Soon, six o'clock rolled around and the clock chimed in the back room. Charlotte finished her concoction and hung her apron on the door as she walked into the shop. Elizabeth was outside by the window with her sister while Victoria was retracting the sign's sparkle. Charlotte threw her gloves and goggles on the counter before reaching for her coat.

"How was the shop?" Charlotte wondered.

"We had a few more customers, and Madame Fortuna did not come back in, which was a treat," Victoria commented with a smile. Charlotte agreed, putting her coat and hat on. "Dinner's at your place then?"

"Oh, I don't remember inviting you," Charlotte teased. "We're heading over now, if you want to tag along."

"Absolutely," she replied as she traded her apron for her coat. Charlotte pulled out her keys, following Victoria out of the shop. Once she locked the door, she murmured a small protection ward over the shop.

"Fascinating," Heather whispered with a smile. Charlotte straightened and grinned towards Heather.

"Are you ready?" Charlotte inquired, leading the way to her home.

"Do you live very far away?" the sister wondered after a moment of silence.

"No, I have a home close by so I don't have to commute very far," Charlotte explained. "I inherited the place some years ago."

"I envy that. I have to walk up to an hour before I get to my job," Heather sighed. Elizabeth gave her a look, but Charlotte smiled.

"We learned to live close to where we work long ago," Victoria reminded as Heather frowned.

"Because of the Hunt. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Heather began.

"No need to apologize, I promise. That was a long time ago, before any of us were alive, I'm sure. It makes sense for people to live close to their places of work for ease. Some don't have that luxury," Charlotte explained, turning her attention to her apprentice for the last comment. Victoria nodded. "Elizabeth told me that you have a name picked out already."

"Yes, Lady Pegasys, matching with the theme," Heather answered. Charlotte chuckled.

"That's a great name. It suits you well," Charlotte agreed. "I'm very excited to be taking on a new apprentice and a new partner so soon."

"Partner?" Victoria asked, surprised.

"What, did you think you just got your name on the sign without responsibility? Once you become a Madame, you're gonna have to help me more than just watching the shop," Charlotte reminded, shaking her head. Victoria beamed, admiring her bright future. "That offer also stands for Elizabeth, once she becomes a Madame as well."

"So many Madames in one shop? Is that wise?" Heather asked just before Elizabeth elbowed her arm.

"Unlike most jobs, it is better to have multiple Madames or Masters in one shop. It helps strengthen the sense of community, which we need more desperately than before. However, it's uncommon to see more than five at one location," Charlotte explained happily. Heather nodded, interested in learning more.

After several more questions about Charlotte's life and profession, they arrived at a small cottage. Charlotte smiled as she unlocked the front door. It was smaller than the other houses around it, but it looked cozy.

As they entered, Charlotte gave a small tour, showing the dining room, living room, kitchen, and bathroom on the first floor. The second floor had two separate rooms, which looked they were originally one. It was small, but it suited Charlotte. There were bookshelves lining nearly every inch of the walls with empty vials and various ingredients strewn across the shelves.

"I'll start dinner if you guys want to look around," Charlotte smiled. "There's a small garden out back where I grow a lot of my inventory. You are welcome to take a peek out there as well."

"I'll show them the garden," Victoria volunteered. She had been to Charlotte's house before, and she loved to look around in every nook and cranny. Charlotte ducked into the kitchen as Victoria put her coat on a hook next to the front door.

As they walked outside, Elizabeth pointed out the plants she knew to her sister, who was rather impressed. Victoria gazed beyond the fence into a nearly be field. Charlotte was lucky to be on the outskirts of town. Victoria lived within the heart of the city, where it was loud and busy. There were always too many people wandering about in the city.

As they wandered the garden, Charlotte called them back inside for dinner. She had prepared a beef stew with carrots and potatoes and rolls for the side. Charlotte smiled as she placed the pot on her dining room table.

"I hope this is good. I know it isn't too fancy, but it's dinner," Charlotte informed.

"It looks wonderful," Heather stated with a smile. Charlotte sighed with relief as she ladled a serving for her guests.

"It's been a while since I've had your stew," Victoria commented, excited to eat.

"The cold weather called for something piping hot and comforting," Charlotte added. There was a general consensus before general silence. Charlotte smiled to herself, seeing that her cooking was well received. 

After dinner, Charlotte collected the dishes and placed them in the sink. She carefully enchanted a sponge to clean the dishes by itself. As she turned around, Heather was standing in the doorway.

"That's incredible," she whispered, pointing toward the sink.

"Thank you, it's a simple spell," Charlotte smiled. "Do you want to see?"

"Can I?" Heather asked, walking in. Charlotte nodded as she picked up a non enchanted sponge and placed it on the counter. 

"Alright, so every witch has a small object that helps them direct their magic. Victoria uses a small twig, I use a river rock," Charlotte began as she produced a small rock from her pocket.

"Are they usually nature based?"

"They work the best, but every witch is different. They make spell casting a lot easier. The next step is to actually say the spell."

Charlotte held the stone in one hand and hovered her other hand over the sponge. She mumbled an unintelligible language as Heather watched intently. As Charlotte moved her hand, the sponge jumped up and did a small dance.

"There's a spell that teaches objects how to dance?" Heather wondered.

"No, no, what I did was modify a mobile spell with a suggestion. It's one of the more difficult magics and usually only Madame's have mastered the skill. Although, it's one of my favorite spells to use."

"Thank you for sharing with me," Heather smiled. Charlotte waved her hand over the sponge, causing it to stop dancing. It fell over limp and Charlotte sighed. "Does it take a lot of energy?"

"It does take a little energy, but not a lot. It's about the same level of energy as if I had manually made the sponge dance with my hands."

"Fascinating," Heather whispered. 

Charlotte escorted Heather back to the living room where Elizabeth and Victoria were holding a conversation. They looked up at Charlotte, seeming a little nervous.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked as Victoria handed her a small envelope. Charlotte gingerly took the letter, reading that it was from the Strathmore Witches Council and it was marked urgent.