#luci in the stars | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

magmahearts · 18 days

Text

TIMING: current PARTIES: @luci-in-the-stars & @magmahearts LOCATION: luci's apartment SUMMARY: cass tries to hang out with luci, but finds herself distracted. CONTENT WARNINGS: none!

It was difficult to try to maintain neutrality, knowing that her father was waiting for her back home. He’d seemed a little disappointed when she’d left, but he hadn’t told her not to go. Cass figured that, like her, he wanted to make up for lost time, wanted to rectify the fact that they hardly knew one another at all. Part of her wanted to offer to cancel her plans to stay with him, but… Well, she couldn’t just cancel on Luci, could she? Luci was her friend. Her father would understand that.

That didn’t stop her from spending most of the outing staring at the clock on her phone, though. She was distracted, she was distant, she was not quite herself. And she couldn’t say why, not without betraying her father’s trust. So, she just… bounced, and squirmed, and watched the clock and completely missed whatever it was Luci was saying. She blinked, realizing her friend was looking at her and offering an apologetic smile. “Sorry. What was that?”

—

Luci was excited, hanging out with friends was a new thing for her and while she had people over before she was very fond of hanging out with Cass. Normally it was fun talking to her as she explained all of the different rocks she’d managed to see or the star maps she had. Cass was easy to talk to, and she had sat as well listening to her interests too.

It honestly reminded her a lot of how Milo and her used to talk waiting patiently to talk about their topic and asking questions. It was nice. Still there was something that seemed off as Luci continued to babble that she couldn’t quite place. Then it struck her.

Luci blinked realizing that Cass wasn’t paying attention. It took her longer than normal, maybe because she didn’t want to think about it but it was pretty clear something else was on her mind. “Oh um - I was just talking about a new crystal I found. Sorry I probably went on about it too long. I just thought you might like the structure of it, that’s all. Have you read any new comics lately?” Luci said, trying to pull on another topic not wanting to feel the sort of panic that came from someone not wanting to talk. “I just finished the one I had.”

Guilt flooded into her chest, leaving an acidic taste on her tongue. The last thing she wanted was to make Luci feel bad for talking. Cass liked it when Luci talked, liked hearing what her friend had to say. She was just… distracted lately. With the knowledge that her father was waiting for her back in her cave, it was so difficult to focus on anything else. Even her friends, even Luci.

“No,” she said quickly. “You weren’t going on too long or anything. I’m just, um… Having trouble focusing today. I didn’t sleep very much last night.” It was the truth, even if it wasn’t the reason why she was so spacey. She had slept poorly, anxiety regarding her father’s presence and concern that he might leave while she was dreaming curling around her like a clenched fist in her chest.

She offered Luci an apologetic smile. “I really do want to hear about your crystal,” she said, and she meant it. “And your comic. Um, which one did you finish? I’m rereading Tom King’s Vision. I don’t even really like Vision as a character, but that’s a good read. You know?” She tried to keep herself present, tried to keep herself in the moment. It was… difficult. But it meant something that she was trying, didn’t it?

—

“Oh,” Luci said, knowing that was understandable. After all, being tired or unfocused wasn’t the same as not liking that someone was talking. “I understand. What was up? Were you doing some star gazing or something?” She hadn’t talked to Cass about stars, but it seemed a lot of people in the town liked them. “Sometimes I don’t sleep either.”

She didn’t really want to say why, even now that she had somewhat settled in Milo’s apartment there were still times she woke up scared. Sometimes it was Gen, but lately it was the caves again and the strangeness there had been there. After all, she hadn’t really figured out why she had known how to fix them. It was - disturbing her.

At the idea she did want to know Luci smiled a little. “Oh okay yeah I’ll show you it if you want. I haven’t gotten it under a microscope so I’m not sure what it is, but you probably will.” She didn’t exactly know why Cass was so good at crystals - she didn’t ask - but it was pretty clear she had a knack. Going to her things in the corner she rifled through them and pulled out a small crystal. “I think it’s quarts, but I’m not sure what kind. Oh I haven’t read that one yet. I’m not sure who Vision is, but I just finished reading She-ra legend of the fire princess. I don’t think it's like a Marvel or DC one but I wanted to start reading those. The guides online are confusing though.”

Luci sat back down showing her friend the little crystal hoping to help. Luz wasn’t good at talking through emotions, but she could see that Cass seemed - off. More like how Milo acted then she would really like. So hopefully the little crystal helped. “What do you think?”

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping for a while,” Cass replied, skirting around a straight answer. It was the truth, of course. Her trouble sleeping was older than her father’s presence in her life, had started sometime after Rhett’s knife found her shoulder and worsened with Alex’s decision to leave town. She was hoping her father being around would help once she grew more accustomed to his presence. He’d be a source of peace instead of anxiety just as soon as she stopped feeling like he was going to leave her.

She chewed her lip for a moment, watching Luci carefully. “I’m sorry. That you have trouble sleeping, too, I mean. It’s — It sucks. If you wanted to talk about it…” She trailed off, letting it hang. She wanted to offer to help, but at the same time… Everything felt so fragile right now. Her friendship with Luci, new and blooming. Her relationship with her father, thin and untested. Alex had left, and if Alex had left, didn’t it mean anyone could? Anxiety thrummed in her chest, settling like a stone in the pit of her stomach.

At least she could still understand things like the crystals Luci found. People rarely made as much sense as Cass wanted them to, but rocks? Rocks were, by definition, steady. You could build a whole foundation on them, could use them to make homes without worry of them crumbling at the slightest touch. It was part of what made her so sure that things with her father were going to be good; like Cass, he was made of stone. Dependable, strong. She just had to lay down the foundation. Then they could build the house.

And she could help Luci in the meantime. She could do both. She could have both. She just… needed to work on time management a little.

Reaching out, she took Luci’s crystal with a smile. In the back of her mind, there was a question she’d never asked before — why did Luci deserve to have this crystal when she couldn’t even understand it? She pushed the thought aside quickly, not liking the way it felt. Luci was her friend. She understood rocks better than most, even if she couldn’t understand them the way an oread did. Studying the crystal, Cass nodded. “Quartz,” she confirmed. “Smoky quartz. It’s pretty common in Maine. Pretty, too.” She hesitated uncharacteristically before offering it back to Luci. “I haven’t read that one. Did you like it?”

—

Luz nodded a little, thinking about everything that kept her up and hoping that it wasn’t similar for Cass. Why they had become good friends over the last few monts, Luci didn’t like to pry or bother people opting to show care by remembering. Simply, she didn’t know a lot about what was going on. At the offer Luci shook her head, “Oh Um - no I don’t think it’ll really help. Mostly it’s just - you know nightmares.”

Nicole had said to reach out to people, but Luci was still hesitant to let people in like that besides she was more worried about Cass. “I’m sure when it starts getting warmer it’ll be easier.” That and it was still so close to Gen’s - she didn’t really want to think about it focusing instead on Cass. “If you want to talk about it though, I don’t mind. I’m not really good at understanding dreams, but I can still listen.”

Luci watched carefully to see what Cass thought about the crystal. “Oh Smoky quartz,” she confirmed muttering under her breath as she reached for her rock journal. “That would make sense. I hadn’t seen one that looked like this.” She took back the rock neatly and examined it again herself as if she was trying to memorize it. “It’s pretty.”

At the talk about her comic she nodded. “Yeah I liked it a lot. It’s not so much superheroes like marvel or DC, but - I don’t know. I like their really good friends if that makes sense? Sam helped pick it out with me - do you know her? She works at the comic shop,” Luci said, looking at Cass.

___

Nightmares. The thought ached a little, though Cass nodded all the same and tried to ignore it. Everyone she cared about had some deep, dark monster in their past that kept them up at night, didn’t they? All her friends, all the people she considered family. She’d already noticed the way her father mumbled in his sleep, the sweat on his rocky brow as things he’d likely rather not think about plagued him even in slumber. Wicked’s Rest was a town full of haunted people, and Cass didn’t know how to help any of them.

She didn’t know how to help herself, either. She thought she might learn, if Makaio stuck around long enough to teach her. He’d been at this a long time, after all, and he must have known more than Cass did about the best way to use the powers the Earth had given them. There had to be some way to create instead of destroy, to make the world better instead of worse. Cass just… needed a little help finding it, was all. And as much as she cared for Luci, she didn’t think the other girl was her ticket to doing that. Her father was the one who would know about this sort of thing, wasn’t he? He had to be.

It was hard not to look at the time again, hard not to worry about him growing bored back in her cave. Would he still be there when she got back? Or would the frustration of being left alone for so long boil over, make him decide she was far more trouble than she was worth. The thought was so overwhelming that it was difficult to really focus on what Luci was saying, though she nodded along anyway. “Yeah,” she said, forcing herself to tune back in. “Uh, yeah. They have — I mean, quartz is diverse. Most minerals are. No two are ever going to look exactly alike.”

She continued trying to keep her mind off her father, and she continued failing. “Right,” she agreed with a tight smile. “I’m mostly into the superheroes, but some of the other stuff is cool, too. I do know Sam.” The ache in her chest grew, just a little, at the memory of how scared Sam had looked at the sight of Cass without her glamour. It was such a stark contrast to the way her father looked at her. “She’s great. She gives good recs.”

—

There was a tension there again, something that Luz could feel in the air but couldn’t quite reach out and touch. It was the same kind of tension that Milo and her had at times, something unsaid and deemed outside. It was a little frustrating to her, to know that there was something off and not know how to do anything about it. Still, like most things Luci found that her hands were too clumsy to untangle the knots. She didn’t know the words to say to make Cass know she could talk to her so she let it go.

Maybe she could ask later, that would be good. After all, not everything had to be disclosed at once and - if she was honest she didn’t know how to talk about her own past and nightmares. She couldn’t even seem to reach out to Milo well at this point let alone anyone else.

Luci nodded at the thought about the crystals all being different, it made sense after all. Even in her family she was always a little different even if she was similar. “Fascinating. I love that there’s nothing exactly the same. I mean it makes sense, but it just shows that everything is unique.”

Luci smiled a little and continued, “Yeah her dog is really nice too. Say what’s your favorite superhero or like one of them? Maybe I could read one of those comics next.” Her eyes focused on her friend wondering if she would tell her something more about herself. “I’ve been interested in expanding what I read.”

___

Luci didn’t push and, paradoxically, Cass was both disappointed and relieved. She wanted someone to keep asking, even if she didn’t want to talk about it. Wasn’t that how you knew people cared? She thought, again, of her father. He’d ask, wouldn’t he? (Or maybe he wouldn’t. Cass still didn’t know him as well as she’d hoped to, still wasn’t quite sure who he was underneath the rocky surface. He was a blank slate; it was easier that way. It let her apply anything she wanted to him, let her pretend he was whatever she needed him to be. It was the same thing she let other people do to her.)

She pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, subtly checking the time on her phone yet again. Of course, it hadn’t moved forward very much. Didn’t the clock always move a bit slower when you were watching it? Kuma used to say that a watched pot would never boil. (Kuma used to say a lot of things; Cass tried not to think about her, too.)

“Yeah,” Cass agreed with a small smile. And, in spite of her distraction, that was genuine. “Like… fingerprints. Or snowflakes! You might not be able to tell that they’re different just by looking at them, but no two are alike. Rocks are the same way.” And people forgot that. People assumed everything was what it looked like on the surface, and they were wrong. There were whole worlds lurking beneath the tops of most things. Cass knew that better than anyone.

Luci was trying. That much was clear. Despite the fact that Cass was clearly not as in the moment as she usually was, despite the fact that she was pretty sure she’d been pretty rude, Luci was trying. It warmed her chest a little, eased some of the tension there. If Luci could like her in spite of how she was acting, didn’t that mean she stood a shot at convincing her father she was worth sticking around for, too? “I like the Spiderverse characters,” she replied. “Peter Parker Spider-Man is okay, but most of the others are cooler. Miles Morales, Cindy Moon, Miguel O’Hara, Jessica Drew… There’s a lot of variety there, too. And Ms. Marvel is neat! I could give you some recs, if you wanted.”

—

Luci didn’t quite notice what was wrong although there was a bit of her that noticed something. Something that reminded her of Milo the few weeks before he bolted up to Maine - or at least she wondered if she had been present she might have noticed it. Still, she pushed it down wanting to be here with her friend right now. Still, she looked at the crystal lightly in her hand instead of looking quite at Cass.

“Yeah, they are. You know - even chemically a lot of things aren’t as straightforward as they look like. Not major changes mind you, but there’s always a little difference between things.” She didn’t know how to quite describe it but she knew when she looked up at the stars they were all slightly different even chemically. It was an alchemists job to know the exactness of things, but also to accept that they needed to be adapted. It was a strange bit of rules and exceptions that always felt like something well earned. It was the knowing bit that always struck Luci as something worthwhile. Still she couldn’t quite talk about that and instead smiled. “I think even if you looked at this under a microscope it would be ever so subtly different then the rest of them.”

Luci nodded excitedly, pulling out a notebook. “Oh - yes I would love recommendations. I think I’ve seen some of the spiderman movies. Milo and - my sister liked going to the movies sometimes.” There was a pause there that Luci quickly filled, “Isn’t Miles the one that’s in the new cartoon movie? I’ve been meaning to watch it - are there comics on that one?” She wrote notes quickly to look up the spiderverse characters and Ms. Marvel. “But yeah you're the expert. So I’d love recommendations.”

___

Rocks and minerals were things Cass knew about by nature. They were etched into her in a very literal way, from the stony surface of her skin to the magmic nature of her blood. She understood them without trying, without thinking. People were different. And she didn’t want them to be. She’d wanted to understand people since she was a kid, wandering around an aos si and knowing she didn’t belong but never quite knowing why. She’d tried to find her place a thousand different times and, over and over again, she came up short. She liked to think she was closer to finding it when she was with people like Luci, when she was with her friends. Maybe, she thought, her father could provide the final missing piece. Maybe with him in her life, she’d feel whole again, find that belonging she’d been chasing for as long as she could remember.

She listened as Luci spoke about the chemical nature of things, though she didn’t understand it. She wondered if this was how other people felt when she talked about rocks; like someone on the outside looking in. “Yeah,” she agreed quietly, offering another small but genuine smile. “I think… I don’t know. Nothing is ever what it looks like on the outside. Everything’s different when you take a closer look. For better or worse.”

At least this, Cass thought, was a subject they could both talk about at length. “Some of the movies are better than others,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Yeah, Miles is the one in the animated films. Which are awesome, by the way. Definitely the best Spider-Man movies out there. It’s, like, loosely based on a comic run, but the comic run is waaay different and more convoluted than the movie. I wouldn’t rec it to someone without a pretty big understanding of, like, ninety different Spider-Man characters. What you should start with is Silk. The first volume. It’s a great book, and… I think you’ll like it.”

—

Most of the time it felt like Luci was just on the other side of a glass wall with people trying to articulate her thoughts, but even so Cass didn’t seem bad at reading her lips. Maybe it was more comfortable then to ignore the pressure that said something was wrong as she smiled at the idea that Cass sort of knew what she meant.

“Yeah! Exactly. For better or worse we are all just a little different.” She nodded thinking about how she looked different then she felt. Maybe chemically she was actually different - and she decided not to go through that path instead sitting with her friend instead. After all, Cass deserved her attention even if she felt the urge to look at the chemical structure of the quarts.

Luci nodded, “Yeah I can agree on that one. There was one I wasn’t a super big fan of, but I can’t tell you what one it was. I’ll have to watch the animated ones then.” She wrote down the names carefully to make sure she could have it for Sam when she wanted to get a new comic. Maybe the library would also have some. “Okay I’ll start with that one then, and let you know what I think.” She looked up with a smile.

___

“I think it’s for the better,” Cass said, and it didn’t used to be true. She used to wish that people were all the same, that there could be some magical cheat code that might allow her to understand and be understood. But that line of thinking had shifted, especially since coming to Wicked’s Rest. She still didn’t understand humans in their entirety, but she thought she was a little more understandable now.

Her father understood her. She knew that, realized it the very first day in her cave when he’d smiled at her and made her feel seen. It felt like the first step towards something. Maybe this, with Luci, was a first step, too. Maybe she could have everything she’d ever wanted — friends, a family — if she was only brave enough to reach out and take it.

Talking about movies felt safe, even if she glanced down at her phone to check the time again before replying. “I could probably guess. There are a lot of bad superhero movies… and more than a few bad Spider-Man ones. Spider-Man 3 is, like, a total disaster.” Another glance at the time, despite the fact that it had been only seconds since the last one. She tapped her finger absently against the side of her phone. “Cool,” she said, looking back to Luci with a faint smile.

—

Luci nodded lightly thinking that it was for the better. After all, she was a little different than her family members and that hadn’t made her bad right? “Yeah it’s good that we're all a little different I think.”

“Oh - is it with a guy named Toby? I think it might have been that one. I mean it was fun, but it was a little odd.” She said fairly. She often watched odd movies anyway so it hadn’t really made her upset at all. She glanced as Cass looked back at her phone and said, “I’ll go find these movies though. - And you know I’m really sorry but I should probably get back to my finals. I know that it’ll probably bore you to stay here with me, so I understand if you want to head out.”

It was a lie - something Luci didn’t feel good saying - but there was something that she couldn’t figure out. It seemed like Cass wanted to leave, and she wanted to give her friend an out without it hurting her feelings too much - Luci didn’t want her to just get up in a huff to leave after all. “You’re welcome to stay if you want! But I also know you probably don’t want to watch me do physics homework.”

It was good that Luci thought that, wasn’t it? Cass was different. Different than Luci, different than most people. And she wanted to be accepted anyway. No, that wasn’t right. She wanted — she wanted to be loved because of who she was instead of in spite of it. And that was a scary thing to want, because she’d never wanted it before. Before, she’d only ever wanted to be loved, regardless of the details. But her father coming into her life, looking at her like she was precious… It made her bolder. It made her feel as though she could ask for things from her friends that she wouldn’t have been able to before. Wasn’t that something? Wasn’t that good?

“Yeah,” she nodded. “They’re pretty old school. The special effects are, like, bad. Spider-Man 2 is considered one of the best Spider-Man movies ever, and Spider-Man 3 is considered one of the worst, so… You kind of get a lot of extremes there. I really think the nostalgia factor does a looot of heavy lifting for people, honestly. They’re not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s what the old people grew up with.”

She hated the rush of relief that washed over her when Luci provided her with an easy out. She hated the fact that her heart jumped like she’d just been offered a cookie or a donut, hated the way she was already crafting the path back to her cave in the back of her mind. She should want to hang out with her friend. She liked Luci, enjoyed spending time with her. But she had something she’d always wanted waiting for her back in her cave, and it was hard to pretend that there was any part of her that didn’t want to run back to it now. So she offered Luci a smile that she hoped wasn’t too eager, nodded her head just a little. “Oh, yeah, that’s no problem. Gotta pass those finals, right? It was fun hanging out, though. We should totally do it again soon.”

Soon, she thought, her dad would be ready to meet her friends. She could introduce them to Luci, and she wouldn’t have to choose between spending time with her friends and spending time with her family. But for now, the choice had been made for her. In a lot of ways, Cass kind of preferred that. “Good luck on your tests, though. You’re totally gonna nail them.”

—

Luz nodded along at the idea of the different spiderman movies and wondered how she’d feel watching them. Usually she just took what other people said into consideration, but maybe with Cass she could have her own opinion of a movie and not have it feel rotten. She would have to try, but not tonight.

There was a flash in Luci, part of her hoped that Cass would stay, but at least it didn’t hurt as badly as it would have if she had just snapped she didn’t want to be around her. It was okay, Luci was too much all at once she knew that. Besides Cass did seem to like being around her, she would just talk to her later.

Luci was sure they’d talk later so she nodded with a smile and said, “I’m hopeful even if it’s gotten a little harder. I’ll see you later.” She said, leading her friend to the apartment door. “I’ll let you know what I think of the movies and if I find any more cool rocks.” She didn’t say goodbye, adverse to the word now after everything that happened, but a ‘see you later’ was perfectly good.

#luci in the stars #luci: on the clock #wickedswriting

10 notes · View notes

escudofracturado · 2 months

Text

Always Gold || Milo & Luci

TIMING: Late September LOCATION: UMWR PARTIES: Milo (@escudofracturado) & Luci (@luci-in-the-stars) SUMMARY: After a failed attempt at dorm living, Luci enlists Milo's help in moving out. CONTENT WARNINGS: Sibling death tw

Luci had -admittedly - lasted longer in the dorm than Tia thought she would. She was pretty sure if Ingrid hadn’t absolutely hated her. Since she moved in she seemed to think Luci was a freak of nature and someone that should be removed from the school. It was probably all of the notebooks -or how Luci talked. Maybe she hadn’t liked Snow? It wasn’t something that was wholly new to her, a lot of people off the bat didn’t like her in school for some reason or whatever, but she had hoped it would be different here. So while the administration had been willing to work with her - even offering to move her in a few weeks- Luci was fairly sure that just getting the waiver to move off campus would keep her from walking on eggshells. She needed space for alchemy and honestly, dorms made her sad.

Besides, while she liked school and went to all of her classes she didn’t spend much of her time on campus now anyway and she didn’t think it would change. So, she had hopped on to the apartment listing and had been excited to get the okay to move. Luckily Ingrid had spent the last few days just ignoring Luci instead of wanting to get her expelled or something. Still, it hadn’t stopped Luci from purposefully moving her bed frame an inch to the left hopefully causing her to trip.

Still, as she waited for her brother she sighed at how quickly she had to pack up her things again. Poking her figures through Snow’s carrying case to pet her white fur as she waited. “It’s okay Snow. Wynne is super nice and you’ll have more space there. Milo will be here soon,” Luci said reassuring her familiar who seemed more nervous than she was. She should have gotten a carrot for her.

______

It had only been a matter of time before something happened. Milo loved his sister, and he would do anything for her, but between her curiosity and her difficulties with reading people, she did tend to find herself in some chaotic situations. Granted, it usually wasn't a huge deal, and she almost always managed to get away with it, too. Couldn’t be him. But still, he worried. Especially here.

He knew he needed to chill out, though, that he was making things weird between them, but how could he? Milo was the one who ruined everything and landed them here, and he knew he really shouldn't be around anyone like this— he was dangerous. However, Luci had come to find him anyway. And it wasn’t like he wanted to be alone, either. He wanted to protect everyone from himself, but he was too much of a coward, too selfish. He wasn’t able to just be alone with his thoughts, with himself, so he had managed to make some friends here. And he wanted to have a relationship with his sister. Aside from their aunt, they were all each other had now…

These days all he wanted was to lie face down on the floor of his room and never get up. But his sister needed help moving, so floor time would have to wait til later.

By the time he arrived at UMWR, Luci was already there waiting for him, of course. “Too cool for school dorms?” he asked in place of a proper greeting. Bending over, he looked into the carrier with a smile. ”Hi, Snow.“

______

Luci was still a little surprised seeing her brother now even when she tried to hide it looking over her shoulder as he approached. It was a bit odd - something that she couldn’t quite describe other than feeling off. Normally she might have asked Milo if he knew what she was feeling, but that seemed a little - rude at the moment.

Instead she snorted, rolling her eyes at the notion and said, “I’ve never been too cool for anything, Milo. Ingrid though - um yeah she didn’t like me much.” She shrugged slightly, not at all bothered by the dislike even if it meant she had to move out of the dorms. It wasn’t the first time that someone hated her instantly and while she ought to feel sad about it she couldn’t. It was inevitable, and Luz just didn’t feel the need to keep energy on it. “I didn’t cause any fires this time at least right? Just me being a freak this time, I guess.”

She let him see Snow, the little Jackalope’s eyes looking curiously at the other spellcaster and moving to get a pet instantly calm with two de la Vega’s around. It didn’t surprise Luci, and instead made her smile slightly. “I think that’s a hi from Snow. For the record, she didn’t like Ingrid much either. First night she tried to get Snow kicked out - but luckily I had some paperwork.” She had forged the paperwork months ago and the University had sided with her on that one. “I managed to get it all down here while she was out. - Um, we should probably leave quickly though. I don’t think she’s smart enough to realize what I did, but still. ” It was mostly because she had threatened Snow. Familiars shouldn’t be apart from their person.

______

He could feel the awkward tension in the air, hanging over the interaction. His lips curled up into a smile as he managed to pull a laugh out of her, but there was still that feeling of uneasiness churning in his stomach. There were so many things that they had been purposely ignoring, leaving unsaid, and they hung heavily between the two siblings, creating a distance that had never been there. Not to this extent, at least. Never to this extent. But he tried his best to ignore it, to be the person— the brother— he had once been.

He frowned as his Luci mentioned her ex-roommate. “Well, fuck Ingrid, then.”

It was good to hear that she hadn’t started any fires, but his brows furrowed as she called herself a freak. “You’re not a freak, Luz. Did she say that?” Had his sister been getting bullied by her roommate? She didn’t seem bothered, but still the idea worried and saddened him. Milo had dealt with enough shitty kids back in school to know how vicious people could be, how painful it could be to hear the same hurtful words thrown at you over and over.

It was nice to see Snow again, and to see that she was still comfortable enough with him to demand pets. Despite his worries, it brought a small smile to his face. He, of course, obliged to her demands, though he looked up with a scoff when his sister continued to tell him about Ingrid.

“For real, though, fuck her,” he repeated, shaking his head. Giving the jackalope a last pet for sensing the girl’s bad vibes and watching out for Luz, he finally stood. They probably should start moving, but she shouldn’t have to rush just because her roommate was an asshole. “But, like, what’s she gonna do? You’re already leaving. Also, I can go up if you missed anything,” he offered.

______

Luci sighed a little at his response, shrugging and responding, “ I don’t - language, Milo. You don’t have to curse even if she wasn’t really nice.” It was partially to hide that she was annoyed by her former roommate. She had hoped to find a friend in her, but that had been pretty clearly not something the other had wanted. She hadn’t realized he would pick up the language either.

At the question she shrugged, going to pick up the backpack that she had put between her feet. “Does it matter? I don’t have to talk to her again,” Luci said finally knowing that it was fair enough. She’d never really been considered particularly normal, and she didn’t really care much about it before. Sure, she wanted friends here in Wicked’s Rest, but she would survive without them if she had too.

While repeating the words she tried to not laugh, thinking that it was a little silly. “Oh I don’t think she can do anything to me, to be fair. I just don’t want to be here when she realizes I moved everything just slightly off kilter - or maybe the fact that she shouldn’t have been copying my old chemistry notes if she wasn’t going to be particularly nice - I think the midterm was a week ago? She should get the results now-” She said it matter of factly, knowing that she probably did tank her grade.

At the offer of getting anything she missed she shook her head and said, “No, I was careful and I have everything packed and labeled even.” Luz didn’t have much - it hadn’t been easy to get to Wicked’s Rest, and she hadn’t been interested in bringing everything she owned, figuring that she could gather things as she lived here in the next four years. So everything had pretty much fit in the couple of suitcases she’d arrived with, plus a few ikea bags she’d managed to borrow last minute. She had already sent a few boxes to the apartment thinking it would be easier than lugging them there, and had a few things waiting for her anyway.

______

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. Milo’s filter was not the best. He didn’t like insulting people with curses, but he was terrible at keeping his language ‘clean.’ At work, he could mostly keep it in check, but anywhere else? All bets were off. Especially with people he felt comfortable around. And despite the weirdness, Luci was still someone he felt comfortable with— she was his sister, after all. He tried to respect her non-cursing, but he also just really wanted to hear her curse? Also, like, for real though, fuck Ingrid.

He watched her reach for her bag, frowning at the response (or the lack of a response, he supposed. But that felt like an answer itself.) He had fixed his face by the time she looked his way again, but the feeling of frustration and worry continued to swirl around in his gut. “Yeah, that’s fair, I guess,” Milo replied, dropping the subject. He didn’t want to push it– he couldn’t, not with the way things were between them.

It startled a laugh out of him, Luci’s admission. “F– reaking amazing,” he laughed, catching himself. Man, he’d missed her. Shoving down the sudden guilt and sadness, Milo tried his best to focus on the amusement and fondness in that present moment. Luci was brilliant, and she should not be messed with.

And of course she had thought to label and pack everything, he wasn’t surprised. Still, he had moved a few times now, and he always managed to miss Something. “Figured. But, you know, if you need it, offer stands,” he shrugged.

But it was time to do the actual moving, so Milo grabbed some Ikea bags, letting out a small ‘oof’’ as he stood up. They were heavier than expected, weighed down by her books, probably. “How many books do you have in here?”

—

Luci snorted not believing for a second he’d actually be able to keep himself from cursing. She loved her brother, and knew him well enough that it would only take a few minutes before it happened again. It was something she had oddly missed, although she wasn’t going to encourage it either. Snow was there after all, and her little ears shouldn’t have to hear curses.

He didn’t used to let her get away with non answers, but she supposed now most of their relationship seemed to be dancing around answers. If she was braver about it she might have called him out on it, instead she just secured her backpack on herself and grabbed one of the suitcases to push Snow safely under her arm.

Luci couldn’t help the grin hearing Milo laughing and stuttering out a fake curse. It was nice to hear, and while she wouldn’t say she was especially funny it was something that always made her feel better. Mostly, Milo had a habit of laughing with her, not at her, and it was something that after she noticed had made her want to say more and more outrageous things.

Luz nodded, starting to move the suitcase with a nudge. Hearing him picking up the bag she gave a chagrined look at being caught. “Uh - well define what a book is. If it’s a finished volume, only five, if you mean journals too - twenty between the two bags. Sorry I can trade you for Snow if you want for one of them.”

—

This felt good. Even if it didn’t feel totally right, even if they were ignoring both of the very large elephants in the room. He wanted things to be okay so badly. Nothing was, but for a moment it felt like it could be. Luci was smiling and laughing, and the tension? It didn’t feel Quite so heavy. It certainly wasn’t as heavy as the twenty whole ass journals that Luci had packed away.

…okay, he was being a little dramatic, they weren’t that heavy, but it was heavier than he had been expecting. Milo shook his head, grinning at her reply. “And how many did you have when you got here?” he asked, wondering just how many she had managed to finish in the span of a month. It always astounded him how quickly she could go through notebooks, how she managed to write so much, how she always managed to find so much to write about. It was like how she processed the world, made sense of it, being an observer. And it was interesting to him, to see how his sister’s mind worked, how she looked at things.

He supposed it wasn’t Totally different to how his mind worked, especially these days when he didn’t really feel like he was in his body most of the time. His emotions were trapped, muted, behind a glass wall most of the time, and there were times he literally felt like his being was a few inches to the right, clipping through his body. Didn’t that sorta make him an observer too?

Still, he’d always worried the habit could keep her from fully being present, keep her from fully enjoying or experiencing things. Not to mention people being dicks about anyone doing stuff that was outside the norm. But he wasn’t being very present at that moment.

“Nah, you’ve got her,” he said, waving her off. But he continued with the bit because he had to. “I’ll just suffer.”

It was very extra.

—

At the question Luci raised one of her eyebrows in fake thought as she said, “Well I brought six that were half finished, and five that weren’t started yet. There was a sale. I got the rest here. Mostly because everything here is pretty fascinating. Did you know there’s statues that people say can see you too? I don’t know if I believe that, but wouldn’t that be interesting.” She had one she hadn’t touched - the one that Gen had given her last Christmas that for some reason she couldn’t seem to write in. She hadn’t quite figured out why, but that one wasn’t in the bags anyway.

She kept that in her backpack, if only to keep it out of any official counts. Stretching her arm slightly she said, “A few of them are from my job actually. Vera has a lot of instructions so I’m making sure to write them all down. It’s actually pretty helpful.”

Writing had always been easier for her to gather her thoughts, and while she was pretty comfortable typing there was something to physically writing things down that had always helped her. That and she had a habit of mixing little technical diagrams next to things. It felt like something an Alchemist should be good at. After all, her magic was pretty much a form of writing at the end of the day. It was also her way of making sure not to miss little things about people, to understand why they were doing what they were. What if she didn’t notice something and it turned out to be important?

At the comment of suffering Luci chuckled and said, “Your sacrifice has been noted. I appreciate the help, and for the record so does Snow.”

—

It was so many notebooks, he could never. And he definitely couldn’t manage six at once. If anything, there would be one, and it would be So Messy.

The town was definitely fascinating. However, that wasn’t the first word he would use to describe it. And at the mention of the statues, Milo froze for a moment. “Yeah, I– Watcher’s Way, right?” he asked. But he already knew exactly what she was talking about. “They’re creepy as fuu–dge,” he finished, nodding. “Creepy as fudge.” Censoring himself only made it sound silly, but that was probably for the best. Also for the best? Changing the topic.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, grateful to talk about literally anything else. “How’s that been going, by the way? What’s Vera got you doing over there?” While he’d been to the magic shop before, he wasn’t sure how much Actual Magic they had going on over there.

…he’d really been doing a piss poor job at what he’d come to this stupid town to do. But he had to work and that often sapped up all of his energy. Sometimes he wasn’t sure how he worked up the energy to drag his ass out of bed. However, being around other people helped him get out of his head for a few hours, which was something. His head wasn’t a super fun place to be, after all.

In response, he gave her a two finger salute before reaching for the other suitcase. “Of course,” he shrugged. “You know I’d do anything for you, kid.” It didn’t matter if things were weird between them, Milo would always be willing to help his sister.

—

“Hm, I think so. I’d have to check,” Luci said as he asked where the statues were. She had written it down somewhere, but she didn’t want to get it wrong. At his attempt to not curse an eyebrow went up, a part of her wanting to make fun of him but nevertheless holding her tongue. After all, she had to give him something.

“My job? It’s okay. Mostly it’s just working in the front and helping customers. Vera gives me little projects to do though so that’s nice.” She didn’t add the fact that most of the little projects ended in failure, of her getting something wrong. Vera was still pretty nice about all of it though. Chalking it up to Luci’s age and not something being wrong. Alchemist had to start somewhere after all, and well even when her magic wasn’t fighting her it wasn’t as if Luci’s experiments always went well anyway. “How’s your work going? Still have birds around?”

Luci nodded at the sentiment, even if it felt a bit heavy in the air. She believed him, that he would help her through most everything. It was the bits on the outskirts that made her pause most though. That maybe he would try and help, but he couldn’t do everything. It was like when people say the day they saw their parents as humans with flaws and not superheroes - she couldn’t quite picture it with their parents but she did with Milo and Gen.

“I know,” Luci still ended up saying out loud, as if maybe the both of them needed to hear it. “That’s why I called. Well that and I really didn’t want to do it alone. Also so you could meet Arden and maybe Wynne if they're off work.”

—

“Well, either way, Watcher’s Way? Zero out of ten, do not recommend. It’s giving weeping angels,” Milo offered in lieu of any actual explanation. Just thinking about the odd experience with the then googly eyed statues felt unsettling.

“Ah, customer service,” he sighed with a smile. It was probably difficult for Luci— hell, it was difficult for him, and he was usually good with people. There were just some incredibly rude and unpleasant people in the world, unfortunately. “But it sounds pretty cool aside from that– you love a good project.”

At the mention of birds, he shook his head, “Always with the birds. They’ve been getting kinda rowdy recently, I dunno what’s up with that.”

“But, aside from those little narcs, it’s chill,” he shrugged. He liked his job well enough. “My manager’s a bit too serious, but my coworkers are mostly okay. And customers aren’t usually a problem— see a lot of the same art students and the seniors from the knitting circle at the community center.” They always asked about his projects and gushed about whatever they were currently working on or planning, and it was very sweet.

“Plus, always some cool local art,” he added with another shrug. He’d been thinking about his job more recently, about what he wanted to be doing, if he should just go work at the Sugar Pot with Alistair. It would be a good environment, and he got along quite well with the older spellcaster, but that was part of his reservations. As much as he said otherwise, Milo was sure he’d bother the man if he was around him constantly. Always too much, but simultaneously not enough. He’d ruin it somehow because he ruined things…

But he tried to shove that aside for now.

Luci had called him because she didn’t want to have to move all by herself. She knew he would help, would be there for her, would want to meet her new roommates and make sure she was safe in her new apartment. That was good. That made him feel good. Despite it all, she still trusted him, and that made his chest ache something awful.

They would be okay …could be okay. He could do his best to pick up the pieces and try to be a good brother for her.

For as long as she would let him, at least.

“Oh, I know Wynne a little!” He said, perking up. “But it’d be good to meet ‘Arden,’ and just see the place, yeah.” He had to look out for her, after all.

#sibling death tw #writing #wickedswriting #collab #luci in the stars #wr luci #i won't let go of your hand; luci

9 notes · View notes

thenavysealkie · 3 months

Text

Charging Station|| Luci & Marcus

Timing: Current-ish, later at night

Location: On the street in front of Like A Charm

Parties: @thenavysealkie @luci-in-the-stars

Triggers: None

Hungry. Marcus’s pelt had finally grown hungry. While it could go long periods of time without being fed magic, that also meant it took more magic to fill it up completely. He took no pleasure in robbing magic users of their abilities, if only temporarily, but what else could he do? The time had come for him to go hunting again for the first time in about a year. And he knew the perfect spot to stake out.

Like a Charm was a busy place for real magic users and edgy “wiccan” girls alike. It sold a variety of actual magical items as well as some more novelty pieces for the unpowered. Determining who was a real magic user and who was cosplaying as one was generally pretty easy, so all Marcus had to do was wait outside in his car until he sensed somebody who was powerful and alone.

After several groups of teenagers came and left, he was worried he’d strike out tonight. But just then, he saw a girl leaving the store, and he could sense real power within her. She was also alone, so he would be able to follow behind and try and sap her power discreetly. A pit formed in his stomach, as he didn’t enjoy doing this. Yet, all the same, he left his car and conspicuously followed behind the girl just a few steps behind.

Luci stretched slightly as she waved to Vera telling the owner that she was heading out, brain focused mostly on her latest circle. She got a “yeah kid, good work,” as she left, her mind still puzzling out the circle the other had given her. While Vera was - odd with most of the customers she was somewhat caring to the young Alchemist and wanted to help her. So she had taken to given Luci circles that she could work back from and tell her in the next shift what they were for.

Still, while she used to be able to sit on public transport and work on things and get home - Luci couldn’t do that anymore instead walking most places in Wicked’s Rest. So instead she sighed and put her trusty pen behind her ear wanting to get back to the apartment as quickly as possible. “Yeah - I think the C is for sure carbon -,” she muttered under her breath noting it as she moved, not realizing the steps behind her and instead focusing on the problem. “Or maybe it’s a K again - I need to check when I get home that it hasn’t moved again.”

Her footsteps slowed for a moment, thinking of checking the paper before she heard something that wasn’t her feet behind her. “Oh sorry - Don’t mean to block the sidewalk,” Luci said moving to the side for the other as she went to grab the paper to confirm.

As he followed, Marcus fumbled with his pelt, trying to get it out and ready to steal away some of the girl’s magic. He found that taking little bits at a time was helpful to ensure that they didn’t lose too much of their powers for too long. The pelt was hungry, and could easily overfeed and leave a magic user completely powerless permanently. Marcus was intent on not allowing that to happen tonight.

While he was fumbling around with his pelt, the woman in front of him suddenly stopped, causing his long legs to close the distance between them quickly. She turned around and acknowledged him, confirming that his cover was now completely blown.

Ever quick with charm, Marcus smiled broadly and nodded towards the woman. “No problem at all, ma’am. You look like you’re deep in thought about something. Just be careful stopping out on the sidewalk at this time of night. You never know who’s out there.”

Guys like him, for instance. No, there were plenty worse than him. He’d be so subtle she probably wouldn’t even notice that much of a difference. At least, that’s what he’d continue to tell himself as time went on. Regardless, he needed to keep her attention and also try and keep his pelt out of view as much as he could.

“Late night trip to the magic shop, eh? Never really got interested in all that kind of stuff myself.”

Luci was half distracted, her mind still on her puzzle as she realized the other was talking to her. Looking up she raised an eyebrow at the idea that she was in trouble. It was something she had heard a lot, and sure she should be more cautious especially after the caves, but she had made the walk quite a few times.

“Oh - Yes I was. Still, I shouldn’t block the road. It’s not too late is it?” Luci said her mind was wondering how late it might have been looking at her phone lightly to see it was later then she had realized. Vera normally did have to scoot her out of the place, probably because she wanted to close the shop. In anycase, the other didn’t seem particularly dangerous or frightening. He seemed rather normal, although Luci was hardly a great judge of any of that.

“Oh It is late. That’s no good. My brother’s probably already worried. - Oh no I work here,” Luci said at the question with a little chuckle. “I just got off my shift. And no? I mean that’s understandable but I do like it there.” She did love magic after all, even if hers was broken.

As Marcus listened to the woman talk, he finally got his pelt in a workable yet conspicuous position.

“A bit late, but not extremely late by any means. Otherwise I’d already be home in bed.”

He could sense his pelt attempting to drain the woman but…something was off. It was almost as if nothing was happening at all.

“You work here? Oh that’s great, I’m assuming you know a lot about these sorts of things then. How long have you worked there for?” Marcus continued, trying to figure out what the issue was. Had he clocked her incorrectly? Was she just a normal human?

“Either way, I’m glad you like it. I tend to the lighthouse over on Hanging Rock, always been drawn to the see so it works for me too. Always do what you love, that’s what my dad always taught me” He officially gave up on trying to troubleshoot his pelt. He’d simply need a different target.

“So…do you believe in any of that stuff? Have you personally seen anyone there show off anything magical?”

Luci nodded at the thought wondering if she should call Milo. Chances were he was still out and about though. While she tended to go to bed fairly early she wasn’t sure what he did anymore. Still, she also knew that she had some studying to do as well.

At the series of questions Luci was pulled back to the present looking at the man and not thinking about what she was about to do. “Oh yes. I mean not all of it works obviously some of it is just nonsense. If you ever come in I can show you. Last semester really, I got the job right before school started.” The other seemed nice after all, and while she finally put her notebook into her back she nodded.

“Oh, that must be a lot of fun the lighthouse seems like a great place to see - although shouldn’t you be going back then? To watch the light?” She wasn’t very good at knowing what they all did, but surely when it was dark he should be there.

At the question Luci’s eyebrow raised a little bit caught off guard. “Oh. I mean magic is just science that isn’t explained. Isn’t that what someone said? So yes I do.” Still she wondered now why the man was asking it like that. Why she felt a tug at her magic. It made her feel off as she saw a purple spark on her hand.

Was it just a trick of being tired? Her magic didn’t normally do that, and her eyes widened realizing that the brokenness might be getting worse. She hoped the other didn’t see it as she moved back the sparks concentrating in her hand where she had been holding the equation she had. It was like it was trying to channel through that and she needed to go. She hoped he didn’t see her hand as she put it behind her back hoping the sparks faded.

“Uh - well I should probably be going. It was nice to meet you,” Luci said nicely with a nod.

____________________________________________________________________________

While Marcus normally watched the seas during the night, it wasn’t exactly a requirement for his job description. Just as long as the light was working properly to guide the ships toward safety, the lighthouse was considered kept. It wasn’t like there were many swimmers out at this time of year, although he did admit he should probably keep an eye out for any shipwrecks. The icy chill in the ocean air didn’t serve as any deterrent to the fishermen or merchant ships sailing through the frigid waters, and there was still always the chance of a wreck.

Marcus was about to say something about Luci’s statement regarding magic. He was going to say that many things in life were more than they seemed, and that he liked her outlook on magic just being a form of science that hasn’t been explored. He was going to say that. Until he saw a crackle of amethyst energy leap right from her hand. He had had her pegged correctly after all, she had magic. And by the looks of it, a rich amount of it as well.

Casually, and covertly as possible, he managed to successfully move his pelt to the front of his body, hopefully close enough for the pelt to siphon whatever magic flowed from the girl in front of him.

“I’m sorry…here I am talking your ear off in the dead of night. If you want I can walk with you until you get home, make sure you get back safe.”

God, he really did feel like a sleaze. A predator in every sense of the word. Even know his pelt may be sapping this poor girl of her magic, and he was trying to paint himself as some sort of protector. It was a messy part of being what he was, and he’d of course move the pelt away before draining her completely. A few days where her powers are “dull” or “funky” is something he could live with. Robbing her of them completely was not.

Luci didn’t know what was happening, as she tried to move her sparking hand away from the notes. Normally she didn’t worry about it, if she wasn’t intentionally flowing magic through the circles they shouldn’t glow with magic - but with how odd her magic was lately she wasn’t sure it wouldn’t catch the careful drawn lines of the circles.

A circle she hadn’t fully studied. One that could easily be very dangerous. The rest of her notebook was fairly mundane but that may not be.

It could be a disaster. She could end up hurting the man. For a moment panic kept her feet still as she thought about what she could do. Maybe Vera was still in the shop and could help her through the sparks.

“Oh uh - no I don’t think you need too,” Luci said thinking she should move as she saw a spark jump towards her bag she instinctively threw it to her side away from her freezing for a moment as she did before calming down when she realized that the spark didn’t get to it. It was a fast movement, almost violent. She was just lucky she didn’t have her laptop or phone in her bag. That would have been bad. It was lucky that Vera hated laptops.

Then she realized how weird she was now acting and said quickly and not at all afraid, “Oh - thought there was a spider. I’m deathly scared of them. You should go in case there is a spider.” Gripping her right hand she was trying to stop the sparks coming out, knowing at this point the other might see them too.

At this point, it was clear to Marcus what was happening. The pelt was already draining it’s prey of her magic. Right now, it seemed as if the magic was draining far more quickly than Marcus would have liked. At this rate, he may do serious long lasting harm in a matter of minutes. Like a dog owner pulling their pet away from a dead animal, Marcus quickly reared his pelt back away from Luci, hoping his sudden movement hadn’t raised any suspicion.

“Sorry. Thought I might have felt it crawling on me. You’re right, I should probably get back to the lighthouse” he said, now feeling like the awkward one. “It was nice meeting you! Please be careful going home.”

Marcus could see the distress on her face. She was clearly confused as to what was happening to her. And afraid. Now he could only hope that he hadn’t done any long lasting damage. He really did wish there was a more ethical and reliable source of magic for his pelt charging. In the meantime, though, he’d just have to make whatever he got tonight last as long as he could.

Luci looked at her bag her left hand shaking into a fist hoping to stop the magic. It wasn’t right, something was wrong. Was she getting worse? She had been so careful but it seemed like the wrongness of her was building.

She noticed a movement, looking at the other after a moment and wondering if he was seeing what was happening and when he said he had seen a spider she stilled. “Oh -uh yeah. Have a good night. Hope nothing crashes - you know into the rocks.” She started to move the sparks stilling as she tried to take back the bag. Maybe it had just been temporary - something new she would have to work out with Vera about her ‘special magical circumstances’. Still that scary as she tried to right herself.

Maybe she should tell Milo? - The thought quickly went away sighing as she checked the time again. Luci needed to figure this new worry alone, after all it wasn’t really surprising she was getting worse even if she wished she wasn’t. Feeling oddly tired she walked away hoping that some rest would help.

___

After achieving something that some may consider success, Marcus walked away from the encounter with a pit in his stomach. It wasn’t the first time he had done something like this, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. Even when he fed his pelt in a way that he deemed “harmless”, it very plainly left the other person in clear distress. He didn’t want to be the cause of that kind of feeling for anybody.

With a simple nod of his head, eyes glued to the ground in below him, Marcus tucked his hands into his pockets and moved back towards home before any more damage could be done. One silver lining to William being alive was he didn’t have to do any of this dirty work himself. Now, he was on his own again. Survival of the fittest, as they say.

He remembered the encounter he had with Cass in the cave, and what a long lasting impact he had left on her life from one encounter. He could only hope that this girl wouldn’t be as affected, that she’d chalk it up to some weird glitch with her powers that will blow over in a few days. Either way, he was already dreading the time that he’d have to do this again.

#wickedswriting #luci in the stars #thenavysealkie #Thank you Addie #Charging Station

5 notes · View notes