interesting things | steve

[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

4th june 2025

SUMMER WAS A TIME ZENEVIEVA didn’t believe she would actually…See or relax for. Summer was a time for the Sixth—turned Seventh year to study for. To work extremely harder before the new year actually began after summer. Call Zen a nerd (which she was), but Seventh Year was it. The end of education as a whole and a social life anyway. But since when did Zen have a social life? Since the end of the school year anyway, the Novell kept working…Working on everything that was noticeable to many people but incredibly irritating for Zen mainly. Her stutter. It was hard, trying to communicate without it to her aunt, but even when her aunt’s big blue eyes stared at her with hope, her little nods attempting to egg on the younger Novell…It never worked well.

But since becoming friends with both Steve and Nora, Zenevieva felt there was hope for anything! Steve was the sibling that brought Zen out of her comfort zone, made her speak and engage more, while Nora…Well. Nora was a wild one. But the blonde loved her nevertheless. Sending a few owls out to Steve led to the blonde in a small red jacket and flown clothes for that brief summer breeze heading to Knockturn Alley. Steve had suggested to check out some sort of…odd store that sold…well. What he called ‘interesting things’, but in honesty — Zen had never felt more frightened than she did now.

Turning the corner as she followed her small magic map — that she conjured herself out of boredom, she wrinkled the thick papers together, hiding it in her jacket along with her wand. She tried to spot out that large quiff of hair, as the next person automatically would’ve guessed those locks to belong to Steve, but Zen couldn’t see him…Just yet.

@steve & hopefully this works!

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Dystal Phaelanges. What a name for a store. What a store, too! Steve had stumbled upon it while exploring the magical shopping districts the previous summer, and was immediately fascinated by the grotesqueness of its inventory. An entire store dedicated to bones and things made from bones. He had been itching it visit it the second school let out, but his parents had put them on a lockdown upon returning home. Steve wasn’t necessarily worried about the Hag’s Fever thing – he had had worse stomach aches from bad blood he’d eaten before. But apparently he had to take this one seriously because he wasn’t as immune to it like he was for most illnesses. This one ‘attacked magic’, whatever that meant. The only thing he was worried about was not being able to get out of the house and socialize with his friends. Thankfully, the lockdown thing was finished after a few days when his parents realized it was more difficult to keep him and Nora inside than it was to let both of them run wild like usual. If they got it, they got it. Simple as that.

So Steve arrived early to Knockturn Alley. Like really, really early. He had been so deprived of human interaction outside of his family members that he was anxiously bouncing up and down on his heels as he waited for Zen to show up. All they had was a time set, and Knockturn as the location. He specifically kept Dystal Phaelanges as a secret because he wanted to see her reaction to it. Assuming she hadn’t been to it before, that is.

And then he spotted her turning the corner, a couple hundred yards down the cobblestoned alley. Jumping up and waving his arms like an idiot, Steve yelled her name out as loud as he could, first and last name, momentarily forgetting that he wasn’t in Diagon Alley anymore and there were plenty of sketchy shadows lurking about. “Looks like you’ve survived the first few days home, eh?” he asked her as he ran down the path. “Nora was literally driving me up the wall by yesterday afternoon. If you’re ever stuck somewhere with her, I’m sorry.”

zenevieva mira novell ● 366 ● Blood Is Blue by Billie Marten

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

HEARING HER NAME ZENEVIEVA LOOKED up wide eyed, smiling softly once she noticed the voice her name came from. ”Steve!” She excitedly yelled back at him, giggling at how his arms waved over his head. She quickened her pace then, hoping no one else really heard her first and last name. Given that they were in Horizon Alley after all.

With the two of them meeting half-way, Zen nodded at his question. ”Barely…” She smiled to herself then, her stutter almost making an appearance but she felt proud when it didn’t. ”You forget I’ve been stuck w-with her before…” And Merlin was that a chaotic time to experience. ”So…Where are we going today?”

@steve

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Looking like a couple of lost puppies in the middle of Knockturn Alley was definitely at the back of his mind as he and Zen finally met up, but the thought was instantly dashed now that they were together. Despite what they looked like in appearance, which was a couple of naïve Hogwarts students, they fit in more in Knockturn than they probably did in Diagon. Nobody would bat an eye once they dropped their half-vampire status, so he was pretty sure they’d be fine perusing the stores in the area.

“Then in retrospect, I’m sorry I didn’t warn you earlier. And also welcome to my life for the last sixteen years. She’s still great at the end of the day, under all that…Nora-ness,” Steve tried and failed to explain his sister, but he knew that Zen already understood that. Nora was Nora, and trying to describe her was like trying to fit an indescribable shaped peg into an equally indescribable shaped hole, who also happened to be his half-vampire twin sister.

Getting off the topic of Nora, Zen asked where they were going, causing Steve to spin around in place and point up at the sign to Dystal Phaelanges, which he had forgotten was a few hundred feet down the alleyway now that he had run up to meet his friend. “Dystal Phaelanges. Everything they have in the store? Made out of bones. Animal bones, human bones, bones from things they don’t even know what they’re from. Everything.” Steve felt like he was giving a pitch to sell Zen on how great the store was, which was hilarious because he still had never been. “The human bones thing might be a lie, but still, who knows? A femur is a femur still when it works as a nice lamp.”

zenevieva mira novell ● 300 ● All These Walking Thoughts by Roo Panes

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[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

WITH A GIGGLE, ZENEVIEVA SHOOK her head softly, the smile on her face having no intent to disappear. ”I don’t think we were officially f-friends when I first met her…” Which seemed and felt so long ago when the Novell did. Nora was definitely more crazy than Steve could ever be, but that didn’t make Zen any less comfortable around her. ”Besides…You both made me c-comfortable anyway…” And their Mom did also. Zen loved her.

At the discovery of Steve’s information, her mouth formed a small ‘o’. The blonde was sure she had read information on the store before and their interesting characteristics and use of bones but then again, a wizard could never be too sure. ”Everything?…” She repeated in a soft whisper, more intrigued than she was before. Even if it seemed a little creepy. ”And we’re…going inside of there? Like…right now?”

@steve

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“Fair enough,” he grinned back at her. Steve had never really played by that word before – ‘official’. There was too much riding on it, like how it made it sound like everything that came before wasn’t considered as serious as what came after. As far as he was concerned, from the second he found out Zen was like him, they were friends. He wouldn’t have had it any other way. Finally having others like him and Nora around was freeing, like they weren’t the only weird ones out there. He got the sense that it was sort of the same for Zen. “Regardless, I probably still should have warned you. Hindsight is twenty-twenty though…” he let out an exaggerated sigh to show that he wasn’t actually taking it serious. If his sister had been there, she would have clobbered him over the head by now.

His eyebrows danced as Zen seemed to question the authenticity of his claim about the store. “So they say.” But she didn’t seem convinced that it was worth going inside and checking it out. Sure, bones were creepy and all, and human bones doubly so, but it wasn’t like they were going to start moving around on them or anything. It was furniture made for a more tasteless crowd, and one-hundred percent weird. And he liked weird. “Zen, we drink blood. Don’t let a couple skeletons scare you off.” He stuck his hand out to her, trying to assure her that it was a perfectly normal shop, or whatever. “It’s either here or Noggin and Bonce. And they only sell shrunken heads.” He wasn’t really keen on those, since they had a nasty habit of talking back and making rude comments about everything. Bones were nice and quiet, and kept to themselves.

zenevieva mira novell ● 297 ● Bad Dog No Biscuit by SEATBELTS

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[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

SINCE MEETING BOTH STEVE AND Nora, Zenevieva has felt her confidence levels grow each week or at least every month. She felt comfortable around them and even the friends they had introduced the Novell to. But even so, their friendship had never been solidified like others would say, instead the three of them continued to constantly hang out and even met one another's families. Zen felt ever since meeting Steve and Nora's mother...Surely they were close. Right? The Ravenclaw laughed quietly at Steve's comment, smiling up at him as she shook her head. "I feel i-if you did...I would've j-just...become shy all over again.."

'So they say' was enough to peak at Zenevieva's interest and her brows rose in question while eyes looked the store up and down once more. She was still nervous to even walk inside. Sure, the half-vampire wanted to see some bones, to analyse and even note a few down but...Seeing human bones...Didn't sit well with the Novell. It was as if Steve could notice her discomfort as she smiled small at his comment, looking down at his hand. "I guess..." She sighed, wondering how her blood intake had only grown since she discovered her new power. Taking in a quick breath she took Steve's hand, squeezing it to reassure herself that everything would be fine. "Here is f-fine..." With her stutter returning quietly, Zen could only think about how nervous she was now and not what she could hopefully see.

@steve

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

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“Awesome,” he grinned back at her as she agreed that Dystal Phaelanges was fine with her. He was beyond excited to see all of the bones, maybe even too much for the occasion. Sometimes he wondered if his eagerness and Nora’s assertiveness was actually helpful for Zen, or if she simply went along with whatever they chose because they were like her. He hoped it wasn’t the latter, and from an outward glance it didn’t seem like that, but there were still times where he felt like maybe they pressured her a bit too much. There was definitely a huge change with her from when they first met (which he thinks his mom had a lot to do with), and she seemed to be happier than she was a year ago.

With Zen taking his hand, he winked at her and stepped into the store. Of course the bell above the door had a bone-chilling (pun intended) chime to it, and it made him squirm a bit at it. Inside was way cooler than he could have imagined too. The window display hadn’t given a great idea of what the actual contents of the store were. Off in one corner was what looked to be a bone couch with a matching side table and a standing lamp. “How much you want to bet that the lamp shades are tanned skin?” he asked Zen with a whisper, leaning in closer to her. The place definitely had the creepiness factor amped up, but he still thought the blood bank was more eerie than this place. Full on ancient vampires were like walking skeletons, and they always stared at him like he was some sort of abomination. The bones of dead people couldn’t really do that. “See anything cool?”

zenevieva mira novell ● 296 ● Ritual by Ghost

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[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

WHILE IT WAS TOO LATE to back out, Zenevieva rolled her eyes playfully as a response to Steve's wink, as she knew he could truthfully flirt with anyone or anything. With the bone rattling chime sounding off above them, the Novell's eyes travelled upwards at the sound, a small lump forming in her throat as the fear only grew stronger within her stomach. A half-vampire with one red eye and one normal coloured, afraid of a few old bones. Completely ironic. Eyes scanned their surroundings from sheer curiosity as well as fear before the Novell swallowed the small lump, Merlin was she always this scared of small things?

"I d-don't.." She replied, not wanting to bet anything in the place was real nor fake. The thought of potentially knowing of the authenticity of something she could be standing next to, touching or even standing on frightened her even more. "J-Just bones.." She added, eyes continuing to glance around, with nothing catching her eye just as yet.

@steve

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

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A chuckle rolled out of his throat when it seemed like Zen wasn’t up for playing the guessing game. Everything in the store looked one-hundred percent authentic; whether all the bones were from humans or molded from animal bones to look like they were, he was unsure of. The morbidity of the store definitely wasn’t lost on him, but he also didn’t really see what the big deal was with his friend. They drank blood, and he had seen his mom drink a lot more than he thought was possible, so this wasn’t all that far from that. If anything, it was a lot less grotesque. Cleaning up spilled blood was a pain because it got everywhere. Once, when screwing around with Nora in the basement of their old home, he had bumped into the fridge where his mom kept her blood bags. The few that spilled out got everywhere, and not only cost a ton to repair (and in which he was still technically in debt for), having to mop up all the blood had left their basement looking like a crime scene. If only he had known the quick-cleaning spell back then…

“I think it’s pretty peaceful,” Steve commented as he continued to look around the store, eyes picking out what looked to be a dining room table with human leg bones in place of normal table legs. The feet were literal human feet as well, and he felt his stomach lurch a little. Apparently he couldn’t handle all of it. “Except that thing. That’s disturbing.” The fact that it was fairly obvious that those particular bones came from humans is what did it for him, and he turned to face a different direction in the store so he didn’t have to continue looking at it. “Let’s look at the bone couch. It doesn’t look as human,” he said as he started walking towards it. Plus, he sort of wanted to try sitting on it. As long as it wasn’t too bony, it probably functioned as a perfect piece of furniture. For the right person, of course.

zenevieva mira novell ● 349 ● Feels So Nice by The Wrecks

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

DESPITE ZENEVIEVA BEING A FEARFUL person, nothing scared her more than the store they stood in. The possibility of human bones staring right back at them shouldn't have freaked out the half-vampire in the way that it did, nor should the realisation that Steve simply feared nothing either. Zen's eyes only focused on Steve as he spoke, calling the little...place peaceful, something the Novell wouldn't have used even if she was standing in a cemetery. "P-Peaceful?.." She stuttered in reply, looking around quickly once more before down at her feet, to avoid feeling sick. It was odd, Zen being a half-vampire and experiencing worse things than being surrounded by bones.

The blonde refused to even lift her head in the direction of whatever Steve was referring to, fearing even more that she would puke there and then. Watching as Steve's feet and voice moved away from her, Zenevieva shyly followed, contemplating on why she ever agreed to things when she knew it was completely out of her comfort zone. Swallowing hard, Zen stepped behind her friend, following his lead. She felt curious about the couch now that he mentioned it, but the thought of it being human bones also terrified her. Why was she so easily scared?

"What kind of bones do you think they are?..." She found herself mumbling in question.

@steve

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

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“Yeah, I mean, I think bones are pretty peaceful,” Steve repeated. He wasn’t exactly sure what his line of reasoning was going to be here, especially with the way Zen was reacting to everything, but he knew he’d be able to spitball something eventually. “If you think about it,” he started, after clearing his throat to try and sound more knowledgeable about the topic than he was, “What do you need your bones for once you’ve died? Even with magic, we can’t bring people back to life. So why not let your bones be used for something cool. Like bone furniture!” Trying to make it sound like people donated their bones to the store when he didn’t know if that was true or not definitely made him wonder how the owner did come across enough bones to fill a whole store. It couldn’t have been that simple, right? “But yeah, I think it’s peaceful here. No one here has a bone to pick with me yet either,” he added, laughing at his own pun as he said it.

The bone couch wasn’t really what he expected it to look like. It was less Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more regal, though certainly not anything he would ever catch himself buying or putting in his home. How did one even decorate without having an entire room made out of furniture from this store? The individual pieces didn’t really work on their own, especially this couch. “Probably femurs. But like, you would need so many for that…” Steve continued to stare at it, unsure of how he was supposed to process its weird look. “I think I’m going to sit on it,” he said, turning around to face Zen. “Come on. You can tell everyone at school that you sat on a bone couch over the summer. That’s easily a couple dozen cool points.”

zenevieva mira novell ● 311 ● Ophelia by Roo Panes

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

LOOKING DOWN AT HER FEET seemed to be the best thing Zen figured to do in that current moment. She feared everything that surrounded her in the store, whether it was real or fake and also began to fear Steve himself. "H-How?" She asked, before listening to his explanation. He cleared his throat before beginning, leaving Zen to guess whether or not Steve believed everything he was saying himself. The Novell looked up at him with a raised brow as he continued, side-stepping and avoiding taking her eyes off of Steve's for the sake of her own life. "I-I'd rather be...C-Cremated.." She admitted. Steve told some truths in his explanations, especially since once you died, unless there was a super secret way to return someone back to life...Their bones were no longer necessary.

Rolling her eyes at his pun, Zenevieva instantly thought of Daniel. It was something he would've definitely said and there, Zen started to wonder if Steve even knew Daniel besides the million stories she stuttered out to him and his sister. "Y-You sound like Daniel.." She mumbled, her smile somewhat matching his own. The pun was bad, but Zen could still appreciate a good-bad joke. Looking over now at the bone couch, Zen knew she would have rather preferred to be at least twenty feet away from it instead of the distance she was at now.

"Femurs.." She repeated, nodding her head slowly as she agreed with Steve, a lot would be needed for a couch as wide as the one near them. "S-Sit on it?!" She repeated in question, eyes blowing wide open as she looked up at Steve. "N-No thanks...I'll j-just watch from here.." Zen didn't need anymore cool points, she felt cool enough with the friends she had and the people she spoke.

@steve

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

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“Nothing wrong with that,” Steve reasoned when she said that she would rather be cremated. It didn’t really matter at that point anyways. Jar full of dust or turned into a table? He wouldn’t care, he would be dead. The real question here was whether the bones used in this furniture were actually from a deceased person. There were so many pieces that he was starting to have doubts about that. The only other option left would be that some were…donated. Now that, he would definitely be opposed to. How would one even value the cost of say, a femur, for one of the tables? He doubted that the owner managed to get all the bones legally already, so the thought of paid for bones creeped him out. Steve decided to keep that to himself though, because he could tell than Zen was already skeeved out by a lot of the stuff in the store.

She said he sounded like Daniel, and he laughed, probably louder than was necessary for the deathly quiet of the shop, but he let it out anyways. Aside from being pretty straightforward about some things, he didn’t really see how he was similar to Daniel. Maybe Gryffindors thought alike more than he realized?

“Yeah. Sit on it,” he repeated, as he crossed over and took a seat on the bone couch. It was about as uncomfortable as it looked, and he immediately took issue with finding a way to easily sit on it. Zen definitely made the smart decision here, but at least he could say he sat on a bone couch now. “I mean, it’s definitely not comfortable. But you’re missing out on the bragging rights at school. Most people probably can’t say that, right?” Unless their parents let them wander around Knockturn Alley whenever they wanted. Steve liked to think he and Zen were a bit more welcome here due to their blood status, compared to most of their classmates.

zenevieva mira novell ● 327 ● The Listening by Lights

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[zenevieva mira novell]

to figure out what it is.

ZEN REALLY HADN'T GIVEN MUCH thought on how she would die. She knew she was still incredibly young and hopefully had a far future from her compared to her mother and fathers lives that were cut short early into Zen's childhood. Stating that she would prefer to be cremated might have been a broad statement for most people, but Zen felt comfortable around Steve in order to talk about a topic so broad - or more so, so far into the future. The Novell just hoped somewhere along the line, her ashes would be scattered across somewhere she loves the most. The ocean was a slightly good option, but again, it felt too premature to think of such things.

As he repeated his last words, Zen continued to shake her head to say no, respectfully declining the request?..Suggestion?..That she should sit alongside him on the bone couch. As Steve continued, mentioning how she was missing out on an opportunity to brag about something new, Zen shook her head once more, with a little more energy this time. "I can b-barely get my w-words out without s-stuttering..Who am I g-gonna brag to?.."

@steve

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!