Who: James and Sebastian Where: The McCarthy House When: Afternoon, Sunday, November 12 Status: Complete
When James had first told his kids that he was going to teach them magic, Sebastian had been thrilled. Then there had been several rounds of finger pointing, yelling, and grounding, and that excitement had dwindled down to a quiet curiosity muddled with mistrust. It felt more like a trap than an olive branch, and it didn’t really help that he and his father hadn’t really talked since the big blow up. Not that he was on any better ground with his mother. Between avoiding the two of them, Sebastian had become a ghost in his own house.
But when it came down to it, Sebastian couldn’t pass up a chance to learn. The last few times he’d tried magic on his own, things had felt off. There were little elements the couldn’t control, something he swore he hadn’t been having trouble with prior to breaking the curse. Maybe Ophelia would experience it too, but he’d have to wait and see. In the meantime, his father had asked him to drop by prior to the lesson, though Sebastian wasn’t sure if he was walking into a discussion or a lecture. He knocked on his father’s study door before pushing it open and sticking his head in. “You wanted to see me?”
James looked up from his computer at the knock and wasn't really surprised to see his son there. He didn't think he'd not show up just to spite him, that didn't seem like Sebastian at all. "Yeah, come in," he said with a little handwave and saved his work before closing it. Things were still hectic around the house but despite all of that James was excited about teaching his kids. He'd wanted to do it for a long time and now he finally could so he was willing to put everything else aside for the duration. "Close the door," he added, resting his arms on the desk and waiting until Sebastian took a seat. "How are you today?" he asked to start with, studying his son curiously.
Sebastian shut the door, then gave a little shrug as he took a seat. “I’m okay,” he said, not sure if he wanted to elaborate. The rain had been a bummer and he’d felt trapped in his own home for the past week, but then he’d gotten to spend time with Hunter Friday night, which had improved his mood significantly, but he couldn’t tell his father that. And he was excited about the play, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to share that either. Not that that was a secret, but he wasn’t sure his father would understand the appeal. And if he’d talked to his mother at all, which Sebastian assumed his father had, then he’d know that things weren’t exactly improving. But he wasn’t hiding. He was there.
It was such a non-answer but James let that slide. He knew things were still rocky and there was precious little they could do about that other than fortify the family against outside forces and hope the internal struggle started to fade. "Today we put all the bullshit aside," he said jovially, even cracking a smile. "I've wanted to teach you for a long time and we're finally there. I need to know what you've learned so far since I know you're ahead of your sister, thanks to Reagan Kelly. Unless you've been passing some of that knowledge on."
The comment did earn a small smile from Sebastian, who was good and ready to move on from the blame game. He didn’t know what else he could say at this point, so he’d rather not get into it again. Moving forward seemed like the best plan. “We only had a few lessons, but we worked on tapping deeper into my magic, both with my element and with the others. Levitating things. I learned to make hex bags and a ritual bath, so I’ve learned to invoke the elements and create a magic circle,” he said, thinking that covered everything. Then he remembered the bracelet on his wrist, the one his father had originally certified as ‘non magical’. “And… She helped me make something to contain my backlash, if I ever needed it.” He’d been wearing the bracelet ever since, taking it off each night, just in case. That wasn’t how Reagan had recommended using it, but he wasn’t practicing black magic, so he couldn’t imagine getting worse than a headache, if that.
James nodded along and idly tapped his chin. "You may know some of the things we cover today then, but every family has its own way of doings things, you might just learn something new. I will go over some of the family history too, it's relevant to your magic and important to know your roots." He didn't touch on Sebastian's bracelet, backlash was usually only bad with dark magic but James wasn't going to delude himself into thinking his children would only use their powers for good. He sure as hell hadn't. It was his job to make sure they were prepared for the consequences and able to deal with the darkness responsibly.
“Reagan said my own family’s spells might be more effective than hers, like the circles and the rituals, but I couldn’t find your book,” Sebastian said, deciding there was no harm in his father knowing he’d looked for it. He already knew he’d been practicing. “If you have one. Do we have one?” He would have loved to look at it, just to get an idea of what was out there. There was so much he didn’t know and there were plenty of things that Reagan shouldn’t be expected to teach him, or couldn’t, like his own family’s history. It annoyed him that the best he’d been able to do there, up till this point, was go on the ghost tour and poke around the library.
"Of course we have one," James said, bemused. "Learning this is your birthright," he added. "it's something I would have offered to teach you once you were eighteen but look, we get to start early." He smirked, unsurprised to hear Sebastian had gone looking for the book. He would have done the same had his father not taught him from an early age and showed him the book. It hadn't become his for a long time but now it was and he treasured it and kept it out of the house per Brianna's requests about magic being practised outside of the family. "Now that your perception of magic is getting stronger, can you feel the wards in the house?"
“Can I see it?” Sebastian asked, raising a brow. He was pushing it, but really, all his father could do was say no. It wasn’t like he was going to do something stupid, but maybe he could find a spell that soundproofed rooms. It was reason enough to ask. At mention of the wards, Sebastian closed his eyes and attempted to reach out and feel something that he knew had to be there. At first there was nothing, then a slight tickle, the way he could tell if someone else had magic. If he pushed against it, it pushed back, far stronger than he was. “Yeah,” he said softly, opening his eyes. “That’s for protection?”
James nodded. "I added some after your little shenanigans, in case there is more to the curse than we think." In case Brianna hadn't been lied to that they were really being hunted. It wouldn't hold everything out but even with strong forces it would give them a warning and some time to prepare or run. "You'll see the book when it's time, I don't keep it in the house. First I teach you and your sister the most necessary things, then you can play with old family magic."
“They weren’t shenanigans,” Sebastian said quietly, his expression closing off again. It continued to frustrate him how his parents couldn’t see that, that he’d taken things seriously from the very beginning. There were parts of magic that were really cool, but he hadn’t gotten into it for fun. He’d pursued it because his friends’ lives were at risk and he wanted to be able to help. And yet, they seemed to think he’d just been goofing off, not taking it seriously at all. “I want to learn,” he sighed. “I don’t mind waiting, but I don’t want to be left in the dark.”
James almost laughed with exasperation. How were his children so damn emotional? They got that from their mother, he supposed, but he somewhat wished Sebastian had more of his own temperament. Alas, his son was moody and sensitive and James wasn't sure how to navigate that with another man. "It's just an expression, Bash," he said, tapping his fingers idly on the desk. "And you won't be left in the dark. I'm teaching you and Phee everything you need to know."
If it had been his mother, Sebastian would have been concerned that “everything he needed to know” might be a very short list, but his father seemed much more keen on them learning magic now that it was out there. Maybe at some point he’d let Sebastian decide what else he wanted to learn, but he supposed that going along with his father’s lesson plans to start with wouldn’t hurt anything. It wasn’t like he knew a lot to begin with. “Okay,” he nodded. “I’m ready to start whenever you are.”
The list certainly wasn't as long as if James had decided to teach them everything he knew. That was how it was though, he'd learned so much by himself and his father certainly hadn't taught him how to remove the air from a man's lungs. So much magic came instinctively once a witch had a firm grip on his or her element. "Go get your sister," he said. "Then we'll go for a ride." He didn't have a ritual room in the house since Brianna hadn't wanted any magic to take place there. That might change now.