*Author's Note*
Disclaimer: I wanted to anchor Marinette's magic in Wiccan as opposed to "Hollywood witchcraft", but I'm Christian. I tried to do my research, but I also know I'm taking a lot of creative liberties. If you notice any glaring misrepresentation of Wiccan, please let me know.
Chapter 4
"Luka?" Marinette's soothing voice snapped him alert. "Do you feel an energy surge whenever your power manifests?"
"No." He did feel his skin slowly warm under Marinette's touch, though. And it crept up his arms. Once more his fingers twitched as if they were plucking guitar strings.
"Does the effect happen every time you hum?"
"Yes, even if I don't mean for it to." He remembered the woman by The Liberty, and those kids crossing the street earlier. He hoped they were alright.
"Does the effect happen every time you whistle?"
"Only if I'm whistling a tune, if I just whistle to catch someone's attention it doesn't seem to do anything."
Marinette nodded as she noted the distinction. "Does the effect happen every time you sing?"
"Yes."
"Does the effect happen every time you play an instrument?"
"Yes."
"Does it matter which instrument you play?"
"I assume so? I've only tried out a small variety of instruments. Mostly my guitar, bongos once or twice, Juleka's bass, my mom's keyboard a few times, and I think a harmonica once when I was little. It happened every time so far, though. Even drumming my pencil against my desk at school affects those around me."
"You play guitar?" Marinette's voice was dreamy again. Luka wasn't sure if she was asking him as a friend, or as part of the inquiry into his power.
"Mmhmm," he replied a bit coyly. "If we can figure out how to dampen my power, I'd love to play it for you sometime."
For a fraction of a second, Marinette's hands tightened around Luka's, and a rosy blush raced across her cheeks.
"I'd thove lat- Love that!" She bolted up in her seat. "I'd love to hear you play guitar."
Luka couldn't keep in his small chuckle, which only made Marinette's blush deepen.
"We need to figure out your power first though," Marinette continued. Clearing her throat and rolling her shoulders – which caused Tikki to spread out in order to cling onto her perch until it settled again – Marinette was once more all business. "Luka, do you wish joy or harm to those around you while you are creating your music?"
Luka's face fell at the abrupt seriousness between them again. "I- Well, when I accidentally make people sad or angry I do purposefully sing something happy to try to cheer them up again. I don't mean to make others upset, though."
"Do you wish others will feel the way you do when you play, sing, whistle, or hum?"
"I guess I might. I'm not very good with words, so I do hope to have others understand how I feel and what I mean though song. I don't ever intend for them to get angry or sad, though, just to know that I am."
"You communicate better through song?"
"Yes. Very much so. I experience the world through song for the most part."
"Meaning?"
"I dunno. I feel emotions through the songs playing in my head, and certain people make me think of certain music."
"Certain people?"
"Like you." He said it before he knew what was spilling out of his mouth. Didn't matter. He wanted her to know. Plus, the way her lips were currently puckered in surprise was too adorable for him to regret admitting it to her.
"Wow," she breathed, and Luka wanted so much to kiss her.
"Does that bother you? That I hear a song when I think of you? I mean, I can't really help it. It's been playing ever since I met you."
"It's been- wow, I mean, no! No it doesn't bother me. Why should it bother me? You can't help it. Right?"
"I really, truly can't, but I also kind of don't mind."
Marinette swallowed hard, and let out a long, shaky breath. Her fingers twitched, tickling the tops of Luka's hands. Shaking her head to refocus, she took a deep breath to center herself, then looked up at Luka with professional seriousness again.
"Keep your hands together." Marinette pressed Luka's hands together to emphasize her instruction, and then slid her own off them. Balling her hands up just above the table, Marinette rubbed her thumbs and forefingers together as if they were cricket legs. Her eyes bore into Luka's, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to hold contact or break away.
Slowly, cautiously, sheepishly, Marinette raised her hands up to Luka's face. "Keep your hands closed," she repeated, and when he nodded she cupped his face in her hands. She pulled his head closer to her, and examined his eyes intently. Her face grew scarlet, and Luka's body burned, but they stayed in their intimate stare down.
A minute passed. Maybe two. Tikki's chirp finally broke the two teens apart.
"Tikki? Is there a customer?" The little frog shook her head, and nodded towards Luka. "Oh! Right. Sorry." Marinette didn't even look up at him as she untwined his fingers. One by one, she plucked the stones off his palm, studied them by the candle light, and pressed them to her heart; eyes closed.
"Well?" Luka's hands were still cupped over the table, wondering what the next move would be; wanting Marinette's hands either around his or against his face again.
Marinette gently pressed on his fingertips, coaxing his hands back towards the table. She then pulled away before Luka could catch her in his grip; not that he would, despite wanting to desperately. They watched each other for a moment, as if waiting for a cue from the other, before Marinette stood and rummaged through another canvas drawer.
Sweeping the stones from the center of the table to the edge, Marinette replaced them with a carpenter nail, a stick about as long as her hand, a generic rough and light-gray stone, and a white birthday candle on a tiny stand there. Finally, she pulled out something wrapped in a white cotton cloth. As she unwrapped it, Luka realized it was a small, glass, elevated dish, like a flat sake cup. Adding the cup to the collection, Marinette scooped up the birthday candle, and lit it using one of the four larger candles. After returning the birthday candle to the table, she walked past Luka's left in order to fetch the ceramic bottle from the metal stand. Uncorking it, she slowly poured water into the glass cup, leaning over Luka's shoulder, and causing his heart to quicken. It didn't take long for Marinette to fill the cup, and with the smooth and flowing motion of a ballerina, she recorked the bottle, pivoted on her toes, and placed the container back on its stand.
Returning to her seat, Marinette gestured toward the items on the table with a wide sweeping motion of both hands. "Focus on all five. Ask the Guiding Spirits to advise you, then choose the item that speaks to you the most."
Luka studied Marinette for a moment, instead of the objects. The glow of the string lights and candles bounced off her dark hair, and lit up her blue eyes in such an intoxicating way. The candle light flickering across her skin was like moonlight reflecting off the Seine. Even her hands were soft and fluid, like the sweetest song he ever heard.
"Luka?"
"Hmm?"
"You'll need to focus on the objects for it to work." Even in the dim of the alcove, Marinette's cheeks visibly pinked as she pointed to the five items she laid out for Luka.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Luka refocused. He wasn't there to spend time with Marinette, he was there to figure out how to control his power. His eyes kept drifting to the cup, but something about it felt off to him. "Am I allowed to touch the objects without officially selecting them?"
"Yes. You can briefly pick them up one at a time, and inspect them to see how they resonate with you. Do not hold two at a time, otherwise you might not know which one is calling."
Careful not to spill any of the water, Luka raised the cup to his nose and sniffed at it. Something felt so familiar, but he also was sure it was best to not drink any of the liquid.
"This isn't tap water, correct?"
"It's from the Seine. We refresh our supply once a month."
Luka nodded, then brushed the surface with the pad of his finger and watched the slow rippling before placing the cup back on the table. Marinette then focused on the remaining ripples as Luka picked up the stone.
It truly was a simple, basic chunk of rock. It was a little smaller than a bottle of nail polish, and had rough, sharp, uneven edges. Luka almost dismissed it right away, but then he noticed that the stone wasn't gray at all. Near the light of the candles, it was closer to a dark ivory, and the edges, while uneven in size and angle, were all fairly straight in a very satisfying way. One of the larger sides sloped in layers, as if steps were cut into it. Some of the stone was whiter than the others, and those spots were almost beautiful. Luka even liked the rough texture of the stone as he rolled it between his fingers.
He nearly told Marinette that the stone was his choice when he spotted the slender twig again. Placing the stone back on the table, he gingerly lifted the stick. It was from a chestnut tree; possibly one from the Place des Vosges. Little chestnut buds still clung to the branch, leaving intriguing bumps that Luka knew he had to delicately pet. The twig twisted - giving a small plateau for each chestnut bud - but still managed to stay relatively straight. The lumps the budding nuts left behind were beautiful in their imperfections, and Luka gently ran his hands across them. The bark was smooth, but had white speckling, like Marinette's freckles across her nose. It captured him, and wouldn't let go. The organized chaos of the stick reminded Luka of his mother, and the shy budding of the chestnuts made him think of Juleka. The sparkled bark played Marinette's song in his head once more, and the overall weight of the twig felt right in his hand.
"This one." He held the twig of chestnut out to Marinette. "This is my choice."
Marinette glanced back at the stone Luka had inspected, then at the cup of water, and finally up at him.
"Of course you're Wood." Marinette chuckled as if she told herself a joke.
"Sorry?"
"No. Nothing. Sorry. Forget about it." Marinette picked up the birthday candle and blew it out. She then poured the small sake cup of water into a basin she had tucked under the table. Drying the cup off real quick, she rewrapped it in the cloth, and placed the five elemental items back into their drawer on the bamboo stand. She also returned the pile of polished stones to their drawer, leaving only the candles and quartz in their circle along the edge of the table.
"Do you mind if I vanish in the back for a moment? I think I might have a solution for you." Marinette rested a hand on Luka's shoulder as she pointed past the second set of dark curtains, and all he wanted to do was sing. Instead, he nodded and waved her on.
~ Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. ~
*Closing Notes*
This chapter took a lot of research between figuring out how Marinette would determine Luka's power, his home element, what trees grow in the Place des Vosges, what stone is most common in Paris, etc. I hope all that research turned into an authentic-sounding read as opposed to an info-dump...
I also hope you've been enjoying this story. Happy Valentine's Day!