[plot: I Put A Spell On You]

[porcupineliz]

(index!)

A reading of the sweater she got from Matt doesn't give her much, but there are definitely traces of a magic around it. Something artificially imposed, and ... she's pretty sure something outwardly imposed. It doesn't have Matt's feel to it at all.

Scrying is somewhat more useful: she gets a very brief blurred image of someone who's probably the caster -- older woman, graying hair, smiling earnestly -- and a much more definite sense of the caster's magic signature. And enough sense of the spell to make her skin crawl, even though as far as she can tell it was done with the most benevolent of intentions.



When she gets back to Milliways, she finds the note. There's no good way to say this, but I'm actually under a --

Oh.

Oh, shit.

Comments

[semicharmed]

It's pretty much classic Matt's-mystical-powers-of-sexy-personal-revelation, he thinks, that right when someone is down for TMI and has proposed an intriguing implication thereof, that's when the channel stays closed.

The sex was still great! That's probably what counts.

--Wait, no, they're under a magic spell. That's what counts.

Matt's lost track of time by the time he leaves Jordie in bed and shuffles downstairs for a snack and potentially a dose of reality. (So far: elusive.) His clothes are rumpled in a spent-a-lot-of-time-on-the-floor way, and he's sporting some truly epic bedhead.

The sight of Liz may induce a mixture of panic and slight nausea.

[porcupineliz]

Yeah? How about the sight of Liz spotting him and immediately heading in his direction with a purposeful look on her face?

Still panic-and-nausea-inducing?

[semicharmed]

YUP.


"... Hi," Matt says.


"Uh."

HE CAN EXPLAIN.

SORT OF.

[porcupineliz]

"Are you okay? I got your note --" She waves it in one hand. "And I'm pretty sure I can tell you who did it. Or describe her, at least."

[semicharmed]

Oh hey, he's not instantly in trouble.

Look at you, guilty conscience.

He says, startled, "You can?"

[porcupineliz]

"Call it 85% certainty, yeah -- older lady, gray hair, I'd know her if I saw her here. Or does she sound like anyone you know?"

[semicharmed]

It takes Matt a moment to reroute his brain from Jordie.


Kind of a long moment.



"Um," he says, "I don't really--"

Pause.

"Know might not be the word."

[porcupineliz]

"... a description you might recognize, though? I mean, if it's someone here running around dropping love spells on people ..."

[semicharmed]

Older lady, gray hair.

They skew pretty young both at Milliways (of his acquaintances, anyway) and at work. Not that he thinks anyone there is exactly a spell-slinger.

"There was this psychic," Matt tells Liz faintly.

"I don't know her. But she was in a yoga class I took?"

[porcupineliz]

"A yoga class." She frowns. "So not here?"

[semicharmed]

He shakes his head.

"At home. She told me I was going to fall in love with a guy and be really happy, and I thought it was kind of weird.

And then it ... kind of happened, and became especially weird."

[porcupineliz]

"And she said it like -- what, like it was prophecy? Foretelling? Or like she was going to arrange it?"

[semicharmed]

"I thought it was precognitive," Matt says with a frown.

But that's not exactly what he told Jordie, is it.

He had a hinky feeling about that lady from the get-go-- but again, who wouldn't? A total stranger addressing you by your full name and predicting romantic bliss?

"But in light of recent everything, maybe she had another reason to sound so sure."

[nita_callahan]

"--Liz?"

It's been -- a long time since Nita saw Liz. About a year, probably, since all the stuff with Sitri went down. And yeah, maybe to a certain extent Nita thinks of Liz as more Matt's friend than anything, but they got along well and had the whole kindred magical spirit thing going on.

Anyway, long story short, Nita can't really pass by a fellow practitioner looking out of sorts.

"Hey. Everything okay?"

[porcupineliz]

"... Nita!" Liz brightens a little at the sight of her. "Hey."

[nita_callahan]

"Hey." She gives Liz a quick smile. "What's up?"

[porcupineliz]

"... Question of the year," she says, wry. "Have you heard from Matt lately?"

[nita_callahan]

Nita raises her eyebrows.

"Uh, not in . . . a couple weeks, probably?"

[porcupineliz]

"Ah."

Awk-waaaard.

"He's having a slight magic problem, and he asked for my help with it. I'm hoping I can."

[nita_callahan]

Her stomach drops.

"Is he okay?"

[porcupineliz]

"He was when I saw him," she says, hastily reassuring. "I don't think it's dangerous, the thing. Only inconvenient and annoying."

[nita_callahan]

"Okay," she says -- but she doesn't sound or look convinced.

"I -- do you--?"

Wait, no, does she want to offer to consult? Should she get involved? Probably not, but--

Does Dear Abby have any insights on this?

[porcupineliz]

"Do I ...?"

Help her out here, Nita!

[nita_callahan]

. . . Okay, when in doubt, go with the Oath.

"Is there any way I can help?"

She shrugs, helplessly. "I mean, it's -- we're not together anymore, but I don't want to see him in trouble. Again."

[porcupineliz]

"... Maybe. Although, fair warning, it's probably not gonna be comfortable."

Beat.

"Depending on how your breakup was, on a scale of amicable to excruciating."