Roomies

[Ashley McGowen] One of the first things Enid will notice about living with Ashley is that her mentor keeps very strange hours. Ashley has a tendency to come and go at late hours of the night: sometimes when she can't sleep, she disappears for an hour or more to walk Zane. Last night she didn't come home until nearly four in the morning. She doesn't seem to sleep later for any of this: she rises at about nine and goes about her day, regardless of how late she was awake.

The majority of her day she spends in the study, though now that she's had Enid there she's tried to pay attention to the girl: sadly, there are few entertainment sources available. She has a lot of books and collections of documentaries. There's a beautifully handcarved wood and stone chess set that's been made use of.

That evening, though, she invites Solomon over, dropping a note at his place and asking him to come to her apartment. The place is a brick walk-up, recently renovated and housing a large number of grad students. The inside of Ashley's apartment itself has a warm, comfortable feel: a lot of browns and creams and reds, wood and leather. The walls are lined with wooden bookshelves, which are crammed with a lot of eclectic titles.

When Solomon arrives, Ashley emerges from her study [sanctum] to go and answer the door.

[Solomon Quicksilver] Solomon arrives in his characteristic strange shoes with five individual toes and cargo pants. A windbreaker hangs loosely over his slender form, with the silver pentagram pendant hanging outside of it around his neck on a thin black cord. His rings make loud rapping noises on the door when he arrives. The note having gotten to him, somehow, despite the difficulty in finding his house. (Thankfully finding his mailbox wasn't quite so hard, it was figuring out which house it was that caused the issues.)

[Enid Geraint] When told that someone'd be coming over, Enid had asked what time - roughly fifteen minutes before, she'd set aside book and paper to pull out some of the plethora of baked goods (though the production thereof has slowed down) that threaten to take over Ashley's kitchen. She'd also put on a pot for tea, and tidied anything of hers that might be out of place, in the way - not that she has much here, right now. Mostly, it's just the clothes that Ashley got for her, and the couch pillows to be fluffed. She's still quiet, but she talks a bit more - asks questions as she reads, peeks into the studysanctum to make sure Ashley's doing alright and to occasionally bring a cup of tea or a cookie or a piece of bread, to play with Zane.

She's not the girl she was when she left - may not be again. But her will has returned to her, at least; while she's still very much a teenager in need of the approval of her authority figures, in need of a good GPA, in need of all that sort of thing, she's back to herself in that arena. No longer does she lack the strength required to ask why, or other such (seemingly) simple things.

Tea is steeping in a pot with three mugs on a tray, on the coffee table, when the knock comes on the door; there's a light flinch, hidden quickly and well. She knows who it is that's coming, of course, and what they're going to talk about . . . but that doesn't mean she's not (more than) a hair on the paranoid side.

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley's gotten used to the rather compulsive tidying of her apartment. Enid finds that she's prone to leaving things like teacups lying around: not plates or other such things that could create filth, but she's not always the most organized person. Either way, it lacks its usual clutter with Enid here.

She answers the door for Solomon and invites the boy inside, holding the door open for him. "Hey, Solomon. I'm glad the letter reached you...I thought I might have left it in the wrong mailbox." She reaches out a hand, offering to take his coat. The shepherd dog that Solomon remembers from when he met her in the park trots over to investigate the cuffs of his pants.

"This is my apprentice, Enid," she says, with a gesture toward the redheaded girl who is just off to the left, in the kitchen. "Enid, this is Solomon Blackstone Quicksilver bani Bonisagus."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He grins and nods to her. Wiping his feet outside before entering. "No problem. I finally went and got one of those Go phone things so people can reach me. Nathan kind of inspired me to do so. He's a paranoid fucker though." He steps inside. Shrugs out of his windbreaker and hands it to Ashley on slender fingers.

Taking a few steps inside he glances around. Looking the place over. Then fixes his gaze on Enid. Evaluating her like a professor evaluating a student. A very adult look in his eyes. After a brief pause, he nods. "Nice to meet you."

[Enid Geraint] "Go phones actually aren't a bad idea," Enid says with a shrug as she emerges, tall (well, a bit above average for an American woman at five foot eight or nine or so) and athletic, dressed casually in jeans and a sweatshirt . . . and rainbow toe socks. Her hair's pulled back in a neat ponytail, and after setting a last plate - a sweet bread, this - down next to the teapot and cups, she moves to offer her hand for a shake.

"Nice to meet you."

She's not shy, but lacks the confidence she'd had before her trip; there's a hint of hesitation there, if not much of it. She's far from okay, yet, but she's getting better at seeming as if she might be.

[Ashley McGowen] "Good, I'm glad you got a phone." Ashley watches the two teenagers, noting with approval the look Solomon is giving her, how very adult he looks, the professionalism with which he treats Enid. How deflated her apprentice appears. They'll have to try to work on that, it's just that Ashley isn't sure how to fix it beyond encouraging the girl to keep things together. Sensitivity isn't her strong suit, it would seem.

"You can sit down if you want, Solomon," she says, opening the closet behind the door to hang up his windbreaker. "And...I'm sure you knew this was coming. I have a big favor to ask of you." Direct, she is.

[Solomon Quicksilver] He nods to Enid. "Yeah, sorta my thought." Shaking her hand. Quick, firm, dry. It's after he turns to Ashley, nods at her encouragement to sit and does so, that he takes a moment to realize that Enid is a girl and is cute. But he does relatively well at sending his mind off in another direction with that one.

He slides down onto the sofa and leans back, folding his legs with one ankle on the other knee. Wiggling his individually shoe-wrapped toes in a way that's a little odd to watch. They were very strange shoes.

At Ashley's mention of a favor he takes a moment to look around the relatively small (although, cozy, seems to fit better) apartment and the fact that two women are living in a one bedroom place. Of course, he also notices the apparent signs of someone sleeping on the sofa.

"You need a place for her to sleep and want to pawn her off on my enormously large house which only has a single occupant. Right?" Grinning crookedly and looking over at Ashley.

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley actually laughs when he says this. It's a pleasant, light sound, almost musical: echoes of the musician she used to be. "Excellent powers of observation, Mr. Quicksilver."

She takes a seat in one of the chairs opposite him, the coffee table and a few feet of distance separating them. "There are some things you should know before I ask you to do that, though. Enid's staying with me because she had a bad run-in with Technocrats last week while she was in China."

And here, she looks toward the girl. It's a look that says: explain, or I will do it for you.

[Enid Geraint] Wording, bad wording. Enid flushes, looks down at the hand that's already moving to pour tea - she'd been about to ask if either of them wanted some, but now her hand falls away. And her eyes land on Solomon's strange shoes, puzzled; it's easier to focus on that as her blush dies than to try to look at either of them. In her socks, she wriggles her toes experimentally.

And then Ashley speaks, and looks at her, and as quickly as the blush had started to subside, it flares back up, impressive in that way that only fair skinned redheads can truly manage.

"I . . . my . . ." There's internal flailing, and then a deep breath and obvious attempt to steel herself. "I went to China for an internship at a company called Marcom, in their legal department. The internship was gotten for me by my mother, who works in a different department. Mama is . . ." She hesitates for a moment, knowing she's heard the name before, knowing she's mentioned it before, but it's not something that sticks out as a warning flag in her mind, even now. ".....Syndicate. I didn't take the internship, but there were . . . problems. One of my mother's friends, Uncle Zeke . . ." There's a slight crack in her voice, followed by a swallow. "He helped us - Austin and me - get out. We got home four days ago."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He looks back and forth between Ashley and Enid. Unaware he's said something inappropriate. He's an innocent that way, and should probably be left to continue thinking he's smooth and suave while saying inappropriate things.

He grins to Ashley. "Yeah, ain't hard to figure out." Then he turns his attention to Enid. Waiting for the explanation. His eyes growing more concerned and somewhat.... alarmed as her story goes on. He folds his hands together in his lap. The rings on his fingers clink once or twice as he does. His foot starts jittering up and down with nervous energy.

When she's done there's a pause. He looks back and forth between Enid and Ashley as if expecting more.

[Ashley McGowen] Enid gives Solomon the explanation that she's able to, though as the girl cuts herself off, it's clear that she can't finish. Ashley looks sidelong at her, mouth thinning for a moment, and then back over at Solomon. "Her mother attempted a conversion," Ashley tells him.

"I wanted to tell you because chances are very high that her mother isn't going to just let her go. I'm still planning to help you ward your place, but I wanted to...make sure you were aware of the risks, if you decide to let her stay with you. We're going to be working to make sure she understands how to hide and defend herself, but it's still present."

A gesture toward the apartment. "My place is too small, or I'd just let her stay here."

[Enid Geraint] Jaw sets as Ashley finishes what she didn't, couldn't say, and then she adds quietly, "Uncle Dan did most of it. I don't even know where Mama was while I was in that room."

Eyes raise briefly to look at Ashley, then Solomon, then back at her hands in her lap - she's slouched a bit, but other than that is rather proper for the teenager she is. Or maybe it's the company she's currently keeping that has her acting so. "Anyway. I don't know whether they'll just let it go or not. They're all mourning, right now, so we've got a bit anyway, I think."

[Solomon Quicksilver] His eyes slowly slide from Enid to Ashley, back and forth. Putting pieces together in his head and considering the words of both of them. One hand comes up and he taps his chin thoughtfully. The chin he's never shaved once in his life.

"I assume the conversion was unsuccessful." Another flick of his eyes back and forth. "Why?" Lifting his eyebrows at Enid.

[Ashley McGowen] "It was. I've checked her out with the Ars Mentis...both her and the boy she went with. Austin. He's able to keep himself safe on his own, though," Ashley says.

And then she goes quiet, choosing to let Enid field the 'why.'

[Enid Geraint] "Why . . . are they in mourning?" She is too, actually, though she doesn't say - given that she calls one of them Mama and two Uncle, though, it can't be too much of a stretch to guess. Blood relation or no, she'd been close to these people at some point. "Or why was it unsuccessful?"

She pauses, and finally reaches for the tea again; before pouring for herself, she looks towards each of the other Hermetics (Ashley first, then Solomon) in turn, and pours as indicated she should. Then, she takes her own cup, filled more to warm her hands more than to actually drink.

"If the former, because Uncle Steve was killed. If the latter, because Uncle Zeke let us out, and got us plane tickets home. I don't know . . ." She doesn't know what happened to or with him, and this bothers her obviously, tremendously. She's torn in general about her feelings on all of this (but for being locked away in a room for . . . days), and all of them, but especially on Zeke. Like any family type situation, it's complicated.

[Solomon Quicksilver] He holds up a hand in the 'no thanks' gesture to indicate he's not interested in tea and listens carefully to Ashley and Enid. His eyes sliding back and forth between them as he does so. Checking for reactions from each of them as they each relate some tidbit of what happened. And a little about why. But he doesn't seem quite satisfied.

"I understand it must have been somewhat traumatizing." As a child of Hermetics of the Ascension War, he's obviously heard of them in references here and there. Heard of them in some way or another. He must have some familiarity with the subject.

"But what I'm asking is, why didn't you join them?" But he doesn't seem to think they're totally evil. Maybe it's a difference between his parent's generation and the last. Maybe he thinks they're wrong, but he can understand how they convert. Why it's appealing. "I can imagine there must have been a lot of pressure to do so. I'm wondering what held you to our side."

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley takes the cup from Enid when the girl offers, giving her a look that borders on reassuring but never quite reaches it. "Thanks, kiddo," she says quietly, setting it down on the coffee table in front of her to let it cool off.

When Solomon asks what held Enid to their side, Ashley quirks a brow and looks over at the girl. It's a question she didn't think to ask herself.

[Enid Geraint] "I've read about Guantanamo and other prisons and their torture methods. If they'd gone about it differently, I might have . . . well, might have sooner. I might have that way, too, had they had a little longer. But mostly I didn't . . . I don't know. Because I wanted to decide what was right for me, I guess, not have my mom and uncles and aunt do it for me. And."

Here, she chews on her lip, looking at her tea. "Because I don't like the way they say things. It's too . . . sterile. It doesn't feel right in a world where you can smell purple and feel a C sharp if you're paying attention. A world like that can't be as clinical as they sound, always."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He leans forward, tears off a piece of the bread she had made and set out for them. Nibbling on it while he waits and listens. As though this were an every day occurrence and nothing bizarre had happened. Of course, it hadn't happened to him. He was just being asked to shelter her.

"Then I guess you can stay at my place." Flicking a look over at Ashley again. "I suppose I should stop procrastinating on my own wards as well. It's time I put up some protective stuff. So far I've just been relying on the difficulty finding the place in the first place."

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley nods. "It's a good idea to make sure that you put them up. There's...a good chance that there's something Nephandic in the city still."

She, too, takes a piece of bread as though she were just reminded it was there, and lifts it so she can take a small bite from the slice. Thoughtful, before she looks up at Enid. "I'll find a way to get in and get your stuff out of your dad's house, okay? It's probably better if you don't go back there for a while."

[Enid Geraint] "....." It gets a face pulled, brief but there, when Ashley mentions getting Enid's things from her dad's apartment - there's very little Enid wants more than to just go home. "I'd give you my key, but it was in my suitcase." Which, of course, got left in China. A hand comes to fidget with the necklaces at her throat, seeking [growth] reassurance.

".....if you see him, tell him . . . oh, I don't know. If he's upset or worried, tell Daddy I'm alright?"

[Solomon Quicksilver] He smiles faintly, almost a wince, at the two of them. Leaning back and nibbling at his sweet bread. As mentor and student they obviously have some connection, as well as some things to work out. And it can't have been easy for Enid. He's not sure if having dead parents is easier or harder than having ones that are alive that you can't talk to. Maybe harder.

"Well, you'd probably better take the Potentiae room on the main floor. The castle, as I call it, seems to have developed some wards against being found of its own accord and they cover that floor. It also tends to disagree with other people's magicks. So you can stay there, and not burn the place down."

[Ashley McGowen] "If I see him, I'll tell him," is the rather neutral response. Perhaps she would do her best to assure Enid's father, if she weren't sure that it would lead to another way for Enid's mother to track her down. Perhaps, even if she doesn't really care about Enid's father or his well-being, she'd do it just because Enid asked.

That's not the way things have to be, though. She goes quiet while Solomon tells Enid about his house, deciding to let the two of them socialize a little. Enid is going to be living with him, after all.

[Enid Geraint] "Thank you," she says, though she knows how comforting Ashley is likely to be. Or . . . not to be, really.

And then the bit about not burning the house down because of what she assumes must be a sanctum (she's a smart girl, is Enid) registers, and gets her eyes widened just a bit. "I . . . can't burn anything down yet anyway. Without a mundane source of flame and some fuel, at least." She is only an apprentice, after all - it takes her a moment to scramble for what Potentiae means, though not a long one. "You've named the rooms in your house for Spheres?"

[Solomon Quicksilver] He chuckles softly. "I didn't name them anything. Or... well... I didn't... but I sorta did. I don't know." He seems confused for a moment. Shakes his head sharply and grunts. He picks a piece of sweet bread and tosses it into his mouth. "Anyway. They're decorated that way. They have varying pentagrams from the Keys of Solomon painted on them along with landscapes or representations of the surfaces of the planets aligned with those spheres." He grins faintly. A little embarrassed, perhaps.

"Tends to freak people out. I had this girl over from Tech support. I think she's one of us. I got that sense from her anyway. Named Riley? She saw the bedroom, the master bedroom. I think it kind of freaked her out being in a huge red room with pentagrams on the walls. Heh."

[Enid Geraint] ".....I can't say I blame her. Do you sleep in a coffin?" Enid is younger than Riley. She sees different things - and only recently graduated high school, which means Dracula is likely fairly fresh in her mind. And now she's about to be sleeping in a room with a big pentagram on the wall. Which . . .

".....it's not red, is it? I can't even figure out how someone can sleep in a red room." Not relaxing enough. Sleep time is soothing time, or happy time. Not . . . red. But that's neither here nor there, and the question is more curious than anything else - she'll make do, and likely not complain.

[Ashley McGowen] "You didn't show me that one," Ashley says, amused. "I can see where it would bother her. And...yeah, Riley's Awakened. A Virtual Adept, I think. I saw her with one of them last night."

To Enid, she says, "Solomon's house has a lot of space. I think you'll probably be pretty comfortable there once you get used to it."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He looks over at Ashley. A faint blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, well, it's simply too artistic to go tearing down. Besides, lot of mystical significance to them and all. Important stuff." He rambles on for a moment. Waving one hand in loose loops in the air.

Then he flicks his eyes back over to Enid. "Oh no, not the one you're staying in. The master bedroom is the Virium room. The Potentiae room is sort of a... amber-ish color. Like honey or something. The Pentagrams are kind of... 3D... and like... seem to come off the walls. I don't know. It's a little spooky but you get used to it. At least the Potentiae room is one of the brighter colored ones." He shrugs. And flicks more sweet bread into his mouth.

[Enid Geraint] "I made that," she says, momentarily distracted and referencing the bread - like anyone who makes things, she's pleased when other people enjoy them. "I'm glad you like it. Unless you're humoring me, in which case, please don't."

But then there's description of the room, and it sounds a lot more relaxing and pleasant than red, but for strange 3D sigils that appear to float off of the walls. But . . . "I suppose a person can get used to about anything." She's surprisingly pragmatic, now, and there are things that matter more than the aesthetic of this - perhaps more than the general odd feeling about moving in with a stranger. It wouldn't be that different than having a roommate in a dorm, she tells herself, except she wouldn't have had to do that, either - she'd planned on living at home for at least her first year of college. "I haven't gotten a job yet. What's the rent?"

Because these things are important. Crashing with Ashley for a few days is different than actually moving in with someone.

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley leans back in her chair, continuing to nibble at her own piece of bread while the two kids talk. It might be the first thing she's eaten today. The Hermetic's rather voracious appetite seems to have died off since...well, since.

"It's not far from here either, Enid, so we'll still be able to keep up with your lessons in the mornings. I'll expect you here."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He smiles faintly. "It's pretty good, don't worry, I don't ingest inedible stuff for humor." He tosses back another piece of sweet bread. Chews, swallows. Smiles a little again.

Then the question of the rent. He gets a slightly troubled look. Glances off to one side for a moment. His lips thinning contemplatively, then he shrugs and turns back. "None. I mean, I have to pay the taxes eventually. If they can find me. The paperwork for that place tends to get lost. It's really weird. I still get mail and stuff but... it's kinda questionable." He chuckles and shakes his head. Shrugging.

"The whole situation is complicated. But, ya know... I keep the house um... stocked enough for one person. I can probably get enough stuff for us both to not starve. I'm still working on the utilities. Heat and power is up though, so it's liveable. I'm stealing internet from someone at the moment. I'll get it set up next. Nathan's been pretty helpful in setting me up with someone to get some money."

[Enid Geraint] Nathan, she doesn't know, but she says, "I'm supposed to talk to Jon about accessing my account without it being tracked, or something." There's a wave of her hand - clearly, this is not something she understands though she does get that if she touched her money as is, her mother would know, and be able to track it. If, of course, she's watching for such things. "So I'll have some, for until I get a job. It's college money," this is a sticking point for her, but she's dealing, "but if I'm working, it should be okay. And if I have to wait a semester, I guess that's what I have to do. So I can contribute to bills or groceries or whatever once that's done."

It's a temporary patch but better than nothing, and Enid doesn't believe in going into an arrangement empty handed. She's spoiled, sure, but there's still a certain amount of ethics and pride that had been instilled long before she Awakened.

"Are you sure you want a roommate?"

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley, realizing how hungry she is after finishing the first slice of bread at last, reaches for another one. Listening to their arrangements, to how they're getting to know each other.

After devouring the second slice, she turns her attention to Zane, who has wandered over, and reaches down to rub his jaws. She glances up at the two of them from time to time to gauge their expressions and let them know that she's still listening if they have questions, still present.

[Solomon Quicksilver] He nods. "It shouldn't be much honestly. I don't expect you to pay for a whole lot. If you can handle your own groceries at some point, that'd be great. Other than that, well..." He shrugs. "I have a huge house. It's got like, 5 bedrooms. I don't mind some company and it's not costing me anything."

Glancing over at Ashley and the dog. He hadn't grown up around dogs. But he likes them... generally.

[Enid Geraint] "Zane's a good boy," Enid says, offering the dog a bit of bread - just a small bit, given that it's not very good for him. "And . . . alright, then, I guess. If it's really not too much of an imposition until I've gotten everything sorted." It gets Ashley her space back sooner than Enid would be able to find a job and an apartment of her own, at least, so it's a good thing on that front. And it's not far, so easy to get here in the mornings; already, Enid's planning her day. Early morning workout, lessons with Ashley, back to Chez Quicksilver for a shower and what not. First items on the shopping list for when she can access her money are a new cell phone and laptop, both of which will do wonders to have her feeling normal again. She's a modern girl, after all, and has been around both conveniences regularly as long as she can remember.

[Ashley McGowen] Zane snaps up the piece of bread, nails clicking as he makes his rounds to all three of them, resting his chin on knees and gazing hopefully up at them. Ashley pats his head but doesn't feed him anything else.

"If you guys have that figured out, I'd like you to have a look at something with me before you leave, Solomon. Not that I'm kicking you out."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He grins at the dog as it comes around. Petting it along the top of the head and behind the ears. Giving him a tiny piece of sweet bread to lick off his finger.

"Yeah, no problem." Glancing back and forth between Ashley and Enid. "It may take you a couple times to find the house." He tells her the address. "Find the mailbox first. Then follow the driveway next to it back. That should probably get you there well enough."

He sits forward on the couch. Setting down the half of his sweetbread he's not done with yet. "Whatcha need?"

[Enid Geraint] And now, Enid falls quiet, listening rather than speaking. This is something she might learn from.

[Ashley McGowen] "When the Marauder was still alive," Ashley says, with only the slightest twinge at the words, "he had a habit of tearing through the Gauntlet to escape. He did it at several points behind the city, and behind him he left...what my cabal mate Gregor calls Shallows. Places where it's weakened."

She takes a sip of tea and then gets up, walking down the hallway to her study and disappearing from view for a few moments before returning. When she does, she has a small leatherbound book in hand. "Last night I think someone tried to summon something through one of those shallows in Cabrini-Green, and he ended up dying. I don't know exactly what happened - he was dead in the middle of his summoning circle - but this is his journal. It's in Enochian, so I was hoping translation would go faster if we both work on it."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He lifts his head. Shallowings. He'd heard of them. He only knew enough about the Umbra to say, 'yup, that's the umbra' and to be familiar with the terms. Shallowings sounded interesting. For people that crossed over anyway. He'd heard even sleepers could pass over that way.

But the journal in Enochian gets him even more interested. He sits up straight. His eyes following Ashley, or more specifically, the book as she brings it near. Watching her steadily. "I.... see..." He reaches up and scratches at his cheek. "I'm relatively well versed in it. But you realize we can't read any of this aloud, yes? Who knows what might have been in called out and waiting for some call to come by." He eyes the book like it might be somehow dangerous... even if it were just a book.

"But I can probably help translate it."

[Enid Geraint] And now it's Enid petting Zane and mostly just listening, watching as the more advanced Hermetics interact.

[Ashley McGowen] "Yeah...I know we can't. I warded the spot as well as I could, but Gregor's going to be going back there to make sure nothing got through." By the way she says this, it makes it clear that she definitely thinks something got through.

"If it did, it'll be dealt with. But...hopefully we can figure out who the guy was and what he was planning to summon. We can use my sanctum." She looks over at Enid. "I know we haven't had a chance to begin studying Enochian yet, but you should observe this."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He nods a little. "Sure. I don't think we'll be needing much magick to do the decipherment... anyway. I'm not well versed in dealing with the higher level of spirits Enochian is designed for though. So I guess if we come up against it... well. From what I understand, a properly charged dagger hurts them as much as anyone else." He seems at the same time eager, and nervous, to potentially face something from another plane. Probably something hungry and malevolent.

He slides up from his seat and follows Ashley to her sanctum.

[Ashley McGowen] [Perception + Enochian]

[Solomon Quicksilver] [Perception + Enochian]

[Enid Geraint] [witnessed!]

[Ashley McGowen] The inside of Ashley's sanctum is lined with bookshelves, much like the rest of the apartment. Unlike the shelves in the living room, these contain a rather substantial magical library: numerous occult titles, books on the history of the Order of Hermes and magical society, books on the raw workings of magic, and so on and so forth. There's a desk of dark wood at the far end, and numerous objects are on the desk and in front of the books on the shelves: a very old stone carving of a snake devouring its tail, orbs of different metals polished to a gleam (remember your father, Solomon), a branch of ash wood, twisted into an unrecognizable shape.

In the center of the floor, a circle has been burnt into the floorboards. It's likely that she'll need assistance getting rid of it should she ever leave. There are nine runes interspersed around the edge.

Ashley brings in another chair from the hall closet, setting it at the desk and then taking the sanctum's chair. "Let me know if Enid gets to be a handful," she says as they sit. "I just thought you might appreciate the company and she can't go back to her father's house."

[Solomon Quicksilver] He follows her. Quiet. Taking in the strange surroundings that are all too familiar for him. That take his mind back to older times. Times alone and reading. When his dad would pat him on the head. Give him some milk and let him curl up to sleep next to a book on the floor. When he'd invaded his father's lab. Found the ring.

His eyes drop down to the ring he still wears. Sitting on his finger as always. As it has been since that time. Resized, now and then, as neccessary. But always a part of him.

He pauses at the door to the sanctum and almost visibly sways from the sense of deja vu and the memories that come flooding back. Then he takes a few steps over. Sit down at the extra chair.

"No problem. I don't see her becoming a problem unless she tries to have wild parties at my place or something. It'll nice to have someone else there. It gets really... quiet."