Leon Vincent Drumm ᎴᎣᎾ (voodootoo) wrote in st_margarets, @ 2014-05-08 11:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | character: craig rodin, character: leon vincent, location: hydra dorm |
Log: Sharing
WHO: Craig and Leon
WHEN: April 28 [backdated]
WHERE: Leon's room, Hydra Dorm
When Craig had heard that Leon was back from his trip, he was eager to see him. He was interested to hear how the trip had gone, what he had found of interest, if anything. They had a lot to talk about besides that too. They'd both been interested in one another's dreamcatchers, so were going to compare notes on those. Most of all, Craig hoped he could get some insight from the voodoo practitioner about how best to proceed with the idea he had for his latest project.
Craig sent Leon a message that he was stopping by, then carefully packed up his dreamcatcher, a few books on magical bindings, and some materials. He put it all in his specially safe-charmed backpack that had served him well so far. It had been put to the test during the egg hunt the previous week when he was crushed up against a wall by a kid who must be part giant or something. Amazingly the eggs had survived, and had fared better than Craig's poor ribs. Leaving his room, Craig made a quick stop at the school's kitchen. Students were discouraged from coming to forage for food anytime they wanted, but that didn't mean it didn't happen sometimes. He filled his pack with a nice variety of fruit, then set off for Leon's dorm.
Still being relatively new to the school, it took Craig a little time to Leon's room, needing to get a little help along the way. Once he was there, he knocked three times on his door and shifted his weight as he waited for him.
---
When Craig's message came through, Leon was literally elbow deep in a drum he was building, and the hide he was using to cover the open end of the carved wooden circle was not cooperating. He'd soaked it in oils, trying to get it to stretch better, but the material wasn't quite enough to cover the surface he needed it to. The Priest didn't really want to have to get another hide. This one had been hard enough to come by and had come from an animal that he knew was raised humanely before its eventual use for man. Leon really would have liked to have gotten some of its blood, but the guy he knew in Camden was all out. Regardless, Leon had a problem, and he sat back on his heels and let the hide fall into the circle, putting his head in his hands with a long sigh.
That's when the knock came on his door, three raps, and he looked up. What in the world?
Rising to his feet, Leon padded to the door, his feet and tattooed torso bare, dreadlocks tied up and placed under a woven rasta hat he'd made himself. Passing his phone that held the message from Craig that he was coming, Leon unlocked the door and pulled it open. He gave a start when he recognized the other witch, "Oh! Hey, Craig. Um... What's up?"
---
Craig took a step back when he heard the door opening. "Hey!", he greeted enthusiastically. He hadn't been expecting to get an eyeful of Leon, and hadn't t realized before just how inked up he was. It was all very interesting to Craig, much better than people's names and cartoon characters. He didn't catch on immediately that he hadn't been expected.l by the young voodoo priest. "I brought the dreamcatcher. Got some fruit too, raided the kitchen."
---
"Oh, the dreamcatchers!" Leon remembered now, and remembered that they'd talked about meeting up to talk magic, and he bit his lip. Craig had even brought fruit. He couldn't turn him away for another time after the witch had raided the kitchen for him. But his room was quite a mess at his back.
"Right, uh, come on inside," he urged, stepping back and nudging the door the rest of the way open. "It's kind of... well, it's messy in here."
Closing the door once Craig was inside, Leon moved around trying to pick things up. He had a lot of work surfaces in his room, some of them just collapsable tables that were littered with all kinds of works in progress. Leather and bones, glass beads and rocks, white animal skulls and dried snake skins, feathers and carved wooden boxes filled with even smaller things. Another area had sketches and some ink drawings of different things or people and full sketchbooks were stacked up on one side of the table. It seemed everywhere you looked, there was something going on that needed to be either finished or organized, and Leon thrived in the kind of chaos he created himself.
There was a collage on one wall that covered the entire spread filled with all kinds of things, hung by whatever means Leon could find. He had an ingredients area in the corner that contained clay jars, vials, and glass vases filled with all manner of things he collected or acquired. The drum project was scattered on the floor with wood shavings from his carving knife spread out and paint poured on a tray for detailing the side of the drum.
There was one shelf dedicated to housing his voodoo dolls. They were made with all manner of pliant materials, cloth or wood, twigs and stuffing that was natural and not synthetic. They stared lifelessly out with their button or painted eyes and no two dolls, just like the people they were made to resemble, were the same. Leon stepped over and dropped a black cover over the dolls to hide them from view, glancing over at Craig.
"Sorry, I didn't know you'd be coming," he said with a shrug, passing by and cleaning off a chair for the other boy to sit on, adding the books to his desk and nudging aside some other things on his bed to make a seat for himself. He snagged the pullover shirt that was hanging on the bedpost and tugged it over his head, the fabric loose and open in the collar in a long V.
---
At first, Craig just assumed this was how Leon's room always looked, and maybe it was. Craig's own room was sparsely decorated and kept clean and organized. Lemon's room, however messy, looked busy with projects and interesting things, and Craig couldn't help his attention being pulled in several directions at once. "Don't worry about it", Craig said of the mess, still looking around. He was envious of the stores of potential magical ingrediants that were everywhere. Though a non-witch might go as far as calling this hoarding, Craig thought it was great.
He noticed what looked like a few half-finishex projects, some of them he didn't know what they would be, others he could guess. The drum was interesting to him, he wondered what it's use could be as he remembered Leon saying he had some Native American descent. As Leon moved over to his shelf of dolls, Craig caught a glimpse of them before they were covered up. He immediately wanted to ask about them, but wondered if Leon wouldn't want to, if that was why he covered them. Or would acraig recognize some if he got a good look? He dismissed that thought right away, surely they weren't actual, real, working voodoo dolls, were they? But why hide them otherwise? Maybe he didn't want to be seen as a doll collector, not even voodoo dolls?
All of Craig's thoughts were interrupted when Leon spoke up again. "Oh?", be said, the words sinking in after a moment. "I sent a message." He was realizing belatedly that maybe he should have waited for a reply. "Should I come back? Is this a bad time?"
---
"No, no, it's fine!" Leon assured the other witch. "As long as you don't mind the..." He gestured helplessly to his room. "Well, you get what I mean."
Smirking a bit, giving a self conscious shrug, Leon stood gain and retrieved his phone, "So you did. I had it on silent for an enchantment I was practicing. Sorry about that. But no, it's fine. I'm glad you're here." Glancing over at Craig, Leon returned to sit on the edge of the bed. "Go ahead and make yourself at home. Just... Push whatever out of your way. One day I'll get around to organizing this place."
Which would probably not happen, since Leon had been at the school for about three years and his room had always looked like this. He didn't make a lot of friends, so it wasn't as though he had hordes of people coming over, anyway.
---
"Thanks." Craig navigated the clutter to cross the room and have a seat on the chair Leon had cleared off for him. He set his pack on his lap. "So your trip was good?" Craig hadn't made any major plans for his break, other than staying at the school. It was still fairly new to him and he'd rather stay there than return to his Aunt's home for the week.
Craig opened his pack up, the pilfered fruits on the top. He'd snagged a couple of peaches, apples, and some grapes from the kitchen. "Want some?" Craig pulled out a small cluster of grapes for himself.
---
Leon pulled his feet up onto his bed and folded them beneath him, leaning against the bedpost, "It was amazing. Cleansing." Leon every so often had to get out and reconnect with nature, feeling as though he owed it to his ancestors from his mother's side. The voodooist preferred to keep himself in good standing with the dead, considering what haunted his steps.
"What do you have?" he asked curiously, leaning forward to peek inside Craig's bag. Leon had a taste for fresh fruit and though he wasn't a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, fresh fruit was a luxury that was readily available here. And seeing as Craig had managed to snag his favorite, Leon reached for the apple, "Thanks, man." he smiled, settling back to regard the other witch as he buffed the peeling on his pullover.
"How was your break?"
---
Craig tilted the bag toward Leon so he could see the fruit inside. It was apparant there were other things in there as well. Sure", Craig said of the thanks. He pulled a grape off of the cluster he was holding and popped one into his mouth.
"Had an okay break so far. Relaxing, but I've been keeping busy too." He couldn't help the occasional glance around Leon's room, it was so busy, so interesting. Leon was obviously much busier than Craig. "I've been trying to work out some charms and things I want to try. Oh! I brought my 'catcher", he told him, starting to carefully navigate through his bag to pull it out, wrapped in a hoodie for a little added protection.
---
Leon had great respect for another witch's bag, and he didn't pry into what the other items in Craig's bag could be. He wouldn't have appreciated it if someone started asking what he carried in his own satchel all the time, mostly because what was in there would probably disturb some unsuspecting person, and it would only further exacerbate the stigma about Voodoo being evil and scary. Sometimes it was, granted.
However, he was comfortable with Craig. The boy was a fellow witch, and even if he was from a different kind of magic, a different order, even, Leon didn't mind him looking around the room at the various and sometimes questionable things he had in there.
"Charms?" Leon asked curiously. "Like, consumables or trinkets?" Some witches got cagey when you asked about their craft, especially when they thought you knew nothing of it. Leon knew enough about the other witchcraft styles to ask the right kind of questions, even if he didn't practice like they did. He enjoyed learning new things whether it was his field or not.
When Craig produced the dreamcatcher, Leon smiled and pushed forward, dropping his feet to the floor to hold out a hand, "May I?"
---
Craig set the hoodie-wrapped object on his leg for a moment, looking up at Leon. "Objects charged with magic", he expounded. "I've got something, a bracelet, I'm wanting to put together." He started to carefully get the dreamcatcher free from his hoodie. It wasn't large, a little bigger round than a teacup saucer. The yarn was dyed brown and the feathers and beads were dyed a variety of colors thanks to a fun bit of magic he'd discovered. Craig fought off a yawn as he picked it up.
"Here", he said, carefully offering it to Leon to inspect. It had ended up more heavily dowsed with properties encouraging sleep and rest than he'd anticipated, but otherwise, he as pleased with it. He still wasn't sure how effective it was for actually warding off evil and spirits.
---
"Wow, that's... that's strong," Leon could already feel it as the dreamcatcher was unveiled, and he took it carefully, fingertips stroking over the weaved webbing in the middle, pausing on a bead, "You dyed it and everything?" he asked, glancing up at Craig with a smile, put more at ease with the properties coming off the item. He admired his work, careful not to disturb any of the bad dreams already caught in it still making their way down the feathers.
"Mine is there," he turned slightly where his window was and the dreamcatcher he'd made was hanging there, catching some light in the glass beads. It was a Cherokee design, crossed willow wood at the top in the shape of a teardrop and designed with leather and feathers he'd found.
---
"Thanks", Craig said, proud of being praised by a more experienced practitioner and upperclassman. "Yeah, we'd started out with the dyeing, that was the easy part." He watched Leon inspect their work, but when Leon pointed out his own creation, Craig's attention went there. He set his bag on the floor and carefully took a few steps over, being sure to avoid the debris on the floor. "That's beautiful", he told him, appreciating the design and the more authentic look of it.
He looked back over at Leon. "So the magic you practice... is it a mix of things learned from Native American cultures and other influences?" The items in Leon's room would seem to indicate that, but Craig wasn't sure. Craig started to walk back over to his chair.
---
Leon looked up to watch Craig move to the catcher in the window, "Thank you. It's seen some hard use. Uh," quickly amending, he said, "I mean, it's moved around with me since I was little. Packaged, repackaged. That kind of thing." He took the cover Craig had been using for the other dreamcatcher and carefully wrapped it again to get the edge of the enchantment stiffled some more so he could think more clearly.
"My magic is... yes, you could say that," Leon inclined his head. "My mother is a Cherokee seeress and my father the Houngan of Haiti. I've spent time with both."
---
Craig missed Leon's initial meaning as he looked at the dreamcatcher, appreciating the design. As he sat, he fished another grape out of his bag, which he left at his feet. "I got some experience with magic with my coven, we would make and sell charmed objects, potions, even using magic to help our crops, but I'm finding now that there's so much more to learn and explore and try. It's kinda overwhelming, but in a good way. I found a project I want to try, I'm only in the planning stages so far, but..." He looked up at Leon's face. "How much do you know about blood magic? I know blood can be used for ingredients and even to add power to magic, and it's used some in voodoo, right?" Craig started to tap his toes against the inside of his shoe. "I want to do a binding", he confided in him. "Connecting an object to a person. Not for anything bad", he made sure to mention.
---
The explanation took Leon by surprise and he observed Craig more closely. "Have you ever done any work in blood magic before?" It was dangerous, like most types of magic could be, but especially with an inexperienced witch who was just messing around to try something new. Leon had a lot of respect for blood magic, as it was linked to the dolls he created and used in almost every aspect of vodun to give power - be it animal or human blood. Or something else. The backlash from blood magic gone wrong or incorrectly could, in Leon's personal experience, affect a person for the rest of their lives.
---
"I've used it, my own blood, for fuel for spells. For added power. I've used it to connect with others when doing magic with them, mixing our blood together, giving us a stronger connection and much better results. But I haven't used it for a binding before. It would be the strongest way to do a binding, right?" He wasn't taking this lightly and knew these were dangerous questions even just to be asking. He hoped that he could trust Leon with his curiosity.
---
"The strongest?" Leon blinked, glancing briefly to the other side of the room where the dark spirits were gathered, the ones who haunted his steps waiting for his demise. "One of the strongest, yeah. I guess the next step would be working with actual souls."
He focused on Craig and folded his legs on the bed, waiting a beat before stating, "I can't help you with dark magic, Craig. The temptation is too great."
---
Craig's eyes widened when Leon mentioned souls. Blinking, his brow wrinkled as he looked back at him. "Goddess...", he murmured under his breath.
"No, no, that's not what I'm wanting", he assured Leon. "Nothing like that." He sighed, not sure how to explain himself, but knowing he had to elaborate. He didn't want to go into what Claire had told him, the prophecy, but he could say a few things. "There's... some people who I'm worried for. I want to be able to know they're safe, or if they're not. I was thinking of making myself a bracelet, with a bead for each of them. Something that could warn me."
---
"Warn you?" Leon asked, tipping his head slightly, "Define not safe. Do you mean... tripping down the stairs not safe, or is someone trying to kill them?" And how to arrange that the spell knew how to distinguish the difference was the tricky part. Elevated heartbeat, maybe, connected through the blood spell. But that didn't account for all danger. It could just be sex. It could be excitement. And not all danger quickened the heart. Sometimes it snuck up out of no where. If the greatest mages and wizards and witches knew how to detect and differentiate danger, Leon supposed the world would be a much safer place.
---
Craig looked thoughtful as he considered the questions. He wished he had a better answer for the more experienced practitioner. "It could be either. Could be any number things. But whatever the case, mortal danger. Something that could be fatal." Craig thought it was worse than that even, though he didn't say. I wasn't just death that he was fearing, it was death that was fated, that maybe couldn't be prevented, but he sure was going to try.
---
"Right..." Leon watched Craig a moment longer, then shook his head, flipping some dreads over his shoulder. "Well, that'll be a challenge. I probably don't need to tell you to be careful."
---
Craig had the feeling from Leon's demeanor that he thought Craig was on a fool's quest. Maybe he was, but he didn't want to think that, didn't want to give up hope. "I... I will be. I need this to work." He wasn't sure what else to do, besides cutting off all ties with anyone he did care for, to try not to care about anybody at all. Craig couldn't imagine that working either. "Any thoughts? Suggestions?"
---
"I don't know, Craig," Leon rubbed his neck, "It sounds like you need to go to the staff if it's really that serious. If something goes wrong, you could get a backlash not just on yourself, but the person whose blood you're trying to bind in the spell."
---
Craig sat thoughtfully for a moment, not really considering the advice, but feeling frustration about not knowing what to do. He was sure going to staff wouldn't be helpful. They wouldn't help. If anything, they'd probably try to stop him from doing anything that could be of help. "Yeah... Maybe I'll just have to do that", he said, not intending to. "Well, thanks for the advice." He started to pack his dreamcatcher back into his bag.
---
Leon let out a breath. Chances were, Craig would try it anyway, but Leon knew he could say he gave him the right answer. The responsible one. Leon knew if he got much more involved in it, tempted by blood magic as it was in his Voodoo craft, he'd go in too deep. He didn't want to risk it. He'd wash his hands of it and let Craig do what he thought was right.
"Thanks for showing me your work," he gave a small smile, standing up from the bed to walk with Craig to the door. "And for the fruit," Leon added, looking at Craig until he met his eyes. "Good luck."
---
Craig finished packing up his bag and zipped it shut, any lingering effects from the dreamcatcher immediately fading. He couldn't help feeling discouraged. He was in a difficult situation and had few places he could turn for direction or help. He did get direction from Leon, but wasn't sure if that was the direction he wanted to go in. It was the safest direction, no doubt, but the best? He wasn't sure about that.
"Yeah", Craig said, following Leon to the door. "Thanks." And don't worry, I won't do anything rash." He could promise that much at least.