rave
/rav/
verb
1. talk wildly or incoherently, as if one were delirious or insane.
2. speak or write about someone or something with great enthusiasm or admiration.
Hippy
hip·pie
/ˈhipē/
noun
(especially in the 1960s) a person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs.
life
/līf/
noun
1. the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
"the origins of life"
2. the existence of an individual human being or animal.
3. a particular type or aspect of people's existence
4. the period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being.
5. vitality, vigor, or energy.
6. (in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination.
Magic
mag·ic
/ˈmajik/
noun
1. the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.
2. mysterious tricks, such as making things disappear and appear again, performed as entertainment.
3. a quality that makes something seem removed from everyday life, especially in a way that gives delight.
4. something that has a delightfully unusual quality.
mag·ic
adjective
1. used in magic or working by magic; having or apparently having supernatural powers.
~Plot Stuff~
Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, there existed an otherworldly arcane essence that existed by the name of Magic/Magick. This essence was a variety of things. Lush and in great abundance, full of life and a energy that science had become a pale reflection of in the years that followed. However, it was also an essence that harbored a wicked face as well, bound to attract misfortune and death to all who were able to understand and or obtain it if not tamed properly. The secrets of this essence falling into the wrong hands would bring nothing but catastrophe.
And catastrophe it brought, those hundreds a years ago. One that thrust magic into an era in which it had began to fade and a new form of energy created at the hands of man became the new. The world in which magic had come from became a myth, magic itself became a myth as time progressed and left it to fade and never be seen again.
Or perhaps....what isn't seen isn't truly gone. And perhaps...the world thought to be myth is much more than just so. But what is certain is that what has lurked in the veils of shadows within the darkness, behind illusions of people, places and things. Forces that had managed to slip into the ages of the new world. Those of good. Those of evil and malice. Those of...magic. And perhaps...hope. But...will the newest of generations derived from those hundreds of years be able to face what comes?
And so we fly ahead in time to the present, where villages have become cities of tall structures, and dreams of flight have become a reality.
Sammy took a step back, scratching the back of her head, "N-No, I'm Sammy, you remember? We helped you with that freak six months back, then we hung out. You told us about your art skills and how your pretty good at gaming and all that. I've been worried about you. I would've visited sooner, but Jackie said it wasn't the best idea. Also Mason and I had to get situated where we were" She gave a dry chuckle as she didn't get much of a response back, but then she responded, "I-I'm sorry about your toaster. But, I can get you a new one if you'd like. You can make... toast, and...... um.... Eggo and shit". She was having trouble finding the right words to use before she spoke up, "Uh, I hear that Long Legs has been talking with you. She can be a smartass, but she's cool"
As Raven stood there at the door her eyes began to squint slowly when Sammy started telling her about things that she supposedly told her and Mason. She didn't know what "freak" she was talking about, but some of what she was saying sounded legit. Too legit. Or maybe she did know exactly what she was referring to by "freak", but refused to admit it to herself. But this couldn't be Sammy, because Sammy didn't know that she was at the club that night. She also didn't remember telling anyone that she did art. Or used to anyways. However the more Sammy continued to speak, the more skeptical she became.
"The only 'Jackie' I know is the Chinese dude that does kungfu in movies," she said. "And I can bet money that I don't have that he definitely hasn't been talking to me at all or is even a girl. Everybody knows that." And she used that to further conclude that this person couldn't have been who she said she was. "Excuse me, but I'm gonna go take these meds so I can at least die in some type of peace without your spirit or hallucination or whatever they call these fucking things here. So...I'm gonna pull whats called a pro-gamer move," She stepped back and without hesitation slammed the door in Sammy's face. But as she turned around she didn't lock the door back, truly believing that she was hallucinating. After all, that's what she kept being told by everyone who wasn't the new therapist she had gotten.
She paused, looking down at the broken toaster in her hand only to frown. And then she just dropped it onto the floor, planning on leaving it there.
"Wait, what?" Sammy said, but as she was talking, she slammed the door in her face, and without hesitation, she threw the door open with an aggressive manner and rushed in, stopping just short of almost crashing into Raven as she shouted, "Raven, are you fucking stupid!? Do you not know me when you see me?! And killing yourself?! I thought you were fucking smarter than this! But then I come here, and you're.... like this. The Raven I knew wouldn't let herself stay down when she gets knocked down. And hallucination... Would a fucking hallucination do this?!" In her frustration, Sammy reeled her hand back and slapped Raven hard across the face, hoping that it would knock her senses back in
As Mason was walking toward the house, he saw Sammy throw the door open in walk in, already pulling his phone out and texting Jackie "Oh god"
"Today can't get any worse–" Raven was mumbling to herself about how she couldn't even off herself right, only to jump and turn around when the door had been knocked open. "Yo what the fuck–THE FUCK?!" She found herself exclaiming, having to stagger back a couple of steps when Sammy almost ran directly into her. When she was asked if she was stupid, her immediate reply was a sarcastic, "YES. I FUCKING AM! Very!" And as Sammy began to talk about the her that she knew, anger immediately came. "Well sorry if tHe RaVeN yOu kNeW got sick of BULLSHIT!" But then she paused in shock after Sammy smacked her across the face.
Raven's eyes left Sammy for a moment and went to the open door, and then back to Sammy. And then back to the door. And then right back to Sammy. She felt sick to her stomach. "You...opened the door..but you're not–oh god you're...real. You're..actually real." She felt her hands become sweaty, and what followed quickly was what felt like a shock to her brain. Her hand went to her head, and she immediately went to grab the pills from the dresser. "No..noooo no this cannot be happening–" She muttered to herself while trying to twist the cap from the bottle, tears prickling at her eyes from the sting she felt on her cheek from where she had been slapped.
"No!" Sammy shouted as she slapped the pills out of Raven's hands, grabbing her wrists now as she stared her in the face, "Raven, what the fuck is wrong with you?! I get it! You've been through way too much in the past few months, but you're doing the wrong thing! I'm fucking real! I'm here, with you, and you're acting like a fucking idiot, thinking that death is gonna help you. It ain't gonna do nothing but cause more harm to yourself and those around you. You're smarter than this, stronger than this, so why the fuck are you acting like this!?"
Mason was already dialing Jackie's number, pacing back and forth nervously as he stated, "Jackie, there's a problem. Already. I can hear screaming from up there, and... I-It's not good"
"Get offa me–DON'T TOUCH ME!" Raven shoved Sammy away from her, falling down to her knees quickly to grab retrieve the pills that had been smacked to the floor from her hands. "Sc-screw the people around me!" She snarled. "They weren't here! They weren't there! FUCK'EM!" She fiddled around with the bottle frantically until the lid popped off, sending some of them scattering across the floor. She tried to shake two from the bottom, but an entire handful came out instead due to her shaking hands.
-
Meanwhile, the first thing that Jackie said as soon as she answered the phone was, "My gods–already?! You two literally just got there!" She exclaimed, sounding as if she had flailed her arms when she did so. "And what do you mean 'from up there'? Up where!? Are you telling me you're not up there Mason? Oh gods–" she repeated again, speaking to whoever she was in the car with and telling them to pull over.
Mason put the phone down at the mention of this, "oh shit!" He realized before he made his way up into the apartment stairs, rushing as fast as he could
Sammy tossed the pills out of her hands again, looking down at her with an aggressive stare as she spoke, "I'm sorry that they weren't there for you, that sucks and fuck em, yeah, but that doesn't mean you need to kill yourself. What good will that do anyone? You're better than this, goddammit!"
"Yeah?! And where the fuck were YOU when I was being doped up and made out to be a fucking psychopath huh?!" Raven screamed at her as she found her way to her feet. "Where were YOU?!" She pushed Sammy again, but this time harder. "Oh that's fucking right–NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!" She winced, grabbing her head again for only a second. "So don't you come here tryna tell me what's good for me and what ain't when YOU couldn't even show the fuck up while I was in a straight jacket! Telling them to call YOU! To call MASON! B-but you could text though huh!? Huh!?" Raven's pale face had began to turn red with the anger that she was letting out.
"I'm STUCK! I can't tell what's real and what's not anymore! That's what they said! That's what they told me! That I'm fucked up! And as far I'm concerned they were right!" She back on the ground again, scouring for the pills until she found two that hadn't been overcome by dust. She threw them into her mouth, swallowing hard to get them down as quickly as possible.
Finally, she crawled backwards, backing herself into the nightstand. Half of her still believed that Sammy was nothing but another hallucination. She wanted to believe that she was. One that was going horribly wrong. This was just like the dreams. Except that when Sammy wasn't gone after she shut her eyes tight and reopened them, panic settled in quickly. "Wh-why..why is this happening?" Her hands went to her head, and she began to rock back and forth. "This isn't real, this isn't real, this ain't real," she began to repeat to herself until she was borderline chanting it. Her hands clutched at her short hair. "C'mon Raven, snap out it. It's time to wake up now, c'mon..c'mon.."
Sammy sat down with Raven, wanting to get upset with her again, wanting to scream how stupid she was, but she couldn't. She looked at her, seeing her hands on her head. Instead, she leaned down, going onto her level, as she pulled Raven's hands away gently and spoke to her, "Raven... Look. It's me. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I never visited in person. Life was hard for me and Mason too, but it was nothing compared to what you were dealing with. I could only text you, but I wanted to do more for you. You're not crazy, Raven. You're just upset. You're not some crazy nut that those people say you are. I know you're not. But please, trust me. I'm real. I'm here now. I should've been here sooner, but I just couldn't be. But I am here now and I want to help you. I mean it"
As Sammy finished what she had to say, Mason ran in in a hurry, panting heavily as he spoke, "G-Guys, what goin- What the hell happened?" Mason said, his eyes falling on Raven, who had changed a lot after six months, a bit disturbed. Mason was hoping to not have to come up, not wanting another incident like last time to happen as he spoke to her, "Uh... Hi, Raven"
Abel’s words made Kyung-ha chuckle again. “I am happy you are able to like my Yoonie now compared to when you two first met.” She smiled. “I am surprised you haven’t slashed at each other’s necks yet. Then again my Yoonie has come to like you too. If she needs go to Tampa, she listen now to your best judgement.” Kyung-ha patted at the current tie he wore.
***
Alana skipped down the stairs of her tower, making her way to where Galiah was waiting. “Hey.” She was now besides her, her gaze shifting from her to the painter in the distance. “What did you do?” Her eyes squinted.
"I talked to him, asked about his paintings, ad then left" Galiah replied honestly as she handed Alana the board back, "Always so suspicious, aren't you? I've learned the basics of keeping my distance and all that, you know"
"Hi..Raven?" She sat there, flabbergasted and confused when Mason came into her apartment. Her apartment, that now was a complete mess of piles of clothes, empty takeout bags and containers, and now the newest addition to the mess, her toaster. The apartment smelled like it a closed in box full of musk that was just getting its first draft of fresh air after a long time. For four months she had experienced what had possibly been the worst frame of time within her life, aside from two of the more irreplaceable personal hells that belonged to her. And the first things said to her by people to her had skipped town on her was a "Hi"and "what happened". She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for any of this. She gulped hard, trembling as she managed to stand up to her feet.
Raven shook her head continuously, muttering something to herself that sounded more like ramblings. And when she went to the door. She spoke, her eyes on the floor. "G-get out....GET...OUT..." She demanded, sniffling. "Get out!"
~
"Her understanding is more valuable than her listening. Especially in predicaments such as these," Abel replied while she patted at his tie. "Though I must admit that I believe she may have come to terms with my presence due to that very understanding of the danger now present within the lives of her family." Again he used logic to deduce Yoon's behavior towards him compared to before. It made sense to him for this to be the case without him taking emotions into account.
Mason looked back at Sammy, a look of worry on his face as he asked, "I thought you texted her"
"I did" Sammy said, knowing full well that she did. She just didn't think that Raven would never read them. This left Mason with a lot right now, already worrying about everything as he stated, "Raven, I get that you're upset right now, but we're here to help you. After what happened, we were worried about you. Sammy was practically fighting with Jackie to see you every day. But we just couldn't. Surely she told you about us, how we were coming to visit during your last session with her, right?"
"Stop–STOP!" Raven stomped her foot. "After what happened?! Who THE FUCK IS JACKIE!?" She shook her head hard, trying to shake off the confusion. Were they trying to trick her? Fill her head with more crap? Were they sent by those psychiatric ward to test her? Or maybe the government knew what she saw–or what she thought she saw and was trying to get her sent back, and so she sent the only set of people that they knew she had had luck with. Maybe they had always been with the government! "Nooo nonono–GET OUT!!" She screamed at them this time, yanking the broken toaster from the floor. "GET OUTTA MY FUCKING HOUSE!" She pulled her arm back and launched, having no target in particular.
The toaster projectile missed completely anyways, her aim horrible in her time of stress. It flew close to Sammy, but right passed her and into the lamp which shattered and knocked off of the nightstand.
Sammy dodged the toaster from the side, Mason having taken the front of of it, his arms rising to block as he felt it jab into his forearms, giving a light groan of pain. As Sammy dodged it, she stepped forward towards Raven, almost at an aggressive manner, before she picked her up off the floor, this time wrapping her arms around her in a hug, locking her arms into place, yet not squeezing her so hard as to crush her. Just enough to keep her in place as Sammy spoke, "I'm sorry we didn't visit you for so long, Raven. I'm sorry all this shit had to happen while we were away. I'm sorry that Mason and I didn't visit you once in the six months and I'm sorry you got all this shit to deal with on your own. But you're not gonna have to deal with it on your own. Not anymore. Not if we can help it. You hear me?"
Raven squirmed in Sammy grasp, which only then became a violent thrash when she was only reminded on the hold of a straitjacket. "Let me go! Lemme go!" She screamed. It was like a survival instinct kicked in, and she became a cornered animal. But instead of trying to headbutt or kick or get her arms free, her mouth suddenly opened, and she attempted to bite Sammy's face with little hesitation to no hesitation.
However before she could sink her teeth into the face of the woman, she was struck in the back of the head by a gleaming light. Raven's head fell over to the side, and she became limp in Sammy's arms.
"It hasn't even been ten minutes!" Jackie exclaimed from the doorway. "I knew this was going to be a horrendous idea–horrible! Did we not just speak about this before AND upon arrival? I believe that we did!"
Sammy held Raven in her arms as she went limp, gently setting her back down onto the ground as she turned to Jackie, marching towards her, feeling her anger toward her come back as she stepped closer and shouted, "Oh, and what was that about how 'she's doing better now' when I come in here and see her trying to down a bottle of pills, thinking that we aren't even real and screaming at us and throwing shit!? Explain that, Jackie! Because the way I see it, she's not better at all! And a fucking asylum!? What happened to you watching and helping her that way?! If it was such a horrible idea, why did you let us come here in the first place?! Only thing I was able to do was keep her from ending her life! But this.... This is nothing, goddammit! This isn't progress at all!"
"I did and have been assisting her," Jackie shouted back. "If it weren't for me she would still be IN that asylum to began with! I've been trying to FIX what damage has been done. I told you to not come here to be brash and what did you do? JUST THAT!"
And the moment she stepped further into the room, she stopped when she stepped on one of the pills. "What–and what happened to the medication I prescribed to her?!" She exclaimed. "You IMBECILES! Those pills are to help keep her stabilized as well as help with the headaches that she's been having from her energy being restricted. Do you have any idea how long it took to prepare those?!" She fumed now.
"And perhaps if you learned to LISTEN, Samantha, and actually take what you hear into account instead of what YOU want to hear and trying to rush headfirst into everything and expect the outcome to be dandy, you'll actually LEARN something. If no progress was made then there would be no Raven and this building wouldn't still be standing."
She went over to where Raven was and knelt down beside her to check on her condition. "I told you she was in a better condition than she was months ago. I didn't say that she was all rainbows and sunshines! What, is that what you were expecting? What happened to 'I can handle it' hm? I relayed to you both that this wasn't a housewarming party or a godsdamn episode of Friends. I told both of you that her memories of you aren't as clear as you may have liked," Jackie continued. "I brought you here in hopes that you would help certain sections of her memory clear. To HELP her, arrive and start bombarding her with–and what were YOU doing!" She turned to Mason,not even finishing what she was getting onto Sammy about. "I specifically told you NOT to let her come up here by herself! That was literally what would now be thirteen minutes ago Mason! THIRTEEN!"
"Is everything alright? There's a lot more ruckus in here than usual," One of Raven's elderly neighbor's asked while stepping out of their apartment to see what was going on. However, he was turned around against his will by Jackie's magic and pushed back into his apartment where his door slammed behind him.
"I... I" Mason was not sure what to say. He knew that was what he was told, but remembering last time, not wanting to be near Raven in case something were to happen again, he just felt himself start to sink. It wasn't until Sammy stood up in Jackie's face and shouted, "Don't you fucking drag him into this. I get that Raven has been dealing with a fucking lot, but Mason has been suffering too. He doesn't show it because he doesn't want to be a burden to people, but he's been in a state himself after all this shit. And how do you explain the wet clothes and a broken toaster in her hands? The pills and alcohol sure as fuck didn't put me in the best of mood, and seeing that shit?! Yeah, how do you explain that fucking thing, Jackie?! Or were you really paying attention to her, really? Did you care to help her because she needed help, or did you help her because she's a magical person and that would help you finish your fucking plan!?"
"Enough!" Mason shouted, his voice booming, with aggression in his heart as he looked at Sammy and continued, "Sammy, I appreciate your help, but you're stepping out of bounds. I don't know what Raven is up to, but we clearly came unprepared for this. We shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry, Jackie. We'll be leaving now"
"Trust me, I know you are," Jackie growled. But then she stepped forward, her body blurring. Her hand found itself grasping onto Sammy's throat, and she shoved her against the wall. "For sixth months, I have been doing what I can. I have put my job as a reporter in jeopardy. I don't know who in this blonde shaded brain of yours you think yourself to be. But if you ever accuse me of anything like that again, after everything that I've done, after as many times as I've stuck my neck out for the both you," She hissed, not finishing the statement but instead her grip tightening more and more. But then she turned and shoved Sammy into Mason, her eyes still glowing. But she didn't say anything more, recognizing that even if it were for just a moment, she had been about to hurt Sammy in a way that she wouldn't have been able to take back. And so she only scowled at them both.
Sammy was thrashing about as Jackie's hand found itself on her neck, gagging a bit, only to stop as she felt the grip around her neck tighten more and more. She couldn't make another nose, her throat being constricted by her grip, putting her hand on Jackie's face as she tried to push her off, shoving her off. Mason rushed over to try and break up the fight, only to catch Sammy when she was shoved against Mason. Despite her stare, Sammy was prepared to throw a punch at her in anger, Mason having to stop her as he pulled her out. Sammy shouted, "You're fucking dead!"
"Sammy, we're leaving!" Mason said, pulling her with little effort out the door before he closed the door to Raven's apartment and taking her down the stairs. Sammy was barely able to break from Mason's grasp as she shouted, "She said fucking nothing about those pills! What the fuck was I supposed to do!?"
"Sammy, listen, I understand your frustrated, and I don't know what I saw from those pills, but what I do know is what I saw down there. You ran in there and you grabbed her without warning. She's unstable"
"What the fuck was I supposed to do? I saw that state she was in, and I fucking panicked. Jackie thinks that we're just fucking fine. Oh yeah, like we're perfectly fine ourselves. She doesn't understand the shit you and I have dealt with. The last thing I want is to lose someone else. That's the last thing I need right now. I've already been in too much pain, dealing with this shit". Sammy was still frustrated, but Mason could see the tears coming from her eyes, not sure what to make of the whole situation. She just fell onto the ground into a sit, her hands on her face as she responded, "I fucked up again, didn't I?"
Mason was prepared to tell her the mistakes she made. He knew that Sammy did things that were over the line, yet seeing her there, he didn't know what to say. He just put his hands in his pockets and replied, "You didn't do anything wrong. You just... panicked" . Mason picked Sammy up off the ground gently as he got her onto her feet and replied, "Come on, we should go"
"What about Raven?" Sammy said, wiping the tears from her eyes to try and not look too sad
Mason bit the inside of his lip again as he answered her, "I... don't think we should be around Raven. I'm far too scared to be near her to do any good, and she can't help but panic when you're around" Mason knew that last part was a lie, but he didn't dare say that she was unreasonable. He just continued, "I think... for all our sakes, we should just forget about Raven"
"But... I can't do that" Sammy said. She didn't know why, but she knew she couldn't leave her behind, "I fucked up, okay. I panicked. But seeing her with those pills and that... that fucking toaster, it just.... Just reminded me of some shit"
"I understand... but Raven doesn't know that. And Jackie won't accept that" Mason said, trying his best to calm Sammy down, "We just... have no other choice"
It took a few minutes. To tend to Raven and make sure that she hadn't possibly hit her head. It took her a couple more minutes to gather all of the pills that had been scattered around the room and put them back into the container that they had been knocked out of. And it took a few more minutes for her to think. To really think about everything, to take into consideration the pros and cons. But by the time the door to Raven's apartment, she had come to a decision.
When Jackie exited the apartment, she had Raven slumped over the handle of her broom while she carried some of her possessions, mostly clothes and shoes as well as the phone she had found in the bathroom sink. The things that smelled she let stay. After all, the smell wouldn't be there for long anyways.
Sammy looked up at where Jackie was walking down the stairs, seeing her carrying the clothes, and to an extent, Raven. Sammy let in an inhale through her nostrils before she stood up. Mason thought about stopping her immediately, but at seeing her posture, he felt it wasn't anything bad. Sammy turned to Jackie, letting out a sigh before she spoke, "Jackie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to escalate things the way I did. I just... I saw her with the pills and the alcohol, and.... It's just a long story. Point is, I panicked, and... I forgot. I didn't mean to add onto anything. And.... I'm sorry I said those things about you. I was being really fuckin' ungrateful. Still, you didn't have to choke me that hard" She said, rubbing her throat now, feeling the pain already take hold.
Mason, with his head down, followed up, "I'm sorry too. I know you said I was supposed to go up there, but I was scared. Scared of repeating the same thing from last time. I just.... I'm sorry"
The two stood there awkwardly, not sure what response they would get. They were awaiting a hurdle of insults, or worse, nothing at all, but they accepted that
"Do not apologize to me." Jackie said to the both of them after only two seconds later, placing Raven's belonging into a bubble of magic similar to the one she had used to get her to the ranch. "I believe I understand now. I understand that I have gone about this all wrong, and in turn I have forgotten what I am. I have forgotten my duty, and what I stand for. I understand that through acts of kindness and tolerance and seeking to befriend the both of you, I have made a mistake. In doing so, I have allowed you options. Right and wrong options. I've been so indulged in caring and focusing for your well beings that I've forgotten that in order to operate the good, there must be an opposite. If I am to ensure that evil does not prevail and that the greater good has its metaphorical foot in the figurative door, order must come first. For so long I've been attempting to assist you as a friend in this matter, and not as a Constable. And in turn I've let my better judgement fail me. I acknowledge this mistake."
The window to Raven's apartment suddenly burst as flames reached out into the air. Within a matter of seconds, Raven's apartment was engulfed in fire that square danced upon her bed, do si doed over the piles of clothes until soon everything was embraced by scorching heat.
And Jackie continued. "And that mistake will not occur again." Her eyes glowed harsher, and the flames nearly exploded. However, she had already called the fire department and notified the General that currently held jurisdiction over the state. "From here on forward, we'll be going about things in a different manner." And then her gaze shifted to Mason. "Your lessons resume tomorrow."
Raven, who was surrounded by a bubble as well just in case she fell off of the magic broom, was rushed up into the air and towards the clouds before it took off.
Mason felt a sudden chill go down his spine that was only interrupted by the sudden blast of fire that occurred from within the apartment. As she gazed at him, a sudden feeling of fear took over him as he watched her fly away. This feeling that he had made a horrible, horrible mistake about the whole situation. Sammy stepped a bit forward now as she replied, "Uh... I... I made things... much worse, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did" Mason thought of saying. In his heart, he felt that things had only become far worse for himself and for his better judgement, but he didn't let that cloud his current state of mind. He just turned to Sammy and replied, "Let's just go" He said, getting back into the van, having driven a full hour only for a five minute altercation that resulted in destroying one of their relationships. Sammy stood there for a moment, letting Mason sit in the van with his head on the wheel, letting the stress take over now before Sammy stepped into the van. Mason put the car into drive before he set their sights back to Tampa. No talking, nothing but silence
“Yes, yes.” Kyung-Ha agreed to his reasoning. “And having a handsome face helps too with her convincing.” She hinted with a smirk. “See? I tell you she’d grow on you, no?” Kyung-ha shrugged innocently while proving her statement right. Her eyes glanced at Yoon who was finishing up with the dishes before they returned to Abel’s. “She will do as she needs to to protect her loved ones and friends. And if you see her doing anything opposite to that, I give you permission to thump her hard in the forehead as a reminder.”
***
“You did?” Alana blinked. “Huh... that’s surprising but nonetheless plausible.” She laughed. “What did he say about his creepy paintings? He’s the one from last time, right?”
"He seemed really uncomfortable, so I didn't bother asking too much" Galiah replied with a vague look on her face "After all, you said to drop the subject immediately when they start to get uncomfortable, didn't you?"
Jackie only watched the van be on its way for a couple of seconds, a frown settling upon her face. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard a car slowly approaching her. Upon seeing that it was the vehicle of the agent that she had been with prior, she climbed into the car and it took off.
"Location?"
"Oh how I wish that I could say 'home'," Jackie muttered under her breath. "Hard Point 1. We're going to Hard Point 1. Notify the field agents of a change in location. I will speak with the General myself about the relocation. If they have any questions, then inform them that this is an order from the C.O.M.. Along with that, a message. Inform them that a Pseudo-White Oni has been placed into effect."
~
"I suppose you're correct." It took a second for Abel to actually think about it, and the more he did the more he began to realize that Kyung was right. Yoon had somewhat grown on his over time, more so then he would currently admit. There was something..peculiar. Something that he couldn't find words to explain. And while he was listening to Kyung-ha, he found himself staring at the young woman while she finished the dishes. But then his brows furrowed. "I..don't understand." He said to himself quietly before his gaze turned to Kyung as she gave him permission to thump Yoon when she got off track. "I'll certainly keep that in mind."
As Yoon was finishing washing the last spoon, she was greeted by a sudden wave of water splashing on her when it came to rinsing the concave object. She jolted, cursing at the spoon under her breath before turning the water off. She grabbed the nearest towel and patted herself down.
“Hm?” Kyung-ha’s sharp ears caught onto what Abel muttered to himself. “No understand what? Why Yoonie needs to be thumped? Sometimes a good hit to the head wakes up the brain.” She explained. “Not too hard or else concussion.” She learned the hard way.
***
Alana scratched her head awkwardly in thought. “Well, yes I did say that but—“ She stopped herself and shook her head. “You know what? Never mind.” She thought it was best to just shove the off feeling she had in the back of her head. “Let’s go catch a wave, shall we?”
"Yes. Let us do the catching of the wave and the big kahuna, as they say" Galiah replied, having remembered something along those lines from the beach movies that she had watched from Alana's movie collection, letting her lead the way
It would not be until late afternoon that Mason and Sammy arrived back at their apartment, Mason stepping out of the van, still in silence as he closed the vans door, not a word coming from him to Sammy. Sammy looked at Mason and replied, "Mason, I'm sorry I-"
"You have nothing to apologize for" He replied, moving into the apartment building, but not saying anything more. Leaving Sammy to think abut what she had done. Even if Mason said she had nothing to apologize for, she knew that all of this was her own fault
Abel had the urge to shake his head as he watched water be redirected from the spoon and onto her, only to blink at Kyung-ha for a second when she misunderstood what he had been referring to. However, he didn't expand on what he had been talking about either, and instead commented on what she had said. "There is a quote that I've read and taken into account years ago, written by a woman by the name of Holly Black. 'Pain is the best teacher', she states. I agree."
~
Jackie arrived back in Tampa surprisingly a few minutes before Mason and Sammy had thanks to her broom returning to her rather quickly after Raven had been dropped off. That, and the agent she was within the car with was driving much faster than Mason was. During the drive and the brief flight, all she could do was think. There was so much that was still on her mind, questions that she just didn't have answers to.
For instance, she still wondered how her grandmother had known where Mason and Sammy would be six months ago? How did she know of Raven? Even before the Constables? She knew that her grandmother was no fool, and was the wisest of people that she knew in her life. But something about the entire situation had thrown her off then, and it still did so now. For the passed couple of months, there was this feeling of dread that had been lurking in her head more and more no matter how many times she sought to shake it away.
And then there was Sammy and Mason. She had become frustrated with them as well as herself. They didn't understand, nor did she believe that they would anytime soon. It was as if everything that she sought to help them learn, to help them realize–it all went in one ear and out the other. She understood that they too had things to come to terms with, and they too were still attempting to get a grasp of things. But something in her told her that they were running out of time. Something was coming.
As she had said, Raven was placed into one of the empty apartments that had already been prepared long before she had met Mason and Sammy apparently. The apartment building that Raven and Mason were in already had protective spells set in place, and the apartment building itself could be camouflaged upon activation. She had went into studying what exactly the spells were that had been used to enchant the apartment building, only to find that it extended much further than just that. The entire gated community–no, the very foundation of the land that it was built on had powerful enchantments scattered around it strategically, and she wasn't even sure that she had found all of them.
It became obvious to the witch that the enchantments had been placed way before the current time. And she planned to find out why.
Mason made his way to his room, feeling the amount of stress start to build up inside him, feeling like he was ready to explode himself from all that had been happening. It was hard for him to find a single day without something stressful happening to him, ever since he had been introduced to this world of magic. He always told himself he new what to do, but that changed nothing. It just brought about more stress to him.
Sammy, on the other hand, stood outside, leaning against the rail of the apartment as she lit her usual roll of marijuana to calm her nerves. Though it didn't help much. All she could think of was what she could've done better. She thought that Jackie had acted irrational about the situation, but that didn't change Sammy's own thoughts on how she got too aggressive about the whole thing. But all she could think of was how Mason was the one who was suffering the most from her actions, despite him doing the best he could. And that thought started to upset her, anger her even, enough to break the roll in her hand without even realizing, just letting it crumble to dust in her hands as she stared out at the scenery before her
It was on the floor below them that the door to the apartment opened, and Jackie closed it behind her after checking to see that Raven was still deep into sleep.
Unlike the apartment that Mason and Sammy had the luxury of obtaining, the one that Jackie placed Raven in didn't have any furniture in it yet. And so this left her to gather bedsheets and couch cushions from their apartment to use as a makeshift bed until Raven, who had been settled in the living room, could get one of her own.
Jackie bit her lip, standing at the door and trying to think about what her grandmother would do in such a situation. And as she left to go into the parking lot the thought crossed her mind that she would need to have Raven prepared with food as well as some clean and washed clothing since some of the ones that she had gathered had this horrible stench that she couldn't stand. She reminded herself that this is where she could be the friend, ensuring that they all had clothing and food and shelter. But with everything else she would have to make her decisions as a Constable.
“Oi!” Kyung-ha shook her head at Abel’s quote. “School has many teachers, no? No school only has one. Or else student no learn properly. So pain isn’t the only one.” She explained. “Sure, I hit Yoonie with spoon and broom, but that ultimately no makes her who she is. Maybe Pain is good teacher but Love is equally good teacher. Both cannot exist without each other.” Kyung-ha expanded a humble smile. “Perhaps if you didn’t understand something you have yet to feel it. Or perhaps you are now, who knows?”
***
“Uuuuuhhhh....” Alana began, tying her hair up in a ponytail. “I’ve told you already a thousand times that watching Netflix until 3 in the morning is not a healthy habit. And who told you about take out food?! Don’t think I didn’t notice the Taco Bell bags in the trash can. A disgrace to Mexican food if you ask me.” She picked up the board and was heading to the water.
Sammy didn't even turn her head as she heard Jackie walk out of the room where Raven was in, closing the door as she was making her way down the stairs. Sammy didn't know what it was that motivated her to speak up, but she just did it anyway. "Yo!" She said casually, letting the dust from her hand fall from the balcony as she dusted it off. "You got a minute? I need to talk with you. It's important". Not once did Sammy turn her eyes to her. Out of fear of seeing that stare of hers again, striking into her soul. But she didn't let it get to her. She kept her stoic face, lit by the afternoon sun as she kept her gaze forward, waiting for a response from her
"Perhaps if you didn't understand something you have yet to feel it. Or perhaps you are now, who knows?"
It was the last bit of what Kyung-ha said that left him in thought the most as he looked down at his hands for a moment. He didn't understand why her words contradicted what she had been taught by her previously. The teachings that had guided him to where he stood now along with the strict reality and policies of the Constables. It was what molded him into the man that he had become. He didn't believe that something as fragile as the concept of love–love, a word thrown about daily by the human tongue to describe what individuals enjoyed–could teach anything but disaster. It was something that could only make ones decisions and actions irrational, much like anger. Pain on the other hand, taught one what to avoid. Experiencing pain was what stopped individuals from sticking their hands into fire. He believed that it taught them what to avoid in order to encourage self-preservation, the opposite of what he believed so-called "love" did.
Abel wasn't sure what it was within him that was shifting. It was something that had started to occur after the long and awaited crossing of paths between Kyung and himself. After he met Yoon.
~
Jackie continued towards the parking lot until an internal sigh brought her to a stop. She could have easily just continued on her way. Ignored the blonde woman completely and treated her as if she just wasn't there for once. However over the months she hadn't come around to just tolerating Sammy's existence, but she had actually come around to liking her. Which if she had told this to herself months ago, she wouldn't doubt that she would laugh in her own face and tell herself how ridiculous it sounded.
And though she felt like she was going to regret it, she spoke with her back remaining to Sammy. "If you'd like to speak I suggest you either join me in this traveling to the store or wait until I return tomorrow."
"Then I guess I'm joining you" Sammy said as she picked herself up from the railing and followed behind Jackie, her hands in her pockets as she didn't start out by saying much, not a word coming from her yet while she followed her down to the parking lot below, adjusting her glasses while doing so
Jackie was silent as well while they were descending down the stairs and instead occupied herself with her phone. At some point, she skipped the stairs completely by stepping onto the rail and going into a fall down to the ground where she landed gracefully on the balls of her feet before resting all the way onto the concrete. She waited there at the bottom of the stairs for Sammy for only a second before she started walking again. Though since she wasn't in her "true form" her strides were as long as they would be when she was, and so she didn't get too far by the time Sammy reached the bottom.
Sammy was sure to catch up with her in no time as she got to the car, letting Jackie in first before she decided to climb into the passenger seat, her arms crossed as she slipped her glasses back onto her face to block out the bright sunlight
Jackie climbed into the car that had been left for her to use by an agent on request since she honestly felt as if she had had enough of flying for the day. If anything, she desired the little normalcy that she could have to herself in this day and age. She pulled out the keys and pushed them into the ignition opposed to just starting the car with the button on its keys. And once the car was in drive and on the move out on the road, she waited for Sammy to speak.
“You know Abel-pie, just because you completed your training and lessons long ago does not mean you’re done learning. Always something new to learn.” She smiled at him while gently patting his shoulder. “I tell you you have much to learn from her as she does from you. She already working on her agility better, watch.” Kyung-ha excused herself momentarily to retrieve a mandarin from the platter of fruits on the table. And as Yoon was drying the counter of the kitchen with the same towel she used to dry herself with, Kyung-ha launched the mandarin from besides Abel with outstanding aim. However, against her expectation, the mandarin hit Yoon right on her head.
“OWWW!!!” Yoon yelped, her attention going to her mother and Abel in confusion and slight irritation.
“Hmmm... Oke maybe needs some work.” Kyung-ha scratched her chin.
Sammy rested back against the seat, her arms crossed, eyes locked on the road ahead of her before she finally spoke up, "I'll admit, I fucked up" Sammy replied, discussing the situation, "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. But you don't need to rope Mason in with my fuck ups. Yeah, he didn't listen to everything you said, but he's doing his best. He's doing more than I can, that's for sure. He's not as ready for this as you or me think he is. He says he can handle it, but this has been weighing down his mind more than you can imagine. I don't know what happened in that building six months ago, but I know it was something really bad. Raven's proof of that, but Mason. He can't even bring himself to talk about it. All he tells me when I ask is, "Don't worry. I won't let it happen again". He's not some perfect person because he can manage magic. He's got his own issues, his own trauma, trauma you don't understand. He's doing what he can with the hand he was dealt"
"I know he's not perfect just because of the fact that he can use magic. I never once insinuated that that was the case–in fact I'd say that it is just some nonsense created out of misunderstanding that the both of you attempt to use against me at every chance you get." Jackie's eyes remained on the road wile she spoke. "I don't expect anyone to be perfect. The world isn't perfect, so why would I expect anyone inhabiting it to be? That's not the issue I have. And you're correct, I don't need to rope the man into something that he's already associated with. And if he's not ready then he's going to have to learn to be. If anything I'd say that he's in much better condition to do just that than the girl. And if you were present to witness what we had then you'd understand." She paused. "And doing is best? You expect me to believe that doing exactly the opposite of what I've said only mere minutes after my departure is his best? If so then I'll tell you that your standards for him are severely lower than my own. We all have our issues. But it comes a time when those need to be placed on hold in the face of the things that are deemed of more importance. And if he's unable come to grasp this realization, then I'll just simply have no other option but to force him to. I've been far too lenient as is."
~
When Yoon turned to look at them, Abel ironically pointed to Kyung-ha in silence so that she knew that he hadn't been the one that had thrown it.
Then again if he had, he believed that she would have definitely been able to distinguish the difference in the force behind it. But he still had yet to understand what it was that he was said to supposedly learn from Yoon, for the only thing he had learned from her so far were the varieties of sugar filled things that he didn't partake in consuming himself.
"Her skills indeed require much more honing. And in due time, she will be capable." Which unlike now, Abel didn't believe her to be capable of anything except becoming a stage 3 diabetic and clearing cabinets and refrigerators. But how he perceived her had shifted greatly from that, and even more so after seeing the progress that her body had made earlier when she had been in only a towel. However, he knew that she was still not yet ready.
"Of course he went against your rules" Sammy said, her tone shifting a bit to annoyance once again, "You think he wanted to? He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help it. If he let something like last time happen again, he'd snap. He's already had to witness way too much of that kind of shit in his life. The last thing he needs is to have more stress put onto him. He isn't someone who can be told to do something if a chance of endangering people happens. He's got his own struggles, his own scars. He's already witnessed too much death in his life. Even before all this shit....." But as Sammy realized what she was bringing up, she went completely silent now, not daring to speak another word of it. Even biting her lip at the thought of what she was bringing up to Jackie, someone who moments ago was fed up with her. She bit her lip again, more hard then before as she thought back to that incident, and in her attempt to change the subject, she added, "He's trying, dammit. Trying to do what's right for everyone but himself. He needs more support than you think. He acts like he's got thick skin to all this, but he's just putting on an act. This shit... all of this.... It's a lot for him. More than you or I can even imagine"
Yoon’s lips quivered into a painful frown as she rubbed at her head, muttering to herself quietly about how crazy her mom was sometimes. When her eyes made contact with Abel, she quickly looked away with a small blush of embarrassment since she knew he saw her get thumped by a fruit.
“Hm, yes, good thing I have you now to make sure she isn’t falling out of line.” Kyung-ha said, oblivious to the fact of their secret “drug” trade. “Maybe she can learn from you how to be healthy. Last time you two went out she tell me she was surprised to see you willingly put spinach in your mouth.” She chuckled.
Galiah gave a shrug as she followed behind Alana into the water, seeing nothing wrong with eating food that was cheap and easy to have made, especially given that their jobs only paid them so much. She followed behind her into the waters, letting the water get up to her thighs, shivering a bit from the cold
"Perhaps you should take into account that he's merely the center of YOUR attention and not everyone else's," Jackie states. "Perhaps you need to take into account that he'll just have to learn to deal with stress. It comes with everyday life. He's not a godsdamn child. There's no avoiding it. Or maybe realize that this doesn't all revolve around him. You keep speaking as if he's the only one who's having to deal with being thrust into a world that he could only right mere fantasies over only to discover that it wasn't just fantasy. Not only so but also that its nothing like you all would like to so badly depict it. Endangered lived is something that is and will always be. And they weren't rUlES, they were precautions. Precautions that were set and made so that the same mistake didn't occur. At the end of the day it's either suck it the hell up or be severely out of luck whether it's liked or not. And if he's so called "trying" then I'd suggest he make much more of an attempt."
~
"Spinacia oleracea is exceptionally potent in vitamins A, C and K, magnesium, iron and manganese," Abel started, having extensive knowledge on most of the things that he chose to eat. "It's benefits towards the human body are essential in assisting the bodily functions to a capacity almost unrivaled when included in the dietary department of one's life. It should come as no surprise that it is Incorporated into the meals that I consume. I am more than capable of educating her on the benefits of a nutritious diet."
"Like he had a choice of any of this shit" Sammy said, already feeling her temper take over her reasoning, "You think life was easy for him before this shit got put onto him? You don't know what he's gone through. Of course I'm gonna worry about him. He had nothing but hate back where he came from, and now he's told that lives are in his hand and if anything happens, it's his fault. Oh, but fate makes it so. Well fate can go fuck itself for all I care. Fate is what pushed all this shit onto him in the first place. Fate is what got him called the son of a murderer...." And in that instance, Sammy stopped her talking, her eyes widening as the realization of what she let slip. Her lips tightened even more now before she turned her eyes to the window. She didn't dare say another word, not a single word left. She didn't even want to hear another word. She just wanted for her and Jackie to forget what she had just said
By the time Abel was explaining the nutrition behind spinach, Yoon was already making her way back to them and heard part of it. She physically gagged at the thought of spinach, a small shiver crawling up her spine. She shook her head quickly in disagreement. “N-no, it’s absolutely disgusting and just tastes like stepped on grass. Dealing with carrots is torturing e-enough.” She emphasized. “Spinacia oleracea sounds like one of those weird spells someone would use to turn you into a mushroom.” Yoon chuckled quietly at her own joke, before awkwardly sliding it off with a cough.
Jackie was silent for a long moment. However, this was only partially out of because of what Sammy had just said. The other reason was that anger had began to rise. "The son of a murderer hm? And so that automatically makes him the murderer as well?" She left the question in the air, shaking her head slowly. "You say, "fuck fate". As if it weren't the reason that you both befriended one another. You say "fuck fate", yet it has spared your life over millions of others. You say fuck fate as if ANY of us had a choice. So yes, fuck Fate," she said sarcastically, mocking Sammy's voice now as her own temper began to get the best of her. "You know, there's a child that has been put into this mess. An actual child. And that child has been captured by the very things that I've been busting my glorious ass protecting the both of you from. And now you're going to attempt to sit there and tell me that you nor a grown ass man can't prioritize anything but yourselves?!" With no surface to tap against, her foot began to mash down the gas. "Mason this, Mason that. Mason these. Mason those. And Raven?! The boy!? The other Keepers?! What of them? You believe that Mason is the only individual on the planet that's had it rough the passed year?! That boy's parents are DEAD because of this mess! There's a Korean family that has had one of their family members abducted from them indirectly because of this! You think that before any of this any of them were well off!?" She growled, swerving around traffic. "There's a reason Raven is here in Florida and not back home in Los Angeles!" She would know. After all, she had been the one sorting through her memories to put the barriers into place. It was one of the reasons that she had taken the route of becoming Raven's therapist to began with. And it was why her temper had snapped at Sammy before when she accused her of not actually wanting to help Raven. "There's a reason I've done the things I've done up until now!"
~
"Sometimes the things that you don't desire are the things that you require the most," Abel said in reply to Yoon's disgust towards both carrots and spinach. Not only that, but he hadn't gotten Yoon's joke either and went into further explanation. "Spinacia oleracea is no spell. It is the scientific term in which the name "spinach" is derived, the term itself originating from Latin origins."
