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In the Morning of the Magicians: Chapters 23 to 25
SUMMARY: Giles and Ethan, the electric Kool-Aid funky Satan groove year, in the early seventies. Rated M. Spoilers to Band Candy. Acknowledgements and disclaimers.
23.
Ripper was grumpy that evening. He refused to go out to the pub with the rest of them, and instead declared that he was taking Adrienne out to see a film. So he missed entirely Ethan's excellent rendition of their day's escapades, and the attentive way in which it was received. Stan, Diedre, and Randall thought it was hilarious. Tom had looked rather aghast but then, he usually did.
Ethan wanted to go back to working on the Spivak as soon as they got back from the pub, but he knew he should pace himself. He killed a few hours with some of the hoarded hashish and some minor illusion spells. Then he started to crave a cheese sandwich, and went down to the kitchen to grill one. He could clearly hear Ripper and Adrienne having sex, not because either of them were screamers, but Adrienne did vocalise and the door to her room, which opened onto the kitchen, had been damaged at some point. The usual household practice when Adrienne was at it was to switch on the radio, but they were later than usual tonight and Ethan couldn't even find the shipping forecast on the dial. Instead, he sat on the back porch, looking out at the garden, while he waited for the cheese to melt. The garden had gone wild, its lawn uncut and its plants unpruned in the years since they had moved in there. He wondered what there was in the way of wildlife. Foxes, badgers, shrews? What crawled, what ran, and what flew past? Then he smelt a faint burning smell and went back in to rescue his toast.
Ripper was avoiding him the next day. He didn't come home straight from his lunchtime gig at the hotel, but stayed out until dinnertime, saying curtly that he'd gone for a walk. Adrienne was out at one of her Friday night meetings and Ripper disappeared upstairs to play on his guitar. This sort of behaviour was just of no use to Ethan, especially if it carried on to tomorrow night, when Ethan had scheduled the fun spellcasting that Diedre had asked for, so Ethan decided to go up and apologise.
"I'm sorry about what happened. Everything got out of hand very quickly. I really didn't mean to put you in any danger. It won't happen again."
Ripper was sitting a wooden chair, with his guitar in his lap. He looked as if he didn't believe Ethan.
"Don't worry about my expression," Ethan said. "My face just does that, I can't help it."
Ethan hadn't actually been inside Ripper's room since Ripper had moved in, even though it was on the same floor as his own. No-one had picked it before because it was up all those stairs and rather draughty, particularly in winter. Ethan supposed they should really come up there and help Ripper stuff rags into the cracks. It had a nice window though. He looked around saw that the chair was pretty much all the furniture that Ripper had. He had his musical gear and his clothes and that seemed to be about it. The man had a record player but didn't have a mattress.
Ethan also noticed that the anti-scrying candleholder had been set up. He wondered who Ripper was trying to avoid. On the Tube yesterday, he'd been looking over his shoulder the whole time too. Maybe he'd stolen something? He'd have to ask Ripper at a better time: it was almost interesting.
"So, I'm sorry," said Ethan.
"All right," said Ripper. And after that the guitar music was a little happier.
Ethan went down to see Stan next. Stan's basement flat was quite separate from the rest of the house. Ethan had to go out the back door as the front was kept permanently locked and walk around to the front, opening the gate and walking down the half-set of stairs to Stan's sunken front yard and front door.
For a miracle, Stan was in. He let Ethan into his front room. Stan's place had actual furniture, much more than the rest of the house. It had intact wallpaper and looked like a proper flat. It had a new bar, Ethan noted.
He waved some money at Stan. "Can you get me some hash? I'm getting low."
"No problem," said Stan.
"And can you get Ripper a mattress? He doesn't seem to have anything at all."
"Sure."
"And tell him it fell off the back of a lorry."
24.
Ripper came home on Saturday to find an entire team of renovators ready and waiting for him. Randall had Polyfilla and a ladder, Dee had sandpaper and a broom, Tom had a wood-plane and a pot of varnish. Even Stan made it all the way to the top of the stairs, carrying a a still-wrapped mattress that he'd "found". Ripper cleared his stuff out into the hallway and then helped where he could. Together they filled the worst of the cracks in the wall, smoothed out the floor and windowsills where the wood was splintering, and cleaned out the more aggressive spiders. Ripper turned down an offer from Randall to paint the room and thanked Diedre but told her he probably wouldn't get any curtains until the winter.
Adrienne came home just as they were doing the final sweep and clean. She stood in the doorway with her arms folded as Randall mopped. Dee went downstairs and came back with a sheet and pillow set as a housewarming gift.
"Isn't this wonderful?" said Ripper quietly to Adrienne. He was deeply moved and very grateful. "They just showed up and started work."
Adrienne nodded and looked around the room. "Where's Ethan?" she asked him.
"What? Oh, I think he's in the drawing room, setting up for tonight. He certainly hasn't been helping out here."
"No," she said. There was something a little odd about her expression.
"What is it?" he asked, suddenly concerned.
"Nothing," she said. She kissed his forehead. "Will you be much longer?"
Ripper shook his head. "Dinner's at the pub tonight, once we've all washed up."
"OK."
"I think I've found a dead pigeon," said Tom, who was leaning out of the window.
Adrienne went downstairs as Ripper went to look.
25.
Ethan was trying out different combinations of herbs, burning small quantities over the altarcloth to see what worked best. He could hear a constant clatter from upstairs, but it took considerably more than that to distract him.
"Hello, Ethan," said Adrienne as she came into the room. She fetched herself a chair and moved it next to where he sat on the floor. He smothered the flame and looked up at her.
"I heard about your escapade on Thursday," she said. "And I didn't hear it from you and I didn't hear it from Ripper."
"Well, you should have come to the pub on Thursday night then."
"Was he in any actual danger? Were either of you?"
"Maybe," Ethan admitted. "Ripper's pretty good with his fists, though."
"I don't want to ever have to pick you up from hospital again."
"No," he said, "of course not."
"And what's all that going on upstairs?"
"Ah," he said, airily. "I just thought it was time to have his room fixed up."
"And Stan just happened to find him a bed?"
"Merry Christmas?" Ethan offered. "Actually, what month is this?"
"May."
"Happy May Day then. More appropriate for you, anyway."
"Are you going to go after him?"
"Why, would you mind if I did?" He studied her expression carefully.
Adrienne thought for a moment. "I like him," she said. "And he's a lot smarter than he looks." She paused. "But I could do with some more time to myself. I don't think he's got enough to occupy him at the moment."
"Well then," said Ethan, smiling.
"I'm not sure he'd be interested though."
"Oh, I'm fairly sure," said Ethan.
"And there was one other thing I wanted to talk with you about. I might have a job for you again soon. I was going to ask Stan, but I'm not sure now that it's something he could handle. It's something you might want to take Ripper for too."
"More work with your South African?"
"No, something else this time."
"And what was that earlier about wanting me to stay out of trouble?" Ethan asked.
"It's for the greater good," said Adrienne.
He laughed. "If you say so," Ethan said.
23.
Ripper was grumpy that evening. He refused to go out to the pub with the rest of them, and instead declared that he was taking Adrienne out to see a film. So he missed entirely Ethan's excellent rendition of their day's escapades, and the attentive way in which it was received. Stan, Diedre, and Randall thought it was hilarious. Tom had looked rather aghast but then, he usually did.
Ethan wanted to go back to working on the Spivak as soon as they got back from the pub, but he knew he should pace himself. He killed a few hours with some of the hoarded hashish and some minor illusion spells. Then he started to crave a cheese sandwich, and went down to the kitchen to grill one. He could clearly hear Ripper and Adrienne having sex, not because either of them were screamers, but Adrienne did vocalise and the door to her room, which opened onto the kitchen, had been damaged at some point. The usual household practice when Adrienne was at it was to switch on the radio, but they were later than usual tonight and Ethan couldn't even find the shipping forecast on the dial. Instead, he sat on the back porch, looking out at the garden, while he waited for the cheese to melt. The garden had gone wild, its lawn uncut and its plants unpruned in the years since they had moved in there. He wondered what there was in the way of wildlife. Foxes, badgers, shrews? What crawled, what ran, and what flew past? Then he smelt a faint burning smell and went back in to rescue his toast.
Ripper was avoiding him the next day. He didn't come home straight from his lunchtime gig at the hotel, but stayed out until dinnertime, saying curtly that he'd gone for a walk. Adrienne was out at one of her Friday night meetings and Ripper disappeared upstairs to play on his guitar. This sort of behaviour was just of no use to Ethan, especially if it carried on to tomorrow night, when Ethan had scheduled the fun spellcasting that Diedre had asked for, so Ethan decided to go up and apologise.
"I'm sorry about what happened. Everything got out of hand very quickly. I really didn't mean to put you in any danger. It won't happen again."
Ripper was sitting a wooden chair, with his guitar in his lap. He looked as if he didn't believe Ethan.
"Don't worry about my expression," Ethan said. "My face just does that, I can't help it."
Ethan hadn't actually been inside Ripper's room since Ripper had moved in, even though it was on the same floor as his own. No-one had picked it before because it was up all those stairs and rather draughty, particularly in winter. Ethan supposed they should really come up there and help Ripper stuff rags into the cracks. It had a nice window though. He looked around saw that the chair was pretty much all the furniture that Ripper had. He had his musical gear and his clothes and that seemed to be about it. The man had a record player but didn't have a mattress.
Ethan also noticed that the anti-scrying candleholder had been set up. He wondered who Ripper was trying to avoid. On the Tube yesterday, he'd been looking over his shoulder the whole time too. Maybe he'd stolen something? He'd have to ask Ripper at a better time: it was almost interesting.
"So, I'm sorry," said Ethan.
"All right," said Ripper. And after that the guitar music was a little happier.
Ethan went down to see Stan next. Stan's basement flat was quite separate from the rest of the house. Ethan had to go out the back door as the front was kept permanently locked and walk around to the front, opening the gate and walking down the half-set of stairs to Stan's sunken front yard and front door.
For a miracle, Stan was in. He let Ethan into his front room. Stan's place had actual furniture, much more than the rest of the house. It had intact wallpaper and looked like a proper flat. It had a new bar, Ethan noted.
He waved some money at Stan. "Can you get me some hash? I'm getting low."
"No problem," said Stan.
"And can you get Ripper a mattress? He doesn't seem to have anything at all."
"Sure."
"And tell him it fell off the back of a lorry."
24.
Ripper came home on Saturday to find an entire team of renovators ready and waiting for him. Randall had Polyfilla and a ladder, Dee had sandpaper and a broom, Tom had a wood-plane and a pot of varnish. Even Stan made it all the way to the top of the stairs, carrying a a still-wrapped mattress that he'd "found". Ripper cleared his stuff out into the hallway and then helped where he could. Together they filled the worst of the cracks in the wall, smoothed out the floor and windowsills where the wood was splintering, and cleaned out the more aggressive spiders. Ripper turned down an offer from Randall to paint the room and thanked Diedre but told her he probably wouldn't get any curtains until the winter.
Adrienne came home just as they were doing the final sweep and clean. She stood in the doorway with her arms folded as Randall mopped. Dee went downstairs and came back with a sheet and pillow set as a housewarming gift.
"Isn't this wonderful?" said Ripper quietly to Adrienne. He was deeply moved and very grateful. "They just showed up and started work."
Adrienne nodded and looked around the room. "Where's Ethan?" she asked him.
"What? Oh, I think he's in the drawing room, setting up for tonight. He certainly hasn't been helping out here."
"No," she said. There was something a little odd about her expression.
"What is it?" he asked, suddenly concerned.
"Nothing," she said. She kissed his forehead. "Will you be much longer?"
Ripper shook his head. "Dinner's at the pub tonight, once we've all washed up."
"OK."
"I think I've found a dead pigeon," said Tom, who was leaning out of the window.
Adrienne went downstairs as Ripper went to look.
25.
Ethan was trying out different combinations of herbs, burning small quantities over the altarcloth to see what worked best. He could hear a constant clatter from upstairs, but it took considerably more than that to distract him.
"Hello, Ethan," said Adrienne as she came into the room. She fetched herself a chair and moved it next to where he sat on the floor. He smothered the flame and looked up at her.
"I heard about your escapade on Thursday," she said. "And I didn't hear it from you and I didn't hear it from Ripper."
"Well, you should have come to the pub on Thursday night then."
"Was he in any actual danger? Were either of you?"
"Maybe," Ethan admitted. "Ripper's pretty good with his fists, though."
"I don't want to ever have to pick you up from hospital again."
"No," he said, "of course not."
"And what's all that going on upstairs?"
"Ah," he said, airily. "I just thought it was time to have his room fixed up."
"And Stan just happened to find him a bed?"
"Merry Christmas?" Ethan offered. "Actually, what month is this?"
"May."
"Happy May Day then. More appropriate for you, anyway."
"Are you going to go after him?"
"Why, would you mind if I did?" He studied her expression carefully.
Adrienne thought for a moment. "I like him," she said. "And he's a lot smarter than he looks." She paused. "But I could do with some more time to myself. I don't think he's got enough to occupy him at the moment."
"Well then," said Ethan, smiling.
"I'm not sure he'd be interested though."
"Oh, I'm fairly sure," said Ethan.
"And there was one other thing I wanted to talk with you about. I might have a job for you again soon. I was going to ask Stan, but I'm not sure now that it's something he could handle. It's something you might want to take Ripper for too."
"More work with your South African?"
"No, something else this time."
"And what was that earlier about wanting me to stay out of trouble?" Ethan asked.
"It's for the greater good," said Adrienne.
He laughed. "If you say so," Ethan said.
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The OCs in this story are very well done, btw. They seem like real - though not particularly likeable - people. I'm quite looking forward to when you've posted the whole story so I can read it again in one or two longer sittings.
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