A Time to Heal

[ibn_al_xuff]

It is difficult to spiritually cleanse a room where so many souls have passed through; some have suffered before passing the veil. He pours the fresh water into his silver bowl and mixes the salt until it becomes diluted and the water clears. This is not ordinary table salt. It was mined in a very sacred place in India. It will soak in the

Comments

[amelia_z]

"As long as I'm not going to make him retarded or something," Amelia cracks softly. It's a private joke, Caleb will get it. Ibn will likely be cutely confused and deadpan the joke; be good at what you do.

[ibn_al_xuff]

"There are possible side effects, but I will be monitoring and I will sever the connection, Ms. Zukov." Ibn is very worried. This isn't something he has done before. "I will serve as an anchor to both of you and will monitor both of your vitals. This is an untested procedure. I can only speculate what the side effects might be."

[caleb_z]

Caleb laughs heartily, before replying with an accentuated Russian accent. "What you do now, boy?" The chuckling tapers off.

He glances over to Hotshot, and then to Ibn. Uncertainty on the face of the presiding mage isn't exactly comforting. Come now, Caleb. You knew this was experimental.

"Are you at least certain that mine will be the only soul her body can pull from during the link?" he asks as he lays back, and tries to relax. The answer won't really change anything. Amelia doesn't have a lot time left, after all, so all hope for her recovery is dependent on Ibn's skill.

[ibn_al_xuff]

Ibn nods thoughtfully. "I should be shielded as the anchor. I believe everyone else will be blocked. It is important that it is just the two of you."

Ibn doesn't add that his soul is marked by Lady Death and suspects and only she can claim it. Of course, that doesn't mean that this ritual won't be painful to him. And there's a slight possibility that some of his lifeforce will be leached.

[caleb_z]

It isn't necessary for him share the revelation about Lady Death: Caleb may not know by whom, but he can feel the claim on Ibn's soul. It makes Caleb nervous, but then again, that's why Hotshot is there.

He lays back, and takes a few deep breaths. "Ready, Bird?"

[hotshot1280]

Trevor's leaning against the wall, all of his jokes and one-liners absent as he watches Caleb and Amelia assume their positions. The time for discussion is over, and now all there is left to do is, as Ben Affleck once said, 'Hold on and hope we don't die.'

[blind_will]

Even as much as he has to do, Travis is trying to make a show of good faith to the Outsiders. He's outside, well away from the ritual itself, but he's monitoring the life signs of everyone in the place from where he hovers.

[ibn_al_xuff]

"There are far worse things than Death. But I don't believe we'll have to test that today."

He offers a small vial to the Zukov siblings. "Drink this and then lay back and close your eyes."

[green_shield]

"It's mostly the same stuff Tefe and I brewed up, only Ibn did a much better job," She reassures. "See, this stuff is supposed to taste like a chocolate malt."

[amelia_z]

There's a tiny voice in Amelia's brain that says a lot of people here could have reason to want her dead. It's really a very tiny voice though, barely there through all the pain.

And she's going to die anyway so if it doesn't work, she hasn't much lost anything. There's also hoping she doesn't wake up to a room full of fleshy shells. Something like that makes sense. She looks over at Caleb. Him first.

[caleb_z]

He remembers her 'guinea pig, please?' look well enough, and has no compunction acquiescing.

He makes a face as he lays back, and tries to appear more relaxed than he is. "Aftertaste needs work."

[amelia_z]

Amelia follows suite; here's to waking up from this.

She's slower to close her eyes, but eventually she does.

[ibn_al_xuff]

Ibn waits, a but uneasy. Sometimes with medicine and magic, you do the best you can and then you wait. Bodies have a wonderful capacity to heal if given the chance. He's done the best he can, now it is up to them.