22 Dec: Debrief - Prewett Flat - Kyra, Ed, Phoebe

[Fabian Prewett]

following this

“What the-”

Fabian looked up to his brother as he and Edgar appeared in their flat, and he shook his head as he sat Edgar down in a chair. “Look after him, I’ll be right back.” He had to go back for the girls, especially if evil witch one and two were still there. But there had been a lot of noise from where Phoebe and Kyra had left the bar from, and that had to be bad. Without another word he apparated to an alley close to the one they had been in, wand ready as he headed towards the sidewalk. He wasn’t sure if the Ministry had already been alerted to the use of magic in front of muggles, but he needed to let someone at the Order know as soon as they were safe. He was almost at the end when he heard footsteps, and he stepped back against the wall quickly. But two familiar people ran by, and he waited to see if they were being followed. They weren’t, and he sighed in relief before he started after them, only to come upon them arguing about getting a taxi or driving a car.

He took Phoebe by the elbow and grabbed Kyra’s hand, and with a loud crack they were gone from the street and back in his flat, where Gideon was tending to Edgar. “Merlin, okay, I’m going to check the wards and alert the Order.” Phoebe would be able to field questions for the time being, she knew enough to fill Kyra in on the details. He doubted that Bellatrix and Alecto knew where he lived, but he wasn’t about to take any risks tonight. It was only a few minutes before he returned, satisfied that they were protected and that the Order could handle this without them for a little while. They would need to go and give their stories, and help with getting the muggles who had witnessed things sorted. Maybe even go before the Ministry, depending on how bad things were. Not that the Ministry would punish the two witches, not with the corruption spreading through it. “What happened back there mate?” he asked Edgar, sinking down onto the couch.

[Edgar Bones]

Upon entry to the Prewett twins's flat, Ed felt like he'd not only been transported through space, but also through time. He hadn't been this drunk since his own stag night years ago, although it'd taken a lot more alcohol than what he'd consumed tonight to get him to this level then. And the pain - that had nothing to do with the drink, or the landing. It had all to do with a disgruntled witch, when he thought that he would be shown something interesting or amusing and had been proven woefully wrong. Ed gingerly stretched out his long frame on the apartment floor, trying to keep his pained gasps to a minimum to not further distress the twins above him (he wasn't seeing double, he wasn't), hoping that if he just kept still that everything would go back to normal. That Fabian would relax - for he just dashed off again all frantically - and Phoebe - where was she? - wouldn't be worried anymore and that he'd be able to complete a thought with satisfaction and support his own weight if he chose to stand. "Coffee please, Gid, if you could," he requested, wincing as he adjusted the lay of his shoulders, shutting his eyes against the overhead light. "I'm going to lie here for a spell. Everything's fine."

Everything was not fine, but there was no need to worry Gideon! He could put on a brave face and wait for his...discomfort to pass. But his head, his head he could sort out, he just needed some help in jump-starting it. His mate, however, was not of the same mind. Gideon was poking and prodding and questioning instead of giving Ed the shot of caffeine he could use. Edgar was busy waving him away - although was it really worthwhile, what with the spasms the movement was giving his chest? - when more of their party cracked into existence. "Oh hello, my wonderful wife! Everything's fine darling, cheer up, I've saved some space for you right here." He beamed up at Phoebe, nodding ever so slightly to his side, and laughed with a grimace as he saw Kyra."Ah! Brilliant! We've told Kyra again?"

What a strange and remarkable evening. They'd all been...together, he was sure of that much, even though it seemed like Fabian wasn't keen on being in the same room with him ever again. He was here and away and here and away before he was here again, addressing Edgar, and he turned his green eyes to the flustered bloke's shoes - the most of him he could see from his chosen spot - with a bit of a sigh. "Fabian, are you here now? To stay? I really can't go on wondering where on earth you are, you know, if we're going to have a conversation." At what he assumed was a confirmation, Edgar continued rather buoyantly. "I believe what's happened is Alecto - from school - shot a curse at me. Can't move without feeling like everything's on fire, but I'm sure it won't last much longer. She doesn't seem to like me very much, which shows a furious lack of judgment on her part. Everyone loves me, doesn't she know that? So now she's going to have you upset with her, and Pheebs, maybe even Kyra. I do not envy her."

[Phoebe Bones]

Phoebe hated apparition, even after all these years of it. Plus, it was always worse when she had been drinking, as she had tonight. She was grateful that as they appeared in the twin’s flat, she was able to stay on her feet and not lose the contents of her stomach. She’d never been more glad to see Fabian than she had on that street, but her mind was already back on the bar. Did the women leave? Was the kid okay? Was everyone there safe - or were their memories already being erased. She didn’t know, and Fabian was busying himself away from the group before she could ask. Turning to look at her husband, sprawled out on the floor, he was smiling up at her and positively delighted to see her, but clearly something was still wrong. “Hello love,” she said as she carefully stepped around the furniture to sit down next to him, “We haven’t told Kyra again, but I’m going to fill her in now, you just relax.”

This was not the first time she would be having this conversation with Kyra, and she hated that. Looking towards her best friend, she ran a hand through her hair before she launched into an explanation. “Well, magic is real. Edgar, Fabs and Gid are all wizards. Went to a boarding school for magic and everything,” she said quietly, reaching out to squeeze Edgar’s hand. “There’s a big war going on, some witches and wizards want to kill people who aren’t magical, like me and you. Those witches tonight were probably part of that group.” She knew her best friend would have more questions, there were always more questions. Even now, Phoebe found that she still came up with her own questions about magic and the world that Edgar lived in. Especially when it came to their children, because magical children always had a way of surprising you.

Fabian returned, sinking down onto the couch with concern still plastered across his face, and she only worried more as Edgar answered their friend’s question. Something had been done to him, there was no way he was this drunk. He’d been fine just moments before they’d walked away from those women. And to hear that one of them, Alecto, had cursed her husband? She did feel a fire in her soul, even though she knew there was nothing she could do to harm the one that had hurt him. She hated moments like this, where she felt powerless because she hadn’t been born with the ability to do magic. At least she had talked the boy down tonight, and maybe he would consider her words before the next time he was asked to do something like this. “How long do you think this is going to last Fabs?”

[Kyra Thatcher]

"He seems just fine to me, Pheebs - but then again, what do I know?"

Maybe she shouldn't have shouted - Edgar really did seem hurt, and more oblivious and conceited than his usual self; Phoebe was worried for him, but angry too, a flame in her eyes Kyra didn't recognize; Fabian was exhausted, frustrated, concerned; and Gid was done, heavily taking a seat in an armchair and resting his chin in his palms as if this had all gone down one too many times. But in the past few minutes, she'd been on information and experiential overload, and was not about to apologize. Witches and wizards and magic were real. She's known about them before - Thanks, Eddie. - and most of the people in the flat were magical. All had kept it from her, including the man she'd recently dated for a year. She and Pheebs had been targeted because some of these magical people didn't want them to live. She'd hardly yet caught her breath from the surprise travel through space and was glad that Phoebe hadn't retched, but why had the thought popped into her head? Phoebe wasn't prone to motion sickness - but if she'd known about this before - she could've traveled like that before - how could she forget magic?

"We can't just sit back and accept this, Fabian."

    "We're going to make a difference, we're going to make it safe."

"We're just sitting ducks until it's done."

A flash of green, a jostling mob, jumbled bits of clouded voices - Phoebe, Fabian's, her own - clamored to be seen, to be heard, from within. She turned from the group, tears pricking her eyes, bile rising in her throat, heart twisting, and thrust open a window. The winter night's air was brisk, jarringly so, and Kyra leaned into it, hoping...for what? To remember what they clearly made you forget?

    For clarity. Focus. This is important. Whatever's happened before, it can't happen again.

She gripped the sill until her nails scraped into the surface, breaths coming fast. The world was more than it seemed, as she'd so longed to find proof of, and now she had. But the revelation was anything but pleasant. Chased out of the club, held at wand-point with only Phoebe's voice as protection, squeezed through space and told that she'd known it all before. How many times have we all been here like this? The thought was terrifying to her core, her body shook from the chill of it more than the chill of the air, and Kyra abruptly stepped back and snapped the window shut. The enemy was out there, certainly - but was she any safer here? She looked around, unable to recognize in these people those she had so loved, and started to move to the door. "I'm out of here."

[Fabian Prewett]

Fabian listened to the conversation in the room as much as he could while he checked the wards, sighing as he heard Edgar give everything away with one quick question. And now he’d have another decision about Kyra’s memories to make, which wasn’t something he was looking forward to. He stopped to listen close as Phoebe started to give Kyra the basics, the rundown of exactly what was happening in the world at the moment. It was a lot of information to take in when you heard it for the first time, even when it wasn’t really the first time. The wards seemed to still be in place, and his Patronus was off to the Order, and the room he returned to was silent. He decided to fill it with a question, giving Edgar a nod that he was here to stay. Alecto had indeed shot some sort of curse at Edgar, that much Fabian had witnessed for himself. Probably the Cruciatus curse, based on his knowledge of Alecto and his friend's description.

“Yeah mate, we’re all upset with her,” he said, not missing Phoebe’s concerned look. Obviously, something wasn’t right, because Edgar in his right mind wouldn’t have gone back towards Alecto and Bella without his wand out. Perhaps he should send an owl to Roderick, the healer of the family who might be able to figure out exactly why Edgar didn’t have his head right. Phoebe was just as concerned as he was, but before Fabian could answer her question Kyra was speaking up, and Fabian sighed. Here we go again. He knew what was going through her mind - at least, he could guess. The betrayal of keeping magic from her, especially given their recent year-long relationship. And the fact that she had known all this before, meaning that someone had made her forget. And Fabian hated it, knowing she was feeling that way because of him yet again. How many false memories could he implant before there was permanent damage? /

So he watched her carefully, going to get up as she pushed open a window, wanting to help. He stopped though, at the look Phoebe shot him. He knew the best course of action would be to replace her memories as quickly as possible, to not talk through what had happened and what was going to happen. And he could already see the fight behind Phoebe’s eyes, the fight to let Kyra keep her memories and know the truth. He sat in the quiet, twisting his wand in his hands until Kyra spoke up, and he was out of his seat before Phoebe could stop, following Kyra towards the door. “Collloportus,” he said, the door locking in front of her. Fabian knew she was going to be angry, that there would be raised voices, and so he followed the locked door with another charm so that his muggles neighbors wouldn’t overhear. “You can’t leave Kyra, not until we talk about this.”

[Edgar Bones]

Edgar was ordered to relax, and so he did, contentedly holding hands with his wife as she told Kyra about this and that and he watched her hair move as she spoke. Back and forth, all of the layers, the shine in the light, had she done something different with it? Or had he never seen her exactly from this angle? He spoke up when he was called on to speak, but the inner victory he'd felt when peacefully watching Phoebe's hair - for she had believed him when he'd said everything was fine! how fantastic! - was momentarily dulled. She was worried. Why was she worried? He'd been hit before and recovered...

"How long is what going to last?" he asked, distracted again when Fabian agreed that everyone would be upset with Alecto. Ed shot a grin his way, glad for the agreement, but looked up to Pheebs in confusion at their other friend's sudden anger. Phoebe had just told her everything, so she did know things, so why was she so upset? And why was it so cold all of a sudden?...He shut his eyes until the noises returned, and Kyra was leaving, and Fabian didn't want her to, and...and it wasn't so cold anymore, so couldn't they all just relax?

"Fabian, Fabian - if you love someone, set them free..." Ed called from the ground, until stalled by a lapse in memory, in process, but recovered so seamlessly that he didn't think anyone would catch on. "...and all that, however it ends, you know? You know Pheebs, I know you know what I mean, right?"

She'd come back when they'd split up, what was it, for a week? Not even? Kyra loved them all, Fabian loved them all, Edgar loved them all, Phoebe loved them all, Gideon loved them all...no, no, that's not what you were on about. What were you on about? Set free, Phoebe. Right! He'd asked her to stay that night, so many times, but she'd gone, and come back when she was ready. So, if Kyra left and came back, everything could be all right again. He smiled up at his wife and, wanting to make her proud, wanting to make her happy again, wiggled his toes; as the motion didn't send flames licking up his nerves, only some sparklers, Ed cautiously sat up. He felt far from wonderful, physically, but slouched to lean his head to Phoebe's shoulder tiredly, watching the pair at the door.

[Phoebe Bones]

Fabian wasn’t the one answering her, and Phoebe wasn’t surprised as she turned her gaze from him to Kyra. She hated this, knowing that this would more than likely just be another one of the arguments they had that Kyra was forced to forget. Phoebe had told Fabian that he should just leave her memories after this year that they had just spent together, but he never listened to her when they had that conversation. But with young magical prone children around, and apparently Death Eaters finding them in a muggle bar - what was the point in keeping Kyra in the dark? Their world, the world without magic, clearly wasn’t safe. It seemed like no matter how hard her husband and the twins fought, they weren’t gaining any ground. And she didn’t want to be the one to point that out to them, because she couldn’t imagine how they felt about it. But knowing that she was raising children in a world where they would be looked down upon because of her, it was heartbreaking some days.

Kyra needed a minute, and Phoebe shot Fabian a look when he went to go after her. He was the last person that she needed right now, in Phoebe’s opinion. They’d argue, they’d go back and forth, and then tomorrow Fabian would come and tell them what he had changed Kyra’s memories to so that their stories were straight. She looked to her husband, who was still on the floor, and looking at her with such a dazed look. In all their conversations about magic over the years, she didn’t have the knowledge of spells enough to know if this was something that needed fixing or not. Someone who might know, however, was Edgar’s brother, and she was about to suggest as such when Kyra returned to them from the kitchen. It wasn’t surprising that Kyra wanted to leave, and Phoebe stayed quiet as Fabian went after her, annoyed at his words.

She wasn’t entirely sure what Edgar meant, but she nodded to him in hopes that her quiet agreement would be enough. What she thought he meant was that she had come back after finding out about magic, and that was true - she had. But she’d also not have her memories changed over the years, and Phoebe often had to wonder how effective it was when Kyra sometimes seemed to remember more than what Fabian intended. “Let her go Fabian, this is a conversation that can happen another night,” she spoke up, pausing to help Edgar sit up and rub his back before she looked between the twins, who both seemed hesitant at the idea of Kyra leaving. “If you are that worried about her getting home, one of you could apparate her there.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

Muffled words bounced through her ears, muted conversation among the rest, as she swayed at the open window. Catching snippets from behind her, snippets from memory, from half-remembered dreams that had stopped making sense years ago. What remained of her logical center knew that what had happened tonight, what had been revealed tonight, deserved more than she could currently give. Witches in her club, Phoebe talking a kid down and the two of them nearly not making it out of the alley anyway, appearing in this flat in the blink of an eye and oh yes there's a magical war on and they're all wizards...This wasn't over, this wasn't close to over, but it wasn't safe here. How could it be, when they'd all chosen to lie to her?

She was headed to the door and Fabian said something she didn't understand and Kyra heard the wind even though she'd shut the window and saw the deadbolt lock into place. She turned on her heel, a look of and who the hell do you think you are? on her face as she glared up at her ex...who wanted to talk? Now he wants to talk? Her gut still yelled at her to go, and she put her hand to the door handle as Edgar and Phoebe tried to help change Fabian's mind before she could wrangle her spinning thoughts into words. "If you love someone..." If you love someone, you don't do this. You don't ever do this. She sent a grateful nod their way, glad to see that Ed was at least able to sit up with Phoebe's help.

Realizations she had had over the years about injustice in their community and the difference between an honest fortune teller and a scam and that broken bones can't compete with broken hearts... They'd been their mix of joyful and heart-wrenching and thrilling and awful, as life was, but they hadn't stirred up this fear in her belly. But here in this room, realizing that she'd been lied to by people she'd trusted above all others, realizing that Fabian could lock the door with a muttered word and a flick of his wrist, realizing that the three wizards had power she could only imagine - the kid in the alley had shaken the street, the witches had done something to Ed's insides that he still hadn't fully recovered from, Phoebe had been stuck in place until a magical fix - they wouldn't harm her, the people she knew wouldn't harm her - but if they wouldn't harm her, then how had she forgotten - 

"Not an hour ago did I tell Phoebe that she could stop being so hard on you, that we were alright and friends again, and now you lock me in with you," she spat, fury overshadowing the fear threatening her voice. Did she know that she needed to know far more than she did? Yes. Were those answers going to be able to be processed tonight? No. "Call it 'keeping me safe' as much as you want, you know it's not true. You're trying to control me, and I won't allow that, Fabian, I won't." Did she now know that the world was less safe than she'd thought? Yes. Had Fabian helped get her to safety? Yes. Had he and the rest broken her trust? Yes. "You got us out of there - thanks, okay? Phoebe can catch me up another time. I have to go." Desperation creaked in at the end but she stood her ground, not taking her wide eyes off of his as she tried the door behind her. She needed to be somewhere that made sense, with someone who made sense. Home with Liz where a door locked felt safe, a record on so loud that thinking became impossible...