Magic Box, Sunday, 12/06

[not_every_mage]

If Anders had made it to work when he was nine and when he wasn't even himself, going the day after the ghosts had left shouldn't have posed any problem at all.

And it didn't, really. He was just giving the more powerful books and magical implements a wide berth. It seemed like he'd done enough magic for any one weekend.

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan hadn't realized that the extent of the island's weirdness had gotten as bad as it had until he'd heard the radio broadcast. He'd frowned and then that frowned deepened until he'd almost gotten a headache.

That brought him to this store, still looking worried. "Are you all right?" he asked, striding closer and still frowning. "You were fighting yesterday?"

Now, he knew that Anders could handle himself but he could be concerned too.

[not_every_mage]

"I went to Ingvar," Anders nodded, with a wary look on his face that was going to stay there until he figured out exactly why Nathan was upset. (Not that he was short of guesses on that score.) "I'm glad it's over, but I'm fine. Are you all right?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Fine," he said, almost looking puzzled at the question. "I didn't go anywhere. I was just -- was it bad? I didn't know about anything until I listened to the radio this morning. You're not hurt?"

[not_every_mage]

"No, I'm not," Anders assured him. "A little scraped up from the trees that tried to strangle us, but it'll heal. I probably should have told you before I left, but --"

He shrugged. There hadn't really been a reason not to find Nathan and let him know the plan; he'd just gotten tunnel vision.

"It was bad," he added. "We had to fight these hideous dead-eyed dolls after the trees."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"No, that's all right," Nathan said, shaking his head. "I get it. I don't think I would have mentioned anything either. I just -- I wanted to check. The words on the radio were vague. Just said that you were there."

[not_every_mage]

"I didn't hear the broadcast," Anders said. He felt more relaxed now that he knew Nathan was concerned, not upset. "Honestly I'm surprised the squirrels followed us there at all. But I figured I could do some good,so -- I went."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan nodded. "There were dolls over there? Were they alive?"

[not_every_mage]

"I'm not sure," Anders said. "They moved, and one of them said mama, but I don't think they were alive the way we are. It was magic, that was all."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan thought about it before he shuddered. "Dolls are...not something I'd ever want to see alive or hear talk. They're a little too creepy for even me to deal with. What did you fight over there? The dolls?"

[not_every_mage]

"The dolls were the last thing," Anders said, eyes wide at the memory. "I tried to set them on fire and they sort of ... fused into this giant burning doll thing. Terrifying. But before them there were living trees, and before that there were some huge waves. Some of us almost got knocked down before we could do anything."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"All of that?" Nathan asked, eyes widening. "What in the -- "

He shook his head.

"Were you lot able to find what caused it?"

[not_every_mage]

"Believe it or not," Anders said, a very strange expression crossing his face, "the island spirit was having a tantrum and needed someone to sing it a lullaby."

It was quite possibly the strangest explanation he had ever needed to give.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan frowned and then scratched his cheek. "That's...a little unbelievable. Really? That's quite the tantrum."

[not_every_mage]

"And I don't know why its tantrum meant spirits got to possess people who aren't even mages," Anders replied. "I don't know. Maybe I needed to listen better when they went over it all."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Could it happen again?" he asked, not liking the sound of it. "Is this place always going to be in danger because someone throws a bloody tantrum?"

[not_every_mage]

"That," Anders said through tightly drawn lips, "is a bloody good question. What we did felt final, but it's not as though we killed anything. I just have to trust that the ritual they found for us will stand."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan shook his head again. "It all just sounds so much like some fairy tale that would be in a book. A bloody frightening fairy tale but still."

[not_every_mage]

"It does, doesn't it?" Anders agreed. "Like the trials the hero has to go through before he can kill the dragon and take its heart. Only without the bit with the dragon."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan shook his head again. "Was anyone hurt? Or did everyone come out all right?"

[not_every_mage]

"Nothing serious that I saw," Anders reassured him. "Some scrapes and bruises, that kind of thing. I suppose we were lucky."

He didn't expect his luck to be that good.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Good," Nathan said, letting out a quiet breath. "I was a little concerned. I thought I'd come by and see for myself. See that you were all right."

[not_every_mage]

"I'm glad you did," Anders said, with a genuine smile. "I hoped you were all right. Did you run into any trouble here?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Not at all," Nathan said, shaking his head. "There was a creepy sense going around but I was safe. Even when I was outside, I was safe."

[not_every_mage]

"So maybe your luck's changing," Anders suggested, reaching a handout to brush against Nathan's. "No more tripping over your own shoelaces and falling into bottomless pits. At least not this week."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully not," Nathan said, turning his hand over to try and hold onto Anders' hand. "I wouldn't call my luck changing just because of that. Other things, though? Maybe."