Time: Christmas Day - Six Months Ago
Location: West Bronx, New York CityChristmas decorations were in every direction, snow had freshly fallen over the city much to everyone’s delight. The family had all eaten their weight in turkey, ham and dessert. Now they were all hanging about, talking, drinking, enjoying themselves. Every bit of extended family had arrived to New York City in one piece, aunts, uncles, cousins all to boot. Charlie’s aunt Josephine and her uncle Harold’s high rise apartment in Riverdale had plenty of room to accommodate every Croll. Josephine was actually Doctor Croll, a heart surgeon. While her husband, Harold had a job as a journalist at the New York Times. He came from a family of seers, able to see small glimpses into the past or future. Their son, whom Charlie was trying to avoid, was Charles. Her sole cousin the same age as her and her self-proclaimed ‘rival.’
Jules and Joe thought it was funny to name their first born children the feminine and masculine versions of the same name. Everyone got a kick out of it, save for Charlie. Sure their rivalry started off as fun, they always had each other to run around and cause trouble. Every occasion was met with excitement when they got the chance to spar. The competition became stiff as Charles won multiple scholarships, had a bright career path in medicine. While Charlie floundered with little to no ambition, let alone ideas to what she
really wanted to do. She distanced herself.
With only a semester left in her graduating year, Charlie dodged the polite questions of “What are your plans after graduation?” at every turn. She settled to retreating away with half answers, drinking eggnog with her sister and her younger cousins. Some of the younger Croll’s were showing off their newly carved staves, while some of the older ones were brainstorming with them. A large majority of her aunts and uncles were exchanging notes, arguing over new ideas. While others explained their new modifications. Every Croll family gathering was to this similar effect, the flow of ideas and knowledge was readily exchanged. No one held back, there was a couple new faces of boyfriends and girlfriends looking rather intimidated for the first time meeting. So many names to remember, in a sea of scientists and alchemical minds. Quite naturally they were introduced to the magic side of it before attending but to the uninitiated, it was overwhelming.
Most the family married into magic in some form, whether it’s witches, alchemists, enchanters, seers, clairvoyants. Anyone with magical blood to keep the Croll line diverse and saturated. It brought with it professions outside of the scientific community.
Her uncle Maurice, an illustrations professor at the University of Manchester, had finally figured out how to transmute carbon dust into diamond,
real solid diamond. Not it’s dusty equivalent. He was demonstrating to Nathaniel, Aunt Sam and unfortunately to Charles as well. Charlie wanted to badly watch on but again, Charles was
right there. She’d see about getting notes from her gramps later.
Charlie poked at Harry who was scratching her head over helping their cousin Kerry, he found a crack in his new staff, “
Tell Kerry he’s gonna want to add sodium first-”
Harry bumped her away, “I was gonna say that, go hang out with the adults Char. You’re being a bug.”
Charlie stood up with a huff, “
Well fine then. Be that way.”
She stood up and nearly bumped into Charles himself. He was only an inch taller than her, bright brown eyes and long wavy blonde hair. Clear complexion, red dress shirt with black slacks and dress shoes. Opposite to her hoodie and mismatched socks. He had his staff in his one hand and bottle of beer in the other. He had a sycamore staff as well, their staves were cut from the same wood. “Charlene! Running off again?”
“
Merry Christmas Charles, now I need a refill on the eggnog.” She sidestepped him and Charles moved in front of her again. The younger cousin’s
ooh’d.
“I see no girlfriend again this year.” He commented nonchalantly tugging on one of her braids. “University can’t be that challenging over in Lost Haven to prevent you from finding a date. Jesus, Charlene. Figured you’d graduate early like everyone else.”
She scrunched her face up with a glare then faked left and went right around him, “
Trying to egg me on while I’m getting eggnog. Real clever.”
“
What about you Charles, no boyfriend?”
“He’s off in Vermont skiing with his family.” Charles supplied smoothly, letting her by. “‘Sides, you and I haven’t had a good sparring match since summer solstice barbeque.”
“
I don’t want to spar with you Charles. I’m thirsty.” She said, jutting her jaw out not paying attention to her feet. He stuck out his staff in between her legs, tripping her face first into the floor splashing eggnog up the side of her face.
“Whoops.”
She stood up, alchemically removing the eggnog into the palm of her hand as solid cube. Calmly standing up she deposited it down the sink changing it back to liquid. With an angry grunt, “
It’s not going to work Charles. Kindly, fuck off.”
“The Trash Can Croll too afraid to take me on after her bitter defeat at the barbeque? Come on, we’ll go up to the roof and fight it out. I know you want some redemption, I’ll go easy on you too.” Charles said with a grin, the name calling got a few laughs from the younger cousins, he took a long sip of beer. “Do you really want to say no in front of our family’s patron? Let our grandfather down?”
Nathaniel called out, among the few disinterested in the fight. He parroted Charlie’s words, “Fuck off Charles. If she says no, she means no.”
Charles shrugged at that, “She always has a choice, Grandpa.”
Josephine and Julianne had stopped their card game watching the exchange as well. The pair of sisters remained quiet.
Charlie dug deep finding some calm, finding a little resolve. Fighting him would make him shut up in the short term but it’d fuel the next fight for sure. She weighed her options, dodging him was more work, even if she lost she’d give him a black eye or a fat lip. “
Nothing to be bitter about, but I will kick your ass tonight. One fight then you leave me the fuck alone and you quit bothering me.”
Jules slid some money discreetly to Joe at Charlie’s challenge.
The lot of aunts, uncles and cousins that wanted to see the fight bundled up and followed the two up to the roof. Charlie pulled on her boots fine with a hoodie. Harry was behind her whispering, “What was all that ranting about not wanting to fight Charles this year? C’mon Charlie this is stupid, you’re just beefing up his ego.”
“
I’ll knock it down a few pegs.”
“Now that’s
your ego talking.”
“
Shut up will you? Everyone keeps bugging me about school or any measurable success. It’s getting on my nerves so I’m giving them something else to talk about.”
Harry shook her head, knowing full well she’d be hearing about how much she regretted the fight after Charlie asked her to help nurse her pride.
“Whatever.”
They squared off, Uncle Maurice a tall skinny bearded man volunteered to referee. “Alright, the first one to submit loses, or who loses their staff to their opponent also loses. No alchemy. Everyone understand?”
Charlie and Charles both nodded. Everyone knew the rules to a spar. They bent in different ways, settling for their own natural stances. Charlie shifted her center of balance for an offensive stance, while Charles took on a more defensive stance, he was expecting her to barrage him first. The ground was snow covered, sure to be slippery. Charlie counted her boots for better traction than dress shoes.
“Ready… Start!”
Charlie took off in a hard start. Swinging the butt of her staff around to his midsection, Charles deflected it with a grunt serving up his own attack above her head where she met the tip of his staff successfully blocking it. She pushed off from the force of the block creating space. They stepped around each other, warming up.
“So Trash Can Croll, what made you change your mind? We can always talk honestly here. No bullshit.” He said, eye contact steady while they moved.
“
I figured a fat lip would shut you up.” She shot back then jolted forward for another set of attacks, blocking his reply in return. Their staves connected with snaps, clacking without much heat.
“I said, no bullshit.” Charles said rolling his staff in his hands. “It never takes much to get you into a fight. Trash Can Croll has a temper.”
Charlie glared, “
Stop calling me that!” She delivered another set, seriously hoping to land a hit. “
Why are you constantly on my back about everything?”
Charles deflected then he landed a hit on her thigh, it stung forcing her to back off. “Because for all this pride you have as a Croll you refuse to
do anything with it!” The crowd of family around them muttered amongst themselves at that.
She snarled, “
What the hell is that supposed to mean!”
Charles pointed with his staff, “Exactly what I said,
Charlene. You know, not too long ago it used to be
you egging me on to spar and fight.”
She launched into a new set, furiously throwing more attacks. Finally swiping his feet out from under him. Charles rolled away, getting snowy. “You’ve been ignoring me, distancing yourself away from me. We used to be partners in crime, then suddenly. Poof, you're suddenly a stranger.”
“
Oh please-” She began then was hit again in the same spot, cheeky and making the sting worse.
“You were my first friend, for fuckssakes Charlie you taught me how to talk with the confidence of the slimiest lawyer in any courtroom drama. You were the one chasing off dickhead boyfriends. What happened?” He asked serious, his expression hurt.
She huffed, swiping at her nose with her sleeve. “
I don’t know-”
He roared, “More bullshit!” He forced her to deflect more blows, forcing more space than she was willing to give.
She found some traction at last putting her weight against his, “
I was going to say, you fucking interrupting bulldozer, that I don’t know what I want to do. I’m getting my masters in chemistry but fuck if I know what I want to do after that. Everyone, including you, expects me to know and I don’t. I’m happy dumpster diving, I’m happy working in the shop or grinding at hours of being a lame lab assistant. Okay? That good enough answer for you?”
"Are you really just okay with that?"
"
No, but I'm figuring it out."
Charles relented slightly, Charlie took the opportunity to take a shot at his hand. Landing the hit successfully she slapped his staff out of his hands. He yelped. They both dived for it wrestling. Their grunts turned to laughter, relenting from the serious turn in their sparring. Charlie snatched away the staff standing back up, holding it up, “
HA!”
Charles huffed holding his hands close to his chest trying to warm them up. Maurice called the match in her favour.
“Fair and square.” Charles said, Charlie offered a hand for him up. She gave him a hug.
“
Sorry for being an idiot. The pressure sucks, I felt like you were the one mounting it with every new thing you succeeded at.” She said patting his arm, he grinned then pulled her into a headlock.
“Yeah, I guess digging around in a dumpster enough could bring your IQ down a bit.” He laughed.
Charlie elbowed him and they started wrestling anew. Their family laughed along with them, relieved the tension was aired and dissipated. Joe discreetly passed money back to Jules, whatever they bet on not quite clear.
Across the street shrouded by a cloak, a figure watched on, carefully staying hidden. Close enough to hear and watch the two young Crolls spar, he shuffled his scarf up closer to his face. Satisfied with what he saw he backed away meaning to move on. He held his hand up, dark dust particles moved at his will appearing from the multiple pockets across his person. In his hand a dark solid staff took shape, when the transmutation was complete the dark sheen fell away to reveal the clear form of solid diamond.
He leaned into the staff walking away, a gentle smile across dry cracked lips.
“
Fröhliche Weihnachten.” Oswald Croll murmured.
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