Cantrip 1.4
/x/
Sophia watched as Taylor walked out of the female changing room with Sister Hannah, her black jacket's sleeves fluttered as Taylor walked towards her from across the empty corridor.
"Hey, Hebert!"
Several pairs of eyes looked upon her with disapproval, including the dull glare of Sister Hannah. But Taylor looked at her with mild surprise on her face, as she stopped for a beat before she shrugged and waved in greeting.
"Hello, Hess." Taylor said as she walked closer to Sophia. "Never thought of you as the meet and greet type."
Sophia pulled out a ziploc bag filled with long red hair from her pocket, which caused Taylor to fix her gaze on it.
"Is that..." Taylor said as she pointed a shaking finger at the bag of hair. Sister Hannah looked at the two girls, before she walked several feet ahead of the two.
"It is." Sophia said as she handed the bag over to a shaken Taylor. Sophia's hand hovered awkwardly above Taylor's shoulders, unsure what to do next.
"Emma." Taylor whispered as she clutched the plastic bag. A few stifled sobs, before Taylor returned the hair to Sophia.
"Thanks." Taylor said with a sad smile. "Does Anne and the rest of her family know?"
"Yeah." Sophia said as she tried to look away before she settled on staring at her shoes. "I've called them once the lab confirmed the DNA match with the Barnes' sample."
"Guess we're even then." Taylor said with a chuckle as she wiped her eyes. "Thanks."
"No, we're not even, Hebert." Sophia said. "Not until I make up for what happened to you."
Taylor looked into Sophia's eyes at her declaration, before shaking her head as she walked away.
"Carry that weight with you if you wanna, Hess." Taylor said as she walked towards a waiting Sister Hannah. "Not gonna try dissuading you."
As it should be, Sophia thought as she watched Taylor and her guide turn past a corner and into an elevator.
Taylor kept her gaze fixed on the glowing runes etched into the walls and doors of the elevator, while Sister Hannah tapped her cane against the floor.
"So Taylor," Sister Hannah said while Taylor kept her gaze firmly fixed on the runes, "You attending the Barnes' sending off?"
Taylor remained silent, the drone of the lift's motors filling the air.
"I'm conducing the sending, you know," Sister Hannah said, "The Barnes, especially Anne have expressed a wish through Sophia that you attend."
"It should've been me," Taylor snapped, "Emma pushed me out of the Tear!"
The elevator doors opened opposite Vulcan's office, and Taylor walked briskly out as she left Sister Hannah behind.
"Sent you a text," Sister Hannah shouted as the doors closed, "Remember to read it for the details of the sending off!"
/x/
Taylor glared at the blonde girl with the infuriating grin and the exorcist who was about to stick her with the job of babysitting her.
"So, Orpheus. As I was say-"
"I heard you the first time. About you wanting to use my home as an orphanage."
Vulcan paused at the interruption, before he pulled out a plain folder from his drawer and handed it over to Taylor. Vulcan sat silently, his hands folded together while Sarah busied herself with reading Taylor's expression and the many simmering vials and bottles of coloured liquid in the office. The mercury ball on Vulcan's staff reached towards Sarah by extending a tendril of itself, the extension hovered above her face before it expanded into a woman's face.
"No, Servatis! Bad homunculus!"
Sarah's eyes widened as she saw the mercury change into a puppy as it whined towards its master.
"Now, Servatis!"
"It's alive," Sarah said as she watched the silver liquid reform into a ball on Vulcan's staff, "the mercury is alive. Even my power agrees."
"If you're shocked by that," Taylor said as she snapped the folder shut," You'll die when I show you the sights in the Afterdark District."
Taylor ignored the flood of questions that burst from an excited Sarah as she fixed Vulcan with a hard stare. She slid the folder back towards Vulcan and began to tap the polished wooden surface of the desk.
"I'm gonna need more money," Taylor said, "I've got one Returner and one Marked from some unknown dimension in my threshold. I'm going to need all the fortifying materials yesterday!"
"Not happening," Vulcan said flatly, "We're already helping you strengthen your home's threshold as part of the payment for using your place as a staging point."
"Why not?" Sarah said, as her interruption drew surprised looks from the exorcists. "I mean, Taylor here obviously has financial and family issues considering she's a minor and is also unable to get a foster family because of her unique background. You guys owe her."
Taylor reached into her jacket.
"How did you know m-" Taylor's eyes narrowed. "your ability."
"Power, please," Sarah said smoothly, "it just doesn't sound professional if you call it something else."
Taylor sniffed before she turned back to Vulcan and pointed towards Sarah's grinning face.
"She's as smug and insufferable as she's right."
Taylor dangled an open palm faced upwards into Vulcan's face.
"Pay up, Wallis."
/x/
Sarah stretched as she and Taylor stepped out of the Preacher truck, which thankfully wasn't blasting prayers and hymns at deafening volumes. The early noon breeze brushed against Sarah's face as the willow trees swayed in the sun, and she focused on the colours still dancing in the sky as the Preacher truck drove away.
"Beautiful aren't they?"
Sarah turned around at Taylor's comment and saw her pointing towards the lights.
"The Veil Colors. You learned about them while in the Citadel?"
"Yeah," Sarah nodded, " They appeared three decades ago when two figures, golden male and silver female appeared."
"The Tearing of the Veil," Taylor said as she removed a syringe and a packet of needles from her jacket," they appeared suddenly and could be seen in every corner of the Earth at once. Then the Colors appeared and swarmed them."
Sarah watched nervously as Taylor began to assemble the needle and syringe, while eyeing her right arm.
"Form a fist, so that I can find your veins easier." Taylor said, "now where was I? Oh yeah. After Goldie and Silverlocks were swarmed by the light show, the world heard this ripping sound, like a drape cut ripped in half."
Sarah stood frozen on the spot as she watched Taylor approach, needle in hand and a gleeful smile on her face.
"It's gonna hurt bad, isn't it? That's why you're distracting me?"
"Maybe it will," Taylor said as she poked the needle in, " And after that, the Others and magic started appearing along with the first Marked."
Sarah hissed as the needle was finally removed from her arm, before she winced as Taylor pressed down on her wound with a swab of cotton.
"Orpheus? That really hurt."
"I aim to please, Livsey," Taylor said as she shook the syringe, "I'm a lot of things, having good bedside manners isn't one of them."
"Such modesty, Orpheus," Sarah said before her face fell, " Oh, and first name please. Using my family name reminds me of things I'd rather not rake up."
Taylor splashed the red liquid across the the fence's gate by throwing the syringe at it, which caused the syringe to shatter. The symbols painted on the fence glowed momentarily as Taylor began chanting rapidly, before the light faded and she nodded in satisfaction. Taking Sarah by the hand, Taylor dangled it over the fence and held it there for a minute before letting go.
"Congrats. You didn't burst into flames, so that means you're not an Other in disguise."
Sarah yelped in surprise as she jumped away from the fence, before she glared at Taylor.
"Just kidding. I wasn't really doing something that would have you potentially burst into flames." Taylor said as she mimicked the grin that Sarah used to annoy her. She pushed the gate open and gestured for her guest to follow as they entered the yard, Sarah's gaze drawn to the painted symbols across the fence and the pillars along the porch.
"So, if you don't want me to call you by your last name, and I can't address you by first name outside a threshold because of the taboo," Taylor said as she opened the front door, "I suppose you've got a runic name ready?"
"Sure I do," Sarah said as she gave a deep bow, "Soothsayer."
Taylor arched an eyebrow, before she shook her head as she chuckled.
"That's an invitation for trouble, if I've ever heard one."
"Well, Trouble's the middle name, Orpheus," Sarah said with a grin, "Don't wear it out."
"Cheeky." Taylor said as she crashed onto the couch and was joined by Sarah.
"Rest up y'all and get some food." Taylor said in between yawns. "Tonight we're going on a Purification patrol and a shopping trip down to the Afterdark if we've got the time."
A cloud of black smoke formed behind the couch, as Sarah jumped onto her feet. She pointed her handgun at the looming figure, her grip shaking at the sight of a shadowy man with a neck cavity covered in bandages.
"Now young lady," Danny said as he looked at the gun with a smile," On our world, we find it very rude to point a gun at your host."
"Actually, Dad,I'm technically the host since I'm the only living member of the house right now."
"Shit, Orpheus, your Dad's dead?! What the fuck!"
"Language. And the PC term is Guardian Spirit for any Other bound to serve an exorcist, whatever the actual origin of the Other maybe." Taylor said as she wagged a finger at her guest. She turned to her father, who folded his arms and looked at Taylor with a disapproving frown.
"What's this I heard about you going on a patrol and the Afterdark?"
"Just bringing the new girl to a tour around town, Dad," Taylor said with a shrug," you haven't had a chance to visit the Afterdark yourself for awhile haven't you?"
"Now listen here young la- wait?" Danny's voice turned hopeful, "You're bringing me along?"
"Yeah, with Purge ritual done for these seven weeks, I don't have to bait any Others for a while. I just hope I don't have to use you."
"Famous last words, Orpheus." Sarah quipped as she walked into the kitchen.
/x/
A/N- So a build up chapter and mostly dialogue to establish the budding relationship between Sarah and Taylor. Next chapter will be Sarah's first Purification patrol and a visit to the Afterdark.
I will also be switching to a first person POV next chapter on. It helps the writing flow better regards to Orpheus' internal narration.