InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "*peckats*"

bound_john (bound_john) wrote in bound_rp,
@ 2014-10-12 21:48:00

Entry tags:

complete, elliot ashford, john irvine, lux warren, private

We laugh at danger, and break all of the rules
Date: June 12, 2013 [backdated]
Time: 5:32 PM
Location: The Shack, Burnt Wood
Characters: John Irvine, Lux Warren, Elliott Ashford
Description: Questioning the answer.
Status: Private, complete.

[OOC: This takes place after the breaking of the Founders' Circle, which has yet to be played out]

He tossed the hammer around in lazy circles, catching the grip on each rotation as he regarded this particular problem. The latest, it had to be said, in a long line of them when it came to the structural integrity of the shack. He still didn’t know why they insisted on hanging out in this death trap, but every time he’d tried to raise the possibility of renting a space somewhere sensible, like an allotment, he’d been met with blank looks.

People… liked it. And as the most capable person, in a DIY sense, in this particular Circle, it fell to him to ensure that said death trap didn’t actually result in any fatalities thanks to a broken step, or the whole thing collapsing in a strong breeze.

He lined up a nail, and hammered it down, bolting the support plank into place along the load-bearing wall, which seemed to have been savaged by some sort of giant rat. Or rats. He’d have to talk to Harmony about getting some sort of repellent together. He sighed at the thought of his friend, and lowered the hammer from where it had been about to strike another nail, and felt a pang of sadness course through him. They’d talked for a long time, all of them, that night. Some of it was positive - everyone eventually accepted that the Circle needed to be broken and reformed, but not all of them had wanted to be a part of it. Harmony’s reluctance, he supposed, was understandable, but it didn’t make it any less upsetting. They’d all been friends for their whole lives, in a Circle for a long time, even with its rough patches. He didn’t know if it would be the same without her.

It presented them with a problem, too. The Founders’ Circle was old, centuries so, constructed in a very clear way. The blood was the key. Every member of the Circle could trace their lineage all the way back to the families from Salem, and most even further back than that, in some cases stretching a thousand years into the past. It was a constant, unbroken magical line, probably the strongest of its kind that the world had ever seen, or at least this part of the world. They needed that blood connection, that investment of patrilineal and matrilineal power that came with it, otherwise they’d be starting afresh.

The choice of who should replace Harmony, when they all thought about it, was simple. Now it was just a case of convincing the man to do it.

So, as was his wont, he did something that made sense to him in order to fill the time. Fixing things, making them better, that had been John’s way of coping with stress for his whole life. Now was no different, even as he waiting for Lux to bring Elliott here.

(Post a new comment)

bound_elliot
2014-10-12 08:53 pm UTC (link)

The shadows casted along the four walls danced in rhythm with the dying flames flickering in Elliot’s eyes; the normally lit room had curtains drawn tight to keep the light from coming in. Long, slim fingers tapped along the side of his chin, amber eyes focused on the fireplace in front of him. He hadn’t been out much lately – so long in fact, others might have thought he’d lost himself within the walls of what was once his home. Many nights had expanded into mornings that came and went before the brunette had even noticed the missing daylight. Time had been devoted solely to pouring himself over weathered documents, worse for wear by the way they’d been unceremoniously tucked away into the hidden depths of his family’s estate.

What he’d been originally searching for was a faint memory – what he’d found during his forgotten haste had gripped him tight and refused to let go. Fabricated stories had been spoon-fed to him from birth onward, the truth peppered with lies and careful words. His family had more to hide than Elliot had originally thought possible. Hadn’t they been happy? He thought he had been when he was younger, but his world had been turned upside down months ago, and somewhere in the midst of turning, it’d decided to plummet into a world of frightening discovery.

What he’d found had constituted a momentary freak-out. A simple call to the outside world had been filled with the ramblings of a twenty-something madman, singing a chorus of rapidly-spoken gibberish: his grandfather’s death, his mom’s tomb, her true parentage, what really happened to Pericles – if Lux had comprehended any of it, Elliot would truly be impressed. But he supposed she’d gotten something out of it; that was the reason for her visit now, wasn’t it?

She’d had to let herself in. He hadn’t even heard the click of her shoes in the hall, only barely registering the smoothness of her voice sounding behind him. To be honest, he hadn’t paid attention to what she spoke, only took it as a sign to finally stand, wipe his palms on the fabric of his jeans and follow her out into the world outside his temporary sanctuary.

Was he even ready to face what had transpired in his absence? The looks that Lux kept shooting him – and fuck, he really should have made more of an effort to glance at his phone, fuck, what have I been thinking?, - spoke the volumes that weren’t transpiring aloud. He was screwed, wasn’t he?

He didn’t register the drive. Only the sound of the tires against the road, the soft music playing in low tones throughout the vehicle – if he wasn’t making up the sound in his own head to mask what was a seemingly uncomfortable silence – kept him calm.

Lux and John had requested to see him – hell, Lux was having to drag him from his house – and he knew it was important. There was more at play than he knew about, or how to handle – and yet, only one thought kept running through his mind: What if I can’t help? What if I let them down?

(Reply to this)

bound_lux
2014-10-12 08:55 pm UTC (link)

Frustrations, tempers, and silence had driven the conversation on the night the Founder’s Circle agreed to break ties. It hadn’t been easy, but a consensus had to be reached. Like any decent lawyer, it had been left up to her to broker a deal between all interested parties involved, which meant that there would have to be give and take--in this case, the give had been Harmony. She didn’t understand her friend’s decision, and no matter what she said, the youngest Steele insisted on parting ways. Harmony was the last person she expected to leave the Circle--Al of course would have been the first.

Emerald hues cast their unwavering focus forward as she stepped along the well-beaten trail towards the Shack. The Founder’s Circle had been faced with a dilemma--who would take the place in the name of the Steele’s? It had to be a blood relative and she already knew Brennan would want no part of their plans. He denied himself a place in their Circle once before, he wouldn’t just automatically agree to joining their little group now. In order to find a blood relation, Lux needed to study the Steele family tree for the missing heir. This of course would not be an easy job, or at least she thought it would be.

The petite brunette had spent hours combing through city hall records for the birth and death’s of various ancestors and descendants that could be linked back to Harmony and her family. What she had found had shocked her, after all, she had known him all her life and she never knew he was one of them. In the end it made sense. They all grew up together--he was practically one of them, but he wasn’t one of them, yet now he was. It was all very confusing, but at least they knew the person well enough to bring him into the fold so it wouldn’t be as awkward.

Lux had literally demanded face time from Elliot as she hadn’t seen or spoken to him since the time she had him pick her up Valentine’s Day night when John left her standing alone on the balcony. In order to make sure he came, she picked him up, drove him to the Burnt Wood, and physically led him to the shack.

“John should be there already and I promise you everything is going to be perfectly alright.”

She threw back a smile at him as she carefully pushed a branch out of her way and held it back so Elliot could easily walk past. The shack was just in view as she closed the distance and made her way to the door. The June weather was muggy, and the air was filled with the heavy fragrance of flowers in full bloom. The khaki short shorts and black tank top she wore were fitted to her smooth curves like a second skin as a sheer green, short sleeve shirt rested over it, hanging off her shoulder. She reached for the knob of the door and twisted as she let them inside.

“We’re here, you actually on time for once?”

A smirk curled at the corners of her mouth as the teasing tone was evident. The sounds of a hammer could be heard as she guided Elliot to the living room.

(Reply to this)

bound_john
2014-10-12 08:56 pm UTC (link)

John hammered the last of the board into place, and ran over the edges with a sheet of sandpaper, buffing out the edges with an emery board as he heard Lux enter. Or felt her, if he was being accurate, the link between their magic now starting to transcend just that of a Circle bond.

“In here,” he said, softly, as he blew the last traces of sawdust off the support deck. He’d treat and varnish it later, but for now, it was serving its purpose. The house hadn’t fallen down at least. He brushed his hands off on the long, kevlar skirt that served as his tool belt, and unfastened it at the back.

The truth was that he didn’t know how this conversation would go. On paper, it was perfect. Elliott knew all of them, was best friends with Lux, was one of John’s best friends, too. He knew Al, knew Belle, even if it wasn’t quite as well, and of course he knew Eva. It would be a good fit. But John couldn’t help the slight feeling of trepidation and, well, guilt. Like Harmony had slid out and they’d closed up without a scar.

He knew different, of course. She would always be in his Circle, even if it wasn’t literal.

“Hey man,” he said quietly, as he walked through to meet them, fastening the clips on his belt as he did so, and pulling tools out to lay in the box that sat on the rickety table by the sofa. It had been a long time since he’d seen Elliott, but that wasn’t new. They’d accepted that a long time ago, and with the death of his grandfather… well. A man had to be cut a little slack, after all. “Good to see you, come in. Try not to lean against anything.”

(Reply to this)

bound_elliot
2014-10-12 08:57 pm UTC (link)

The engine coughed to a slow halt as eyes focused solely on the sight of the lonely shack in front of the car. He could hear Lux stepping out of the vehicle on her own, but he didn’t make a motion to move until one, two steady breaths filling his lungs, his exhale slow and calculated.

He knew he had nothing to be afraid of, yet the goose flesh along his arms were prepared for another story entirely.

The metallic clang of his shutting door left him to focus on the similar noise coming from inside the building. Lux had cast a final glance back at him before they stepped inside, her eyes shining with a brilliance cast by the soon-to-be setting sun. He wasn’t scared of either of his friends – they’d been through a lot growing up, had always been able to rely on them when he truly needed a shoulder to lean on. There were things that time could not taint; their friendship stood as a testament to that. And as Elliot caught sight of both his friends together again, the bumps along his arms slowly dissipated.

“Isn’t this a sight for sore eyes? Two short-tempered Sallies and a hide-away Haley. Three peas in a pod are we, am I right?”

His friends had afforded him some time to himself, and for that he was grateful – yet, here he was, having emerged after what seemed like a summoning after he’d locked himself away to his own devices. What had even happened outside of his world? He hadn’t a clue, yet the weird air of the room held tension that he was itching to know more about. There were times where he found himself wishing he’d been part of a Circle – that had been the plan when he was a youth, anyway. Bind his powers and give the magic thrumming through his veins a link to others, a sense of what was happening to those around him. Maybe then he’d be in the loop, rather than wondering what had gone wrong and waiting to know what he could do to help.

He shifted his weight to his left foot, rolling his eyes at John’s instructions. “Yeah, yeah, Tim, this place could really use some TLC on the home improvement side. I’m not touching anything for fear of it all coming down on me.”

(Reply to this)

bound_lux
2014-10-12 08:58 pm UTC (link)

“Don’t you mean for fear of catching something deadly?”

True to form, Lux couldn’t help the little snipe at her friend’s obviously conscious behavior to avoid touching anything that was foreign to his five senses. With a flick of her wrist, she brushed away a few strands of hair away from her line of sight as she made her way over to John. The petite witch leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. She didn’t wait for any acknowledgment as she found herself sitting on the couch in the cluttered room.

“Are you really sure you should be playing with those tools? You could poke out an eye you know.”

Elliot was like a member of their family, as close to them as the other Founder’s were, but she had always been curious as to why their family’s had interacted all those years. It wasn’t that she felt that Elliot should be on the outside, but he had never been allowed to learn the inner working of their Circle or the Founder’s traditions. Her own mother had always encouraged her association with the Ashford’s as their family’s were close friends since before she was born. Lux didn’t mind, of course, but it was unusual to say the least.

“Anyway, let’s talk. How about you start us off John?”

One leg casually crossed over the other as her elbow leaned against the back of the couch. Her head tilted towards the side as she rested her head against the open palm of her hand.

(Reply to this)

bound_john
2014-10-12 08:59 pm UTC (link)

“Right,” he said. “That’s what I mean.” He busied himself with packing the rest of his equipment away, pausing only to brush his fingers against Lux’s as she kissed his cheek, before he closed the lid and set the clips in place.

He made his way over to his girlfriend, and took a seat next to her, motioning for Elliott to take the the other sofa. He fished a bottle of water from the pocket of his cargo pants, taking a long pull on it, before he glanced at his friend levelly. Sure, drawing it out a little was a bit Hollywood, but everyone had to have their moment occasionally, right?

“So Harmony decided to leave our Circle,” he said, after considering his words for a few moments. “We’re breaking it, and reforming it, and she decided that it wasn’t for her. It sucks.”

He paused, thinking about his friend, before continuing.

“That leaves us one witch short, and you know, the recruiting pool isn’t exactly abundant. We need people from the bloodlines of the families, and Brennan doesn’t want anything to do with us. What we need is someone else, someone we trust. Someone we can all accept.”

He shifted forward on the sofa, elbows on his thighs, fingers knitted together.

“We were going to ask Katie, what do you think?” He said, before a smile curled at the corners of his mouth. “Just kidding. Want the job?”

(Reply to this)

bound_elliot
2014-10-12 08:59 pm UTC (link)

The two in front of him had always moved in symmetry; the fluctuations over the years and temporary misalignment had only brought them closer with each rediscovery of their feelings. Elliot had envied it once, when he was young – always wondered how it’d felt to have someone to care about so deeply, to be infuriated with madly, to have someone willing to give their life for you and be willing to do the same. Now, though? Now he just rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the displays of affection before him.

“Glad to see y’all are still just as gross as before.”

The smile tugged on his lips in his jest, long arms stretching before him as he watched John put away his tools. The explanation wasn’t put on hold for much longer, John carefully explaining that his Circle – well, the Circle – was going to be going through some changes. What the hell had been going on during his descent into madness?

“Harm’s leaving the circle.” Not a question, just a restating of unnecessary fact. He didn’t miss the way his stomach sank as he spoke her name – previously he’d only known the girl as an acquaintance. Maybe a friend, if he pushed and prodded at a few of his memories, but now there was an association he’d never foreseen with her name: family.

His mom had long ago ran from her heritage, hidden the link between her name and her true family. She’d taken a new name when she ran long ago, before replacing it with his father’s own – Elliot hadn’t a clue that the people he had ran around with as a child had been closer to him than he’d originally thought possible.

There were so many questions he needed answered – but there wasn’t really time to figure things out, was there?

“Oh, come on, Katie? She’s got bigger and better things to worry about than putting up with you for more than she has to, dude. Speaking from experience here,” he teased, lips pursing in faux-annoyance to hide the grin threatening to gleam.

“I – well,” he started, words trailing as he took a breath. He focused on Lux for a brief moment. Was this how things were fated to end up? Had that really been why he’d found such a connection with the two? “Before I sign my life away to you two fools even more, I think there’s some things that need to be cleared up. An example being: why the hell is she leaving? Something bigger is happening that I don’t know about, isn’t it?”

It was his own fault – he couldn’t blame them for withholding information if they were. He’d been so fixated on his grandfather’s death that the guilt still hadn’t completely subsided. He didn’t think he had it in him to say no to the people in front of him, but hell, he needed to at least know what he was truly signing himself up for.

(Reply to this)

bound_john
2014-10-12 09:00 pm UTC (link)

John watched his reactions, the way certain things flickered across his face, the grappling of memory and internal wrangling over the question. Perhaps it was a little unfair of John to ask it quite so bluntly - this was, after all, a life-changing decision in exactly the literal sense of the word - but he’d long been an advocate of the school of thought where dancing around big questions wasted everyone’s time. Best just to get it out, and deal with the particulars after, that way everyone knew where they stood.

His bluntness was at odds with the rest of his family, most of whom had been involved in City politics in one way or another for as far back as he could remember. Irvines were the great prevaricators, masters of saying one thing and meaning another, and it had been something of a scandal when the youngest of the new generation had decided to go for manual work over intellectual, and the eldest had jumped ship to New York.

He nodded at Elliott’s question, and glanced at Lux, who gave him an unspoken signal to go ahead.

“Things haven’t been great for a while,” he said. “Partly because everyone’s been away, or distant for a long time, like Lux and Al and Belle, but we think a lot of it had to do with how we Bound the Circle the first time. We did it wrong, we were kids, you know? We did it in secret, and we didn’t do it properly, with the previous generation’s magic reinforcing our own.”

He paused, and gathered his thoughts for a moment, before continuing.

“It made us broken,” he said, picking his words carefully. “The way in which the magic goes between us, it kind of… it’s like a sprung pipe, patched together with cellophane. It keeps most of the water in, but some leaks out of the seams. Our emotions, our magic, our thoughts and feelings, when one of us is mad, the whole group feels it. Same with other stuff. It’s made things… difficult.

“But this time,” he continued. “Will be different. We’re not hiding it any more, we’re telling our folks, and to hell with their bans. We need it to be different, want it to be. Harmony leaving is just… I get it, you know? It’s been really hard, and she has her family to think about. It hurts, but we’ll get through it. And we want you to be a part of what we could become.”

(Reply to this)

bound_elliot
2014-10-12 09:00 pm UTC (link)

Elliot had long ago accepted John’s lack of tact. It came as no surprise that the question had been put on the table without warning – if it had been any other way, he’d consider himself worried. That didn’t stop him from taking his bottom lip in, worrying it between his teeth while quiet. He could feel the tiredness in his bones as he stood; the tightness of his shoulders held tension that had set in when that phone call had set in. The brunette couldn’t help but think that maybe he wouldn’t be where he was if things had been different from the start – the endless possibilities were baffling, and were too much to think about given the little amount of time that they could all spare.

“We can’t have you doing something right the first time around, Irvine; it goes against the design of our world.” It was a light-hearted joke, one that held no bite and was barely a whisper. The cogs of his mind were grinding, twisting to supply questions and answers that he needed to know, wanted to clarify. If the circle hadn’t been Bound correctly the first time, what made them confident that a second go was the correct choice? What made him a candidate, beside the blood running through his veins in a river of hidden truths and uncertainties?

Elliot released his lip, licking the tender flesh while directing his attention towards Lux. She had remained somewhat quiet – not usual for their interactions, but that showed how dire the situation truly was – but if he was going to agree to it, he’d need to be guaranteed that it was what was best.

“There’s a lot that’s been out of my control. Yeah, I admit that I took the first train outta here when I got the chance for school; I’ll own up to that.” Coughing, he raised a fist to his mouth to clear his throat, eyes still not focusing on either of the two in front of him. “My grandfather was a wake-up call. I’ve left too much behind here, but even coming back, I’ve been as useless as I was when I was absent.

“Dad’s lost himself trying to find my mom, who has ran from her family for – surprise – the second time in her life. She kept so much from me, and yet didn’t; growing up, I never gave Harmony or Brennan more than a second thought except for when it came to you. I just – I know that the bloodline is what you need, but…” A pause; always one for dramatic effect, this was more because of his lack of confidence, his desire to never let his friends down when they’d always been there for him.

“If there’s anything I’m certain of, it’s that you both know I’d do anything for you; even binding myself to you without weighing the alternatives. I just need you to confirm that my place in the Circle will actually be what you need; I don’t want to be the cause of a weak Circle that leaves you both vulnerable.”

The unspoken didn’t need to be voiced: he’d always been more concerned for John and Lux than he had been for himself. That wasn’t going to change.

(Reply to this)

bound_lux
2014-10-12 09:02 pm UTC (link)

Lux had been quiet, yes, for good reason. The conversation wasn’t an easy one to have. Elliot needed to make a very important choice that would change the course of his life forever and she had determined John was the best person to deliver the situation as it was. It would be easy enough for her to take over when needed as she was the best person to fill in all the missing little details that John had a tendency to forget. Elliot had known them for as long as she knew the rest of the Founder’s, and without realizing the truth from the start, their lives had naturally gravitated towards one another unknowingly. The more she sought out information, the more she realized just how much her parents had probably kept from her. Did she blame them? Maybe not entirely now--they must have had their reasons, but still--none of this explained why they didn’t trust her. What had happened in the past that could have created such a wedge between her parents and her?

The petite brunette leaned against the Irvine witch as she carefully watched the two most important people in her life discuss the situation at hand. The blood link between them all was vital, but it took a special kind of witch to be bound to a circle--a special link that Elliot shared with his newly found cousins.

“Elliot, I’m not going to lie to you--what we’re asking you to do is a really big commitment and of course there are risks involved. What I can promise you is that together we can make this work, but we can’t do any of this without you.”

Elliot was an exceptional witch in his own right, even without the benefit of the Steele family book of shadows.

“I know you can handle this, but in the end it’s really your decision.”

(Reply to this)

bound_elliot
2014-11-12 12:14 pm UTC (link)

Idle fingers drummed slowly along the side of his leg, the long digits curling inwards to scrape at the fabric of his jeans as he turned from his friends. A sigh - tiny, yet exasperated - creeped passed his slightly chapped lips, worn from his tongue worrying them over the last few days. What they were asking him wasn't a simple solution to all of their problems; it had the potential to complicate a lot of things in their lives even more, didn't it? In the back of his mind a question of how sat heavily, still uncertain of why things were slotting into place just now.

How? He knew; could feel it settling in his gut, a mass of deceit, secrets kept, and mistrust. His parents had kept so much from him. Still were.

"You never could do something without taking me down with you, could ya?" He focused back on the pair, though there was no bite to his words. Elliot had had the two by his side for practically each step of his life - that wasn't going to change, newfound link or not.

"Before I sign my life away even further to you both, is there anything else that you've been tight-lipped about? Some menacing, looming evil that you're going to shout 'surprise!' for whenever it rears its head?" He crossed his arms, setting a look on Lux. "Yes, your shopping habit counts. I'm not pulling triple-duty; John already gets out of those as it is."

(Reply to this)

bound_john
2014-11-13 04:46 am UTC (link)

"Look man," John said, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "You took the first fucking chance to get out of town, and I'm cool with that. Still want you around though, and besides, you weren't the only one."

Really, apart from Eva and Harmony to an extent, John was the only one out of their childhood friendship group that had stayed in the city. It used to bother him. A lot, really, if he was being honest, but not so much now. With Lux, and with everything that had happened, things were just... different. He didn't know how much of it was from the magic side of things, and how much of it was just normal patterns of growing up, but the situation was what it was.

Besides, he knew Elliot's reasons, knew his motivations. If the guy was going to stick around, there wasn't any other choice. Not because of blood, or because they needed him, but because they wanted him. Friendship had been something that was missing in the Circle for a long, long time, and Elliot could finally be the glue that stuck them all together, set them on the right path.

"In terms of immediate stuff? No, not really," he said, and paused, leaning back again. "But what you have to understand is that Binding something like this brings its own set of challenges that we can't see. That we can't predict. Particularly in Crescent Cove man, it's just..." he paused again. "It's a weird town, you know? Strange things happen here, and if we're doing this, if we're going to take our Circle - the Circle - and follow it through to its natural conclusion..."

He stopped, and took Lux's hand, squeezing her fingers between his, before he looked back at Elliot.

"It means being fully involved. And it means accepting that our life is now this life, that there is no segregation between the two. Yeah, we do stuff we have to in order to keep up appearances, but we Bruce Wayne it, we don't Clark Kent it. Our real persona is Batman, you know?"

(Reply to this)

bound_elliot
2014-11-14 11:04 pm UTC (link)

Elliot took a step towards the duo, attention on John as he spoke. The gravity of what they were asking him was weighing on his mind, but he didn’t think he had it in him to say no even if he wanted to. They meant too much to him; but not only for them, he would do it for himself. The mana in his blood had a fervent thrum just underneath his skin since he’d arrived back in Crescent Cove – he’d forgotten how much his magic was a part of him when he was away.

He didn’t want to give that up. Leaving town wasn’t really an option. Sure, he’d have some loose ends to tie up, but then he’d be back for good. The weird part was how accepting he was of that.

“Strange things happen here? That’s the understatement of the century, Irvine.” He held back the urge to roll his eyes, but only just so. Crescent Cove was a place full of wonder, with all the things that hid in the shadows. Elliot had experienced most of them firsthand, in one way or another – even in the short amount of time he’d been back, he’d run into more witches than he’d known of being there before he left.

“I’m in. Fuck if I know the difference between Superman and Batman – seriously dude, how many times do I have to tell you that Marvel is my jam – but I get the gist.”

Binding the Circle would mean a world of change for Elliot. He’d come into his own in terms of power, but the Founder’s Circle was tenfold what he’d ever be alone. He knew that accepting didn’t mean it’d be a walk in the park, but he was tired of being on the outside.

“What comes next? A celebration in my honor for committing my life just that much further to you two a-holes? Do I get a membership card?” Light-hearted banter was accompanied by two outstretched arms, Elliot butting in-between the two to rest his arms atop their shoulders. “Looks like you two are stuck with me for good now.”

(Reply to this)