Learning Experience
10th of July 2006 A.D.
You want to help your friend, you should help someone you hurt so badly even if she doesn't know that, even if you can't tell her as fragile as she is right now, but at the same time...
Am I the best person to help? You cannot help but wonder as you reach the the wipes in your purse to dry Rosie's cheeks. Sure you can make arbitrary amounts of money given enough time and you are a decent hand at changing diapers after all these years in House Carpenter but taking care of a baby involves more than that, that is a whole other person who needs taking care of for years and years.
"Shh... you need to focus on getting better first." You pat her hand lightly without thinking.
"You're cold," she says through the last of her sobs, looking up at you blearily.
"Yeah, it's a magic thing," you explain. "Turns out you can't go to the land of Ice and Snow and come back unchanged, even if you didn't go there for the scenic tour."
Rosie gives a watery smile. "Dork." Then maybe to distract herself she asks. "What
was that place?"
"It's generally called the Nevernever." Myabe a bit of Usum's snobbishness it rubbing off on you, but that is a really useless non-descriptive name. You might as well call it the Other Place. "It's where a lot of weird stuff comes from, the deeper you go the weirder it gets."
Though you would have to go deep indeed to find something as weird as me, you think feeling a little proud and a little worried. There are no signposts on the road ahead.
Though you had expected Rosie to ask more about magic she doesn't, filling the air with questions about mutual acquaintances and school. She's a year ahead of you and graduates this year. Thankfully she
is going to graduate, you had been low key worried about her grades on top of everything else, but apparently her mom had handled it.
"Jarred probably paid 'em off. It wouldn't do to have a high-school dropout stepdaughter. What would his golf buddies think," Rosie says bitterly.
You would almost rather she asks you about wicked faeries. When Rosie had been fifteen one of said 'golf buddies' had put his hands on her and he had only taken no for an answer when she had smashed a glass over his head.
Some monsters are all too human. Her mother hadn't believed a word she said. Maybe that is why she'd been so eager to be with Ken from the start, at least that was something she chose even if it had ended... poorly.
It's just a pity I don't know the creep's name, you think. Emptying out his bank account with a little demonic help sounds like just the right comeuppances, but you can't really ask Rosie about him.
What was the name of the guy who assaulted you, I'd like to ruin his life?
"A question that can be asked of the universe as much as of the girl," Usum opines slyly.
Filing that one under plans for later you consider what you can do now. There are probably charities willing to help, but you do not know which ones and a vow to 'look for help would sound hollow so you are going to look, you are going to ask your dad and your mom and father Forthhill when you see him and then if you find something you'll tell Rosie about it.
And if I can't find anything... well somewhat clueless help is still better than no help. I'll find will find a way to make this work.
By the time you leave Rosie is if not cheerful than at least in better spirits. You promise to visit again soon and she asks you to bring food over flowers next time. Hospital food here is somehow worse than cafeteria food at school.
***
11th of July 2006 A.D.
Tuesday brings with it a screeching pause to the normal end of term excitement in the form of what Alec calls 'The Math Test from Hell'. Mr Watson hands it out to would be mathletes and anyone who wants to fix their grade. You rather naively offer to take it... and then spend an hour mostly staring blankly at the paper. You are pretty sure calling down fire lightning and flood with magic rites would be easier to figure out than this nonsense.
You gain 4 Essence -> Reduced to 3 because of the cap
"The work of some particularly twisted and sadistic demon mistress," Usum offers with such seriousness that you begin to wonder about some of his other straight faced suggestions. Still it is a funny thought.
You hand in the scribble paper with a shrug and a smile. "Not my lucky day Mr Watson."
"It could be if you just applied yourself more Carpenter," the teacher fires back good-naturedly. Math is not your favorite subject, but he makes is bearable at least.
"I've got a lot of other stuff to apply myself to," you reply and he tsks.
You wonder how he would take being told what you really mean.
***
That afternoon dad drives you to Saint Marry's with a promise to fetch you back home when you are done. Even mom doesn't ask that you stick by him like glue when you are already on holy ground and in the company of a responsible adult in the know. For your part you cannot help but wonder how the good father would take... what you are. He did not have an archangel confirm that you are safe after all.
"Father Forthil knows Molly..." your dad stats, but you cut him off.
"Really? Because then he aught to tell me, because I don't really know what I am," you try to make it a joke, but the fear seeps in anyway.
"A child of God in need of some help and guidance that I might provide," a familiar voice calls out from inside the church. The Parish Priest of Saint Marry's and family friend for as long as you've lived in the city is as you remember him, a slight man with greying hair starting to thin a little at the temples and bright blue eyes behind wire-rim spectacles.
Reaching into the filled cup of your essence you find the grace to turn on your heel as if you had always known he was there and the polite smile just so. "Good evening Father."
Lost 1 Essence
"No need to stand on ceremony on my account Molly," he says and his smile says more.
Did he notice you had used magic just now? How? Even dad doesn't you are pretty sure.
He leads you through the church proper and into his office in the back, a small room with a narrow window which nonetheless manages to be homey between the warm luster of the wood and the big chairs you could lose yourself in. The scent of mint tea hangs pleasantly in the air.
"I know this might be hard for you to believe not just of me, but of anyone after the last few days, but I promise I will not judge you for what you can do, for what you might do or for what you 'are', the which is hard for even the wisest of wizards to tell I have heard," the priest begins.
Something about his too serene manner irks you, unfairly maybe but... "What about what I have done?" you test him.
"We are all to be judged by that," he admits gravely. "But where there is sin there is also forgiveness."
What do you ask of Father Forthil?
Choose three:
[] Magic and what he has seen of it
[] The Church and and those in the know within it
[] How he was introduced to the supernatural
[] The Fey Courts
[] Vampires of all stripes, some of them seem a lot less questionable than others
[] The unquiet dead you've... heard they can linger in hospitals
[] The local supernatural scene (He does not have anything to say about this that you do not already know)
[] The Denarians, you know a bit, but something tells you you are going to need a lot more understanding of them soon
[] Does he know any charities that could help Rosie?
[] Write in
OOC: This is a bit scattered I'm afraid, but I wanted to get the ball rolling and the only vote I could have out in at an earlier break point would have been 'what do you do next' and those aren't very engaging. 
he might know stuff.
