Nate Kelly (somedaymaybe) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-04-22 18:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | #december 2017, nate, nate x reagan, reagan |
Who: Reagan and Nate
When: Tuesday, December 12, early afternoon
Where: Nate’s house on Mulberry
Status: Complete
Wanting to catch Nate before he went off to work, Reagan drove to his house on Mulberry Drive after making sure the shop was taken care of. She found she would much rather deal with her brother right now than their mother, though Reagan knew she couldn’t ignore Veronica forever. She had texted him before driving over to make sure he was home, so Reagan pulled into the drive behind Nate’s car. It took her a moment to gather herself, but once she had inhaled and exhaled deeply and slowly, she grabbed her purse and got out of the car.
Reagan had no idea if he would notice her lack of magic right away or not. It had taken Caius a bit of time, but he had also been recovering from his memories returning so abruptly. She just didn’t want it to be a thing because she needed his help even if she didn’t want to focus too much on why she needed his help. With a sigh, Reagan knocked on his door and waited, wishing she felt more confident than she did.
Even though they lived in the same town, it had been a while since Nate last saw Reagan. They touched base occasionally via text, and sometimes she dropped by Dragonfly, but it usually took an “event” of some sort for them to stop by each other’s houses. He could have asked her what was up over the phone, but she was already on her way, so he waited, expecting an explanation when she arrived. He was quick to answer the door when she knocked, giving her a huge and a warm smile before he stepped back, inviting her inside. “Hey, come on in, it’s freezing.” The sky was going to open up and dump snow on them any day now.
Reagan returned his smile and stepped inside, already feeling warmer. "I know. I'm not thrilled about it," she said. "Caius and I were just lamenting how we wished we were still at the beach. Someday I'm going to buy a house down south and just move there in the winter like I'm seventy or something." Rubbing her hands together, she glanced around her brother's house, acutely aware of how little time she spent there. It always felt a bit like a stranger's house. "How are things going for you? I hope mom didn't bug you too much while I was gone. We turned our phones off for the week, which I'm sure drove her nuts."
Nate led the way into the living room so they could have a seat and catch up. Listening to Reagan now, it was hard to believe there’d ever been issues between her and Caius. It sounded like things had returned to normal just as soon as he’d gotten his memories back, which Nate knew had to be a huge relief to them both. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if he were in their situation, other than fight tooth and nail to fix things. Whatever they’d done, it had worked. “Things are good. They’re always busy around the holidays. Even though we close for Christmas, New Year’s Eve is huge, so I’ve been planning for that. Mom hasn’t been too bad, she normally doesn’t talk to me like she does to you, but there’s been a definite uptick since you’ve been gone,” he said with a little laugh. “Everything good with you?” It sounded like it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
She probably should have felt guilty that she ditched out of town, leaving Nate to deal with their mother on his own. But Reagan had been dealing with Veronica for most of her life now, once their mother realized Nate wasn't going to follow the path their parents had laid out for him. Sitting now Reagan felt a bit more comfortable and she nodded along as he told her about plans for Dragonfly. New Years was coming up, wasn't it? Gods, they would have to get through Christmas first. She hadn't put much thought into it, and hadn't even really begun her shopping yet. Nate's question drew her out of her thoughts and she gave him a faint smile before messing idly with her wedding ring. "Things are better," she answered. "Caius is doing well. But...the spell I used to help him get his memories back had a side effect I hadn't been expecting. I know it seems like we keep running into trouble since this whole Baron situation." Reagan waved her hand dismissively. "Getting Caius's memories back required a sacrifice, though I didn't realize it at the time." She eyed Nate closely. "Can you sense anything different about me?"
“Gods, you two can’t catch a break, can you?” Nate said, shaking his head. Of course there was a side effect to breaking the curse. Hopefully not another curse because what the fuck? How many could there really be attached to each other, one tagging on the second another one dropped off, like some kind of cursed relay race. Nate narrowed his eyes as he studied his sister, wondering what she meant by the question. At first he thought along a different line and was about to tell her, no, he couldn’t sense if she was pregnant, but then he did notice something. Or a lack of something. Nate frowned, leaning in a little as he studied his sister. “Something’s wrong with your magic,” he said, becoming more sure of it by the second. It wasn’t a visible part of his sister, but it was a palpable one and now he couldn’t sense it at all.
No, they couldn't catch a break. But they hadn't given up either. Sometimes Reagan wondered if they hadn't actually broken the curse, just peeled back more layers of it. Maybe that's what had happened to their ancestors, things like this that eventually led to their deaths. It was a morbid, painful path to go down so Reagan was doing her best to stay positive and determined. She studied Nate's face, holding her breath until he finally recognized something off about her magic. Exhaling sharply, Reagan closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Shit," she muttered. "I was hoping if you didn't notice then mom wouldn't." If it had only taken Nate a few minutes, Veronica would probably notice right away. Reagan focused and shifted a bit more directly toward Nate. "When I got Caius's memories back, Baron's spirit took my magic before I banished her. I didn't know she was powerful enough to do it, but she did. I'm not... it's gone. I can't do anything now."
“Yeah, mom will know before you even make it through the door,” Nate said. He didn’t like to admit it, but he would never be as skilled a witch as his mother was. Maybe if he put some effort into it, but it wasn’t his life and he was okay with that. He knew a good amount, had a different skill set than the one she valued, and it worked for him. But even though he didn’t use it every day, he couldn’t imagine living without it. “What do you mean ‘Baron’s spirit took it’? If you banished her, she can’t still have it. There’s go to be a way to get it back.” He couldn’t believe his sister was stuck without magic. After everything she’d done, this couldn’t be the end result. Nate was too much of an optimist to accept that.
Reagan tried to hold back the groan. She couldn't avoid Veronica forever, especially with the gala coming up and the holidays themselves. Something told her that she and Caius wouldn't fix this by Friday so it was probably best to talk to her mother before then. Or just wait until they saw her at the gala itself. Veronica was too poised to cause a scene in front of her peers and neighbors. "The thing is," Reagan said, grimacing a bit, "I don't know where I banished her to, exactly. I thought she went back to the other side, but it's possible that didn't happen. I was just trying to stay alive at that point. She told me she could do it, in my head, but I just wanted Caius back. He's been researching his ass off trying to find a solution. I'm not sure if there is was, but if there is, he'll find it." Reagan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I feel like a limb is missing. I don't feel warm anymore. I feel hollow and I'm trying to keep my shit together for Caius's sake. I think mom will help, I'm just scared to ask her."
“She told you she could do it?” Nate asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. He was trying to follow, but felt like he was missing a few vital details, like how his sister had been communicating with Baron’s spirit in the first place. “Back up a little. Have you been communing with the dead? How was Baron there in the first place?” They’d felt her presence in the cemetery, while they were digging up her grave, but Nate wasn’t sure how she’d gone from being cold in the ground to a voice in Reagan’s head. “And yeah, mom will help. You know she will. She may bitch and moan about what you did wrong, but she won’t leave you high and dry. Not that I’m saying you did anything wrong, but you know what I mean.” Veronica had a way of making him feel at fault whenever they needed her magically, like he wasn’t good enough. Sometimes that wasn’t the case, but other times it was just a situation that he was completely unprepared for and that sounded more like the case here. Besides, there wasn’t much Reagan could do without her magic. Someone else would have to help her.
Reagan appeared mildly perturbed and only for a moment before she sighed. "We released her from... whatever binds she'd been in when we dug up her grave to get to her bones. Which was your idea, by the way," she pointed out, though she didn't blame Nate for any of this. It was a very Veronica-thing to do, so she continued on, "She was hanging around the cemetery, I think she was stuck there. She's been destroying some headstones and causing a nuisance, according to Rost. I began to think that using her may be the only way to reverse what happened to Caius. I certainly wasn't going to ask the McCarthy's for more blood, and I didn't think it would work anyway. Once we found the spell we needed, it didn't work. That's when I knew I needed Baron." Reagan shrugged. "I summoned her and possessed her. Or she possessed me, I don't know. But I used her to complete the spell. I think she knew I would banish her once I finished, and she was in my head and told me she would strip me of my magic if I went through with it. I didn't care, I just wanted Caius back. I guess maybe a part of me thought she was bluffing out of desperation, but... she wasn't."
Nate rolled his eyes at the dig and declined to point out that if they hadn’t procured Baron’s bones, then they’d probably still be cursed with the original curse, and wasn’t that a worse spot to be in? It definitely sucked for Reagan to lose her magic, but it was probably better than being killed or killing her husband. At least, that was his opinion. And Reagan and Caius were on good terms, so she’d probably agree right now. “So either you banished her and your magic with her, in which case it could be gone for good, or she’s potentially out there running around, doing God knows what? With your magic and hers?” Nate asked, raising a brow. That couldn’t be good. Rogue spirits were a pain in the ass even when they weren’t powerful witches. “Have you gone back to the cemetery? Maybe it pulled her back in when you were done with her.”
Reagan nodded. "I did go by. The heat is gone... I didn't feel anything magical, but I guess I wouldn't at this point. Rost wasn't there so I couldn't ask him how things have been. But I don't think she's in the cemetery. I suppose I could go back with you or Caius and see if either one of you pick up on something I've missed." She sighed, since she didn't think that would really bring any answers. If Baron had really been banished to the afterlife, they could always summon her again. It was just a difficult and complex spell, and dangerous to mess with the dead. "I've never dealt with a spirit so intimately," she explained to Nate. "This is new to me, and to Caius. I guess I'm just looking for a stepping off point, so we can go from there."
“Know anyone with experience in necromancy?” Nate asked with a mirthless laugh. “I dunno. I wish I could be of more help. I’ll go by the cemetery and see if I can sense anything, just in case, but it’s possible that when you summoned her, you also freed her from whatever was keeping her captive.” He had the feeling there were some old world level spells on the cemetery, the sort that no one had in their books, but were strong enough to hold up over time. “You two managed to break the strongest curse I’ve ever heard of. One mom couldn’t even manage. I’m sure you’ll figure this out,” he said, trying to be encouraging. He believed it, too. If anyone was up for the challenge, it was Reagan.
Reagan had no doubt Anthony had experience in necromancy though she wasn't sure how often he practiced it. And there was everything Caius had seen in that tunnel, though she wasn't entirely sure what that meant in terms of his magic. It could have been that entity simply allowing him to see what he usually wouldn't have been able to. "I know I freed her," Reagan said. "I had to break her free of the cemetery to possess her. I suppose the first step is trying to figure out if her presence is still around. That might not be too difficult." She knew she and Caius had broken this curse, but at the same time she still wondered if they hadn't. If maybe they had only peeled off a layer of it, because it felt like no matter what they did, something else was waiting for them. Maybe the same had happened to others before them. Maybe that's why there was so much death... it drove them mad, or to heartbreak. Reagan smiled softly at Nate. "Thanks. We'll figure it out. I just... like to know that if I need your help, you'll be there. I promise we won't ask you to dig up anymore bodies."
“I’d dig up the whole damn cemetery if it made a difference,” Nate said with a fond smile. It had never bothered him that he wasn’t some kind of magical prodigy, but now he really did wish he was more well versed in the darker arts if it would have helped his sister. He didn’t like being useless and wished he could do more than give moral support. “So, you going to tell mom before the gala this Friday? Or let her find out where she can’t freak out?” Nate was certain Veronica would have words for Reagan either way, but maybe they’d be tempered a little if she had an audience and had to wait to give her daughter a piece of her mind.
Reagan smiled, appreciating his willingness to help. They weren't terribly close, but she knew she would help him in any way she could if the roles were reversed. With a small laugh, Reagan shook her head as she looked around the room. "I thought about waiting until the gala, but I think that would just upset her more and ruin her night. And I need her help, so it's probably better to just tell her in private. I'm going to go over there Thursday evening and talk to her properly. There's really nothing she can do about what happened but try to help me find a solution, so I'm hoping it won't turn into a fight. With any luck, dad will be there and be a buffer."
Knowing both his mother and sister, Nate was glad not to be there for that conversation and silently wished his father the best of luck. He would need it if things turned ugly. “What’s Caius think of all this? It’s a lot all at once, getting his memories back and finding out you’ve lost your magic.” Though he wasn’t super fond of his brother-in-law, he couldn’t blame Caius for his behavior while his memories of Reagan were gone. But now that they’d returned? He had better be working just as hard to get her magic back as she’d been working on getting his memories back.
"He's been spending most of his free time researching," Reagan explained. "I think it was overwhelming for him, all of it at once, but he's handling it as well as can be. He's a bit more protective now that my magic is gone, but I suppose I would be the same way so I can't get too annoyed by it. I'm just glad to have him back. All of him. I can't imagine what my life would feel like if memories of so many significant events were gone." She would be miserable, she was sure of it. Reagan took a breath and then smiled. "What about you, though? How have you been doing? How is the bar?"
Nate nodded, glad to hear that Caius was already on it. Protective was fine, in his opinion. He would be too, knowing that Reagan was without her magic for the first time since childhood. “I’ve been good,” Nate said, sitting back on the couch. “Nothing new or exciting going on. I hired a new guy to help out at the bar and that’s working out so far. Been planning for New Year’s Eve, that kind of thing. Not a lot to report.” It made his life sound boring, but if Reagan’s was exciting then boring was just fine.
Reagan actually envied Nate's existence for once and she found herself craving a monotonous life... at least for a few weeks. She just wanted to get her feet underneath her again and maybe actually enjoy being a newlywed for more than a couple of days. Anguilla felt so long ago. "Maybe Caius and I will stop by for New Year's," she said. "If we can all make it past Christmas in one piece. Are you going to be at the gala on Friday?" At least if Nate was there he could be a buffer between she and their mother if Veronica was upset still about what had happened.
“Of course,” Nate smiled. “Mom would pitch a fit if I wasn’t there, plus it’s filled with the people who frequent my bar. It’s good to mingle with them socially from time to time.” The patrons who frequented Dragonfly had a tendency to forget Nate owned the bar, one of a handful in their tiny town. He wasn’t just a bartender, a kid from Overlook who’d failed to do anything with his life. While Nate wasn’t one to judge, he knew so many that were and it was nice to occasionally rub their noses in it. They weren’t better than him or anyone else, no matter what they may think. You could not, and should not, judge a book by it’s cover. “Christmas should be fine. There’s nothing else going on, is there?” They had more than enough to deal with already.
It made sense that Nate would view it as a networking opportunity because it was. And if her life was going any smoother, Reagan would have probably thought about the same thing. "Gods, I hope not," Reagan said with a soft laugh. "I don't think I can handle much more. Christmas is bad enough at this point." Sighing, Reagan didn't even bother pulling out her phone to check the time. "I should get going. I have a lot to do, and I'm sure you do as well. But I'll see you Friday for sure, maybe sooner if everything goes to hell with mom."
“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Nate said as he rose to his feet to walk with her back towards the door. “Once the initial shock wears off, you know she’ll do everything she can to help you.” There was no way around the reveal though. Veronica couldn’t help until Reagan told her. “If you think of anything I can do, anything at all, let me know. I can even go ghost hunting if you think that’ll help.” He’d never made an attempt to hunt down a spirit, but there was a first time for everything. Nate might not always get along with his family, but he’d do anything to help them, Reagan especially.
Reagan nodded, giving Nate a small, but appreciative smile. "I'll keep you updated. If there's a way to reverse this, we'll find it." She didn't think Caius would rest until they did. But Reagan knew if they had their families on board to help them, they would figure this out. Pushing up on her toes, Reagan pressed a kiss to Nate's cheek. "Thanks, Nate. I'll see you on Friday, if not before."
“See you soon,” Nate said, hugging Reagan back. There had to be a way to get Reagan’s magic back. Nate couldn’t believe that his sister would be stuck forever without it. It just didn’t seem possible, especially considering what they’d already been through. If they could break a centuries long curse, they could beat this too.