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darklunaFor a taciturn character, Gracia sure has a lot to say.
Unfortunately, this story is supposed to be from Beth's perspective. (I think I'm having a hard time concentrating on it because I find the older characters more interesting than the college-age ones. The older ones have all that great baggage and history.)
Context: Calvin Mathiesen is the most famous (and most inept) magician in the US. Beth and Edward went to him for help finding Richard, Edward's little brother, who got lost during time travel. Cal admitted to them that he couldn't do the location spell, but took them to Gracia Grant, who is, as he says, "the only real magician in New England." She also happens to be his ex-lover. (I still haven't broken that habit of being extra-mean to the characters I love the most!)
***
"Missing your adoring fans?"
Mathiesen did baffled injury so well, she almost bought it. "But Gracia, I hate all that. I know as well as you do that I don't deserve it. Hell, I probably know it better."
She ignored the pang of sympathy, but sat down next to him. "So why do you put up with it?"
"I want to help people. I always have."
"I help people," she said. "I just--"
"Do it so that you don't have to interact with them?" he finished for her.
"I-- Well." Damn. She hated it when he was right. "Yes."
"So you don't have to bother with anyone," he said softly, and he seemed much closer than he'd been just a second ago, tall and warm and, somehow, still a comforting presence. "So you don't have to let anyone in."
"It makes it easier," she said, trying to put some starch into her voice.
"Of course it does," he said. His eyes had gone very green. "But don't you think..."
"I don't think," she whispered, which certainly seemed true enough at the moment.
He might have realized he was going to kiss her about the same time she did, she thought, but she was quicker to react, and moved away.
"Let's not complicate things," she said.
He grinned in that way of his, much too easy and charming for anyone's good. "I had kinda hoped you'd let me complicate them a little before shutting me down."
***
And in case anyone from St A's is reading this, the person from whom I blatantly stole Cal's last name was B's dad ('cause he was my History of Magic professor), not B himself. :-)
Unfortunately, this story is supposed to be from Beth's perspective. (I think I'm having a hard time concentrating on it because I find the older characters more interesting than the college-age ones. The older ones have all that great baggage and history.)
Context: Calvin Mathiesen is the most famous (and most inept) magician in the US. Beth and Edward went to him for help finding Richard, Edward's little brother, who got lost during time travel. Cal admitted to them that he couldn't do the location spell, but took them to Gracia Grant, who is, as he says, "the only real magician in New England." She also happens to be his ex-lover. (I still haven't broken that habit of being extra-mean to the characters I love the most!)
***
"Missing your adoring fans?"
Mathiesen did baffled injury so well, she almost bought it. "But Gracia, I hate all that. I know as well as you do that I don't deserve it. Hell, I probably know it better."
She ignored the pang of sympathy, but sat down next to him. "So why do you put up with it?"
"I want to help people. I always have."
"I help people," she said. "I just--"
"Do it so that you don't have to interact with them?" he finished for her.
"I-- Well." Damn. She hated it when he was right. "Yes."
"So you don't have to bother with anyone," he said softly, and he seemed much closer than he'd been just a second ago, tall and warm and, somehow, still a comforting presence. "So you don't have to let anyone in."
"It makes it easier," she said, trying to put some starch into her voice.
"Of course it does," he said. His eyes had gone very green. "But don't you think..."
"I don't think," she whispered, which certainly seemed true enough at the moment.
He might have realized he was going to kiss her about the same time she did, she thought, but she was quicker to react, and moved away.
"Let's not complicate things," she said.
He grinned in that way of his, much too easy and charming for anyone's good. "I had kinda hoped you'd let me complicate them a little before shutting me down."
***
And in case anyone from St A's is reading this, the person from whom I blatantly stole Cal's last name was B's dad ('cause he was my History of Magic professor), not B himself. :-)
