Who: James & Sebastian Where: Overlook When: Friday afternoon 12/29 Status: Complete
James kept busy for a while, inspecting the house and garden for damages, taking pictures of Brianna's car for the insurance company. He was all too aware that nothing was going to get done for a few days now with both the weekend and New Years Eve coming up. He called Trip to make sure he was okay and in the loop and was slightly irritated after the fact that his older son didn't want to rush to come home even knowing his mother was hurt. Sure, there was nothing he could do and Brianna was going to be okay, it was just the principle of the thing.
The Wheeler kid came around and James stifled that small irritation that Phee was actually dating him because he knew it could be worse and he knew this irritation had very little to do with Greg Wheeler right now. He still made sure to be a Presence, randomly going down to the basement to fetch things just so they knew he was around. Once Sebastian joined them to watch a movie, James felt more at ease to take time for himself.
Then Greg left and the kids went to their own rooms again and this made for a good time to actually talk to them. He started with Sebastian, knocking lightly on his door before stepping inside. "Hey champ," he muttered, giving him a tired smile. "How are you holding up?"
Once Greg left, Sebastian returned to his room to find a new distraction. It would have been nice to get out of the house at this point, especially after being cooped up there for so long, but he understood why staying in would be a better idea. The drive to the hospital and back had made it clear that they needed at least a day for clean up. Hopefully things would be back in order in time for New Year’s Eve because there was no way he was staying home then.
For now, he decided it would be a good idea to go over his lines in preparation for the upcoming play. He had them down already, but he wasn’t going to take any chances that he might forget one over the course of the week. He’d been pacing the room reciting when his father knocked and he stopped, looking over at him warily. His dad didn’t normally come up to visit him just to talk. “I’m okay,” he said, his canned response these days. “Just rehearsing a bit. What’s up?”
For a second James furrowed his brows, unsure what Sebastian was talking about but then he remembered the damn play and let out a little 'ahh' as he stepped inside the room. "I've surveyed the damage on our property and on your mom's car," he told Sebastian, leaning against the wall next to the door, arms crossed. "I've reapplied and strengthened the magical wards too. I want to start training you and Ophelia more and your mother has agreed to join in on the lessons." He studied Sebastian for a moment before continuing. "She told me you made a salve."
Wards were something Sebastian wanted to learn. He wanted to put them up on all his friend’s houses, if they’d let him. At least, for the friends that knew he was a witch. He didn’t know how much of a difference it would make, but it might make him worry a little less. If it were up to him, everyone in town would get wards, but he knew that wasn’t possible. “Yeah,” he nodded, tucking his hands in his hoodie pockets. “But it hurt her before it helped. I don’t know if I did something wrong, or… We didn’t have a lot on hand. I probably should’ve just left it alone, but…” He shrugged, not wanting to tell his father about the state he’d been in, even if his mother had probably already done so.
"Is that something Reagan Kelly taught you?" James asked, though he didn't sound accusatory, merely questioning. He knew Reagan had taught his kid a thing or two before James found out what was going on but he had thought they'd gone over what exactly she'd taught him. Now there were two things Sebastian seemed to have learned that James knew for sure he hadn't taught him but Sebastian had never mentioned learning. Sure, it could have slipped his mind - except those were fairly big things to forget about.
“No,” Sebastian answered, his brows drawing together as he frowned. “I… I don’t remember where I learned it.” It felt like something he had always known, like a lesson so old that the memory had faded. He didn’t remember learning to read, but someone had obviously taught him. This felt the same way. “I just knew. Just like… I thought there were other things I could’ve added that would’ve made it better, like poppy seeds, but we didn’t have them. I dunno. Mom needed help. There was so much blood and…” He didn’t want to say that he’d thought she might die, though the thought had crossed his mind. It was the driving force behind his actions. He couldn’t let his mother die. “Did I do it wrong?”
"I don't think so," Jame said though he honestly had no idea. It didn't sound like anything he knew, a healing salve with poppy seeds? No, Sebastian had not learned that from him. "Your mother said it helped with the pain." It was entirely possible Sebastian has some innate feel for these sorts of things. It wasn't unheard of, a lot of spells were born from intuition alone though it usually required more experimentation than this. "This might be one of your gifts," he told Sebastian mostly because it felt like his son needed to hear something good before he got lost in that chaos of a moment passed. "Healing people. You did good, kid."
“Thanks,” Sebastian said, relaxing a little, a small smile sliding into place. He’d been a mess the whole time, but he’d feel the most in control when he’d been helping his mother. It had given him a good, solid focus, one that was useful, and he’d been willing to go on instincts he didn’t understand if it made a difference. Somewhere, in the back of his brain, Baron rolled her eyes, but she stayed silent. If Sebastian hadn’t picked up on her presence yet, she wasn’t going to clue him in. “I liked it. I wish I knew more healing magic. Just in case something ever happens again.” He wanted to believe nothing would, but he knew chances were slim. Point Pleasant seemed like a magnet for all things weird. “Any chance we’ll get more lessons soon?”
James nodded. "I'm staying home for a while and there will be a lot of lessons. I need you and your sister to make time for that after school but I figure we'll start before it's back in session." Healing magic might not be his forte but he had some grasp on it that could be useful and he could teach that to the family, Brianna included. At this point he was beginning to feel like maybe his kids getting lessons from other witches too wasn't such a bad idea - as long as he had some control over it. It had been the secrecy of it that bothered him the most but on further reflection it might even come in handy that they were willing to depart some wisdom even if Bash or Phee weren't their own blood.
Sebastian had enjoyed the lessons he’d gotten from Reagan, but after everything that had happened it felt weird to ask her to teach him anything else. He realized now how one sided that was, that she got no benefit out of it, and kind of wondered why she’d been willing to teach him in the first place. Sure, she’d gotten something huge out of the deal, but she hadn’t known that going in. A situation like Phee’s would be ideal, but maybe if his father would start teaching him, he’d actually see the family grimoire. “Sure,” he nodded. “I’ve got basketball practice, and the play, but that’ll be over soon and I’ve got a lot of time till school goes back.” He’d been doing his best to fill it, but video games got old day after day.
James almost scoffed at the mere idea that the play was important but he held himself in check, well aware that Sebastian could do all those things and more. He hadn't raised lazy children, they'd both make time. He just wish Trip was as eager to learn too but he didn't even seem to want to come home for the holidays - still a sore spot with both his parents - so James supposed not. "You'll find the time," he said and maybe it was just as well that the boyfriend was out of the picture because with all these extracurricular activities, there wouldn't be as much time for a social life. "Did you see what was out there?" he asked then, a little gentler.
Although neither of his parents had brought it up, Sebastian assumed they both knew that things with Hunter were over. For Sebastian, it meant he was open to any and all forms of distraction; the busier his schedule was, the better. That had been harder lately with most of his friends in relationships, some of them serious and some of them new, but he’d made it through the holidays so it should get easier from there on out. “I did… but don’t tell mom,” Sebastian said, fishing his phone out of his back pocket. “While she was sleeping, we sent my drone out. The thing crushed it, but I got some footage first.” He took a moment to pull up the video, then handed it to his father. Normally he wouldn’t volunteer that he’d done something that might get him in trouble, but his father hadn’t been there. He deserved to know what had attacked Brianna.
James's least favorite thing about being a parent - after the worrying - was having to be the bad guy and finding that delicate balance between strict and lax. His initial reaction to hearing the kids had sent a damn drone out to look at a monster was to get angry because it was foolish, it drew attention to the house (drones were loud) and it meant they had opened the door while knowing something dangerous was outside. His curiosity overrode his flare of irritation however and he took the phone with a little frown and watched the video. He wasn't sure what to make of what he saw, it looked like a low budget B movie footage but he knew Sebastian wasn't lying to him so this was the real thing. "This would have been very stupid of you if the house wasn't warded," he muttered as he paused the video and backed it up to try to find a good frame to look at. "Don't let your mother see this."
“We realized how stupid it was afterwards,” Sebastian muttered with a little nod. He didn’t know how to explain to his father how curious he’d been about what was out there, or how he’d have given anything to know he could go outside and not die some brutal death. The drone was supposed to make him feel better, to hopefully show them that whatever had attacked their mother was gone, but instead it just made it abundantly clear that they needed to stay inside and away from the windows. Maybe even hide. He’d not been afraid of what was in the fog before, but he was after that. Reality had been a real bitch. “Phee doesn’t even know I saved it,” he said, then after a minute added, “When you ward the house next time, can I watch?”
While he still had Sebastian's phone, James took the opportunity to send the video to his own phone, then handed it back to his son. "Yes you can," he replied. "You and Phee can help. You need to learn how to do it yourselves. Have you been practicing your magic at all? I imagine being stuck at home for two days left you with very little to do, especially after the electricity went out." Sure they had some failsafes at their house because James did not like power outages but that still meant they needed to save on the power and be smart about it.
James doing anything on Sebastian’s phone other than watching the video made Sebastian antsy and if he’d started scrolling through the pictures he would’ve snatched it out of his father’s hands. He relaxed when he had his phone back, slipping it into his back pocket. “A little, but mostly just the basics: invoking the elements, opening and closing a circle, and practicing with my element,” he answered. “I did figure out I can do this though.” He turned over his hand, placing his palm up, then conjured a ball of fire, a simple action that was becoming easier and easier for him. It was vastly different than the trouble he’d had even lighting a candle, so he considered it progress.
The last thing James wanted to do was go through his son's photos. Yes, of course there was a part of him that wanted to know every detail of his kids' lives but he also knew he didn't really want to see any of it, not if they were anything like he'd been at their age. He focused on the video until he handed the phone back, that small part of him lamenting the missed opportunity to snoop when it disappeared into Sebastian's pocket. That part of him was easily distracted by what Sebastian did next because that... was no small feat. His first instinct was to put it out because Sebastian shouldn't really have any control over fire yet and they were indoors. Next, pride. Swelling, smug and insufferable pride that his kid was already mastering more than his own element. That one didn't last long because he knew that this wasn't some gifted kid nonsense, it was... supposed to be impossible. Sebastian had only just started learning to use his magic, he'd only recently had no control at all and while that could be blamed on a curse it still spoke of his inexperience. So James went through a series of emotions in a blink of an eye, frowning as he watched the fire in Sebastian's hand. "You just figured that out, huh?" he muttered because that didn't sound right at all.
“Yeah,” Sebastian said, smiling softly as the fire licked at his fingers. He could feel the heat of it, but it didn’t burn him, not like he thought it should. Maybe that was because it was magic fire and not real fire. Sebastian closed his hand slowly, shrinking the fireball until it was nothing, disappearing with a tiny puff of smoke. “That’s it though. I haven’t played with it all that much. We’ve been inside and I didn’t want to catch anything on fire.” He thought his father could appreciate that much. He’d felt in much better control lately, but it was a new ability and he didn’t know it’s limitations. If he was going to experiment, he needed to do it somewhere safer than the living room or basement.
The sense of unease was only growing inside James as he watched Sebastian effortlessly manipulate the flame. "Don't play with fire inside the house," he said flatly. "Your brother almost set his room on fire and that's his element." He was watching Sebastian more closely now, paying attention to him with more than just his sense of sight and hearing, reaching out and feeling him. His son was definitely attuned to water but it felt like a duality was there, something out of balance that James couldn't fully understand. He pulled back almost instantly, not liking that feeling at all. Something was wrong and to make matters worse, James didn't understand it. "I don't mind you experimenting with your own element as long as you don't flood the house but take it easy on the others for now, alright?"
Sometimes Sebastian forgot that Trip was dealing with magic just like the rest of them, probably because his brother was so quiet about it. That should have been a sign that he was either struggling or not practicing at all, because Sebastian was sure that if he’d been some kind of prodigy then they would have all heard about it. But if he’d almost set something on fire and it was his element, then Sebastian should probably lay off a bit until he gained better control. He nodded in agreement, a bit disappointed his father wasn’t impressed, but maybe it wasn’t as big a deal as he thought it was. It was just a little fire. “Okay,” he said, tucking his hands back in his pockets. He wasn’t sure what else to say and wondered if his father had anything else to ask. “I might lay down for a bit. Call me when dinner’s ready?”
James didn't really like being dismissed like that but he supposed a lot of that irritation was due to the unease he was already feeling. He got to his feet with a little nod, slipping his hands in his pockets as he watched Sebastian for a moment. "I want you to only practice your own element for now," he muttered. "Keep your focus there and we'll revisit the other elements when I say it's time." That was all he could do: insist on things and ask his kids to do as he told them to. It wouldn't always work, teenagers were impulsive and rebellious but he had to hope Sebastian would take this seriously. He didn't need to know the real reason for James's request, as long as he believed it was the right thing to do.
Sebastian bristled at the request, instantly regretting showing his father his newfound skill. He knew so little magic to begin with that that left him with freezing things and filling bathtubs, neither of which felt very useful. After all that they’d been through, shouldn’t the point be to learn more, not less? To practice what they could do and fine tune their abilities? So say he was bitter was an understatement and for once the old witch inside of him was in agreement: his powers were being wasted. Nevermind that the fire was probably a giant red flag. Baron doubted James McCarthy knew what to do about her even if he’d figured out she was there. “‘Kay,” Sebastian muttered. He could have argued, but why bother? He couldn’t win with his dad, so if he was going to keep it up, he just needed to make sure he didn’t get caught.
It sounded so dismissive it only served to irritate James and make him a little distrustful. He swallowed it down and leaned forward, holding his hand out to Sebastian for him to shake on it. "Promise me," he said firmly and while he didn't want to cue him in on the fact he was feeling suspicious and worried, it was still important that Sebastian understood there was a good reason for James's request. "It's serious," he explained. "With your limited magical experience it could be outright dangerous right now, even if it doesn't feel like it."
“Promise,” Sebastian said, his tone turning slightly petulant as he shook his father’s hand. He’d never been the greatest liar and he generally wanted his parent’s approval more than whatever they’d put off limits, but it was starting to feel like he was being boxed in again, like things were being taken away from him when he’d done nothing to deserve it. He recognized what his father was saying was true; he just didn’t like it. In his opinion, the solution should have been to practice more, not less, but he’d do as his father asked because disobeying him after they shook on it felt like he’d be gambling with his father’s trust and he couldn’t risk losing that again.
The sulkiness was subtle but James still noticed it very well and was pleased he'd pushed the matter. It was clear that Sebastian would have kept playing with fire - literally - if James hadn't pushed him and he still might so there was plenty of reason to keep an eye on him. "We'll start practicing in the new year, maybe even do a short lesson tomorrow if you and your sister feel up to it." He wasn't going to push Brianna just yet, she was hurt and she'd been so exhausted, so he'd give her a few days but no more than that.
“I’m up to it,” Sebastian told his dad, even though he knew it was just a maybe offering. He had the feeling his father would prefer they not practice right now, though he didn’t understand why. Sebastian had been itching to use his magic lately, felt brimming with it from head to toe. He’d never been as aware of it as he had been in the last few weeks, but he attributed that to the spell he’d done on the new moon. That felt so long ago, but it was the only explanation he had. Now he’d jump at any chance to use his magic, which apparently needed to be under his father’s watch.
It wasn't really surprising that the trauma made Sebastian more eager to learn. Feeling helpless was a terrible thing and James was honestly a little glad his son was taking this approach instead of shying away from it. "Then we start tomorrow and your sister can join us if she feels up to it too. We'll start with basic wards and protection spells, I think those will be the most useful right now." It was very much his way of life not to start fights, but being absolutely capable of ending them and he wanted to instill that in his kids too.
Sebastian couldn’t see himself ever needing to know anything other than offensive magic, so what his father suggested was right up his alley. He wanted to be able to protect and heal first and foremost, and then defend if necessary. It was similar to the feeling he’d head upon learning that Hunter had been possessed, but worse because he’d been there this time. His mother had been hurt and in a house full of witches they’d little more than a first aid kit and a salve made from kitchen ingredients. “Great,” he said, feeling the slightest bit better. “Let me know if I need to get anything. Or bring anything.” He was eager to learn and wanted to come prepared.
"Practice your element," James told him since there wasn't anything he really needed his kids to bring but he understood that they might feel the need to do so anyway. "I know you feel like you already have it under control, but working with it gives you a feel for your magic as a whole. There's no such thing as being too in tune with your magic. Try new things with it, think of it like art, create something new." Hopefully pushing his boundaries would keep Sebastian preoccupied enough to keep him from wanting to experiment. "If you really need to play with an element outside of your own I would start with earth. You can focus on a small pot of dirt, it's solid and contained and less likely to explode in your face."
Sebastian nodded, willing to accept that for now. He’d played with water, but never really pushed himself and was honestly curious how far he could take it. Unbeknownst to him, the witch hanging out in his head had her interest peaked as well. She knew what she could do with fire, but having water at her fingertips unlocked abilities she’d never be able to manage on her own. “I don’t think it’ll come to that,” Sebastian said, making a face. “What Phee can do is really cool, but I don’t think I have any gifts there.” He might try, just because his father had suggested it, but he’d never felt that pull like he did with water, like he now did with fire.
Earth was a formidable element in its own right, but for a beginner who could only do small tricks it didn't pose a threat so it was pretty annoying that Sebastian was dabbling in an element that actually did. James just hoped Sebastian would keep his promise and save it until later. They could experiment with it some other time when James was there to help and preferably somewhere outside, away from flammable objects. "I guess we'll find out with time," he muttered. "You can call on other elements, but those not your own will never come easily to you." He got up and reached down to give his son's shoulder a little squeeze. "Tomorrow after breakfast. Ten am. Come to my study."
At this point Sebastian thought it probably wouldn’t be smart to say that the fire was coming easily to him. His father didn’t want him messing with it, so he supposed he’d just have to wait till he was supervised, like a small child. It annoyed him, but he didn’t protest or contradict his father. “Okay,” he agreed, eager to start learning again. There was so much out there that he didn’t know that learning anything new was exciting. Even though he didn’t have anyone to gauge against, he knew he was behind and wanted to do his best to catch up, if at all possible.
James was satisfied with that. Maybe the promise of a lesson would make it easier for Sebastian to keep his promise and James had every intention of teaching his kids as much as he could now. He'd be home for a while, whether he liked it or not, he might as well use all the time he could to get Bash and Phee caught up. When Brianna was ready he'd teach her too. He had a feeling she wouldn't want to learn with the kids, it had to feel more equal than that with her, she was a proud woman and an adult. "If you need to talk about what happened, I'll be around," he told Sebastian as he backed up again. "It's okay to feel a little shaken after what you've been through."
While it was nice of his father to offer, Sebastian hadn’t even wanted to talk about what happened with Greg and he trusted him not to tell him to ‘man up’. If his father had any idea how shaken he’d been by the whole experience, he probably wouldn’t have said such a thing, so Sebastian tried to take it as a blessing. He’d been a fucking mess and the only people who knew that were the ones who’d been there to witness it. “Thanks,” he said, offering his dad a small smile. “I’m okay though. Just worried about mom.”
James wouldn't say so but that really was the answer he wanted to hear. Brianna had been hurt and while he wouldn't blame Phee for being upset and crying about it, he expected Sebastian to be strong like him. "She's going to be okay," he promised. "I put a little enchantment on her bandages to keep them dry, so she's taking a nice, hot bath now. It'll take some time for you all to process what happened but we're McCarthys, we move on and make the best of it." He was being a lot nicer about it than his own father would have been and that was something he'd promised himself he would be - less of a dick, less like McCarthy Senior. "I'll call you for dinner."
Sebastian took a deep breath and nodded. They were McCarthys, whatever that meant. He felt like he was still figuring that out, but didn’t want to say so. He had the feeling it meant he was supposed to be strong and competent, resilient even, none of which he’d been feeling lately. “If I don’t answer, I might’ve fallen asleep,” he told his father, just to give him a head’s up. He hadn’t slept well the past few days and it was starting to wear on him. Even though he’d napped earlier in the day, he was still exhausted.
"Well, do you want me to wake you?" James asked. "I'm ordering in so it'll keep." He wasn't a big fan of daytime napping for anyone but old people and toddlers. He sometimes let it slide for his kids because they had hectic schedules and extracurricular activities that kept them hard at work so an hour or so in the afternoon didn't hurt any. Trauma changed the rules quite a bit though, the body and mind needed rest to work through something like that so if Sebastian wanted to sleep, James would let him sleep.
It hadn’t even occurred to Sebastian that his father would let him sleep through dinner and he blinked a little in surprise. “Yeah,” he said. “I just meant… just in case. I don’t want to sleep through.” He thought that would get him all out of whack and he wouldn’t end up sleeping later that night. If it wasn’t so damn cold out, and the city wasn’t still picking up the mess left by the fog, he’d go for a run, but he figured this was a special case. He’d rest a bit, pull himself together, then move on. These things happened.
"Alright then," James said and that felt like a conclusion to their talk for now so he stepped over to the door and gave Sebastian a lingering glance. He'd still need to figure out just why he was suddenly so capable of working with an element that wasn't his own, given everything that had happened lately it felt off and James didn't really know where to start looking. Or - he knew and he didn't like it. He might just have to talk to his own father to see if he knew anything about it, if he'd seen it before, if James was worrying for no good reason. "Enjoy your nap," he muttered, careful not to let his worrying show.