A bell chimed as the front door slid open and swiftly closed a moment later. Johnny turned his head toward the doorway, but frowned when he didn’t see anyone standing there like he’d been expecting. He had to look down to realize that the calico he’d seen that morning now wove himself in and out of the bookshelves and among the stacks of boxes and books, tail ruffling pleasantly as he bent down to first stretch his front legs, then his back legs. “What took you so long, Aster?” hummed Ghost, genuinely curious, like he was expecting the cat to answer him. But that would be silly. Wouldn’t it? “That stray dog that likes to hide behind the bakery decided to chase me on my way back. I didn’t exactly have a say in the matter,” Aster grumbled after giving himself a full-body shake. Johnny shook his own head in disbelief before Aster stared up at him with his bright amethyst eyes. “…What?” “He can understand you,” Ghost said, more toward Johnny even though he was looking at Aster while he spoke. With a nervous grin, Johnny just shrugged off the odd feeling buzzing through his mind. What a strange morning. He wanted to ask himself if it could possibly get any stranger, but he knew the answer to that already. “I suppose I should’ve expected this, being in a witch’s shop and all… sorry, er, Aster. You just surprised me.” “Hm… I’ll forgive you, if you let me sit on your lap. You’re in my napping chair; it’s been a while since Ghost has had a ‘friend’ over this long, so I’ll let it go. Ghost knows if I sit in your lap he gets to keep you here longer, which is fine by me. I just want to nap.” “Sure, why not… You’re not going to bite me if I pet you, are you?” asked Johnny cautiously as he pulled his chair back from the table. “…Can I pet you?” Aster accepted the invitation and hopped into Johnny’s offered lap, then tucked his paws neatly underneath his body and closed his eyes like he was thinking. “Pets are fine. Don’t yank my tail, and I won’t bite. Other than that..."

for #wipwednesday, have some rough #witchghostau drafting! #hibirenwrites #ghostsoap

I love all of witch!Ghost's magical cat friends ; u ; <3
three so far have names btw :3

Aster - male calico
Mint - female black/white tuxedo
Clover - pudgy orange tomcat

the teashop tradewitch hibiren Summary: There was no “Come In, We’re Open!” sign. No lights on inside; the windows were completely dark. Johnny had half a thought to turn around, but where would he go without risking getting even more lost on this strange back road? Just as he was about to knock, the latch clicked open and the door swung inward. A cat slipped out from the cracked doorway and trotted off down the alley, carrying a kitten-sized bundle of purple fabric in its mouth. Perhaps it was cliché but Johnny was secretly disappointed to see a calico. Didn’t all gloomy back-alley shops that suddenly appeared out of nowhere—that were probably, definitely haunted—have a black cat or two guarding the grounds? “Don’t mind him, he’s making a delivery for me. You must be thirsty. Join us for tea?” The door open wider and Johnny stared at the man the deep, velvety voice belonged to.

the teashop tradewitch
✨🫖🐈✨
#witchghostau #hibirenwrites #ghostsoap

1 Chapter, 3k words

A little bit of feline magic and whimsy because I needed it ; u ; yes it's yet another AU from me (but that's My Thing lol. I enjoy writing AUs very much)

archiveofourown.org/works/80974331

from my witch!ghost au wip :D (posted the whole segment because the sentence needed a little context. shhhh)

#hibirenwrites #witchghostau #soapghost

[black background, white text] “That’s easier said than done,” admitted Johnny, sinking into his seat with a soft sigh of frustration. Was it safe to just let go, as Ghost was asking of him? It was too late to hold himself back any longer. “I’m so used to bottling up all my problems and putting myself on the backburner for everyone else’s sake. It’s too much, Simon, it’s eating me alive. In the military, it isn’t about you, it never is. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team,’ but there’s definitely an ‘I’ in ‘anxiety’ and I’m pretty sure that’s what keeps me up at night. Then again, I don’t know a single person around me that doesn’t have anxiety… or PTSD… or both… or worse…” Johnny frowned and rushed to add, “—I’m not here to trauma dump. I’m sorry. My Captain has done everything short of ordering me to go talk to a therapist, and I really ought to take him up on that… I don’t want to ruin your morning by complaining about how much my life sucks.” “I’m no therapist, but I’ll give you some advice anyway: stop worrying about what other people think,” Ghost declared, resting one gloved hand on Johnny’s knee, “and focus on yourself. That, too, is easier said than done. But it’s rewarding, and it’s healing. How long have you been living for other people, Johnny? It’s time you start living for yourself.” “I… I…” Johnny stammered, “I can’t, because—” “You’re military. I know,” said Ghost softly, “Who are you off the clock, Sergeant? Do you truly know yourself?”

these two make my heart melt 🥺💜 I'm at just under 3k of drafting so far and I love where it's going!

#hibirenwrites #witchghostau #ghostsoap

[dark mode background, white text] Ghost seemed caught off guard by the request. He blinked and looked away, suddenly focused on shuffling the tins around on the tabletop while he waited for Johnny to make a choice. “My favorite? What does my favorite matter?” “You’re a witch, right? You said your specialty is herbal magic? I trust you. Make me your favorite? Please?” “Since you asked so nicely… I can’t really refuse those puppy-dog eyes of yours. Guilt’s enough to kill a man! I guess not being entirely human does have its perks sometimes.” Ghost picked up his tins and shuffled back over to the shelf to put them away. He returned holding a jar that looked suspiciously similar to an urn and when he opened the lid, he tilted the container to show Johnny the contents inside it. Sure enough, it was tea, but a small handful of glimmering marble-sized clusters—sugar perhaps?—were mixed in alongside the leaves and spices. “This is my favorite. I grew and dried it all myself. If you think it smells good, I’ll make it for you. Go on, it’s not going to hurt you. I promise.” Johnny stared dubiously at it, but slowly leaned forward to be greeted by the scent of smoky cloves and cinnamon and something vaguely citrusy. It was warm and comforting, like a hug on a cold day. Not too heavy, but bold and strong. Ghost’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “What? Is it the… oh. Oh! It’s not actually an urn. Nothing dead’s ever been put in it. I would hardly stay in business if all I served was deadman’s tea.” “Dead… man’s…?” “I won’t make tea out of ashes, Johnny. Just plants and spices and the occasional fungi or medicinal herb, depending on what my customers need. Despite the small army of cats in my shop, I make sure that everything I serve is completely free of cat hair.”

mm~ witchy lore~ 💜✨ it's so soft 🥺
((is it halloween yet--))

#hibirenwrites #ghostsoap #witchghostau #codmw

[dark mode gray background & white text] The table was cluttered with papers, quills and inkwells, and a set of open books all stacked atop one another. The second Johnny sat down, the clutter cleared itself and in a blink was replaced by a full tea spread, with plates and silver sets to match. For a man that seemed so mysterious and brooding on the surface, his taste in teaware was… adorable. The rim of each plate was decorated with a detailed hand-painted pattern of various cats doing various cat things (the plate in front of him showed a familiar-looking calico chasing butterflies, getting tangled up in a ball of yarn, and making a ‘cat loaf’ on a pillow). When Johnny glanced up at Ghost to ask about it, Ghost was halfway across the room pulling a small assortment of tins down from the top shelf of a cobweb-coated cabinet. “That’s Aster. He’s the one you saw out the door this morning,” Ghost said without turning around. “He’s a quick runner, when he puts his mind to it.” “These are your cats? Did you paint these plates yourself?” “Yes, and not exactly.” Ghost laughed softly as he approached the table and set the tea tins down on an empty space. “It was their idea. Feline magic is an entirely different beast—pun intended—but we work well together. Cats and witches are surprisingly similar… misunderstood and all that…”

I wanted to share a little more witch!ghost drafting before I go to bed because I needed MORE SOFT but didn't want to keep it all to myself 🥺💜✨

#hibirenwrites #witchghostau #codmw #ghostsoap