Lihn Phan
November 1st
Lihn Phan’s Office
Lynn’s hand hovered over a call button for room number three and it trembled. Today was a first step for Lynn, today was a scary day for Lynn, and she was suddenly unsure if this was the right move for her today. The rest of the gang was back at Lucas’s, she was all alone here and this feeling of being alone in this world was amplified by the thoughts of what pressing this button meant. Pressing this button would mean speaking her thoughts, her feelings, to a total stranger and that will lead to an inevitable breakdown eventually. There was a reason that Lynn has not spoken to a paranormal therapist, and why she hasn’t seen her normal one in well over a year. Speaking her truth was never easy. She could not tell a normal therapist she was responsible for dozens of deaths during a battle with a supernatural snake monster. She could not tell a normal therapist she lost the love of her life for some pretty multiverse reason. No, No she could never be fully open with a regular therapist because that led to her being recommended for an evaluation at some crappy hospital. The future was very clear at that point.
BUZZZZHer finger pressed the button and Lynn gasped. Was this a mistake? Did she have to start confronting these issues or was the wall she built in her mind still strong enough to hold the bad thoughts and feelings at bay? Could she simply drink away the problems forever? No she needed to leave she couldn’t do this. She had to go back, after spending an hour somewhere and tell her friends it went well, that she was fine, and nothing would be the matter going forward. She turned around and was prepared to leave when the door opening behind her caught her attention.
"Evelynn?" The door revealed Lihn, who peered her head round to catch Lynn's back. If Lynn turned back around, she'd see her waiting with a gentle smile. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she wore a cosy jumper. Her whole person was open and friendly, with dark bags underneath her eyes. "Do you want to come in? There's no pressure."
“Shitshitshitshitshit,” Lynn muttered under her breath,
“hi yes that’s me, I go by Lynn hi,” Lynn spoke as she turned around and gave the therapist an awkward wave. She needed to run, hide, maybe even fight to get away from this situation.
“I thought I was at the wrong building, shall we?”. Fuck.
"Of course," Lihn smiled, and didn't question her. She understood that Lynn had probably wanted to run away, but she'd dealt with that many times. She just had to be gentle. "Come on in."
She led Lynn down a short corridor, and into a room to the left. The door was gently closed behind her. The room was small enough to be cosy, but not so small it felt like a trap. It was decorated with bookshelves and plants. There was a chaise lounge with a seat near it, and in another corner a two person couch with an armchair diagonally across from it. Lihn gestured to the couch.
"Take a seat. Help yourself to water if you'd like." As she spoke Lihn brought over a glass and a decanter of water. She then sat down in the armchair. She placed her hands in her lap and looked at Lynn with a warm smile. "I'm Lihn, as you already know. Since this is our first session we'll take things slowly, and at the pace you want to. This is a safe space, and everything you say will be kept strictly confidential. There's never any pressure in this room. How does that sound?"
“Perfect,” not perfect. Lynn grabbed a glass of water and took a big drink. She wished it was something stronger.
“Soooooo, uh, how do we start this? Do I go over every little detail of my life? It’s been a while since I saw a new therapist.,”“Well, today’s about me getting to know you. You can talk me through whatever you feel is important to know, whether it’s the surface level or deeper things. Just something to give me a picture of who Lynn is,” Lihn smiled. “But first, there is something I need to be open about. My magic speciality is emotional manipulation and memory aiding. I will
never use this on you without express consent, should either of us believe it would be beneficial. You’d be able to sense if I was changing your emotions, so you can rest assured I can’t do it without your knowledge.”
She reached out for a notebook on the coffee table next to her, opening it on a fresh page. “If that’s fine with you, why don’t we start. Let’s begin simple. Where did you come from today?”
“Okay! I, um, started my day at my friend Luca’s. We went out to the festival yesterday and with everything going on a few of us crashed there, we were there when the earthquake hit,” Lynn paused as she looked over to the far side of the room and locked her eyes on the wall,
“that’s where I came from today!”“Ah, yes, that earthquake was rather unexpected,” Lihn said. She’d thankfully been home when it hit, but it had really frightened her daughter. She noted that Lihn said ‘with everything going on’, but didn’t push on that one right away. “I take it you're quite close with this friend, Luca, and others staying there? Close enough to talk to them, or do you tend to keep everything to yourself?”
“Getting back to close, yes, we were very close when we were in school together,” Lynn paused as she took a deep breath. She was here already, she should totally just tell the truth. Maybe it will help for once?
“Not as much as I should, but I do try,” Lynn winced at the half-truth. Sometimes inside was keeping her from being fully honest, and she wanted to know what part of her mental issues were causing this.
“I see,” Lihn nodded, not questioning her on it. After years of experience, and her unique ability to low level read emotions, she knew when people weren’t quite being truthful. But people who struggled to open up, who ran away before they even started, needed to be treated with care. Provide them with a safe environment and allow them to open up, slowly helping them do it. “Even if you can’t fully open up, just having friends around you is good. A strong support network is important. Is there a reason you feel you can’t be fully honest with them? Perhaps, you don’t want to hurt or burden them? Or you’re worried they’ll reject you once you start to open up? It’s alright if you don’t know the answer.”
Lynn thought long and hard at the question. She wasn’t worried that people would push her away once she started to open up. She had been more honest in the past and people like Jasper and Luca were there for her.
“I don’t know,” Lynn paused as she leaned back into the couch,
“I really don’t. It feels like any time I try and talk about anything like this there’s this block,” Lynn paused as she pointed towards her brain,
“That activates and takes over, you know? No matter how much I scream at myself to just talk, to just be open I can’t.”“I see,” Lihn nodded. It was likely a mental block, rather than anything magical. Sometimes, no matter how much you wanted to talk, you just couldn’t. The walls would build and build until it was near impossible to get past them. There was also the possibility it was magical but… that was unlikely. “So it’s not necessarily that you actively don’t want to talk, but that you subconsciously stop yourself? How does it make you feel when it happens? Frustrated?”
“Yes,” Lynn said weakly.
“Yes, frustrated is a good word for it. Most days I ignore it, and just put on the mask for myself and others but sometimes I…” Lynn paused. Sometimes she says things that she does not mean, and sometimes she says things that cause a lot of pain to those she cares about. Not Linqian, fuck Linqian, but everyone else.
“Sometimes I just wonder if it’s even worth it, you know?”“If it’s even worth talking about it?” Lihn raised an eyebrow. “Or… something else?”
“Yes,” Lynn joked as she leaned forward and rubbed a hand on her knee.
“I think it’s a bit of both to be honest.,”Lihn had guessed that. She could sit there and tell Lynn all about how it was worth it, both to talk and to live, but doing that so bluntly wouldn’t help. “Let's explore that a bit, then, if you don’t mind. You think it’s not worth talking… because you don’t believe it will make things better? That perhaps, you’ll open up and everything will feel the same?”
“Because it is redundant,” Lynn muttered,
“everyone has dealt with the same issues I have, everyone has experienced loss like I have. I may have lost more, and know I will lose more here very soon, but at the end of the day the difference is so small that it might not matter if it exists in the first place, you know?” Lynn sunk further into the couch. Just how much give did this thing have anyway? Lynn wondered if the couch would swallow her whole before long.
“So you think you’re undeserving of help because everyone deals with the same problems?” Lihn said softly. “You’re right, everyone experiences loss. Some more than others, some earlier. But each loss is unique and everyone goes through grief differently. Each loss is significant to the person it affects. Is their pain any less valid because other people are suffering too? No. If one of your friends lost someone, and came to you about it, would you tell them it doesn’t matter? I don’t imagine you would. You have to give yourself that same kindness.”
“No, I used to never be that person,” Lynn started as she sighed,
“I was the one exposed to the loss the youngest, you know? It felt like I spent more time at my family funerals than I spent in their presence when they were alive,” Lynn cleared her throat and took a drink from her water,
“so I was always someone who was really, really, good at talking to people about their loss, and then I wasn’t. I said something incredibly hurtful and I am not even mad that I said it, I am only upset that other people were also hurt by what I said. ”“It's understandable that the longer you sit with your grief without dealing with it, the more it will begin to eat away at you even if you don’t realise that’s the cause,” Lihn said. “It’s often the case when you lose family at a young age. The effects are less direct. If you don’t mind me asking, what did you say? Feel free to explain the situation that led up to it, if you feel comfortable to.”
“I said,” Lynn paused as she took in a deep breath and lowered her head,
“That I was glad that this persons brother was murdered.”There was a moment of silence as Lihn processed what Lynn had said. There was no judgment in her eyes, and her expression remained gentle. “Why don’t you talk me through what led to you saying that? What is your relationship like with this person?”
“It’s a long story. We were at a church and the PRA raided us. They shot tear gas canisters into the room, tased a few of us, and had us all handcuffed. Once they let us go I was talking to their commander about tracking down a murder when the person in question called me out for speaking on behalf of the group,” Lynn started,
“she then said that I ‘hadn’t even lost anyone yet’ and that just…. Struck a nerve. Like, hello? Lynn, kid who lost an entire side of my family before she was 18 to our fucking curse. And that sucked, hearing her say that and it hurt, because I feel like I’m the only one who is an afterthought with these people because I’m fucking useless with my power half the time, and here she was telling me I’ve never lost anyone. Me?” Lynn exhaled as she composed herself. She was going on a rant that would not stop.
“And because she hurt me I had to hurt her back, and I’m better than she was.”“So you wanted her to know just how much you were hurt by her comment?” Lihn couldn’t condone what had happened, but it was her job to carefully encourage clients towards healthier coping. This sounded like two hurt people hurting each other, rather than coming together to help each other. “Because you felt like your own loss was being dismissed so easily? How did hurting her back in that way make you feel?”
“Hurting her felt good,” Lynn paused as she looked around the room for salvation,
“but not good enough to make up for how bad I felt for everyone else.”“So, you’re worried something like this might happen again, to someone you actually care about? That you might hurt more people if you open up?” Lihn asked. She decided to not go down the avenue of talking about why Lynn found some joy in hurting someone in retaliation. It was something that would need explored at some time, but not during the first session. There were too many layers of pain covering and causing it.
“I know it will,” Lynn paused as she pushed herself back to the possible future in front of Lihn, pointing to her eyes as she did,
“the future is unclear but it is consistent,” Lynn muttered as she came back to the present.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone I care about, and I don’t want to be a liability if push comes to shove.”“So every future you see, you hurt your friends?” Lihn raised an eyebrow. “But, everyone is a… burden at some point in their life. It’s human to depend on others, and to feel guilty about it too. But there’s nothing wrong with relying on people, and even hurting them if you then take actions to rectify the hurt.”
“No, no not every future,” Lynn sighed,
“but enough. I keep my mask up for what feels like ages, never a crack and never a worry that it is failing. Then, one word, one sentence, or one moment is all it takes to…. Cause it to break, and something ugly comes out from the inside. You know? And yeah, but what action could I take to tell a dozen people I am sorry about insulting our dead friend without telling her that I am not sorry I insulted your dead brother?”“In any of these futures, have you tried talking about your problems by choice, rather than waiting for the mask to crack?” Lihn asked. As for what action Lynn could take… Well, she was right. There were none that she could take without apologising to the person she’d hurt. Something that would need to be done, mutually, eventually. “There’s apologising to everyone individually, if that’s possible. But you’re right. I’m afraid there’s not much I can suggest for that.”
“I can do that, individually,” Lynn said with a smile.
“I have not tried talking about my problems in the potential future, though I don’t think that’s wise because… I can look at so many possible futures but I don’t know which one is the correct one. There are some things that are better left in the present, you know?”“I agree,” Lihn smiled. “Sometimes, it’s better to rely on what you see and feel in the moment. Looking to what may be will only make any decision harder. Instead of looking about into the future, you should try to
do it. Maybe not today, or tomorrow. Maybe not for months. But try to open yourself up without looking forward to the possible consequences.”
“I can do that,” Lynn smiled as they took in that information. Therapy was working, she was feeling better, more confident, and there was nothing that could derail this any further!q
“Perfect,” Lihn nodding, glad that Lynn seemed to be relaxing into it. Whether that would last… Well. Judging from what she had heard so far, the next one might be a difficult one. But it had to be asked to give Lihn a better picture of Lynn as a person. “Now, let's look back a bit further. Remember, this is at your pace, so if anything is too difficult to answer, we’ll come back to it later. Why don’t you tell me about any key events of your childhood.”
Lynn blinked. She blinked again, and she blinked in rapid succession for a few seconds.
“Oh fuck.”
November 1st, 11:48am
Luca’s Apartment
When Luca woke up the morning after the Halloween festival, he immediately knew that was going to struggle to get out of bed for a few days. His arms and legs felt like they were on fire, muscles protesting at just the slightest of movement. The hole-filled mattress underneath him sank as he twisted onto his back, a sliver of bare skin catching it and beginning to rot it away. That corrupting presence was back in his mind, silent but ever-present. His whole body felt like he’d been thrown around like a rugby ball, slammed into the ground over and over again.
But it wasn’t so much the pain that worried him. It was the slow, dull thudding of his heart and the tightness in his chest. The numbness of his hands and feet. The lack of sensation and the struggle to breath concerned him more.
He blindly felt around for the pills he normally kept within arms reach. The bottle he grasped first were the slow-release morphine pills he took twice daily - a little later than normal, but that was fine. He took one. Then he took one of the slightly weaker, fast acting ones. He carefully tried to sit up, wincing as his arms shook from the effort of just pushing himself into a sitting position. He’d hoped to make it to the living room, to pretend it was okay and that he was just tired. But he wasn’t going to manage that.
It would be easy to go back to sleep… but he should at least let Jasper know first, so he didn’t worry too much. If he couldn’t get out of bed, he’d just send him a text. So Luca found his phone, concentrating to not destroy it, and sent Jasper a quick text.
Got a bad cold, gonna stay in bed today
That would do.
A knock at the door a few minutes later signaled the return of Jasper. The door slowly crept open as Jasper peaked his head through, and once he saw everything was clear he swung the door open all the way. Jasper carried himself into the room with a confident posture, and in his hand, he had a bowl of porridge complete with a spoon. A smile crossed his face as he saw Luca in bed still, and the sight of his sick crush filled him with a nurturing energy.
“I am starting to get the feeling I should have picked up a nurse costume on our way home yesterday,” Jasper joked as he brushed his t-shirt with his free hand before he walked over and placed the bowl nearby,
“eat as much as you can. You will need some energy to fight this cold,” Jasper moved over and leaned against the wall,
“Lila is still asleep, she is going to have a rough morning but I will help her through it. How are you feeling?” ”Not great,” Luca said, voice hoarse and cracking slightly. He slowly and painfully sat up fully, turning himself around to rest against the wall. There were a few holes forming in the t-shirt he wore, but thankfully the material it was made of would be able to last until he had the energy to change. He reached for the porridge and couldn't help but smile over the bowl at Jasper. He felt like shit, but he was used to it. It was the first time in years there was someone to help him through it.
”But I expected it, after being around so many people… immune system isn't used to it. I'm sure it would've been bolstered by seeing you dress up as a maid.”He laughed slightly, turning into harsh coughs. With a slight grimace, he started making an attempt at the porridge. It was good, but slowly going as it slid down his damaged throat.
”I hope Lila's alright… how much did she have to drink in the end. She- cough- was still going when I went to sleep.”“I could not get a number out of Lynn before she left this morning,” Jasper paused as he shook his head,
“but the fridge is empty so quite a lot. The good news is there was no vomiting or anything else like that, Lynn handled Lila and ensured that she got to bed in a good spot,” Jasper chuckled,
“For someone as small as Lynn she can handle her alcohol.” Jasper looked down again at his shirt. If it will bolster Luca’s health he will go out after Lynn returns and buy a maid outfit.
“I think she’ll be fine. You hosted a fantastic party last night! Despite the earthquake, I think the night was drama-free!” ”Lets not restock the fridge then, only water for the next week,” Luca grinned. He was glad Lynn had it handled last night, because Lila didn't seem all that used to heavy drinking… and she'd had a lot. It was risky when it came to apparitions, but at least Stormy was there as well.
”I'm sure she will… I want to talk to her about yesterday when she's sober and better, but that can wait! I'm soooo glad last night was enjoyable, thanks to having the best co-host.”His smile softened as he looked at Jasper. It didn't reduce his pain, but having Jasper in the same room made it feel a bit more manageable.
”That earthquake was wild though! I wonder what caused it… Hopefully it wasn't anyone from our group. Hopefully it was natural!”“Does anyone even have an earthshaking ability?” Jasper wondered aloud, scratching his chin as he did,
“it was probably a completely natural occurrence. Though I did get some texts from a few friends at the 317, sounds like they were pulled into the fight with 8th street, shit went down after we left.” Luca thought about it a moment, then shook his head. As far as he was aware there wasn’t anyone around with that kind of magic… Though Adepts could also learn more spells, from what he knew, so it was possible. But no point thinking about a probably natural earthquake!
”... Did they say who from 8th? Was anyone hurt?”“Well,” Jasper coughed,
“George was the name I saw, apparently he got into some dick-measuring contest with someone named Aryin, the text said that they threw them from the island all the way back to St. Portwell,” Jasper paused as he scratched the back of his head,
“but that must’ve been an exaggeration, Carol was there too fighting with someone on the ground.””Oh… George could throw someone from the island to St. Portwell.” Luca laughed awkwardly, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck. He immediately regretted the movement, shoulder protesting at him daring to raise his arm above it. He lowered it again, taking another spoonful of the porridge and trying to ignore the worry gnawing at his gut. George he didn’t care about, but Carol? Well, she could handle herself, but…
”Was Carol alright? Uh, whoever she was fighting with too! Just, you know…”How did he explain that he still cared about someone willingly staying in a group where their leader was a transphobe (and so much worse). Sure, people like him and Carol had problems that couldn’t be fixed alone, but it was difficult to justify it after yesterday.
”What’s with everyone getting into fights yesterday! Really wasn’t in the Halloween spirit- They should’ve sorted it out through an apple bobbing competition or something. Can you imagine, actually, George doing that?”“Oh shit,” Jasper said at the thought of George actually throwing someone across the bay like that,
“as far as I know Carol was fine, she was just throwing punches and ran when the rest of the 317 showed,” Jasper paused as he pondered the final question,
“could George even fit into a barrel to bob for an apple? And as to why there were so many fights? Not a clue. Emily set off a powderkeg that was brewing when they said that shit, and it just built from there I guess.” Luca let out a slight sigh of relief, turning into a hoarse cough that racked his frail body. He recovered with a weak smile. At least no one seemed to get badly hurt during it. Sure, Carol could revert herself, but getting hurt still… hurt.
”If they had a big enough barrel! Maybe they have an extra large one for people like George and Leon. But I’m not surprised Emily started stuff off she’s… a bitch, obviously. Everyone else isn’t awful, but they’ve all got short fuses. Some of our own do too- I really hope they just let go of what happened… everyone…” “Something tells me this is a prelude to something worse,” Jasper groaned as he leaned against a wall, crossing his arms.
“I don’t know but I think there is enough bad blood between us that even the smallest things are going to provoke a fight,” Jasper turned his attention back to Luca,
“but we don’t have to worry about that. With your charming smile and connections within the 8th street, I am confident you’ll be able to diffuse any tense situations that may come up.” ”Heh, I hope so,” Luca smiled, glancing away for a moment. Jasper thought his smile was charming? Well… he did have quite a nice smile.
”I don’t think it’ll work on Emily and Vashti, but some of the others… probably. I don’t think I could fight most of them. I definitely couldn’t fight Carol, or the twins, or Greta… But you’re right. I’m sure I’ll be able to talk everyone down if needed.” “Let’s hope we don’t fight, we have enough to worry about with Father Wolf, ” Jasper sighed.
”We do,” Luca’s grip tightened on the spoon for a moment, before relaxing when it started to hurt.
”Hopefully we’ll make some progress with that next meeting- I’m glad it isn’t today, though. I’ll need a few days to recover. Though, having someone to bring me food is… really nice.”“Oh take all the time you need. The kitchen is still open, so if you need something more filling than just porridge you let me know, okay?” Jasper paused as he chuckled
“Could you imagine trying to drag Lila to a meeting today as well?””This is perfect,” Luca smiled, taking another mouthful.
”I don’t think I could handle much more just now… maybe soup later? That’d be nice.” He then laughed at the thought of taking Lila to a meeting.
”She’d need to wear shades, I bet! But I’m sure she wouldn’t be the only one that drunk… I mean, there was that toga conga line we vaguely saw. They’d definitely drank way too much.” “Yeah, it would have been counterproductive. Imagine half the coven, hungover, maybe still drunk, trying to decipher what is going on with Father Wolf,” Jasper laughed.
“When Lynn gets back I will go out and grab some ingredients, maybe a good old-fashioned chicken noodle soup may be in order.” Jasper paused as he tapped his chin.
“Can you handle a dessert?” ”It’d be great entertainment, though,” Luca grinned, eyes filling with delight at the thought. Especially with how drunk Sloane had been when she turned up last night!
”Would kinda like to see that… oh, chicken noodle soup sounds perfect. And…” He trailed off, thinking about it. He really wanted dessert. He wanted anything Jasper made, really. But would it be sensible? His stomach was sensitive on the best of days.
”I’ll try eat dessert. No promises, though.”“Okay, I will make something simple then to be on the safe side. Do you need some more alone time to rest up? Or am I good to grab a chair and sit with you for a minute?” ”Stay, it’s helping a bit,” Luca smiled. What he said was the truth. While it didn’t help with the physical pain, having Jasper here helped mentally. He was used to the constant rotting of his body now, but it was the heightened erosion of his mind when he was at his weakest that he struggled with.
”I’ll need to sleep again in a bit, but having you aren’t till then is much more fun than just staring at a wall alone!”“Alright, let me grab a chair!”. Jasper left the room for a brief moment and returned carrying a chair. He put the chair down, back side of the chair facing Luca, and sat down with both legs straddling the seat. He rested his hands on top of the chair and rested his head on top of them.
“I’ll stay with you until you need to rest again.””Thanks! Honestly, it's so nice having someone around when I’m feeling sick… Since Olivia moved out it’s just been me,” Luca shrugged, smiling warmly up at Jasper.
”The last week has been more fun than the last year for me, honestly… Aside from Father Wolf. Once that’s sorted, I’m definitely not losing touch with you three again.” Especially Jasper.
”Maybe if we sort out the rot, I won’t have to worry about visiting either.”“When I was sick I had a good crew around me to help me out, so it’s my pleasure to do the same for you,” Jasper paused as he smiled,
“You hear from her recently?” ”Not directly, but I got in touch with her mom again a few days ago… Supposedly she’s fine, just busy with work!” Luca replied.
”It’s a bit odd since she didn’t even send me a text, but her job can be pretty stressful. Her mom would know if something’s off.”“That’s good at least though I do hope she reaches out soon!”. Jasper leaned up and looked towards the wall.
“when she does come back we’ll have to be sure that Lila and Lynn know they’re on couch duty””I’m sure she’d be fine with sharing with one of them,” Luca laughed. He really did hope Olivia came back, and soon. The longer she wasn’t here the more danger she was in. It still worried him even though he knew she was alright just now… But there was no point dwelling on that.
”Maybe we can have a rotation! I’d definitely need to buy a nicer couch… maybe some air mattresses. I probably should anyway, there’s not really enough for the four of us.”“Oh for sure, I have a L shaped sectional at my place big enough for three small people to sleep on comfortably, you should look into something like that,” Jasper joked,
“though an air mattress is much more economical! If the need arises we can always swap houses, I have a bit more space once we get the paintings and stuff out of the way. I’d love to show you my at-home gallery sometime!””I’ll take a look when I’m better, I probably have enough… I mostly just buy replacement phones,” Luca smiled.
”I’d love to see your house but.. We can’t swap houses. I’ll start rotting your place and all the furniture, whereas here’s already pre-rotted. Maybe when I get rid of it I can come round and see your gallery.”“It’s a…” Jasper paused as he caught himself on the words, it was way too soon to say something like that.
“It’s a bit of a mess,” Jasper lied, it was very neat in the gallery part if a bit cluttered,
“but I think by the time you get rid of it I’d have it nice and clean for you.” ”Yeah you have plenty of time, since I haven't been able to for ten years! Maybe after another ten,” Luca laughed, smiling warmly at Jasper. He wanted to see his place and his art, and he wanted to imagine a future where that was possible. It wasn't, because there wasn't that future, but just the thought of it made him happy. It was enough.
”Maybe you can set up a second at-home gallery here… start by replacing the stolen painting."“You are absolutely right, maybe a second gallery is in order!” Jaspers eyes slid to the ground at the thought of the stolen painting. He was going to grind Skelly’s bones to dust and use it in his art someday.
“Once you feel better I’ll create an even better painting of you, it’ll really capture your beauty this time!” ”Hey, what beauty? I’m handsome- a handsome, manly man!” Luca laughed, shooting a playful glare at Jasper.
”You gotta capture my handsomeness, not my beauty!” “Oh you’re handsome…I’ll capture your handsomeness,” Jasper looked away with redness filling his face.
”Ah- Uh- you better,” Luca coughed, also turning bright red. Wait, Jasper thought he was handsome? Well of course he was handsome… But when it came from Jasper. He also looked away, gaze shifting towards the window.
Jasper followed his gaze to the window and his mouth dropped. With three of their hands Skelly was holding themselves into the frame of the window while their fourth hand was trying to shimmy the window open. Their eyes were locked onto the window itself. Eventually, Skelly felt the burning stare of Jasper on its face and it slowly, ever so slowly, turned their head and locked onto Jasper’s face. It pulled it’s fourth hand back to their neck and dragged it across it, before it pointed towards Luca and Jasper. It’s hand shot back to the window and they began to pull at the window even harder.
”What the fuck?!” Luca screamed, reflectively throwing the bowl (porridge thankfully finished) at the window. The bowl shattered upon impact, shards flying everywhere. Hot pain tore through his shoulder from the throw and he winced.
“Not to worry,” Jasper said in an almost growl like tone, he got up and walked to the doorway and pulled out a nearly finished painting of a gun. With a few extra strokes it was ready, and Jasper flipped his brush and pulled the rifle from the canvas and grabbed the gun. He aimed it at Skelly and smirked, and as he smirked Skelly’s eyes went wide.
Interactions: P Much Everyone
Day of the Meeting
Kari’s House
After two days of rest and recovery, Luca was well enough to attend the next meeting… Just about. He was still in more pain than normal, but it was once again at a level he could hide with medication and a positive attitude. He was able to walk with minimal support, as long as he took breaks. It was all good! Today was going to be a good day, Luca thought as he got out of Jasper’s car near the meeting location. They finally had a lead.
”Soooo…” Luca said, looking at the other three that were staying at his place.
”What do you think Auri’s lead is?” “Something involving Kari,” Lynn said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Therapy had brought out a lot of unhealed trauma in her past, and every day had made those sad feelings that much more visible.
“I mean that’s obvious, but what exactly involving her? Do you think she saw her death coming and left a trail for us to follow,,” Lila asked as she hugged Lynn.
“Must be something like that. I doubt they’d have anything too crazy otherwise they’d have called us in much sooner,” Jasper responded as he grabbed his car keys and twirled them around his fingers.
”Mhm, I think you’re right, Lila,” Luca nodded, starting to walk up the path towards Kari’s house. He was concerned about Lynn, but he couldn’t hug her like Lila so he just shot her a sympathetic look and warm smile. It looked like a bit of a walk there, but they should still be on time.
”I really hope nothing happens today. We finally have a lead… hopefully everyone’s in a good mood!”“Hopefully no one fights,” Jasper said with an optimistic tone.
“And hopefully everyone is finally fucking ready to work together to find this asshole and bring him to justice,” Lila said with a smile.
“And no photos on the walls still,” Lynn whispered. As they continued walking they began to remember taking these various steps so many times before. This house was always a place of healing back then. A place where her happiness was allowed to blossom. Now it was just a reminder of what could’ve been, and what she threw away.
”I’ll try my best to make sure that’s the case!” Luca smiled at them all. They were nearing the top now - it hadn’t been as long a walk as Luca had thought. He was slightly out of breath from the stairs, light panting as he got to the top of them. There was some quiet talking, but Auri didn’t seem to have properly started yet.
And Britney was there. Luca glanced over at her, smile unwavering. He felt strong today. So he smiled at Britney, nodded to her, then shuffled over to the opposite side she was at.
”Small turnout so far,” Luca said quietly to his friends… Before realising they were a large part of the remaining coven.
”Hopefully we’ll start soon.” “I hope so,” Lynn whispered as she had her eyes fixated on a particular rock in the middle of a larger rock bed. It was where Kari would put her spare key, and Lynn was over here enough that it was engraved in her mind even after these past five years.
“Seems the others are finally coming back as well,” Lila said as she pointed towards who they thought was Aryin,
“is that Aryin?”“It is,” Jasper smiled as he spotted them,
“I wonder how they got away from the 317.””Why would they need to get away from 317?” Luca tilted his head, looking over at Aryin. It was nice to see them, even if they hadn’t been especially close.
”Can you not-” Before Luca could finish his question, Auri started the meeting… with news that they summoned the spirits of some of the dead coven members. Seriously? They could just do that- of course they could. But it wasn’t their Kari? Huh?
”Wait, does that mean our Kari could still be… alive?” he whispered to the trio.
“They don’t like their artists getting involved in coven shit,” Jasper whispered back to Luca.
Lynn froze at what Luca suggested. Her breathing quickened as she looked over to Luca, before she took her eyes and rested them on the house.
“If anyone could do it, it would be Kari,” Lynn whispered back as she pulled her spine up straight,
“I have to look to the future and see what it says. When we get a moment inside I’ll go, and I’ll probably spend a long time there. Promise me you’ll watch over my body,” Lynn said with an quite tone as if she was unsure of herself.
A moment later it was revealed that Lyss was also murdered. The news made a rage build inside Lila. It was a rage that was equal parts her own and the maidens. Another murder. Another preventable death. And another reliable source of information taken from them.
“Why were they alone,” Lila said loud enough to be heard by all.
Luca stared at Auri in shock. Another person dead. Just like that. Lila was right, why had Lyss been alone? When they knew he got people when they were alone? Luca bit his lip, pushing through the sorrow that came from another loss. They couldn’t dwell on it. He wasn’t going to. They had to stop more people dying. He glanced over at Aryin when she spoke, and then Ken appeared out of nowhere.
Thank god Ken was alright too. He raised his hand, saying,
”If we’re planning to look around, some of us should keep watch outside. I can’t go in without starting to damage things, and I don’t want to do that. Like Ken said, being respectful… Me touching anything won’t be that.” “Jasper can stay out with you so you’re not alone,” Lila said with a smile. She remembered the conversation with Luca all too well.
“Oh of course. I’ll keep you company out here and watch out for anyone that comes to threaten you Lynn,” Jasper smiled as he finished. He pulled up a canvas and began to paint his knight.
Lynn spotted the whore of sycamore Linqian in the crowd and any sadness was replaced with anger. The anger held for a brief second before Lynn forced it to fade. Today was not about Linqian. Today was about figuring out what happened to her former love.
”Perfect,” Luca smiled at Jasper, before subtly throwing Lila a thumbs up. He followed Lynn’s gaze to also spot Linqian - though she very soon heard her going on a typically angry rant. His mouth fell open as she went to punch Aryin. Violence already?!
”Oh shit- should we stop her?”“I think we should? We can’t be having those fights this-,” Jasper started but was quickly cut off by Aryin laughing and hugging Linqian.
”Oh was my chest out? Woops, well I guess it was your lucky day bitch,” Aryin said as they shuffled their footing in place as they hugged Linqian tighter,
”I missed you!””You fucking whore, flashing me like it was nothing,” Linqian sneered, heated hand wrapping round and slapping Aryin on the back as she returned the hug just as tightly.
”That’s disgusting… Missed you too, bitch.”Luca blinked, confused, and turned to look at Jasper.
”Guess it’s all good… I think?” “I think so,” Jasper sighed as he did. Oh it was just like the old days again.
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