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.
While they were traveling across the cornfields and to the ranch house, Jackie took the time to check on Raven as she had been doing the entire journey of the hours it had taken them to get where they were. And though she wasn't as experienced as her grandmother, her eyes weren't blind to the manifestation of unstable aura that to her resembled melting wax. We're not dealing with by the book sorcery, she thought to herself. The aura that she witnessed looked to be the most present around the girl's head where it pulsated in a broken rhythm.
Once they neared the clearing, the broom eased closer to the ground and came to a stop. Jackie climbed off of it, and once Mason did the same the broom twisted itself into a shivering light that disappeared.
Mason looked around the field where they were, making sure that no dogs were around, before his eyes moved back to Raven, feeling all the stress that he had before when he remembered what had happened to her. He stared up before he spoke to Jackie, "I can't even imagine what she's going through. After... what happened in there? What.... what happened back there, it... It wasn't her fault, was it?"
Jackie didn't have to think about the question and shook her head sadly. "I am to believe that she is as oblivious to what she's capable of as you previously were. If you recall, before we took our detour here yesterday I spoke of a mana that I had sensed. The energy that I felt back in Florida is nearly identical aside from the degrees that its currently fluctuating at." Upon approaching her grandmother's house, the door was pushed open via magic and she allowed the bubble carrying Raven to squeeze through the doorway first.
"So.... This was that other aura, huh?" Mason said, shaking his head in disbelief, even chuckling some in total shock, "This is just a whole lot of coincidences, isn't it? Just constant amounts of mind fuckery with no end insight...." Mason just gave a sigh, along with a shake of the head before he followed behind her
"Fate," was all that Jackie answered with while they entered into the house. "Of course, there could be the possibility that I could be wrong. Either way, even if this were to be a coincidence its better for her to end up in our hands rather than those of the opposing." She waved the door close and went to the living room where Raven was laid to rest for the time being. There was something that bothered her greatly, and she turned to look at Mason. She was quiet for a moment before she asked him with furrowing brows. "Did my grandmother...tell you anything last night?"
"Me... Not much other than what you saw" Mason replied, but at the mention of it, he gave it some thought, ""Though, I have noticed Sammy calling her by her real name, Constantine. Doesn't sound like much, but... Sammy isn't one to just call people by their full name..." But at the mention of her, he gave it some thought, "Oh, right, is Sammy... Sammy is alright... right?"
"She's in a much better condition than most," Jackie answered. "If I would have arrived a second later then I'm not sure how true that statement would be." In that same instance, she hoped that Sammy blamed no one but herself for her injuries. The price paid for refusing to heed the warning the first time. "But rest assured my grandmother tends to make sure she's addressed properly, so Sammy addressing her as such is a formality." But something still bothered her. "Look after her. I have to prepare a liquid solution to take care of the burns that she's sustained."
Alana started on her way back to the lifeguard tower after embracing the beauty of the ocean. She worked there 35 hours a week, yet it never ceased to amaze her. Sure, most of the time she'd suffer the wrath of the sun or the punishment of dry skin and chafing, but to her it was worth nothing when it came to saving an individual's life. Even on the less troublesome days, Alana would find herself building a sandcastle with the kids visiting the beach that day.
Once inside the tower, the young woman stacked away the rescue tubes and secured the floating lines on their designated hangers. She was quite the organized person, or at least that's what her friends always told her. In college while studying Marine and Coastal Science, she was at the top of her class and was known for her surprisingly neat handwriting in stressful note-taking events. She was glad she was able to pursue her love for the ocean after college, even if it meant starting off as a lifeguard.
After putting her equipment away, she polished the counter where she usually sat to oversee the current events. Every now and then she had to sweep out excess sand that had gotten inside, but at the end of the day she would make sure there wasn't a single spec visible inside her station. She liked to keep her working environment clean. In her mind, a clean environment meant efficient work. It took her around 10 minutes to inspect her station one last time before she eventually ended up locking the tower for today, making her way down the white stairs of the tower.
Mason gave a nod, opening his mouth to speak, when suddenly, his words were interrupted by the soft cords of The Velvet Underground. Looking down at his phone, playing Sweet Jane, he was getting a call from someone, Sammy. Thankful that she was in a stable spot to answer, he sighed and hit answer, "Hello-"
"Don't you hello me, you son of a bitch! Where are you? I've been shouting at the damn doctors all day, 'where's Mason. The big guy with bad taste in music!?'. I can't believe you've been gone for three hours. Where even are you!?"
Mason gave a worried expression as he spoke, "S-Sammy, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Sammy said in confusion, "Yeah, I'm fine. My arms fucked to shit, but I'm a lefty anyway. And I'm lucky my leg only got a slash. But I ruined my favorite pair of jeans! If I keep losing my clothes like this, I'm gonna snap."
Mason's worried expression changed to slight annoyance, yet there was a sigh of relief as he turned to Jackie and whispered, "She's fine". Turning back to the phone, he spoke, "Listen, Sammy, just be nice to the doctors for a bit, alright? I'm here with Raven. I'm doing what I can to help"
"Yeah, I trust you, dude. You just make sure she's safe" Sammy said, a hint of worry in her voice through her peppy tone before she followed up, "I just hope that you know someone who can help her. Constantine is probably a good bet. Oh, but Long Legs..."
Mason slowly turned his gaze to Jackie with his eyes squinted and his teeth clenched in absolute worry, cringing at the thought of what Sammy was about to say, but was not expecting what it was.
"I don't know what to make of her. She's arrogant, rude, and her fashion sense is sickening... But I'm counting on her to help Raven. I'm trusting her with this because I know she can do it better than anyone else. Hell... if she can help Raven, I... I'd probably be greatful for it. But don't you dare tell her I said that."
Mason gave a nod and a wave at the phone, looking at Jackie, "Uh... right, you got it... Uh, gotta go, Sammy. Stay safe and stuff" and with that, hung up as Sammy was hoping to say something more before giving a bothered sigh and a reply to Jackie late, "I'll do what I can to look after her, Jackline"
"I know," Jackie replied, now at one of the shelves with the tips of her fingers pushing aside book after book in a bit of a hurry. She picked out a book who's brown cover and dried pages were made up of animal hide, the spine seeming to consist of teeth and threads of tangled yarn. The book was titled by jagged words that were carved into the cover, words that were made from dismal symbology. She grabbed another book that was more normal looking and opened it, skimming through words while mumbling quietly and entering the kitchen.
~
"Hmmmm." Edgar's hummed to himself absently in wonder. His brush hand was still, and his eyes moved carefully between the sunset and ocean and the one that was mimicked on his canvas. He lifted the painting from the stand to observe it, holding it against the sunlight. His smile came to waver, and he shifted the painting to the side to look out at the scenery that had inspired him. Except that this time, he saw something different. He could see the colors changing into something more, the imagery of the orange that sunk into peeking from behind the ocean becoming a mysterious blaze. And so he began to paint.
He didn't know from where these bursts of inspiration came, but he set aside the freshly painted poster of white and an unused one took its place upon the stand. His gaze moved rapidly, back and forth faster and faster until the marbles of brown within his eye sockets began to split into two across his sclera. The oranges, blues, whites and pink hues of watercolors that he used on the previous painting were absent, and instead were replaced by more bold acrylic colors that were flicked onto the canvas of white.
His brush became the pencil that wrote the story of what he visioned. There waves, once calm, were now wild currents that crashed against one another. Both the sun and the moon were present, yet there seemed to be no sky that was there to hold them. Yet there was something that gave him the sense that the numerous specs of large feathers and marbled masses of white were falling. Plummeting towards the land from a light that he knew not of its origins. But it wasn't a normal light by any means. Something about it dazzled with divinity. Yet there was something about what he visioned that was haunting.
Pfft, like any of my characters are gonna be interested XD And what were you expecting exactly? Jackie to be like "HA! THAT"S WHY YOU'RE IN A HOSPITAL!" XDover a year ago
Mason gave a sigh, looking back over at Raven as she rested inside of the bubble, floating ever so gracefully, peacfully, like she was just sleeping. But of course, Mason doubted that she would just forget that everything had happened before. He just shook his head as he sat on the chair nearby. Normally he'd stand perfectly still until asked to be seated, but he was immensely stressed, desperately needing to think things through his head
Jackie placed the books she had grabbed onto the counter after finding the page she was looking for in the open one. She hurried over to the cabinet and found the first thing she needed with more ease than she had prepared herself for–she wasn't complaining though of course. She placed the mortar and pestle that she had grabbed next to the books and continued about the kitchen acquiring the items that she needed in accordance to its recipe, checking them off of the mental list she kept as she got each one.
Man o war toxins. Check. Hydra saliva(which made her shiver in disgust and wonder how it had even been acquired), check. A cup of water, check. She paused for a moment to speak to Mason. "What is her temperature? Is she suffering from hyperthermia or hypothermia?"
When Mason would check Raven's temperature, he would find that only her face and head was extremely hot as if she were suffering from a fever. In contrast however, the rest of her body was as cold as ice.
Mason placed his hands over her head, feeling that she was burning up, but as his elbow brushed against her arm, he felt this sudden chill over his body, taking her hand into his to feel how cold it was. He already got a worried look on his face as he answered, "Uh... her head is burning up, but...E-Everything else is freezing. It's both extremes all over her body."
What? Jackie flipped through some of the pages, stopping to follow some of the key words with the point of her fingernail while blending the ingredients into the mortar. She paused the blending and went quickly to gather some ice water into a bowl along with a cloth to take to Mason. "Here, do what you can to cool her off. I'd suspect that the heat will be much worse than the cold in due time. Her body temperature will have to be closer to balanced for the second potion to succeed."
"W-wait, what?!" But before Mason could even start asking questions, the bowl was placed into his hands with the cold water sloshing around. In a bit of panic now, he took hold of the rag, squeezing the excess water out and placing it over her forehead, doing what he could to get it around her as to keep her head cool, making sure to take the rag off and add more as quickly and effectively as possible
When Mason placed the rag onto her forehead, Raven gave a sudden jerk and a shallow gasp. She squirmed uncomfortably, trying to turn away from the coolness of the cloth with pants of pain.
Jackie watched the reaction to the cloth closely and gave a nod of approval. It was a sign, though a small one, that they would be able to cool her down to a degree that it would hopefully be enough. But she also saw the energy fluctuating heavily. "Dear mother of gods..." She mumbled. She moved hastily back into the kitchen and returned to the concoction, calling to Mason. "Continue no matter what! Do not allow her temperature to start increasing again!"
"M-Mother of what?" Mason said, turning around to face her, slowing down his process a bit, but as soon as she told him to keep the rag on her, he immediately turned around, rubbing the rag against her forehead, cheeks, even across her face a few times when he felt the need to. He splashed the rag back down into the water quickly before rubbing it against her face gently in a manner of seconds, keeping her face a wet as he could
Raven turned her face away from where Mason wiped it, eventually her hands lifting weakly to try to push him away. "Wh...what are..you doing? I-it hurts...it hurts–it burns–" She cried. At first, it seemed that she was talking to Mason. However, her eyes were just barely open and the look she gave was...not there. "No..no I don't wanna go..I-I have to leave..its coming..." She gulped, her words slurring away here and there as she winced and cringed from the burns on her legs, calf, and hands that spread across one of her arms partially.
Mason looked down at Raven in a look of shock and worry, his hands only stopping for a second as she tried to push his hands away. But instead, he moved passed her hands, trying to continue his work, rubbing it against her face, the force of his arms pushing passed her weakened state, even if he was not comfortable at all with what was happening. He spoke to her, in some vein attempt to help her, "Raven, please, it's me, Mason, remember? I'm trying to help you. Sammy's worried about you too. We're gonna try and get you healed up, alright? So please, just cooperate with us"
Raven began to shake her head vehemently in attempt to get away from what felt like arctic ice wiping across her skin. "No–I d-don't wanna go in there–i-it's hot–IT'S HOT!!" She was already starting to sweat and her chest rose and fell faster. "Frank I-I'll be good–I won't tell her I won't I swear! I'll call you dad! I-I'll change! I'll change! I sw–" Her body cringed to such a degree that she stiffened momentarily. And then she let out a guttural shriek of agony rose from deep inside of her. Her face reddened, and she began to thrash and kick her feet as she fought against Mason.
Jackie cringed at the sound of screaming that came from the woman, and she hurried over to the cabinets to grab a bottle of apple vinegar and poured a little into the mixture. She reached under the island that was in the middle of the kitchen and pulled out two vials of green and a third full of a bubbling mucky red.
"W-What? Frank?" Mason asked, now greatly disturbed by what she was saying. But he had no time to react as she started to kick and thrash against him. Though as much as he hated to admit it, his strength overpowered hers, allowing her to keep her arms down as he tried to keep the rag against her face, shouting back, "Jackie! I need that medicine right now!"
"Yes I know, I know!" Jackie shouted back to him, gathering everything she prepared while trying not to drop anything. She couldn't afford to have to waste time trying to make another potion while there was someone who needed it suffering.
Meanwhile Raven was trying everything she could to get loose, the adrenaline coursing through her veins giving her the street to try and get Mason off of her. "GETOFFME! GET OFF OF ME!" She failed miserably in the strength department, unable to match someone as big as he was. But she resorted to scratching at him, and even attempting to bite him as if she were attempting to survive.
Jackie hurried into the living room, placing everything she had with her onto the table and speaking urgetly. "Keep her still. We need to coax her into drinking this restoration potion before her body starts reacting further to the instability occurring within her."
"I-I'm trying!" Mason said, feeling his fingers be bitten as he pulled back before he held her by her shoulders, pinning her to the table as he tried his best to keep her down, shouting in some vein attempt to reach her, "Raven, will you please calm down!? We're only trying to help you!"
Alana jumped off the ladder, wiggling her toes through the sand before eventually tossing on her flip flops. And as she made her way to her lifeguard pickup truck, she felt her stomach growl. After swimming all day, she had an immense appetite that could only be compensated by a poke bowl or a vegan burrito at her local Mexican restaurant. Currently she craved the taste of marinated tofu with greens, so she figured she would go for the poke bowl. As she hopped in her work vehicle, she removed her hat but left on her glasses. When Alana heard the engine come to life, she wasted no time in hurrying to the staff parking lot so she could leave it there and get on her personal ride. However, she still took the time in eyeing her surroundings in case there were any last-minute emergencies.
"You only want to hurt me like you ALWAYS do!! FUCK YOU!" Raven spat through crying and heavy breathing, her eyes somehow wild even in absence of her reasoning.
"She's gone into a hallucinogenic state–in other words, a fever dream of sorts but worse," Jackie stated as she moved to Mason's side with one of the vials in hand. "You're going to have to drink this alright? It will make you feel much better–"
"NO! I-I'll fucking stab you!!" Raven snarled fearfully, a much more vicious side of her rearing its head. She shook her head violently against the grasp that forced her mouth open. She gagged as the liquid was made to go down her throat, and she choked, coughing once the mortar was pulled away. She began to shriek again, but this time louder. The burns that she suffered from sizzled, and she grunted and kicked more as they were burning off of her body slowly.
Jackie was unsure of if she were witnessing the potion take its course or an exorcism, but she wouldn't give uncertainty time to sprout and instead grabbed the mortar.
Within the mortar was a gooey yellow liquid that sloshed around on its own without the need of movement. On its own it would have smelled much more foul than it was, but thanks to a few extra herbs and mint that Jackie had taken the initiative in adding it was more bearable.
But even so, Jackie knew that it was going to taste even worse than it looked. And so she said to Mason, "Be prepared to hold her mouth shut. This won't be pleasant by any means."
Mason gave a worried, shakey nod "Y-Yeah" He replied, looking down at Raven as she thrashed, screamed, cursed and more. He had no idea what she was going through, but he felt like he was trapped in some kind of horror movie. Seeing her scream, thrash about, scream like she was suffering truly, it made him worry. Still, he kept his grasp on her, ready when Jackie gave the order
Jackie moved forward with the mortar, first checking Raven's temperature. "Her temperature's starting to rise again." And it was doing so rapidly. She placed the bowl to Raven's mouth and like with the vial forced her to drink.
Raven's eyes widened, and she immediately started with attempting to spit the foul tasting liquid out. She only managed to spit some of it out onto Mason and Jackie before her mouth was covered and she was forced to swallow it. Eventually she gave up resisting and instead cried, asking why they were hurting her.
Jackie took the opportunity as it was and fed more of the liquid to the woman quickly before they would lose their chance.
Raven gulped reluctantly, but then went completely still until her head turned to the side limply. Her eyes could be seen rolling back, and her body became limp.
Jackie released a sigh of relief that felt like it had been held in for ages, motioning for Mason to put Raven onto the couch while she settled the mortar bowl down.
Mason gave a nod as he gently picked Raven up off the couch, gently resting her on the couch, making sure the pillow was under her head before he fell onto the other couch, sighing with relief before he turned to Jackie and asked, "So Jackie, I think it's a reasonable question to ask what the hell all that was about?"
"Mason...I desire a drink." Jackline said in exhaustion, wiping the liquid that Raven had spit out off of her face. She looked over to Raven, and what she said was just reinforced ten times over. "I really desire a drink. Come...walk and speak." She said, motioning him to follow while she went off towards the kitchen.
~
EDGAR TOOK A COUPLE OF STEPS BACK FROM HIS PAINTING AFTER A WHILE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE WHAT NOW FILLED THE CANVAS. FROM ONE CORNER OF THE CANVAS TO THE OTHER, THERE WAS A VOID OF WHITE BETWEEN THE OCEAN AND THE SKY. THE SKY, WHICH WAS PARTED DOWN THE MIDDLE AND OPENED UP LIKE CURTAINS ON A STAGE BEFORE A PLAY STARTS.
WHEN EYES LOOKED CLOSE ENOUGH HE COULD SEE THE SMALL SPECS OF WHITE THAT FELL FROM THE BIGGER MASSES THAT WERE PLUMMETING TOWARDS THE WATER BELOW. FROM THE ONES THAT WERE PAINTED TO BE PERCEIVED AS CLOSER TO HIM, THE WHITE SPECS COULD BE SEEN AS PURE, COLORLESS FEATHERS.
HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK OF THIS HIMSELF, AND WHAT WOULD BE ODD TO SOME WAS THAT HE HAD NO CLUE AS TO WHY HE PAINTED IT TO BEGAN WITH. ALL HE KNEW WAS THAT SOMETHING WAS MISSING, AND THAT HE NEEDED ANOTHER CANVAS. AND SO HE SET ASIDE THAT ONE TO DRY AND GRABBED WHAT WOULD BE HIS FIFTH ONE TO BE PLACED ON THE STAND WITHIN THE SPAN OF JUST TWO HOURS.
((DO YOU SEE THE POST JADE? DO YOU SEE THAT ITS RIGHT..FUCKING HERE. THE POST YOU WAITED fIvE hOuRs FOR. IT'S IN ALL CAPS, CAN'T MISS IT. RIGHT HERE. NOT GOING ANYWHERE.))
Mason was stiff for a moment as Jackie walked toward the kitchen, following behind her as he asked again, only this time, more polite like, "Um... So... Any idea what she was screaming about? She mentioned stuff like Frank and calling him dad and stuff. It sounded.... horrifying. Like... She was reliving some horrible nightmare. This... thing, she's going through. This ailment, it... doesn't bring up tragic memories, does it?"
"Well the 'thing' that she is going through, as stated before, is akin to a fever dream. And if you haven't experienced on yourself, then I'll explain it as so," Jackie reached up into the top cabinet and grabbed two wine glasses that were literally made of gold, silver, and copper. "It's a recollection of everything you wouldn't want it to be. Having no clue as to what she's been through in her life, I can't explain what it is that she was hallucinating about. But..I do agree that it is something far from good."
"Oh..." Mason said, now looking over at Raven, feeling a bit worried for her now, "I can't imagine the things she's going through right now. Hell, I thought my life was hell, but... I at least had Sammy there for me. But Raven... I don't know, she seemed like someone who was known by everyone, but... still felt really alone in the world... Dammit, I wish Sammy were here. She's better at reading people than I am"
"Who Samantha?" Jackie scoffed. "I'd be surprised if she could read a book let alone a person," she muttered. She went over to the fridge, which opened before she arrived so that she could have her access. She knelt down a little out of view to grab the bottle of wine that she was looking for, a small poof coming from where she was. By the time she stood up and placed the two glasses on the counter, she was no longer tall. "I'm more worried about what state she may be in when she regains consciousness if anything. Her situation isn't necessarily an...ideal one."
"No, of course it's not" Mason said, his hand nervously brushing through his hair, "But Sammy seemed really worried about her. She knows her better than I do, to be honest. I can try to speak to her, but I worry it'll just be a bunch of empty words coming from me" Mason looked back at her, still feeling a sense of worry, "I just don't know what to do when she wakes up"
"There are two scenarios that we have, possibly three, that I can prepare for," Jackie popped the cork from the bottle and placed it onto the counter. "The first is arguably the worst. I don't know to what degree she was effected, but I'm positive that from what I witnessed her psyche could be in complete shambles. And with power like that, you should understand how it wouldn't be a favorable option in the slightest." She poured Mason's glass first while she was speaking and handed it off to him. "The second scenario is a slightly more ideal one. She wakes up just as shitted out of her mind as you were with an overgrown reptile trying to gnarl your face and we do what we can to explain the jest of things to her in hopes that she will understand them better than you did the first time around." She looked at her glass for a moment, but instead of filling it she pushed it to the side and began to chug the wine straight from the bottle to ease her frustration.
Mason looked down at the glass, staring back at his own reflection from inside before he picked up the cup slowly, raising it up to his mouth, but stopping just short once he waited for more, yet found himself having to ask anyway, "And the third option? Assuming I want to know what that is". Mason looked back down at his drink, only bothering to take a single sip before he sat it back down, not having much desire to drink at the moment, feeling like he was going to be sick at any moment
Jackie lifted a finger, signaling for him to give her a moment. By the time she sat the bottle down she had killed over half of it. "The third option," she covered her mouth to burp and politely excusing herself. "The third option is if both of the first two options occurred, which could have much better results or contrasting worse results. Meaning that as far as now goes, we have a mere 1/4 chances of things going smoothly. On the brighter side of things, the second potion that I gave her should keep her sedated long enough for her wounds to heal and her thoughts to hopefully regather as best they can. In the event of the worst case scenario we may have to place mental barriers around the entirety of a weeks worth of her memories."
"I-Is that even allowed?!" Mason replied, thinking about it now in a bit of shock before he added, "I mean... yes, she has gone through a lot today, but... Wouldn't walling off her memories only do more damage if it were to break? Wouldn't that cause her to completely snap? And if she were to forget everything that happened, it would do more harm, wouldn't it? She'd still be hunted down by those monsters, and something like this could happen again. I... I hate to say it, but I think her remembering what happened is the best thing for her." And it was true, Mason truly hated that she would need to remember what had happened today, but he assumed it was the best decision for her
Jackie thought about Mason's words for a few seconds. Of course she of all people knew what angle he took on things. The idea wasn't too pleasant to her either, and that only made it harder for her not be bias towards a single decision. She sighed, preparing to put the bottle back to her lips for another heavy swig. "And if she were to snap the moment she wakes up?" She asked. "Mason, she was holding half the corpse of a child. You witnessed what happened at that building. Can we afford to take that chance again? You have to remember that creatures are the only things out in the world that can hunt. The Council may be on our side of the courtyard now, but I can guarantee that chances do dwindle down quickly."
Mason had no means to answer that. He could only think about it, yet no true thoughts came to mind. He was a total lose for words, left with only the dread of what would happen if she truly was unstable. He was hoping it wouldn't lead to that, but at the same time, if she were likely to be driven to complete madness, he wouldn't know what could be done. He raised his cup up again, yet was unable to even raise it to his mouth, a lump in his throat and a sore taste in his mouth. He set the drink down with a faint grumble. "I'm not thirsty" He replied dryly before he stepped back over to the couch closest to Raven and sat back down, looking over her now like a parent would a child, with a sad, worried look on his face
Jackie peeped around the corner when Mason left the kitchen before turning to look where he had left his glass. ...I'd be a waste.., she thought to herself as an excuse for when she would empty its liquid contents. And with the bottle more empty than she had planned, she felt a little light minded. She leaned against the counter, letting out another sigh. There had yet to be a day where she could really think about things that were occurring. Her mind was quite frankly boggled. Not only that, but she had had to give the story that she was covering off to another reporter and call it an emergency. She chuckled sourly to herself at the thought of how things were starting to spill into her personal life that she didn't want there.
For the longest she made it a priority to keep the affairs of the Constables away from the part of life that she was able to at least enjoy for what it was. But during the last passing months, things seemed as if it were getting worse. Not only that, but her grandmother was acting strange. She found herself wondering how she had even been aware of Mason and Sammy's situation before she even had been. And she was in the city while her grandmother was in China. "China," She mumbled thoughtfully. Why was she even there? Work for the Constables? Her grandmother loathed them. And usually their jobs were pushed off onto her anyways. Feeling an unsettling knot forming in her chest, she decided that she was going to have to look into a few things when she had time.
Mason looked around the cabin now, though his eyes would always fall back onto either Raven who was still resting on the couch or the doorway that Jackie had passed through minutes ago, yet to have returned. He checked his pockets for any messages from Sammy or his place of work, yet he had nothing else there. He just gave a sigh, thinking to himself, "What would Sammy do if she was in the place I was?... Well, aside from shit talking Jackie." He thought about how more careless, yet brash, Sammy would be about it, being more capable of handling the whole thing better, maybe even being able to get to Raven unlike him. It only lead to more thoughts of self-doubt in his mind, which started to make him worry. "Why am I the one who has this kind of power?" He thought. "What makes me good enough"
Jackie entered into the living room a minutes later, her hands in the middle of untying her hair so that she could put it back into a messily put together bun. "Alright Mason, I think it's time you take your leave to the hospital to see your friend," She said, fluffing out her hair. "By the by, there's something that slipped my mind previously. Your vehicle was destroyed during the incident by one of those machines."
"Well that's just great" Some how, Mason wasn't as frustrated about it, but the thought soon started to really take over him now. That wasn't just a van for him to get around in. That was his and Sammy's home for the last two years, and their work space, and the place they found the most comfort in, where they would go to relax and hang out. They didn't have much in there, but it all held some value to them, and now it was all gone. Mason was thankful that his phone and what few dollars he had was on him, but that did little to get rid of the looming worry in his voice as he put his hands over his head and groaned in annoyance, "Was there any reason you had to bring that up now?"
"Yes," Jackie answered with a small frown. "It's better now where you have the chance to come to terms with it. After all, your home has been destroyed. Your clothing and gods know what else." But then she spoke on a lighter note. 'Luckily for you, Fate is kind. Whether it is a coincidence or a striking of luck, it is indeed in your favor that you and I are acquainted. By the time you leave the hospital you and your blonde chimp will have a suitable place to lay your heads. You can count on me."
"Aaaand me!" A second Jackline stumbled from the kitchen in a rather drunk manner. She burped, but unlike her twin, she didn't cover her mouth.
Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Ugh, it pains me to have to resort to you."
"Come now friend, we're all in this together!" The doppelganger stated pridefully. Compared to Jackie's more regal manner, it seemed be a lot more open and friendly. "So we are going to Floor Ridda? Memory tells me that its nice!"
"First and foremost it's FLORIDA," Jackie corrected irritably. "Secondly, YOU aren't going anywhere. You are to remain here and look after Raven until I or grandmother returns."
The doppelganger frowned some. "Well that's no fun. That's no fun at all!"
Mason shook his head, his eyes still on the ground, "Jackie, I appreciate it, I really do, but it-". He came to an immediate stop as he looked back between the two, his eyes widened more now, and as he tried to speak up, he found himself interrupted by their bickering. As it continued, Mason spoke in a more loud tone to get their attention, "Excuse me, but what the hell is going on!? Why is there suddenly two of you here now? And....Why is one of you more drunk than the other. Are you sure it's a good idea to leave an inebriated person caring for Raven in her state?"
"Hey, I'm not InEbRiAtED!" Protested the doppelganger.
"Yes you are. You're where I should be along the lines of now." Jackie said with a huff afterwards. Her attention turned to Mason. "Relax Mason, I won't be gone for very long. Just for long enough to ensure that you're able to make it through the rift in one piece without soiling yourself," she said with a small attempt at a joke. "This isn't 'another me' for say, but rather the last couple of days of my life projected into a dummy–"
"You'RE A DUMMY!"
Jackie tried to ignore her second self while continuing her explanation. "That UNFORTUNATELY includes the effects of intoxication. Which it has little tolerance towards." Because again, unfortunately, she wasn't able to create clones of magic due to, though she would never admit it, a lack of skill in that area. And so she made up for that lacking with a bootlegged and defective version of her own. "Regardless of the...quirks that may be present, it is reliable enough for the task at hand."
"I... guess I should've expected this" Mason said, thinking about all the magic that Jackie has shown off already, thinking back to how it should be obvious that she could create a copy of herself, even if it was not very perfect. He shook his head and replied, "Alright, but please, let's make this quick. I want to make sure Raven has a stable person watching over her. I can live off food from a hospital vending machine for at least a day if need be. Though, I'll have to tell my boss I'll be taking a few days off"
"I AM stable!" The doppelganger pouted. "You giant oaf! You're just upset cuz you lived in a mobil–" Before it could continue, it found its lips being sealed up by a magic aura.
Jackie scoffed at her doppelganger, rolling her eyes when she signaled for the magic to be undone. Which she found completely ludicrous considering that though she was nowhere near her own level of magic, the doppel still had adequate enough magic of its own to undo the seal. ...She'll figure it out.
She turned back to Mason, using her magic to pull him from the chair and to his feet. "Let us be on our way then shall we?"
"Yes, please" Mason stood up. Though he was far more worried for Raven, knowing that Sammy was far more than capable of handling things on her own, it didn't stop him from worrying. He was also dreading having to tell her that everything they had was destroyed, including all of her clothes, which he was certain would devastate her the most. But he was mostly dreading telling her about Raven. He was even contemplating leaving out parts of it. He gave a sigh as he put his hands into his pockets, giving one last look over at Raven before he turned to Jackie, "Ready when you are, boss"
