A meeting with Evelyn

[BattleNymph]

“If you would wait here miss.” The stontorious tones of the butler faded quickly as he close the door behind Aefe, leaving her alone in the room. Butler, hell if he is, she thought to herself as she tentatively checked the knob of the door he’d just closed. Unlocked. “I’ve never seen a butler built like a Mac truck before. And those scars…faigh muin!…” her muttering ran to a halt though as she turned and the room spread before her caught her attention.

Posh indeed, but in a way that was strange. It was circular to begin with and had no real windows. Small tables and comfortable chairs dotted the space, interspersed with book stands and small cases. One wall covered in books and along the opposite, a long, long table, covered with a black vinyl cloth.

She moved into the room and a small glass jar with a symbol she recognized caught her eye. The jar was empty in the case it occupied but the symbol had been part of one of the Celtic druidical rituals, the DaDannan. She lightly touched the jar with a fingertip and started when it gave her a light shock.

“Faigh muin!” Sucking her sore finger she moved away from the betraying jar and towards the wall-o-books. A quick glance showed a strange range of reading material. Everything from cheesy romance to obscure psychological texts graced those shelves. Many of them were in languages she couldn’t read and a few gave off a shuddery feeling that made her loathe to touch them. One of the shivery books made her pause. The symbol on the cover matching the symbol of the tattoo around her wrist.

Engrossed in the books she ran into a small table and with a curse quickly grabbed it to keep it from falling. She cursed with more vigor when she saw what she’d just saved from falling. A bookstand and on it a book. Not so unusual for a library but for the fact that inside was a drawing of a man with his stomach ripped open to display it’s teeth. Her gut clenched with remembered pain and taking the book with slowly sank into the nearest chair. Her attention riveted…. Until the drawing on the table by the chair she’d chosen caught her eye.

A familiar drawing, one of the ones that little girl had made. Aefe remembered the house she herself had taken it from. The mother’s corpse cooling in the other room as she’d carefully searched for all the artwork. She’d never seen the little girl.

She’d seen this monster though. An experience that had almost brought her to a taidhbhse. A creature from nightmare. What could cause such things? She hated it passionately. She wasn’t even sure why, except that it felt wrong, against the natural way of things. Her musings were interrupted though as the door quietly opened and a familiar form entered. Evelyn Fiddich. Her benefactor and employer. The amount of money she’d been paid had Aefe respectfully on her feet as the older woman entered.

[carmachu]

Very nice....

[Mouser]

Good imagery, and an insight into what motivates Aefe.

[hidufel]

Very nice....

Why did i hear that delivery via borat?

[Origen]

Something about the way Evelyn moved reminded Aefe of words she didn't normally use, like prim and austere. Or maybe dignified. Her shoulders were straight, but never rigid. Her head turned with an easy grace, and her eyes were observant but never gave the impression of prying, or violation. She was demure, but power and confidence seethed beneath the surface like a living thing.

She carried a tray with a white china tea pot, two cups and a plate of cookies.

"First lesson, dear," she said, setting out the cups. "Never accept tea from a witch. Today is forgiveable, but I will never offer it again, and you should never accept it even if I do."

"A witch?" said Aefe. "I thought the term was Wiccan, these days?"

"Some women prefer the term. I do not. In my opinion, those who bicker about such things tend to be the least interesting, and the least dangerous. Sugar?"

"Please."

"Do you prefer milk or lemon?"

"No, thank you."

Aefe shook herself. Why was she being so polite?

"The second lesson is: never touch a witch's books. They represent knowledge, and the accumulation of power. As such, they are often warded. Naturally, I don't keep my real treasures in plain view. Those are in my sanctum sanctorum, which you shall never see while I live."

Evelyn noticed Aefe still cradling a finger.

"That was a light ward. The pain will pass in about an hour. The wards on my important books will do worse than kill."

"What about the wards on your Jean Auel books?"

"You like those? First editions. Signed by the author. I keep the paperbacks with the naughty parts underlined in a box under my bed. But if you touch my signed Calvin & Hobbes books? Your soul will burn forever in a thousand hells. I'll see to that."

She laughed, but Aefe couldn't quite tell if she was kidding.

[hidufel]

But if you touch my signed Calvin & Hobbes books? Your soul will burn forever in a thousand hells. I'll see to that."



Ahh a true coneseur! teh sexsay!

[BattleNymph]

She laughed, but Aefe couldn't quite tell if she was kidding.

Aefe laughed lightly at the joke, hoping it covered her setting her teacup back down without having tasted it. “Well, hopefully you’re not offended by Get Fuzzy which is my comic of choice.”

She looked at Evelyn straightly this time. She wasn’t one for polite small talk, that was more her mother’s area of expertise. She took more after the plain speaking Irish cop who was her father.

“Normally when you hire me, it’s through letters and notes, no direct contact. You called me here today. I hope you will forgive my understandable curiosity as to why? Do you have another job for me?”

[Origen]

"Not so much a job, as an offer and a warning," said Evelyn, taking a sip of her tea. "It takes no divination to see that you've got the gift. And since you, like myself, are finding yourself allied with the government, I think it only fair to warn you of certain eventualities which you may face. You see, there have only been a handful of times in the history of this country when the Supreme Court has met in secret. You will never read of these cases in any lawbook. They are not studied by any legal scholars. In fact, they are not even named, but simply referred to by number to those few who know of their existence. Supreme Court case #13 is just such an example. It was when the U.S. government decided, in 1947, that the use of magic or enchantment to harm a U.S. citizen was a crime."

"Well, I don't see what's wrong with that," said Aefe. "Killing someone should be a crime."

"You mistake my meaning, darling," replied Evelyn. "I didn't say kill. I said harm. And the unique legal precadent set in that case, convened in secret and the judgment handed down, was that the nature of the crime and the difficulty of apprehending someone with our ... gifts ... necessitated unique circumstances."

Aefe found herself growing uneasy.

"To quote," said Evelyn, as if the words were branded on her very soul, "it is the judgment of this court that agents of our government face unique and unforeseen powers that the framers of our Constitution could not have understood. These powers being beyond the scope of what mortal man can deal with, and dangerous beyond measure, it is the judgment of this court that in the interest of this nation's security, and securing the well-being of those who serve it, agents or representatives or officers executing justice or upholding the law shall hereby be empowered to act as both judge, jury and executioner when faced with any person or being who employs supernatural ability to harm a citizen of the United States. Lethal force shall be justified, a priori."

[Mouser]

(Holy crap!!)

[hidufel]

(Holy crap!!)

Quoted for truth!

<goosebumps>

[BattleNymph]

A long pause stretched between them, Aefe’s face pale beneath it’s freckles. She carefully placed her unused teacup back on it’s ornate saucer and arranged the spoon just ‘so’. She opened her mouth to speak a couple of times, but thought better of it and just looked at Evelyn for a moment before the questions began tumbling in quick succession from her lips.

“Even in self-defense? Rach-air-muin that’s just…..frightening. How can they do that? What happened that made that happen? What do the rest of us…..um….them do to avoid being just killed out of hand?”

She stopped long enough to take a deep breath before asking the more important question…

“So I have the warning. What is the offer?”

[Origen]

"In order," Evelyn replied calmly. "Even in self defense? Yes. How? Because they can. What happened? Because someone just like you and I defended herself against the son of a very powerful politician who attempted to take liberties with her virtue. And, lastly, we stick together, and attempt to defend ourselves in other ways. My two bodyguards aren't just for show. Though I am quite capable of defending myself, they act firstly as a layer of defense around my person, and secondly as a means of employing lethal force when I need to."

Aefe wetted her lips. Her mouth had become very dry.

"Well, and Michael, the man who let you in, is also a stallion in the sack."

Aefe laughed. It broke the tension. Evelyn smiled.

"Now, the offer. You will learn from me. I will allow you access to those who can guide your training, offer you some tutelege myself, and offer you some of my protection. I have power myself, and access to others who have power. My influence is not without limits, but they are also considerable. In return, you will occasionally do tasks for me."

[BattleNymph]

Another long pause, this time without the pretense of politeness as Aefe considered. A studied glance around this room and a searching look at the woman before her and then she nodded.

“I already do tasks for you, the payment it seems would just change in coin. I’m in. I’d like to learn what you have to teach me……”

A quick grin to hide the touch of fear at the back of her eyes and then a response more in her usual saucy character.

“And, do I get a Michael as well?”

[Origen]

"I'm not married to the boy," Evelyn replied with a twinkle in her eye. "You'll have to take that up with him. Though what's a little sharing between friends? Anyway, we'll begin your instruction next Tuesday. We'll begin with breathing exercises, and some reading in magical theory. You're already coming along on your languages, I know, and we'll do some divination regarding your totem so that we'll know what to expect when your familiar manifests itself."

[BattleNymph]

As Evelyn began describing the attractive litany of torments ahead, Aefe muttered quietly to herself….”And here I dropped out of medical school. Somehow, I don’t think that’s allowed with this kind.”

And then as the words penetrated, she sat up straight. “Familiar?!”

[Origen]

”And here I dropped out of medical school. Somehow, I don’t think that’s allowed with this kind.”

And then as the words penetrated, she sat up straight. “Familiar?!”

"Think of it as a totem, or spiritual focus. And no, darling, once awakened, a gift cannot be given back. Yours is a terrible burden, too, because you have had the misfortune to be born in a day and age where witches can hunted with impugnity. There have been slaughters in the last century that would make even those who tied the noose around the necks of innocent women at Salem sick to their stomach."

She glanced at the tea cup.

"You learn quickly, Aefe. Michael, please pour that out. And wash your hands after you're done."

[Chimaera]

This story is so fucking cool. Kudos to you guys... reading this stuff is nearly as much fun as playing an actual game. You are all my methadone.