asharpertongue | Watersong (For Bach)

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Watersong (For Bach)

Lara liked the club before opening. The place is quiet and clean and it always makes her smile to walk around the edges of the space. Tonight was open mic night and it was always a busy night. She looked forward to it but it was still nice to have the space to herself for a little while.

Well almost to herself. The club's manager, Michael, was tidying some bottles behind the bar.

Smiling, she perched on her stool at the end. "Is everything ready for tonight? Do you need anything?"

Michael shook his head. "We're fine. The others will be in before six to have their charms inked again. I'll get Nat to do mine before that."

Lara nodded. The charms were a necessary precaution in Watersong. Enough witches and sirens frequented the club to warrant a little magical protection from spells and influence. Of course, anyone caught trying to con her staff out of drinks or...other services would have her to deal with. Normally that was enough of a deterrent but you could never be too careful. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing for some people.

"We should have a visitor before then. A young man. Bach, is his name and he's one of mine although he doesn't know it." She hesitated before going on. "Could you put off your inking for a while? Obviously i'll be present but I need a human that he can affect if i'm going to convince him."

Michael smiled and leant over the bar towards her. "Is he good looking at least?"

Laughing, Lara poked his hand. "He's to be taught, not played with."

The man winked and shrugged. "Here to help."

"Thank you." Lara said.

She tapped the bar and pulled out her sleek tablet to do some work as Michael went back to his. Hopefully Bach wouldn't be too long. She'd rather not have his education spread over the club opening if she could help it.

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"There's no need for that I know how I look." His skin felt like it was slowly peeling off him and he didn't dare look.

Like he never dared to face his mother when he had disappointed her again.

Bach took a peek. "Okay, you have a magic mirror. I'm sure it speaks as well. Anything else you want of me, cr- lady? I'm sorry I bothered you for a shot, but now I at least know that I rather starve than return her for some pennies. This is not a pretty look for anyone involved."

Lara growled. "Look properly." She put a little will and he let his eyes fall to the mirror again. "I'm sorry this is happening to you now. Your mother should have told you of your heritage or given you to one of us to teach, but you are one of us." She smiled and let herself return to human form. "You are more than welcome here, Bach. With a little training you can do well here."

Your mother should have-

Bach was tempted to throw his glass at the mirror, but he was pretty sure that whatever that crazy woman had done to him, would have to be undone by her as well.
"I can't cross the street like this." He took a deep breath. "It hurts." He knew when it was better to beg than to fight.
"Can you please undo it?"

She shook her head. "I can't undo it. I can bring it out in you but the change is specific to each of us. You're the only one that can control how to pull it back." She cocked her head with a little smile. "And I know it doesn't hurt so stop trying that."

"And now you're inside my head as well? You remind me of my mother with every moment passing. Especially in the heinous bitch way."

Bach wanted to find a knife, anything to flail himself and save his body from this stupid rash or whatever it was. But blood might be the crazy lady's trigger and it was horrible to get stains out of his fanciest clothes.

"Just my luck that I know someone who can really help." He gave her a short nod and got back on the stage again, gathering his things.

Lara grits her teeth and moves faster than his eyes can see, locking the door.

"I can't let you out there like this. You have to learn to get this under control before I can let you leave. It's for your safety as well as the safety of the rest of us. And the humans. Call me all the names you like, but I am both older and stronger than you and I can keep you here indefinitely should the situation call for it."

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal." He tried the door. "I'll roll my sleeves down. Put my coat on. Don't be such a monster about it. You really think I can 'return to a calm state' with you around? In this place, what turned out to be a dragon's den? I thought you were smarter."

"And I thought you were more rational." Lara sighed. "I'm sorry to have to say this but if you won't try to find your control then I have no choice." She steeled herself. "Your nature as a siren requires control. You cannot be allowed to live here in Siren Cove if you refuse to exercise that control. Understand that I don't want you to leave, but for the safety of the humans here and for the sake of the balance between the other supernatural powers, there is no other choice. It's either control, or leave."

Lara stepped forward and looked at him imploringly. "Please, Bach. I know this is new to you but I don't want to send you away because you won't even try. I can help you if you let me."

What.

WHAT.

"Oh my gods, you're full of it. That's your excuse? 'I can't let you go because other people will get hurt'? Because I've been leaving behind corpses left and right the past years? Do you even know me? If we wouldn't have talked in the supermarket I still would have been under your radar."
He scratched the itch on his arm until it started to fade.
"I'm trying to leave, you cow. Why don't you understand that."

"Was that demonstration with Michael not enough to convince you? The damage you can do as a siren is...it's immeasurable. Unchecked, your powers literally take away peoples ability to give free and clear consent. Even if they don't want you, they won't be able to resist. And yes - people can die from it. I've seen it. The fact that you're half human doesn't mean that you can be allowed to roam uncontrolled. Your influence is still strong and it still needs to be tempered." Lara stepped into his space and forced him back from the door. "You seem to be under the illusion that I'm not in charge here. That's exactly what it is. An illusion. You don't know because you weren't told, but sirens are a matriarchal species. I am the matriarch here. I am the most powerful siren on this side of the country and if I wanted to, I could force you to do whatever I desired." She let her scales flow over her skin again. "It wouldn't take any effort at all. I could press my will over yours and make you my footstool if I wanted to. And you would love it. You would beg to kiss my feet." She took the guitar out of his hand and set it aside. "Not doing that is what takes the effort for me."

She let that sink in before continuing. She could see that all he wanted to do was run but that was unacceptable. She tried to think of a way to explain it to him.

"But I would never do that because despite being a supernatural creature, I'm not a monster. I love this town. I love the people in it. I want to help them grow together and be an example of what can be achieved when the different species work and live together. Traditionally, witches and sirens never got along but the witches and sirens here both agreed to control their powers. Practice them, yes, but with consenting subjects." She softened her expression. "You're welcome here, Bach. I mean that sincerely. But the cost of living here is control."

"You have two choices. You can allow me to have my friend apply a charm to your skin to stop your powers from manifesting accidentally. It can only be removed by her but it'll give you time to learn the control you need to draw on and restrict your powers at will. You can choose to learn from me and the other sirens in the town, learn the history of your species and you'll be free to perform here at Watersong whenever you'd like. You'll be as free as we can allow you to be within the town limits. Or. You can choose to leave. I can find you another siren enclave where the rules aren't as strict. If you choose that, then you'll be escorted by one of my strongest siren until you gather your things and then taken out of town. Your specific magical signature will be added to the wards around this town and you won't be able to come back, even if you wanted to."

Lara moved away to give him room to breathe. This was not how she'd wanted today to go but she had no choice. If he wouldn't be reasonable then she had to think of the town first. "You're still welcome to perform here tonight. In fact it might be beneficial for you to see the way we all live together. Take your time. Rehearse, enjoy yourself. Ask me questions if you want and I'll answer everything honestly. And then I hope you'll make the right choice."

"None of the things offered are getting any more legal than your previous offer. And witches? Of course, carry on. Brainwash me while you're at it, so I don't have to know I'm in this incredibly weird situation. It's not like I've never been a woman's 'footstool' before. Really, save me from myself."

Why the hell did he always end up with the most insane women? Did his mother curse him or something?

"I'm not going to leave town for your community and I'm not going to join your class on being miserable and delusional either. I don't know what you did but that never happened to me before. I don't know why you have it in it for me, but I'm past being amused. So yes, I have questions: how long are you going to keep me here? how well acquainted are you with mental health clinics and why the fuck do you think that I'd want to stay here longer than necessary?"
He smiled. "If it's the right choice to answer honestly, of course."

Lara sighed. "You just won't listen to reason."

Behind Bach, Michael had silently approached.

He stepped forward on silent feet and pulled out an ornate metal cylinder looking at Lara for permission. She nodded and he touched the metal to the skin of Bachs neck, reaching out to catch him as Bach fell, fast asleep.

Michael nodded and scooped Bach up into a firemans lift. "He's kind of a pain in the ass, isn't he?"

"Just...put him on the couch in my office." Lara said quietly. "Maybe he'll listen to reason when he wakes up."

Michael snorted. "Five'll get you ten he'll be just as sour."

Lara smiled and shook her head. "No bet."

Bach woke up feeling like he had slept for twenty hours. In a good way. And when he opened his mouth, the song that had been nagging him, finally came out. As-good-as-finished.

He sat up. The only question left was where was he?

From behind her desk, Lara saw Bach starting to wake up. She put aside her work and filled a glass with water.

Slowly so as not to startle him, she moved into his line of sight. She wasn't going to apologise for what she did but she needed to build bridges. She silently offered him the glass of water.

Ah, yes, the crazy witch of our own Babylon.

Bach smiled at took it.

Lara smiled and sat in a chair next to the couch and points to the back of his hand where his scales are rippling over the surface. "I can teach you how to stop that if you'll let me."

"Sure, do so. As you wish." He stretched. "Do you serve dinner?"

"Of course we do. We're full service educators. We'll eat and then we can try this whole thing again." She gets out her phone, smiling. "What would you like?"

"We're ordering in? Or don't you dare leave the room now I'm awake?" He sat up. "And how long is this going to take? I have a lady at home who will destroy my bed if I don't feed her in time."

Lara shrugged. "It'll take as long as it takes. And I already had someone go to your apartment to check on your cat. Apparently she's persuaded to cooperate if given vast quantities of fish. Now, tell me what you'd like to eat and I'll call for it."

"You had someone go to my apartment and feed my cat?" He gnashed his teeth with so much force that it hurt his jaw. "Fucking bitch. Never mind the food, just get this over with."

Lara looks at him sharply. "Yes I suppose it's a bit too much to expect someone that wants to be your friend to care that your pet and companion might be hungry. How stupid of me. Next time I'll allow the beast to go hungry, regardless of my intent."

She subsides and holds out her hand, bringing her scales to the surface, nails lengthening to vicious talons. "It comes from inside. If you concentrate you can feel it. It's like...a shiver waiting to happen. All you have to do is encourage it. Can you feel it?"

"Oh this is how you make friends? Fucking hell women are really a whole other species. If you wanted to be friends you'd trust me to walk out and come back here later, but somehow that doesn't seem to be inside your realm of possibilities."

He looked at her hand. "But I don't want to encourage the rash, I want it gone. Because when it's gone, you're letting me out."

Lara ignored the first part because she'd explained herself more than once. She let her skin go back to normal and waved a human hand at his. "If you keep thinking of it as an affliction, it'll never go. It's part of you. You have to treat it as such."

"The rash is on my skin. As long as I don't start shedding, the skin is me."

He scratched his wrist until the skin opened. "And it's still uncomfortable, but as you have an A game in ignoring things you don't want to hear, I guess you don't give a damn."

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