Dorian had enjoyed seeing how happy and enamored Percy was throughout the night of his birthday. Seeing his excitement at each and every turn of the night made his heart flutter, yet it also left him feeling hollow inside. All of this was Chase's doing, so much that Dorian hadn't known about Percy. His favorite cake, his favorite snack, drink, all of it. The way he spoke about the stars and constellations. Had it not been for their trip in the Mountains, Dorian would've thought he could never make Percy this happy. But he'd seen it before, and that was enough to give him more hope, even if he hated that Chase did this for him.
The next morning was rough, between the late night and the fusing, Dorian ended up sleeping in later than he wanted to, causing him to panic pack and throw random items he wanted into his bag before snagging his tote that was tethered to his room for future use. Drink in hand and with everyone meeting up, Dorian poked at a mushroom from the outside as it wobbled while they waited for more to come. Chase wouldn't shut up, and it seemed now more and more people were in fact carrying swords. He caught the garlic tossed at him and stared at it confused. ”You expectin’ us to run into Vampires while we are ‘ere? Also what if t'ey go rotten? Does it still work?” Dorian pocketed the garlic, seeing the bottle of water that was flying towards him, his powers instantly locking it into place mid-air as he sent a glare to Chase before grabbing it and placing it in a side pocket of his bag.
Dorian ignored what Chase was talking about, instead making his way over to the new girl Marlena to see what she was saying. He recognized the sigil, and knew it did as she said, but beyond that he could hardly remember. A part of him wondered if he'd attempted to use it as a prank and had it backfire, given his usual aptitude for recalling anything that he studied. April had always hated it, how easily his grades came to him. ”I've seen t'ese sort of magicks back at Kamar-Taj. Potent stuff, I would try not to mess wit’ it mon ami. But speakin’ of memories, I'm wit’ April. I can take t'e photo usin’ a bit of TK to get t'e best angle.”
• Greca • Whole bean coffee bags (4) • Bean Grinder • 3 Pairs of Clothes • Sheets off his bed • Pillow • French Press • PS Portal • Wall Charger • Camera • Van Winkle Bottle • Deluminator • Percy's copy of the Illiad • Benoît the Teddy Bear (wrapped in the sheets by accident) • Spacial Tote
The party was exactly what everyone needed before heading off onto an adventure and braving a land of Myths and Legends. Especially if what Vicky had brought up was true, if Avalon relied on the powers of Story Magic. Chase bit back a groan and the urge to roll his eyes. There had been some Arthurian stories that related to Story Magic, and if that's what they were facing then they were in for a world of trouble. Trouble he wanted to ignore for the night so he could focus on having fun and showing Ben a good time. Chase had done everything available to them within the gyms wall, partying to his hearts content and having way too much sugar that would make a normal person crash. At some point the chicken from earlier had given him back “his sword” made of shadows. Respect to her for stealing their stuff back, though the sword itself was just shadows he could create once again. He thanked her regardless before snapping his fingers and making the shadows disperse as if he was stowing it away.
As the night wound down and everyone slowly began to make their way out and to bed, Chase stayed back to clean up the mess they'd all made. Not that it would take him long, shifting shadows and having the paper plates and plastic cups and move and shuffle into the nearest trash cans along with the decor. The left over snacks were moved into his own dorm, and when he was all done, he'd made his way back towards his room and threw himself onto the bed. He couldn't sleep, he knew he wouldn't be able to, but even then, Chase wanted Ben with him. He'd used his shadows to pull Ben out of his bed and into Chase's, covering his mouth and whispering to be quiet as Millie was asleep. They talked in whispers and cuddled until Ben finally fell asleep, leaving Chase all alone again. Staring up at the ceiling, painted blue by the moon's light that filtered in and colored the world. He moved himself through the darkness, appearing at the foot of his bed as he decided to begin packing for himself, then after for Ben when he remembered how poorly he'd packed before for their trip.
When morning came, Chase had stepped out of his room to get Ben some tea and breakfast to bring back for him in bed, surprised (and annoyed) when he came back and noticed his roommate was already up. He wanted to smack her and Ben with pillows but that would have to wait for another day. After some food, an offer of a shower together, and a bit more if Ben was up to it before launching off, Chase was ready to finally meet up and see what everyone else was up to. Percival didn't seem to be packing much, Lancelot was full to the brim with items, the Nymph had hardly much going as well save for water, Lena seemed…decent, and Vicky's made little to no sense to him. Especially the garlic she was hanging out to everyone. ”Sweet. More seasoning for cooking. Speaking of which –” Chase began tossing everyone a bottle of water that held 1 Liter and was currently full. ”Wasn't sure how many of you guys actually had reusable water bottles to bring some figured if you didn't, you can use these to refill as we go.” The bag on Chase's back seemed filled to the brim, a pair of shoes hanging off the side from a strap, a lantern hanging off the other side as his skateboard was strapped to the bag with the modifications he'd done years ago. His Bedroll visibly tucked underneath and held together by more straps that ran along the bottom of it.
”There's a chance the Story had no place for them. I've actually seen things in Story Magic before, its dangerous and unpredictable, but usually if you can figure out what Story you're in, you can alter things in ways that can help. It also makes things more dangerous for anyone who knows about the story. If they're made aware, regardless of their wants, they get sucked into the story and are given a roll, and sometimes that roll is just dying so that the story can move on. We'll need to figure out what our roles are and play them accordingly…maybe. Or if we are not assigned roles yet then we need to be careful which roles we may pick up along the way.” Chase leaned against the tree, tossing the garlic bulb up and down in his hands. ”If this is a doorway to another world, and the story dictates we go there, then I think all we do is step through like a doorway and see where we end up going. Follow the tale and head to the next until we find who we're looking for.”
• 2 Types of Lanterns (electrical and oil) • 50 ft Hempen Rope • 10 ft silk rope • 2 pairs of shoes • Spare Clothes (3) • Skincare • Compass • Batteries • Charging cable • Paint supplies • Bedroll • Thermos • X Bottles of water • 2 Rice Bags • Bean Bag • 4 Canned Beans * Beef Jerky (4 flavours) • Spices (Salt, Pepper, Cayenne, Paprika, Tumeric, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Thyme, Basil, Bay Leaves, Parsley, Lemon Pepper) • Vanilla Bean Pods (2 Jars) • Mess Kit (with pot) • Baby Wipes • Dry Shampoo • Deo • Perfume Oils • Toothbrush and Paste • Magic Cards • Skateboard * Headphones * Condoms
Location: Hall of Ancients, Strange Academy Grimore: Skills:
Cassie didn’t seem to be responsive, but she was alive and as far as Barty could tell, stable. That was good news, even better Connie was already beginning to work on her wound. He didn’t know how long it was going to take for her magic to fix whatever they had done or had done to them. He looked back towards Nicky, making sure once more that he was safe and unharmed before a strike of panic flashed across his eyes at Cal’s mention of a hunt. It appeared all three were in some form of agreeance. The book was to blame for what transpired and Cal seemed all to ready to try and dispatch of it on his own. Barty tried to ignore the back and forths of the Coven, focusing his attention on the glass shard that was protruding out of Willow’s shoulder, having moved away from Cassie to give Connie the space needed to heal. It was a basic structure, magic given form in the shape of glass that held the remnants within. Dispelling it would be easy, simply shattering the damned thing would do the trick once he removed it from Willow’s body. Barty gently placed his hand near the shard, pressing against Willow’s shoulder as his free hand tugged on the shard and pulled it out, tossing it aside so he could get to work on mending her wound. Reaching back into his pouch and plucking at herbs blindly as he helped the moth apply pressure to the wound before chewing up the ingredients and spitting the paste atop of it. ”Cal don’t be so reckless. The book was able to do all this in such a short amount of time and you’re telling me it’s now drunk of the chaos witches magic? You truly think yourself so formidable that you stand to face it alone? You’ll be running towards your own death and I won’t have it.”
There was a strange taste in Barty’s mouth. A bitterness that lined his tongue before his eyes went wide at the mixture he’d placed on Willow’s wound. He added too much of what was needed to help staunch the flow of blood. He didn’t make a healing salve, in all the chaos of what was happening and the constant conversation, he miscalculated and had made a poison that he had just fed to an open wound circulating into Willow’s system. ”Bha an leanabh gòrach sin a’ spreadhadh le solas fhad ’s a bha thu ag èigheachd airson cobhair. Nam biodh e air ar leantainn bhiodh sinn uile dall fhad ’s a bha sinn a’ feuchainn ri cobhair a thoirt dhaibhsan a tha air an leòn. Dh’fhàg mi e gus e fhèin a chàradh, oir feumaidh mi a-nis an praiseach a rinn mi den phasgan seo a chàradh mus marbh mi a’ bhana-bhuidseach mallaichte. An uairsin nas fhaide air adhart... faigh a-mach carson a tha fios aig Connie air na faclan sin a bhios i a’ bruidhinn airson cumhachd.” Barty removed the paste from the wound, pulling out a flask of Scotch and taking a swig to rinse out all the toxins that may yet linger in his saliva before spitting it all out onto the office floor. He began again, chewing, and prepping the mixture before cleaning the area once more, by pouring a small amount of his high proof alcohol onto the open wound and then spitting the paste back on. It bought Willow time, but he needed to work on something fast before the toxins killed the damn moth and the dragon would soon follow with his head. ”How’s it goin Winthrop? Ready to help another or do you need more time?”
That idiotic child was bursting with light as you called for aid. Had he followed us we would all be blind while attemtping to aid those who are injured. I left him to fix himself, as I now have to fix the mess I've made of this paste before I kill the damned witch. Then later...figure out why Connie knows those words she speaks for power.
With the cabin in sight and Nancy feeling better (as well as Zeke backing off a bit) Demi felt comfortable enough to go and do some work. After all they couldn't all slack off for Nancy's sake but at least Zeke could get a pass from Dobbs given he was blood and all that. Demi spotted Em off in the distance, pushing a wheelbarrow of who knows what from this far and seemingly alone. ”I'll catch up later you two. Gonna buddy up with Em so she isn't alone.” He waved goodbye to the pair and quickly began to jog backwards a few steps before turning around and making his way towards Emily. The acrid scent hitting him as he got nearer. ”Geeze Em. Your stomach ok?”
“I'm fine. I don't know what that was.” She shook her head, her face was still contorted into a grimace at the lingering smell. “It almost reminded me of sulfur, but not quite right. Do you recognize it?”
Demi took a second, standing still as the scent surrounded them and he took it in. It was sulfurous as Em had described it, but there was a bit more to it. There was a sickly sweet smell, amongst the scent of rot and decay that seemed to remind him of something. His expression changed, a deep scowl on his face as he held his arms close to his body while a memory he'd thought he buried deep into his subconscious began to climb up. ”Yeah…actually. Reminds me of when I visited some family down in Florida. Rents left me at my uncles for a week, I took to exploring the woods as I do up here. Cept…they don't worry about Moose or Geese and shit. I fell into a hole, down in it was a half eaten body, ripped at the torso. There were faint claw marks at the edges of the muddy pit, I cried for hours, stuck down there until my Uncle finally found me. Almost didn't cuz of the smell, but his dog was good enough…turns out it was someone lost to a gator in the swamps nearby. Authorities were glad to find the body but…the scent stuck with me for days. I tried forgetting all about it.” His voice was distant, lost in the memory as if he was still that little boy.
Em looked at Demi surprised. She wasn't sure what to say in response to that. The smell had already drifted away on the wind. She didn't really want to smell it again. She couldn't imagine how horrible it had been for Demi back then.
“Fuck. That has to be an awful thing to have dealt with. How old were you?” She hoped there wasn't a dead rotting corpse up here. Suddenly she was thankful for the company. Though she hoped they didn't find a body for Demi's sake.
”Six. Its…been a while since then. Maybe all this reconstruction has unearthed one of the bodies, or maybe the wind itself is just carrying the scent from wherever it is. Or –” Demi wasn't sure he wanted to say the last thought out loud. He didn't need to be the only camper that was getting spooked by every sound and scent around him. He looked at Em again, thoughtful. ”You went swimming earlier yeah? At the lake?”
Em winced at the age. Damn, Demi was lucky to be so well adjusted. That was a messed up childhood event. She nodded at his question about swimming.
“Yeah it was too hot to be out here clearing paths. And I love a good swim. Why?”
”Was the water…bubbling by any chance? When you were there.”
Em frowned. “I didn't see any,” she admitted after a moment of contemplation. Now more intrigued by what Demi might be talking about.
”Oh. Good, I guess.” Demi began to wonder if maybe this was all just a coincidence. The scent, the sound, the connection to a past he'd long wanted to get away from. Maybe it was all superstition and he was getting all worked up over nothing. No one else seemed to be taking it seriously. He looked up towards the sky, trying to judge how many hours they had before nightfall. ”It sounds silly, but part of me wants to go and double check the water after smelling that. They say if it's calm he won't be active that night, but if it bubbles then we are in for a long night. Not sure if we could even check and be back before night falls. It's stupid…”
Em turned and looked at the lake. She didn't necessarily believe in ghosts, let alone some spectral killer. But she nodded, in agreement. “Let's go check it out.” She set down the wheelbarrow and made sure the shovel and other tools were secure. She dusted her hands and started walking back to the lake.
Demi hadn't expected Em to agree. Hell he hardly expected her to take him seriously. He watched as she set down the wheelbarrow, and he quickly grabbed a shovel and took it with him before running after her. ”In case there's a wild animal. I hear they hate loud sounds, so smack this bad boy onto the ground or a rock should scare them off if not work in a pinch as a weapon.” Forget the fact that the sound of a shovel on gravel was this killers go to sound. No shovel, no sound. Easy.
“As long as you don't use it on the animals... unless it has rabies or attacks I suppose.” She nodded and finished walking toward the lake. It was a big lake, big enough that the other side of the lake was not clear to the naked eye. There was a line of trees and mountains but seeing exactly where the water and land met was difficult. She frowned. Watching the water for bubbling.
“The wind is causing the water to be just a bit too choppy to spot movement.”
”Wonderful.” Demi remarked, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. The shovel lazily hanging off of one of his fingers. ”It was stupid to want to check anyways. Sorry for dragging you out here Em.”
Em shrugged one shoulder. “Not stupid if it was true. I don’t necessarily believe the story, but I’m not insane to ignore something that is dangerous even if I don’t believe in it.” Em frowned. “My mom is very superstitious. Believes in all kinds of stuff. I always try to not be superstitious unless I find a good reason. But I’m not afraid to say there is a chance of things being real that I can’t explain.”
”I don't know where I land if I'm honest. I feel silly believing in things, but also I want to believe ya know? Life beyond us, what lies in the great beyond, energies that exist beyond our mortal selves, it all sounds so silly but also…kinda cool. I dunno, but the way Dobbs talked about this, the amount of information he had. It didn't sound as if he was pullin’ it out of his ass. So I figured I better pay attention, but now I'm jumping at shadows and smells and sounds. This camps gonna be the death of me.”
“My experience with stories like that is they spread and change and become messes and while there might be a nugget of truth in it the truth has been lost.” Em chewed on her lip a little. “The base story might be true. A man stuck in a bad situation fighting for his life and his family. What happens after his death is muddier. I’m not saying it isn’t possible. But I don’t think I believe it until there is more than stories. Stories are easy.”
”But isn’t weird. Other places have stories of vengeful spirits who protect an area. All spread across the world. Why would so many people have similar experiences if there isn't some truth to it?” Demi shoved the shovel into the dirt deep enough to rest his body weight on it. Leaning on the shovel as he spoke.
“That’s why I’m willing to entertain the idea. The possibility. However, what if, the killings prior was a living human. And the killer has gotten away with it because of those stories,” Em offered as a counter point.
”Local murderer hiding out in the woods and picking off easy kids? Sounds doable. Somehow also more terrifying than if it was a bad spirit. The spirit has rules, things it can or can't do. People? They're fucked. They can do what they want when they please if they knew they couldn't get caught. I'd take the spirit any day.”
Em nodded. “Alright. If we are going to believe that there is a danger. Human or spirit. What do we do? How do we protect ourselves?”
”Buddy up. Stay strapped. And offer Aster as a sacrifice if needed.”
“Hmm, the last one is tempting.” Em laughs. “He grows on you... like a bad rash.”
”Ah, that's why he's here. Can't have a true summer camp experience without getting a bad rash at some point. Usually it's Poison Ivy but I guess Aster will have to do.” Demi laughed, relaxing a little more as the thoughts of maniacal killers began to drift away.
Em grins. “Alright. I have work to do. Are you gonna help me? Or wander off?”
”Por Que no los dos? Help out a little here and there before I get bored and go off to find Marco to see if he can make me a little snack.” Demi pulled the shovel out of the ground, twirling it so that the wooden shaft now rested against the back of his neck as his hands draped over the top of it lazily.
Em grinned. “Hope you're not afraid to get a little dirty.” Em led the way back to where she had left the wheelbarrow and started to get to work clearing the path.
It appeared that Ivanna was up to heading into Sam's room. That was good, it meant they still trusted each other enough for sharing information or being in closed rooms. He had no doubt that Ralph would agree as well, but hearing the words still made him smile until he asked about looping in the remaining two. That would be a bit harder to do discreetly without the use of their phones. Sam wondered if maybe they would be better of chatting amongst themselves then dispersing the information at the party in a discreet way. He looked towards Millicent, who finally agreed to go up, and just like that, their small group of four was back together again, the only missing member having been found in a ditch in the mud outside.
”Lets head on up then.” Sam followed behind Ralph. He doubted anyone here needed to be lead to his room. Millicent knew her way to hers, and by proxy his, Ivanna knew Millies, and Ralph and Sam had acquainted themselves in his room. His hand twitched as they walked towards it, gently tapping the back of Ralph's hand before spotting Jeanne at the top of the stairs. Sam smiled and waved at her before finally going to his room and entering it to sit down on his bed. As soon as the last person rolled in and closed the door, he asked outloud ”Spill. What'd you learn?”
After Chase and Leah had arrived back to the Academy, he'd given her his and Ben's numbers in the hopes that somehow she could help with integrating Ben further into the group. Chase didn't fully care about whether or not the rest liked him, they didn't need to like him, he'd be around regardless for Danni's sake and if they didn't like it they could bring it up with the Pyromaniac. Once contacts were exchanged and he'd dubbed Leah as Lancelot within his phone, he began to make his way over towards the school's parking lot. Sending a quick text to Morgan before wanting to have to contact Ben's Uncle.
Hey about to message Matt Moss (Bens dad) in a bit. Apparently there's an Arthurian Prophecy in the Kingdom of Avalon and I need Matt to be ok with us going over. We don't exactly have a choice but he should be informed and know it's all chill. It is...all chill right?
A system notification came back as he hit send, but he'd already stashed his phone away and didn't see it. Chase was about to get into his Jeep when he spotted Sabine coming back with Marlena and two boards. Weird. Didn't know blondie knew how to skate like that. Marlena was cool, but three teens in a store spelled trouble, and Marlena already did that enough on her own based on appearances. ”Hey! Party girl, you wanna hop in for a ride? I'm gettin’ some provisions for the trip comin' up and could use the company.” Why the hell was he asking her to come? Chase didn't know, but Ben needed more socialization time and he needed to get ready because he doubted the others knew how.
Sabine had felt a rush of exhilaration she hadn’t felt for a while now. She also wasn’t thinking of her mother or her lack of communication. It was a distraction when she needed one the most. Now she was in a better headspace. And now she needed to get ready for the trip.
She heard someone call out and looked over to see the new guy, Chase. She hadn’t been able to speak to him since the freak-out ice incident. He seemed better, at least. And he was inviting her to go shopping? Well, she did enjoy shopping. Plus, she could get to know him better. Part of her responsibility, in a sense. He wasn’t part of Excelsior, but he was close to Danni. Plus, dude seemed like drama.
”Oh, sure, I guess. I’ll talk to you later Marlena,” she said to the girl before walking over to Chase’s car. ”So, where to? What sorts of things do you buy for a trip to the Otherworld?”
Chase popped open his car door, jumping into the ride before reaching over and opening the door for Sabine from inside. He waved to Marlena after Sabine had before pulling on his seat belt. ”See ya later Lena, I'm stealing her for a bit.” His eyes met back with Sabine’s. ”Don't tell me you've never been camping before? And since when are you and Marlena tight?”
She got in when the door opened and shut it as she put on her own seatbelt. ”Does glamping count? I don’t willingly spend my days hiking or sleeping in a tent on the ground where anything can crawl on me or bite me. And we quite literally met today. She sort of just helped me out. The vision Carlos shared well…..it took a lot out of me.” She didn’t want to share with Chase just yet.
Chase started the car, connecting his phone to the radio as old disco tunes began to play, lowering the volume to a murmur so that they wouldn't need to yell over the songs. She was being vague, but he didn't blame her, after all they barely knew each other. Hell at this point he knew Leah better than he knew her. ”Tell me about it. One of my Rents can see into the future, so I get how that can be. Doesn't help when one of the visions looks like I'm invading a city.” Chase put the car in reverse and finally backed out of the space, making his way towards the nearest Grocery Store. There was a thick blanket in the backseat of his car, some remnants of his camping trip still in the trunk and floor. A drawing of Ben and a bug was paperclipped to the sun visor.
Sabine observed her surroundings and found some inconsistencies. Well, what she assumed were anyway. First, Chase didn’t strike her as someone into disco music, but that wasn’t so odd. And there was a picture of the new kid with a bug of some sort. From what Percy said and what stories she heard, Chase was someone not to be trusted, someone bad. And granted, he still could be, but she remembered what happened. How upset Chase got. How assumptions could be made towards you that weren’t true, but if told to you often enough you believed it.
”So, how are you doing after all that from before? Sorry if it’s a tough subject, but I wasn’t able to check in. Had to do some damage control and then things got busy.”
”Damn. Straight to business huh? You really need to learn to relax a bit more. Have more fun. Like Leah, she's real chill when she isn't being an aggro attack dog.” Chase kept his eyes on the road as he spoke, tapping his fingers after a bit of silence as he chewed over how to respond. ”So which part you want to talk about specifically? The whole Percy bit, or when Lightning McQueen decked me and Gideon kicked me, or the prophecy bit. Honestly a lot happened this morning and all I wanted was to spend the time I promised Danni and Ben we would.”
Chase reached behind his seat, never once looking back as his hand blindly felt around until the crinkle of plastic could be heard and he produced a bag of Sweet and Spicy Doritos. He took the bag up to his mouth and bit down on one side as he pulled with his hand at the other, tearing it open. ”Road snack?”
Sabine passed up the snack. Her stomach was still a bit wonky. Even now with Chase. ”When you’re with this lot, you have to be on your toes. I’d do anything for them, even if it means making someone uncomfortable with my questions.” This wasn’t so much a threat to Chase, but a promise. You fuck with them, I will make it hurt.
”I can probably guess the Percy bit, but I assume Andy hit you because of that? And Gideon….well I am not surprised, even if you did do something wrong. The prophecy was interesting, if you have thoughts.”
”Wrongo. Andy hit me because I was being cute with my boyfriend and she thought I was bullying him. Because that's all your little clique seems to view me as, and fair. But damn a bully can have a boyfriend too! And fun.” Chase took a handful of the chips and shoved them in his mouth, chewing slightly before talking again. ”The prophecy is gonna prophecy. Just as it always has. The land we're going to is of myth and legends, where my favorite tales breathe life apparently. You all keep calling it Otherworld, yet its better known as Avalon or to others, Camelot. So I'm sure we'll have things like a Questing Beast to deal with as well as many other trials.”
He finally swallowed what he had been eating. ”Also ask all the uncomfortable questions you want. Nothing really bothers me I'm an open book.” If Sabine was threatening him, Chase didn't show any care about it.
”While I won’t condone Andy for jumping to conclusions, you can understand where they are coming from. If Percy is to be believed, you are a bully. And bullies are not tolerated. However, I know there’s more to this. And I could see for myself if I wanted to, but since we’re together, perhaps you can enlighten me as to why Percy seems to be so concerned with you. From your own lips. After all, there’s three sides to every story: Yours, his, and the truth.”
”What's there to tell? None of it make any of it or this right, nor does it fix the past. But sure. Percival is concerned because in all reality he should've been. We grew up together, I showed him around GATES Academy, originally assigned as a hallway buddy and later turned into fast friends. He was like a brother to me, especially since with him I was able to escape my home life. It wasn't often or always, because leaving for too long meant getting punished further…although…sometimes those were worth it if it meant spending a bit more time with him and his mom's. My original rents were abusive, physically, mentally, emotionally, the whole kit and caboodle. Fast forward to these weird ass exams we had to take back at GATES, we always took them together. Had the same block, and then suddenly one day he just…stopped. He left me alone in there, and that was when the tests started getting worse. I'd black out, lose time, forget what I was doing, and sometimes came back sore. All the while he was gone. I thought he'd abandoned me, abandoned our friendship and left me to rot like my parents had. So, I did what I was taught, what I grew up knowing. I took my feelings out on him in the most imaginative ways that I could, until eventually he left and left me. I'd never felt more alone than when he'd fully transferred out. Percival is right, I am a bully, and he had every right to fear me. More shits happened between then and now, a lot he doesn't know or probably care about if I'm honest. Your girlfriend knows though, she knows better than anyone I'd wager…”
Chase took another chip, biting into it as he continued to drive with one hand on the wheel. His eyes were on the road, but the look was distant, as if in his own thoughts.
As Sabine listened, it grew clear that there was a lot more happening behind the scenes. Chase’s parents first of all. She had never been abused, physically, mentally, emotionally, or otherwise. She supposed she should count herself lucky. But she had one parent leave, abandon her essentially, for reasons still unclear, and another who became so broken he threw money at the problem in the hopes it would solve everything.
And she knew what it was like to be labeled a bully, true or not. She had been angry. At everyone making assumptions about her and labeling her without getting to know her. So she lashed out at others before they could hurt her. Isn’t that what bullies did?
”Back in France, there was a girl who got seriously hurt. For some reason, the teacher blamed me. This was before I knew about my own powers, but she could sense it. I didn’t do anything and my father stuck up for me, but since then I was always labeled as the “weird one”. No one trusted me. When my powers came in full I was not trusted even more. Everyone thought I would cheat or lie to get what I want. Did I buy that shirt at the store or did I wipe the cashier’s memory and make it seem like I did? My own father and his wife didn’t fully trust me. So I lashed out. And then we came to America and I found a school where maybe I could learn to handle my powers and be amongst peers who could believe in me. Only I was ostracized even further. No one trusts psychics. So, I lashed out even more. Made people’s lives miserable, spread rumors, hell I even hurt Leah. And it took getting to know Excelsior to make me see that there’s people out there that do believe in me. It’s why I fight so strongly to protect them, because I wish I had them growing up. So, I know what it’s like. Granted, different set of circumstances. But your past doesn’t define you. It’s what you choose now that matters. And there’s people out there that get that. Seems like Leah does. And Ben. Percy will too. It just might take more time.”
She sat back in her seat, allowing the music to wash over the trauma dump. ”For what it’s worth, thank you for sharing. It sounds like a rough situation to grow up in. I’m glad you're here and safe. Save for punching and kicking,” she added the last part with a sly grin to show she was joking.
Chase didn't see anything wrong with what Sabine had said. Who cares if she used her powers to get clothes or food or whatever, that's called survival. You adapt or you die. He wasn't sure if she'd agree with him on that however. ”Please, I think after everything the abuse was the easy part. Also, fuck all those people. Who cares if you did or didn't snag a shirt. People without powers do it all the time.” He rolled his eyes at the prospect before a stray thought crossed his mind. She came into her powers, as did Ben, and Danni, and almost all the others. Chase gripped the steering wheel hard, the leather groaning in protest as he did. Even amongst the school of SuperFreaks he was different. He didn't grow into anything. ”Right. Leah mentioned you're a moon bug too.”
”I don’t think I have ever heard of it referred to as a moon bug, but yeah, I suppose. Also, that’s not what our powers are for. Could I? Yes. But should I? It isn’t black and white necessarily. But I am not in a position where I need to for survival. But there’s people out there that would use it for wrong even if they did not have to. I’m not like that.”
The conversation was making her question if Chase could be fully trusted or not. She knew back when Percy freaked out that Chase wasn’t fully innocent, but he wasn’t fully guilty either. There was more to him, but his walls were fully up. ”So, I take it you aren’t a…moon bug then?’
”Nah. Benny Boi is, he's basically King of the Bugs too. One of the many things I found out your girlfriend and I share. Wouldn't of expected to find two Moon Bugs though, don't know why but kinda assumed that it was more rare or something. So quid pro quo, you don't have the money to fully cloth an entire homeless encampment before a harsh winter comes. Would it be wrong to use your powers to steal enough to help them survive?”
”It isn’t so simple as that though. Would me asking for donations be possible? And if I did use my powers, would targeting a clothing store that, say, donates money to fund wars in other countries be considered good then? Most simply, yes, I would use my powers to help, but there’s also what happens after? Would I lie or tell the truth? And I wouldn’t hide it. I’ll face the consequences. That’s the difference.”
”You sound like him.” Chase replied almost mournfully. ”Life isn't so black and white, and its ever rarely kind. That's been my experience so far. I've spent a better part of it just trying to survive till the next day. So sorry if my views are a bit more greyed out than all you heroes back there. I never asked to be a hero, nor did I ask to have these powers.”
”But that’s your choice now. You don’t have to be a hero if you don’t want to be, but the other side of it isn’t being a villain. You could just exist if you want. If other people don’t like that, that’s their problem. I won’t judge you for having to do what you need to do to survive, that’s just being human.”
”I never said I'd be a villain. I just want to be and let be, that's it. Oh and while we're at it, I have no money so I hope you're aware I'm stealing all of the stuff we need for this trip.” Chase pulled his phone out and tossed it over towards Sabine, the music app already opened up after having selected a new song. Wobble by V.I.C. ”What kind of music you listen to?” Chase grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his dash and put them on.
”There’s no need for that. I have money.” Though Sabine had a sinking suspicion Chase knew that and intended to steal anyway. Likely why he wanted her to tag alone. ”Latest hits, pop, hip hop, alternative, and electronica mainly. Sometimes screamo if I need to get feelings out, but that’s few and far between.”
”And be indebted to you or your group? No thank you. I was gonna steal before I invited you, I'm gonna steal still. Besides, corpos suck. They deserve to lose a bit, they wouldn't even notice it's gone. “ His parents were master thieves for pété sake. That didn't make them villains, they just helped people in different ways, like Robin Hood. Chase decided to keep his comment about how predictable her taste in music was to himself.
”It’s not a debt if it is offered willingly.” Still, Chase wasn’t so wrong. Corporations did suck. How many of them claimed to care about others and then give money away to wars or to governments who only cared for themselves?
”Fine, we steal. But only what we need.”
”Fiiiine. I'll take the 20 maki sushi rolls off the list then.” Chase turned the car into the parking lot, finding a spot under a shaded tree before putting the car in park and getting out. He began to stretch himself a little before pausing and realizing he wasn't on a road trip anymore, yet the routine hadn't left him.
”If you can convince me why we need 20 maki sushi rolls I may allow it. I am a harsh critic, though,” she joked before getting out of the car herself. She didn’t like this and didn’t know, still, why he wanted her to come. ”Okay, be honest, why am I here? It sounds like this isn’t your first time stealing something you need. And I have never done it before. So why me?”
”Maybe I just really like Maki Rolls, maybe I've never had one and really want to try one because I grew up poor and abused. Or maybe I just felt like it.” Chase shrugged. He hadn't expected Sabine to even indulge the idea of it, let alone ask him for a reason. Truth was, Maki Rolls weren't even on the list. ”I've helped my Rents before yeah, but its always suspicious when a teen that looks like me enters a store alone. Leah's too tall and attention grabbing, Benny Boi wouldn't do well with it, and Danni talks too much. Above all else…I never got a chance to say thank you for that message you sent out the other day. So, thanks for being the only person in that room that didn't immediately judge me. Even if you are judging me now.” Chase stuck his tongue out at Sabine.
Sabine rolled her eyes, platfully, but not without some concern. ”I am not judging you Chase. We all have a history and not all of it is sunshine and rainbows. I know you had a harsh situation growing up and had to make do with what you were given. All I am saying is that there’s more than your past that defines you now. Even if some people still want to latch on to it and judge you for it.”
She surveyed the store and parking lot. ”And you’re welcome. As I said, I know what it’s like to be judges before given a chance. Give them time, they’ll come around. So, game plan? Am I lookout? Distraction?”
”Neither. You can help me pick foods your friends will like. Figure we need staples, condensed soup, rice, beans canned or dried or both, maybe some jerkys for protein, although technically rice and beans together form a complete protein, maybe some bottled waters incase there isn't potable water while there, and we can always refill the water bottles using the Ice Kings powers, shit like that.” Chase began to make his way towards the store.
Sabine didn’t know much about food preferences if she were being honest. She knew in general what people favored and didn’t. ”We’ll have to stock up on sweets. We have a lot of sweet tooths among us. Also possibly some meat alternatives? I don’t know if any of them are vegetarian, but better safe than sorry.”
”Lame. They won't last long if that's the case. The place we're going to, if any of the information I've been given is correct, is more like Medieval England. A time of Knights and Kings and tons of meat and grains. Not exactly vegetarian safe.” Chase took Sabine's hand in his as he led them into the store and straight for the Hispanic aisle first. They would need a few bags of rice, but that would not only last them a while but preserve well so long as there wasn't a ton of moisture present. ”How heavy can you carry? Best if we split up the load amongst others so we don't tire out one person. Also you're girlfriends crazy, so I definitely need to figure out what she eats.”
Sabine felt a surge of warmth when Chase held her hand, but she waved it off. ”Yeah, she’s a wild one. She eats a lot of things. She would be good with meats and rice and all that, especially given where we are going. She’s a survivor.” She knew all too well how much Leah had suffered. And Chase too, in connection. ”I mean I work out, but we are talking yoga, tai chi, and Pelaton. I can hold a decent amount if needed, but I won’t lie, the body is more for show than anything else.”
Chase bit back a loud bought of laughter. ”Didn't think she'd be good with meats given…well nevermind.” He snickered at the thought as bags of white rice from the back end of the shelf began to vanish and appear beneath the blanket of the backseat of his car, all while he looked at them as if debating which ones to buy. ”It's a good show too. Well fit a Brit lift say. So are you vegetarian at all? Oh we'll need something Kosher too…hmmm…” Chase began to pull Sabine down a bit further as he scoured the dried beans debating which ones to get.
”No, I am not. I like meat as much as the next girl.” The innuendo plain as day. ”All right, since we are shopping for food, what’s your ideal final meal? I know it’s kind of morbid, but if you were given carte blanche to have anything you want, what would it be?”
”Couldn't tell you. Until recently my best meal was a single baked potato with some butter on it. Beyond that i was only fed scraps, leftovers, or whatever I could find which was rarely a lot. But man do I make a mean baked potato.” Chase had finally settled on Black Beans. Taking a few bags as he had the rice before going to the canned ones and getting several varieties ranging from black, brown, and honey barbecue. ”The idea of trying something new as a last meal is kinda cool but what if I hated it? Then I'd be disappointed just before I die. What about you?”
Sabine allowed herself some thought. ”Whatever I am choosing, I am ending with Baked Alaska. Amazing dessert. I had it at a restaurant back in France when my father, in a rare moment of paternal bonding, took just me out, shortly after we buried my mother. Or, who I thought was my mother. Then I’d choose a mix of different foods that I have enjoyed since coming over here. Tacos, french fries, pizza. Say one thing about the states, they got an assortment of cultures that make great food.”
”Baked Alaska is a dessert? Shit I thought it was a fish…” Chase scratched his head in thought as some cans vanished away, the shadows taking them. For a moment there he'd forgotten that a father taking you out didn't just mean beating you till you passed out, what different lives they'd already both lived. ”Have you had any of Danni's food? Its amazing, actually if anything I'd probably ask him to cook me my final meal. Whatever he makes I'm sure to enjoy it.”
”I have had the pleasure on occasion, though I mainly treat him to stuff. There’s a coffee place we frequent that has amazing hot chocolate. I’m glad you and Danni got to be so close. It’s hard to not love him immediately. He was actually my first friend here. I…didn’t get along with everyone else initially. But Danni made it incredibly hard to be mad at.”
”Please. I didn't have a choice. He latched on to Benny so quick I got a little jealous. They were texting everyday while Ben and I went camping. So I finally got to speaking to him and well…he's a pretty cool guy. Also helps that hes Kingston fucking Kitchen. So cool meeting an internet sensation. Not that that's why I met him. So, what would you want to pick for this trip? I've already got a few stables from here, may want to bring some seasoning bottles too.”
Kingson Kitchen, a wild callback. ”Yeah, once he latches on to you, you can’t shake him, so you may as well enjoy the ride.” She considered what she would want for the trip. She had never been camping that didn’t come with catered lunches. ”Some fruit maybe? Something easily carried. And good to avoid scurvy. Apart from that, I leave it to the expert. I have a feeling my camping experience will not be so useful.”
”Cute. Fruit spoils too quickly, especially if you get things like bananas or other fruits that release gasses to help ‘mature’ themselves. It'll increase the rate at which other fruits spoil. We can snag some lemons, limes, and maybe some bottles of them too to help with scurvy. Just gotta be careful.” Most of the food Chase had grabbed thus far had been Kosher, taking them both towards another aisle that carried spice bottles, choosing the most expensive looking ones and snagging a few of the vanilla pods as well. If anything that could be good currency. ”So. You asked why I asked you here. I wanna know why you said yes. What's your angle.”
Sabine shrugged. ”We haven’t talked since what happened and I wanted to check and see how you were. Part of it, at least. The other part is that you are still new and as much as I trust Danni, there’s still the unknown. And, like I said, part of what I do is making sure the team is safe, so when something or someone unknown attaches itself, I feel obligated to check it out.”
A part of Chase wanted to test that machismo that Sabine was exuding. To push her against the aisle as shadows formed around him in a vague threat to see how far she would go for her team, or temp her in other ways, but he knew Ben wouldn't be happy about either one of those. That was when his phone buzzed, a group chat made by April it seemed telling everyone to pack their meat. He tapped back a quick reply to the chat.
Ben isn't with me right now but sure I'll make sure I do before we set off.
And Benny Boi, gave the Giant our number. She's chill.
He looked back at Sabine. ”Here I was worried I wouldn't be able to pack my meat. But hey, seems that one of your friends is ok with it at least. So, let's go take a look at some good meat options for the road. Gonna need tons of salt and herbs now if we want to keep it fresh.”
Sabine also read the text and rolled her eyes good-heartedly. April was such a joy. ”Told you it would be okay. Maybe some jerky? Good source of protein and good to travel with?”
Chase let go of Sabines hand, smiling as he tapped his finger to his head. ”Now you're getting it. There's a reason you're Excelsiors team leader, you got smarts.” His other hand held out in front of him as shadows tangled together into a tote bag as he pulled it up and over his shoulder. ”Let's go get some citrus.”
Chase took the pair of them into the produce aisle, grabbing about five lemons and limes and placing each into a plastic baggie before dropping it into his tote bag. Everyone in Cali was very ‘bring your own bag’ in stores. Saves on plastic and all that, so having him do it didn't even stand out, and with his Gothic look it appeared more of an aesthetic than anything else. He snagged two bottles of lime juice and two more of lemon, just to be safe, before turning and grabbing a few cases of dried fruits. Apricots, Bananas, Pineapples, Raisins, and a few yogurt covered ones as well. ”So how did you and Leah end up together?”
Sabine felt proud having earned some praise from Chase finally. It made sense to have food that would be easy to travel with. However, what struck her was his other comment. Her, the team leader? Surely not, right? But then, who was it? ”I wouldn’t call myself the leader. I don’t think we have one, to be honest. We worked together, though it took us a bit at the start.”
Sabine debated going into detail, but did Leah share how they met when she hung out with him? ”You know how I said I was a bully when I came here? Me and Leah were put together as roommates and we butted heads a lot. There was one class where we dueled each other and it ended so poorly. But we gradually got to know one another better and started seeing how it would work. Ended up working nicely, as it happened. We were with April for a bit too, but April ended things. We sort of jumped into it too quickly, so it was for the best. But yeah, we took the whole “but they were roommates” thing quite literally.”
”Uhhh huh. So like enemies to lovers type shit? Did you bully her? Or just general nuisancing. Also who's April again?” Chase grabbed a bottle of Suja from the nearby cooler and cracked it open, drinking it halfway before placing it in his bag and moving toward where the Jerky section was. ”Also, someone has to be the leader. Every team has one, the one they follow. Just figured you were it.”
He paused in front of a row with a wide selection of Jerky flavours all pinned to the wall. A question bubbling at the back of his mind at something Sabine had said. ”How was it? The three of you, before it all ended and stuff. You mentioned it was too fast but how would one even know?” Chase grabbed a pack with a bit of spice to it. Had to help build Ben's tolerance somehow, while also getting a few normal ones and a couple sweet packs, motioning to Sabine to pick out a few herself.’’
Sabine motioned to some of the sweeter ones. She didn’t really eat jerky, but she figured she would enjoy those flavors. ”I definitely bullied her. She gave as good as she got though, but I was too suck in my own head to even hear it, really.”
“As for the three of us…first off, April is the one who summoned that hot chocolate ice wall from before. They’re Danni and Dorian’s sibling. Anyway, we jumped into it too fast. Me and Leah were more….hands-on shall we say whereas April wasn’t. Not that we didn’t do things or spent time and showed we cared about each other, but April never went that far.” Sabine stopped before she mentioned April’s brief stint at C.A.G.E. It wasn’t her story to tell. ”April ended things and, admittedly, it upset me. Not so much because we were breaking up, I felt things weren’t great either, but it was more I felt bad that I pushed her into it. Again, my head was so far up my own ass I didn’t see it. So I fell back, got angry, and ignored them. And that’s on me. But we made up, talked, got through it, and now they are one of my best friends.”
A lightbulb finally clicked into Chase's mind. A look of confusion and disbelief. ”That was a girl?! I mean kudos I guess but I totally thought the Ice King was just another dude. Wait…is that the same chick you kissed on National TV during the Contest of Champions? Shit. Sorry man, didn't realize how recent the break up was. I mean it's barely been a month since the Contest. We don't gotta talk about that if you don't want to.” He grabbed the bags that Sabine had pointed towards.
”Yep, that was her. Fun fact: she had actually kissed me before that also. Very confusing, but as I said, we worked it out.” Sabine left the comment about April being another dude alone. She had noticed a change in April, but decided to let April be the one to speak on it, if they ever wanted to. ”It’s fine though. As I said, I’m over it. Leah actually took the break-up better than I did.”
Why would kissing your girlfriend be confusing? Unless…ofcourse…were they already broken up with at the contest? Hell on a pogostick this felt like another math problem from a school aptitude test. Chase sighed. He had hoped to get more answers towards something that he was debating on but if anything it made everything feel more confusing. ”Makes sense Leah took it well. She seems very level headed. Crazy given what she's probably been through.” Wait, did Sabine know? She'd have to know, after all they're dating. Still. He bit his lip as he tried to think.
”Don’t get me wrong, Leah was a mess before. Not very social, not very team-oriented. Given her past, not surprising. It took a while for her to open up to me even. But she worked hard, opened herself up to others, even went to therapy. Well, we all did. Had to after the events with Arcade. I’m glad she’s open to talking about it with others. Goddess knows we could all stand to do more of that. Though, maybe not in front of a whole bunch of witnesses. Had to work social media magic to prevent rumors spreading.”
”Kinda forced her hand by accident on that. But it was fine, she was pretty ok about it all. Honestly explains some of her more wild traits, like how she opens up Ramune bottles or drinks a smoothie. But I get that. Talking does tend to help when you can do it.” Chase wanted to ask about how an Arcade made them all need therapy, yet he figured if it did require therapy then it probably wasn't a great conversation topic.
”It’s not easy. I know I struggled with opening up. That’s actually why I was with Marlena. The vision showed me…my mother. My mother died when I was very young, around 5 years old. Or so I thought. But yet, she’s alive. And I got in my own head about it. But she helped and I learned how to skateboard and clear my head.”
Chase wanted to lean in and hug Sabine. That had to be rough, hearing the parent you thought had died was actually alive and hadn't once reached out. At least, that was what he imagined. His parents were dead and he was more than grateful for it, but as he awkwardly took a half step towards her to hug her, he stopped and decided better of it. ”Sorry to hear that, really, but that better not be a recurring theme with you all at this school. Leah's dead dad is alive, your mom's alive, this supposed teacher is alive, I swear if we find out my parents are alive I'm killing them all over again.”
Sabine chuckled, partly because it was odd how many of them had issues with parents being dead and then alive, and partly because of Chase. ”Hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right. We definitely got some parent issues in our group here. If fiction is anything to go on that makes us all main characters. Or part of a Disney movie since they love killing off parents.”
”So long as it isn't Pinocchio” Chase shuddered, moving away from the aisle and towards where they kept toiletries and the like. He had a list from Danni a while back, products he thought he should use for his skincare routine. Chase didn't care much for it, but he didn't know how much actually got used up and figured he'd pack a little extra for Danni. ”That movie gives me the creeps. Honestly if I had to guess, you guys are the main characters, Ben, Lena and I are just the homosexual supporting cast. Not that I mind it, never been one for the limelight.”
As they walked, they past by an aisle full of pet food, treats, and toys. He never had one growing up, thankfully as he'd hate to think of how his parents would've acted towards it, but he'd always wondered what it would be like to have one. ”You ever have a pet?”
”I don’t buy that. I bet you all are part of the main cast. Though you forgot to include Millicent.” She wondered how much the new peeps would be involved. Marlena seemed content to the background, not one for hero stuff, but did Ben? Did Millicent? Or were they all just there because no other place wanted them?
”I do, actually. A pup named Jean-Luc! He spends a lot of time in my dorm room. Especially given recent events, I think it’s the safest place for him, though with us going to the Otherworld, or Avalon, I may have to take him with me. I don’t trust my family to watch him. Plus, Leah loves him.”
”Oh shit. I thought she was one of you guys. I mean I knew Ben and all were new cuz we all met and skated together over break talking about how we were new in town.” If he remembered correctly, Millicent was also the name of his roommate. Well least he was with another new kid. ”Wanna grab some spare food for the pup while we're here? Or does he only eat the fancy stuff like…shit what do fancy does eat? Quail? Duck? I dunno but we can get some kibble which would travel better than any meat.” Chase paused in their walked, midway between the pet aisle and the next, waiting to see where Sabine wished to go.
Sabine followed Chase to the pet aisle. ”He eats regular dog food. I don’t think even I could keep up the budget if he dined on quail all the time,” she joked. Sabine pointed out some of Jean-Luc’s favorite brands of food. ”He’s fairly easy regarding his diet.”
“And Millicent is a pop star. Like very famous. Plus, she’s Danni and Dorian’s cousin. April’s too, now. I don’t know much about her apart from what I read online, but she seems cool.”
”Great. My roommates a Popstar. Oh…great…my roommates a popstar and I punched a hole in our dorm wall. Maybe I can hang a poster up before she sees it, to cover it up.” There seemed to be a lot of connections Chase wasn't aware of, especially involving Danni. Seemed the whole family was some form of celebrity or other, whether it was internet fame or beyond. He grabbed the bags and food that Sabine had pointed out, adding each into his tote as he listened to her explanations. ”Jean-Luc friendly I take it? Think I could play with him sometime?”
”Oh yeah, very friendly. He warms up easily. I mean, he adores Leah and she can be intensely prickly at times. Give him a treat and he’s basically piddy in your hands.” Sabine let the hole in the wall comment go. That’s something for Chase to deal with. And Millicent, if she ever found out.
”Any more things we need? Seems like we got a lot of good stuff.”
”Getting some face routine thing, some batteries, and a cake for Percival's birthday tonight along with some candles, decorations, the whole shabang. Beyond that…I think we're good. Kinda hoping everyone's packing something but im trying to snag things people may miss. Actually…wheres a good place at school we can throw a private party for him?”
Sabine gave it some thought. ”There’s the quad if we want to have it outdoors, otherwise we could have it in the dining hall. I imagine it would be pretty easy to clear it out if we wanted to keep it private. People tend to respect the team that won the Contest of Champions.” Sabine wondered what the batteries would be for and her mind went to Vicky, but quickly dismissed it.
”I was thinking of more like…someone's room. Then again there's a lot of us and it would be pretty cramped. If we could leave campus I'd of suggested a roller rink, but doubt this school has one.” Chase laughed, noting how ridiculous the idea of a school having a rink would be. ”Lets snag a few cases of soda too. Worst case we leave em behind, best case I can bring my Jeep to Avalon and we store them in the trunk. You drink soda?”
”Yes Chase, I drink soda,” she said sticking her tongue out. ”I don’t know of a roller rink, but there’s an ice rink that I go to. I introduced Leah and Andy to ice skating back in New York and they kind of took to it. We could go there, but I don’t know if Percy would enjoy it. But then again, he doesn’t have to skate if he doesn’t want to. He could just enjoy his birthday.”
”Well there's the Ice Rink outside too but he doesn't Ice Skate much. We mostly did roller rink as kids…” Chase had a distant look again, before clearing his throat and moving on. Quickly walking as cases of soda vanished from behind the shelves and appeared into his car. Pineapple Fanta, Orange, Ginger Beer, Bold Ginger Ale, and Cherry Coke. A good variety to ensure everyone was covered on drinks. It was hard, the more he remembered what he needed for this birthday, the more the memories one previous ones flooded in his mind. He hated himself for having missed some.
The only sweets he'd seemed to grab were Turkish Delights and Baklava, quite a few of it too. Percy had an odd taste in food, then again his mother's made odd food to begin with. Chase was always just happy to enjoy a warm home cooked meal when with them, even if sometimes that meal had a fish head staring back at him.
Sabine watched as Chase seemed to have some internal conversation. She opted to let him have it. After all, Percy and Chase had a history and not all of it was great. They were entitled to private moments. ”This was oddly fun. Still not a fan of stealing, but it’s not like they’ll miss it. Does Percy know about this party also? He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who enjoys a surprise.”
”He's had a day full of surprises. Between me, the prophecy, and everything else going on. Whats one mote surprise? I ruined the beginning of his birthday. Intentional or not, I plan to set it right but having him end it on a good note. Stealing can be loads of fun, with the right people.” Chase winked at Sabine and blew her a kiss before snagging the cake from a cooler and gently putting it into his bag. Once away from the bakery area, having grabbed all the decor and what was left of his packing list, Chase allowed the shadows to swallow up the items and deposit it into his car.
Ssbine had to give it to him, the logic was sound. Plus, Percy deserved it what with Nemo being taken. End the day on a good note before they trekked somewhere where who knows what would happen? ”Fair enough. So are we just walking out like nothing happened? Or one at a time? As you said, teenagers together tends to attract attention.”
”Please. If there's one thing about me babe, its that I always got a trick up my sleeve.” Chase stepped in close to Sabine, dropping the tote of shadows between them as it spread and they fell through it, each appearing into their own seat of the Jeep. Chase was already buckling his seat beat as he went to start the car back up. ”Always have a planned getaway. You learn a thing or two when your parents are professional thieves. I may not be the child of heroes, but I have some pretty cool rents. So, let's see what this Millicent Broadway sounds like on the way back.”
Having been added to a group chat with everyone's numbers made the next part easy. Chase made a new chat with everyone but Percy.
Sup nerds, it's Percys Birthday today and I've got him a cake and decor, find me a room at school with enough space for a party and show up. That's not a suggestion, it's a threat. 💚
WE got him a cake, though I guess I was more moral support. Party time!
Sabine felt weird being transported like that, but suffice to say it worked. She buckled herself in. ”You are full of surprises Chase. Crank up the tunes!”
Sam let out a small sigh of relief upon hearing he hadn't accidentally missed a crucial step in this event. Although, having Lena leave like that reminded him back on his own days of being in AV club. Being excused to go help set up another classes video for them, or helping their own teachers with their slideshows on the computer because “it was all the same thing”. Not that he minded of course, especially when they looked at him as if he was some sort of a wizard doing things that were so basic they viewed like magic. ”Maybe its a Cha-Cha slide?”
Sam looked towards Millicent as she answered Ralph's question. A sudden image of her scouring the internet for some information on an opponent in magic or perhaps even some dirt to blackmail one to get ahead. She seemed the type, a person who would do what they needed to ensure they were on top. What was her secret again? Sam couldn't recall at the moment. ”Always welcome to discuss it in my room if you'd like. That way you and I are already in place to get ready for the shindig tonight, Ralph can change with me it's nothing he hasn't seen before, and Ivanna can change with you or go back to their own room.” And if there was time he could fuck Ralph before the hour was up.
Location: Hall of Ancients, Strange Academy Grimore: Skills:
Any sense of weariness that Barty had left, was now attributed to the third member of his Coven. A blinding rainbow light bursting forth from his body that now threatened to blind everyone within the room. He didn’t dare to think about how it would affect the statue yet, knowing that the stone drank deep of their magic and if the pull was indeed what caused the bout earlier, it would certainly make a meal out of this spectacle the fool had decided to put on for them. Barty did his best to shield his eyes, lifting his coat to cover his face as well as Connie’s before a look of utter shock and despair hit him. He let out a shuddered breath, before looking at Connie with concern as his eyes quickly darted down towards her wrist. ”I am truly sorry for this Connie but your needed now.” Barty snatched her wrist with his hand as he quickly pulled them both up and out of the room, sprinting as fast as he was able to, his hand slowly moving from her wrist into her own hand to hold, trembling all the while. ”I know not what has transpired but it appears we have someone grievously injured within Mikkails living room. No doubt the assailant from before tried to strike again, or a mystical mishap. Either way your magic is far more suited than my potions right now.” Barty couldn’t tell if the sounds he was hearing was his shoes against the stone or the sound of his own heart beating in his ears. He worried that Nicky was hurt, or Cal, a pang of panic crossing him as he even thought of Cassie and Willow. There was a familiarity to it all, to this feeling of fear for others.
Barty pushed that deep down as they finally made it towards the living room and he pushed the doors wide open. The place was in tatters, a massive shard of glass was sticking out from Willow's chest, as several more seemed to decorate the room, his eyes following the disaster until he finally landed on Cassie and the bloodsoaked jacket around her hand. He pulled out some willow, ginger, basil, allspice, and fern, holding some to Cassie's mouth as he began to chew on others to grind them to a paste and extract the benefits from inside. Normally he'd use a mortar and pestle but when time was of the essence ingenuity was needed to survive. ”Connie, start with Cassie and help staunch the flow of blood. I can help manage the pain and prevent any infections that may try to settle in, after that we must work on Willow. By Bríg what happened here?” He removed the jacket, revealing the missing extremity. Several gaelic curses ran under his breath as he undid his belt with a deftness known all too well to Cal and Nicky, wrapping it around the wound and pulling it tight. The herbal mixture he'd chewed now spat onto the wound as he put his knowledge to good use. ”Cal, Willow, we will get to you two in a moment. For now just push past the pain and endure until we can.” The magic of his words washed over the pair of them, as Willow's pain began to dull and Cal's pain was immediately removed.
Location: Hall of Ancients, Strange Academy Grimore: Skills:
As Barty crouched near the statue, staring at the misshapen sigils that he wrote down into his own notebook, he felt a tug at the corner of his eyes. A heaviness settling in as his mind became weary and the pulse of magic surrounded him within the air. The glyphs pulsed once and then stopped, a strange occurrence, but one he noted down next to the drawings of them. ”No, you cannot braid the statue, though something like that would be useful later on down the road. As to why your head feels heavy, perhaps its is because of the fact that you're finally using your brain to think about something. Assuming he even has one Winthrop, otherwise I doubt he’d go insane as there is nothing to affect there.” He was glad to have Connie at the very least listen to instruction and follow suit. Already leagues better than the day before where all she had done was write down things with no true interactions with the statue, though perhaps having one person limit themselves from accessing it was the right call. Jake seemed to be experiencing something similar to what he himself was feeling, and yet Connie didn’t seem bothered at the least. Another note he jot down onto a back page of his leather book. He waited for her assessment of the glyphs before them, rubbing the weariness out of his eyes as he tried his best to focus.
Connie seemed to have reached the same conclusion he had the day prior, only she had the added gal to try and show him what proper ones would look like. As if he wasn’t old enough to recall when some of those were made, not that she knew of course yet it irked him all the same. Barty turned his book back to the pages where he had been sketching out the improper glyphs, with exploded versions of them breaking down potential meanings or variants. ”So it appears we came to the same conclusion. Good, that means you still have your wits about you Winthrop. This was what I was trying to speak to you about yesterday. I believe that something messed with the glyphs at the base of this statue, but I would like to solve the appropriate order and glyphs before we go tampering with it ourselves. I can only assume that is why you and I were placed with this Mystery at hand. Your ability to transmute objects and my natural intelligence for spellcraft could very well help solve this. As for him, a guinea pig is always needed in order to advance ones work I suppose.” One hand made it's way into Barty's coat pocket, fiddling with a stone he kept in hopes of good luck, not that it seemed to find him at the moment, as Connie would likely see that he hadnt the slightest idea yet on exactly what shape the glyphs should take, other than a notation that it appeared to suggest runes for Earth and Stability.
It appeared there was more to this system than simply having family members nominate their favorite hobby of the week to come and entertain them. There was something sweet about knowing that someone out there had thought that Sam was good enough to be considered for nomination, and even more so that the grandmother herself believed it as well. It was a shame though the circumstances at which all of this had happened, the why of it all beyond simply accepting it. Part of him wondered if Lena ever padded the dossiers to favour some candidates over others. Sure her grandmother didn’t take into account the whos’ of input, but perhaps Lena would. Shoving someone Lawrence recommended further down or skewing the document to make them seem like an unfavourable candidate would be easy work for her he figured. It would also look bad on Lawrence if every year his candidate choices seemed more and more questionable, then again the matriarch supposedly had no idea who nominated who exactly. Sam raised an eyebrow at Rihannon’s question. ”Please, I do all my dancing either in the nude or in a pair of boxers and tube socks.” More theories began to enter his mind, that Lena perhaps didn’t do all of this on purpose but may have had a helping hand in it by accident. What were the chances that Lawrence learned of what Lena was doing and decided to get into her files, find the dossiers, and blackmail everyone here with what he had found, assuming that Lena even had such files tucked away in her computer.
That however would put too much intelligence onto Lawrence, and as Sam stated before, while the man seemed crazy and willing to kill, he seemed like too obvious of a choice for the actual murders. Then there was the fact that the first two were made to look like accidents while the final one was hidden away and has yet to be spoken of. Perhaps they should’ve been talking to people about Miguel as well. See who starts to sweat at the mention of his name or who acts nervously when trying to figure out where exactly the missing candidate is. Millicent and Branden both showed up and cut into their conversation, though the look on Millicent was as if she was the cat that caught the canary. ”Shit, sorry about that Lena, I didn’t mean to keep you from your work. I could go down rabbit holes like that for hours though, give me a good creepy pasta and im hooked enough to dig til the daylight shines. Let me know if you want to chat some more on this though, or any other theories you may have. Though…I didn’t realize we’d be having a slideshow presentation as part of this, were we supposed to prepare our own or something? Cuz I didn’t get the memo…then again I have no service so I haven’t really gotten anything.”
Location: Hall of Ancients, Strange Academy Grimore: Skills:
Barty had just finished having his morning coffee and smoke, the cigarette pressing against the cold ash tray as the trail of smoke lazily drifted up into the early air. He was going to need it if he were to deal with his Coven again. Perhaps now that their little mystery had been solved, they could actually focus on the task at hand and discuss the larger Mystery before them. He threw on his woolen coat and made his way over to where the statue was housed, Jake already present as Connie asked him questions that had no bearing on the matter. Barty grabbed the note and read it to himself, watching as the sand began to fall and the statue stood there in utter silence as before. ”By all means waste our precious time asking asinine questions. Why don't you braid each other's hair while you're at it, at least then you'd be practicing a form of witchcraft.”
Barty pulled out an old worn leather notebook from his breast pocket. Flipping it back open to a page he'd written in the night before. The sigils on the statue still bothered him, they made no sense, as well as much of this statue. What did they know so far? The magic doesn't appear as a curse but it acts similar to one, the carvings below appeared broken or miss done in such a way that the magic itself shouldn't work as intended, and the being within the statue appeared to be alive. Barty squatted near the base of the statue once more, writing down the sigil before him as if it were some puzzle to solve, an anagram or something that he could make sense of if only he toyed around with it more. He'd meant to ask Connie the day before to use her magic to alter the statue some, but now he was thinking a bit better. First they should find the proper order to things, only then should they mess with the statue in full. After all, if he got something wrong, it could ruin the entire thing. Barty snapped his fingers to grab his Covens attention. ”Winthrop, what do you make of these markings at the base of the Statue? You're a studious one, perhaps you can ascertain their true meaning.” Or at the very least see what I do.
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