[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

[porcupineliz]

"If he's good with me doing it, then I will."

A pause. "If your magic hasn't been doing anything at all, I don't think it's too likely that it's been sneaking out to do stuff without you noticing. From everything I've heard, usually that tends to come along with, uh ... sort of an overkill effect, with anything you try to do on purpose."

[semicharmed]

He frowns.

"Well, it's already showing me things I wasn't trying to see."

[porcupineliz]

"... there is that." She frowns in turn. "Well. We can find out, either way."

[semicharmed]

"Thanks."

Matt smiles, running a hand through his hair.

--Shit. He should stop doing that.

"So I guess we should ask Jordie if he'd be okay with scrying."

[porcupineliz]

"Yeah. -- Do you know where he is?"

(She's watching him carefully, to see if there's any sort of tropism; if he shows any signs of having an unconscious sense of Jordie's direction, rather than a conscious awareness based on where he saw him last.)

[semicharmed]

Matt looks exceedingly, and therefore terribly, innocent.


"In his room?"

[porcupineliz]

No tropism; good.

"... Is that question mark there for my benefit?" Just a touch dry.

[semicharmed]

Sheepish, "I really don't know what your situation is. Aside from the light bondage."

[porcupineliz]

"Hmm. It's sort of like ... do they still say 'friends with benefits' in your time?"

[semicharmed]

Matt grins.

(Though there's a flicker of hurt in it, one he tries to dismiss.)

"They do, actually."

[porcupineliz]

"It's kinda like that. We're not ... you know, exclusive or anything."

She gives him a swift sidelong glance; that flicker of unhappiness wasn't missed.

[semicharmed]

"Okay," he says, "cool. Well, he's probably in his room."

[porcupineliz]

"Wanna come with me to try and find him?"

She'd send Matt to ask him to come down, but ... high odds of them getting distracted instead.

[semicharmed]

Matt looks briefly panicked.

"Oh," he says, "well--"

Any feelings of awkward have got to be due to the spell, right? (Okay, not any feelings of awkward. But Liz wants to help, and thinking anything else about it is just ... unproductive.)

"Maybe it's better if I go grab him," he says thoughtfully. "Just so I can fill him in on what we've been talking about."

A little dry: "If I'm not back in ten minutes, feel free to break down the door."

[porcupineliz]

"That might be the best idea," she says, carefully ambiguous about whether she means fill-in-Jordie-first or break-down-the-door. "I'll hang out here."

[semicharmed]

"Aces," Matt says, rueful.

And off he goes, mentally drafting opening pitches that don't include so Liz and I think we should cast a scrying spell on you to see if this is my fault or take off your shirt.

It takes some concentration.

[dr_j]

The bar is in the business of cockblocking today.

Jordie, looking rumpled and a little damp (but at least he showered!) staggers downstairs. He wants breakfast. Delicious breakfast.

He did not see Matt. More's the pity.

(Maybe he can find Matt and convince him that they should get breakfast to go.)

[porcupineliz]

Well, if he wants delicious breakfast, he could do worse than head in the direction of the bar.

And oh hey, there's somebody he knows sitting there, with a cup of coffee.

[dr_j]

He is heading in the direction of the bar!

And rubbing his eyes, so possibly he does not see Liz until it's too late.

When he does, he jumps and looks guilty.

[porcupineliz]

It's the jump that catches her attention.

"Jordie," she says, "hey."

And hesitates. Did Matt find you? suddenly doesn't seem like the best question to ask.

[dr_j]

"Hi," he says, a little wild-eyed. "How are you?"

[porcupineliz]

"I'm good," she says, light and cheerful. "You?"

[dr_j]

"I'm -- "

The worst of all cradle-robbers without actually being illegal about it?

Fundamentally exhausted because of all the sex I've been having, which is frankly better than most of what you and I did, but don't feel bad because I think that might be magic?

Suddenly way more open to magic in general as long as there's a happy ending involved?

Scared I'm in love with an infant?

" -- good." Beat. "Hungry. I just got up for a snack -- don't let me keep you -- "

[porcupineliz]

... oh dear.

"Listen," she says, "I -- this is gonna be awkward but I don't think there's any way it could possibly not be, so I'm just gonna say it -- I talked to Matt a few minutes ago, did he find you?"

[dr_j]

Deer in headlights.












"No," he says, almost like it's a question.