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 Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 6:26 am
Reims frowned up at the sky. It was dark. Stormy. The wind was picking up. Maybe because fate knew they would be traveling to somewhere known for its storms? Maybe it was just because it was almost autumn and just happened to have a front coming through as the late season tropical storms brewed to the south.
He was a few minutes early. He wanted to make sure he was there and that Cassidy didn’t need help walking. He would carry him to the meeting point, of course. Ephesus, and his parents, and Amarynthos waited in the park nearby, their aura hidden by a too familiar cat, who promised to remain hidden and leave as soon as Reims arrived with Cassidy.
Hopefully it would be before it started storming. Hopefully when they came back, the weather wouldn’t be so bad that Cassidy ended up getting sick from being exposed to the elements. Maybe he was just worrying too much.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 6:58 am
It didn’t take long for Cassidy to show up. Reims might have beaten him there but he was still a few minutes early. As soon as he saw Reims, he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“Aw, I wanted to be here first. You beat me.” He was smiling though, and visibly beaming.
“Well, that’s okay. I can’t be upset that I didn’t have to wait. I brought the Tomato Pie, it’s wrapped up in my backpack so I didn’t have to carry it.”
It wasn’t his school bag, this was a different one he’d picked up. Unlike usual, his hair was tied up in a very droopy bun but it was too windy for him to keep his normal ponytail. He was in running shoes and shorts, but he had a long sleeved hoodie on, zipped all the way up.
“But I brought silverware and napkins, too. And some drinks, just in case. And something special for you. Is it just you tonight or are your friends able to come?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:00 am
Something special?
Reims blinked in surprise, and quickly tried to ignore the heat that colored his ears, muttering something about how he didn’t have to do anything like that. But it wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate it! It was just weird when people got special things for him.
“They’re here. Well… not near the houses. We didn’t want any unwanted attention,” he explained as he looked Cassidy over. He knew he was doing okay, and that he was taking pain medicine. But still! Maybe he was hiding injuries that he didn’t want to share. Reims would understand that, since he did the same.
Oh, maybe he shouldn’t just be standing there.
“I can carry that for you,” he offered, holding out his hand for the bag. “I talked to my friends and they’re going to see if their magic works for you. I hope you don’t mind getting wet, because we can try out the hot springs too.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:00 am
“Hot Springs?” he blinked, and though there was a brief second of confusion, he seemed quick enough to accept it. “Glad I didn’t wear my denim shorts. I don’t really have swim clothes, is that okay? I don’t suppose you have a magic bathing suit for me. Not that I mind getting wet, I’ve just never been to hot springs,” he said, carefully maneuvering his backpack off and passing it over to Reims.
“I’m excited to meet your friends. Are they space hot springs? Oh, sorry. I’m all over the place. I know I’ll get answers, I’m just excited. But before we meet up with your friends, this is important. Because it’s just for you, okay? I don’t want to disappoint them because I didn’t bring special presents for them. Here,” he said, and extracted something from his sweater pocket.
“Don’t say it’s girly, this one is specifically for men, it’s a very masculine design.”
He presented Reims with a bracelet made with cylindrical black tourmaline beads and a small silver disc on each end, separated with a black obsidian cylinder a third of the size of each tourmaline. He cleared his throat to explain, “My mom’s into all this stuff so I asked her which crystals protect against evil, right? Since that’s what you’re fighting. So I had to read for like, three hours to figure out which ones I wanted to give you but I liked this one. And it’s not gaudy or anything, nobody will even see if you're wearing it. So, the big ones, that’s black tourmaline. It’s like, the best protective crystal. It’s supposed to help you turn negative energy into positive energy, and it blocks out negative energy and creates a protective shield around you. And then there’s black obsidian, it’s the second biggest one. Don’t laugh, my mom’s super into this. And I figured if magic is real, maybe crystal magic mumbo jumbo isn’t so crazy. You’ll have to tell me. So the obsidian, protection, spiritual cleansing. I had to memorize this for you by the way. It’s also supposed to absorb negative energy. Also like, psychic protection? I don’t know if you have psychic enemies or if you’re planning on doing inner exploration but,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and gave Reims a finger gun with his free hand.
“The little ones are pyrite. More protective, but this one’s grounding. And it promotes confidence and assertiveness, but also I think it just looks good because we were getting a little heavy with the black crystals so, a little variety. Anyway, you know, here you go,” he said, finally offering the bracelet now that he’d finished his explanation. He should have pulled his water out of the bag before handing it over.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:00 am
Reims didn’t laugh. He listened quietly and attentively as Cassidy pulled out the bracelet and explained the stones. If anything, he felt flustered and unsure, because it was probably the nicest gift anyone had ever given him.
He cleared his throat to make sure his voice wouldn’t crack when he spoke, and held out his left hand. He held Cassidy’s backpack in his right, although he took a moment to sling it over his shoulder. Carefully! So he wouldn’t ruin the pie.
“Would you mind helping me get it on? Please?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too silly about it. “I don’t know what to say. I mean. Thank you, obviously.”
He was quiet again, looking at the bracelet in awe, and then curiously at Cassidy, maybe as though he hadn’t quite seen him before. He’d spent a lot of time deciding something special for him. He was touched, and maybe a little emotional about it, so he looked up at the sky again, as though to make sure the rain wasn’t about to start. Maybe hoping that it was.
“Yeah, I mean. It’s a hot spring in space. Jupiter, actually. Not that you’ll be able to really see much. I’ve been told it’s all uh… underground, I guess. And don’t worry about swimwear. My friend brought some. And towels.”
Once the bracelet was on, he lifted it up to look at it. It was subtle against the black of his glove and hid beneath the jacket sleeve, but he could still admire it. And he could feel its weight.
“Ready?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:01 am
Cassidy didn’t need thanks but he smiled when it was offered, and was clearly delighted to have been asked to help fit the bracelet onto Reims’ wrist. As if he didn’t have enough to be excited about, it was just one more thing to add to the list.
Tonight already seemed like a good night.
“Oh, I like that you’re all prepared. But I guess that makes sense. I’m ready! Maybe we can get there before it starts raining, huh? Although, I guess it might not matter so much if we’re going to the hot springs, anyway.”
He had a little bounce in his step and started walking, but he was only assuming they were at least headed further away from the gated community he lived in.
Cassidy didn’t move so quickly that Reims couldn’t take a few steps forward to lead the way, he was just excited. “So tonight we get to go to Jupiter. Underground makes sense, I guess with all the ah, storms? I’ll have to read up on my science stuff. Who am I meeting tonight?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:03 am
Reims led the way, but made sure he wasn’t walking too quickly. He didn’t want to wear Cassidy out even before they got there. He had to stop staring at the bracelet so he could look where he was going.
“My friends I mentioned before. Ephesus and Amarynthos -- but they usually just go by Effie and Mary. They’re Knights of the Moon. Like… Earth’s Moon. Effie is the one with the healing magic. And also his dads. The alien I mentioned, Alastor. And Sessrumnir, a Knight of Jupiter. Sessrumnir is the place with the hot springs that has healing magic, apparently. It’ll be my first time there, too,” he admitted.
Of course, the more he spoke, the more obvious everything sounded. Especially since Cassidy had just been over at the Reids.
All that was left was for Effie to be crying when he saw Cassidy.
It was a short walk out of the neighborhood, but that was okay. It gave Reims enough time to quietly panic over how everything was going to give everything else away, but that was fine. The others had agreed to helping, so surely they would have been thinking about the possibility of Cassidy figuring it out.
Or they were just really helpful strangers.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:04 am
Effie and Mary, okay. That was easy enough. Alastor and Sess…something. He’d fake it until he got their names right.
“Oh, well that’s cool that we’ll get to visit it first together. I won’t be the odd one out. Well. I won’t be more of the odd one out. Oh, I’m a little nervous,” he laughed. “My palms are sweating. I don’t know why, this is weird. Usually I’m cooler about things.”
He was anxious, though. He wanted this to work. He wanted there to actually be some magic in the world that could fix anything. He wanted it to undo a wound, erase it. He wanted to go back to how things were. Or close! He’d take close! He’d take anything but he was going to dream big.
As they walked, he’d fallen in step with Reims. He brushed his hands off on his shorts and did his best to stand tall. He might have had an idea of what he was walking into but he was still nervous.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:04 am
“Don’t be nervous,” Reims said gently, glancing over at Cassidy as they walked. “I mean, I guess this would be a bad time to tell you we’re kidnapping you. I’m kidding,” he quickly added, trying not to grin with amusement.
He wanted to tell him that he could trust them because he already knew them. But he knew how difficult that would be. They couldn’t just give up their identities so easily. Could they?
Ephesus was anxious. Not because he wasn’t looking forward to seeing Cassidy! But because he was trying really hard not to make it obvious that he knew him. He was so relieved to be able to bring Cassidy to the springs, and to try his magic on him, but he also knew it might be too late for the magic to have any potency. He didn’t know if there was a time limit on magic, but he was going to try. Every day if he had to. Oh, if he was allowed to and Cassidy had the time to meet him.
He held tightly to a bag he carried with him. It had clothes and towels. He could have put it in his subspace, but he needed something to hold onto, and he was trying not to cling to Amarynthos and give them away.
So when he finally saw Reims and Cassidy coming through the treeline, illuminated only by the dim streetlights, he offered them both a warm smile.
He was not going to cry. He hoped.
“Hi! You’re Cassidy?” he tried making it seem as though they’d never met, while trying not to feel like he was lying to him. “I’m Effie. And this is Mary,” he gestured to his handsome boyfriend.
Sessrumnir didn’t intrude on the teenagers’ meeting. He stood a few feet away with his arms over his chest, watching them out of the corner of his eye as he watched more fully as Lucien slinked off into the shadows.
He gave Alastor an apologetic look. He didn’t have to come with them. He could have spent his time doing something else. Or resting. As if Alastor ever actually rested. But he didn’t have to babysit with him.
“You can stay,” he reminded him, giving him one more chance to back out. Maybe he could work on one of his projects.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:08 am
“Stay with you? Of course,” Alastor answered. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Besides, I wouldn’t mind a soak in the springs.” While Michael had been at school teaching, he and Lucien had spent time on Alastor today. They’d had a lot on their plates but still managed to accomplish quite a bit of work. Alastor’s work just happened to involve much more physical labor than Lucien’s had.
Besides, playing chaperone to a bunch of teenagers was either going to be boring or exhausting. He could help with both.
It was easy to focus on the Moon Knight who was speaking–okay, Effie. Easy. Cassidy briefly glanced at the two adults. He couldn’t really tell the difference in what their outfits symbolized, but only one of the four didn’t have a cape, so he was probably the odd one out. He didn’t scream alien but he was pretty sure he’d seen that casual hands on hip stance, and the other guy definitely had a solid brooding atmosphere about him. The arms over his chest made him think of a teacher about to scold an unruly classroom.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” he said, mostly to Ephesus, who was leading the conversation. So bright and friendly. “I really appreciate you all coming out. I brought tomato pie. I know it’s not much, but it’s good. And I just perfected the recipe.”
“Oh, nice,” Amarynthos said, like he hadn’t just had it earlier this week. “Well, we can figure all of that out when we get up to the springs. We should probably get out of here before we attract any attention. I don’t want the wrong crowd to show up to this party. Reims said you’d been up to Ganymede before so you know how this works?”
“I know that I don’t do anything and then I blink and I’m somewhere else, if that’s what you mean.”
Amarynthos laughed. “I guess that’s good enough. Come on, Sessrumnir’s going to have to ferry us all up, but once we get there we’ll get comfortable. It’s great up there, it’s really cool. You’ll like it.” he smiled to Cassidy, but to Reims, too.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:08 am
Reims felt a little awkward, like he should be on his best behavior. He hadn’t even been doing anything wrong, but he didn’t want there to be a reason to tell him he couldn’t go with them or something.
He wanted to make sure Cassidy was okay, but he was also sure that Cassidy was in good hands with the others.
So when Ephesus’s parents came over to them, he nodded politely in greeting, but otherwise kept his eyes averted. Since they had to all be touching, he reached over to take hold of Cassidy’s hand.
Ephesus also took hold of Cassidy’s hand, although he probably looked like he was trying very hard to keep his emotions in check. He wanted to cry, but also smile, but also hug Cassidy, but also not give away their secrets.
He gave Cassidy’s hand a little squeeze to help assure him, and then smiled up at Alastor as he reached out to take his hand, too. Although not before tucking the bag he was carrying under his arm.
“This is Alastor, Cassidy. And Sessrumnir,” he smiled up at his Papa as well.
“Sess is fine,” he offered as an alternative, showing Cassidy a welcoming and patient smile. After giving Alastor somewhat of an exasperated look. He was pleased, but he didn’t want Alastor to think he had to do anything he didn’t want to!
Still, he took Alastor’s hand and laced their fingers together, before offering his other to Amarynthos.
“I’m going to assume you know how important it is to keep all of this secret, correct?”
He didn’t wait for an answer that he already knew. And he knew how relieved especially Ephesus was to finally be able to help Cassidy out. Or try to.
Once everyone was touching, he closed his eyes to take them all effortlessly to his Wonder. They arrived exactly where he wanted them to.
They stood on the smooth, stone floor inside of an enormous cavern. Directly in front of them, and with steam rising from it, was a large pool of water. All along the walls of the cavern were smaller pools that filled up and spilled over the edges in mesmerizing waterfalls.
There was a surprising amount of light, for being underground. There were crystals that seemed to adorn every bit of the walls, and some larger crystals were crafted into sconces for additional illumination. There was just a faint aqua green tint to the otherwise soft white light. Still, it wasn’t like walking out into the sunlight, but it was enough to allow visitors to see while remaining soothing.
Most of the cavern was natural, but it looked as though over the hundreds of years of its existence, essential commodities were added. Such as non-slip stonework and railings made out of a material that didn’t corrode. There seemed to be dressing and bathrooms available near the main entrance to the springs. Farther into the cavern, the pool seemed to break up a bit, splitting into separate pools once more, and disappearing under walls, some which were constructed, while others were natural.
Above them, in the distance, thunder rumbled, but it was only a faint hum this far down.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:11 am
Replaying their faces and names in his head, Cassidy nodded to Sessrumnir. Sess and Alastor, okay. Easy. And he had Reims and Ephesus holding his hands so he was in good care.
Poor Ephesus looked very emotional, that smile looked like it might break any minute. Maybe he just had naturally watery eyes. Probably not.
Everyone else seemed so comfortable with this so Cassidy was trying his best, too. Even if he was pretty sure he could feel his heart in his throat.
Like the trip to Ganymede, this was painless. There one minute, gone the next. Cassidy held onto both Reims and Ephesus firmly and he hadn’t yet released their hands.
A part of him wanted to think it was another prank, only because he could hear thunder here and it had been about to storm in Destiny City–but honestly, he was sure there was only sewer under where they’d been standing, at best.
“Wow,” he said after a minute. He hadn’t known what to expect before, but even this exceeded his imagination. “This is really cool, too.”
Magical, like Ganymede, but in a totally different way.
“But, yeah. Reims gave me the run down about these things. All secrets, I won’t run my mouth about any of it.”
Alastor didn’t know Cassidy very well but he trusted his family, and when they seemed comfortable with this, so was he. He briefly glanced at Sessrumnir, only to check that he was okay without being too obvious about it. Carrying five guests wasn’t light work but Sessrumnir made it look so easy.
Amarynthos held onto Sessrumnir and Reims’ until now, and with the warmth of the springs he intended to get out of a few layers before he overheated. He was already shrugging off his cape. “It looks brighter than the last time I was here, did you do something different or is it just excited for company?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:12 am
He was a little winded, but there was nothing overly exhausting about bringing all of them there. Which was good, because he’d heard Atticus talking to Elliot about bringing a lot more teenagers up there to hang out.
Somehow, Sessrumnir had become a destination for relaxation and conversation.
It made something inside him swell with pride. Maybe his starseed recognized before he did that this was what Sessrumnir was meant for. A place for people to learn and grow and converse and learn how to better communicate.
Sessrumnir caught Alastor’s glance, but showed him a smile and nodded in return.
“I think you’re right,” he said in response to Amarynthos, looking around at the crystals that lit the paths and walls. Unlike before, he could see crystals under the water, in the smooth floor of the pools, also glowing. “I haven’t done anything. Not more than usual. It must be the company.”
Cleaning things up. Making sure the Code piece was secure and safe. He would go back and visit again when he had a chance, if only to make sure the barrier was still in place. But since he didn’t feel any disturbance in the energy there, he was pretty confident it was okay.
Ephesus felt lucky in that he didn’t have to remove a lot of his clothes. He had his light, transparent cape which he removed to set aside with Amarynthos’s, and he would work on getting his boots off in a little while. But first, he turned back to Cassidy.
“I brought you a swimsuit to wear. Um, oh, they're a few different sizes and styles, so just pick what fits best or what you like, and feel free to keep them, or you can leave them here to use when you come back.”
There were short swim trunks, and swim shirts, but also the option for longer pants in case he was feeling self conscious, and long sleeves for a swim shirt as well, just in case.
“There are stalls past those doors if you want to get changed. Oh, we can’t. Something about our magic is tied to what we wear. But that’s okay! I’m going to take off my shoes and I don’t mind getting wet. We’ve done it before!”
Reims made a face. He was already kicking off his shoes and had discarded his hat and jacket. That was fine. He wasn’t really planning on getting in the water. He wasn’t the one injured. Not at the moment at least.
He glanced up at the cavern’s ceiling as thunder rumbled, but everything seemed pretty solid. He was barely able to hear the thunder over the fall of water, anyway.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:12 am
Cassidy could never be self conscious about his legs but he was pleased with the thoughtfulness that had gone into the selection. “Well,” he plucked a pair of swim trunks, and the long sleeved swim shirt. “I guess I’d better stay a little modest, if all of you are going to stay dressed. I’ll be back in a minute, don’t have too much fun without me.”
It was hard not to just propel himself into the springs to see if he could have instant, magical healing. He wasn’t even in the water but the warmth felt good.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he promised, but Amarynthos just smiled. “Take your time, no rush! We’ll be here for a while.”
Cassidy nodded and continued to the stalls. He clearly trusted Reims because he left him with his bag, and his treasured tomato pie. He hummed to himself even as he disappeared from sight.
“Sess, I don’t even know how you’re supposed to enjoy the springs,” Amarynthos mused. He’d worked off his jacket and vest and seemed like he was racing to get off his boots, too. “Seems like you have to go to battle just get out of any of that!”
“I’ll help,” Alastor said with a simple shrug. He had an air of confidence about him, like maybe he had experience, so Amarynthos snickered. “Reims, do you need help getting anything off? I figure when we’re getting ready to leave, we can probably just go to the stalls, power down, power up, and go back good as new. I just want to swim a little.”
Even as he offered help to Reims, he held a hand out to Ephesus to help him, too.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:13 am
Reims watched as Cassidy gathered the clothes and disappeared into the changing room, or whatever it was. He was still working on getting off his vest, and he was trying to ignore how coupley the other four were being.
He couldn’t quite stop his ears from burning.
“No,” he responded to Mary, clearly defensive. But he quickly cleared his throat and glanced away from the others and mumbled about how he was fine. He didn’t need anyone to help take off his clothes, thanks.
Ephesus was grateful for Mary’s help, and he helped him in return by helping with his boots as well. Together they could do anything, he was certain of it.
Still, he couldn’t help but be worried. He wanted to try using his magic, and he wanted to see what the springs could do, but he already knew he was going to be upset if Cassidy didn’t feel better after all of this.
He pulled out a hair tie, and gestured for Mary to duck down a little so he could gather up what he could of his fluffy hair, and tie it in a ponytail so he could keep it out of his face. Oh, and he absolutely gave him a kiss while he was close enough.
Sessrumnir snorted quietly in amusement at Amarynthos’s observation about his clothes. Normally, he would have just powered down. But how could he say no to being undressed by his husband?
“Oh, did you want to get in the water?” he asked Alastor, soft enough that they couldn’t be heard over the sounds of the spring. He didn’t mind! He was just the taxi service until that point.
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