Matias’s A Primer in Natural Magic [Extra Credit]
Date: 2025-07-21 15:02
(Matias’s A Primer in Natural Magic [Extra Credit])
[Mon Jul 21 2025]
At Thornberry and Hart/span>/spanafternoon, about 80F(26C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey clouds. The mist is heaviest At Maple and Woodcrest/span>/span“I know this is like extra credit but I plan to be nice to you and I hope you’ll be nice to me also, professor, I don’t want to disrupt anything,” Kai says and quiets down when the man begins to speak. He notices Hester and snubs her as well, though Roberta gets a bright smile and a wave.
Matias appears to be coralling the crowd to follow himself with little time for stragglers to catch up.
Jenny gives a wave over to Hester and a nod to Matias moving to follow
Hester nearly skids on her scooter riding it up over the curb in a hurry to park. “I’m not late, I’m not late!” she panics, waffling over to where Matias and the others are. If she notices Kai at all, she doesn’t make it known.
Stealthily, Roberta rolls off of her pony, manifesting in the crowd
Matias calls back, “This way you two.”
August leaves the shade, the tree, and with his hands in his pockets, begins to follow after Matias into the greenery. One of his hands extract to bring up a pair of aviators that he hangs loosely over his nose, then back it goes in so he can follow in his lazy slouch.
Kai gives a two-fingered salute to August, trailing along after the group while he texts away.
Hester hefts her haversack higher up and peers down at her fanny pack to make sure nothing’s falling out. Except she can’t see her fanny pack with her stomach in the way. Ah well. A late wave is given to Jenny and Sophie, as she lags behind the group, panting from the brief walk.
“Jesus christ, a fanny pack?” August asks aside towards Hester after noting where she’s looking at. “Are you really going to prove every fat stereotype there is? Isn’t it time you break out of your cocoon of lard?” August’s head shakes at what he’s scathingly delivering in a low-hush beside the vice-president. “Put some effort into walking, maybe you’ll shed something today.”
Roberta ambles along like a phantom, content to enjoy the stravage through the park, opera cane tick-tick-ticking as she steps, punctuating each silent footfall with a note of context to contrast the natural lack of sound and effort.
Kai gives a firm nod of agreement with August’s words to Hester, “It’s kind of surprising she can stand up without a cane or walk without one of those uh… little… motorized things,” he grins a little at August.
“Golf carts?” Roberta asks Kai conversationally as she takes a seat.
Matias leads the unofficial class northeast to a gazebo near the pond, the remnants of a prior natural magic expedition still present in some decayed form or another. As they enter the cooler much more shaded part of the park, the latino professor enters the gazebo and motions to the benches. “Alright natural magic. Often linked to druidic circles but not exclusively. It is theorized to be acceptable to werewolves due to the very real probability that druidic fleshformers originated the supernatural ‘species’.” he says the word species with a fairly healthy dose of air quotes though his hands are tucked into his pockets. “The fundamental difference between natural magic and other branches is the originating branch of magic. Human sacrifice. Where as one continue on with the expenditure of life force of sentient beings for manifesting intent. The druidic circles instead focused on harmony with nature often using entire meadows, groves, or forests to perform arcane rituals. In addition their traditions often involve invoking spirits of natural entities whether these spirits pre-dated the druids or were created due to the rites themselves is unclear.” there is a pause as he looks out over the group, “Does anyone have hands on experience with natural magic? Ever been grabbed by roots. Blown off your course. Struck by lightning which was suspiciously accurate?”
“Nah it’s like a ride on lawn mower… kinda,” Kai mutters as he start sto flip through his phone, eventually he gives up and waves his hand, turning to listen to Matias, his hands slip into his hoodie pocket, glancing now and then at the phone.
“.. Professor Maddox wears a fanny pack, too,” Hester sniffs with a bulldog frown at August, trying to cover her waist to hide the view of her handy dandy bag. She’s covering the wrong side. Hazards of not being able to see it. “Well, it works for me, so I’m using it. Until I have money for better stuff,” with the latter sentence uttered between teeth. “I -am- efforting, and I even had no sugar coffee today! How many crepes did -you- eat, Mr. President?” she mouths off, as if the med student could even put on a paunch with such occasions. Kai’s words get an eyeroll out of her but she continues to snub even that, turning her nose up.
“Right?” August affirms Kai, but climbs the benches while speaking, right up there to take a seat on the edge. “I’m going to put a petition to gather funding for a fat-removal operation one of these days.” Still, it’s a dismissed topic on his part, because he leans forward to lean his elbows over his knees and focus on the lecture ahead.
Hester shuts up when she realizes Matias is talking though, slumping onto a whole bench for herself to listen. But not without one last scrunch-nose at August for the jab.
Matias casts a patient but expectant gaze over the attendees.
Sunday looks towards Matias and raises their hand about half way up.
Jenny raises a hand, and hand meets face at the conversation taking place before she says over to Matias “Almost got struck by lightning once…”
“Mister Harper, yes?” Matias says nodding to the new students direction before looking aside to Jenny with a nod.
Sophie glares at August softly, as she moves over to Hester’s side.
Sunday clears their throat, lowering their hand. “Does, uh, getting mauled by a tree count?”
Not raising a hand but chipping in, Roberta points to herself with a nod. “A fair bit, actually. Lightning, roots, quakes, attempted burials– Somehow, and I have no exact idea why, natural mancers tend to not like me.”
Roberta, the vampire knows exactly why.
Kai snorts in amusement at August’s response to Hester, he listens to Matias but he doesn’t speak up, instead he just listens to the others, head tilted a bit as he smiles a little, shifting a bit from foot to foot.
Hester wanly smiles at Sophie before piping up as well, with her hand up. “Ehm, Elliot did a thing indoors once and made it rain?”
“That depends, not all mist bound monsters are necessarily produced via natural magic. Fleshformers are not bound by their arcane traditions and everyone can use a pet tree.” Matias says in a casual baritone of a voice before shifting his gaze onto Roberta. “I cannot imagine why they would not.” he says with a clear wink wink nudge nudge tone. “So!” he pulls out a string of dark wooden rosary beads and looks out to the grass around the gazebo. “Natural magic can…” he holds the rosary up and the grass begins to thicken, weeds growing, lions mane dandolines grow and some of the grass begins to wither and die. “Force the sudden growth and bloom of plants.” and then squinting a little bit, a bird is about to take flight and the rosary is flicked to it wraps around his hand. “Stop animals, even shifters.” the bird leaps and freezes in mid air falling to the ground before getting up and shaking it off.” and then casting his attention back to the group he makes a little wave and instead of an updraft for those with skirts everyone feels a downdraft of air… underneath a gazebo rustling clothes and cooling them for a few secons. “Control the winds. Among many things… So if you ever feel like plants and the weather hate you. Maybe you just annoyed me in class once.” he offers in a wry tone. “Any questions so far about natural magic or what kinds of things it might be capable of?”
“I read that a few nature mancers figured out how to fly while bein’ in human form.” Jenny offers over to Matias
Sunday stares in the direction of the bird, their eyebrows raise slightly.
Roberta did her bit; She contributed, and isn’t even a student. To the contrary, she’f faculty, and so glances around, waiting for the actual demographic of this audience to respond.
“I think I could use a pet tree. I think the botanical gardens sells strange ones?” Hester quietly muses to Sophie and Jenny, swinging her chubby legs to and fro. With the instantaneous growth and death of the foliage, those legs stay up. “Uh-oh.” And the bird falls out of the sky, making her yelp, “Ah crap balls!” Class is already so stressful for the freckled one. She deflates on her bench, sighing wearily at her seatmate. It’s a good thing she’s wearing pants today. “Ehmmm.. are wooden women nature mancers with fleshformed armour, sir?”
August’s cap is lifted, so he can run his hand up through his hair against the downward current before setting his cap lower. He’s otherwise quite undisturbed, if slightly reactive – a little glint of his ring bleeds a small cast of color in response to the magic at play. Natural vs Unnatural, maybe, if one can discern, and his hand lifts to ask along the questions of others, “Are there any limitations to learning natural magic?”
Kai hangs out near the back of the group, using the bodies of his fellow students to try to disguise that he’s fucking around on his phone and only half paying attention to thie particular lecture.
“Perhaps some particularly strong Practitioners can fly as a human.” Matias agrees with Jenny before pointing out, “The necessary wind control is difficult to maintain. It is easier than say energetic arcanum such as fireballs, soldified ice, and manifested energy. The wind exists without us and we simply encourage it. Flight without assistance would essentially be manifesting the winds continuously closer to sorcery than mancing.” then shifting his attention onto Hester the professor adjusts his glasses. “Mist monsters can have innate abilities, but to consider them Practitioners I think brings up the debate of sentience and level of ability to access arcanum. For the sake of this field trip. Yes they have rudimentary mancing by virtue of their fleshforming but not necessarily due to education or training.” and then to August with a fleeting smile, “Mister Pierce extra credit. Yes Natural magic is counter to the undead or shall we say the animated dead and those who tap into dark magical energies find nature abhors their entreatments. In addition a drawback to the arcane tradition of natural magics is… you need nature. The world is ever industrializing and I cannot split asphalt open nor break sidewalks with sudden growth. I am limited impart by my location. Winds and weather can be accessed anywhere but even I cannot summon lightning on a clear day.” there is a look over the class then as he adds, “Also a rarely discussed but very common trait is that arcanists of all flavors can shapeshift should they learn the proper rites. Natural arcanists can often shapeshift with very little study. We can also, like all arcanists, summon spirits to manifest to our aid… In my opinio natural arcanists have a much easier time animating spirits as they often belong on this plane whereas many arcanists seem to favor offworld spirits and entities form their imagination. A small difference but one which sometimes requires more will to manifest.” and then querying the class, “Can anyone think of a danger to being a natural arcanist in modern supernatural society?”
Matias says, amending, “Arcanists of -many- flavors.“
“It’s a common misconception,” August adds, “I am a practitioner of dark magic, particularly necromancy.” As if the reaction from his magic wasn’t enough. His hands lace together as he leans back, and they’re left to rest across his abdomen. “I’m also perfectly human, albeit a little gifted – but shapeshifting remains an entirely supernatural trait that those practitioners like me can’t manage.” Though, he adds an answer to the question, as well, with a lazy flit at the bill of his cap. “You just said your danger. You’re cut off your from much of your arsenal of magic if you’re not in nature, and we live in the world of expansion. This is the only place you hold the stakes within New Haven, unless you ruin the garden of someone’s grandmother.”
Sunday’s left hand raises up slightly, mostly hanging out to the side. “Uhhh…” Their arm hangs out for a moment, but as soon as they see August start to speak up their arm goes back down.
“Oh there are dangers beyond access.” Matias explains to August as looks out to the other students expectantly. “Anyone?”
Matias points to Sunday , “Mister Harper, a guess?”
Sophie runs a hand through her hair and focuses on the lesson.
Sunday lets out a long sigh, eyes closing for just a moment. “Uhhh… like…” Their brow wrinkles a little in the middle, and the corners of their mouth turn down slightly. “Being… on other planes?”
“That was so fucking stupid, magic is stronger off-world.” August lazily drawls towards Sunday with a near spiteful look in the sharpness of his eyes shown after a small tug of his aviators, but he’s otherwise quick to fold his arms, sink in his seat to watch others over the rim of his shades and await other answers like the professor does, too.
Nodding thoughtfully at Matias, Hester rubs at her tri-layer chin in understanding. “So.. you can have it through fleshforming somehow,” the wide one mutters under her breath, unrolling a notebook from her fanny pack – yes, she found it finally – to jot down notes. “Hrm, I guess you -can’t- learn dark magic if you’re already attuned to ehm, natural magic then?” she tries to make sure she got that right, swiveling looks at her other classmates. Although she looks displeased when August speaks, she’s even more disappointed to hear it. A tilt of her head, a meager shrug of her shoulders, in reluctant acceptance. “Ehm, maybe how you’re more likely to affect local infrastructure and cause.. property damage? ‘Cause ehm, all the concrete is built on roads, and little weeds grow in the cracks,” she wiggles stubby fingers. “And when someone makes them grow super fast and big, it’s very not discreet and instead very.. permanent.”
Rather, Hester displeased to hear it make sense.
Hester says, quickly correcting, “Roads, I mean on soil! Topsoil. Dirt roads. Stuff. Sir.“
August shakes his head in silent disappointment the more Hester speaks.
Sunday’s posture gets a little worse. The corners of their mouth sag a little bit more. They sigh. “Right… stronger off world… duh…”
Sophie gives Hester an encouraging nudge, “Expensive to fix.”
“Mister Harper, extra credit. As I said in the beginning. Nature magic entreats spirits and works in harmony. Beyond access and other arcane traditions we natural magic practicioners are dealing with a second will.” Matias explains to the class shifting his attention from Sunday to the small gathering. ‘If I am in the Other or the Godrealms or even in the domain of another nature magic practicioner. There is the very real possibility that the spirits present, the wind itself, and even the ground will resist me. The branching between excising energy from outside sources to manifest intent that most magic traditions use and our own harmonic approach means our mastery can be limited due to inexperience or external forces.” there is a look to August, “One exception is the Wilds which are wild and often all to eager to answer entreatments though perhaps not as intended.” and then to Hester, “Pragmatic guess, but no.” he considers the class with another prompt, “With all the downsides of nature mancing… the cooperative elements. The restricted access to your powers. Why is the tradition still one of the most commonly practiced? Any guesses?”
“Mister Harper, extra credit. As I said in the beginning. Nature magic entreats spirits and works in harmony. Beyond access and other arcane traditions we natural magic practicioners are dealing with a second will.” Matias explains to the class shifting his attention from Sunday to the small gathering. “If I am in the Other or the Godrealms or even in the domain of another nature magic practicioner. There is the very real possibility that the spirits present, the wind itself, and even the ground will resist me. The branching between excising energy from outside sources to manifest intent that most magic traditions use and our own harmonic approach means our mastery can be limited due to inexperience or external forces.” there is a look to August, “One exception is the Wilds which are wild and often all to eager to answer entreatments though perhaps not as intended.” and then to Hester, “Pragmatic guess, but no.” he considers the class with another prompt, “With all the downsides of nature mancing… the cooperative elements. The restricted access to your powers. Why is the tradition still one of the most commonly practiced? Any guesses?”
Sophie lifts a hand slightly, then speaks without waiting. “Because it reinforces a sense of connection. People want to feel like they’re part of something larger than themselves, not just wielding power, but being trusted with it. That relationship with the world, the spirits, it gives the illusion of meaning. Especially to people who feel powerless otherwise.”
Sophie says “And c’mon, Captain Planet level shit.“
Sunday rises from their slouch, their face slowly returning to a more comfortably neutral expression.
Roberta makes a point of googling Captain Planet. After a short read, she offers, “Captain Planet looks ore like an elemental mancer.”
“A sense of connection, of being something greater… Accurate it is a very approachable tradition. We live in a world and being able to connect with it, even control it offers an appealing proposition.” Matias agrees with Sophie and then considers Kai before prompting the young man, “I believe it is no secret you have some affinity for wind, Mister Ashford. Why did you decide to pursue such things. If you would share with the class your experience?” there is a single handed gesture of encouragement to the lurking half-attentive student.
Sophie snickers at Roberta then looks at Kai.
“Likely because he’s full of it.” Roberta quips.
“It’s based Professor, and I want to fly one day,” Kai answers Matias with a broad grin, pressing his phone against his stomachin an effort to hide his use of it.
“Not to mention call down lightning upon my enemies, like some real Zeus shit,” Kai adds, his hazel eyes bright with excitement.
“Based on what?” August asks with a quizzical knit of his brows, but he’s staring down at his phone, throwing a few texts before folding his arms again.
“I can call down lightning without magic.” Roberta assures Kai as she fishes in her bag, coming out with -something-
Sunday turns their head and looks over at Kai. They nod slowly, appraisingly. “Fair.”
A light comes on in Hester’s head as Matias points out the overlooked factor, leaving her mouth slightly agape and eyes twinkling. “Ohhhh… so ehm, that’s why there’s a lot of ‘appeasing the spirits and ancestors’ crap,” she concludes from it, hunching over her notes to jot down some more. She admires Sophie aside while she recites her own piece, her pen lightly tapping the page. “Yeah, I feel like it’s more of ehm, for the same reasons why it’s popular to do Mother Nature stuff even in mundane communities? It’s more like a symbiotic or mutual thing, people feel empathetic to protecting other creatures like animals and such..” And then Kai starts talking and she snorts much too loudly, facepalming. “I’d be surprised if the wind spirits ever listen to Mr. Ashford, sir. But then, they might be as flighty as he is.”
Roberta charges the taser, the tips sparking as she winks at Kai. Aside from casually threatening students however, the vampire slips it away again smoothly.
“It is indeed based.” Matias agrees with Kai being hip to the youth of today… also he is not even thirty yet and young for a professor. Roberta gets a chiding response, “Mister Ashord has a real natural talent for the natural tradition. One might say his affinity for weather mancing might be way he has such a trubulent personality sometimes.” it sounds like a compliment at the moment. Looks at Roberta whipping out a tazer and sighing quietly before continuing, “In truth the natural traditions haromnic approach means that in our element. All things considered we are one of the most powerful individual practitioners. Obviously I am biased, but the drawbacks and shortcomings of our art come with the very real benefit of calling on nature itself. The most powerful of us can go toe to toe with the number of spirits we can manifest versus the number of undead a necromancer can summon. While we cannot manifest elements directly, we can call down lightning and even manifest it in the right circumstance. While some traditions can affect humans and undead, our tradition affects shifters and nature itself. I do not know about you, but on a full moon I would rather be standing beside a nature practitioner than any other arcane tradition.”
Matias offers perhaps belatedly, “Arguments against my biased position?”
Matias expands on his commentary to Sophie, “An example is delving to former cities in-between. They are often manifestly warped by unknown energies and entities. While they can be influence by natural magics, they are definitely not… Eager and often have alien or corrupted spirits or presences that have to be overcome.”
Kai listens to the back and forth, he glances at Roberta and her taser belatedl, a smirk on his lips, though he just rolls his eyes at her antics. His gaze returns to Matias and Sophie, tilting his head as he listens.
“Ohh, that would be pretty exciting to watch.. Undead war versus nature spirit war, or something,” Hester imagines quietly, nibbling on the butt of her ballpoint pen. “What’re usually the requirements for a nature mancer to ehm, get minions on their side, sir?” she asks with a raise of that same pen. “Do they need to go barefoot and do the hula around a bonfire instead of blood sacrifice and a bag of bones or something?” she ponders out loud to Matias. “Is there some kind of.. trial by fire? Proving yourself to the spirits or whatever, sir?”
Sophie nods, thoughtful. “So it’s less a question of harmony and more of negotiation…or even exorcism, if what you’re dealing with is’t part of the natural order anymore.”
“It is a question of experience, intuition, and your ability to attune.” Matias corrects Sophie and then in response to Hester pulls a small seed from his pocket and bites his thumb to draw blood. Pressing the seed into the blood he speaks a word which reverberates subtle “Malphas.” and then drops the seed which immediately sprouts. The grotesque sound of squirming, wriggling, fleshy vines and roots forming an almost octopus like plant construct with thorny vines constantly writhing and the center thickly rooted with blooms. It drags itself as much as grows in the direction of the professor after fully manifesting the size of it like a large person laid out. “If I were a more powerful arcanist, I could summon as many of these as my energies and the nature around me provided.” despite having summoned it the almagamation of vines and plants seems to be moving to attack the summoner. As it gets close the hand with the rosary beads makes a pressing down gesture and all the writhing vines go still as if some great weight were pinning it. “Now for the final point of extra credit… What method of manifestation did I use for this summon? Why does it look like it will happily kill me?”
Sophie looks around and then keeps her head down, as if unsure of her answer. Instead she watches.
“Probably used a demonic spirit?” Jenny suggests looking at the little amalgamation of angry plant matter reaching a finger down to try and touch the thing like thats a good idea.
Sunday moves to raise their hand, about half a second after August starts to talk, after which they quickly pull it back.
“Correct Miss Fields… The spirit that animates the summon does not need to be. Gortok the spirit of the hyena or Breezy the wind siren.” Matias says those names in a clear making up some bullshit in his brazilian accented english. “Should you have any demonic associations, they do love the barest ability to touch our plane. It has the added benefit that this damned thing would happily kill everyone here and I would not need to compell it or will it to do so. Quite the contrary. I need to bind it.” and he stops making the downward gesture the vines all lashing out for Jenny , catching her wrist, her ankle, and trying to gouge out her eyes before a cutting gesture causes all of the plant matter to suddenly stop, wither, and begin to discorporate into dust. “Summons even kindly looking ones are generally best treated as a threat. Even if the summoner claims otherwise. You never know how they are animating it.”
Hester might’ve opened her jaw to say something but all that tumbles out is “ohno ohcrap uhoh what’s it doing??” It does indeed bring a knit of what remains of her eyebrows in puzzlement, the question Matias poses after the display. “Youuu.. used dark magic ways for a nature spirit?” she guesses, pitch heightening. Jenny’s guess has her thinking twice but- again, August is talking. Silently, the fat one slides a look nearly that way (she can’t fully turn really, her thick neck won’t allow it) and grunts like a displeased Jabba. “.. Psh.. is that seriously a planet joke?” mutters she.
“Demonic is not dark. The Void is dark. Demonic is simply ill intent.” Matias corrects Hester
Roberta says “I have a couple budget options in Something from The Nightside.“
Jenny quickly pulls back as the thing tries to gouge her eyes out and watches as it turns to dust. Saying to the pile as if it can hear her “I’ll be around for round two.” and sitting back down on the bench and realizing she has finished her protein bar.
Roberta says “If you buy a shirt from Something, the cover for the club in Aurora is free.“
Matias checks his watch and then says, “Alright any further questions or shall we listen to Mister Pierce punch down on his own Vice President for the remaining nine minutes?” his tone dry as he looks over the group and settles on August
Roberta likely should care more about random demonic summons assulting students, but instead, she remains quiet, punctuating that with a few words into her headset- Jenny can take care of herself.
Kai glances over to Hester and August, his lips quirked in amusement as Matias speaks and the lecture starts to get nearer to a close.
Roberta says “You already know my personal preference.“
Sunday looks more intently towards Matias, first raising their hand, then lowering it a little, then raising it fully. “Uh… is, demonic magic like… a separate thing or… does it just… work with whatever?”
“As much as I’d like to go three to three this afternoon on planetary jokes,” August explains for the sake of the class, he remains with his jaw in the heel of his palm, without moving at all in his forward-leaning spot on the edge of his seat behind Hester. “I’d like to maintain the topic on educational matters.” His smile is as thin as it ever is, beneath a lidded gaze that’s bereft of any sort of mirth above his shades, “Please excuse my attitude, sometimes I can’t help it when my classmates beg to be abused.”
“Demonic ‘magic’ is more akin to pact magic. You may infer from my access to a demonic spirit that I have made a pact with a demon at least once in my lifetime. As all of you -should- know demonic pacts have one purpose. To leave the world a poorer place and corrupt the soul of human making the pact.” Matias is fairly direct a blunt for the young faced professor confessing to indulging in demonic pacts. “Demons in addition to wanting pain, suffering, and corruption to spread also crave the ability to touch our world…” and then to August, “Some people have a natural affinity for pact magic by virtue of their predlictions.” and for the rest of the class, “How you choose to live your life and solve your problems is your own business. Fae and Demons exist and by their nature they are happy to bargain or pact with you. There is a cost but as you will learn in the supernatural world. Everything is a degree of cost.”
Matias checks his watch and then shakes out his hand. “I think that is enough for one day, it is rather humid. You are all dismissed. I will linger for a half-hour should anyone have burning questions.”
“Demonic pacts might be safer.” Roberta muses, speaking in the tones of someone who’s had experience in both.
“Step on it, step on it quick!” Hester squeals at Jenny when the earthling gets a bit too vine-y. A great big breath of relief deflates her when Matias makes it wither. For one, the options given get her narrowing eyes toward August, but right before she regurgitates a query or two, Sunday takes the lead. With a limp wave, she lets them have at it. Ah, but there’s more from the Pierce. More to pierce her with (because there really is a lot to shish-kebab, to be fair). “.. nobody was begging you for anything,” is her pathetic retort. She really needs trashtalking lessons. Focus tries to maintain on the wrap-up of the lecture, but it’s clear there’s a lingering sting.
Sophie glances at Hester and chuckles quietly, “Fuck you’re adorable.”
Sunday looks hesitant for a second, then nods. They look away from someone to tap a quick note into their phone. “Right… demonic magic… never use…”
Sunday looks hesitant for a second, then nods. They look away from Matias to tap a quick note into their phone. “Right… demonic magic… never use…”
Hester tsks at Sophie and grumbles in complaint, like that didn’t help at all.
Kai glances up to the sky and while he doesn’t seem to have any questions demanding to be answered, he doesn’t immediately leave either. Instead, he lingers near the rear of the group, listening to the others while they continue to talk amongst themselves.
August’s eyes dip down to Hester from behind her. That ghost of a ghost’s smile is erased, and his sunglasses are tugged entirely down and folded to hang over the neckline of his top, all to give his vice-president a better view of that disapproving gaze for daring to look up, nay, even speak to August. His displeasure is in the slight turn of his lips, as well as the knit of his brows, beyond the sharpness of that bloodline trait of a Pierce stare that burrows with animated animosity. He doesn’t even say a word, just stands upright from his seat, and walks off the benches to trail away.
“No she’s not.” Roberta snarks, pointing between Sophie and Hester. “Look at her. She looks like Jabba the Hutt’s love child with the Kingpin.”