Altar and Alpha

Posted on Mon Oct 17th, 2022 @ 4:55pm by Dominique LaFramboise
Edited on on Mon Oct 17th, 2022 @ 8:27pm

Mission: Daemoniacus Tribulatio
Location: The Altar’s House

Nicki had only met two Altars of Witches’ Guild in her life and as such, she hadn’t expected what she found at the Nashville Altar’s house.

He lived just outside of Nashville, on a seventeen acre plot of land that was mostly wooded. The house was nice, but definitely old and a bit dated. Standing next to the house was an old, but still servicable camper and a deer blind.

As Nicki got out of her car, an elderly gentleman stepped out of the house and regarded her with a grumpy looking expression. He was dressed in camo pants, a green shirt, and a camo hat. His grey beard reached his chest and he peered at her from glasses from which hung one of those cords that kept them from falling off. One hand held a glass with an amber liquid in it- Nicki guessed tea- and the other was in his pocket. “You must be Dominique LaFromboise,” he said, his voice gruff, yet welcoming.

“That’s me,” answered Nicki as she approached, left hand raised in the traditional greeting of witches.. “Please, call me Nicki. Nearly everyone else does.”

“Very well, Nicki,” he replied, taking his hand out of his pocket and raising it towards her in solute. “Well met.”

“Well met.”

“I’m Clemence Fletcher, but most everyone calls me Clem,” he said. “Wish we coulda met under better circumstances. Anyway, come on in. My wife’s got lunch almost ready, if you’re hungry.”

If there was one thing a witch didn’t do, it was to refuse food offered by another. And, since Nicki hadn’t had lunch yet, she saw no real reason to anyway. “I am, a bit,” she replied modestly. “Thank you.”

Clem held the door for her, so she stepped inside. The inside of the house was also a bit dated, but in great shape and well kept. It had a very country chic grandma vibe to it- lots of doilies and painted wood. She could see straight through to the kitchen where a tiny woman with very thick, very long, very grey hair was putting the finishing touches on a lunch table. “Helloooo!” she called cheerfully and Nicki could tell at once that she was also a witch. “You must be Dominique. I’m Sue Ellen. Come in and have a seat! Lunch will be ready soon.”

“Thank you,” replied Nicki with a grin as she obediently took a place at the table. “And please, call me Nicki.”

“Of course, Nicki,” replied Sue Ellen, raising her hand as her husband had done. “Well met.”

“Well met,” replied Nicki, raising her hand.

“So Nicki here is a Necromancer,” Clem added, also taking a seat at the table. “Specialising in souls and ghosts, is that right?”

“That’s correct,” answered Nicki. “I can still raise zombies, but I’ve found that since becoming a Hound, I have to dig awfully deep for that magic.”

“Ooo, you’re a Hound, too?” asked Sue Ellen, stirring one of her pots. “Are you planning on forming a Leesh?”

Nicki nodded. “I’ve brough my second with me,” she added. “Well, he’s my second now, anyway. Default because of seniority.”

“Having a partner makes it easier,” agreed Clem. “Where are my manners? You want some iced tea? We got sweet and unsweet.”

“Unsweet, please,” answered Nicki and Clem stood to get it for her.

“Feel free not to answer,” said Sue Ellen, now plating up the food she had been cooking, “but is you second a close friend or relative?”

Nicki grinned. “We’re together,” she replied. “He’d like to get married, but I’m… uncomfortable with that. I was widowed three years ago,” she explained. “It’s been hard to get past it.”

Sue Ellen nodded. “I understand,” she said, now carrying a small plate of chicken wings and a bowl of mashed potatoes to the table. “I’ve never been a widow myself, but my sister was widowed young, too. I saw what it did to her. You just take your time and if he won’t wait, he’s not right for you.”

“Thanks,” said Nicki with a genuine grin. “He’s actually pretty understanding. We’ve known each other since before I was even dating my late husband, so he’s seen the whole story play out. He’s a good guy.”

“He must not be a witch,” commented Clem, returning with a glass of iced tea and setting it in front of Nicki, “because yours is the only new license in the area.”

“He’s not,” confirmed Nicki. “But he must be the only person I have ever met, witch or no, who doesn’t even blink at magic. He’s got this whole, ‘well, that’s a thing that happened’ attitude about it. It’s really uncanny.”

Clem chuckled as Sue Ellen brought the gravy and a salad to the table. “I think I’d like to meet him sometime,” he said. “He sounds like my kinda man.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the chance,” agreed Nicki with a grin. “He tags along with me a lot.”

But then Sue Ellen had taken her seat, and as was custom with witches, a moment of silence was observed for those who would like to thank whichever god or higher power they chose for the food. As guest, it was NIcki’s job to break the moment, so after a sufficient amount of time had passed- which she judged with her own quick prayer- she said, “I assume you heard about the recent trouble,” while reaching for the delicious looking wings.

“Of course,” agreed Clem. “I heard from the Havildar-Major’s office. Not the major himself. I assume he was off trying to gather as much information as he could. But his assistant filled me in. I understand you were there?”

“Yeah,” Nicki nodded grimly, handing the platter off to Sue Ellen and choosing the salad next. “The Havildar’s office got plenty of photos of the crime scene. I tried to find a ghost or even poltergeist who may have witnessed everything, but the only ghost I could find was in another apartment at the time.”

“What’s your take?” asked Clem. “You think this demon is really Astaroth?”

“Well, it tricked me,” she replied. “I was trying to play dumb- I like being underestimated because it makes it easier to come out on top- and it threatened to burn the building down. I ordered it not to without even thinking.”

Clem nodded. “So if it’s not Astaroth, it’s a pretty intelligent demon,” he mused.

“I can’t imagine one of the lower tier demons who is intelligent enough to pull that one would lie about who they were,” put in Sue Ellen. “That level of intelligence puts the demon only a tier, maybe two lower than the actual Astaroth. Once they get to that level, they’re making names for themselves and would be more likely to use their own designation.”

“Good point,” agreed Nicki. “It’s pretty likely that it’s Astaroth. Are you a demonologist?”

Sue Ellen beamed. “I studied Demonology pretty extensively,” she admitted, “but no. My area of expertise is potions.”

“There are a couple of demonologists in the area, though,” put in Clem. “Penny has more practical knowledge, but then she’s got about three decades on Anne. Still, with Anne’s book knowledge, we should have a pretty good advantage.”

“Let’s hope so,” agreed Nicki.

“All right, I’ll have to call a meeting,” Clem decided. “It’s not the best way to meet the rest of the Guild, but it’ll have to do. I’ll keep you posted. But for now,” he sighed, stirring the gravy into his mashed potatoes. “Let’s talk about something more pleasant. What brings you to the Nashville area?”

Nicki grinned as she began explaining about her music and doing studio work for her cousin. Yes this was a much more pleasant way to spend lunch.