Curses And Lies

Starring:

Celestina_icon.gif Matthew_icon.gif

Summary: Tina is looking for Dajan, finds Matt instead. Both Matt's lies and curses are exposed. Tina is not happy.

Date It Happened: February 16, 2002

Cruses and Lies


Dajan's Appartment

It takes a moment for the door to be answered. Rattling inside hints of hasty cleaning and straightening up as several dishes are moved from the over sized cable spool turned coffee table into the sink to be out of sight. But eventually, it does indeed crack just the length that the security chain will allow. But is it Dajan who answers the door? Nope, it's the stray she's taken in that does. Considerably cleaned up compared to the last time she's met him, Matt even sports clean clothing now! Unfortunately his demeanor hasn't changed that much: What starts as a friendly wide smile and a "Hello!" quickly warps into wide eyes and a nervous gulp.

Celestina is not all tight-skimpy girl today. It's white peasant blouse, flowery ankle-length skirt, and sandals. She smiles. "Hi, I was looking for Dajan. Is she in?"

While the change in manner of Celestina is noted with curious eyes, it doesn't stop another nervous gulp before Matt answers the question with a shake of his head. "Just missed her. She had to step out for a little 'bit." He explains through the crack in the door.

She smiles, as she looks back to Matt. "Oh, okay. Hey, I'm really sorry about the other day. Things go kinda differently for me then."

The door closes just an inch as Matt undoes the safety latch and opens the door properly instead of half hiding behind it. "Does this mean you aren't here to ask for more parts o' me?" he asks with an uneasy smile, joking. Well… mostly joking.

She looks embarassed. "No, I'm not here to ask for pieces of you. I'm not like that, not really. I'm very sorry about that."

Matt's smile turns guilty and he looks down the floor to avoid eye contact. "No, no need to be sorry 'bout anything, really." he offers. "Besides, I'm really not someone who can hold it against ya for not being yourself sometimes, ya know?"

It's Mon Feb 16 19:42:08 2002. There is a waxing gibbous moon. The tide is high and slack.

She looks back at him. "There is that. It's getting pretty close to time…have they worked something out for safekeeping?"

"Uhm… maybe." Matt answers, a touch of dread in his voice. Stepping away from the door, he offers: "It's kinda cold out, wanna wait for her to get back inside?"

She smiles. "That would be great." She moves to come inside. "First time I've actually been to -her- place. Usually it's the other way around."

Dajan's place is pretty sparse when it comes to the inside. Items of interest include the television, the round spool of a table, and a futon that looks like it is quite inhabited, a bit of a nest formed of covers and jackets with a Matt shaped outline in the middle of it. "Hey, uhm, sorry again about that night, I didn't mean to… I mean… it was my fault really."

Celestina nods. "It's all right. I really was being kind of a bitch. I…yeah. Just consider it werewolf-lite. It's rough, but with less fur and teeth."

"Any luck finding Jack?" Matt asks as he paces over to said futon and shoves his nest aside to make room for seating. The name Jack comes out odd, though, as if he were just another acquaintance instead of the dreaded evil devil monster that his voice lent him the last time they met.

Celestina shakes her head. "None yet. I'm still looking, and trying to find out what I can. That, and working on a confinement spell. Wouldn't do much good to find him if we can't secure him."

"Heh… yeah." Matt agrees as he settles down on the far end of the seat. "Hey, uhm-uh… uh… what are you gonna do with him once you, uhm, you know… 'confine' him?"

Celestina looks back. "Try to work out some kind of a solution, of course." She moves to sit next to him now that there's cleared out space. "There has to be something that can be done."

"Is he really as bad as everyone thinks he is?" Matt asks, fishing for something, a bit of nerves still in his voice. "I mean, I saw what he could do… how… fast he was, and strong… but, I mean…" he doesn't really seem to know exactly what he means.

Celestina takes a deep breath. "I'm not sure. I haven't met him personally, and I just hate to think the worst of people without meeting them, but he could be very dangerous. That's why we just need to make sure that he can't hurt anyone while we're figuring this all out."

"That girl he was after. She was bit." Matthew explains, tilting his head to Celestina with a serious wash over his face. "Like me. She's gonna change just like me here in a few days. That's why he wanted… erm… I mean: I think that was why he was after her."

Celestina frowns. "Wait. You just said that's why he wanted. Then you changed it. Do you know something you aren't telling us, Matt?"

Matt's heart begins to beat 90 miles a minute at the accusation, his eyes going wide as his slip is caught. He doesn't say anything, the fear setting in his eyes keeps his voice silent, but after a long moment: he nods. It's a slight one.

Celestina looks…mildly perturbed. It's a good thing he caught her at the right time of the month. "Matt, you can't keep things from us. People could die. We've extended you a great deal of trust, and I think it's only fair that you return it."

The look on Matt's face is one of absolute devastation as the guilt from a moment before simply over takes him, and he hangs his head down to the floor. "I… I told you everything I knew the first time we met. Same with Dajan and… and everyone else." He begins to explain, "But… I didn't know much. Couple of days ago, Jack… Jack found me again." It isn't the end of the story, but he's taking a breather to gather the strength he can manage for this next bit.

Her eyes widen. Oh, she wants to say something. But she's intentionally biting her tongue, waiting to hear more.

"I didn't know what to do, I mean, I saw him… he could have taken me apart if he wanted to." Matt explains as the nerves begin to put a stutter in his words. "But… he didn't. He said, he said he knew how to control it, said he could teach me so that I wouldn't… so that I wouldn't hurt anyone again. Said… said that was why he was looking for that girl, that she would have turned and… and he knew… knew what I was, knew what I did." Matt looks back up to Celestina with red setting into his eyes. "I'm not saying I believe him, but the other people looking for him aren't looking to contain him, I saw the guns they were gonna 'contain' him with."

She looks back, eyes narrowed just a bit. "Well, I'm not going to shoot anyone. Did he tell you where he is? Give you some means to contact him?"

"A number." Matt says, with a nod.

The witch looks excited at the new information. "All right! Well, that gives us something. We'll need to get someone with some techy skills to track it down…or set up a meeting! If you're willing to do that.

Matt nods in agreement. "I just… I needed to make sure first. I really do want to help however I can, but… I needed to know what I'm doing is the right thing to do." After he agrees, though, his face doesn't get any less sober: "Listen, there's something else you need to know, too."

Celestina nods. "All right…what is it?" Oh, it's so close to the full moon to be learning this.

"Jack was after me 'cause he could smell them." Matt explains as he unbuttons the top of his shirt. "I wish I could just stop smelling them. But… Dajan was right, I got bit, I didn't ask for this, and I sure as hell don't want it… but…" And when Matt pulls the corner of his shirt down, he reveals the scar. His cursed mark on his skin that has nothing to do with his lycanthropy. "I don't think it was an accident."

Celestina frowns, as she looks at the mark. "You know about this?" she asks. She does. Decades in the business make you pretty well-read. "I mean…what it means." Now she's got a curse to try and break, on top of everything else!

"Not… not totally." Matt answers as he covers the mark back up. "I don't know how much of what I do know is just… nonsense. But… I know it means I ain't got much longer, and it means I'm gonna keep hurting people until then." Closing his eyes, Matt breaths in deeply. Indeed the curse is considered a death sentence to anyone wearing it, with a history of being near impossible to stop.

Celestina considers. "This changes things. I'm going to have to do some research. Please have Dajan come see me as soon as possible?" She stands, with some urgency.

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