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]

Amelia splutters. On air.

"What?" She can barely get it out between laughing. She won't say she can't believe what she's hearing, because it's Braat. Of course he thinks of these things.

"At least I did something right," she says, laughter slowly tapering off. The smile doesn't leave, though. "After six nights awake I cracked my flatscreen monitor literally banging my head into it, frustrated at trying to use two weeks of crash-course Chinese algebra fractions as code just to think about how to take Brainwave out."

She casts that off with a gesture and a nostalgic sigh of frustration. "The D'Aubignes can actually be thanked for one thing. They underestimated my desire to see their heads kicked in, and they didn't watch me. They kept trying to push me to bring Tefe in with Corrine-- the amulet idea came in a bolt of vengeful lightning. It was the only damn solution I had for Tefe, I could ditch it with you, not like dumb Crystal was going to ask what I was doing in that time, and 'oh the witch made me drop it' only got me a left hook. I've kicked puppies tougher than Angela."

[caleb_z]

Caleb smiles for a second, evidently satisfied with the information.

He finishes his apple, and crosses the garage to toss it into the trash can. As soon as the core is out of his hand, he begins to search the counter next to Amelia's workbench, arriving at the garage door remote control.

He holds it up, presenting it to Amelia. "Now why do I get the feeling that our driveway isn't what we'll find on the other side of that doorway?" There's that mischievous look, accentuated by maroon eyes.

[amelia_z]

Amelia's giving the remote a suspicious look.

The garage is exactly as she left it, or at least it seems to be as her old stomping grounds. She could dig through things in here, spend hours poring over all the things that didn't survive to her in the dozen years or so before her awakening. It'd be false, though, and it doesn't exactly sound entertaining. She was just lecturing Caleb about masochistic exercises.

She's not sure she wants to see where the door leads. "What if it's not that one?" She points to the door leading to the house. "I came out of the bathroom. All the doors may not be tricky."

[caleb_z]

Caleb tosses her the remote. "Your call, Bird," he announces as he runs his fingers along the hood and roof of the Miata. "But if we remain here, we won't be able to take advantage of the police-free nature of the roadways, now will we?"

[amelia_z]

"Your teacher saw us," she says skeptically, catching the remote.

She stares at the car for a long moment. Then, the garage door gets opened, and Amelia tosses the remote aside carelessly. She hops in the passenger seat. She wouldn't ask to drive; this has always been Caleb's car.

It still feels like she's asking for trouble even sitting in her father's prized car. "Let's roll, then."

[caleb_z]

Once again Amelia's good observation is dismissed, as Caleb wastes no time settling in to the driver's seat. But when he moves to start it, a long overdue thought crosses his mind.

"You know, a, uh ... I believe a key would make this easier." Of course, I think I remember how to hot wire it. Wasn't too complicated, if memory serves."

[amelia_z]

Why would he even ask if he didn't have the key?

Amelia glances at the ignition. She blinks up at him. "What's the problem?"

[caleb_z]

A second glance reveals that they key is already in the ignition.

For a second there his confusion is obvious for the world to see, but Caleb shrugs it off and starts the car. The purr brings back his smile.

As they back out of the garage, the car disappears, and rear ends strike hardwood.

[amelia_z]

Ow. That hurt.

Amelia looks at herself before she looks around. She's in different clothes and she's even got a hat. Glancing around, it looks like... her house in Alaska. Except not. Personal effects are replaced with couches and chairs and stools and glass tables scattered everywhere.

She tips her hat up out of her eyes and picks herself up off the floor. "Where are we now?"

[caleb_z]

He straightens his clothes as he stands. Easy come, easy go.

He already looks bored. "The Twilight Zone?"

[amelia_z]

There's conversation and music coming from one direction. "I called that earlier, pick another..." she says absent-mindedly.

She's walking off already towards the sounds.

[hotshot1280]

"GUYS!"

Trevor is sitting at the bar, his left arm draped over the shoulder of a blonde girl, while his right is around the waist of a muscular man in his twenties. The Billy Joel-era sunglasses are the most reserved part of his outfit, in spite of the rhinestones running the length of the earpieces. His clothes look to be an intentional throwback to the seventies, and a gild-tipped black cane leans against the bar.

"Peach schnapps," Trevor says, swatting the man to his right on the butt, and adds "Peach Lambic" as he swats the girl similarly.

"Come on, they'll be back with your drinks in a minute. Take a load off."

[caleb_z]

Caleb accepts the invitation, eagerly imbibing some Lambic when it arrives.

"Thank you."

[amelia_z]

"Wait, before you--"

Too late. This is distinctly not right.

The couple that comes back with the drinks are completely different people than the first time. And Amelia's not sure she wants to be here if her brother and the pimp get knackered. "How do you know I like peach schnapps?"

[caleb_z]

"Now that you mention it, why can you perceive us?"

[hotshot1280]

"Hey now," Trevor says, hooking the head of his cane through one of Amelia's belt loops and pulling her toward the bar. The other arm is already flung companionably around Caleb's shoulders. "You two need to stop thinking, and start drinking."