(LA Day)The Training Center - Library

[rachelle]

I grinned at Killian. "Oh...about ten." I turned to Jessy. "You need to chill, girl. While you do that, I'll get the Potions book." I left my chair and walked into the stacks, my eyes searching the books. "Found it." I called, as i did find it. I removed the book from the shelves and returned to my place, only to find Killian had sat there instead. Sighing, I gave Jessy the book and sat on the table, ignoring Killian's smirk.

"Ok Maya, what does the thing Cervil ripped out say?" I said.

[Jessy Jackson]

I flipped through the book anxiously. "Aha! That second potion, Myridal, it stops telepathy but for a while afterwards there is a side-effect of.." I looked at Joshua, "I get some sort of empathy."

[Joshua]

Crap. It wasn't a thought, it wasn't an emotion, it was a fact of my life right now, as I struggled to keep up with the conversations going on, but the pain shooting throughout my entire body was more than just a little distracting.

Finally I became aware of everyone's stares. Clearing my throat to get some moisture to my voice box, I asked with a small croak, "What? What is it?"

Clearing my throat again, I asked, sounding perfectly normal, "Seriously guys, you know how I don't like the stares. What is it?"

Then . . . I felt it again, and faster than thought, my hands vanished to inside of my jacket pockets, and I stood up straight, aware that my posture had just gone completely stiff, I tried to make it look like it was from anger at their silent stares.

The real reason though was the pure and utter agony as that torturous vibrating of my hands shot all along my arms. But because the appendages themselves were in my pockets instead of out in the open, it just looked like I had tensed my arms a little. At least, that's what I was really hoping was all they could see.

Finally, the pain lessened, not stopped, but lessened enough for me to know that the attack had stopped . . . for the moment.

[Jessy Jackson]

"Empathy means I can feel what anyone else does if I'm touching them. It's only temporary but.." I looked up, straight at Joshua. "What the hell is going on with you?"

[Joshua]

"What makes you think anything, but the normal, is going on with me?" I snapped angrily at the shapeshifter. "I'm fine! Now if this is the way you people go about asking how someone's day is going, I gotta tell you, it's no wonder we're only friends with other freaks."

I got some hurt glares for that, but I was fighting off the desire to roll around on the ground screaming my head off from the FREAKING PAIN! I had to give them a normal reason for my behavior, and fast.

"Now STOP with the STARES ALREADY!!" I screamed, nostrils flaring a bit.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Joshua, easy," I said soothingly. I reached into my pocket and handed him a small bottle. "I had a feeling you might be suffering from your little backstep, so I picked this up. It's supposed to be the strongest, non addictive pain killer readily available to demon hunters. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's obvious your in some sort of pain."

[Cervil]

'Oh great!' I thought to myself (knowing quite well that there are mind-readers here, so I hid my thought) 'mabye ripping a page wasn't the BEST thing to do, ok then... I know I can fix the book back to normal'

"Look, sorry 'bout rippin' the page out, I can fix it so it was like I never even touched the thing, ok?" I informed them, "just gimme the page, I'll put it back in, and when I'm done, it'll be perfectly fine!"

"How can I trust you?" Jessy asked, "you've already ripped the page out, what will stop you from running off with it?"

I created a demon covenant ball, (demons use it to keep promises) and told Jessy, "This is a covenant ball, demons use it in the Netherworld to keep promises." I said, "see how it's blue? If I break the promise in ANY way, it'll turn red, and I will feel A LOT of pain, savvy?"

"ok..." Jessy replied, not quite convinced.

I gave her the ball. It was in her power now. Again, I promised to her the same promise, then told her the ball was now in effect.

She hesitated, then gave me the page and the book. I headed to the corner of the library to fix it. I sat where no-one would watch.

'After I do this,' I thought to myself, 'I will have to make an agreement with everyone not to read this page! Somehow...'

[killian]

"Wait a second...he didn't tell us why he ripped the darn page out in the firs' place." I said, watching Cervil retreat into the inner library.

[rachelle]

"Jess, Maya, did you see what the page said? What is written there, that makes Cervil want to hide so much?" I asked.

[Maya]

I rolled my eyes, and cried,
"Oh Cervil!" And before he knew what had happened, he was before us all again, and I was glaring, "Sweetypie, fixing the book aint the problem- i can do that quick as i can think it." I proved this by merely looking at the book and causing the page to pull itself out of his grasp and fix itself perfectly back within the book, "The problem is that you're keeping something from us- and from your distress, its somthing b..." I trailed off with a gasp, and turned to Joshua- i had just felt a sickening wave of pain, and he gaped at me, clearing thinking he'd managed to hide the pain from our link. I went to his side, and made him drink Doc's potion.
[You dont have to hide from me.] i told him, [pain is NOT weakness.]

[Joshua]

"It's a map of Netherworld," Jessy and I said together. At the look she gave me I shrugged with a wry grin and answered, "You aren't the only super researcher on this team you know. And I've already memorized about a little more than half of all the books in the demon section of this Library. All of the English language ones to boot."

Jessy snorted and muttered something about a show off, but I was already heading off to the bathroom, holding up the bottle of pills Doc had given me as an excuse.

Once in the restroom, I made sure I was alone, then locked the bathroom door. I looked in the mirror, hovering over the sink, and then grabbed the edges of it with white knuckles as my entire body was spasmed with unimagineable pain. I swore I almost blacked out, except that I watched the whole thing in the mirror as my body was stretched into blurred after-images that looked as much as I felt like I was being torn apart.

After it was over, I splashed some cold water on my face and then unlocked the door, and went back out to rejoin the conversation.

[Joshua]

The moment I rejoined the group, I knew Maya had felt the last attack, and the remaining after effects. And I thought I was in pain before?

"I'll be fine," I told her softly, taking her hands in mine. She flinched and then her eyes went wide. I avoided those eyes, knowing what would happen if I looked into them.

I let go of her hand and backed away. "I'm fine Mai. You've got other things to deal with besides me at the moment anyway," I told her, pointing at Cervil.

[Maya]

Now that hurt.
[dont hide from me!] I repeated, [Please, Joshua... ]
He subtly shook his head, so i skipped the telepathic, and siad,
"They can deal with him... just talk to me, please!"

[Cervil]

I noticed the book had been fixed

'Oh well, faster than I could 'ave don't it!' I thought, noticing the ball in Jessy's hand turning to the colour green then dissappearing. (meaning the promise I made had somehow been served)

"Well, all better ay?" I said, closing the book and returning it to it's designated spot.

I then left, so if they pulled out the book, to find out why I tried to hide it from them, they couldn't really come after me quickly.


(((here's a hint: the book I pulled out was filled with info about demons starting with the letter 'C'... now think... what does MY name start with?)))

[Joshua]

"Mai," I tried to dissuade her, but she shook her head this time, and tried to get closer to me. I unconsciously took a step back as she did so, and I could see that I had hurt her. I sighed in pained frustration, causing me even more physical pain, but as absolutely unbelievable as it was, what I was doing to the woman I loved, Mai, and my best friend, Doc, was hurting me, emotionally, a whole hell of a lot worse than whatever else I'm feeling.

"Joshua. . . please?" she begged, she actually begged. Now if only I could get her to do that over absolutely ANYTHING but this.

I let out another, long, frustrated sigh, and finally did look her in the eye, but thankfully that blissful merging of minds didn't happen this time, so I could say, and tell her my decision, unbiased.

"All right," I agreed, weakly. "But not here, not now, and most especially not in the present company. You and Doc, alone. Be at my dorm room in half an hour. There are somethings I need to take care of that will help, I swear," I interrupted her as she opened her mouth to protest.

I stepped back into her grasp, and then lovingly kissed her on the cheek. "Half an hour, my dorm room. You and Doc alone. Not Jessy, not Nicki, not Aredhel. I'll only trust you two, because I swear on all that I hold holy and dear, you two are the only family I really have, and the only ones I trust with more than my life. Half an hour."

"Your dorm room," Maya nodded, tears starting to pool in her eyes, whether from emotion or something else, I couldn't tell at the moment.

Then, quickly, I turned and left the Library, and then the building as quickly as I could.

(This part will be continued in the 'Consequences' thread.)