Phone call to Homily - Friday afternoon
Apr. 30th, 2004 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_communicationAmanda calls Homily, wanting some asnwers to some unanswered questions arising from what Rack said in Mexico.
Call to Homily.
*ring ring* *ring ring*
"Hello, Aspen speaking."
"Heya, Aspen. 'S Amanda. Homily about?"
"Of course, she's just in the garden meditating." *muffled* "MUM! Phone! It's Amanda!" *to Amanda* "She'll just be a minute. How _are_ you? After everything?"
"Getting' there. Nearly fightin' fit." *pause* "You know about that?"
"Sweetie, _everyone_ knows about it. You don't use power like that without any adept worth their salt feeling it. _Very_ impressive. Oh, wait, here's Mum. Look after yourself, sweetie."
"I will. Cheers, Aspen."
"Amanda, dear, what a pleasant surprise! How are you? Are you all right? You _are_ eating, aren't you?"
"'M fine, Homily. Just tired, is all. Been sleepin' a lot. An' yeah, I'm eatin'. Like a horse."
"Well, as long as they're looking after you there. You know I worry. And especially after all that unpleasantness in Mexico… I could always send you one of my tonics…"
"No! Um, I mean, no, thanks, I'm good. Really. The docs're keepin' a pretty good eye on me, an' people are making sure I eat properly an' all."
"The body is only one part of it, dear. How about the rest? How are you sleeping? The nightmares still coming?"
"… How did you know 'bout those?"
"Because I've been a witch longer than you've been alive, my dear girl. You've gone through a very psychically traumatic experience, there are bound to be some effects. A draining spell of that magnitude is not to be shrugged off easily, not to mention the magics you were using yourself, child. Is this tutor of yours working on that with you?"
"Yeah, he is. We've been doin' a lot of meditation drills 'n such. Clearin' me energies. An' I'm doin' the purification ritual tomorrow mornin'."
"You should have done that as soon as you got back, you know that, Amanda."
"Well, 's a bit hard t' do anythin' in a coma. An' there was other stuff fuckin' me up when I woke up. Didn't feel like the right time. 'S why I called, I wanted t' ask you 'bout which one I should use."
"I've got just the thing. I'll have Craig send it to you on that infernal machine of his."
"Ta, Homily."
"You're most welcome, dear. Now, why don't you tell me why you _really_ called? You could have found the best ritual without making a trans-Atlantic phone call, so there's something else, isn't there?"
"… That's a really fuckin' annoyin' habit of yours, Homily. Did you study t' get that observant or what?"
"Natural nosiness, dear. Now, what's bothering you?"
*pause*
"You've known Rom a long time, ain't you?"
"Yes, almost twenty-five years. Half a lifetime. Why, dear?"
"It's… When I was in Mexico, Rack, he said some stuff…"
"You of all people should know better than to listen to anything that snake had to say. Far be it for me to upset the natural order of things, but the world is a far better place without him. We owe Peter a great service, but don't tell him I said that."
"I won't. Wouldn't want t' upset the natural order of things. An' I know Rack was a lying bastard, but he was tellin' the truth this time. I could see it. An' he said some stuff 'bout Rom. 'Bout her bein' one of his coven back when I was with him."
"Ah."
"What d'you mean, 'ah'? This is the part where you tell me it's a lie an' I'm mistaken, right?"
"You're not mistaken, Amanda."
"But I have t' be! Rom… she wouldn't get involved with someone like that! She was the one who got me out, she _wouldn't_…"
"And how do you think she happened to be at the binding ritual, just at the right moment to take you? Amanda, dearest, I know it's hard to understand, but it was a very long time ago, and we all have things in our pasts that the people who know us now would find difficult to accept…"
"'Difficult t' accept'? Homily, that fuckin' bastard used me for eight years, an' yer tellin' me now Rom was part of his fuckin' coven? How long?"
"Amanda, calm down. You're still weak, you don't want to tire yourself…"
"How fuckin' long, Homily?"
*pause*
"Two years, near enough."
"Two bloody years? An' it took her that long t' decide Rack was a sadistic cunt who liked t' torture little girls? For Christ's sake, Homily, the bindin' spell was just the tip of the fuckin' iceberg. Yeah, Rack kept me for himself for most of the time, but I _remember_ some of the stuff he made me do. With the coven _there_. She _knew_ what he was doin' t' me an' she waited three fucking years t' do somethin' 'bout it?"
"Amanda, child…"
"I ain't yer fuckin' child, Homily! I ain't _no-one's_ child! Least of all not Rom's! I _trusted_ her, Homily! An' all along she was stitchin' me up, same as Rack used to!"
"AMANDA! Shut the hell up and listen to me!"
*shocked silence*
"… 'm listening."
"Romany's never hurt you, has she?"
"…No. 'Course not."
"And she's never given you a reason not to trust her, has she?"
"…No. Least, not till now…"
"Don't be ridiculous, girl. Did it ever occur to you that Romany feels guilty about not doing anything sooner? That she _wanted_ that to happen to you? We all make mistakes, and you know as well as any of us about what power can do to a person. Romany joined Rack's coven because he had something to teach her, and as soon as she realised what the price was, she took steps to correct the situation. She couldn't act immediately because she didn't have the power to take on Rack head on. None of us did. If we had, we would have found him long ago and done what needed to be done. But unfortunately following the path we do means there are limits, limits someone like Rack doesn't have to concern himself with. As soon as a chance came, she took it."
"She feels guilty?"
"Of course she does. She's always tried her best to protect you, to do what was best for you, and not being able to do that hurts her. Of course, she's a Wisdom and they're particularly pragmatic when it comes to guilt - something you would do to learn, Amanda. But the end result is the same - you will always be able to trust her, no matter what's been done or hasn't been done. The past is the past. And who would you rather believe? Me or that dead bastard of a foster father?"
"I don't think I've ever heard you swear before, Homily."
"Well, Rack irks me. But neither of us have to worry about him now, do we?"
"No, I s'pose not."
"Good girl. It'll all turn out, you'll see."
"If you say so…"
"Of course I do. And now you're going to hang up and get some rest for this purification ritual tomorrow, and when that's done you're going to call Romany and talk to her about this whole thing."
"I… Yer one bossy bitch, you know that?"
"Of course I am. Comes of being a mother. Off you go, dear. And make sure you look after yourself, or I'll have to come over there and make sure of it."
"I will. An'… thanks, Homily. For tellin' me 'bout Rom."
"The truth is a powerful weapon, especially in the hands of the unscrupulous. I'm just evening the balance. And you know you can call me any time, dear child."
"I know. Cheers, Homily. Say hi t' everyone for me."
"I will. Bye, Amanda."
*click*
Call to Homily.
*ring ring* *ring ring*
"Hello, Aspen speaking."
"Heya, Aspen. 'S Amanda. Homily about?"
"Of course, she's just in the garden meditating." *muffled* "MUM! Phone! It's Amanda!" *to Amanda* "She'll just be a minute. How _are_ you? After everything?"
"Getting' there. Nearly fightin' fit." *pause* "You know about that?"
"Sweetie, _everyone_ knows about it. You don't use power like that without any adept worth their salt feeling it. _Very_ impressive. Oh, wait, here's Mum. Look after yourself, sweetie."
"I will. Cheers, Aspen."
"Amanda, dear, what a pleasant surprise! How are you? Are you all right? You _are_ eating, aren't you?"
"'M fine, Homily. Just tired, is all. Been sleepin' a lot. An' yeah, I'm eatin'. Like a horse."
"Well, as long as they're looking after you there. You know I worry. And especially after all that unpleasantness in Mexico… I could always send you one of my tonics…"
"No! Um, I mean, no, thanks, I'm good. Really. The docs're keepin' a pretty good eye on me, an' people are making sure I eat properly an' all."
"The body is only one part of it, dear. How about the rest? How are you sleeping? The nightmares still coming?"
"… How did you know 'bout those?"
"Because I've been a witch longer than you've been alive, my dear girl. You've gone through a very psychically traumatic experience, there are bound to be some effects. A draining spell of that magnitude is not to be shrugged off easily, not to mention the magics you were using yourself, child. Is this tutor of yours working on that with you?"
"Yeah, he is. We've been doin' a lot of meditation drills 'n such. Clearin' me energies. An' I'm doin' the purification ritual tomorrow mornin'."
"You should have done that as soon as you got back, you know that, Amanda."
"Well, 's a bit hard t' do anythin' in a coma. An' there was other stuff fuckin' me up when I woke up. Didn't feel like the right time. 'S why I called, I wanted t' ask you 'bout which one I should use."
"I've got just the thing. I'll have Craig send it to you on that infernal machine of his."
"Ta, Homily."
"You're most welcome, dear. Now, why don't you tell me why you _really_ called? You could have found the best ritual without making a trans-Atlantic phone call, so there's something else, isn't there?"
"… That's a really fuckin' annoyin' habit of yours, Homily. Did you study t' get that observant or what?"
"Natural nosiness, dear. Now, what's bothering you?"
*pause*
"You've known Rom a long time, ain't you?"
"Yes, almost twenty-five years. Half a lifetime. Why, dear?"
"It's… When I was in Mexico, Rack, he said some stuff…"
"You of all people should know better than to listen to anything that snake had to say. Far be it for me to upset the natural order of things, but the world is a far better place without him. We owe Peter a great service, but don't tell him I said that."
"I won't. Wouldn't want t' upset the natural order of things. An' I know Rack was a lying bastard, but he was tellin' the truth this time. I could see it. An' he said some stuff 'bout Rom. 'Bout her bein' one of his coven back when I was with him."
"Ah."
"What d'you mean, 'ah'? This is the part where you tell me it's a lie an' I'm mistaken, right?"
"You're not mistaken, Amanda."
"But I have t' be! Rom… she wouldn't get involved with someone like that! She was the one who got me out, she _wouldn't_…"
"And how do you think she happened to be at the binding ritual, just at the right moment to take you? Amanda, dearest, I know it's hard to understand, but it was a very long time ago, and we all have things in our pasts that the people who know us now would find difficult to accept…"
"'Difficult t' accept'? Homily, that fuckin' bastard used me for eight years, an' yer tellin' me now Rom was part of his fuckin' coven? How long?"
"Amanda, calm down. You're still weak, you don't want to tire yourself…"
"How fuckin' long, Homily?"
*pause*
"Two years, near enough."
"Two bloody years? An' it took her that long t' decide Rack was a sadistic cunt who liked t' torture little girls? For Christ's sake, Homily, the bindin' spell was just the tip of the fuckin' iceberg. Yeah, Rack kept me for himself for most of the time, but I _remember_ some of the stuff he made me do. With the coven _there_. She _knew_ what he was doin' t' me an' she waited three fucking years t' do somethin' 'bout it?"
"Amanda, child…"
"I ain't yer fuckin' child, Homily! I ain't _no-one's_ child! Least of all not Rom's! I _trusted_ her, Homily! An' all along she was stitchin' me up, same as Rack used to!"
"AMANDA! Shut the hell up and listen to me!"
*shocked silence*
"… 'm listening."
"Romany's never hurt you, has she?"
"…No. 'Course not."
"And she's never given you a reason not to trust her, has she?"
"…No. Least, not till now…"
"Don't be ridiculous, girl. Did it ever occur to you that Romany feels guilty about not doing anything sooner? That she _wanted_ that to happen to you? We all make mistakes, and you know as well as any of us about what power can do to a person. Romany joined Rack's coven because he had something to teach her, and as soon as she realised what the price was, she took steps to correct the situation. She couldn't act immediately because she didn't have the power to take on Rack head on. None of us did. If we had, we would have found him long ago and done what needed to be done. But unfortunately following the path we do means there are limits, limits someone like Rack doesn't have to concern himself with. As soon as a chance came, she took it."
"She feels guilty?"
"Of course she does. She's always tried her best to protect you, to do what was best for you, and not being able to do that hurts her. Of course, she's a Wisdom and they're particularly pragmatic when it comes to guilt - something you would do to learn, Amanda. But the end result is the same - you will always be able to trust her, no matter what's been done or hasn't been done. The past is the past. And who would you rather believe? Me or that dead bastard of a foster father?"
"I don't think I've ever heard you swear before, Homily."
"Well, Rack irks me. But neither of us have to worry about him now, do we?"
"No, I s'pose not."
"Good girl. It'll all turn out, you'll see."
"If you say so…"
"Of course I do. And now you're going to hang up and get some rest for this purification ritual tomorrow, and when that's done you're going to call Romany and talk to her about this whole thing."
"I… Yer one bossy bitch, you know that?"
"Of course I am. Comes of being a mother. Off you go, dear. And make sure you look after yourself, or I'll have to come over there and make sure of it."
"I will. An'… thanks, Homily. For tellin' me 'bout Rom."
"The truth is a powerful weapon, especially in the hands of the unscrupulous. I'm just evening the balance. And you know you can call me any time, dear child."
"I know. Cheers, Homily. Say hi t' everyone for me."
"I will. Bye, Amanda."
*click*
