Nate Kelly (somedaymaybe) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-05-19 13:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, nate |
Who: Nate and Veronica (NPC)
Where: Phone Call
When: Sunday afternoon, October 22nd
Status: Complete
Nate typically avoided his mother as much as possible, so it was hard to believe he was calling her twice in one week. He was hoping a call was all he needed at the moment, that she could tell him what to do and he could be done with it. He knew that was also probably too much to ask, but he could hope. Curses tended to be a pain in the ass, even when they were little ones. Bad luck apparently bled into everything-- he’d almost electrocuted himself and cut his hand off. Almost. If he wanted to keep all his limbs, he needed to fix this stat.
So he leaned against the counter and called his mother, fingers drumming on the counter as the phone rang. He couldn’t imagine this going on much longer. Even going to the gala on Friday seemed like a bad idea at this point. Everything was dangerous, even the most mundane of tasks, but life had to go on, he supposed. Work was just as dangerous and he couldn’t exactly close the bar just because he might slip and fall and break his neck.
Veronica had just gotten home from the gym and was heading upstairs to shower when her phone started buzzing in her bag. She slowed on the steps and pulled out her phone, more than a little surprised to find Nate was the one calling. That was a rarity. Either something terrible had happened, or he needed her help. Again. She much preferred the latter, obviously. Veronica answered the phone and started up the stairs again, her tone calm even if her heart rate had quickened. “Nate,” she greeted. “Is everything okay?”
Nate knew he shouldn’t be nervous about talking to his mother when he was the one who’d called her, but his heart still sped up anyways. It was like he could hear her disappointment in him before she even said hello. “Hi Mom,” he said. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Kind of. I’ve figured out what the curse is and I was hoping you could tell me how to break it.” He thought about tacking on ‘before it kills me’, but he knew that was being over dramatic, especially when his sister was dealing with a curse that really could kill her.
Arching a dark brow, Veronica carried her gym bag down the hall to the bedroom she shared with Alan. She wasn’t surprised that Nate had been able to figure out the curse on his own. He never really tapped into his true potential as a witch the way Reagan had, but he was still smart, and talented. She was surprised that he needed her help to break it. Or her advice. It made her feel needed, and yes, a little smug. “I’ll see what I can do,” Veronica said, pulling the bag from her shoulder to set on a chair nearby. “Tell me about the curse. What does it do?”
Nate hated this, well aware that if he’d learned this at a younger age then he wouldn’t be coming to his mother as a grown ass man asking for help. But curses had never been in his wheelhouse, not setting them or breaking them, and he’d never expected to need such knowledge. If he did, he’d always thought he could go to Reagan, but he knew she had her hands full with a curse of her own. “It causes bad luck,” he said. “Anything from tripping over my own feet to my bedroom window randomly breaking and almost slicing my hand off. So far I’ve managed to avoid any serious injuries, but it’s getting worse.”
Veronica was only mildly amused by the effects of the curse, because she knew how quickly they could escalate and become something much more dangerous than just a few cases of bad luck. "Well, you have two options," Veronica said as she sat to toe off her sneakers. "You can perform a spell reflection, which will send the magic back to the caster, although this isn't a fool proof method and if I remember correctly, it was a... cat that bit you, spreading the curse. It's also possible that whomever cursed the cat is a highly experienced witch and may have included safeguards to protect against spell reflections." She toed off her other shoe. "Or if you want to just dive in head first to get rid of this curse, you can use magical force. I can tell you what you'll need and what spell to use, but you'll need to perform it on the night of a waning moon."
For his part, Nate was mildly impressed that his mother didn’t laugh at him. “Yeah, not totally sure that reflecting back on the cat will work,” Nate said, running his fingers through his hair. If it had been a witch cursing him directly, he might’ve gone this route, but he also suspected that any witch causing this kind of chaos knew to protect themselves. It seemed like a better plan to just get rid of it, though he wanted thrilled to have to wait for a waning moon. “I’d rather just get rid of it. Will any time waning work? Or do I have to wait till after the third quarter?” He seriously hoped not. This thing was making his life hell.
"Anytime," Veronica explained. "The spell can get complicated so pay close attention, or write this down." For a second she nearly told him she would just do it for him, but her son was a grown man, and these were things he ought to know. "You'll need air drying clay, water charged with the sun's energies, a bay leaf, black candle, a slip of paper with a red pen, a clay writing tool and a hammer. Got it?" It was quite a list, and she would text it to him if she needed to, but they were all things he could gather on his own, if he didn't already own them. Walking him through the spell would probably be more difficult, so she gave it a brief moment of thought. "The spell is in one of the family journals, if you would rather follow that than try to remember my instructions. Reagan has the journals, but I'm sure she would lend it to you long enough to break the curse."
Nate immediately grabbed a pen and started writing down the ingredients. He was relieved to find that everything she named was easy to come by and that he had most of it on hand. Hearing them read off in that fashion gave him a pretty good idea of what he needed to do, probably because he’d at least read over the spell some time in the past, even if he hadn’t performed it. “If it’s in the journals, I can just get it from her,” he said, pen tapping on the notepad. “Is it the one where I write an inscription into a clay disc, then carry it around till the new moon? And then smash it?” If that was it, he couldn’t for the life of him recall what he was supposed to do with the paper and the red pen, but that’s what the journal was for. He mostly remembered it because he had to carry around the damn disc.
"That's the one," Veronica said, standing now as she walked over to the large windows overlooking the front yard and fence. "These are spells you should know, Nate, and have written down for yourself. It's a small enough disc, so keep it in a back pocket, or a jacket, or... wherever you put things. It will absorb the effects of the curse and the negative energy. While you have it, read the journal and write down a few spells to keep on hand. I won't be around to help you forever, you know." Not that she minded it when Nate reached out to her. It was a rarity, so she wasn't going to turn him away if he needed her. But, on the other hand, if he had just allowed her to teach her what she knew, he might be more self sufficient, like his sister.
There was a moment when Nate could feel his anger flaring up and he wondered exactly how much air he had drained from the room in that instant. It was probably a good thing his mother was on the phone and not there in person. If he was dizzy, then she definitely would’ve felt it. “That’s a good idea. Thank you,” he said, stabbing at the notepad. When the pen suddenly broke, smearing ink all over his fingers, he cursed quietly. “I’ll let you know if I run into any issues.” Or not. He’d rather stay cursed than admit he couldn’t follow her instructions.
"Please do, Nate. Curses aren't something to mess around with, as we're all well aware of now." She wondered if he would reach out to her if he encountered an issue. Or if he would ask Reagan for help. Veronica hoped Nate could handle on it own, but she wasn't exactly convinced. "Will we be seeing you on Friday?" Veronica wasn't sure she wanted Nate at the gala if he was truly afflicted with bad luck, but it didn't feel right to come right out and tell him to stay home.
“I’m well aware,” Nate said, and he would’ve known that even if he hadn’t had one inflicted on him. It was why he didn’t mess with them in the first place. A part of him thought he’d be better off staying home, avoiding the gala and work and everything, but he couldn’t stop work and the gala was probably the safest place he could be. There would be at least half a dozen witches in attendance. He doubted the roof would collapse on his head. “That was the plan,” he answered. “Unless something happens, I should be there.”
"Fantastic," Veronica said, although she sounded less than enthused. The waning moon wouldn't be until after the full next week, which meant Nate would have to deal with this curse for another full week. "Just, please try to be cautious at the gala." The last thing she wanted to deal with was Nate tripping into tables, or bashing his head on the dance floor. Or worse. Curses were tricky sons of bitches and Veronica would be too busy greeting people and making sure everyone was having a good time to really focus on keeping Nate out of trouble. "Do you have a costume chosen?" Veronica had hers already hanging in the closet, and she knew Reagan would show up in something classic and sophisticated. It was Nate she worried about.
“I can always skip it, if you’d prefer,” Nate said, not sure how to make her happy this time around. He was only going because she wanted him there, but now that he was a potential problem, he wouldn’t be surprised if she thought he wasn’t worth the hassle. It was frustrating, especially since he was trying to do what she wanted. “I’m trying to choose between Pennywise and He-man,” he said with a little smirk, waiting just long enough to let that sink in before continuing. “I’m going as the Dread Pirate Robert. Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you in front of your friends.”
Veronica sighed. “No, no. You should be there.” She felt herself grimace at the idea of her son showing up in either of those costumes but before she could rebuke him, Nate spoke again, and it took her a moment to recognize the reference. Ah, yes, The Princess Bride. One of Reagan’s favorites. “I’m not worried about embarrassment,” she lied. “I just want you to be safe. And the costume sounds delightful, Nate. You’ll let me know if you need anything between now and then, all right? Perhaps being a hex bag, just for a bit of extra precaution.” It wouldn’t protect him one hundred percent, but it couldn’t hurt to try it.
Nate knew his mother well enough to know she was lying, but he wasn’t going to call her on it. It was enough to know that he could’ve gotten a rise out of her if he wanted to. Fortunately for her, he wasn’t interested in a scary or skimpy costume this year. “Of course. Already done,” Nate said, even if that wasn’t the case. It was an oversight on his part, but he’d put a hex bag together as soon as he got off the phone with her. That was easy enough, at least. “Thank you for your help,” he said, swallowing his pride. “I’ll see you on Friday.”
"Of course, darling. We'll see you then." Veronica didn't wait for a response, but hung up her phone to set it down on her dresser so she could finally get undressed and in the shower. She knew she feigned exasperation when her children came to her for help, because she felt as though they were old enough now to be able to handle their problems on their own. But Veronica did find joy in being needed, especially when she knew that it hurt their pride to ask for help. It was the small things, of course. Sighing, Veronica headed for the shower and hoped that would be the worst of her problems for the rest of the week.