wrfmlogsarchive | Living might mean taking chances...

Who: Song, Chase
What: A discussion of things past, present, and future
Where: The library in Radiant Garden
When: Thursday night/Friday morning

"And once again I try, oh how I try to sleep before the morning light~" Song was singing to herself as she skimmed the pages of books she'd flipped through several times before. She really should have been thinking about sleep. She was scheduled to start magic lessons with Merlin in the morning, but she simply wasn't tired. Besides, she might have missed something on these yellowed, small-scripted pages.

Chase didn't go the library this late at night - usually because she was asleep by this time or was curled up with a book somewhere. But she was restless, and wanted to go somewhere. The library wasn't too far off, and she didn't have to worry about petty thefts here.

She kicked off the snow on her boots and hurried walked through the corridors up to her "spot" - an armchair that overlooked the lower level of the library. There were a few people still in the library, but it was quiet, save for the low music being played.

She was on the last stair up to the landing when she realized her "spot" was already taken. She blinked and then smiled just a tiny bit, embarrassed. "Hey Song."

Song lifted her gaze over the top of her current book without actually raising her head. She typically looked so busy here that no one bothered her, so the interruption was something of a surprise. When she recognized Chase, though, she grinned.

"Hey yourself. Were you looking for something?" A silly question to ask in a library, perhaps, but Song would blame that late hour for that.

"Not anything in particular," Chase said quietly. "I just couldn't sleep." She pulled out a small book from her pocket - the first volume to The Dark Tower series - and collapsed in the other available chair in the area. She wasn't sure where her sudden hesitation came from, until she realized that she hadn't exactly talked to Song face-to-face in a very long time.

And that didn't even take into account the whole plot she had pulled together with Amy. Ugh.

"How goes life?" It was the question she usually asked.

"Life goes pretty nicely right now," Song replied with cheerful lilt in her voice. She was eyeing the cover of Chase's book, her grin remaining in her eyes if not on her lips. "How far have you gotten in that? I finished the last book a few months ago."

"Just started it actually - I had a lot of people back home recommend it, so I decided to give it a shot," Chase said with a small shrug of her shoulder. "It's weird - I used to read these types of books like crazy. But recently, it's been a lot of historical biographies." She laughed, hooking a leg over one of the arms of the chair. "Guess I figured no fantasy story is ever going to top this."

"Heh. That's funny, it's the lighter fantasies I've cut down on. I rarely read the darker, gritty ones until Gunslinger. Orpheus recommended it. 'There are other worlds than these'." She set aside the large volume she'd been going through, not bothering to mark the page. Naturally, books weren't the only thing that Chase made her think of. "You're still staying at the loft, right? It must be quiet there."

"I sometimes miss the bigger, brick-sized books. But I guess I can always go to my copy of Les Miserables if I get too weary of 'em."

She drummed her fingers against her knee absently. "Yeah. Things are kinda quiet without him around." Truth be told, she really missed her best friend and the trouble he seemed to get into on an hourly basis. "But I guess there can't be explosions ALL the time."

Song couldn't hide a fond smirk at that comment. She kind of missed the trouble too. "Well, if you do want explosions or the like, I'll be conducting some interesting magical experiments in a few weeks, once I get the basic spells down... I'm going to see how much I can learn before he comes back."

She looked up at that, and really took note of the book in front of Song. "What are you trying to learn?"

"Several things, to start with..." Song wasn't sure how much she should tell. She'd kept the full extent of her plan a secret so far, and she'd had the original idea a year ago. But then, Song was only good at keeping secrets until the topic came up, which is to say, she wasn't so good at it at all. "The first step is to familiarize myself with the feel of magic in different forms, so I'm learning... Cure, Aero, Water... then I'm going to try to teach myself Fire from these books, and try to learn Blizzard by altering Water. I think it will work. I've been researching magical theory for almost a year. That's pretty much all I do here." She waved a hand to indicate the library.

Chase nodded thoughtfully. A lot of the Refugees learned magic, and always seemed to excel in one or two fields. Brandon and Ray's Thunder magic, Aya's Blizzard magic, Fox's Cure...she almost mentioned that Josiah could have taught Song about the different forms of Water magic, thanks to Calum, but decided not to. Too many bad memories there.

"Any reason why? Just something to pass time?"

Song herself had realized that she could and perhaps should have asked Josiah for help, but she loved the accomplishment of figuring it all out herself.

"Not exactly.... It all comes down to something I've been wanting to try since Xemnas was defeated." Since the Dreaming ended, she didn't say.

"Lilith actually confirmed my suspicions about magic, last spring, but I was too busy working on the Dream spell and trying to help Josi to do anything else at the time."

"Just to say you learned all the elemental spells?" Chase asked, sitting back in the armchair slightly. "You sure you won't overdo it? I mean, learning all of them at once?"

Song shook her head. "It's not that. I wouldn't waste my time learning any of them, but I think it will be safer to have the experience. The point, in the end... is to learn how to control magic without spell-casting." So much for secrets. "Normally one has to cast a different spell for each element, draining mana and taking time. I want to change the energy from one form to another at will."

"Isn't that what Ca-..." She stopped and rubbed the back of her neck as she thought about. Well, that would certainly save energy if Song could figure out a way to do it. She didn't have any doubts that if there was a way, the other woman would find it. She gave Song a rueful little smile. "I'm afraid I'm no good with any of this. I'm pretty sure I'm the only Refugee left who hasn't learned any magic."

Song just gave a dark little not-quite-chuckle at the unfinished sentence and shook her head again. "I know. It's practically new to me, too. I never bothered to learn any traditional spells, but to be honest I'm kind of tired of being a one-trick pony, as it were." And there was the fact that she wanted to control magical energy in this world the same one one would control matter in the Dreaming... but she'd leave that out. Or try to, anyway.

Chase wrinkled her nose. "You know, back when this first started, I wanted to learn magic. But now...I like being the odd one out. Besides, whenever anyone gets cursed again, I can be the one running around with a camera, taking blackmail pictures."

She shrugged again. "One-trick pony or not, your magic helped a lot last year. Probably saved Josiah's life."

She just nodded at Chase's comments about magic in general, smiling at the joke. She agreed, for no reason that she could precisely name. A Refugee with no magic could be useful, as Josiah himself had demonstrated when he used Chase as an anchor, though Song wasn't aware of that specific occasion.

"Lilith saved Josiah's life," she replied, but she understood what Chase was getting at. "I won't be setting aside the Dream magic. I still have plans for that too. I'm hoping these other studies in magic will help me out with that, really."

"Reinforcing your old magic with the new magic?" Chase asked. "Sounds like a plan. Not sure how it'll work, but...are you getting Merlin or Yen Sid to help you out? I know you mentioned training with Merlin earlier on the comm..."

Again she nodded, though it seemed an absent gesture, as if her thoughts were focused elsewhere. "Merlin is going to start teaching me Aero tomorrow, but I haven't asked any of the magicians for help with the larger project. I don't think they'd like it, honestly... When I talked to Yen Sid about magic in general once, he was very cautioning. If I ask anyone for help, it will be Margaret. Provided she's alright..."

Chase's eyes widened. "Oh crap. After all the commotion that went on during the wedding, I completely and utterly forgot about Margaret and Maleficent." She rubbed the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Ah, geez. Yet more trouble to look forward to. Can't the bad guys go off and play canasta in a nice little locked lair of doom for all eternity?"

"Ha." Song's laugh was more cynical that humorous. "Wouldn't that be convenient." She ran a hand through her hair, flicking her bangs out of her eyes. They were even longer than usual.

"It worried me. She's been too quiet. And I need Margaret for something else, too." The words were out before she could rethink them, and she tried not to show any alarm. That secret was supposed to stay secret until it was finished.

"I guess the bad guys never care about letting us have a real breather," Chase murmured, glancing up at Song's last words. "Something else?"

Song was silent for a moment, staring back at Chase thoughtfully. Then, instead of answering the question, she asked, "does Josiah ever talk to you about his immortality?"

Chase blinked and then bit her bottom lip again, pulling one of knees to her chest, curled up in a position that looked utterly uncomfortable, but something she was fine with. She tucked a loose lock of dark hair behind her ear and thought about it.

"Once. I asked him about when he came back for Christmas." She sighed. "He'd never admit it, but I think the idea of outliving all of his friends and family scares the hell out of him." She smiled, but there was no humor in it. "You know he wears his heart on his sleeve. Something like that...I don't know. I couldn't do it."

Song nodded, thoughtfully, her gaze drifting to some spot of empty air near her feet. "That's what I expected." She didn't say anything about the question regarding Margaret, but her hand came up to rest over her necklace, which was currently hidden beneath her shirt.

She tilted her head to the side, wanting to know why Song would ask about that. But she refrained from asking, instead crossing her arms and glancing over at the other woman.

"You really care about him," she said with just the slightest of smiles. Stating the obvious, yes. But that is what she was good at.

At that, Song's lips curved in another smile and she seemed to relax. For a moment she was uncertain of how to answer, though any answer she gave would be an undeniable affirmative.

"I love him... You've known him a long time. You can't tell me he isn't easy to love."

Chase laughed, tossing her head back. "Yeah, he's just one of those people with the freakin' magnetic personality." She paused, and then she ducked her head just a bit. It was one of those times that she was glad her dark skin could hide a blush. "Listen, I hope you weren't too freaked out about that plot a few weeks back. We probably shouldn't have interfered."

Now that made Song laugh a little herself. "Me? Freaked out? I'd been hoping to seduce the boy since the night he came back." 'Wicked' was the best word to describe her grin. One could just envision the devil horns or perhaps cat ears protruding from her skull. "Honestly, I think I make a better succubus than Lilith." No, she wasn't blushing. Not at all. It was just a trick of the light, really.

"Well, aren't you two a pair?" Now that Song confirmed that she wasn't upset about her and Amy's little ploy, she could relax a bit. That was really the only thing she had been embarrassed about, and her smile grew larger at Song's blush. "I swear, the Refugees can't get hurt normally, can't get married normally...why would I be surprised that the Refs can't even have sex normally?"

She chuckled, thumbing the edge of her book almost carelessly. "Someone's going to experiment on us one day to see how we break the definition of "normal" on a daily basis."

"Tch. I'd probably volunteer for that experiment. Of course, I'd have to argue that if breaking normality is truly a normal occurrence for us, then we've got a bit of definition issue to work out." She leaned back in the armchair, steepling her fingers in front of her.

"So, what do you think the next big fiasco will involve? Maleficent, or something else?"

"Probably something ridiculous, like giant evil rabbits from space," Chase mused, shaking her head in exasperation. "Everything else we can stop. But evil rabbits from space? No - we're doomed."

"It must be bunnies," Song quoted in an overly serious voice. "But we already dealt with the bunny problem, remember? That magic plague came from the dream hares." Something sparked in Song's eyes, an odd little moment of surprise. She hadn't remembered until she mentioned it that Chase had been the one to find her then. She'd forgotten that night entirely, probably in no small part to how fevered she'd been.

"Maybe we'll have to face the Stay-Puft man next." She giggled just a bit before swinging her leg off the arm of the chair. "Just for the excuse to sing the Ghostbusters song."

She fell silent for a second or two before glancing back at Song, a curious look in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to ask something, but wasn't quite sure how to put it in words.

Song tilted her head, matching Chase's look. She couldn't guess what the girl was thinking, so she just tried to nudge the conversation along in the hopes that it would come out. "Well, we could have sung the Ghostbusters song while we were dealing with Calum. Bit late for it now. I don't hate him anymore."

Chase sighed, looking a tiny bit frustrated. Her encounters with Calum had been less than pleasant, and she wasn't sure if she would get over her deep dislike of someone who had hurt one of her best friends so much. She was glad to be rid of him...well, to the given extent.

"That was a bad situation," she said quietly, unsure of what else to say. She knew Song would have reason enough not to dislike Calum anymore, but Chase didn't. Not yet, and she wasn't sure if she ever would.

Still...

"Can I ask you to do something for me? It sounds kinda selfish, but..."

It was bad, and Song hadn't forgotten it. If the remnant of Calum still left behind had remembered his part in those events, Song would still hold a grudge. It was only his lack of memory that spared him that. In a way it made him innocent, at least as far as she was concerned.

But she didn't really feel like discussing it. At least it was over.

Besides, her curiosity was sparked. "Hey, I can relate to selfishness. It's something I should probably work on in myself. How can I help you?"

She squirmed a bit - she really didn't like asking other people for things, but technically this wasn't even for her. Still, she felt a little selfish asking for it.

"What with everything that happened last year..." she began, looking down at the cover of her book. "He's one of my best friends, Song. And I know he'll always put other people's happiness before his own. But I don't want to see him get hurt. I want my friends to be happy." She didn't know how to ask about Orpheus, didn't want to bring it up even, so she just settled for the simple question, "Can you do that for him?"

Song narrowed her eyes, tilting her head again to a lesser degree. She had a feeling she knew what Chase was getting at.

Her hand went to her chest again, and it wasn't entirely clear whether she was reaching for her necklace or for her own heart.

"I'm staying with him for as long as he wants me there," she said quietly. "I was planning to tell him when he comes back, but I decided it before he left. I think Orpheus would understand... if I ever see him again." There might have been some bitterness there, but it was mostly resignation, as well as determination. Josiah made her happier than she could say. She could only try to do the same for him.

Chase's dark eyes sparkled as a relieved grin spread across her face. She wasn't sure about what the decision was going to be, but she was glad to hear Song's words. "I guess learning Cure should help you out, then." Speaking of Cure, Chase figured maybe she should complete her lessons from Queen Minnie from so long ago. Maybe one day.

She sat back in her chair with a relaxed sigh. "I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for my lack of tact. It's something I never learned too well...as you probably figured out a few weeks back."
Tact, what was that?

Song shrugged, returning the smile automatically. "It's not a problem. I like honesty, remember?"

Those words brought her thoughts back to the previous topic, however, and she bit her lip for a moment.

When she spoke again, it was with caution. "Chase, we haven't ever really gotten to know each other, but I've always thought you were wise and sensible. More than most of the Refugees, in some ways. If I tell you a secret that relates to Josiah - to his happiness - can I trust you to keep it a secret, just until it's done?" She needed to tell someone. Secrets of any sort drove her crazy, but anyone else she told would try to stop her. She was sure of that.

Chase blinked at the sudden seriousness in Song's voice. Well. She was certainly flattered by that compliment, but she definitely wasn't sure where this was going. She nodded anyway. "Yeah. Of course." And she meant it - she liked to believe her word was golden, and strived to live up to that. "What's up?"

"It's not just for him," Song began. "I have my own reasons. It will take a long time to fully master the magic as I want to... but I wouldn't do it if not for him. Or at least I wouldn't do it so soon." She was beating around the bush, and that made her scowl slightly.
She began to draw her necklace out from under her shirt collar then, but thought better of the action and stopped herself, carefully placing her hand down on the arm of the chair.
"I need Margaret's help to make a phylactery."

Chase heard the words, but she didn't quite get the meaning behind them at first. She was about ask Song what she meant when the word "phylactery" sunk in. She remembered that. She knew what that was. Which was why she just gaped at Song for a few moments, looking stunned.

"You want..." The idea overwhelmed her, had always overwhelmed her. She wasn't quite sure what to think about that, really.

Song didn't meet her eyes. She was looking off to the side, staring up at the books that lined the top of a nearby shelf. "I've always wanted it. Not forever, but longer.... longer than what we're given. I want to see the worlds change, and learn more than I can in one lifetime. And I don't want to think of him losing everyone he loves."

Chase leaned forward, almost knocking her book over as she did so. "Wow. I mean...I'm not sure what to really think. That's..." She paused, trying to pull her thoughts together into something more coherent. "I guess that's the best thing, then."

She propped her chin in one hand, meeting Song's eyes. "Whatever your reasons for doing it, thank you anyway."

She smiled, looking back at Chase again. She'd judged her correctly, and that pleased her.
"Thank you for understanding. Now I just have to figure out how to explain it to him." And how to do it in the first place... if Margaret couldn't help, she'd track down the spell herself, but she suspected that it would be much more dangerous without proper guidance.

"Everything will work out," Chase said, her tone confident. And she had no doubt it would. After all, they lived in a world where Disney was real. Things worked out - maybe not the way they always wanted, but definitely in the way that was in the end, the best way. "Besides, I get the feeling that a million horses and the threat of a worldwide storm system could stop you from getting what you wanted."

Song's distant smile turned into a fierce grin. "Oh yes, I am that stubborn and the universe had better just accept it. Oh, which reminds me, I don't suppose you were told why Lilith said no when I offered to help bring her Calum back?" It was a bit of a topic jump, but she was as curious as she was stubborn, after all, and Lilith was still a mystery to her.

Chase rubbed the back of her neck again, thinking about that question. She didn't really know the succubus as well as Song, and Josiah usually didn't open up about the demon's past.

"I'm not sure," she mused. "From what I know about her...I don't know. She already lost the man she loved twice. Maybe she didn't want to tempt fate a third time."

She nodded. It was as good an answer as any... though Song's own optimism scoffed at that kind of negativity. To turn down another chance...

Ah, well. If things worked out, she'd have plenty of time to learn the inner workings of the succubus who for some strange reason she wanted to think of as not just a friend, but one of her best.

The heart was unpredictable in more than just romantic love, apparently.

Whether or not she was going to say more, a deep yawn ended her winding train of thought.

"Oof. What hour of the morning is it?" She honestly wasn't sure if that was an exaggeration or not.

Chase blinked and glanced down at her watch...and grimaced. "Uh. Early." Those words were enough to make sudden exhaustion seep into her. She gave Song a look. "I guess that's a hint. So much for my book." She sounded amused though.

"Heheh. The Dark Tower will wait for you. You've got to tell me what you think of the very end, once you get there. It's twisted." She picked up her own stack of books and seemed to swoop upward out of the chair. She'd always had a strange way of moving.

"Now I just have to remember which shelves these go on... I guess it's good night, then." She gave one more slight grin, and murmured the words to her song again. "The bells are ringing on mid winter's night, and once again I try to sleep before the morning light..."

"Will do," Chase said, bouncing to her feet and tucking her book under her arms. "Looking forward to it then." She watched as Song began putting the books back and a small smile crossed her face before she turned and headed down the stairs.

Before the morning light, indeed.