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“There was something I was curious about, you don’t mind?” They offered a smile, apprehensively gazing about the tattoo parlour. The tattoo parlour was empty and when they had stepped in, the woman that owned the quaint little shop didn’t seem to have any important business. In fact, she had been lounging in a red sofa just off to the side with a magazine in hand.
Their eyes twinkled in amusement at the sight of the fake witch’s hat atop her head. As a witch, they had wondered once if she was offended by the witchy stereotypes. But if anything, she seemed to revel in it. She wasn’t ashamed of what she was (though, how could she be?) and practically showed it off to her customers in all the mischief and mayhem that came with it.
She didn’t seem too particularly offended by the types of people that were quick to demonize her. Truth be told, they admired that. They could act as cheerful and optimistic as they wanted, but sometimes the things that others said still got under their skin.
“Of course hun~” They couldn’t help rolling their eyes as she set aside her magazine. That was another thing: She tended to consider everyone as though they were younger. Even if they were older. Even if they were about her age. At first it bothered them somewhat, but they had quickly learned to ignore it. “Come! Sit! Sit!” She patted the seat next to her and straightened her posture, staring at them expectantly.
The corners of their lips twitched and they headed over with a slight skip in their step. Sinking into the sofa beside her, they settled both hands on their knees. Turning to their new witchy friend, they frowned. They had almost literally just found out about the other world. So they had asked her as many questions as could be on their mind, but now, there was something else they were curious about.
“You’re a witch, right?” A flicker of mischief appeared in her eyes as she nodded. Fidgeting somewhat, they tried to ignore the spotlight on them. They resisted the urge to cringe into their self. Sitting up straighter, they cocked their head towards her. “I thought of another thing that was curious to me. Can any ordinary human learn magic… Could I learn what you do?”
Juliana blinked, staring at them for a moment. Shock, and then thoughtfulness flickered across her face as she considered them. She had answered many of their questions before with nothing more than mischief and glee but to see her this thoughtful all of a sudden made them feel somewhat off. Their mouth opened, the words, “Don’t worry about it,” on their lips.
Then, she spoke. “It’s rarer these days to find a human that can do legitimate magic.” She must have seen the expression on their face, because she smiled and cupped a hand over theirs. “That doesn’t mean that you can’t, of course. What I mean is, in the past, it was practically expected to know magic. And it was uncommon to NOT know magic.”
They looked at her hand over theirs before questioning, “How long ago, exactly?”
She let out a sudden breath and pulled back, waving her hand dismissively as she gave a sheepish chuckle. “That’s a story for another time. Back to the question at hand…” She suddenly took their arm and rolled their sleeve up, revealing the cat tattoo on their arm, currently sleeping. Her smile widened at the sight.
She pulled back, seemingly pleased.
“I’m a witch,” she stated and put a hand to her chest. They said nothing, instead waiting for her to continue on. “I can do magic, but just because I’m a witch that can do magic, doesn’t mean that all witches can do magic. I don’t really consider witches to be a race or a subrace. I’m simply a human that labeled myself. And to follow that thought, not all witches consider magic to be the most important part of witchcraft. Some witches focus on ritualism more than magic, for instance. And just because one can do magic, doesn’t mean they want to be considered a witch.”
It was a relatively serious conversation. They were actually surprised, considering her track record. They gave a nod and a small smile, “Alright.”
“And while we’re talking about that…” She shifted, leaning into the back of the couch. “Magic is tailored to each person. Largely, you can learn about what other witches learn. But obviously, some people will be better at one thing than others. And many tend to learn one thing that they’re amazing at. They discover it one day when doing something they love, maybe. I call this the Priority Effect. Like mine, for instance. I have the ability to bring life to inanimate objects, not just tattoos.”
She shot them a grin as they considered the tattoo on their arm.
“Though I’m limited to the things that I create. I cannot bring life to an object that I don’t have an emotional connection to. A painting, tattoo, story; it has to be something I’ve created. It just so happens that I made a job out of bringing life to tattoos.”
Their eyes were wide. All of the things she was telling them was interesting but there was one more thing they wanted to know. “Do you think I’m capable of learning magic?”
“Don’t call it learning magic.” Her voice took a sudden, stern turn. It surprised them. They found their self flinching slightly at the sound of it. As though she realized who she was talking to, her stern expression smoothed into a contemplative frown. “All humans are capable of it. Moreover, that potential is inside you.” Then, she squinted at him. “Actually, if you absorb energy from your surroundings that’s a different matter…”
Their brows furrowed, “Um… What?”
She stared at them for another moment before letting out a small chuckle. “This is why I’m not a teacher.” Before they could ask her what she meant, she scooted towards them. They almost stiffened before she stated calmly, “Stay still.” And they did, as she put a hand to their chest. A soft, golden light appeared around her body for an instant. They were certain they had seen her eyes glowing before they fluttered shut.
Silence descended as they resisted the urge to fidget awkwardly. Whatever she was doing, she was working her magic (ha) and they didn’t want to interrupt her focus.
Eventually, she pulled back with a contemplative look on her face. She’s been doing that a lot today, hasn’t she?
“You have a lot of potential,” she muttered before her eyes raised to theirs.
And they wanted to ignore their suddenly pounding heart. The way their skin tingled and then felt too cold when she pulled back.
“I-I do?” Their breath caught in their throat as her eyes roamed over their face. When the smile curled at her lips, they knew that she could see their predicament. But perhaps she considered their conversation to be more important, because she stayed on subject.
“Indeed. In fact, I get the feeling that it’ll take but a tug for it all to come unraveling.” She cocked her head once more, studying them with that same glow still there. “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
Goosebumps suddenly prickled up their arms and their body stiffened slightly. Though she must have seen the anxiety in their body, she continued staring at them. They let out a small, nervous breath. “Yeah, why?”
“Because emotions tend to be the number one proponent behind a person’s waking magic. Or tragedy, in many cases.” She winced at that last part and they wisely decided against pointing that out. They were still in a new friendship, it wouldn’t do to make her feel uncomfortable.
Biting their lip, they started to ask something else, when the bell over the door dinged to show the arrival of a customer. Juliana leaned to the side, smiling brightly at whoever had come in. And then her brows drew together, a flicker of apprehension crossing her gaze. They found their self twisting to glance at the door. They could see a woman standing there with white hair and pink tips; a contemplative yet playful expression on her face as she gazed about the shop. She didn’t seem too particularly worrying.
When they turned back to Juliana, her face had smoothed out into a pleasant expression. Her eyes were on them. “It’s job time, so you’re gonna have to shoo, hun!” She gestured with her hands, shooing them towards the door.
They rolled their eyes before getting to their feet. “You know we’re about the same age, right?” Yet she acted so much older.
Juliana’s eyes twinkled as she hopped up. “Coulda fooled me!”
They quickly shook their head and went to the door. Before they could make it out though, the mysterious woman glanced at them. The beginning of a mischievous smile crept across her lips. “Good luck figuring out your magic.”
Her voice made goosebumps prickle across their skin. There was no way she could’ve heard their conversation because she had come in long after they’d even spoken about that. Which left one guess, She’s a supernatural.
Trying not to show how taken off guard they were, they nodded. “Thanks.” When they left, the mysterious woman went over to Juliana.

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

“There was something I was curious about, you don’t mind?” They offered a smile, apprehensively gazing about the tattoo parlour. The tattoo parlour was empty and when they had stepped in, the woman that owned the quaint little shop didn’t seem to have any important business. In fact, she had been lounging in a red sofa just off to the side with a magazine in hand.
Their eyes twinkled in amusement at the sight of the fake witch’s hat atop her head. As a witch, they had wondered once if she was offended by the witchy stereotypes. But if anything, she seemed to revel in it. She wasn’t ashamed of what she was (though, how could she be?) and practically showed it off to her customers in all the mischief and mayhem that came with it.
She didn’t seem too particularly offended by the types of people that were quick to demonize her. Truth be told, they admired that. They could act as cheerful and optimistic as they wanted, but sometimes the things that others said still got under their skin.
“Of course hun~” They couldn’t help rolling their eyes as she set aside her magazine. That was another thing: She tended to consider everyone as though they were younger. Even if they were older. Even if they were about her age. At first it bothered them somewhat, but they had quickly learned to ignore it. “Come! Sit! Sit!” She patted the seat next to her and straightened her posture, staring at them expectantly.
The corners of their lips twitched and they headed over with a slight skip in their step. Sinking into the sofa beside her, they settled both hands on their knees. Turning to their new witchy friend, they frowned. They had almost literally just found out about the other world. So they had asked her as many questions as could be on their mind, but now, there was something else they were curious about.
“You’re a witch, right?” A flicker of mischief appeared in her eyes as she nodded. Fidgeting somewhat, they tried to ignore the spotlight on them. They resisted the urge to cringe into their self. Sitting up straighter, they cocked their head towards her. “I thought of another thing that was curious to me. Can any ordinary human learn magic… Could I learn what you do?”
Juliana blinked, staring at them for a moment. Shock, and then thoughtfulness flickered across her face as she considered them. She had answered many of their questions before with nothing more than mischief and glee but to see her this thoughtful all of a sudden made them feel somewhat off. Their mouth opened, the words, “Don’t worry about it,” on their lips.
Then, she spoke. “It’s rarer these days to find a human that can do legitimate magic.” She must have seen the expression on their face, because she smiled and cupped a hand over theirs. “That doesn’t mean that you can’t, of course. What I mean is, in the past, it was practically expected to know magic. And it was uncommon to NOT know magic.”
They looked at her hand over theirs before questioning, “How long ago, exactly?”
She let out a sudden breath and pulled back, waving her hand dismissively as she gave a sheepish chuckle. “That’s a story for another time. Back to the question at hand…” She suddenly took their arm and rolled their sleeve up, revealing the cat tattoo on their arm, currently sleeping. Her smile widened at the sight.
She pulled back, seemingly pleased.
“I’m a witch,” she stated and put a hand to her chest. They said nothing, instead waiting for her to continue on. “I can do magic, but just because I’m a witch that can do magic, doesn’t mean that all witches can do magic. I don’t really consider witches to be a race or a subrace. I’m simply a human that labeled myself. And to follow that thought, not all witches consider magic to be the most important part of witchcraft. Some witches focus on ritualism more than magic, for instance. And just because one can do magic, doesn’t mean they want to be considered a witch.”
It was a relatively serious conversation. They were actually surprised, considering her track record. They gave a nod and a small smile, “Alright.”
“And while we’re talking about that…” She shifted, leaning into the back of the couch. “Magic is tailored to each person. Largely, you can learn about what other witches learn. But obviously, some people will be better at one thing than others. And many tend to learn one thing that they’re amazing at. They discover it one day when doing something they love, maybe. I call this the Priority Effect. Like mine, for instance. I have the ability to bring life to inanimate objects, not just tattoos.”
She shot them a grin as they considered the tattoo on their arm.
“Though I’m limited to the things that I create. I cannot bring life to an object that I don’t have an emotional connection to. A painting, tattoo, story; it has to be something I’ve created. It just so happens that I made a job out of bringing life to tattoos.”
Their eyes were wide. All of the things she was telling them was interesting but there was one more thing they wanted to know. “Do you think I’m capable of learning magic?”
“Don’t call it learning magic.” Her voice took a sudden, stern turn. It surprised them. They found their self flinching slightly at the sound of it. As though she realized who she was talking to, her stern expression smoothed into a contemplative frown. “All humans are capable of it. Moreover, that potential is inside you.” Then, she squinted at him. “Actually, if you absorb energy from your surroundings that’s a different matter…”
Their brows furrowed, “Um… What?”
She stared at them for another moment before letting out a small chuckle. “This is why I’m not a teacher.” Before they could ask her what she meant, she scooted towards them. They almost stiffened before she stated calmly, “Stay still.” And they did, as she put a hand to their chest. A soft, golden light appeared around her body for an instant. They were certain they had seen her eyes glowing before they fluttered shut.
Silence descended as they resisted the urge to fidget awkwardly. Whatever she was doing, she was working her magic (ha) and they didn’t want to interrupt her focus.
Eventually, she pulled back with a contemplative look on her face. She’s been doing that a lot today, hasn’t she?
“You have a lot of potential,” she muttered before her eyes raised to theirs.
And they wanted to ignore their suddenly pounding heart. The way their skin tingled and then felt too cold when she pulled back.
“I-I do?” Their breath caught in their throat as her eyes roamed over their face. When the smile curled at her lips, they knew that she could see their predicament. But perhaps she considered their conversation to be more important, because she stayed on subject.
“Indeed. In fact, I get the feeling that it’ll take but a tug for it all to come unraveling.” She cocked her head once more, studying them with that same glow still there. “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
Goosebumps suddenly prickled up their arms and their body stiffened slightly. Though she must have seen the anxiety in their body, she continued staring at them. They let out a small, nervous breath. “Yeah, why?”
“Because emotions tend to be the number one proponent behind a person’s waking magic. Or tragedy, in many cases.” She winced at that last part and they wisely decided against pointing that out. They were still in a new friendship, it wouldn’t do to make her feel uncomfortable.
Biting their lip, they started to ask something else, when the bell over the door dinged to show the arrival of a customer. Juliana leaned to the side, smiling brightly at whoever had come in. And then her brows drew together, a flicker of apprehension crossing her gaze. They found their self twisting to glance at the door. They could see a woman standing there with white hair and pink tips; a contemplative yet playful expression on her face as she gazed about the shop. She didn’t seem too particularly worrying.
When they turned back to Juliana, her face had smoothed out into a pleasant expression. Her eyes were on them. “It’s job time, so you’re gonna have to shoo, hun!” She gestured with her hands, shooing them towards the door.
They rolled their eyes before getting to their feet. “You know we’re about the same age, right?” Yet she acted so much older.
Juliana’s eyes twinkled as she hopped up. “Coulda fooled me!”
They quickly shook their head and went to the door. Before they could make it out though, the mysterious woman glanced at them. The beginning of a mischievous smile crept across her lips. “Good luck figuring out your magic.”
Her voice made goosebumps prickle across their skin. There was no way she could’ve heard their conversation because she had come in long after they’d even spoken about that. Which left one guess, She’s a supernatural.
Trying not to show how taken off guard they were, they nodded. “Thanks.” When they left, the mysterious woman went over to Juliana.