Locke Hartley (phoenix__down) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2011-02-11 19:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-08-09, locke |
If I don't get some shelter, I'm gonna fade away
Who: Amelia and Locke
Where: Amelia’s home
When: Shortly after this
Locke flew as fast as his little wings could take him, thankful for the fact that he remembered where the white witch resided in town. Though no matter how fast he went, he still couldn’t escape the cries of the demon echoing in his mind. All he wanted was to breakdown and cry. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to do that, but now seemed like an appropriate time. Only a few more minutes and he was circling around Amelia’s home, frantically looking for a place to land and shift back to his human form. Having a nude boy randomly show up on her doorstep was probably not how Amelia wanted to be spending her evening. And what if there was someone else there? Locke would have to play this one by ear and be extra careful.
Flying by the windows, he hovered a bit to try and peer through them. Damnit, why did he have to be such an itty bitty bird? This made everything difficult. Chirping as loud as her could, Locke beated his wings against the glass in hopes to gain Amelia’s attention. She had to know it was him - Locke had given her several of his feathers over the years, so he liked to think she would recognize the similar patterns on his own feathers. Amelia... please... I need you right now. His little chirps were depressed and desperate, wanting nothing but to be held and told it would be ok, even if he knew it wouldn’t be.
Amelia. There’s a bird banging on the window. The dry tone of Ceri’s “voice” couldn’t cover the concern that radiated toward Amelia as she headed down the hall from her bedroom to the living room. She had been doing rounds about the house all day, keeping an eye out for demons. She didn’t expect any to come sniffing around, considering the amount of protection she had put out, but one could never really be too sure. She had been trying to hide her nervous irritation all day as she tried to distract herself. No one had taken her up on her offer for sanctuary in her home. That was fine. They all had their own choices. However, it made her nervous. Were they okay? She didn’t know what she would do if anything happened to them.
While she had been hoping for something more exciting than her tea kettle screeching at her, what she saw when she crossed her living room to the sliding glass door was more than she had in mind. Amelia’s hands tightened on the grips of the holy water filled Super Soaker as she stared, wide eyed, at the bird banging against the window. It only took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. “Locke?” She asked incredulously and reached for the door. In a quick and deft gesture she pulled the sliding glass door open, letting the bird in. When he was in she poked her head out to get a look. No demons that she could see. She would have felt them approach, she was sure, but why else would he be here? Shouldn’t he be with his family? With the coast appearing to be clear she shut and locked the door again before spinning around. “Locke, what’s going on?”
Had it been any other time, Locke would have cracked up at the sight of the Super Soaker, especially in the hands of his school’s principal. Right now? Not so much. His mind was racing just as fast as his heart and he was merely glad that she instantly recognize him. Oh, there was far too much going on, that was for sure. The second the door opened, he flew on in and circulated the house frantically until he came to the living room and dove under a blanket draped over a couch, finally able to shift back. Once in his human form, Locke couldn’t help but cry. The blood that had been splattered across his face by the demon still remained, yet he was far too hysterical to even worry about how he looked. Shit, he didn’t care if rumors miraculously spread about him sitting more or less naked in his principal’s house. Whatever. Teenagers were stupid anyways.
Clinging onto the blanket, Locke shifted on the couch to curl up into a ball to cry for a good minute before looking up to eye Amelia. This wasn’t going to be easy. “...they’re... they’re gone. Gone.” A few more sniffles along with his lip trembling out of control and then he continued. “I couldn’t save them.” Even though he got out of the place untouched in comparison to his late parents, he still felt this heavy sense of guilt overwhelming him for not doing something beyond that. What was the point of being a phoenix if he didn’t help people, especially when they died?
Amelia watched Locke intently. She waited while he cried, giving him a moment. She watched him carefully, however. The blood on him was disconcerting and she was thankful that it was obvious it wasn’t his. But if not his, then whose? “Them” didn’t clarify her question, but Amelia wasn’t going to push. Instead she moved to the couch and knelt in down in front of Locke, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Locke.. I am so sorry. Who is gone? What happened?” She glanced over to a window and stared outside. “Was it a demon?” She sincerely hoped it wasn’t but assumed it was. What else could it be, after all?
Definitely demons. Locke simply nodded in response to that last question, too caught up in his tears to even utter the word. It him a moment to recompose himself enough to actually be coherent. Hopefully Amelia didn’t mind the wait. Bringing his green eyes on up to hers, Locke sniffled and heaved out an unsteady breath. “My... my parents. It killed-” No, that wasn’t the right word. That was putting it far too gently. “...it slaughtered them. I saw. I watched.” His lower lip trembled out of control while averting his gaze. “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t save them. I let them die.”
Initially Amelia was unsure how to act. Here was what she often considered to be one of the most amazing creatures ever sobbing in her living room. It seemed to so wrong. She had always try to behave with deference when they were alone while keeping the ruse of elder to younger when others were around. Now she just saw a young man whose family had been destroyed. What could she possibly say to him to heal his pain? Absolutely nothing. So instead she went with her instincts, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Shhhh." She soothed, as she would anyone who had been hurt. She rubbed her hand up and down his back comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, Locke. So sorry." Amelia would hold him and do her best to soothe him as long as needed. It was the least she could do. After that? Well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
Locke didn’t expect Amelia to try and fix his problems, but he did appreciate the hug. Clinging onto the redhead, Locke continued to cry, unable to stop those painful tears. “I didn’t know what to do, Amelia,” he confessed through his sobs. “I... I burned the place down. I had to. I was afraid that if the demon killed me with them, then maybe I wouldn’t rise from my ashes again.” His inner struggle with whether or not he was worthy of life was a constant battle. For all he knew, the slightest slicker of doubt in his mind could be enough to make his ashes remain as just that. He was too scared to face that. Not now. “Everything burned. I had no other choice.” Lowering his head onto her shoulder, Locke continued to cry. The tears wouldn’t go away anytime soon, but until then he hoped Amelia understood his reasons for what he did.
He burned the place down. Wow. Amelia hadn’t exactly expected to hear that but as he cried and told her what happened she couldn’t blame him. Based on what she experienced and knew of the demons, she doubted he could do anything to help his adoptive family. Why not try to take out the demon in the process? There was nothing wrong with that. They were evil, after all. “Of course you didn’t have a choice.” Amelia continued rubbing his back as he cried. “You couldn’t stop the demon from killing them. It’s best that you were able to save yourself and we can only hope the creature was killed in the process.” She wracked her mind, trying to imagine all the turmoil the poor boy was going through. He had to have a lot on his mind, so many things to consider.
“How about this?” She said, making an instant decision. “You will stay with me. I have a guest room. You’re welcome for as long as you want.” She squeezed him. “When you’re ready we can get you a shower to clean up. I’ll look for some clothes for you and make you something to eat. You must be starving after all that has happened.” Amelia may not have ever had children but she’d spent her whole love mothering and taking care of people. She was thankful she was able to extend her love and kindness to someone who truly needed it.
He was so thankful for Amelia right now. She seemed to understand his actions and wasn’t going to lecture him because of them. But what helped even more was that Amelia offered him to stay there - as long as he wanted. Locke returned that squeeze, his tears eased by the idea he could stay with her. While he couldn’t say anything in reply, he did nod into her shoulder, silently indicating that he would love some clothes and something to eat. And when he did slowly pull away from Amelia, Locke rubbed his eyes and curled up within the blanket. “You’re an angel, Amelia,” he commented in between sniffles. “Thank you.” He was happy he made the decision to come here. Better than dropping by one of his friends’ place right now. Would he appreciate snuggles and sympathy from them right now? Yeah, but Amelia was an adult and on the same maturity level as Locke was. She wouldn’t coddle him or hover over his shoulder. They were on the same wave length for various reasons and Locke was thankful for that.
Locke’s words made Amelia smile brightly. In light of the recent Angelic presence in Scarlet Oak it made her day. But most of all, she was happy that she was able to help Locke. “You’re very welcome.” She tucked a stray piece of blanket in to keep him warm. “I’ll go find something. I can’t promise it’ll be anything you will ever want to actually wear but for now it’ll do. I can go out tomorrow and pick you up something acceptable for public and then we can do some real shopping.” The last bit was said wryly. Sure, Locke’s spirit was old and mature but she didn’t doubt for a minute that appearances mattered to him. At the very least he had an image to to keep up and she was certain that image didn’t include middle-aged women's clothing.
He really didn’t care if he wore a potato sack around the house all day. Anything was good at this point, though he did appreciate Amelia’s promise to go out shopping at some point. Locke mentally reminded himself he needed far more than just clothing - he’d have to replace all his other possessions, too. Books, school supplies, his computer, his music collection, all of it. Granted, it was worth it to save his life, but the thought just brought him down some more. Hell, none of his friends could get a hold of him right now unless Locke called from the land line. He was certain this would all hit the news by tomorrow and people would call Amelia’s place until the day was over. Locke did his best to not let all of that stress him out and instead curled up on the couch to relax. At least Amelia had a cozy place.
As Amelia rummaged for some sweat pants and a plain t-shirt, about as gender neutral as she got, she thought about everything that would need to be done. His house burned down, he didn’t need just clothes. She figured now was probably not the best time to talk about those things. He just needed to relax and feel comfortable for now. But later? Later they would have to discuss everything that needed to be replaced. She thought about the spare room. Maybe he would want to get some bedding and things to make it more his own? She shook her head as she finally found what she was looking for knowing that again, these things weren’t the priority at the moment.
“Here you go.” Amelia kept her tone light and cheerful as she set the clothes on the arm of the couch. “That should be good for now.” She smiled. “So are you in the mood for anything special to eat or should I just whip up something real quick?” Comfort food was not something that had exactly come up in conversation with her and the phoenix. It seemed she’d be learning a lot about him now.
Looking up to Amelia, Locke nodded in response for the clothing. Definitely would be good for now. It was better than being naked, that was for sure. As for food, anything sounded good at this point, but he couldn’t remember the last time he got asked what he wanted to eat. His adoptive parents usually made whatever, only making something ultra special if his friends came over, which was rare. Amidst his tears and sorrow, Locke actually perked up with a slight smile while taking the clothing into his arms. “...do you think you could make Shepherd's Pie? I know it’s kind of random and if you don’t have everything, it’s ok, but it’s one of my favorite things ever.” Best comfort food for Locke and he needed all the comfort he could get. “And um...” He sniffled a bit while standing up, keeping the blanket wrapped tight around his body. “Where’s your bathroom?”
“Shepherd’s Pie?” Amelia thought about the contents of her kitchen and quickly reasoned that she should be able to whip a close approximation at the very least. “I think I can do that. I may have to tweak a few ingredients but I don’t see why not.” She smiled and pointed behind her down the hall. “Bathroom is on the second door to the left.” When she saw that he would find it okay she gave him a quick hug. “I’ll be in the kitchen getting it started.” And she left him to some privacy and wandered into the kitchen thinking about what she’d have to get together. It was nice, she thought, to cook for someone else. She just wished it had to happen under these circumstances.
Hell, Amelia could have made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Locke would have been grateful. Giving her a weak smile, he thanked her again and shuffled off to find the bathroom. He took some extra time in there to splash some water on his face and properly wash the blood off. His hair was a mess, amongst other things, but it wasn’t like he was trying to impress Amelia. Though he still stared at himself in the mirror, a few tears trickling down his face while he did his best to hold back any at all. Easier said than done. Dressing into the clothes given took no time at all and they actually felt quite comfortable. With that out of the way, he neatly folded the blanket he had been using and exited the bathroom to make his way to the kitchen. Smiling at Amelia, he took a seat while watching her. “I really can’t thank you enough,” Locke pointed out once more. “I know it probably wasn’t on your to-do list to have a phoenix crash at your home, but...” He paused while rubbing his eyes. This didn’t have to be stressful for him. He could just relax and not worry. Amelia wouldn’t let anything bad happen. She was a white witch, for god’s sake.
Ground meat cooked cheerfully on the stove as Amelia reached around to grab her spices and other ingredients for their meal. She tried not to think about what Locke had gone through. She couldn’t even imagine having to do what he did. Yeah, she had fought a demon, but mostly that was Ben’s doing. Of course she had to deal with Ben afterward, but that wasn’t the same at all. No, she had never had to see her family (however adoptive in his case) brutally murdered. She had never had to destroy her home and only concrete safety. What he did had taken courage she wasn’t entirely confident she could have mustered had she been in his place. When he came into the kitchen and watched her work she did her best to keep a smile firm on her face. She wasn’t going to let him down. Yes, as he had said, a phoenix crashing her home hadn’t been on her “to do” list, but she didn’t mind. There were bigger concerns. When she was certain the food could sit on its own for a moment she turned and looked at Locke. “Sure, it wasn’t planned but this is where you belong.” She shrugged and put a large glass of water in front of him. “Besides, it gets lonely here all by myself. I could use the company.”
Locke thanked her for the water, not even realizing how thirsty he was until she sat it down in front of him. He downed about half of it before continuing on. “I hope I prove to be entertaining enough,” Locke gave a weak chuckle before running his fingers through his hair. Actually, perhaps this was what he needed, despite all the hell he was going through. He doubted that Amelia would be on his case every single second of the day like his adoptive parents were. She knew what he was and that he wasn’t some typical teenage boy. And in turn, he wasn’t going to be that teenage boy who was constantly arguing with their parents, blah blah blah. For the most part, he was fine with curling up on the couch and reading a book. At least Amelia would never have to worry about him slacking off in school. But as he looked around the house, he couldn’t help but wonder... “Have you always been alone here?” He didn’t want to pry into her private life, but she seemed like such a nurturing woman and probably be a perfect wife and mother for a family. Yet the house felt empty with just the two of them here.
“Entertaining enough?” Amelia replied with a small snort. “I don’t think you’d need to worry about it. Nor do you need to worry about being entertaining.” She shook her head. Here he was, a person who lost everything he had and he’s worrying about being entertaining. So typical. She couldn’t help but smile. Still, Amelia worried. Would Locke never feel comfortable in her home. She doubted it, from a rational stand point, but she sincerely hoped he didn’t truly believe he needed to be entertaining. Her smile faltered at the next question. The smile was brought back as quickly as it fell and she shrugged. “Well yes. Except now it’s just been Ceri and I. While he can be a,” She waved her hands in the air as if searching for the appropriate word, “... challenge sometimes he has certainly kept me company these past couple months.” She shrugged and got up to put the food in the oven, putting her own personal life on the back burner. She was not what was important right now. “Now, I hope when this is done it tastes alright.” She peered at the oven dubiously. “I haven’t made Shepherd’s Pie in some time.”
“Ceri is your... familiar?” He hadn’t met this Ceri yet, but from the way Amelia talked about him, it reminded him of how Freddie spoke of her own little newt. He was certainly happy that he didn’t have that hassle to deal with. But now he was a bit curious to meet this Ceri. It would keep Locke distracted and not focused on what had just happened. “And I’m sure whatever you make is fine. Besides, phoenixes have stronger immune systems than humans. Undercooked meat isn’t going to put a dent on me.” Oh wow, you’re so reassuring. He then shot Amelia a weak smile, hoping his attempt at lightening the mood wasn’t that bad. He felt horrible for trying to joke, seeing all he had been through in the past hour, but it was better than crying. Can’t cry forever.
Amelia slowly raised an eyebrow at Locke’s comment regarding undercooked meat. She was mildly offended, because when in the world would she ever feed someone undercooked meat? But after a quick thought the attempted joke became clear and she was relieved. Locke needed to joke around, it would be good for him. “Well then it’s a good thing you can heal me if I poison us both.” She kept her tone dry and walked away. She stopped near the exit of the kitchen, looking into the living room. “Ceri is indeed my familiar.” She grinned. “To be honest? I really didn’t know what to make of him at first. But now? I couldn’t live without him. He’s in his terrarium, probably pretending to sleep, right now.”
I heard that. Ceri called out. It’s like you think I don’t know what’s going just because I’m a turtle. Amelia stifled a laugh as Ceri slowly crawled out of his terrarium to get a look around. She suspected he knew exactly what was happening and was prudent enough to stay silent when Locke arrived. Yet another reason to love the familiar.
Good to see they were able to keep the humor alive, despite all the chaos that was going on. Locke laughed lightly in response to Amelia and gave her nod. “But of course.” It would have been out of character for him not to rush to someone’s side to aid them, after all. And once they focused on Amelia’s familiar, who soon graced his presence to the two of them, even if it was mentally, Locke just smiled some more. Still small, but a smile, nonetheless. “I don’t think many people knew what to make out of their familiars. They help you out, don’t they? Freddie was telling me that hers made it easier to use her abilities and so forth.” He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he had a familiar. He put most mastered fire elementals to shame. Then again, the fact he didn’t have a familiar meant it was harder for him to actually pass of as a fire elemental.
The affectionate smile on Amelia’s face never faltered as she crouched down to tap on Cerri’s shell. He didn’t particularly enjoy being picked up, even though she did it sometimes, so it was one of her ways of showing love for the turtle. “I can honestly say that I had no idea what to think when Cerri came around. I thought I might have been going crazy, but Cerri convinced me quickly enough that it was normal.” She did air-quotes she said the word normal, not that they were needed because familiars were still anything but normal. “And yes, he has helped out. Particularly with the demons when they came. Not only do they seem to help with powers but they’re good friends too.” She shrugged. “At least Cerri is.” Amelia couldn’t imagine someone not getting along with their familiar. Cerri was her absolute best friend. It would be strange to be disgruntled with ones familiar. “It makes me wonder why some people don’t have familiars yet. Maybe they don’t want them.” It was something Amelia had pondered for some time, simply thankful that a familiar had come to her.
Locke snorted as Amelia and Cerri interacted. Who would have thought that a turtle and human would be buddies? It was adorable, actually. Maybe Cerri would keep him company when Amelia wasn’t around. “I don’t know,” Locke offered as a response. “Maybe their familiars got lost? Or waylaid somehow? Everyone seems to be getting them at certain times. Like... what if someone else had a turtle but they were on the other side of the country? A bit hard for them to catch up, I’d imagine.” Then again, what did Locke know? “I knew a lot of witches and elementals in my last lifetime. Back in San Fransisco when everyone was busy being a hippie and anti the establishment, you know? They’re probably still alive with their own familiars by now.” Locke gave a sad smile as he stared off into nothing. Reminiscing on such memories were odd. He never felt overwhelmed by them, especially if they were old, but they were still there, like flipping through a photo album without feeling attached to the sentiments. A hard feeling to explain, but regardless, Locke did miss having such friends. “You would have liked them,” he added on softly.
“Maybe I would have.” Amelia said with a shrug, thinking back to her days at Berkeley. “For all I know, I may have known of some of them.” She grinned. “I went to UC Berkeley from ‘70 to ‘74 you know.” Her smile faded thinking of all the people she knew. “I hope those who we both knew are settled with familiars now. For that matter, I hope they’re all okay.” The last part came out with a little surprise. She had been so focused on herself and Scarlet Oak. Amelia hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about others around the United States and the world dealing with the revelations of the Light of May and everything that had happened since then.
They’re probably fine and happy with familiars. Cerri’s tone was gruff. You both act as if we familiars are defenseless or something. He looked at the both of them before turning and toddling back to his terrarium. And turtles may be slow, but we’re diligent. Amelia laughed affectionately. She couldn’t help but think it was cute when Cerri got offended by innocent comments. She reached forward, picked him up and carried him to his home. “It’s okay, Cerri. You don’t have to worry about that now do you? That’s what I’m for.” A snort was returned from the turtle who slipped into the water, effectively dismissing them both. She glanced up at Locke and shrugged. “Don’t mind him. I imagine if he was a human he’d be the old curmudgeon type.” Another snort came from the terrarium and Amelia laughed out loud rolling her eyes in the familiar’s direction before gesturing to the kitchen. “I’m going to check on the food.”
Locke kept forgetting how old Amelia was. Maybe that was a good thing. Either way, he wasn’t going to make mention of that out loud. And how funny would it have been if Locke had walked by Amelia before in his last lifetime? Locke would have been in his 40s now if it wasn’t for the vampire attack a few years ago. Another thought that he quickly pushed into the back of his mind. Now wasn’t the time for that. Instead he focused on the conversation taking place between the white witch and her familiar. “That’s quite alright. If it makes you feel any better, Cerri, I would be beyond an old curmudgeon if I reflected my true age.” Because anyone who was that old probably felt like that. Locke knew he did from time to time. He smiled at Amelia weakly as she went to go check on the food, then toyed with his glass of water before taking a few more sips. It felt odd being in this new home. Was home even the right word? He still didn’t want to feel like he was intruding on Amelia, but he had no where else to go. No one else to trust. He was sick of running and hiding in fear.