not exactly what Auryn means. "How would I exercise it, exactly?"

He is curious, of course. His magic is so important to him and if he can learn more about it, he will of course take the opportunity. "Counts in my eyes. Have ya ever worked on cars?"

"Do you?" Auryn says, pleased to find another friend in this town that doesn't conceal their ability.

"Well, when you exercise your body, you have to push it a little," he likens the process. "The same's true of magic: sometimes it's a little uncomfortable, tiring, but you can't get stronger or more proficient without trying new things, giving in a little to that discomfort, learning the tools and the techniques you need. It depends on what you want to do."

Auryn makes a face. He hasn't had a car for a while, but he drove his aunt's boyfriend's hand-me-down pickup until it broke, an old stick shift thing that held a bunch of rowdy goth kids well enough. "From time to time," he admits. He knows the basics. "Oil changes, brake pads. Leaky hose. It's been a while, but I think I could pick it up."

"Yeah, my particular abilities come in pretty handy at work." He laughs and then spots a toolbox off to the side, and with a small nudge of power the tools jump up into the air to twirl around each other. A wrench flies over to land gently in Davin's waiting palm, and the rest of the tools lower back into the box with the smallest of clinks. "But I know what ya mean. I can lift a car engine now with no trouble, but if I keep it up too long it gives me a headache."

He looks over at Auryn and nods. He's short staffed again, especially after Ryder left, so he could use the help. "Well, one o' my new guys just left t'go back home, so I have a space that needs fillin', if ya wanna give it a shot."

Auryn grins as the tools fly up into the air. "Could have used you when I was making this place," he says, amused, and sits down on the stoop. "There's something to be said for hard work, but it's nice to have everything right where you need it. I've never had a touch for metal myself. Or --" He tilts his head. "I can ask things of elemental metal. And some kinds of metal objects know where they came from. But nothing formed like that, steel and copper." He smiles. "That's something I'd need to practice much more."

His eyes brighten at Davin's offer. People are kind infrequently, in his experience, they don't just give you things without wanting something back. "That's generous of you," he says with a small smile, and nods. "Thank you - you won't regret it."

Davin's grin widens at the compliment. Auryn is obviously very competent and knowledgeable when it comes to magic, whereas Davin feels like he's still naive and floundering some of the time, so it's nice to know that something he can do impresses Auryn.

"I doubt I will, man." He reaches over and claps Auryn on the back, looking up at the little house. "If ya can build this thing from scratch, I doubt you'll have any trouble pickin' things up at the shop. Just come by on Monday, say 'round ten? An' we'll get ya all set up."

He smiles and then climbs the staircase, rapping his knuckles against the door. "Now show me in the inside o' this thing."

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to live where one will

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