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Jesse ([info]jdelacroix) wrote in [info]nevermore_logs,
@ 2017-03-26 01:51:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:ceridwen, gerald, jayden delacroix, jess van der berg, jesse delacroix, nicholas rowland

Who: Jesse, Jayden, Nicholas, JJ, possibly Adrian and Isaiah
What: Jayden still can't stop being honest
When: Thursday night, follows this
Where: Their house
Warnings: Doubtful


After running errands for a few hours and then having dinner, Jesse had driven everyone back to the house. He was ready to be back home and sit down for a little while, maybe watch some TV before heading to bed.

He got Bastian out of the car seat and headed into the house, calling out, "Anyone home? We're back."


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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:06 am UTC (link)
Nicholas still needed help sometimes, navigating stairs and uneven terrain, so while Jesse carried Bastian into the house, JJ helped Nicholas up the stairs and inside.

"We brought lots of leftovers," she called out as Jayden trotted dutifully into the entryway. "Hey there, littlest Delacroix!"

"I think technically that's Bastian," Jayden grinned, going over to kiss his nephew on the head. "Sometimes you smell really bad, but you're okay today," he said to the baby.

"Hey," Nicholas said gently, giving Jayden a weird look.

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 09:09 am UTC (link)
Jesse also gave Jayden a weird look. "Uhm...OK," he said. "That's nice to come home to. How's things on the home front, Jay?"

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:12 am UTC (link)
"So good!" Jayden beamed at his brother. "I spooned with three other men today!"

JJ snorted and covered her face, trying to keep from laughing. She wasn't entire sure what Jayden was on about, but it was amusing. At least for the moment.

"Was uh...one of them your boyfriend?" Nicholas asked, a look of concern on his face.

"Yeah! And Phantasos and Jamie! They said they were going to go on a date and I told them I'd been thinking how awesome it would be if we all went out together. But like as four boyfriends. You know, like you guys! And so we cuddled!"

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 09:16 am UTC (link)
Jesse felt his eyebrows shoot up his forehead. And then Jayden explained, and he couldn't help but smile. "I mean...as long as you're all on board, that's great, Jay," he said. "Though, I have to ask, are you feeling OK?"

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:20 am UTC (link)
Jayden looked like he was considering that for a moment, before a veritable deluge of words issued forth from his mouth. "I had cramps before, but I went to the toilet so I feel better. I feel great about the boys! But kinda nervous too because I want to make sure David is happy and I'm new to all of this so I don't know if he would tell me. And also I love that dad would be so mad, hah! Also sometimes I worry I'll relapse on my eating disorder like when you said there was leftovers my first thought was to lie and tell you I ate dinner but then I saw Nicholas and he still looks so sick so I can't lie." Sure, there were other, more magical reasons for that at the moment, but he didn't know that.

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 09:26 am UTC (link)
"I...wow, OK," Jesse said, and he placed Bastian in his swing so he could sit down and talk to Jayden. "That is...a lot to unpack, I'm gonna jump around a little. Make sure all of you talk to each other, or y'all are doomed before you ever start. Ask what you feel like is too many questions, it's better than not enough. And yes, Dad would blow a gasket. That is pretty great. Also, I am really thankful that you didn't lie, and if you want any of the leftovers, please have some, there's plenty."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:38 am UTC (link)
Jayden sat with his brother, Nicholas hovering worriedly nearby. JJ sat farther away, interested to see what was going on.

"I'll have some later, that sounds really nice," Jayden said with a nod. "Better than whatever it was Adrian made last night, that was fucking terrible."

Nicholas felt like he was losing his mind. Jayden didn't seem scared or upset, he just seemed wrong. He was usually far too polite to say anything about anyone's cooking for a start. He glanced at Jesse and back to Jayden. "Jayden, that's not very nice."

"It's true though," he said with a shrug. "I also don't like that green salsa you make, which is strange because everything else is usually so good."

"You never said anything before," Nicholas reminded him.

"I just feel brave today," Jayden explained. "I think JJ's hair looked better when it was longer."

"Hey now!" JJ said, sounding a little less amused now that it was about her.

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 09:43 am UTC (link)
"There's a difference between brave and rude, Jay, and you're wavering along the line," Jesse said, concern now creeping into his voice. "It's like your brain-to-mouth filter is just gone. Which is...really not you."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:53 am UTC (link)
"Huh," Jayden said, finally looking worried for the first time that day. "The boys mentioned that too. And Phantasos said it was like I truth-serumed myself, but I didn't do anything! I thought they were just being really paranoid."

JJ finally stood and walked to Nicholas' side. "I feel kind of terrible asking this, but what's your most recent secret?"

"I rubbed one out in a movie threatre bathroom last week," Jayden answered almost immediately, and then he turned bright red. "Holy shit, I- I didn't mean to tell you that."

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 09:56 am UTC (link)
Jesse managed to not snort, and fished out his phone. "I'm gonna call Mama, see if truth serum is something she knows how to do. And if it is, who else might be capable of doing it. I'll be back in a minute, OK, Jay?"

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:59 am UTC (link)
"Oh god," Jayden slapped a hand over his mouth and JJ immediately rushed forward to hug him.

"Hey, don't worry about it, we'll figure it out. And hey, if you hadn't been dosed with veritaserum you wouldn't have spoken up about Jamie and Phantasos, right?"

"Yeah, I...yeah that's true," he said from behind his hand.

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 10:03 am UTC (link)
Jesse had a short conversation with their mother in the kitchen, who had, upon hearing what Jayden was doing, promised she would be right over.

"She's gonna come by," he informed the others. "Says it's not real common for something like this to happen, apparently truth serum's tricky and fiddly to make, more trouble than it's worth, etc. She'll figure it out, Jay."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 10:07 am UTC (link)
Jayden whimpered, suddenly terrified he was going to tell them more things. He opened his mouth to say he was frightened, but instead he said, "I have porn under my bed, and sometimes I worry that my messed up childhood makes me want scary things like bondage. Fuck!"

JJ just kept holding Jayden close, but not without tossing Jesse a 'fuck he's adorable' look. "Aw, Jayden. Porn stash and wanting to be tied up are not bad things, okay? Just breathe, babe."

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[info]jdelacroix
2017-03-25 10:16 am UTC (link)
"They're really not, Jay, we promise," Jesse agreed, smiling at JJ over his head. "It's gonna be OK."

After hearing about what had happened to Jayden, Ceridwen had come right over. She knelt down next to Jayden once she'd arrived, peering into his eyes. She held out one hand and closed her eyes, concentrating on feeling for anything different.

"Truth spell," she murmured. "Easier than trying to put something in his food. Doesn't last as long, though the upside for the caster is that it's easier."

She had noticed, almost from the moment she walked into the door, a presence she wasn't familiar with. It was almost like the tickle in the back of your throat that came before a sneeze. Faint, but there.

As she walked around the house, she sensed it more. It was...familiar, but still strange. It didn't make any sense. Nothing of any magical or immortal stripe could get in the house if it wished the family ill. And they had been holding up well so far.

"Jesse," she said curiously. "When was the last time you went into the attic?"

Jesse cocked his head, thinking. "I'm not sure," he finally said. "Probably a few months. Why?"

"Just a hunch," she replied. "Excuse me, I'm going to go investigate." Jesse, who was used to this, just shrugged and let her carry on.

She ascended the stairs to the third story, then pulled on the rope to lower the attic ladder. It came down easily enough, and she climbed up. The first thing she saw was the glow of a lamp, and in the corner, the shape of a small person curled up under a blanket.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my son's house?" Ceridwen demanded, coming fully into the room.

Gerald jumped, tangling himself in his earbuds and yanking them out of the tablet. "I'm Gerald, I live here," he said, as though it were very obvious.

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, before snapping her fingers. "You're a hobgoblin, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied. "You're in my attic. Why are you in my attic?"

"Your attic, hmm?" she asked. "Seems to me, this is my son's attic, and I don't think he'd love that you're living here."

Gerald looked mildly alarmed. "Why not?" he asked, sounding offended. "I'm a perfectly good hobgoblin. Probably one of the best!"

"Good hobgoblins don't put truth spells on people," Ceridwen informed him. "I can't say Jesse would be thrilled to have you staying here, after you did that."

"Please don't make me leave, miss," Gerald said, not caring if he sounded like he was begging. "I like it here. They leave food out all the time, and even if it's not really for me, it's enough. And they don't notice. And I help! I tire the dog out so she doesn't wake the baby during his nap. I shut off the lights at night and fix the thermostat. The shoes get straightened and the dishes get done. I didn't mean anything by it, miss. Only the little one seemed so sad, like he never talked to anyone about things that really mattered. I just wanted to help him."

Ceridwen looked down at him, and she felt her annoyance melt away. He hadn't meant Jayden any harm, and as far as she could tell, the spell wasn't hurting him. She had known families long ago who would have fallen all over themselves to have a hobgoblin this devoted to his house.

"Gerald, was it?" she asked softly.

"Yes, miss," Gerald replied, shuffling his feet and looking at the ground.

"It's not my house, so I can't say one way or the other," she began. "But I have met all manner of magical things in my day, and you seem to be on the benign end of the scale. Which is good for you, because I think we can pitch it so that you can stay. Though an apology might be in order."

Gerald looked up at her from under the brim of his hat. "You think so, miss?" he asked, cautiously hopeful.

"Well, we'll have to speak to my son and his partners," she explained. "And as I said, apologizing to Jayden might go a long way."

Gerald blew out a breath, and muttered quietly in Welsh that it seemed strange to apologize for trying to help someone.

"Yes, but it could have ended up badly for him," Ceridwen replied, also in Welsh. "Don't sass me, Gerald. Come on. Downstairs we go. And don't forget-I can shapeshift too. So don't get any ideas."

"Yes miss," Gerald replied, and headed down the stairs after her.

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 10:23 am UTC (link)
Jayden had been forcibly holding his mouth closed while Ceridwen was apparently traipsing around the attic. JJ and Nicholas stood watch, making sure Jayden didn't just run away. A truth spell?! That was terrifying.

And then Ceridwen returned, followed by some kind of terrifying thing and Jayden forgot all about trying to stay silent. "AUGH! IT'S AN IMP!" he screamed, darting behind Nicholas so he could hide.

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-25 10:27 am UTC (link)
"Excuse you, I am a hobgoblin!" Gerald said indignantly. "Imps can go take a flying leap. Nasty, dirty things. They live outside, who does that?"

"Gerald," Ceridwen sighed.

"Sorry," Gerald muttered, not sounding all that sorry.

"Gerald?" Jesse asked, very confused.

"That's me," he said, bowing slightly. "Gerald the hobgoblin, at your service."

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[info]amending
2017-03-25 10:30 am UTC (link)
Nicholas raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms seriously. "Uhhhhh. What? There was a- There was a hobgoblin in my attic?! I've heard of this happening with squirrels, but this is ridiculous. How did you get in here?!"

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-25 10:33 am UTC (link)
"It was my attic before it was yours, boy-o," Gerald told him, raising an eyebrow. "I've been in this house for over a hundred years, and provided it's still standing down the line, I'll be here long after you're all gone."

"Gerald is the one who put the truth spell on Jayden," Ceridwen added. "He was trying to help. He said that Jayden always looked sad, like there were things he wanted to say, but never did."

"Well...I really don't like the way he did it, but he's not wrong," Jesse said after a few moments.

"It'll be gone by the next sundown," Gerald informed them. "I'm not what I used to be, you know, some things take more out of me than they used to."

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[info]amending
2017-03-25 10:36 am UTC (link)
Jayden peered out from behind Nicholas and frowned at Gerald. "Sometimes it's okay not to say things," he said quietly.

"No, wait, hold on!" Nicholas hissed, throwing his hands up in the air. "We are not just talking about this like it's a normal thing! What do you mean- You've just been here the whole time!? Like...watching us?! ...I feel very icky."

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-25 10:43 am UTC (link)
"I am sorry if I caused any trouble," Gerald told him. "Please accept my apologies."

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "I never come out unless you're sleeping or out. I do tasks around the house, like turning off lights, or sweeping, or straightening things. Sometimes I make the dog chase me, which is really rather funny to watch."

"Nicholas, hobgoblins are house spirits, they're a kind of fairy," Ceridwen explained gently. "They look out for the families in their houses, and they do housework in exchange for food and warmth. They're not malicious, and they don't spy on people. Not usually."

"The very idea," Gerald muttered. Ceridwen rolled her eyes.

"And we leave food out almost all the time," Jesse said slowly, as though puzzling it out.

Gerald nodded. "There was always so much left, I figured no one would miss a little bit."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-25 09:43 pm UTC (link)
Nicholas shook his head slowly at the last thing Gerald had said. "No, no, I- You can have any food you want. That's not- I would never keep food from anyone. But it's- So you've just been here for years?"

JJ smiled at Gerald and she went to pat Nicholas' shoulder. "I wish you'd introduced yourself sooner, you seem really nice."

Jayden didn't look like he agreed, but that was just because he was still truth-spelled.

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-25 11:18 pm UTC (link)
"One hundred and...twelve years, this April," Gerald confirmed, nodding. "I came with the first family that lived in this house. Lovely couple. Only had one daughter, and she moved away, and the two of them passed away in their sleep in the house. And I just stayed."

"Thank you, miss," he said, bowing slightly to JJ. "I mostly keep to myself, for, well...obvious reasons." He deliberately didn't look at Jayden, he didn't think it would help things."

"Hobgoblins are one of the nicer creatures to walk out of legend," Ceridwen told them. "As long as you're kind in return. Then they turn into boggarts, who are real pains in the ass to get out of a house."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-26 04:36 am UTC (link)
"Oh, well let's...not have that," Nicholas muttered. "I suppose uhm- Look, I mean, if you're going to be here you don't have to hide. In fact I'd rather you didn't all the time..." He would feel more secure knowing where Gerald was. And it seemed Gerald had been in the house pretty much since it was built, so what right did he have to kick the poor guy out.

He had just assumed the denizens of the house were really good at cleaning.

"Yeah! Come out and visit," JJ said with a grin. She liked the idea of a fairy living in the attic.

"I feel a little like those stories you hear on the internet where people find out there's some Japanese lady living in the cabinets or something. Well okay I think that story was from Japan, so it was just a lady living in the cabinets. Ugh, shut up, Jayden," he hissed to himself.

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-26 04:48 am UTC (link)
"I'm not hiding, I'm staying out of the way," Gerald told him.

"Gerald, you can turn into a fly. You'd be out of the way regardless," Ceridwen said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"You can turn into a fly?" Jesse asked, curious.

"I can turn into all manner of things," Gerald explained. "Sometimes I turn into a butterfly and have the dog chase me."

Jesse snorted. "Well at least she's getting her exercise."

"I could come down for tea, I suppose," he said to JJ. "My brownie cousins are having conniption fits right now and they don't even know why. Still. They've never had birthday cake Oreos."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-26 04:57 am UTC (link)
JJ giggled at that and she moved forward to stretch out a hand, "pity for them then. Pleasure to meet you, Gerald. Though in the future maybe ask before any spells are cast."

"I'd appreciate that," Jayden whispered.

Nicholas cleared his throat gently and said, "Gerald has a point though, Jayden. You do keep things from us. Not- I mean, you don't have to tell us everything, obviously! But clearly you opened up today and nothing bad happened. You can tell us things."

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-26 05:15 am UTC (link)
Gerald shook her hand. "And you, miss. They hide themselves away, you know. If you ever saw them, they'd just up and leave."

He turned to look at Jayden then. "I truly am sorry, Jayden. The last thing I want to do is upset my family."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-26 05:20 am UTC (link)
Jayden felt embarrassed, but there wasn't a harsh bone in his body and thus he couldn't chastise the man any more. "I forgive you," he said softly. "You think of us as your family? That's really nice, actually." Then he turned to Nicholas and sighed, "I'll try to be better?"

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-26 05:26 am UTC (link)
"Every family that dwells in this place is my family," Gerald told him. "And it is my job to look after them. And once I'm done, I go to my attic, I have my tea, and I watch things on Youtube."

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[info]likeafirestar
2017-03-26 05:31 am UTC (link)
JJ was practically overwhelmed with joy. "Youtube?! You're amazing," she grinned. Nicholas chucked and went to scoop Bastian into his arms as he started to fuss.

"Well, what I said stands. You're welcome to anything in the kitchen." He was a little uncomfortable with the idea that the poor guy was just cleaning up their messes, but he had a feeling telling Gerald he didn't have to wouldn't end well.

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[info]uruisg
2017-03-26 05:52 am UTC (link)
"Technology is today's magic," he replied, grinning. "Before I came to this country, hell, even when I first moved in here, these things would have been considered the ravings of a madman."

"Wonderful, thank you," he said to Nicholas. "And my compliments to whoever made the crayfish a few days ago. Very tasty."

"That was me," Jesse said. "So...uh, thank you."

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