Office Hours

[The Cedar Witch]

Sometime before classes had officially started, Astrid had hastily scribbled on a notecard;

Tentative Office Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday: 9:30p - 12:30a

and taped it to the front of her office door, directly under the shiny silver nameplate.  Her office hours were also posted on the syllabi she had printed for the Academy's opening night and passed out during the first day of classes.  Only a few students had stopped in over the past couple of weeks for clarification about upcoming assignments.  She hadn't had anyone just stop by to chat, but that was just fine by her.  She'd been kind of busy lately and using the office space as a sort of workspace away from The Parlour. 

After finding the darkness in the basement of 13 Broomfield Crossing, pushing herself until she passed out, and getting a stern talking to by Sabrina, Astrid had been making more of an effort to separate her work from leisure.  So that meant clearing "work things" from her room.  Which had been difficult to say the least, but she knew it was for her own good.

She didn't want to disappoint Sabrina again.

Making the office hers was an easy enough task.  The bookshelf against the left wall was already crammed with books relevant to the courses she was teaching.  The upper shelves and top of the bookcase were lined with jars filled with various stones, bones, herbs, salts, and some unidentified matter.  Her desk was mostly messy--an organized messy.  In front of the computer monitor perched at the corner were a handful of open notebooks (burying the keyboard), scatterings of pens across the desk, half-finished wire-wrapped stones, a few abandoned lukewarm mugs of tea and wrappers from snacks among other miscellaneous things  It looked more like a page from I Spy than a teacher's desk.  She'd clean it later.  Right now she was in the middle of something.

Astrid was scribbling away in one of the notebooks, stopping to reference one of three open tomes.  There were rather obvious circles under her eyes thanks to a few exhausting days spent clearing out the contents of the house at 13 Broomfield Crossing (after sending the wailing spirit of the infant to rest).  She was busy preparing for a real cleansing now that the darkness was gone and she wanted to do the job right.  That meant waiting for the next full moon--which was thankfully this Friday, but that left her only two more days to prepare.  The hound's spirit had been too distracting for Astrid to get much work done on location.  Ever since the darkness was delt with, the dog scarcely left her side.  At some point, she meant to find its remains in the overgrown backyard but that would have to wait until after the house was clean--in every sense of the word. 

Honestly, she had grown attached to the creature and didn't really want to send it to rest.  So she procrastinated instead.

About an hour had passed since her office hours began and it had been thankfully quiet.  A single earbud was stuck in one of her ears as she worked, copying down ingredients for a cleansing floor wash, cross-referencing them with her inventory list, searching through another tome for substitutions for the ingredients that she didn't have on hand, and making a mental note to touch base with Sabrina to see if she had anything that would help.  Or if she wanted to join her.  Astrid probably wasn't going to come out and ask.  She really didn't want to bother the other witch and she was sure she'd be just fine on her own.  But she did really enjoy Sabrina's company.

A knock at the door (which had been left open a crack) broke her from her train of thought.

"Come in!" Removing the earbud, she closed a few books on the desk and shoved what she could in a pile.

[Maxpphire]

The knock had come from Dreki, it was almost childlike in his timid it was. He could tell they're was a piece of paper on the door but want really sure what it had said. He was worried he was bothering her at an incorrect time but hoped he wasn't. After all Sam suggested that he ask for help from the witches that he worked with. He wasn't exactly sure if this idea was a good one, it would mean more people involved and possibly more people at risk, but he needed to try. He wasn't sure what powers the witches had, but hoped it would be enough to help even a little, provided they even wanted to help. He felt suddenly shy when she said to come in, he almost turned around and walked away. Instead he took a deep breath to try and Russ a little and opened the door further, making his way in, closing the door behind him.

He walked up to her desk, he seemed timid and tired in his movements. He looked outwardly tired. The light bags under his eyes, how they seemed heavy. He sat down in a chair in front of her desk, and even him sitting felt heavy. Part of that was because he wasn't the best at sleeping, but part of that was due to how depressed he currently felt. That he might have thrown his first actual friend he made outside of the facility into some kind of danger. He was upset with himself to say the very least. He was worried that he might do the same to Astrid, however, Hofflan wasn't in his mind currently so he figured now would be the best time to ask.

"I, uh, need help," his tone soft and a sense of nervousness could be heard. It was a difficult thing for him to ask, so much so he was having a hard time looking at Astrid's face. "I understand the type of help I'm asking for is a lot to ask for, but it was suggested that I try you. I will understand if you say no." He pretty much expected her to say no, so much so he knew what to say and how to react if she did. He'd been practicing thanks to his anxiety.

"I'm tied down to a place I want to escape and be free from. This place has done horrid medical experiments and myself and my sister, and they are using my sister against me to keep me involved. I would be more detailed but a vampire in charge of my case tends to monitor me by going into my mind. He isn't right now but could at any time and I don't want him to know that I'm looking to leave in earnest." He very quickly explained, leaving out a lot of details but giving the overall basic gist of what was happening. He was very truthful even in his bones only explanation. At some point his gaze had fallen downwards to look at his lap as he spoke. He physically tensed, preparing to hear her decline. After all that hardly knew eachother, as a peer he always came off as polite, yet cold. He kept his distance from others, and yet, what he did just now contradicted how he usually acted around his coworkers.

[The Cedar Witch]

It was Dreki, and he looked more exhausted than she felt.  Astrid hadn't interacted with him much beyond any hellos spoken in passing.  His slightly angelic nature--yes, that was what it was, she could feel it easier now that he was in front of her like this--crackled like electricity in the back of her mind.  She was keenly aware (thanks to her Sight) of the turmoil that followed him like a cloud.  It entered her awareness like a sudden gathering storm, and she couldn't help but mentally shield herself from him as a protective measure.  Not because she lacked compassion (she had too much of that), but because prolonged exposure to that sort of intensity drew deeply on her energy reserves.  And she was running on low as it was.

"Hey Dreki, sorry about the mess."

Before he sat, she rushed to clear some things off the chair, dumping them unceremoniously onto the floor in the corner of her office. Astrid was back in her chair before he began to speak.  When he did, a look of concern washed over her features.

Somewhere in the back of her mind,  something prickled in warning.  Tension began to coil in the pit of her gut.

Astrid was silent for a tad longer than she wanted to be, taking in what he had just told her and feeling completely blindsided.  The rush of personal information without warning put her reflexively on guard.  Medical experiments?  It sounded straight from a movie!  Not that she could be one to place that kind of judgment on the situation--this city seemed to attract all sorts of strangeness.  Herself very much included.

Someone thought she would be able to help?  Who had referred him to her? 

"I am so sorry you are dealing with this," her voice was quiet and filled with compassion, "I don't know how helpful I can be but I could try."  She frowned, genuinely unsure of how to proceed.

"Do you... Can I get you some tea or something?  While we talk?"  She had a little electric tea kettle somewhere, and a small collection of herbal teas with an assortment of intended effects.

[Maxpphire]

"Don't worry about the mess, we're all busy, such is the life of a teacher." He said with a small smile, knowing that while he himself is a neat freak, when it came to his jobs at teaching, no matter where, his office was always slightly messier than his home.

He listened to her responses after he explained and felt some form of relief when she said that she could try and help. It was better than his expectations at the very least. He looked towards her with a sense of relief having washed over him. To be fully honest he wasn't sure how she could help either.

"I appreciate the offer in trying, although to be fair I'm not entirely sure how you can help either. I'm still fairly new to a lot of this supernatural stuff, or at least new to what exists outside of that facility. The myths I teach about are mortal myths and not supernatural truths." He kind of light heartedly threw in that last part. The air around him felt stiff and heavy and that was his way in trying to cut it. Honestly he wouldn't mind small help even if his end goal was huge. A way to not have Hofflan eavesdrop whenever would be nice, but he wasn't even sure if that was possible, or even what possibilities a witch could give.

"I'm an avid tea fan, so honestly I'd would appreciate that. Any tea you have is fine really." He said with a warmer tone. He didn't want to put her out of her way, but wouldn't refuse some tea. The idea of it alone helped him feel a little bit more at ease, then just sitting here speaking plainly. A thought did cross his mind, 'What if I chase her away too?', he knew it would look not so great career wise, but he knew how to be professional no matter what was thrown at him while at work.

[The Cedar Witch]

Astrid practically jumped out of her chair and began shuffling things around that were under her desk until she finally found the little electric tea kettle.  She set it on a small table by an outlet against a wall and filled it with water from a gallon container she had stashed under the table.  After switching it on, she went over to the bookcase and scanned the shelf lined with glass jars for a particular herbal blend she had. 

Ah--there!  Chamomile, lemon balm, and jasmine.  With a touch of cinnamon.  This one would fill him with a sense of peace and calm.

There was at least one clean mug on her desk.  This one, like the others on her desk, hailed from her college days at the pottery wheel.  Each had a sigil carved into the bottom, granting the cup a different effect.  The rustic coppery mug she chose for Dreki infused the tea with warmth, both literally and figuratively.  The cup seemed to hold its contents at a perfect drinking-temperature. 

Taking one of the spoon-shaped loose tea infusers from one of her desk drawers, Astrid scooped a bit of the herbal blend from the jar she had selected and placed it into the cup.

"I don't have any sweeteners unfor-- Oh, that's not true, I have some honey if you'd like."  She spoke while filling the cup with freshly boiled water.  If he wanted it, she'd pull a little flip-top jar of local honey from a drawer in her desk.  Returning to the desk, she placed the mug in front of Dreki and sat.  "Give it like, ten minutes to steep."

Astrid sat again with an exhale, folding her hands in front of her as she leaned forward.

"Okay."  Thinking, thinking, thinking...  "I'm not sure how much you know about what I can do, if you had something specific in mind that you thought I could help you with?"  Where to start?

[Maxpphire]

"I don't need any sweeteners, thank you for making me tea." He smiled, he was appreciative at the very least. He wrapped his hands around the cup while he waited for it to steep. It kept his hands a nice comforting warmth as he thought about what to say or even what to ask for.

"Well the long goal is to be free with my sister also free." He explained thinking a bit. "While they have her to hold over my head, there isn't much I can do to go against them. So I guess medium term goal is to get her then me. Short term stuff, is well, is there a way to stop someone from entering your mind when you don't want them to? That and to maybe to force myself into remembering the stuff that he forced me to forget. Is that even possible?" He seemed to be mentally mulling over the possibilities of what he needed I'm between the phrases he spoke as if he was thinking on this all on the fly.

"Also you're the first witch I've ever knowingly spoken with. Assume I know nothing," He mentioned, "if needed I can pay for whatever way you help me, with money. It's the least I can offer back." When it had roughly been about 10 minutes he took a so of the tea. A calming and yet warm wave flooded his chest like an internal hug. It was unexpected yet comforting, the smell of it was equally as comforting. He had to make mental note of the scents he picked up in the tea to maybe find it someone at a tea place or something. He let the cup sit under his nose for a bit to make sure he could place the smell later on.

[The Cedar Witch]

"You're welcome," She was glad to offer something even if it was small.  But the tea was enchanted with a bit of spellwork, and it really seemed like he needed it.

"There are a few things I could do to interfere with this vampire's surveillance.  I can't guarantee that they will work one hundred percent of the time and there may be some other drawbacks."  Her fingers touched the tattoo on her temple.  Would he consent to that sort of a thing?  Maybe a piece of enchanted jewelry would be better.  There were pros and cons to both methods.

Astrid was quiet for a minute, watching as Dreki drank the tea.  She was grateful that the effect was instant, and a small smile spread across her face.

"Who else have you spoken to about this?  Is anyone else helping you?"  Her expression was full of concern.  There was only so much that she could do, but there were others in the city that carried more weight.  Sabrina came to mind, obviously.  Maybe she could help with recovering memory?  Of course, Astrid could try her hand at that bit herself.  But she was concerned about the repercussions of her attempt.  Whether she would be discovered by this vampire who was keeping Dreki under mental monitoring or not was a risk. 

"Ah--actually, maybe you shouldn't answer that.  If you're still under watch right now."  She frowned and sighed. 

[Maxpphire]

He noticed her fingers touched her temple, but figured it was much like she had some ideas and pointing that out without even really mentioning what said ideas were, or like one of those thinking memes one of his highschool students had once described to him. Since tattoos are 2D in nature on ones skin, he couldn't see them. It perplexed him a bit but also intrigued his curiosity. He took another sip of the tea while he listened to her talk.

"What are those ideas? I'm fine with it being not a 100% thing, but even if I could just for a little bit I would appreciate that at the very least." He explained, clearly having not picked up on her tattoo.

"Also no worries I'm not being monitored right now. I've talked to a private investigator a little bit in the past. He mentioned he was investigating it through someone else. I've also, talked to a friend of mine." That last sentence, his voice turned a bit more soft and somber. "Well, more like had a panic attack in his presence when he pushed me on an issue I was trying to avoid at the time. May have over-exaggerated things in front of him when I broke down. What I said was enough to terrify anyone really, he hasn't really reached out to me after he left that night, it wasn't a good way to leave off on by any means. That part of why I'm seeking help from you. He suggested that I seek help from the witches I worked with, but, I'm terrified I may have ruined said friendship and I want him to feel safe around me in case I somehow haven't, you know? So even if I only use it when I'm around that friend, it's better than nothing."

He had looked down at his cup of tea while he was explaining the part about his friend. He seemed a bit sore about that interaction in particular.

[The Cedar Witch]

No wonder he looked so tired.

Astrid shuffled some notebooks around and picked one in particular that she used for sketching out ideas.  A pencil seemed to appear in her hand and she leaned back in her chair.

"So, there's a few things that I'm known for doing."  She let out a brief laugh.  "I could make you a piece of jewelry, like a necklace or bracelet or even a keychain to keep with you."  This was probably the best option.  And the cheapest.  She jotted down a few notes in her notebook. 

"Then there's more direct spellwork, but you'd need access to hair strands for that and..."  she paused, not sure how to explain what she meant.  "It's definitely riskier.  For both of us."  And more expensive.

"What do you think?"

[Maxpphire]

He took a another sip of the tea as he listened to her and mulled over his choices. He thought about it, and maybe having a bit of both might not be the worst. He hasn't gotten into more than just a verbal fight with Hofflan before, but did rush to attack him when he heard that Emma was pregnant, after Emma had left the room at first. He wondered if it would be worth risking things to actually get in a fight with Hofflan in a way to grab some of his hair. He was probably quiet for slightly longer than what was would expect while he thought.

"I could easily do a piece of jewelry." He said as he unhid a necklace he wore under his shirt that had three rings dangling from them, then put it back under his button up. "The rings used to belong to my parents, it's really the only thing I have of them left so I generally keep them on me." He spoke with a fond smile. "That being said I'm not opposed to wearing a ring, or bracelet, or something more outwardly either." It was his way of saying he didn't care if others found it feminine or masculine, he sometimes had his hair up in an feminine style and wore it longer than most other guys. He didn't seem to care much beyond whether he liked it or not.

"Also the getting hair thing. What would that entail exactly once you have the hair?" He asked taking another sip. "If it was up to me, I would have slaughtered the person in charge of me and my sister's case. He's done something quite terrible to her, and while she doesn't quite understand what happened or whats going on, any rational person would want to hurt him upon finding out. If it is worth me risking getting physically beat down by a vampire who is old enough to mess with my memory without issue, I'll do it. I heal quickly enough so me getting injured isn't as much of a concern as it would be for someone else." He half explained surprisingly calmly due to the tea, and would fully explain if she decided she wanted to push the topic further. It hinted at his angelic nature, his sister's mental capability, and just what he has gone through from the facility not being pleasant at all in the slightest.

[The Cedar Witch]

Good.  She'd make him something to add to his necklace then.  Or perhaps he wouldn't mind if she enchanted the rings he already had there?  That would be a possibility.  Astrid was about to ask about the prospect but he continued speaking so she waited. 

Pregnancy.  Astrid paled, the image of a young woman--Emma--flooding her awareness.  She rubbed her temple.  Was this something she wanted to get wrapped up in?  The images that the Sight passed to her were... unsettling.  Rage inducing.  The implications were grave and the desire for justice on her behalf--and Dreki's--flared hot within her. 

"I can't kill a vampire with magic," she explained.  Of course, she could increase the likelihood of an accident involving fire but that wasn't even guaranteed, and it could potentially put others at risk.  "But I could theoretically--given the access to the material--bind his ability to erase your memory."  She paused thoughtfully, rubbing her jaw.  Vampires were tricky to work magic with--as were any with mental ability.  There was a chance that they could discover her, trace the spell back to her if they knew how.  There was no telling what this vampire knew.  At any rate, she'd have to take serious precautions and that would take some kind of diversion spell at the very least...

"If you could get a photo, handwriting sample, and hair--I could do that, possibly more.  Something that belongs to him could open up more possibilities."  Cursing an object and returning it to him was one method--her personal favorite was giving a "gift".  With curses, the more taglocks you had the better you were able to focus the spell. 

Suddenly she felt exhausted.

"We could talk about that later.  I think it's best if I focus on making you something to interrupt him from accessing you mentally."  She seemed struck by an idea and scribbled it into her notebook.

"As far as reimbursing me is concerned, I'll only ask for the cost of materials for this."  This was a special case.  She couldn't stomach asking for more.

Astrid opened one of the drawers in her desk and the sound of rocks knocking against one another and the sides of the drawer filled the office.  She shuffled around for a minute, picking out several plastic containers full of stones to look at others underneath.

One by one she pulled out stones, no longer than her pinky, and set them on the desk in front of Dreki.  An Aqua Aura Quartz point, a piece of green Serpentine from South Africa, a rough black Halite, a polished black Jade, and a small obelisk made of black Tourmaline. 

"Which of these stones are you drawn to?"  She sat back down in her chair.  "Feel free to touch them or pick them up."

[Maxpphire]

He finished off his tea as he listened to her. He didn't quite expect her to mention that she couldn't kill Hofflan, as that wasn't part of anything he would expect from her either.

"Don't worry about killing him, that would probably cause much more trouble than it is worth." He mentioned "He has written prescriptions for me before, as he does also technically count as my doctor, but I can't promise a picture. He'd get too suspicious as to why a blind man would want a photo of him." He was slightly thinking out loud to himself, but stopped when Astrid said they would speak about it later. He nodded at her statement about what she wanted to focus on and just to pay for the cost of materials.

"Of course. Just let me know how much things cost and I can either get you the money later that day or even the next day." He said, as he did have quite a bit of money saved up. Part of that had to do with a fantasy that he'd just pick up and leave someday, but he couldn't leave Emma behind. He couldn't even stomach such a thought.

When she set out the gemstones and said it was ok to touch them, he let his fingers run over them, to feel their crevices and shapes, and even picking them up for a short moment. The Aqua Aura Quartz point seemed to catch his interest more than the others after he had thoroughly inspected them all with his hands, he held it up between them.

"This one seems to call out to me the most." He simply said, not sure if he should hand it back to her if she needed to do something to it or what, but he liked the way it felt in his hand compared to the others.

[The Cedar Witch]

"Perfect."  She put the other stones back and took the Quartz point.  It shouldn't have surprised her that this stone, in particular, called out to him.  One of its purported uses was opening the gateway to an angelic realm during meditation.  Not its main function, and not what she was going to enhance but interesting nonetheless.

This stone, with its very high and intense vibrations, would be a protector from unwanted intrusions.

"I think it would be best to create a kind of decoy for this vampire to read instead."  Astrid placed the stone on her open notebook and reached for a blank sheet of paper under a stack of books.  The top drawer of the desk opened again and she produced two small coin envelopes.  "For that, I'd need a hair sample from you, if you don't mind."  Once he consented, she'd wait for him to pluck a hair and hand it to her so she could carefully place it in one of the coin envelopes.  If needed, she'd explain that it would only be used for the spell, sewn into a poppet.

With that done, she placed the blank sheet of paper on the desk in front of Dreki along with a ballpoint pen.

"I need you to write what you want this vampire to observe instead, in present tense.  Something like 'on Monday I get up, get dressed, eat scrambled eggs, and go to work.  My mind is filled with worrying about grading papers.'  The more specific the better.  Variation is good, probably.  Anything to reduce suspicion."  Astrid moved the stone of the notebook, gripping it lightly in her hand.  It had been sitting around for a while and needed to be cleansed--she made a note of this.  "Take as much time as you need.  If you need more paper let me know."

[Maxpphire]

When she had asked for a hair sample, he didn't hesitate at all to pull a couple of stands from his head and hand them to her. It could have been seen as blind trust, but that's not exactly why he did it without hesitation. He just wanted to have some peace of mind away from Hofflan when he wanted and was willing to do near anything for that. He did trust her knowledge in that she knew what she was doing and when talking with her, he felt comfortable around her. Comfortable enough to let his guard down a little and maybe explain some of his worse off memories of needed.

When he was requested to write and to try and make it detailed, he seemed to hesitate on that if anything. Not because he couldn't get details, that wasn't the issue.

"I'll apologise in advanced for this, but, I can't promise that my handwriting is entirely legible." He explained "I can see the outlines of 3D things, but doing anything in 2D such as writing or coloring, I can't exactly see what I'm doing." A weird specific choice for a blind man to mention coloring, but it was the only other thing that came to his mind right then. The good memories he had involved a lot of coloring with Emma and her telling him what color goes where, handing him the crayon or marker, and showing him the outline be dragging his finger along it.

He began to write and while he worked hard to make sure it was mostly legible, it was still messy. It started to go crooked after a while, and the tops of some sentences went into the bottoms of others. He used both the front and the back of that sheet and described pretty well what he did in a week. If Astrid read any of it, then she would find out that he basically works 3 jobs and not out of a need to make ends meet either, loves playing instruments, can speak multiple languages given that he teaches German at the local highschool as well as music, and thinks in Japanese to keep Hofflan unable to read his thoughts entirely. She would also learn of his promiscuity with others, gender seemed to not matter in that way to him and that he had a hard time sleeping. Given how much he kept busy, sleeping seemed near impossible to fit in his schedule anyway. He wrote surprisingly small, but not entirely on purpose, he just naturally did even knowing if he needed more paper, that it wasn't an issue.

"Try not to judge me too hard," he half joked as he handed the paper back to her, "I was pretty detailed but also truthful in what I do in a week. After all that's what would be the most believable."

[The Cedar Witch]

She seemed unphased by his explanation and merely shrugged.  "That's fine.  I'm not going to read it and it doesn't need to be legible."  It was the feeling behind the words that mattered.  That, with his handwriting, would help with the illusion.

Astrid didn't watch him write.  She was busy sketching out some designs for the necklace she'd be making Dreki.  There were a few other small stones she was considering adding to it, but she'd have to check some of her reference books.  She didn't want to make the pendant too bulky so maybe she'd set the gems into metal instead of wire wrapping. 

When he was done writing, she looked up but didn't take the paper.

"Could you fold it up as small as possible and breathe on it?"  She jotted down a quick note before adding apologetically "I know it sounds weird."  Once he had done that, then she took the paper and shoved it into the second coin envelope (which barely fit).

"Okay, I have another project I'm working on right now but it should be ready on Saturday.  Think you can wait that long?"  The necklace would be finalized on Friday to utilize the energy of the full moon, before the house cleansing she was doing.  Hopefully he'd be okay during the next four days.  Her face showed genuine concern.

[Maxpphire]

"It's not terribly weird, I've been requested to do weirder." He mentioned as he did was told of him to do with the paper without issue or hesitation. Given how it barely fit into the coin bag he was glad he only used one sheet. When she mentioned Saturday he nodded.

"I can wait until then, no issue. Any idea of how much I owe for that or not yet?" He asked as he wanted to be prepared to make sure everything was taken care of. "If not I can leave you my number and you can contact me if needed." He further explained. He seemed excited, that this had gone pretty well, better than his expectations. He was tired off running away, and hopefully this would be a step for him to be able to become free and happy for once in his life. He was excited to tell Sam of this, and hoped that this necklace could help mend whatever his panic attack that night had shattered.

[The Cedar Witch]

"Not off the top of my head at the moment," she said, "but I can give you a call when I do."  There were still other things she had to research first.  Astrid pulled out her phone so they could exchange numbers.  Once they did, she slipped her phone back in her pocket.

Astrid was pretty confident that she'd be able to give him some small solace from the vampire invading his mind.

"Let me know if you have any questions!"  She said with a smile.