47- The Unpleasant Aspect of Magic

Returning to her apartment brought Quayleigh a sense of relief, immediately followed by dread and angst. The conversation with Garren had, with ease, pushed the earlier events of the day far into the back of her mind. Now, they were being dragged from the darkness and tossed into the forefront of her thoughts as she was greeted by the sight of Cole standing in her apartment.

Unbeknownst to her, Cole had managed to convince Tau that rearranging the furniture was a necessary part of what was about to happen. Not that the change was all that drastic given the limited space and items, but to her it was entirely unnecessary as the TV was now on the opposite wall with the couch facing it, making it the focal point, where she much preferred it the other way enjoying the view of the outside. The bookcase, which had been on the opposite side of her bed, had been moved to where the TV and its cabinet had been, which allowed for the bed to be pushed all the way over to the outside wall, leaving only enough room for the curtain to hang freely.

"Welcome home, cher," Cole greeted her with a bright smile.

"Yeah, so, why did you feel the need to rearrange our apartment?" she asked as she kicked off her shoes and headed into the kitchen to put her purse and keys on the counter.

"To give us more room to work. Hope you don't mind," he replied, his smile shifting to a more sinister appearing smirk.

"He said it would be easier to watch TV this way," Tau added as he moved to greet her.

"That figures," she said as Tau hugged and kissed her hello.

"Do you not like it this way?"

"No, it's perfectly fine. Besides, if we need the room, we need the room. That being said, it doesn't look like you're even ready yet. What's left to do?"

"Nah Quays, we ready to go. Just need to lay a few things out. We already sterilized everything, and your new sigil be marinating in the fridge."

"Not even going to let it warm up for me?"

"Don't you worry, I'll rinse it with warm water before the insertion. Need to keep you as comfy as possible. Don't want you squirming around too much."

"Alright then. Let me grab a shower and we can get started."

Cole gave her a nod and headed into the kitchen, his usual upbeat presence dampening with each step. "While you do that, I'll prepare the tea. You haven't eaten recently, right?"

"Last meal was around six thirty."

"Good. Don't want this being diluted," Cole muttered as he went to work and Quayleigh made her way over to her closet, Tau following behind.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.

"It's the only way to protect myself. And it's either this or permanently losing a tooth when all this is over. The actual ritual isn't pleasant either way but I'm already barren Tau. The damage was done years ago. This can't make it worse. Even if there is scarring, it won't affect anything in a way that matters."

"I'm still concerned. He told me he had to stitch the sigil into place. Inside you. I don't understand how he's going to do that."

Reaching up she set her hands to his cheeks and forced him to look down into her eyes. "He's going to do exactly what he said, and it isn't going to be easy for you to watch. It isn't going to be easy for me to let him poke around inside of me either, but this is the unpleasant aspect of using this type of sigil. Not only does it have to be in close contact with the body, but it also has to be… calibrated, for lack of a better term. So, if you need to go take a walk or if you want to wait out on the balcony, I completely understand."

"No, I want to stay with you. I can control the feelings I'm having. Cole was wrong about what he said earlier today. I will never be a threat to you or your family. I will trust that you will tell me if something is wrong."

"Good, because it's going to be uncomfortable and there will be pain and blood, and just a whole lot of not great, and I really need you to not do anything to Cole. Okay?"

Tau smiled and nodded, "I promise I won't hurt him."

"Or kill him."

"I couldn't, even if I tried. He already bargained his life away."

"Right, well then," she said as she tapped his cheeks and turned back to her closet. "Before I forget, how did it go with you today? Did he manage to get your tattoo off without any trouble?"

"He did," Tau replied as she pulled an oversized T-shirt out of one of the drawers. "He took the other one off too."

"Cole!" she shouted, demanding his attention.

"Yeah, cher?"

"Did you remove his Vastilem?" she glared at him.

"I did. Unintentionally mind you."

"How exactly do you unintentionally remove a tattoo?"

"Easy. I didn't know it was there. When I looked him over the sigil was all I saw, so I used a complete transfer to guarantee I got it all. I had no reason to believe a man like Dylan Kirkwood would be so foolish as to have a Vastilem tattooed on himself."

"You have a point there. It was pretty stupid of him," she muttered as she headed towards the bathroom.

"Frankly cher, you should be thanking me. I did the boy a favor. He's going to suffer side effects regardless, but at least now, if our otherworldly friend gets stuck in that corpse permanently, he'll be able to enjoy himself well into his fifties before the problems start to show."

"Fifties? That's actually surprising. I only took a brief glance at it, but it looked really old to me. I figured he didn't have more than a handful of years left."

"Well, it certainly wasn't in a place I was about to look, but on the transfer, given the depth and quality of the ink, it's safe to say it was no more than five years old. It just wasn't done very well."

"That's really strange. All that money and he chose to do something like that, and to not even have it done well. Anyways, I'm going to leave the two of you to continue getting ready. I promise not to take too long."

Closing the door to the bathroom, she stripped down and jumped in the shower. When she was finished, she dried off, wrapped the towel around her waist and threw on the T-shirt before combing out her hair and winding it up into a bun to keep it out of the way.

Opening the door, she peeked out to find both the men sitting on the couch together. Cole leaning forward with his head in his hands, and Tau looking none-too pleased, the angry scowl having returned to his face.

"What happened?" she asked as she carried her cloths to the washing machine and tossed them inside.

"He's upset, obviously. Maybe you can talk some sense into him while I finish steeping your tea."

Sitting down next to Tau on the couch she took a hold of his hands and said, "Talk to me."

"He said I should take a long walk, and I told him I wasn't going to leave you."

"There ain't no reason for him to be in here for this."

"She IS my reason."

"And she's going to be fine despite how all this going to look."

"Okay, that's enough, both of you. Tau understands and he promised me that he wouldn't hurt you," she explained to Cole before turning back to Tau. "And Cole is just trying to look out for himself because he knows that what you're going see could be very upsetting, and we can't blame him for that. He doesn't know you like I do. I'm going to be in pain from this. It's par for the course, and it's to be expected, but you need to understand that it is supposed to happen. Cole isn't the one responsible for it."

"I understand," Tau said as he reached out and swept the back of his fingers across her cheek, "and I will endure as long as I am at your side. Please do not ask me to leave you to suffer through this on your own."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she replied offering him a kind and understanding smile.

"Well then, now that all that be settled," Cole remarked as he held out a mug towards Quayleigh, "I trust I'm going to be walking out of here unscathed."

"I promised her, I would do you no harm. As long as I am at her side, I promise you the same."

"Fine then. Drink up Quays. It won't knock you out completely, but it will certainly make it less uncomfortable. As long as you don't move around too much, you shouldn't feel any intense pain during the initial preparations. Unfortunately, there not be much I can do for what you'll experience during the ritual itself."

"Thanks for this. I'm grateful regardless," she said as she took the cup from him.

He nodded. "Drink it down as quick as you can. Once you finished, shouldn't take more than ten minutes before you start feeling the effects."

"And where are you going to want me when we get started?"

"I'm going to need you up on the bed to get the sutures in place. Then we can move you onto the floor for the stringing and bloodier portion of this evening's events," he explained as she lifted the mug up and took a regretted sniff. "I'll be laying out the circle while we wait for that to kick in, and once we move you, I'll need you in the center with your legs to the kitchen. Since Tau's going to be staying, he can help orientate you. I'm going to go finish setting up."

Taking a deep breath in, she exhaled forcing the last of it from her lungs as she lifted the mug to her lips and began to guzzle back the hot concoction as quickly as she could, stopping only once to take a breath halfway through.

"Bleh! Oh, holy crap that tasted way worse than it smelled," she complained as she set her hand over her mouth in hopes that she would manage to keep it all down.

"Sorry about that cher, but there no way to mask the flavor of the valerian root. Such is the downside of using herbals," Cole remarked as he laid a sheet out on the floor, a large circle of a variety of runes and other markings already painted on its surface. "Where you keep your ritual bowl at?"

"Under the sink, left side. What are you using for the catalyst?"

"Goat, but I brought some bovine along just to be on the safe side. Want to make sure the both of us can recover with nothing more than a good night sleep," he replied as he retrieved the bowl and gave it a quick wash before setting it onto the counter next to the tray, he had previously prepared. "There be a few other things we need to go over quick too. I've left you a bottle of pills in the cupboard with your glasses in it. You need to take one every day until this sigil is removed, and while there are enough for thirty days, I urge you to not go beyond twenty. The risks for problems start to increase exponentially the longer you wait after that."

"I'm really hoping I won't even have to go that long, but until I see how much material there is to cover, I have no way of knowing how long this is going to take."

"What risks? You said this was safe," Tau stated as he grabbed her forcing her to look at him.

"And it is. Really, I promise. I know how bad all of this is going to look, but I promise the risks are negligible until that twenty-day mark and I will not be going beyond that regardless. You have my word, Tau."

"Still, it be for the best if you understand the extent of the risks, so you know what to look for. The biggest concern is infection. The pills are to help prevent that, but there are no guarantees. They are simply the best way to limit the possibility. So, you make sure she takes one pill every day, no exception, and if she starts running a fever, night sweats, irritation, bleeding, or vomiting, you bring her to me immediately, anything else, and you take her to the hospital first and then call me. And no sex. I can't stress enough how stupid and dangerous that would be for her. Do you understand, faucheuse?"

"I do."

"Alright then. Best you be moving to the bed about now. It's almost time to get started. Tau, be sure to give her a hand."

As she stood, a wave of lightheadedness washed over her. Her sudden sway prompting Tau to keep a much firmer grasp on her as he took her over to the bed and helped her lay down.

"Yep, definitely time," she said as she grabbed a hold of the bed to stop it from spinning beneath her.

Moving in behind her, Tau took a hold of her hand while Cole retrieved his tray of tools, setting them onto the coffee table.

"It best if you, cross your legs and set her head into your lap," Cole explained as he headed back into the kitchen.

Quayleigh partially sat up, allowing Tau to move into the suggested position. Once she was comfortably looking up at him, she crossed her arms over her chest, and told him, "Hold them here at my wrists with your one hand and put your other on my chin once he gets started. It will help hold me steady."

"And it'll help to ensure she doesn't go spitting this bit out," Cole added as he handed a freshly washed piece of thick leather to Tau. "Hold on to that for now. I'll let you know when it's time to stick it in her mouth."

"Why did that sound so dirty coming from you Cole?" She giggled as he walked away.

"Don't mind her either. Just the effects of the tea kicking in. She'll be a bit chatty and weird for the next couple of minutes, but that's a good sign. Soon as she gets still and quiet, we'll be ready to start," Cole was quick to explain as he retrieved the last of the items he needed from the kitchen, including a small mason jar from the fridge, and a plastic bottle filled with warmed distilled water from the counter.

"This really is a spectacular view," she muttered as she looked up at Tau. "I'm sorry I think your better looking as yourself. I know it's weird, but your boney little face is so cute. And those eyes. So pretty."

"On the list of things ole Cole didn't near to hear today…" he said with a quirked brow.

"Ha! You just don't understand." Her speech was starting to slur as she turned and looked at Cole. "He's better when he's not human. Humans are only fine for friends."

"Rest your eyes for a bit, cher. No need for you to watch this part either," he remarked as he lifted her legs up bending them at the knees. "Sadly, in the absence of proper equipment, we have to improvise." Sliding a metal bar, with furry leather straps on each end, out from under the bed, he set it between her ankles and began to fasten it into place.

"Really? A leg splitter? You better not even think of leaving that thing here," she groaned as she opened her eyes.

"But I bought it just for you, and who knows, maybe you end up being a bit into it, in the right situation."

"Not the time, Cole."

"I know, just trying to lighten the mood some. I'm just going to go wash up, and then we get started, okay?" he said as he gave her knee a squeeze.

"I'm ready when are you. And Tau, whatever happens, don't let go of me."

"I won't."

From the bed, Quayleigh and Tau watched as Cole scrubbed his arms and hands before returning to the coffee table. Picking up the mason jar he carefully unscrewed the lid and set it back down. Removing the dampened towel that he had placed over the tray of tools, he revealed the array of surgical implements that included a number of straight locking forceps, a pair of long, thin, needle nose scissors, a curved hemostat, gloves, alcohol wipes, a speculum, an empty metal pan, and a stack of medical sutures.

"Alright Quays, you still with us?"

"I am," she replied as she slowly blinked. She could feel the weight of Tau's hand against her arms, but they seemed distant, despite their voices being clear and close. "Pretty sure the teas taken full effect."

"Good, now remember, you need to hold still. I don't want this to take any longer than it needs, and I certainly don't need to be missing any of these stitches."

"Got it," she replied finding it strange how fully aware she was, and yet how detached she felt from everything that was going on around her.

She watched as Cole wiped down his hands with an alcohol towel and then put on the gloves, before grabbing a pair of forceps and fishing around for something in the mason jar.

"What's in there?" Tau questioned as Cole managed to use the forceps to lift something hidden in the darkened liquid to the surface.

"This here is the piece of cadaver skin I used to put her sigil on while you were sleeping off your own procedure earlier this afternoon. But unlike removals, installations be far more complicated."

Picking up a second set of forceps he maneuvered the marinated piece of skin around in the jar until he was able to carefully grasp and lock them onto its corners before lifting it out of the pungently sweet-scented solution found within. It was a mixture of steeped herbs, special oils, and several other ingredients necessary to marinate the sigil, and to keep the skin fresh and sterile. Setting the skin into the metal pan he used the distilled water, that he had been kind enough to warm in her microwave, to rinse it clean.

"Okay then, the sigil looks good. You ready for me to begin?"

"I am," she replied as she grabbed a hold of the shirt beneath her hands at the sight Cole standing between her legs at the edge of the bed.

Reaching down he took a hold of the metal pole between her ankles, and he turned and extended the pole to give him the room he needed to work causing her to close her eyes and hold her breath. For despite understanding, and being fully aware of what was happening, a twinge of panic scratched at the back her mind, an old memory trying to claw its way to the surface, that she quickly suppressed by focusing her thoughts on the walk she and Tau had taken earlier that morning.

"Breathe, cher." She heard Cole say as he finished extending the bar. "I know this is uncomfortable for a number of reasons, but you need to try and relax as best you can. Now I'm going to ask you one last time, you sure you ready for this?"

"I'm sure. Sorry. Breathing," she replied as Cole reached forward, and lifted her shirt up before unwrapping the towel she still had around her waist, pushing it to either side.

Now as much as Quayleigh wished that she could have been entirely unconscious for this part, she knew she had to be awake for the rest, making her wish impossible. So even a semi-sedated state was better than what she had been expecting to happen.

"Okay then. This is going to be a cold and unpleasant but do your best to stay still and keep breathing. You start feeling off though, you flatten your hands to your chest. You see that, Tau; you tell me, and I'll give her some time to calm down."

"Okay," they both replied as he reached over and picked up the speculum which he had prepared earlier.

"It's time," Cole said as Tau placed the bit into her mouth. "You going to feel some pressure," he relayed as he carefully maneuvered the speculum into position before pressing and sliding it into place.

Quayleigh breathed through the discomfort of having herself spread wide open by the medical device as she bit down on the piece of leather, but once it was locked in place, the pressure she had felt against her pelvic region began to subside and the even more uncomfortable part of the procedure could begin.