I8DT - Weighs the same as a duck

[Samantha McManus]

"I think what I found upon him was trying to save him from this, however in vain."

[Victoria Valentine]

"And the safest way to accomplish that, really, might be to set aside his power and not touch it again. These aren't things to be toyed with. You walk into my room with the metaphysical equivalent of atomic bomb parts, sneering at me for being on guard against yet another rather dark power that could come knocking in my room if I'm not careful. And I'll be utterly frank, I'm rather tired of hearing that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about... I don't know who educated you in your magic," she poked a finger at Sean, "But I'm rather confident in my learning thus far. So if you want my help, to put it plainly, give me the entire story, rather than bits and pieces out of the middle and acting condescending because I don't know the rest of the story, or get the bloody hell out of my room."

[Sean Hall]

"Do you even know what condescending means? Because this is me being condescending," Sean said eyes narrowing, "There's a large difference between questioning knowledge and being patronizing. I came to you because my knowledge when it comes to Elder Gods and ritual magic is slim compared to somebody who has had instruction and you were recommended quite highly by the headmistress as somebody knowledgeable. I felt the drawings would be enough to get at least an idea of what the purpose of the ritual was, and possibly help with locking down a ritual site.

Just so we have an understanding I'm confident in my abilities to shield, heal, make things explode, and short distance scrying. As to your first statement I can no more cut off the gift than cut off all four of my limbs. I've been using magic since I could just hardly walk and possibly before that, but unfortunately my parents were killed my education was cut short and I had to learn on my own. Most of my knowledge simply is, and fine control is something I've developed over time.

Also pardon me to all nine bloody hells for not wanting to describe in detail one of the most terrifying things I've ever experienced to a stranger who pointed a focus at me and more or less said that my parents tried to make me a demon host. If you wanted to know exactly what happened you could have asked without the speech and I would have told you, but I think we moved away from that point didn't we?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Look, I know this isn't easy for either of you, but we're not going to get anywhere if the accusations keep flying."

[Victoria Valentine]

"What do you want to know?" Victoria asked, turning to Sam. "I think you can give me a better idea of that than the boy whose parents just laughed when he was playing with matches, yes?"

[Samantha McManus]

"It doesn't seem like it was unnatural to them. They were distorted in the memory, in the spell that their blood bought. I can't quite tell if this was just the symbolic nature of a mindscape, but they didn't seem purely human."

[Victoria Valentine]

"Yes, well, bad parenting is bad parenting. Trust me, I'm one who would know intimately. Now... I'm waiting."

[Rebecca Valentine]

There was a mental wince. "I'll just... be... waiting back here... Don't mind me..."

[Samantha McManus]

"They didn't want this for him, I'm certain of that much. They didn't know how much they were hurting him, or their representations in the spell didn't. They would have driven him mad rather than let him really remember them or what happened that night."

[Victoria Valentine]

"As I don't hear any questions forthcoming, I'm going to assume that there are none and bid you both good day," Victoria said, turning toward the third room of the suite. "If you'll excuse me, then, I still have nursery furniture to finish disassembling."

[Samantha McManus]

She sighed.

"I'm sorry, Victoria. He doesn't know about Chthon. I don't know about Chthon. We've been trying to give as much information as we can here, and we've not much to start from."

"It's true that he's not about to let this be, but I think even if he were willing there would be a risk of it seeking him out. We need to know what we're dealing with here."

[Victoria Valentine]

"What you are dealing with," Victoria said, finally, "Is one of the oldest surviving elder gods. Possibly the oldest. He is, quite literally, the creator of all black magic. Every horrible spell or dark creature, vampires, werewolves, N'Garai, they all come from Chthon or his works." She looked back. "Falling under the sway of the Darkhold means one thing: You forfeit your soul for whatever you're trying to gain, and whatever you're trying to gain generally goes horribly wrong. This is a power that the Sorceror Supreme would deny."

She turned back toward the room. "But then again, I'm just a stupid girl who doesn't have room for anything in her life but magic anymore. How should I know what I'm talking about."

[Samantha McManus]

"I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't trust you, Victoria."

[Victoria Valentine]

She paused, looking back toward Sean. "Where are you from? Birmingham?"

[Sean Hall]

Sean nodded in response to Victoria's question.

"I grew up there after I was adopted," Sean said.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria frowned at that, apparently that not being the answer she'd been hoping for. "Sit," she said, indicating her couch as she changed course, heading for her room. "Not you, though, yet," she added to Sam. She opened the door to her room and stepped in, stepping back almost immediately with a stone bottle, which she set on the coffee table. Then, turning a brighter light on, she walked behind Sam, and... took ahold of her shadow, shaping a section of it until it came free, shaped as a shallow bowl, which she set on the table next to the bottle as she went to turn the brighter light back off.

[Samantha McManus]

She shivered as Victoria worked, looking faintly alarmed.

"What... what was that you just did?"

[Victoria Valentine]

"We're scrying for secrets, so I needed a bowl. Making it from shadow works particularly well for this, and the shadow of a goddess-touched is particularly potent," Victoria said simply as she knelt down on the other side of the table from them, uncorking the bottle and pouring water into the shadow-bowl.

[Sean Hall]

Sean leaned forward to watch closer looking interested. He hadn't seen many practitioners use their gift.

[Samantha McManus]

"I... felt that," she murmured, regaining her composure.

"If it's what you need, though..."

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria cocked an eyebrow. "Did you, now? Interesting. Not worrisome, though. You'll get it back when we're through."

Victoria held her hand out, the dagger again in her other hand. "Hand," she said simply to Sean.

[Samantha McManus]

"...not relevant to his issues. We can talk about it later, if you wish."

She looked with interest to Sean and what Victoria were doing.

[Sean Hall]

Sean held out his hand to Victoria.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria took his hand and ran the dagger his palm... and apparently, it was sharp enough for it to slit his palm open with him only feeling the slightest brush of pressure. She let the blooid drip into the bowl, making a gesture to silence any protests or worries from Sam or Sean. Then, with a whispered word, she held the flow of blood in place. Leaning forward, she kissed the cut lightly, her lips not so much as smearing the blood on his palm, then gently blew on it, charming the cut closed again, his skin beginning to knit together with a gentle tingling of coldness. "Shadows for the secrets hiding what we seek, blood to form the link, and sacrifice to empower the spell," she murmured, passing Sean a clean white cloth to dry his hand with.

[Sean Hall]

If the idea of the knife hitting his hand bothered him it wasn't showing. Sean stretched the now healed hand before he took the cloth with his free hand and dried off his hand as he watched Victoria begin her scrying.

[Samantha McManus]

There was a faint twitch from her as the blood hit the bowl, but she held her tongue for the moment.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria waved her hand over the bowl, her skin actually slowly fading to a very pale blue as the blood spread through the water evenly at the gesture.

"By the seven nameless angels,
By whose fall we gain our power,
By the wisdom of the spirits,
Aiding in our darkest hour,
By the Queen of Air and Darkness,
Who beholds all things concealed,
Let our eyes pierce through the shadows,
What we seek shall be revealed!"

[Sean Hall]

The spell took hold and the surface of the water seemed to glow. They saw a woman in a well pressed suit behind her a shadow stretched that didn't match her actual shape. The shadow had feathered wings. The image changed again to a tree ancient. The leaves on it an entirely unnatural shade of blue but some were marred with red. The angle of the picture changed revealing a ritual circle that should have been showing its age, but instead was untouched. The image though began to blur showing a house shaped out multiple trees and the image began to zoom out quickly revealing a forest that looked familiar. They could all feel it this was home and it called to them all. They could hear the laughter, smell the warmth of many meals being served, feel the comfort of a warm bed, and for a moment as if they were wrapped in a comforting embrace. Then it all changed. The world began to smell of rot, viscera, and fresh blood. The water began to turn black.

[Samantha McManus]

She quirked a brow.

"...that wouldn't happen to be your nanny, would it?"

[Sean Hall]

Sean's hand glowed as he attempted to seal the scrying spell himself. The last thing Sean wanted was that continuing and scrying could be used two ways.

"Elizabeth," Sean said, "That was her. My guardian angel."

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria, apparently, had the same idea, but different methods. With a tap of her dagger, the shadow-bowl closed up around the water, sealing it up within with a faint 'popping' feeling to the magically attuned. Victoria blinked as her skin went white again. "There... I believe I might have to hold onto that shadow longer than I thought," she said, sitting back on the floor to catch her breath.

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha still looked more than a bit uncomfortable.

"...if that's what's needed," She said, her eyes drawn to the bit of her shadow.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria let Sam talk to Sean a moment as she coaxed the shadow into a smaller and smaller form, finally sealing it into the crystal orb around her neck, effectively blocking it from outside scrying.

[Samantha McManus]

"Guardian angel... who lies in our path, apparently. Might be a bit more literal than you thought."

[Sean Hall]

"I just hope she isn't one that has fallen," Sean said sounding shaken.

[Samantha McManus]

"This is why you can't do this alone, Sean. If Victoria hadn't scried this, you wouldn't have known."

[Victoria Valentine]

"Could be easier to deal with if she was," Victoria mused to herself as she corked the stone bottle again.

[Sean Hall]

"Either way she can add clarity," Sean said, "My parents haven't released her from her contract, so I know where to find her."

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't know if her being without a contract makes her less dangerous or more," she said as she glanced to Victoria for confirmation.

[Victoria Valentine]

"It could be either way," Victoria agreed, pushing herself up and reaching for her fridge to get something to drink.