Last minute wibbles.

[amityville_sweetheart]

Magical supplies, check. Called Trevor. Have contact information for others. Damn, better check your book and make sure... yep. Done. Okay.

Cats are taken care of, got the hired help to be down in Florida when the van gets to Angela. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. Troia and her friend can make free use of the furniture, but the personals had to go. Not that I wanted them myself, anyway. Better than Angela gets them, I'd burn most of it.

Corrine's running off a mental checklist in her mind. She's always been known as one to worry, and this occasion is no different. Everything had to be perfect. Just right. No room for error.

At least Trevor's done. Wish there could've been a way to do it without telling him, but there wasn't. I need him too much on this.

She rushes past the kitchen counter, suddenly stopping and taking a few steps back to scarf down a forkful of her salad. She made it twenty minutes ago, and it's spent most of the time sitting on the counter untouched. Running around like a chicken with your head cut off isn't going to get anything done. You should stop and eat... yeah, right, should.

Comments

[damage-girl.livejournal.com]

"...Oh. I..." She sighs. "Look, I'm sorry. I've just been cooped up in here so long, going crazy. I just keep thinking that if I try long enough, it'll all fall into place. The school was closed for a while, and then I just took all the sick leave I could get. Disconnected the phone, unplugged the tv, radio... it's been nothing but incantation after incantation."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

“You’ve been running yourself ragged…” *His eyes return to Corrine, then he gets up and walks over to her. He gives her a hug, both to signify ‘apology accepted’ and to try and make her feel better.*

“Listen … you know this is dangerous stuff you’re doing… and I trust that there must have been a good reason you’ve not sought my assistance, but know that it is available to you. I’ve got a quick task to perform with the JSA, but them I’m at your disposal.”

*He looks back over at the smoking, failed alchemical experiment.* “Once upon a time I knew I had access to some powerful magic, but didn’t know exactly how to properly utilize it. I chose to utilize it anyway, and for many years, nothing went wrong. Little things at first, then not so little things. 12 years ago, I again .. as was becoming routine at the time … played with powerful magic I didn’t know and understand …” *He looks Corrine in the eyes.* “…and Amelia paid the price for it. I implore you to find some system other than experimentation to help you through whatever your doing, because I don’t know what I’d do if something where to happen to you. Go eat something. Get some rest, and then set back about this. Borrow some of my books if you still don’t want me involved – just don’t..” *He didn’t need to finish.*

[damage-girl.livejournal.com]

She nods. "I don't mean to worry you, honestly, or make you feel like I don't trust you. It's just..." She shrugs. "There are still a lot of things you don't know, and I don't know if I'm ready yet to talk about it. By tomorrow, this will all be done with, so I _have_ to finish."

She sighs wearily, sitting down on the couch. She suddenly realizes just how tired she is, how hard she's been working herself. The absense of pressure on her feet is actually painful, and the migraine that had been threatening to manifest for days begins a dull throbbing behind her eyes. "This is all for the house. I need to finish what I started there. But there's... more to it than we talked about. Maybe when I get back..."

She shakes her head. "My family's complicated. There was a silence that wasn't to be broken, things that never got talked about it. It was always, 'keep it all in the family. No one knows, no one ever has to know. No one else understands.' And on some level, I still believe that's true. Some things people don't understand, never will. It's just the way things are, the way I _have_ to be. Don't take it personally, because I _know_ you do."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

“Haven’t I proven I do understand? I’m not most people, love. I live in the same magical world that you do….”

Why can't you just open up to me?

“Look, I won’t pressure you. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask you to. Well, aside from one question, if you could do me that favor: Who was your first instructor? What do you mean that it was complicated?”

[damage-girl.livejournal.com]

Corrine thinks on that a moment, staring down at her hands. She chews on her bottom lip, then looks around for a moment, seeming to inspect the walls. She watches the runes move along the wall, appearing and fading, and sighs. "She's not watching right now."

Her eyes move back to him. "I have to finish what I started at the house. I promised Angela I would, and she's been watching me recently, making sure I live up to my end of the bargain. And she doesn't believe in taking this outside of the family. Family secrets go to the grave with you, and she's afraid... she's afraid if too many people know, it might attract attention."

Corrine stands, pacing back and forth. How to explain this so he'd understand, without giving it all away? If he'd just be patient, if he'd wait one more day, this would all be over with. All the secrets, all the hiding, she could tell him everything. "Look, Angela has it in her head that I'm... important, or something. I don't know, she won't explain it to me. She just keeps telling me I _have_ to do this. So for right now, I have to keep my mouth shut, get it done, and then I don't have to worry about it anymore. Then I can explain everything-- what I know, at least."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

*Caleb nods, then answers in a gentle voice.* “Very well, then. I’ve waited this long, haven’t I? Patience, after all, is a virtue.”

*Caleb gives Corrine a firm hug. As he continues, his voice and tone are normal.* “I still contend that you’ll do yourself no good by running yourself into the ground. Get some food and get some rest. Not only will it improve the quality of your spells, but it’ll also make whatever it is you have to do that much easier. Angela is right about one thing – you are very special.” *He gives her a quick kiss son the forehead.* “At least to me.”

[damage-girl.livejournal.com]

She smiles, falling into the hug and not letting go. "I wish I could tell you more. I'm sorry I can't, but I promise I will. As soon as I get back. Everything, anything you want to know."

She looks up, staring into his eyes. "Please don't be angry with me. It's just... the way things are right now."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

*Caleb smiles and nods. He’s reserving judgment. Every instinct he has tells him he should be upset that he’s being left out of something evidently important, but he also trusts this woman. He’s hurt, but he’s not angry – and he’s doing his best to give the impression that he is neither.*

*Realizing he’s a horrible liar seems more and more to be a realization he’ll never obtain.*

“If you need me to show you some anti-scrying spells, I have time.” *He glances at his watch.* “Not much of it, but enough to perform one for you.” It’s simply ridiculous that your sister wouldn’t just accept your word.

[damage-girl.livejournal.com]

"No, that's okay. I don't want to hear it from her. This is almost over, I can put up with it for one more day." She grimaces.

"I've told her under no uncertain terms that it ends here, though. Once I've done this, she has no more hold on me. I don't think I'll ever get to find out why this is even important-- she says it's better if I don't know-- but at the very least, she can stop interfering in my life."

Looking down at her hands, she whispers, "And now you're upset with me. I wish you wouldn't take this so personally."