It had been a long, hard, headache-filled day. First there had been the mother-turned-schoolteacher who had wanted to know if her daughter would be all right in the high school she'd chosen. Then there had been the elderly couple looking for their daughter (who was dead, but they didn't know that). There had been the hyperactive young man who had wanted to find out what his boss was up to (which made no sense, considering his boss was also dead), whom she had eventually almost shoved out the door... every time he touched the cards she got sharp, blinding migraines. And then there had been the three daughters, who had wanted to know that their parents were safe on the 'other side.' Meredith groaned and sank further into the tub. That last one had been the absolute last straw.
Now, at least, she was safely ensconced in her tub, hot berry-scented steam pouring over her and soothing music playing in the background. The only light in the room was candlelight, also berry scented. In another few minutes she would step out of the tub and drain it, put on her big and fluffy bathrobe, and drip on into the living room to watch some mindless television. Maybe Law & Order.
Except her cat had other plans.
Meredith shut her eyes and groaned as the black kitten leaped up into the bath. With just a little bit of luck and the will of the Goddess, all the stupid cat wanted to do was play in the bubble bath. With a lot of luck, the cat would stick her paw into the water, yowl, and run off again like she usually did. But something in the days events had told her that if fate didn't conspire to throw something big her way soon, the Goddess bloody well would. And besides, it had been several months since anything really bad had happened.
The cat sat on the corner of the tub and stared at her.
"Oh, come on, Moon..." Meredith pleaded, opening her eyes as soon as she felt the cat's piercing gaze. "Don't do this to me. Not tonight... please? I had a hell of a day and I just want to relax and go to bed..."
The cat blinked.
"Don't do this to me, cat... I mean it. I'll dump you in the water."
The cat blinked.
"I hate it when you do this."
Blink.
"Okay, FINE. Talk to me. Deliver your oh-so-important message and then get the hell out so I can get some sleep..." Meredith sunk into the tub until the bubbles were just beneath her eyes. "Shoot."
old man kriticos is opening the eye
"WHAT?!"
Meredith leaped to her feet in the tub, splashing the cat (who duly yowled and fled). Then she abruptly skidded and would have fallen had she not grabbed the towel-rack behind her. She swore like a sailor, kicking the plug out of the tub and setting the water to drain. "Goddammit. That crack-brained son of a bitch. I thought he was dead..."
you thought he thought everybody thought. that's what the boy thought.
"Boy..." She grabbed a towel and started drying herself off even as she hurried into her room. "What boy? What the hell are you talking about?"
the seeing boy
"Oh. That boy."
kriticos used him to help make the eye see. the boy doesn't know what it does. kriticos has a new helper now, many helpers. he will open the eye...
"I know, I know, all right already! Shut up! Shut the hell up." Meredith sighed. "I hate it when you do this to me, you know that."
A discontented yowl and the sound of a cat attempting to raspberry came from behind her curtains.
"Okay, fine. I suppose I'd better get my soggy butt over to the goddamn house, then. It is still at the house, right?" She didn't wait for an answer, and didn't even get one, really. "Kit, kit, where's the witch kit..." A dark green duffel bag revealed itself as the cat leaped to the closet and knocked some dresses down. "You're such a help." She grabbed it.
"If Kriticos is opening the eye, that means he's going to have some pretty heavy duty protections around it. And if he's going to do what I think he's going to do..." she pulled a small vial out of the bag, sniffed it experimentally, then pulled another one out and replaced the first. "I'm going to need some hell of a lot of protection."
Naked, Meredith stood in front of the mirror. What had once been a liquid liner bottle became a quick-fix warding bottle with the simple application of some holy water laced with lavendar. She traced the pentacle on her forehead, bracketed it with moons. The vial went back into her bag and she reache dinto her desk for the woad paint. "Might as well," she muttered. "I've got to be crazy to go in there." The dark blue dye traced quickly over her hands in patterns of protection, down over the wrists. Then she traced around her neck, then around her solar plexus and abdomen. Besides the ritual purposes, it was practical as well; woad placed near where the blood ran close to the surface meant the psychoactive effects took hold that much quicker. She closed her eyes, sank into meditation for the fifteen minutes it would take the war paint to dry. Then she pulled on her jeans, a black turtleneck, and grabbed her bag.
"Okay. I'm off, call the other two and tell them to meet me at the house... tell them to come fully armed and loaded for demon. Or whatever else is going to be there!"
The cat yowled, hiding in her closet again. She flipped it the rude finger and ducked out her doorway, already feeling the exhilirating effects of the blue woad paint.
"Gonna kick some ass tonight!"
Now, at least, she was safely ensconced in her tub, hot berry-scented steam pouring over her and soothing music playing in the background. The only light in the room was candlelight, also berry scented. In another few minutes she would step out of the tub and drain it, put on her big and fluffy bathrobe, and drip on into the living room to watch some mindless television. Maybe Law & Order.
Except her cat had other plans.
Meredith shut her eyes and groaned as the black kitten leaped up into the bath. With just a little bit of luck and the will of the Goddess, all the stupid cat wanted to do was play in the bubble bath. With a lot of luck, the cat would stick her paw into the water, yowl, and run off again like she usually did. But something in the days events had told her that if fate didn't conspire to throw something big her way soon, the Goddess bloody well would. And besides, it had been several months since anything really bad had happened.
The cat sat on the corner of the tub and stared at her.
"Oh, come on, Moon..." Meredith pleaded, opening her eyes as soon as she felt the cat's piercing gaze. "Don't do this to me. Not tonight... please? I had a hell of a day and I just want to relax and go to bed..."
The cat blinked.
"Don't do this to me, cat... I mean it. I'll dump you in the water."
The cat blinked.
"I hate it when you do this."
Blink.
"Okay, FINE. Talk to me. Deliver your oh-so-important message and then get the hell out so I can get some sleep..." Meredith sunk into the tub until the bubbles were just beneath her eyes. "Shoot."
old man kriticos is opening the eye
"WHAT?!"
Meredith leaped to her feet in the tub, splashing the cat (who duly yowled and fled). Then she abruptly skidded and would have fallen had she not grabbed the towel-rack behind her. She swore like a sailor, kicking the plug out of the tub and setting the water to drain. "Goddammit. That crack-brained son of a bitch. I thought he was dead..."
you thought he thought everybody thought. that's what the boy thought.
"Boy..." She grabbed a towel and started drying herself off even as she hurried into her room. "What boy? What the hell are you talking about?"
the seeing boy
"Oh. That boy."
kriticos used him to help make the eye see. the boy doesn't know what it does. kriticos has a new helper now, many helpers. he will open the eye...
"I know, I know, all right already! Shut up! Shut the hell up." Meredith sighed. "I hate it when you do this to me, you know that."
A discontented yowl and the sound of a cat attempting to raspberry came from behind her curtains.
"Okay, fine. I suppose I'd better get my soggy butt over to the goddamn house, then. It is still at the house, right?" She didn't wait for an answer, and didn't even get one, really. "Kit, kit, where's the witch kit..." A dark green duffel bag revealed itself as the cat leaped to the closet and knocked some dresses down. "You're such a help." She grabbed it.
"If Kriticos is opening the eye, that means he's going to have some pretty heavy duty protections around it. And if he's going to do what I think he's going to do..." she pulled a small vial out of the bag, sniffed it experimentally, then pulled another one out and replaced the first. "I'm going to need some hell of a lot of protection."
Naked, Meredith stood in front of the mirror. What had once been a liquid liner bottle became a quick-fix warding bottle with the simple application of some holy water laced with lavendar. She traced the pentacle on her forehead, bracketed it with moons. The vial went back into her bag and she reache dinto her desk for the woad paint. "Might as well," she muttered. "I've got to be crazy to go in there." The dark blue dye traced quickly over her hands in patterns of protection, down over the wrists. Then she traced around her neck, then around her solar plexus and abdomen. Besides the ritual purposes, it was practical as well; woad placed near where the blood ran close to the surface meant the psychoactive effects took hold that much quicker. She closed her eyes, sank into meditation for the fifteen minutes it would take the war paint to dry. Then she pulled on her jeans, a black turtleneck, and grabbed her bag.
"Okay. I'm off, call the other two and tell them to meet me at the house... tell them to come fully armed and loaded for demon. Or whatever else is going to be there!"
The cat yowled, hiding in her closet again. She flipped it the rude finger and ducked out her doorway, already feeling the exhilirating effects of the blue woad paint.
"Gonna kick some ass tonight!"