KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills: Spellcraft

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”I save curses for special people,” I say before plucking hair from his head. I turn and add it to the sandalwood concoction I am making. ”There, now the book will only reveal its true form to you. Once we have the book, I can spell it, and it will last up to six months.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I reach my office and go over to my desk. I open up the bottom drawer and pull out the right book. It almost looks like a ledger, but it has all the papers outlining the treaty, rules and regulations, as well as all the supernatural creatures that resided in Chicago at the time of the treaty and those that have entered the city after for sanctuary.

I tuck the book under my arm and close the drawer before heading to the door. I glance around, seeing no evidence of Nero being in here besides the books he had been reading earlier and his clothes. I wondered how they were doing.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I look back at Cassi as she piles candles onto the table, completely in her own world. I smile fondly. ”Sometimes. Not everything is fun, though. Or for a good reason.” With that, I leave the sunroom to go and retrieve the book. Which is in my office.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills: Spellcraft

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I speak and hum to myself as I set up the candles and crush up the sandalwood leaves in a mortar and pestle. I sprinkle a little over one of the candles and light it with a wave of my hand, the other 11 following suit. I turn and look at Nic, scanning his body before landing on his head.

”Can I have a bit of hair from your head?”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Ooo! Like if someone else opens it, it’s just a fairytale or some medical notes?” I asked, suddenly excited. I loved disguising spells. ”Caden, go get the book.” I untangled myself from the couch and got up. The scissors continued to float around, going about their task while I went to get some sandalwood from the plant, and candles.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I chuckled, shaking my head and set my wine down. ”While I’m up, can I get you anything else, Nic?” I offer.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Authority over others has never changed. Not in the last 300 years at least,” I state and set my ice cream aside. I pick my wine back up again and swirl it around my glass.

My eyes wander and I find a plant that could use some attention. I whisper a few words in Latin. The scissors lift on their own and go over to look after the plant for me. I take a sip of my wine and continue to look around the room.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I watched the scissors float away to go about the task Cassi clearly didn’t want to do at the moment. I sip my wine and look at Nic.

”Your world will never be the same again, mate. There is one book I can let you borrow. It’s the treaty we signed and the conditions, all the factions, and other supernatural creatures in Chicago. If you make sure your dad can’t come across it, you can borrow it for as long as you need.”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”You do enough, Nic. You're the head nurse at Chicago Med for goddess sakes. You save a lot of people every day,” I remind him.

Caden nods in agreement, finishing off his ice cream. ”We’ll teach you what you need to notice for supernatural attacks, some of the more noticeable signs.. In some ways, you’ll be the first line of information for all of us. Up until now, we usually wait for the police to inform us.”

”Speaking of the police, we’ll need to go into the station tomorrow,” I reminded Caden, pointing my spoon at him.

”Yes, yes. I’ll pick you up in the morning. I already told Costa we would meet him at the station.” I smile and nod, returning to my ice cream.

”Another thing about the treaty, Nic — and this we don’t always listen to — the police or the government don’t want us interfering with cases unless asked to advise. It is maddeningly frustrating, but they still think they have the answers to everything because they are human and we are the ‘monsters’.”

"Idiots," I grumble into my ice cream.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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”You’re welcome to come and peruse them. If you want to make updates, you could in a notebook. The history is sound, though, when it comes to killing or disposing of creatures. That doesn’t change as time wears on. Healing people from a supernatural ailment, well, that usually calls for a supernatural cure. A shtriga, for example, puts children into comas after feeding on them so they can feed again. There is no cure for the children until the shtriga is killed.”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I rejoin the group, sitting next to Nic on the couch, and picking up my bowl of ice cream. I cross my legs and eat happily, looking at the plants from a different angle.

”Your knowledge will be valuable, I’m sure, Nic. There will just be some finessing.”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I watch Cassiopeia up on the ladder, perfectly in her element. I sip my wine and mull over Nic’s question. I pick up my bowl of matcha ice cream and sit back in the chair.

”Well, if that happens, I want you to call Cassi or me. After that, well… If someone is possessed or not in their right mind, there isn’t much you can do. If you want to save the person, that only really happens with demon possession, and you can exercise the demon, but we’d have to teach you the Latin phrase to do that. If you come across a person who's been attacked, well, you do what you already know, and you take them to the hospital where they can be cared for. We can show you what a werewolf bite looks like, versus a vampire versus a djinn. Or a windigo’s claw marks, but really, that all comes with practice.” I eat my ice cream slowly, thinking about it all. ”We have history and knowledge books, but those aren’t readily available anymore. I contain pretty well any volume ever written about the supernatural community, but I am always searching for more. Those books, however, are limited to mine or Cassi’s,” I tell him truthfully. I am certain Nic wouldn’t damage anything, but I don’t want his father coming across those books or some random person he invites over for a meal.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Aye, yee wish I ‘ad been. I’d drink yee both under,” I state, my accent thick once more. ”I’ve been around for a while. I can turn it on and off,” I say, sounding ‘American’ again.

I waved the scissors at them both before climbing the ladder. ”I can fix and talk,” I assure them.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I laugh. ”Don’t worry, Nic. I’ll be gentle,” I say with a wink. ”Come, I’m sure you have more questions.”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I reach down to grab the scissors from Nic. I note how he steadies the ladder for me, and I smile slightly before I stand back up to tend to the plant.

”Gaelic,” I inform him. ”I’m Scottish,” I add for his benefit. I fix up the overgrowth of the plant before allowing her to fall back naturally. I examine a couple of others on this part of the shelf before I climb down and move the ladder to another section.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills: Notice;

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I walk into the sunroom and shake my head. ”Don’t be up there all night, Cass. You have to help me answer questions.” She throws me a vulgar gesture, and I smirk, sitting down with a glass of wine.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Some,” I say with a nod. ”The lemon tree I grew from its seeds. It's not easy, mind you, but he’s doing so well now. A few I propagated from plants on the property. The carnivorous plants I had to order in. Others are native from Europe and the UK, but those have more medicinal properties,” I say, glancing at Nic as he wanderers.

I pour out the glasses of wine before setting the bottle down. I don’t sit down, though. I grab the ladder from the corner and set it up so I can check on the plants growing on the shelf.

”Hello, ladies. Getting along, okay? Nic, the bookcase has some drawers. The top one on the left has scissors, can you bring them to me, please?” I ask, after examining the pothos plants. ”Na gabh dragh a nighean bheag. Ceartaichidh mi thu.” I pinch off a couple of clusters that will bud flowers while I wait for Nic. The plant seems to respond to my touch, perking up and turning its leaves towards me. ”Oidhche mhath.

Translations

Gaelic: Don't worry, little girl. I will correct you.
Good evening.