Nate Kelly (somedaymaybe) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-10-31 08:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, nate, nate x reagan, reagan |
Who: Nate, Veronica (NPC) and Reagan
When: Evening, Tuesday January 2nd
Where: Veronica's House, then the car
Status: Complete
The first thing Veronica recognized when she came to was a sharp throb in the back of her head. It permeated pain all through her body and with a groan she lifted her hand to her skull, expecting to find blood. There was none, thankfully, but there was definitely a knot. She cringed at the feel of it and forced herself to sit up a bit. The ground was cold, the air around her freezing. She dug deep inside for her magic, the fire in her veins warming her even as she reached for the phone. She had been talking on it when someone attacked her. It was then she noticed the cut on her arm, and the dried blood coating her skin. Inhaling sharply she immediately dialed Nate’s number, feeling woozy still, and uncertain. Veronica didn’t think whoever had knocked her out and cut her was still around. They would be too smart to do that. But she definitely needed the hospital, and with Alan out of town, Veronica knew she couldn’t drive herself.
As soon as her son’s voice was in her ear, Veronica closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her forehead again. “I need you to come home,” she instructed, her voice a bit more shaky than she would have liked. “Right now, Nate. No questions, please.”
Nate didn’t get calls from his mother often and almost never in the evening, when she knew that he’d be working. Most nights he wouldn’t even realize he’d gotten a call till hours later, but the bar was mostly dead after the holidays, people needing a break from the heavy partying a few days prior. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, saw his mother’s name on the caller ID and frowned, answering it immediately. “Hey, Mom,” he said and that was all he got out before she was demanding he come by the house. She sounded off somehow, not like her normal self, and that was the only reason he didn’t argue. He frowned, not liking the lack of explanation, but nodded even though she couldn’t see him. “I’ll be right there.”
He was out the door a few minutes later, then arriving at his parent’s house a few minutes after that. While Nate liked big cities, he’d always thought that was a nice thing about small towns--he could get almost anywhere in five minutes or less. He hurried up the front walk, then knocked before letting himself in, unwilling to wait in the cold when he had a key. “Mom?” He called out as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
Veronica hadn't moved very far once she got inside, and she sat on the steps leading upstairs, still out of sorts and feeling nauseous. It was likely she had a concussion. "Right here," she said, drawing his attention to her. Veronica hadn't even thought about the fact that Nate might have been working. She probably should have called Reagan, but her daughter was currently without magic, and for some reason she felt like Nate could handle this better. "Someone attacked me tonight," she explained, sounding perturbed and tired. "They knocked me out. Cut me." She showed Nate the wound. "I couldn't drive myself to the hospital."
“Fuck,” Nate muttered as he rushed to his mother’s side, any remaining trace of annoyance washed away by concern. He had questions, but he could ask those in the car. “Come on,” he said, offering her a hand to help her to her feet. His eyes kept ticking to the wound on her arm, thinking of the blood loss. “How deep was the cut? Did you want to try healing it or-- Do you want to call the cops?” Despite his questions, he was already guiding her towards the door. If someone knocked her out, then he was more worried about the blow to her head. If the wound on her arm was bad, they’d just put pressure on it till they got there. He almost told her to do so, but knew she knew as much already.
Veronica snorted derisively as she let Nate lead her to the door. "The police. What good would they be? They couldn't solve a case if it bit them in their... well..." She trailed off, because it was probably inappropriate to use that kind of language in front of her son, even if he was now a grown man. "I want the wound healed. They'll try to give me stitches at the hospital and I don't have time for that, Nate. Will you take care of it for me?" Veronica was adequate at healing, though it wasn't her expertise as it was Nate and Reagan's. She would already have to deal with a potential head injury, she didn't need them fussing over her arm too.
“I was just asking,” Nate said, though he was in complete agreement with her. Involving the police would be a waste of everyone’s time, but if she’d wanted to file a report, he would have gone along with it. Before they took another step further, Nate stopped and gently turned her arm over so he could see it. The cut wasn’t deep, if it had been a vein might’ve been cut and then blood loss would’ve been a real issue, but it was enough to need stitches and distract from her head wound. It was also something Nate could heal on his own, without wasting time mixing up a salve. Very gently, he pressed the sides of the cut together, his focus drawing in on that single point, the rest of the world a haze. He called upon the elements mentally, then worked his thumb down the center of the cut, watching as it came out clean the other side. It was a handy little trick even if it was hard to master, and he was the slightest bit surprised his mother hadn’t done it herself. It always seemed to him that she could do anything. “There,” he said, drawing his hand away and wiping the blood on his pant leg. “Let’s go. You can tell me what happened on the way.”
The cut was healed, but the throb beneath it remained. And some dying blood remained, though Nate got most of it with his hand. The hospital might wonder where it came from, but she didn't care. Despite the ache in her skull, and the intensifying nausea, Veronica was furious. How someone had managed to take her by surprise was... well, she couldn't comprehend it. If she found out who they were, she would light them on fire in the middle of Main Street so everyone could watch them burn. Veronica waited until she got into the car. As she settled back, Veronica groaned lightly and closed her eyes. "My car alarm went off. I was on the phone and came out to check it. Someone came up behind me and hit me hard enough to knock me out. When I came to, my arm was cut and bleeding. They wanted my blood. It couldn't be anything else... if they had wanted to kill me, they would have."
Nate’s eyes narrowed, his body tense and ready to strike. It was unfortunate that there was no one there to hit, as he would’ve really enjoyed it at the moment. Then he’d crush their lungs and let them suffocate. But he’d hit them first. “Any idea who it might be?” he asked tightly. “Any new enemies, someone who would want to curse you or need your blood specifically? Or ours?” He didn’t delve into that kind of magic himself, but his mind was spinning with the possibilities. Blood could be used to curse a lineage, the last thing they needed when they’d just recently gotten rid of the last curse that was on them. Even if Nate hadn’t felt the pain of that curse himself, he knew the pain that it had caused his family, his sister specifically. His thoughts turned to Reagan, a witch without magic. “I’ll need to call Reagan.”
Veronica shook her head. "No one that I can think of. Nobody who has made themselves known, anyway. Clearly there's someone... " She sighed. "There are far more vulnerable witches in town than me, especially if they just needed magical blood. It feels like a very pointed attack. But sweetheart, I'm sure not a day goes by where someone in this town doesn't think about cursing me. I'm just furious with myself for allowing this to happen." She did think about Reagan, and while she knew her daughter was capable, she was also magic-less at the moment. And Caius might not be there to protect her should something happen. "Call her," she said with a nod. "Make sure Caius is there with her, at least. He won't allow anything to happen to her."
“There’s a difference between thinking about cursing you and going through the trouble to bait you into a trap,” Nate said, though he did agree with her. This felt targeted. There were kids in town that would be easier targets. Teenagers who almost any skilled witch could get the drop on. It was reckless to go after his mother specifically unless she was what they needed. “It’s not your fault,” he said as he picked up the phone and pulled up Reagan’s number. “You’ve got wards in place to help prevent things like this from happening, but you can’t cover every possible base. We’ll find out who did this.” He didn’t know how, but he suspected this wasn’t the end of things either. As the phone rang, he nodded in acknowledgement to his mother. This was one time that he was glad Reagan was married to a man like Caius. Not only would he protect her, but Nate knew he’d take care of the problem if it came their way.
Veronica knew they would find the culprit. Whoever had done this had chosen the wrong witch to attack. She focused on breathing deep to calm her agitation as Nate phoned his sister. If something had happened to Reagan, there would be hell to pay. Just because they knew she was without her magic didn't mean everyone did.
Reagan was home, and attempting to cook pork chops, when her phone began to ring. She wiped her hands on a dish towel as she glanced over at the bright screen, frowning when she saw it was Nate. They rarely called to chit chat, which meant something was wrong, or he needed something. Reagan picked up and stepped away from the sound of the sizzling pan on the stove. "Hey," she greeted. "What's up?"
“Is Caius with you?” Nate asked right off the bat. If he wasn’t, then she needed to call him and get to a safe place until he could get there, just on the off chance that someone was coming after her next. “Mom’s been attacked. Someone lured her out to the garage, knocked her out, and stole some of her blood. I’m taking her to the hospital to get her head checked out, but we wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Reagan's dark brows lifted in surprise and she tensed for a moment as she began to mentally prepare for gathering her things to leave and go find her mother. "Caius is here," she said. "He's in the shower. Do I need to come to Mercy? Does she know who it was? Should I call dad?" Reagan wasn't sure what was needed, but her heart was pounding at the thought of someone stealing Veronica's blood. That was an ominous sign and Reagan turned to peer out her kitchen window, in case she spotted anyone lurking.
“That’s up to you,” Nate said, his eyes darting over to his mother, then back to the road. “I think she’s okay, I healed the cut, but I’d like a doctor to check her head. I’m more worried about the blood being taken at this point. Mom doesn’t know who it was. Any ideas?” Reagan talked with their mom more than he did and maybe she’d picked up on something that Veronica hadn’t even thought of. It was unlikely, but he had to ask. “Um, yeah, give dad a call. Just maybe don’t mention the whole blood thing just yet.” He’d let his mother decide if she wanted to fill in him on that part.
"I don't have a clue," Reagan murmured. "Maybe check with a couple of her neighbors? One of them may have cameras set up around their house, maybe they caught something on film. I'll call dad when I hang up with you, but call me if something happens at the hospital, or they want to keep her or something, okay?" Then she would drive to Mercy. "Or, I mean, if she wants me there, but I'm sure she's probably already pissed off that this happened at all. Having her kids there to fret over her would only irritate her further, you know?" Veronica was probably furious that anyone had managed to attack her in that way, and Reagan didn't want to be around her mother when she was feeling that way, though Reagan was relieved that she was all right.
“Yeeeep,” Nate said softly, drawing the word out. Reagan had hit the nail on the head. He was pretty sure his mother was more pissed off than worried at the moment and he didn’t completely blame her. It would’ve been his initial reaction as well. “I’ll update you once I know more. My guess is they’ll check her out, then discharge her to go home and rest.” If they wanted someone to sit with her, he could do it, though he doubted that would be necessary. Veronica would likely send him home, even if it wasn’t what the doctor ordered. “I’ll call around tomorrow, see if anyone’s got any cameras. Someone’s bound to catch something. If not… I imagine we’ll find out eventually.” People didn’t take blood and sit on it. Someone needed it. The question was why.
"Right." Reagan sighed. She felt guilty for not wanting to go to Mercy, but her mom would be irritable and probably use Reagan as an outlet for that. She would much rather make Nate be the sacrificial lamb. "Just keep me updated, okay? I'll call dad, so he'll probably call you or mom's phone in a bit. Let me know if you need anything else." Nate was pretty capable, so she imagined he would have no problem getting their mom home and into bed to rest after the hospital released her. But now she had to worry about who was attacking witches for their blood - had anyone else been attacked? Reagan decided she should maybe put out some feelers to the other magical families in town and find out.
“Will do,” Nate said as he turned in to the hospital. “And be safe, okay? Keep Caius around, just in case.” He knew it sounded funny, they were married, so Caius would always be around, but tonight was not the night for a run to the store for something forgotten. And if they heard something outside, then Caius could check on it, not Reagan. Now that they knew there was a threat, they could be on their guard and hopefully they’d figure out what was going on before it had a chance to lay whatever trap it was looking to set.