The weather went from hot days to cool and cold days as the month of Octobris had arrived and the school spirit found its way on campus for preparations for many festivals and holidays that were scheduled.
Hacate had numerous clubs and activities for students to participate for instance would be the agility team Sous was aiming to get on by training with Peo. Alana spent her time apart of the archery clubs as with most elves. That was a thing. Many clubs and activities were dominated by certain species. There was one club that was dominated by voodoo priestess' and priest, individuals who were able to connect with spirits and healers, who were prolific herbalist and as they got older, midwives. These students were often from the bayous and the swamps of the central potion of Nadia, one province was called Cadjins. They spoke a dialect of Atin called Ench and were often descendants of people who were seen as low class, people who started and won numerous revolutions, servitude and slavery. Their skin were different shades of black and brown, curly and kinky hair even wavy, dark eyes with curvier bodies mostly among the females.
Tany was in the cafeteria hanging up decorations for the Festival of Lights, a festival to start the beginning of VesperaOmniumSpiritus on Octobris 31st.
She used her wand to put up some of the pine cones when a fifth year student walked up to her. She was around five feet, an hourglass figured, dark curly hair that were braided in the front and on the side with the rest out naturally. She wore all black and had a beautiful smile to her that match her brown skin.
"Excuse me, suga," when this girl spoke she had the accent from the bayous of Cadjins. Her consonants were a drawl and her vowels had a twang to it, very charming and soothing her voice was.
Tany turned to face the fifth year. "Yes."
"I'm looking for a Sous, Snake Girl, she may be called."
"Who are you?" Tany asked defensively.
"Why suga, I'm the student council vice president and I want Sous to be apart of my club. Peo told me about her speed and I think she'll make a great asset." She paused, noticing the quietness from the girl. "If you just give me her room number and what house she's in then Im sure I can find her my-"
"No," Tany said, not wanting to give out Sous' information.
The two girls walked down the hall of the House of Philosophy with Tany knocking on the door of 112. They stood there for a while waiting until the door unlocked. Sous rubbed her eyes, still wearing her nightgown.
"Sous, its in the afternoon, get out of bed!" Tany scolded.
"I AM TIRED!"
"That's nothing a potion can't get rid of, suga."
Sous turned to look at the girl with the charming voice, a slight blush coming over her cheeks.
"Hello there, suga, you must be Sous. My name is Thibodeux."
Thibodeux specialized in voodoo dolls and was a spirit catcher, Sous and Tany learned. A spirit catcher was often a voodoo priestess or priest who captured restless spirits who hadn't passed on. They would then put the spirits within the dolls, making the dolls pocessed.
"You want me to join this club?" Sous asked. They three ladies sat on Sous' bed conversing about what it meant to be a spirit catcher.
"It would mean a lot, suga, see, we sell voodoo dolls and they go for a pretty penny this time of year. The dolls that are processed are in most demand."
"I never did it..."
"We will teach ya, won't leave ya hanging, suga." Thibodeux stood up from the bed. "Think about it. If interested, meet us at the student council room tomorrow at noon. We'll head to Baton Rouge to the Leveaux cemetery. We'll teach you how to catch a spirit."
Later in the evening, Sous sat with her friends at dinner telling them about potentially going to Cadjins to catch spirits. They were all excited for her although Tany much preferred for Sous to stay behind and help with the school's festivities. She sighed and crossed her arms, puffed out her cheek while flipping her hair.
"You just got done with helping that elf free her people from that witch and here you are going to run off to catch spirits," Tany complained.
Before Sous could respond back, another girl came upon behind them. She wore black glasses and had dark brown skin; she wore her hair in corn rows and had one fang that popped out her mouth, and short antenna horns upon her head. She seemed to be mixed with fairy and priestess. She was a bit of snotty girl, as in snot seemed to just drip from her nose that she had to constantly wipe away with a handkerchief she kept in her shirt pocket. She had the same drawl and twang to her voice as Thibodeux.
"That is not a good idea," this girl said.
Tany rolled her eyes. "What is up with these random people coming to us!"
The girl ignored Tany and looked at Sous. "You gonna be a spirit catcher? Why assist with them demons? Let them spirits be free."
Sous just looked at the girl. Not understanding what the girl was talking about.
"Sous will do what she wants to do." Pixie Boy said with no malice in his tone.
The girl shook her head. She shoved Makala and Zan out of the way as she sat down next to Sous joining them for dinner it would seem. She was a bold girl, that was for sure.
"Tu peux penser que j'ai tort, but please listen. I used to be a spirit catcher. Let them spirits be free."
The girl got up and left Sous and her friends. They all continued on with a different conversation except for Sous. She wondered who that girl was and why was she so adamant with Sous not being a spirit catcher?
The next day Sous got up early. She wanted to get to the student council room to show she was interested in going to Baton Rouge. She had stayed up a few hours early reading about voodoo dolls in the library and she did come across the controversy of the activity concerning the processed dolls.
Sous knocked on the door and it was opened by a boy who was slender and tall with dark black skin, his hair in a fade. He spoke the same Ench language to others in the room. He turned back to Sous and held the door open for her.
"You that Sous girl? Nice to see you come." Sous nodded her head and was led into the room with the other members of this spirit catcher club. It was apparent all the members were priestess and priest. Sous was the youngest one there and smiled and gotten to know the others as they waited for Thibodeux.
"Sous!" Thibodeux came from a back room with dolls in her hands. As Sous looked around, others also had voodoo dolls within their hands as well.
"Do you know how to thread?" A boy with braids in his asked. Sous shook her head. "Its so fun. We'll teach you when we get to Baton Rouge."
Thibodeux took Sous by the hand and she held up her wand toward the sky. All was present. Each of the other members also held up their wands as well.
Within a split second, they were there but they were in the swamps. Sous heard crickets, the bubbling of water made by the movement of alligators. Moss hung from the trees. Sous slapped at herself.
"What the-" she slapped at herself again with the others laughing at her.
"Suga, you gonna get use to those mosquitoes." She said waving her wand as she did a spell to get rid of the little flying females that sucked blood for infertility purposes.
"Jacquis, come teach her to thread." The same boy who asked her that back in Hacate came back. He held out his hand, a large silver needle came out with a thread on the end.
"Threading is when you use a needle and a thread to get to one place to another," Jacquis said.
"Is it something I can even do?" Sous asked.
Jacquis shrugged his shoulders. "A powerful magae is a powerful magae and from the folks say, you seem pretty powerful."
Thibodeux smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Suga, look at you and look at us." Sous did so. "What do you notice?"
"Yall priestess' and priest."
Thibodeux laughed. "What else?"
Sous looked around again, noticing the maturity of the students, their power. "Upperclass."
Thibodeux smiled.
"Alright girl, get on my back," Jacquis said. He lowered himself with Sous getting on his back. Once he was ready, they all began to thread between the trees like a spider swinging to one location to another. They were heading in the direction to the cemetery to catch some spirits. Sous was excited but also couldn't help but think of the words from that one girl.