Tweak

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Tweak says, "Today is your lucky day!"

Caleb William Danvers (first_to_ascend) wrote in ipswich_rpg,
@ 2010-02-06 20:42:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2010 02, caleb danvers, trish wellington

RP: Taking a break
Who: Caleb, Trish
Where: Nicky's
When: after dark, February 6, 2010
Rating/Warning: None?
Summary: Caleb tries to escape for a few hours
Status: Complete

So yesterday morning they'd cracked hell back open. Just one of the rifts that they'd sealed the week prior had been parted, and they'd gone in. They had voluntarily stepped into hell. Himself, Mal and Jaime and a few others who'd wanted to aid. They'd followed Jaime's points, doing their best to avoid confrontations but dealing when they came up ... and eventually they'd found everyone.

Including people who hadn't yet seen Ipswich. Or been aware of it. He, Jaime, and Mal had led the army back out, carrying the wounded, helping the ones that could walk with support. There'd been a lot of screaming, and Caleb had had nightmares when he'd finally managed to get to sleep after three that morning.

But they'd resealed the cracks, hopefully trapping everything that belonged there down there, and hopefully with everyone else back on the surface. He felt like he'd aged a couple of years, and it wouldn't have surprised him to know that he had.

Needing a break, something that wasn't magic and catering to people dropping in, Caleb had retreated to Nicky's to lose himself in the noise, in the crowd, and the second glass of beer in front of him.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 02:14 am UTC (link)

"Not that there's anything wrong with delivering pizzas. We have to eat, right?" He grinned. "But it's better to ... get a job somewhere you want than to just take whatever rolls by. Unless ... that's the only option you've got," he amended.

He supposed beggars couldn't be choosers, right?

Backing out of the parking lot, he started toward the house. "I couldn't see me doing that," he said with a soft laugh. "Not professionally, anyway." As they drove along, he glanced over to her occasionally before he redirected his focus to the road.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 02:37 am UTC (link)

“No, I guess not,” she agreed, finding that his looks wouldn’t fit that kind of quota. “If anything I can see you as a model. You’re cute enough.” Further proof would require Trish to have to expect his body, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t imagine. Caleb looked fit enough. “Did you ever have a dream job? Something you wanted to be but you know you can’t for one reason or another? I sort of wanted to try my hand at ice skating. I mean, I would find myself sitting there watching all of these people looking so elegant. It just looked like a fun profession.”

Trish chewed down on her lower lip, leaning against her seat as she looked over at Caleb, unable to help but imagine herself in some kind of outfit while she slid around on some block of ice.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 02:47 am UTC (link)

A surprised laugh parted his lips; that was a first. "A model, really?" He'd see Pogue or Reid as a model before he'd consider himself for it. "I don't think I'd have it in me to sit and look pretty for the camera though," he said.

As for a dream job, he shrugged. "Really, I never really thought about it. It isn't like I had to work, given ... well." He shrugged again; they were old money, after all. He'd never have to work, but he wanted to.

"Ice skating, huh? There's a nice rink up in Gloucester. I'm sure someone could take you up there to give it a shot." He looked thoughtful. "Think there's one at the school, too. I bet Reid could take you, if you could put up with him long enough."

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sabotage
2010-02-08 02:57 am UTC (link)

“Too busy to take me yourself?” She asked, not meaning to put him on the spot, but from what she could tell it sounded like he wouldn’t be interested in doing it. “Not that I would ask you to or anything or if you would even want to.” Trish looked straight ahead, wondering how that would even work out.

“You’re probably busy,” she added, trying to make up an excuse as to why he didn’t mention himself acting the part in taking her. “And I get that, I really do. You have a lot to deal with.” She offered him a weak smile, leaving it alone for now.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 03:14 am UTC (link)

"I would, but I can't skate," Caleb admitted with a light grin. "I think I could, years ago, but I haven't been in forever. I'd probably be no help at all in helping you learn. Or keeping up with you."

He did have a lot to deal with though, and he nodded slightly as he made the turn into the driveway, pausing while the gate slowly rolled open. He really wasn't sure why they even had it now; it was more of an inconvenience than anything else. "Besides, I can't get into the one at school. I'm not taking classes there." Though if this dropping-in thing continued, he'd have to look into it. Maybe they had a teaching program, and he could transfer some of his classes over to that.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 03:22 am UTC (link)

“And what makes you think I can skate?” She asked quietly, letting him in on the fact that maybe she was a little horrible at it too. “Just because I wanted to skate doesn’t mean I ever tried it. So, if you think that you’re going to completely suck just know that I’m going to be just as bad.” Trish figured that it would probably be a bad idea for the two of them to go out and attempt ice skating. She could only imagine the number of bruises they would both receive.

“It wouldn’t be that bad,” she added, coming to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be a horrible experience. “It could even be a little fun if you let it. I don’t need you to skate circles around me for you to take me.”

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 04:08 am UTC (link)

Caleb chuckled. "Which was why I said helping you learn or keeping up with you," he replied. "Either scenario would be bad."

Pulling up to the house, he stopped the car and turned it off. Pocketing his keys as he got out, he glanced over to her and tried to recall if he'd brought her here ... but he didn't think so. A few people had crashed here before they'd worked out the current system of government housing.

"So," he said with a gesture. "The Danvers estate," he teased ... then realized it wasn't really that much of a joke; the place practically was an estate.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 04:31 am UTC (link)

“Maybe I want to see you fall on your ass,” she hinted, not opposed to the idea completely since it would make for a good laugh or two. She got out of the car once they got there, her eyes looking at the estate with a mildly impressed look. “Nice,” she whispered, unable to remember when she saw an estate that big. “Bigger than my dad’s, I think.” She looked over at him, offering him a grin. “Not that this is a competition or anything. It’s lovely.”

Trish figured that the place was a family memento of sorts. “Did your past generation live here too?” She asked, seeing how Caleb had said that his ancestors had been around for years and years. If they didn’t leave Ipswich then they had to stay somewhere. The estate looked big enough to have housed a large family.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 04:46 am UTC (link)

"Not a competition," he agreed as he started toward the garage door. "Even if it was, I have nothing to do with the house," he added with a wink.

Unlocking the door, he nodded. "I think so," he agreed. "My mother still lives here," he continued as he shouldered the door open, letting both both inside.

"My father died a few years ago," he continued in case that came up since he only mentioned his mother. "Can I get you anything to eat, drink? Coffee, water, anything like that?"

Slipping off his boots, he shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 05:00 am UTC (link)

“Water so I can drown out the martini,” she replied, removing her own jacket to hang up alongside her purse. The place looked older on the inside, almost like it was an antique. She figured because it was so old it probably had a lot of things from years before; things that couldn’t be given away because they held too much meaning. “Must be nice having some of your family around,” she said, figuring that some was better than none. “Then again, if I had my family here I wouldn’t know what to do about them. I’d be too worried.”

She took a couple of steps inside, her hands slipping into her back pockets as she took the place in. Even if it looked a bit old the place was nothing but gorgeous. “You have a nice home,” she told him, turning her head to look at where he was. “Kind of glad we came here instead of staying back at Nicky’s.”

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 05:11 am UTC (link)

Caleb led her into the kitchen, pulling a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. Offering her one, he plunked himself down at the kitchen table. It was comfortable, well-lit, and ... perhaps a bit old-fashioned as far as decor went, but it was familiar and warm.

"It is," he said. Even if he was taking care of her ... though granted, after his father had actually died, she had cut back on the drinking. She was mostly sober now, which was a relief. "Wouldn't hurt if she got out more though." She could use some friends, but none of the other wives really ... socialized. Not with each other, anyway.

He grinned slightly. "Quieter and smells less like smoke." Twisting the cap off his bottle, he took a sip of it before he exhaled softly.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 05:25 am UTC (link)

Old fashioned or not, it felt a lot like home. The kitchen faintly resembled the one back at her father’s place. Mr. Wellington wasn’t exactly one to stick with the times which meant they had a lot of old furniture from when her grandfather was still alive. Trish came to lean against the table rather than sitting in the chair, uncapping that water bottle to take a small sip from it.

“Mean for wanting your mom to get out more,” she said, teasing him on his wording and how he came off. “But I can actually compare my family to yours. My mom can be a pain in my ass too sometimes. She really doesn’t like conversing with other people who aren’t my father. She does spend an awful amount of time with my sister and her husband.” Trish frowned, thinking about it for a moment.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 05:57 am UTC (link)

Caleb laughed softly. "That's not ... how I meant it. Just that she's got to be lonely. She could use some friends, people to ... I don't know. Play bridge with or whatever older ladies do when they get together. Even a book club or something ..."

Granted, he at least got to entertain his mother with the tales of the people he picked up from the field, and the other adventures from Hell and whatever else was going to happen.

Just thinking about that made him tired though.

He nodded slightly. "My mom hasn't really had anyone. After my dad died, I was off to college, so ... of course I wasn't here ..." He shrugged a little as he glanced toward the door adjoining the kitchen to the den.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 06:07 am UTC (link)

“A book club,” she echoed, giving Caleb a raised brow. “You want your mom to enjoy what she’s doing. Not be driven away so she can come back here and be alone. I mean, yeah, you do a book club when you’re like sixty but I hardly think your mother is that old. She should go out and go to a casino or maybe go to one of those dance clubs that let’s cougars in if they’re over forty.” Trish laughed, unable to drink her water since she would have spilled it everywhere.

“Sorry, maybe not that far, but you have to expand your thinking when it comes to mothers. I know for a fact my mom would rather go to a male strip joint than sit around discussing To Kill A Mockingbird.” Trish shrugged, following Caleb’s eyes to what den, wondering what was so important about it or if he was just letting his eyes wander.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-08 06:24 am UTC (link)

Caleb shook his head slightly at the idea of his mom at a strip club. "She's ... a little more old-fashioned," he said quietly. "I definitely think she's more the book club and bridge sort than the strip club sort."

Also, that thought was marginally disturbing.

Sipping his water, he exhaled after swallowing. "So, where did you say you were staying?" he inquired, brows lifting slightly. Had she mentioned? He couldn't recall if she had, but he had seen so many people in and out of various houses that he'd need a database to keep up with all the changes.

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sabotage
2010-02-08 07:55 am UTC (link)

“The place you told me to go?” She said, reminding him since he had forgotten. “To stay safe, remember? You said that the government was offering housing and a little protection because I was worried about my vampire problem. I got all mad at you because you wouldn’t help me and you didn’t take any of my shit because you already had a lot on your plate.”

Trish shrugged, knowing it hadn’t been the merriest of conversations to have. “I was just scared. I apologized for being that way to you. I shouldn’t have tried to rely on you so much. You didn’t deserve that kind of weight when you’re already doing so much.”

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-09 01:33 am UTC (link)

He hadn't actually heard either way that she'd landed in one of the houses, but at that point, he hadn't particularly cared because he had been having a Bad Day. "Good," he said with a slight nod.

He waved off the apology. "You weren't the first. You won't be the last." Unfortunately, on that. He preferred when people had people here to lean on and explain things to them, but he couldn't count on everyone falling through having friends or family around. "There's a lot to be scared of around here," he continued. "Though hopefully ... less of that with the whole ... Hell situation cleared up."

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sabotage
2010-02-09 04:45 am UTC (link)

“You’re admirable, you know that?” Trish looked at him, wanting her words to be considerate enough for him to understand. “And I know you’re more than that too. I just haven’ found the words yet. I know that it sounds like I’m being ridiculously modest but I’m not. I don’t try to be.” She smiled thoughtfully, biting on the rim of her water bottle. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so shy.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-09 04:57 am UTC (link)

Caleb shrugged slightly as he regarded his bottle of water. He didn't really have a response to that, because it wasn't as though he had to do what he was doing. He didn't have to make the other stick around to help take care of the people coming through.

"I'm not working alone," he said finally. "Reid and Tyler and Pogue. Even Chase. Ashley. The other girls. They're all pitching in, too. It ... it might not be our obligation. It's probably fine, now, to leave it in the hands of the government, but ... it's our town. It's magic, and it's what we deal with. Chase is ..." he hesitated. "He's one of us. Whether or not any of us like it, it is what it is. So his mess is our mess. No matter how much of a pain in the ass it might be at times."

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	sabotage 2010-02-09 05:03 am UTC (link)
	“He did this?” She asked, staring at Caleb since he made it seem like it was all Chase’s fault – whoever he was. She wasn’t sure how one man could be responsible for everything but if he was then there was a lot she needed to understand. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

first_to_ascend
2010-02-09 05:08 am UTC (link)

"Not on purpose," Caleb hurried to assure her. "It ... happened when he ..."

Hesitating, he wondered how far back he had to go. "I suppose, very technically, I did this. It's kind of a long story, but a few years ago he and I got into a fight in the field where the barn was. In the barn, really ... at first."

He lapsed into a momentary silence as he relived that night. "I ... he had more power than me, at first, but ... I got a burst of it, and I managed to ..." Caleb made a slight pushing gesture with his hands. "We never found a body. Never knew what happened to him. Apparently, I sent him to hell and when he came out ... he tore a hole in reality. That's what's sucking everyone here."

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sabotage
2010-02-09 05:17 am UTC (link)

Trish listened, her expressions changing dramatically with each thing he said about having power and talking about sending this Chase guy to Hell and same guy bursting out of it only to rip a hole that was bringing everyone to Ipswich. She tried to be understanding, even attempted at making a face that said it wasn’t his fault but it kind of looked like it was. From his perspective and the way he sounded so guilty – why wouldn’t it be his fault?

“You did all of this,” she concluded, letting her gaze linger on him for only a moment before it drifted away.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-09 05:19 am UTC (link)

"Not on purpose," he echoed. "I didn't know what I'd done. I didn't send him there on purpose. He attacked me," Caleb protested. "I wasn't going to let him kill me, steal my power. So I did what I had to do. Sending him to hell was not a conscious decision or a well thought out plan."

Even if it had been, he had no way of knowing that three years later, Chase was going to rip his way out of Hell.

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sabotage
2010-02-09 05:28 am UTC (link)

She really didn’t know how to react and she guessed that it had a lot to do with not really understanding any of it. It wasn’t like she was there to know what went on and what Caleb had to do in order to protect himself. She attempted to imagine what it was like for him but came to a blank conclusion. It was difficult to phantom the idea of it. “I don’t know what to say,” she confessed, not wanting to say something that would put her out of line.

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first_to_ascend
2010-02-09 05:31 am UTC (link)

"You don't have to say anything. It was a while ago and ... whatever happened, whoever was to blame ... it happened. So now we have to cope with it. See if we can find a way to undo it."

Though he thought that by 'undoing' it, he might get people stuck here, and that wasn't his goal at all.

Still, it wasn't like they had anything to go on and after what happened last time he tried, he wasn't so sure he wanted to give anything else a go.

"Anyway, it's getting late. I should get you home, unless you want to crash here? We have plenty of guest rooms." And that wouldn't be a first, either.

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sabotage, 2010-02-09 05:40 am UTC

first_to_ascend, 2010-02-09 05:51 am UTC

sabotage, 2010-02-09 05:54 am UTC

first_to_ascend, 2010-02-09 06:06 am UTC

sabotage, 2010-02-09 06:13 am UTC

first_to_ascend, 2010-02-09 06:15 am UTC

sabotage, 2010-02-09 06:21 am UTC

first_to_ascend, 2010-02-09 02:57 pm UTC

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