Unnatural History, "Caught In-Between" ch.7, rated T
Fandom: Unnatural History
Title: Caught In-Between
Chapter Title: 7: The Waxing Moon
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: R/M
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Henry/Maggie, Jasper/Maggie, & hinted Jasper/Henry
Warnings: polyamory, UST in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Cartoon Network owns Unnatural History. I only borrow and play.
Notes: In progress. OT3 fic, with mature situations to be added later. (Once completed I'll post to the UnH comm here at LJ.)
URLS: FFnet | AO3
Story Summary:As a strange heat wave hits DC, the gang becomes involved in a mystery that enhances their feelings for one another, with a new fertility artifact as a possible cause. Henry x Maggie x Jasper. In-progress.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Seven: The Waxing Moon
After another sweltering hot day of classes in the school (as the central air conditioning unit conveniently didn't work) Henry meandered through the halls toward the DOUM rooms, and he watched the behaviors of his fellow students with a critical eye.
Like the temperature, their displays of affection only seemed to increase, and for all that he had observed, modesty had been another thing that had changed lately, and he'd seen things in the hallway that would probably turn Maggie's ears red with embarrassment. Even some of the teachers had engaged in such activity, but they tried to be more discreet behind marble pillars and empty classrooms before the bell.
All of this started only when the fertility exhibit had arrived at the National Museum Complex. More specifically, when Mrs. Farah opened that special crate and unveiled the lapis lazuli goddess statue of Inanna.
How could the legend behind the stone not be a possible explanation? It was the best theory so far, other than evidence of climate change, which Maggie had insisted could be playing a part in the rapidly rising heat. As for the students' openly amorous behaviors? Well, none of them could explain that... not without referencing the exhibit.
Jasper seemed to swing either way on the explanation. Moreover, he found the make-out sessions in the halls both hilarious and depressing, and he didn't seem to think Henry's paranoia of foul play was something to be concerned about. If Henry had to hear one more time that Jasper bemoaned not having even Arianna Gish to make out with in the halls, he might turn around and kiss his cousin himself, just to get him to shut up.
Henry sympathized with Jasper; however, things with Arianna did not turn out well for him, and soon Arianna's flakiness drew her elsewhere, for her attention span was as solid as her fidelity. Jasper was crushed, of course, and Henry could see out of desperation, Jasper was back to mooning as his eye began to shift back to Maggie.
Ultimately, Henry assumed that he would have made him mad, even territorial, since Jasper's attention on Arianna had left Maggie free and available for anyone else, and to come back to crush on her was more of an insult to Maggie than it was for Henry. Still, he supposed there was some merit in Jasper relying on any female attention from Maggie. She was a good friend, and Henry surmised (for his own benefit) that she would be a great partner to someone someday.
He admitted selfishly that a part of him wanted her to become his partner, but he was still fighting with that dilemma, finding it harder to discern his rising emotions from the influence of the statue and his own latent desires.
Having some time before he had to go to the DOUM rooms, Henry decided to take another look at the statue before they opened for the grand opening tomorrow (as Henry found out that Mrs. Farah managed to convince the museum board to delay the grand opening another day), and perhaps in that time, he could see if Mrs. Farah's suspicions were correct, that someone was lurking around trying to take it. Maybe, in all the places he'd been - with the natives in Africa more specifically, he could tap into that sixth sense they professed everyone possessed but only few were capable of using. Henry often struggled with the meditation and the grasp of his "third eye", but he was willing to give it a try. He'd had vibes before, much to Maggie's skepticism and aggravation, but she wasn't here and he'd use anything he had to get more clues on the mysterious exhibit.
Striding through the main lobby, Henry froze when he looked ahead, noticing a familiar style of blonde hair from the person looking over the Inanna statue in front of him. Before he could duck out of the way and come back to the exhibit later, she turned around and noticed him, immediately scowling with anger when she met his gaze. He tried to smile for her, but her frown did not subside.
"Madison," Henry spoke in almost a frightened squeak. His smile couldn't have been wider. "Uh, I didn't realize..."
"What are you doing here, Henry? Have you come to bury the knife in deeper?" she sneered at him.
He threw up his hands in defense. "No, no! That is... I didn't know you were here at the exhibit."
She glared at him in disbelief, and Henry sighed, taking Maggie and Jasper's advice to heart. In this situation, he knew he should just apologize to her.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong leg," Henry said, remembering if that was the right expression. Madison's eye brows rose a little higher.
"I think you mean "wrong foot" Henry," Madison scoffed.
"Right, exactly. Anyway, I want to apologize for how I acted. I thought being honest with you was better than...lying or giving you false hope," he admitted, and he watched her begin to relax. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm really not good at American high school life yet. I may have been too blunt; I know that now, and I'm sorry."
"Well..." she said, still watching him suspiciously. Henry guessed she was wondering if he was really sincere. He hoped that she realized that he was. "I suppose given the way you were raised explains a lot. Still, it hurt to be rejected like that." She lifted her chin and peered at him as if she had already convinced herself that he was inferior to her. He'd seen this in spurned females in many species of birds before.
"I know, and well, according to my cousin, I'm an idiot for doing so," Henry joked.
"Really? Your cousin Jasper said that?" Madison asked. "I definitely didn't choose the smart one." Henry took her insult as teasing, feeling more relief that he dodged some kind of unexpected female wrath from her. The atmosphere started to ease between them, and Henry held out his hand.
"Friends then?" Henry asked. "No rough feelings?"
Madison laughed and took his hand. "I think you mean "no hard feelings" but yes, I accept your apology, Henry."
Henry felt inwardly relieved, and he turned back to the statue as Madison's attention diverted as well. "Isn't she beautiful?"
"It's a great stone, and the statue has a wonderful history," Henry commented, and Madison nodded.
"I've been waiting awhile to see an exhibit like this, and it comes at the perfect time," Madison said, which made Henry curious.
"Perfect time?" Henry asked.
Madison tilted her head. "Oh, I thought you would know, being an anthropologist's son. In a couple days there will be a full moon, and some ancient cultures, like the Inanna cults, used to do rituals in Inanna's honor during the full moon. Even modern-day pagans do full moon rituals called esbats, using the full moon's energy when they invoke the goddess to bring about good fortune, among other things."
Henry scrunched his brown and stared at the statue. "But why would a full moon ritual cause an unnatural heat wave?" he asked idly and crossed his arms.
"Um, sorry...what?" Madison turned to him in confusion.
Henry shook his head, not realizing he'd let that thought slip aloud. "It's nothing. Call me superstitious. I thought maybe these artifacts could have something to do with this heat wave," he said sheepishly, wiping his brow.
Madison giggled. "Yeah, right. That would almost be too simple of an explanation." She looked longingly at the statue again. "Still, if it had that kind of power, the statue would be worth more than we could imagine."
"And it is," a voice behind them drawled, which made Madison and Henry both jump. They turned around and found Mrs. Farah glaring down at them. "However, the stone is too priceless to be used in such nonsense as modern rituals." Henry heard her snort, and she turned her hard stare specifically at Madison, who glared back at her.
"I think that is a matter of opinion, ma'am," Madison said, offended. She scoffed, flipped her hair behind her shoulders and stomped away. Mrs. Farah glowered at her as the girl left, leaving Henry confused and suspicious.
Why would Mrs. Farah be so offended by Madison's talk of rituals and the stone? He thought such historical knowledge of the artifact would please her, and her anger seemed almost contradictory toward the nature of the stone. She herself said the ancient cults had used the stone, so what was wrong with the modern pagans showing interest in its properties?
It didn't make sense. The only thing he could think of was that she didn't like Madison commenting on how much the stone was worth (since she suspected someone wanted to steal it), and that made Henry very, very suspicious. He stared at her for a moment, and when she turned her attention to him, he straightened under her scrutiny.
"Henry," she spoke, "you're a good boy, and your parents are respectful people. Take my advice and avoid people like that."
"Like Madison?" Henry asked, and anger seemed to roll of Mrs. Farah in waves.
She nodded once. "People like that would never respect the Inanna stone as I have, and knowing that causes me great displeasure." Henry gaped as Mrs. Farah bid him farewell and went back to her job. Thoughts and theories were tossing around in Henry's head, and he had a feeling that something just wasn't right about Mrs. Farah. Why would she feel threatened by a simple high school kid like Madison? Did she think Madison would steal the stone? It seemed unlikely on Madison's part, and Henry admitted it had been clear on the first day he met Mrs. Farah that she held some prejudice against the students.
Maybe it was his untrained sixth sense or whatever, but he had to look into this. This was his first big lead. He vowed to learn more about Mrs. Farah, even if he had to follow the curator back to her hotel and dig through her stuff. He'd find out why she was so angry and anxious about Henry and Madison's conversation about the stone.
The only explanation he could think of was that Mrs. Farah was so nervous because was hiding something.
But first, he had to find Jasper and Maggie and bring them up to speed on it. Henry was sure Maggie would think he was crazy, but he hoped that if he knew his cousin well enough, Jasper would hate the heat (and the make-out sessions) so much that he'd readily agree to this reckless plan.
Chapter Eight
Title: Caught In-Between
Chapter Title: 7: The Waxing Moon
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: R/M
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Henry/Maggie, Jasper/Maggie, & hinted Jasper/Henry
Warnings: polyamory, UST in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Cartoon Network owns Unnatural History. I only borrow and play.
Notes: In progress. OT3 fic, with mature situations to be added later. (Once completed I'll post to the UnH comm here at LJ.)
URLS: FFnet | AO3
Story Summary:As a strange heat wave hits DC, the gang becomes involved in a mystery that enhances their feelings for one another, with a new fertility artifact as a possible cause. Henry x Maggie x Jasper. In-progress.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Seven: The Waxing Moon
After another sweltering hot day of classes in the school (as the central air conditioning unit conveniently didn't work) Henry meandered through the halls toward the DOUM rooms, and he watched the behaviors of his fellow students with a critical eye.
Like the temperature, their displays of affection only seemed to increase, and for all that he had observed, modesty had been another thing that had changed lately, and he'd seen things in the hallway that would probably turn Maggie's ears red with embarrassment. Even some of the teachers had engaged in such activity, but they tried to be more discreet behind marble pillars and empty classrooms before the bell.
All of this started only when the fertility exhibit had arrived at the National Museum Complex. More specifically, when Mrs. Farah opened that special crate and unveiled the lapis lazuli goddess statue of Inanna.
How could the legend behind the stone not be a possible explanation? It was the best theory so far, other than evidence of climate change, which Maggie had insisted could be playing a part in the rapidly rising heat. As for the students' openly amorous behaviors? Well, none of them could explain that... not without referencing the exhibit.
Jasper seemed to swing either way on the explanation. Moreover, he found the make-out sessions in the halls both hilarious and depressing, and he didn't seem to think Henry's paranoia of foul play was something to be concerned about. If Henry had to hear one more time that Jasper bemoaned not having even Arianna Gish to make out with in the halls, he might turn around and kiss his cousin himself, just to get him to shut up.
Henry sympathized with Jasper; however, things with Arianna did not turn out well for him, and soon Arianna's flakiness drew her elsewhere, for her attention span was as solid as her fidelity. Jasper was crushed, of course, and Henry could see out of desperation, Jasper was back to mooning as his eye began to shift back to Maggie.
Ultimately, Henry assumed that he would have made him mad, even territorial, since Jasper's attention on Arianna had left Maggie free and available for anyone else, and to come back to crush on her was more of an insult to Maggie than it was for Henry. Still, he supposed there was some merit in Jasper relying on any female attention from Maggie. She was a good friend, and Henry surmised (for his own benefit) that she would be a great partner to someone someday.
He admitted selfishly that a part of him wanted her to become his partner, but he was still fighting with that dilemma, finding it harder to discern his rising emotions from the influence of the statue and his own latent desires.
Having some time before he had to go to the DOUM rooms, Henry decided to take another look at the statue before they opened for the grand opening tomorrow (as Henry found out that Mrs. Farah managed to convince the museum board to delay the grand opening another day), and perhaps in that time, he could see if Mrs. Farah's suspicions were correct, that someone was lurking around trying to take it. Maybe, in all the places he'd been - with the natives in Africa more specifically, he could tap into that sixth sense they professed everyone possessed but only few were capable of using. Henry often struggled with the meditation and the grasp of his "third eye", but he was willing to give it a try. He'd had vibes before, much to Maggie's skepticism and aggravation, but she wasn't here and he'd use anything he had to get more clues on the mysterious exhibit.
Striding through the main lobby, Henry froze when he looked ahead, noticing a familiar style of blonde hair from the person looking over the Inanna statue in front of him. Before he could duck out of the way and come back to the exhibit later, she turned around and noticed him, immediately scowling with anger when she met his gaze. He tried to smile for her, but her frown did not subside.
"Madison," Henry spoke in almost a frightened squeak. His smile couldn't have been wider. "Uh, I didn't realize..."
"What are you doing here, Henry? Have you come to bury the knife in deeper?" she sneered at him.
He threw up his hands in defense. "No, no! That is... I didn't know you were here at the exhibit."
She glared at him in disbelief, and Henry sighed, taking Maggie and Jasper's advice to heart. In this situation, he knew he should just apologize to her.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong leg," Henry said, remembering if that was the right expression. Madison's eye brows rose a little higher.
"I think you mean "wrong foot" Henry," Madison scoffed.
"Right, exactly. Anyway, I want to apologize for how I acted. I thought being honest with you was better than...lying or giving you false hope," he admitted, and he watched her begin to relax. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm really not good at American high school life yet. I may have been too blunt; I know that now, and I'm sorry."
"Well..." she said, still watching him suspiciously. Henry guessed she was wondering if he was really sincere. He hoped that she realized that he was. "I suppose given the way you were raised explains a lot. Still, it hurt to be rejected like that." She lifted her chin and peered at him as if she had already convinced herself that he was inferior to her. He'd seen this in spurned females in many species of birds before.
"I know, and well, according to my cousin, I'm an idiot for doing so," Henry joked.
"Really? Your cousin Jasper said that?" Madison asked. "I definitely didn't choose the smart one." Henry took her insult as teasing, feeling more relief that he dodged some kind of unexpected female wrath from her. The atmosphere started to ease between them, and Henry held out his hand.
"Friends then?" Henry asked. "No rough feelings?"
Madison laughed and took his hand. "I think you mean "no hard feelings" but yes, I accept your apology, Henry."
Henry felt inwardly relieved, and he turned back to the statue as Madison's attention diverted as well. "Isn't she beautiful?"
"It's a great stone, and the statue has a wonderful history," Henry commented, and Madison nodded.
"I've been waiting awhile to see an exhibit like this, and it comes at the perfect time," Madison said, which made Henry curious.
"Perfect time?" Henry asked.
Madison tilted her head. "Oh, I thought you would know, being an anthropologist's son. In a couple days there will be a full moon, and some ancient cultures, like the Inanna cults, used to do rituals in Inanna's honor during the full moon. Even modern-day pagans do full moon rituals called esbats, using the full moon's energy when they invoke the goddess to bring about good fortune, among other things."
Henry scrunched his brown and stared at the statue. "But why would a full moon ritual cause an unnatural heat wave?" he asked idly and crossed his arms.
"Um, sorry...what?" Madison turned to him in confusion.
Henry shook his head, not realizing he'd let that thought slip aloud. "It's nothing. Call me superstitious. I thought maybe these artifacts could have something to do with this heat wave," he said sheepishly, wiping his brow.
Madison giggled. "Yeah, right. That would almost be too simple of an explanation." She looked longingly at the statue again. "Still, if it had that kind of power, the statue would be worth more than we could imagine."
"And it is," a voice behind them drawled, which made Madison and Henry both jump. They turned around and found Mrs. Farah glaring down at them. "However, the stone is too priceless to be used in such nonsense as modern rituals." Henry heard her snort, and she turned her hard stare specifically at Madison, who glared back at her.
"I think that is a matter of opinion, ma'am," Madison said, offended. She scoffed, flipped her hair behind her shoulders and stomped away. Mrs. Farah glowered at her as the girl left, leaving Henry confused and suspicious.
Why would Mrs. Farah be so offended by Madison's talk of rituals and the stone? He thought such historical knowledge of the artifact would please her, and her anger seemed almost contradictory toward the nature of the stone. She herself said the ancient cults had used the stone, so what was wrong with the modern pagans showing interest in its properties?
It didn't make sense. The only thing he could think of was that she didn't like Madison commenting on how much the stone was worth (since she suspected someone wanted to steal it), and that made Henry very, very suspicious. He stared at her for a moment, and when she turned her attention to him, he straightened under her scrutiny.
"Henry," she spoke, "you're a good boy, and your parents are respectful people. Take my advice and avoid people like that."
"Like Madison?" Henry asked, and anger seemed to roll of Mrs. Farah in waves.
She nodded once. "People like that would never respect the Inanna stone as I have, and knowing that causes me great displeasure." Henry gaped as Mrs. Farah bid him farewell and went back to her job. Thoughts and theories were tossing around in Henry's head, and he had a feeling that something just wasn't right about Mrs. Farah. Why would she feel threatened by a simple high school kid like Madison? Did she think Madison would steal the stone? It seemed unlikely on Madison's part, and Henry admitted it had been clear on the first day he met Mrs. Farah that she held some prejudice against the students.
Maybe it was his untrained sixth sense or whatever, but he had to look into this. This was his first big lead. He vowed to learn more about Mrs. Farah, even if he had to follow the curator back to her hotel and dig through her stuff. He'd find out why she was so angry and anxious about Henry and Madison's conversation about the stone.
The only explanation he could think of was that Mrs. Farah was so nervous because was hiding something.
But first, he had to find Jasper and Maggie and bring them up to speed on it. Henry was sure Maggie would think he was crazy, but he hoped that if he knew his cousin well enough, Jasper would hate the heat (and the make-out sessions) so much that he'd readily agree to this reckless plan.
Chapter Eight