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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 17, 2006 17:03:33 GMT -5
Anna retreated into the office, glad to be away from all the interpersonal conflict vibes that seemed to be floating around the lobby. She placed the box on the desk and sank into a chair, taking a moment to look around at the walls. Maps, drawings, overflowing bookcases--she doubt she'd ever make sense of any of it and felt a newfound respect for Wesley if these were the things he dealt with on a daily basis.
And to think before now, her biggest fear had been spreadsheets...
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 17, 2006 17:47:04 GMT -5
Wesley followed Anna into his office, pulling the door closed to block the voices from the lobby from floating in. If anyone needed anything, they could knock.
He walked over to his desk, settling in his chair and putting the book onto the table. He flipped open to the section on banshees, then looked up at the box curiously. He studied it for a moment then, not wanting to be intrusive, turned his attention back to his book.
"This is one of my better books on Gaelic legends. Much more in depth, though some of the facts have been disproven since it's publication."
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 17, 2006 19:48:46 GMT -5
"This is one of my better books on Gaelic legends. Much more in depth, though some of the facts have been disproven since it's publication."
"Oh, well, I suppose there isn't an exact science to supernatural theories. But any facts at all would be welcome right now."
She noticed his eyes linger on the box, probably curious as to its contents. "Box, yes!" she said suddenly, standing to open the cardboard flaps. "It's just some stuff my mother left me when she died. Maybe nothing. But she always used to get this serious look in her eyes and say 'Anna, these things have meaning'. I just thought she was being dramatic and trying to stop me from chucking them in the bin, but..."
She pushed the box toward him. "Well, you'd know better than me if there's anything of value in there."
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 18, 2006 11:24:48 GMT -5
"Oh, well, I suppose there isn't an exact science to supernatural theories. But any facts at all would be welcome right now."
Wes glanced down at the book. "Yes...science has changed so much since this book was written. We've developed more advanced ways to study the supernatural. Of course, in the process, we've also discovered that some things thought to be supernatural are in fact, not." He patted the book. "This one is over 120 years old," he said proudly. "Can't stand to part with it."
Wes nodded and slipped his glasses on as he pulled it towards him, standing up to dig through the contents better.
Most of the items seemed to just be of sentimental value. Odd trinkets and such. Nothing about them seemed to stand out. Then he found something at the bottom, and he frowned when he pulled it out. It was an old fashioned comb. He turned to Anna. "Where did your mother get this?"
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 18, 2006 15:42:20 GMT -5
He turned to Anna. "Where did your mother get this?"
"Search me," she said with a shrug. "Like I said, I usually tuned out when she started to wax historical. Supposedly it's been in the family for generations. I just kept it because I like Art Nouveau jewelry. Looks like something you might find on the Titanic."
She paced and glanced over the artwork and documents on the wall. "The weird thing is these deaths...they've all been of natural causes. Not to be overly morbid, but I check the obituaries every time I have a vision, and all the deaths I've foreseen have been of natural causes. Isn't that odd? Does your hundred-year-old book have any thing to say about that?"
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 18, 2006 18:31:47 GMT -5
"Like I said, I usually tuned out when she started to wax historical. Supposedly it's been in the family for generations. I just kept it because I like Art Nouveau jewelry. Looks like something you might find on the Titanic."
He pursed his lips slightly, giving her a nod. That, actually, was a typical reaction for people whenever their elders began on one of the speeches about 'the good 'ole days'. Wesley had always ended up being hit in the head with a ruler when he zoned out...
He was turning the comb over in his hands when she started speaking again.
"The weird thing is these deaths...they've all been of natural causes. Not to be overly morbid, but I check the obituaries every time I have a vision, and all the deaths I've foreseen have been of natural causes. Isn't that odd? Does your hundred-year-old book have any thing to say about that?"
Wesley sighed, setting the comb down on his book and moving back to his chair. He laced his fingers together and peered at her through his glasses. "I told you this was a very unusual case, and I still stand by that. It is very strange. History tells us that banshees do not target one individual person. Not for this purpose. True, the banshee did cry for particular families, but only when a death among that family was iminent."
He turned, picking up the comb. "Legend also tells about banshees trapping mortals. They would leave a comb laying about in the grass, then curse the mortal that picked it up." He frowned. "I can't be certain that this isn't just a comb, but it could very well be a key."
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 18, 2006 18:39:17 GMT -5
He turned, picking up the comb. "Legend also tells about banshees trapping mortals. They would leave a comb laying about in the grass, then curse the mortal that picked it up." He frowned. "I can't be certain that this isn't just a comb, but it could very well be a key."
"Great, one of my ancestors gets grabby and I have to live with the consequences," she sat down again, throwing up her hands. "I couldn't inherit a Swiss bank account or a timeshare in Key West instead of an ancient Gaelic curse?"
She templed her fingers and held them in front of her lips, in a thoughtful pose. "The thing is, I don't recall my mother or my grandmother ever going through anything like this. True, we weren't the most touchy-feely family, not exactly into sharing our emotions, but I think I would have noticed."
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 18, 2006 18:57:23 GMT -5
"Great, one of my ancestors gets grabby and I have to live with the consequences. I couldn't inherit a Swiss bank account or a timeshare in Key West instead of an ancient Gaelic curse?"
He let a small smile cross his features. "All I got from my family was bad eyesight and a perchance for books," he said quietly, trying to make her feel better.
"The thing is, I don't recall my mother or my grandmother ever going through anything like this. True, we weren't the most touchy-feely family, not exactly into sharing our emotions, but I think I would have noticed."
"True. It's not exactly the kind of thing you can hide. I can only imagine the horror you feel." Wes looked down at the comb again, turning it over in his hand. "To me, this does look like it originated from Ireland, which would fit my theory. As for why the banshee would suddenly be targeting you..."
He looked up at her. "When your mother...passed on, was she living in Ireland or in America? I don't know for sure...but if this is the first time the banshee's comb has left the home country, I'd guess that she might be a bit tetchy about it."
He was fishing, and he knew it. He was drawing a blank with the whole case, and it was annoying him to no end.
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 18, 2006 21:32:31 GMT -5
He let a small smile cross his features. "All I got from my family was bad eyesight and a perchance for books," he said quietly, trying to make her feel better.
She smiled weakly in response, appreciative of the consoling effort. She knew she must seem to be a basketcase by now who was only getting worse. And judging by the tension and the significant glances being thrown around the lobby when she'd arrived, Wesley had his own share of problems to deal with. But at the moment, he was being kind enough to focus on hers.
He looked up at her. "When your mother...passed on, was she living in Ireland or in America? I don't know for sure...but if this is the first time the banshee's comb has left the home country, I'd guess that she might be a bit tetchy about it."
"She was here, actually. She lived in Boston. Had been there ever since she immigrated to attend university. But most of those objects lived in a safe deposit box in a Dublin bank until they made the flight home with me after I scattered her ashes over the River Nore."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "I should have left them there, shouldn't I? I should have left them there to rot." She sprang to her feet and began pacing. "What if I take them straight back to Dublin? Apologize? Light some candles, say some chants? I mean, how was I supposed to know this banshee didn't want to take an international flight? And it is not my fault that I can only afford coach."
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 19, 2006 2:10:48 GMT -5
"She was here, actually. She lived in Boston. Had been there ever since she immigrated to attend university. But most of those objects lived in a safe deposit box in a Dublin bank until they made the flight home with me after I scattered her ashes over the River Nore."
Wesley nodded, looking at her over his glasses. "So some of these items, in all likelyhood, had never left Ireland."
I should have left them there, shouldn't I? I should have left them there to rot. What if I take them straight back to Dublin? Apologize? Light some candles, say some chants? I mean, how was I supposed to know this banshee didn't want to take an international flight? And it is not my fault that I can only afford coach."
Wesley watched her as she paced and babbled. He wished he could do more, but at the moment, he still felt like he was grasping at straws. "This could be a simple case of...well, a vendetta. Somewhere along the line, one of your family picked up the banshee's comb. Picked up her bait, so to speak. Somehow, it stayed in the family. Perhaps the banshee was content as long as it stayed in the home country. As soon as it left..." He shook his head. "It's not your fault, Anna. There's no way you could have known."
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 19, 2006 11:41:05 GMT -5
She nervously bit her thumbnail. "No. No, I'm pretty sure it's my fault," she said softly. "She said I'd be punished. She told me she'd find a way."
She took her seat again, searching for words. "There's something I need to tell you. Something that I'm not exactly proud of, but I think maybe you should know." She paused again. "Um...after I graduated from college, I was living with a man. Not engaged or destined for marriage or anything, but it was about as serious as I was willing to get. And I became pregnant. It was a mistake, we both knew it was a mistake; neither of us had the money or means to raise a child. So I chose to have an abortion."
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, my mother was furious. The living in sin she could overlook because she liked Justin but the abortion...that was one sin too many. She told me I'd be punished. And I am. Just took a few years to catch up with me."
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 19, 2006 21:32:02 GMT -5
"No. No, I'm pretty sure it's my fault. She said I'd be punished. She told me she'd find a way."
Wesley looked at her, frowning a bit as he studied her, waiting for her to go on. Then he listened as Anna told her story, feeling a rush of sympathy when she spoke up choosing to have an abortion. He assumed, despite some controversial discussions, that it was never an easy choice for anyone to make.
"Oh, my mother was furious. The living in sin she could overlook because she liked Justin but the abortion...that was one sin too many. She told me I'd be punished. And I am. Just took a few years to catch up with me."
Wes pursed his lips and looked down at his desk. He wanted to comfort her, to let her know that it was all going to be okay, but he didn't know how to say it. That was his fault, wasn't it? For all of his fancy words, he couldn't formulate a proper sentence when it mattered the most?
"I...I'm sorry." He looked up at her. "I know...that must have been hard. But I don't believe this is a case of old mistakes catching up with you. I really don't."
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 19, 2006 21:54:45 GMT -5
"I...I'm sorry." He looked up at her. "I know...that must have been hard. But I don't believe this is a case of old mistakes catching up with you. I really don't."
"Oh, you don't think so?" she asked with a hollow laugh, wiping away at a tear that had come unbidden with the memories. "If you knew my mother, you'd know that this...all of this...is exactly like her. She would have hated me that much. Enough to make sure death followed me everywhere I went and that I never had a moment's peace."
She inhaled, regained her composure and adopted an expression of newfound resolve. "She's not gonna' win, though. I came to terms with my decision; it's high time she did the same."
She picked up the comb from the box and considered it. "So if the banshee is linked to this comb or whatever, can we break the link? Can we sever the connection?"
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Wesley
Bad Ass Demon Slayer
My ass is not pansy!
Posts: 434
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Post by Wesley on Jun 20, 2006 18:38:42 GMT -5
"If you knew my mother, you'd know that this...all of this...is exactly like her. She would have hated me that much. Enough to make sure death followed me everywhere I went and that I never had a moment's peace."
Wesley gave her a painful frown. Surely one's mother couldn't hate their child that much. His thoughts turned to his father, elicinting a shiver down his back. Perhaps it was possible for a parent to hate a child...
"She's not gonna' win, though. I came to terms with my decision; it's high time she did the same. So if the banshee is linked to this comb or whatever, can we break the link? Can we sever the connection?"
Wesley's eyes went to the comb in Anna's hand. "Well, the banshee is connected to the comb spiritually. Not, in the religious sense, mind you. But a banshee is not a physical creature. Not usually, that is." He held up a hand, flipping through another book until he came across a page written in Latin. He pointed to some of the words, too excited with his discovery to think that she might not be able to read them.
"There is a spell, however, that can be performed to give a banshee corporeal form. It's not an easy spell, and it will require some extra supplies that I haven't got here. But I'm certain that we could pull it off." He looked up. "The exact spell, however, is not in this book. It's in a later version of it. I had the book at one time, but it went up in flames with our old office. I'll have to pay a visit to some local occult shops, see if any of them happen to have it. Then we could double check our supplies and get any extra things we'll need for the curse."
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Post by Anna Kavanagh on Jun 20, 2006 21:04:50 GMT -5
Anna furrowed her brow. A spell sounded dangerous, but it was the first glimmer of hope she'd had in months. And Wesley seemed capable enough.
She smiled. "What are we waiting for? Let's go then. Or do you need to check with Angel first?"
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