Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Exotic Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: undisclosedtoyou on 02-08-2010, 23:33:25</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>undisclosedtoyou</strong> on <strong>02-08-2010, 23:33:25</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: andale mono;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size">Charmed at Last</span><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size">Halliwell Manor &amp; San Fransisco</span></span></div><br><hr><br><div align="center">(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/405008588_d0c5ccfbe1.jpg)<br><br>(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2281/2090737293_0aaf38ba80.jpg)<br><br>For a larger view go here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14745154@N05/2090737293/#sizes/o/).&nbsp; <br>The blueprints are not made by me, <br>so just ignore the names saying who's room is who's.<br><br></div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>03-08-2010, 01:41:08</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: arial;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size">---James Warren---</span></span></div><br><div class="floatright">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/rcburner/Characters/Cig-1.jpg)</div><br>A stray cinder wavered in the cold night air, and the whole city seemed to hold its breath so as not to disturb its delicate moonlit dance.&nbsp; Sporadic clusters of drink-addled Bostonians danced to yet another beat, stumbling and laughing and chatting as they maneuvered through the labyrinth of poorly planned streets, their voices fading away to nothing before they reached the rooftops where a single man stood and watched and waited.&nbsp; Above him that lone spark of orange light twirled against an infinite expanse of black, a wisp of smoke trailing behind it like a comet.&nbsp; Just when it seemed ready to join the stars staring silently from the heavens, at the very peak of its ascent, a sudden gust of wind cruelly snatched it from the sky, and the warm glow vanished.<br><br>On the other side of the country, an old man's heart shuddered, slowed, and died.<br><br>Blissfully ignorant, the man took another drag off the cigarette dangling from his lips.&nbsp; The tip flared brightly, sending up wayward embers that blindly followed one another into oblivion, each fading faster than the last.&nbsp; James Warren--for that was the man's name--contemplated them with an upturned brow.&nbsp; He wondered, only half-jokingly, if dull flames dreamed of joining those great and unreachable masses of fire and gas called stars.&nbsp; Their lives were short and unremarkable, brief seconds spent in a mad dash towards some impossible goal that they could never hope to reach.&nbsp; <br><br>"Those that burn the brightest burn out the fastest," he muttered with a wry smirk, bending the cigarette between his fingers and flicking the remains to the cement.&nbsp; "That being the case, isn't it better not to burn at all?"<br><br>James' shoe made a satisfying noise as it snuffed out the still-smoldering end, like the edge of a dull axe ground against a whetstone.&nbsp; An executioner's blade.&nbsp; He laughed abruptly, jamming his hands in his coat pockets and making his way towards the rusted door that led back down into his musty apartment complex.&nbsp; <br><br>"Fuckin' morbid thoughts tonight.&nbsp; Think living alone must be driving me stir crazy."<br><br><div align="center">-------------------------------------------------------------</div><br>Everyone reacts differently to death.&nbsp; There is no real pattern to it, and though psychologists may attach labels to the grieving process, categorizing each and every emotion with clinical detachment, it is not something so easily predicted on an <em>individual</em> basis.&nbsp; It is not a matter of weakness or strength.&nbsp; A stolidly built construction worker may be reduced to a quivering wreck, while a humble housewife takes the news with an expressionless mask, allowing the numb shock to overcome her from the inside.&nbsp; Some may rage and scream, seething and blaming everyone within earshot, releasing their pain in an angry torrent.&nbsp; <br><br>And then there are those who seem to skip past all the stages at once, settling comfortably at <strong>Acceptance</strong> while casually ignoring and sealing away all the real problems to be dealt with at a later date--or more precisely, putting it off for as long as humanly possible while focusing on more <em>practical</em> concerns.<br><br>"Sherry!&nbsp; 'Nother round of drinks, on my good buddy...what did you say your name w-On my good buddy <em>Harry</em> here!"<br><br>The atmosphere in <em>The Velvet Lounge</em> was equal parts intoxicating and suffocating, and was not nearly as classy as its name might have otherwise suggested.&nbsp; The only ones lounging were those that had passed out from too much alcohol or whatever else had been slipped in with it, but there was certainly more than enough velvet to blind the casual observer.&nbsp; Unpleasant shades of blue, violent, pink, and some other horrifically repugnant hue that James had been trying to insist for the past ten minutes was wholly <em>outside</em> the color spectrum coated nearly every surface, from the tables and overstuffed seats to the drapery that hung overhead nearly as thickly as the smoke clotting the air.<br><br>Harry, the burly fellow seated across the way, was too far gone to argue otherwise, accepted the expensive addition to his bar tab with a dazed grin and an alarming loll of the head.&nbsp; <br><br>"Fantastic!&nbsp; Never have I met a more upstanding <em>Harry</em> in my life!" James remarked, grinning from ear to ear.&nbsp; He felt only slightly tipsy, having subtly managed to maintain only two drinks for the last hour or so to remain on top of his game, while the fawning people around him only grew increasingly pliable as the evening stretched on.<br><br>"Naaathan," the generously endowed woman at his left whined, believing utterly in the false name she'd been fed earlier, "Tell us more about th...that mansshion you're getting!"<br><br>"Yeah, tell us!&nbsp; Doesh it have a shwimming pool, and a butler?" the more slightly-built woman at his right inquired with drunken enthusiasm.&nbsp; <br><br>"Ladies, ladies!" James exclaimed as modestly as his smarmy face could muster, his practiced hands dipping just a bit <em>too</em> low down their backs.&nbsp; "I am not the sort to brag, especially not about any wealth that I may or may not be receiving!&nbsp; And it's a <em>manor</em>, not a <em>mansion</em>.&nbsp; Smaller, yet somehow more sophisticated."<br><br>"Doesh that mean it's worth a whole lot?"<br><br>"Something like that," he said, his charming smile twitching from momentary irritation.&nbsp; "Alas, it's down in balmy San Fransisco!&nbsp; Were that not the case, I would have been all too happy to give you both a thorough tour of its bedrooms."<br><br>They tittered and blushed as such women are wont to do, not the slightest trace of displeasure crossing their pretty, dullard faces.&nbsp; James did not consider himself particularly skilled for being able to hook such easy targets.&nbsp; All it took were the right words, the right attitude, and the right <em>look</em>.&nbsp; It didn't so much matter what sort of company he managed to snare tonight, so long as he <em>had</em> them.&nbsp; <br><br>On the other coast in California the sun was still in the sky, overlooking old friends and close family of a dearly departed man that had served as James' father for nearly half of his childhood as they watched his coffin lower into the ground and listened faintly to heartfelt words spoken by those that had known him well.&nbsp; James doubted his grandfather would be missing his absence, though the hazy, angered faces of his brothers floated around at the back of his consciousness like bothersome flies.&nbsp; <br><br>What did he care?&nbsp; Grandfather was dead, but <em>he</em> was enjoying loud music, expensive drinks, and would undoubtedly be getting laid tonight.&nbsp; He could not have prevented the death any better than them.&nbsp; The old man was gone, and that was that.&nbsp; Better to enjoy the perks of living than dwell on those who were already gone.<br><br>A bitter taste lingered on James' tongue, though not from the liquor.<br><br><div align="center">-------------------------------------------------------------</div><br>His hand fumbled with the key that had been sent to him, and he glared at his hand until it stopped shaking.&nbsp; It felt odd to be standing in front of the Manor.&nbsp; There was a sort of uneasiness welling up in him, seeping in from the soles of his designer shoes where they planted him to the stone stairs.&nbsp; He felt like a thief about to break into someone's house, a stranger wholly out of place and out of his element.&nbsp; The air was too quiet and too clean, and the nostalgic atmosphere of naivety and innocence hanging over the neighborhood made James feel like some sort of unwelcome blemish to the suburban surroundings.&nbsp; <br><br>"A blemish with a damn fine face, at least," he said, jamming the key into the lock, opening the door with one bold movement, and stepping over the threshold as confidently as a king striding into his throne room.<br><br>"My, but this place does seem <em>familiar!</em>" he called out, straightening the collar of his gray flannel shirt and glancing about at the surroundings that he'd long-since shunned.&nbsp; "Perhaps I've broken into a friend's house by mistake?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Craz</strong> on <strong>23-08-2010, 17:21:50</strong>
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				"No," Jase Warren said into the speakerphone. "I'm serious about the price." He groaned, sitting back into his chair. He had ben renegotiating his contract for the past few weeks, and Lord only knew when this was ever going to get settled. He'd been yelling into the phone for two hours now, and he was getting sick of it. He almost vocally thank God when there was a call on the other line. "Call you back, Artie, all right?" He said, and before his agent had anything to say, he was already on the otherline.<br><br>He didn't really lisen to the converrsation, butthe meaning sunk in all the same. It flashed before him, unelievable. Inside of him, a little part withered as he realized that the world just wasn't the same any more. When the call was over, he dropped the phone.<br><br><br>"And so, as we lay Jared Warren to rest..." The minister continued, and Jase sat silently in the pew. He watched the funeral with a silent face, trying to be the one with the stiff upper lip. He only hoped he did a good enough job. Next to the casket, there was the last picture of the four of them. It was back when Jase was in high school, a few weeks before his graduation. The picture itself stirret Jase's emotions, not all of it nostalgic and pleasurable. James. Where the freaking hell was James?<br><br>The funeral was happening right now, and James was nowhere in sight. The bastard. Who was he to run out and leave the family? The last year had ben proof enough, Jase decided, that James didn't want anything to do with the family. As Grandpa Jared had sickened, James hadn't even been around to say good bye. "Figured." He whispered under his breath. "Rat bastard."<br><br>----<br><br>Jase was up in Gramps's room, clearing through the various items. He'd tossed himself wholly into the work, preferring it to any sort of confrontation with the reality that their life was changed. Jase was conflicted. Did they want to keep the house? There was so much history here. But that was both a good thing, and a bad thing. Memories of Gramps and what they had all experienced growin up here. For Jase, at least, he felt a little thing that the knowledge this house would never be the same.<br><br>He heard a voice from downstairs. "<em>My, but this place does seem </em>familiar<em>! Perhaps I've broken into a friend's house by mistake?</em>" Immediately, as if a hald-dozen alarms started shrieking in his head, Jase spun, stood, and thundered down the stairs. James wouldn't show up at his own grandfather's funeral, <em>their</em> Gramps, but he would show up a few days later as if nothing was wrong?<br><br>Jase reached the botton of his stairs. He still looked like James, no doubt, but he smelled different. More cigarettes and alcohol. Figured. "You selfish bastard." Jase's voice was more, than anything else, a snarl. "You think you can just walk back in here, after the way you've treated this family?" He was pratically trembling with rage.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>PeacethatPowerbrings</strong> on <strong>24-08-2010, 04:07:20</strong>
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				Jacob knew he was probably going to have to see a psychiatrist, in fact, it was what was going through his head during the last half of rather private funeral service. He wasn't really even sure how he got to be standing there, the last hours, days, seemed like a blur. Even before that, nothing really seemed important enough to remember.<br><br>He wasn't even grieving, he was sure he was supposed to be, but he wasn't. Maybe he was a sociopath. That thought had crossed his mind, though he could call up the checklist for that disorder with ease, and aside from a complete absence of grief, he didn't fit the profile. He felt worse that he wasn't grieving than anything else. He knew that the grief was irrelevant one way or the other. Gramps, was dead, and even though he'd waited through the funeral service, it was the burial that held the most meaning for Jacob. The ultimate box.<br><br>Jase was easy enough to read. Anger, at James, for not showing up. Jacob was good at reading people, his brothers especially, but that didn't really come into it. He didn't feel that anger, but he understood it. He was the thinker, after all, an overthinker, maybe. Maybe he'd just killed the chance for grief because he couldn't rage against the universe, it was just the universe, and life was an extremely brief phase of matter between incredibly long periods of death.<br><br>---<br><br>Jacob pulled up to the curb on his bike, killing the smooth well-tuned engine. He caught the tail-end of Jase speaking inside, as he walked up, seeing James in the doorway. There was a dynamic he didn't want to get in the middle of.&nbsp; He slid past James, leaving his keys on the side-table inside the door, before walking out into living room. He didn't care to say anything to either of them at the moment. James was, well, more his speed he supposed, but on the other hand, Jase was so capable of righteous indignation that Jacob had never bothered to fight him on it.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>24-08-2010, 04:31:48</strong>
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				James' face was the very picture of carefully practiced insolence, one brow sloping quizzically upwards, sharp eyes hidden beneath a dull glaze of disinterest, and mouth twisted halfway between an innocent smirk and an expectant sneer.&nbsp; It was a look he prided himself on, a look that always seemed to get under <em>anyone's</em> skin with only the slightest bit of effort.&nbsp; An expression was a powerful weapon in the hands of a competent jackass.<br><br>"Jase, <em>brother</em>!" he exclaimed, eyes coming to sudden sharp attention and flickering briefly towards the other man's quivering fists.&nbsp; He felt as though he had to go out of his way to emphasize their relationship, the ties of blood waning thin with time and insults.&nbsp; "You look well!&nbsp; Strong!&nbsp; It's nice to see that the <em>Paragon</em> of the family has been looking after himse-Ah, Jacob!"<br><br>A convenient interruption, he turned his head to the side to watch his other brother shift silently past them.&nbsp; Clearly (thankfully) he didn't seem eager to join in on the verbal (and perhaps soon to be physical) altercation.&nbsp; The sight of that blank face made James' mask falter for a moment.&nbsp; He wondered, briefly, what the youngest of them was thinking at that very moment.<br><br>But a moment later and he was all smiles, his normally infectious charm both loathsomely out of place and endlessly infuriating.&nbsp; "As for your question--yes, I do believe I <em>can</em> just walk back in here.&nbsp; In fact," James said, making a show of turning back and forth to look at his feet, "I think I already have!"<br><br>"As for whether I have the <em>right</em> to, well..."&nbsp; He walked casually over to the nearest wall, tapping the frame of an old picture.&nbsp; The fading photograph showed the three brothers clumped together, watched over by both father and grandfather.&nbsp; So young.&nbsp; So naive and ignorant.&nbsp; "Gramps didn't have the foresight to write me out of the will, so I dare say I do have the right to be here.&nbsp; I've a stake in this house, after all."<br><br>James turned to smile just a bit too obnoxiously at Jase.&nbsp; "The past is the past!&nbsp; What's gone is gone.&nbsp; So instead of crying about it, let's say we forget about all the sour milk between us and move on, eh?"<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>undisclosedtoyou</strong> on <strong>24-08-2010, 08:08:08</strong>
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				<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: andale mono;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size">Katherine Wyatt (http://fav.me/d2ixwqg)</span><br><span style="font-size: 10pt;" class="bbc_size"><span class="bbc_u">Time:</span> Earlier that day<br><span class="bbc_u">Location:</span> Paris, France <br><span class="bbc_u">Task:</span> Answering a call from one of her charges<br></span></span></div><br><hr><hr><br><span style="font-family: andale mono;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 9pt;" class="bbc_size">The sun had just started to set on the golden city of San Fransisco, and for Kat, it was the perfect moment to view the city from atop the Golden gate bridge.&nbsp; Her hands at her sides she gazed out over the city and just enjoyed the one quiet moment she had to herself.&nbsp; It was so rare that she got free time, that she never for once took it for granted.&nbsp; Her second life, as she liked to call it had been filled with her job, orbing from place to place, helping those that fought for the greater good, leading and guiding those destined for great things.&nbsp; If you followed that logic, than she was fulfilling her own destiny, and she didn't mind one bit that she worked in the background.&nbsp; Without her, many young witches and white lighters to be would have died long before they could make any impact on the earth.<br><br>Her thoughts where interrupted with a ringing sounding in her head and she looked up, directly into the dark clouds above.&nbsp; It wasn't the Elders this time, but the distinctive cries from her charge Angelique.&nbsp; She was a young witch with the power of flight, recently she'd been feeling as if someone was following her, and Kat could feel her anxiety increase as the days went by.&nbsp; But this wasn't the usual anxiety or even slight fear, the feeling she was projecting now was of sheer terror.&nbsp; &nbsp;A moment later Kats body gave way into millions of bright floating orbs, traveling up and disappearing into the sky.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>It wasn't even a second later that she arrived in a darkened alley in Paris, the lights of the city dimmed in the small enclosed space.&nbsp; Looking around she spotted the small form of her charge laying unconscious on the floor, a dark man bending over her frame, his arm held high, gripping a dagger tightly, poised to bring it down and sink it into her charges still beating body.&nbsp; "Stop!"&nbsp; The word left her mouth before she could think and she orbed, appearing at her charges side and gripping onto the woman's arm to orb them both out of there.&nbsp; Unfortunately the man had other plans and his arm swung down, puncturing Angeliques side before she could get them out of there.&nbsp; When they reappeared in the woman's small apartment, she had an armful of bleeding witch.&nbsp; <br><br>Kat didn't even have to think before laying her hands over her charges wound, muttering encouragement's under her breath.&nbsp; Her hands flashed blue lights for only a moment before sputtering out, and she looked down at them blankly before scrambling to check the woman's pulse.&nbsp; Her hands where coated in blood, smearing it over the lily white skin of the woman laying in front of her.&nbsp; She stilled, feeling for the pulse, but she couldn't find one.&nbsp; Swiping at her brow with the back of her hand, she looked around, finally realizing that the witch in front of her was dead.&nbsp; Wiping her bloody hands on her jean clad knees and stood and started to pace before quickly rushing to the door to open it up a crack.&nbsp; When that was done she orbed out, hoping her elderly neighbor would see the open door and go investigating, she hoped it was soon to, because she hated leaving the woman's body there, even if she didn't really have a choice.&nbsp; <br><br>Even though it was unnecessary, since she knew the Elders where watching, she needed to report this.&nbsp; Losing a charge was never a good thing, and for her it was doubly hard.&nbsp; She had honestly liked Angelique, and since liking a charge wasn't really a given, that meant something to her.&nbsp; When she appeared above, a white robed figure approached her, his displeasure plain.&nbsp; Before she could get into a heated argument, another robed figure approached her to smooth the situation out.&nbsp; It took more time than she expected before she was finally dismissed, and it was with an odd sense of relief and grief that she orbed out.<br><br><br></span></span>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LimitlessNikkie</strong> on <strong>24-08-2010, 09:00:24</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">~Gisele Ashland~</span></div><div align="center"> In the near future after the brothers formation </div><br>I wandered down the darkend halls illuminated by fluttering candle light pulling on an over shirt over the extensive tattooing. The summons from my father had startled me he rarely called on me and it was a far rarer occurrence that it was a good thing. I could think of nothing I'd done to displease him of late but still the nagging unease wouldn't leave me as I rounded the last turn to stand in front of the massive double doors leading to his private rooms.<br><br>With a deep breath meant to settle my nerves but did little to help I knocked once on the door reflexively cringing from the contact. "Enter" his loud voice commanded. I pushed the heavy doors open and with a false smile swept into the room as if it was normal to be standing in his presants like this, as his subject instead of his daughter. <br><br>He looked at me as if appraising me and I had to suppress the urge to squirm. "The time has come." he said making my eyes widen slightly. "You mean..." "yes" he said cutting me off. "you know what you are to do." He turned his head and looked at the fires flicking in the fire place and I turned to leave knowing I was dismissed. "And Daughter." "yes?" I asked turning around one hand on the door, his eyes met mine across the room and held the look of power and evil that marked so many of our kind "Don't fail me."<br><br>I nodded once and rushed from the room to my own room. Grabbing only enough items that would fit into a back pack and shimmered to San Fransisco and the human world I hadn't stepped foot in almost 10 years. I smiled slightly to myself taking on my human appearance and strolling threw the city towards the residential district familiarising myself with the city.<br><br>On instinct I was drawn to my quarry and stood unseen in front of the house a half smile teasing my lips as I gazed up at the hansom house, "Let the games begin." I said with a sadistic little laugh.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Charmed at Last - Halliwell Manor/San Fransisco</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ink Slinger</strong> on <strong>25-08-2010, 14:35:06</strong>
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				Elizabeth was dressed in her 'formal' uniform standing stiffly behind a tree.&nbsp; Unlike the younger officers who were gone as soon as the party arrived at the cemetery.&nbsp; She watched Jase and Jacob her heart breaking for them as much as for the loss of Jared.&nbsp; She'd been invited to the small funeral but decided the best way she could honor Jared was to ensure the safety of the small procession from the church to the cemetery. She waited for everyone to leave, giving the brothers their time to say goodbye.&nbsp; Once everyone was gone she walked up and dropped her rose into the grave that waited to be filled.&nbsp; <br><br>"Goodbye, for now, dear friend." She whispered through tears.&nbsp; <br><br>Jared Warren had been as much a part of her life as her own grandfather.&nbsp; Elizabeth lived just down the street from the Warren manor and though she could no longer remember the day the brothers came to live with their grandfather, nearly all her memories of childhood, school and her teen years included the brothers.&nbsp; It had torn her heart out when James pushed her away.&nbsp; She had been at every one of Jase's games cheering him on from the stands and wishing she'd had the coordination to be a cheer leader.&nbsp; Jacob had been in a class or two of hers in high school.&nbsp; <br><br>~~~~~~~<br><br>This morning she was running behind.&nbsp; There were bigwigs from the city and state in the precinct, so being a detective she was going to work in plain but professional clothes.&nbsp; She wore a white button down blouse, black pinstripe trousers that were tailored to fit her perfectly and black pumps.&nbsp; Her long hair was pulled back into a tight bun.&nbsp; The last thing she put on was her holster.&nbsp; She wore a shoulder rig these days and clipped her badge to the chain she could toss over her head.&nbsp; She took her morning cup of coffee out onto the porch to enjoy it in the sunlight.&nbsp; She didn't meant to be staring at the manor but the car she didn't recognize surprised her and curiosity got the best of her. Though she wasn't on the clock yet, her radio was on sitting next to her. 
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