(2017-01-09) Phone a Friend
Phone a Friend
Summary: Besa and Whitley speak to the only person they can think of to get answers.
Date: 2017-01-09
NPCs: Victoria Masters

Prometheus Dorm Hub

Plush carpet lines the floor of the Prmethian Hub. Soft and inviting, a richer yellow that is easier on the eyes than their normal yellow. At the center is a large table with comfortable chairs, a circle in shape. Shared between the students here for study. On the end of the room opposite the main entrance is a large fireplace with a gas fire to provide warmth if needed. Along the walls are various portraits of their Arena Fetch team, both good years when they won and other years, simply showing they are a team. Adjacent to the fireplace, one wall has a few video games to play, the other wall has a shared HDTV. A few couches and chairs are mingled between the games and near the TV for students to relax.

On the way to lunch Whitley's phone started to ring indicating a video phone call. It was clearly Sky & Rain's mother, after answering it and asking her to wait he went in search of Besa and they decided the dorm of Besa to field the call for more privacy. No one would be hanging about the dorm when they should be eating lunch.

Besa looks ill, that much is clear on the call. He's nervous too about the tech, keeping his hands away from it, in his lap. "Mrs. Masters. Thank you for calling me back. I have…two things I need your advice one. One is unfortunately more pressing than the other." Besa feels bad even saying that, but he can feel himself dying, slowly. "Rain told you that the bowl has reappeared , yes? Schuyler smashed it and it reformed…in my room."

For the sake of accessibility, Whitley has the cellular device on a Guardian table propped up with a phone stand, so they can both be seen. He stays quiet for now, especially as the topic starts off with Besa's death bowl. He's surprised that they begin with that, seeing as Besa likes to put others before himself, but Whit is definitely not disappointed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't take your call yesterday." the woman is genuinely apologetic and the worry can be heard in her faint Italian accented voice and seen on her face "I hate to say it, but you look drained of life." normally she would ask about how Whitley is doing but pressing matters and all "Yes, they both emailed me about the bowl and its obvious magical properties. Is there anything else you can tell me about it?"

Besa nods in agreement, that's exactly how he's feeling. "It is very alright. You are a busy person." He shifts, trying to find a comfortable position to sit in, "It is a sacrifice bowl, most of the markings are too faded to read, but I have found Life, Earth, Blood." A thin hand reaches up to rub his eyes, "It moves when I am asleep, to a place I will touch it. Every time I touch it…It drains me. I think of blood. I am cold, lightheaded. It is like I have been bled." What teen knows what that feels like?!?! yikes. "It does not seem to be doing this to any one else. Either it is because I was the first one to touch it without gloves in a very long time, or it sensed the magic in my blood and activated….I do not know who the sacrifice is for."

Still quiet, but Whitley is eyeing Besa…the boy did not tell him all of that! Not that he'd understand any of it. He swallows and nods, looking back to the woman on the phone screen. That's about the gist of it. "

The woman on the other end listens as she watches the two boys. The expression on her ageless face turns grim the more Besa tells her "Are there any snake motifs on the bowl, specifically on the inside?" she asks, her tone suggesting she make have an answer if she knew about the snake thing. "Is there anything else you experience when you touch the bowl or when you first touched it?"

Besa frowns, thinking, "There is…something winding on the inside. I could not be certain they are snakes though. I could be water." He takes a moment to glance at Whit, almost like he's trying for member if there's anything else, "I am very tired. I have missed classes."

"When he first touched it, the glyphs around the bowl…melted?" Whitley speaks finally but is unsure if that is the right word to describe what happened. "It turned black for a moment before returning to normal." Or as normal as cursed objects get. He gives Besa a look like he is surprised the other boy did not notice it. "He thinks he'll die from this."

"So there was a physical reaction when he touched it?" the woman nods as if both confirm her own suspicions "I spent yesterday in meditation, walking the spirit planes searching for answers about the bowl." which would explain why she didn't pick up the phone. "You are correct it was a sacrificial bowl, to the Egyptian god Apep. It imprints itself on its sacrifice and slowly drains thier life to feed him. It has been centuries since it last feed. It usually takes months to bleed a person to death." she narrows her eyes to study Besa "It is doing to you in days what usually takes months." the worry is strong in her now. "I hate to say it, but unless it is destroyed he will."

Besa isn't sure, he looks to Whit again. But then when he hears it's to Apep, he seems to deflate. Not to a demon, to a God. His eyes close and he quietly asks, "If I die, will it stop and leave me alone? Or will it just do this again when I come back? or move onto someone else?" The last option is the worst, obviously.

Whitley frowns and shakes his head. "Schuyler already tried destroying it…it just came back." Is she referring to the god? How do they kill a god?! He looks to Besa for a moment, not liking the death part one bit. "Is there anything we can do?"

The woman gives what is supposed to be a hopeful smile, and it is mostly "Anything can be destroyed, even sacrificial bowls to long forgotten gods." she seems confident in that part at least "Just smashing it won't do the job though. It will take something specific. I'll research what that specific way is. There is a way to slow the process. Do you know how to do a reversal rune Besa?"

Besa takes a deep breath and forces a smile, no use dispairing in front of the others. "Yes. Anything can be destroyed." He frowns, lower lip bitten briefly as he things, "I know the concept, I have never cast anything like that before though." To be fair, why would he? A hand reaches for Whitley, needing a bit of grounding.

Whitley nods, "You also never cast that warmth spell before." He gives Besa a reassuring smile, having complete faith in Besa's rune magic. He allows Besa to take his hand, but looks to the twins' mother for any more information.

The woman's hand lifts and she traces a finger through the air. Glowing runes left in her finger's wake. "Use these in one of your clay disks. Break it into the bowl. It should reverse or at least slow the draining process, a couple of days at least. Long enough for me to find the solution to the bowl." she hopes at least. "I'm sorry this is happening to you."

Besa's head tilts and he watches the ruin. He'll have to adapt it, their runes are very different. But he nods, understand the basics. "I will try it. Thank you." And then after a pause and a hand squeeze, "If it does not work, please do not blame yourself." He doesn't want a prewar woman all upset because of him!

And now onto the more delicate conversation. Besa studies her briefly before, "The second thing I needed to speak to you on is the protection spell you cast on Rain is failing. Or has been warper. There is a signature of someone else's on it. It does not seem malignant, but…it is causing problems." And now to wait and see who she refers to her daughter…or son.

"Big problems. Half the school has been affected by whatever magic has been cast." But Whitley says nothing more. He catches on instantly and watches the woman on the phone screen, waiting for how she remembers Rain(ier).

Victoria was worried enough as it is over Besa's situation, but to hear that there is a complication with her child, well that doubles it. She takes a breath, like any mother she is fighting emotions. "One thing at a time." that's the only way she is going to be able to deal with this one. "First, how is the spell warped? It didn't do any physical harm to her did it?" yes her, at least their mom remembers that Rain is a girl.

Besa frowns, this is going to be weird. "No…not harm…" He looks to Whit, but realizes he's going to make Besa say it. "There has been some kind of magic cast to make Rain, and everyone else, believe she is a boy. Even Schuyler believes he has always had a twin brother. She does not seem to be hurt, but…it is not right." His hand tightens on Whitley's, "She says her name is Rainier, and appears to be a boy in all aspects." He doesn't mention the talk of jiggly bits. "There was a wave of something magical a few days ago, in the middle of the night. The teacher woke us all, but no one was hurt or effected that they cold tell. Except for Rain, who was Rainier…and the teachers all bee live she is a he." Not that Besa actually trusts the teachers here anymore. "The second signature is from someone very…powerful but inexperienced." He has his suspicions.

"I checked hi - her mind, and there seems to be some shielding there that wasn't created by her. She doesn't even seem aware of it. While its effects are psychic, I don't believe it comes from a psychic source," So magic. "She would not allow me to break through it." Whitley continues, a bit surprised that their mother knows nothing about this. He was assuming this was intentional, but maybe not. "Her personality has also changed slightly. She acts like a boy…" Which is different, old Rain never borderline flirted with him.

The look of shock on the woman's face is unmistakable "Her name is Rainier." is all the woman can say for a moment "She says its to masculine so refuses to use it." the opposite of boy Rain. She is silent for a long moment, trying to process this "I did cast a protection spell, along with a selective spell of illusion. Anyone approaching her with hostile intent would see her as a boy. It was to hide her from whomever was sending the kraken things." the woman shakes her head "There were complications when I cast it." a hand presumably goes to her baby belly, but that bit of her is out of view of the camera "The baby can already sense magic…I didn't think she was capable of manipulating it yet. That usually doesn't happen until shortly before birth." which is still a few months away. "And you say Schuyler is affected too? And the students?" she slowly nods at what Whitley has added "It's good you didn't. The magic is protecting her just not in the way it is supposed to, breaking the ward could have backlashed the magic at you or her or both." none of which are good. "The personality change makes sense. She thinks she has lived her life as a boy, her and Schuyler have been mentally connected since conception, she must be drawing on his experiences as a boy unconsciously."

Besa cocks an eyebrow, "Then your spell has gone amiss. It sees everyone as hostile…including Rain." But then she explains more and Besa nods. That was one of the possibilities he thought of. "Can this be fixed?" While having Rain consider him her/his best friend is really nice, it's not fair to Rain (or Charlotte). His hand tightens on Whit's again as he sways slightly.

Whitley scrunches up his nose, baby magic is weirder than he expected, but the corner of his lips tug slightly. He wasn't too far off with the crazy kraken theory. "How deep does the illusion run? Is it just visual or…" He squeezes Besa's hand, a worried look flashing over his face as he notices swaying Besa.

"That seems to be the case." Victoria has been thinking hard on this one, just as she did Besa's issue. "The spell can be broken yes. I cast it so it would break itself after a set period of time, but unless I look at it I don't know if that is still part of the spell. And it wouldn't be right to have her mistakenly living as a boy for months. "Deeper than it should if Rain is seeing herself as a boy as well. That wasn't part of my casting." she closes her eyes a moment and pinches the bridge of her nose a moment before opening them up again and looking at Besa "I know you want to see Rain and Sky back to how they were, and I do to. But their condition isn't life threatening. Let's get the bowl destroyed before it kills you and then focus on getting Rain back to how she is supposed to be."

Besa frowns, but can't argue that logically. "The….rune will buy us time. If you can easily fix them, please do." He doesn't know the rune will buy the time, but his heart is equally hurting, for the twins, and well, just hurting. He manages a small smile, "Thank you."

Whitley nods and echoes Besa. "Thank you." This was helpful in clearing things up. "Would you like us to tell this to Rainier and Schuyler?" Pretending things are normal would be weird, but he's willing to do it if it doing otherwise does more harm.

"I will examine the spell this evening and see what needs to be done to remove it." Victoria doesn't explain how she is going to do that of course. The woman returns the smile, warm and caring "I have been told quite firmly by both Rain and Schuyler that you are family. I am sure they have explained to you what that means to them." not being born a Master's she only has an outsider's perspective of it, even if she is family as well. "I'm not sure it matters one way or the other Whitley. There could be components of the spell that is preventing them from believing what you tell them or show them. I will know better soon and will keep you informed."

Besa figures someone with her power can scry, that's not hard to believe. He smiles at the word family, "Yes….they keep telling me that as well." it's nice. They're better family than the priests. It's part of why he wants to fix this so badly, before…well, before anything worse happens with the bowl. He nods, believing telling the twins will do no good. "Thank you. Please call as soon as you figure out anything."
