this is going to leave a mark

Who: Thom and Kaysen
Where: The basement, Thom's house
When: Night

Thom was in shock. He just felt numb. He'd been sitting on the couch in the basement of his home for he didn't even know how long, cradling an acoustic guitar he wasn't even playing, staring blankly at the wall across from him.

Tonight his one dream had come true - along with his worst nightmare. Everything was reality now, and it had all ended. All his illusions had come to an end, all his dreams had gone. Over. In one night.

It hadn't started out any differently than any other night. Friday night and they'd landed a gig up on campus - an open night, not just a frat party. They'd been on top form, having a ball, just as always. It had been at the end of the night that Thom's angel and devil approached them - a guy in his forties, suited, looking out of place amongst the college kids.

Thom knew he'd never forget a word of the spiel he'd been dreamed of hearing since he'd been a kid - the offer of a recording deal. The move to New York. Just sign on the dotted line. Talk of albums and tours. Professional.

In his dreams, Thom had always been the spokesperson, but in reality it had been Isaac who'd answered the guy - and turned it down. That part was where it started to get hazy, dreamlike - it was as though he'd been watching from afar as all hell broke loose and Tyler and Jason started to kick up a fuss wanting to know what the hell Isaac was playing at. Except, Thom knew what his best friend was doing - Isaac was giving it all up for him. Because he knew that Thom couldn't accept.

And Thom knew that he couldn't let their lives be ruined just because he was tied. Again, it was like a dream as he stopped everyone, as he quit the band. As he argued that just because he didn't want to go was no reason for the rest of them not to. As he told lie after lie about his input and talked over everyone to stop the other guys ruining it, to stop the A&R guy from backing out of the offer. He'd taken apart everything, handed over the credit for a lot of the songs he and Isaac had written together wholly to his best friend and done everything he could to minimise his role in Promise Theory. And it had worked. The three of them were to fly out to New York for formal meetings the next morning. Decisions would be made about schooling - Thom anticipated they'd all just drop out and go for it. And he'd be left behind.

He didn't remember getting home. He didn't remember coming down here. He just couldn't believe any of this. Now that he was alone, now that he wasn't having to fake being happy for all of them, he just felt numb.

Kaysen's night had been weird. She'd been a home-body since she'd broken up with Chance. Or he'd broken up with her, she was still fuzzy on the details there. Sometimes she thought it was like...something that just happened, and maybe there wasn't a definitive answer on who had done what. She'd faked sick a day or two to stay home from school, she'd generally been home feeling shitty and alone. And then Isaac had come back from his stupid gig on campus, and had had a whole hell of a lot to tell her. It wasn't all good. Or, in Kaysen's opinion, in her selfish little heart of hearts, none of it was, because no matter what, her brother was so totally headed for like big cities and he'd be a coke head in no time and even if discussions of his woman going with him and shit, he'd probably wind up with like, crazy crack whores throwing themselves at him twenty-four-seven.

Or maybe she just didn't want to lose her brother, and that's what it sounded like she was doing. The other part of it all was Isaac was torn up over the fact that Thom left. And he kept getting quiet about it all, like he knew why but wasn't really saying. In fact, it had even been said like that, after she'd called him on it enough. That it was 'Thom's business' and other such bullshit. Either way he was unhappy about it, and yet elated over the deal. Their folks weren't amazingly pleased with it all, but Isaac was technically an adult. He could do what he wanted and they couldn't actually stop him. Listening to them fighting downstairs, she snuck out the back, wanting to be out of there for a few. She started heading through the snow of the back yard, and stopped, eyeing Thom's house.

Something was fucked up here. And while she'd not spoken to Thom in ages, and he'd made no effort to contact her either, she wondered how he was doing. And, she didn't have anywhere else to go, so she found herself crossing her yard and into his. She walked up the back steps to the porch, opened the door and tried it. And, as she now expected, it was unlocked. It was late, so she figured his mom was sleeping, and therefore she was quiet. After taking her boots off and brushing the snow off of her pj-pants legs, she headed for the basement. If he was down there, she'd talk to him, if he was upstairs in his room she was the fuck out of there. She'd never seen Thom's room and she didn't ever plan to.

Walking down about halfway, she saw him sitting there on the couch. He...didn't really give off the impression of being cool, and happy for people. He kinda looked like he had cancer of the puppy. She knew that look. She'd seen it reflected back at her for the past week or so. She wound up sitting down on the steps, not really wanting to go sit with him. Or more, she kind of wanted to but it seemed weird to her so she didn't. "Think we'll be interviewed for the 'behind the music' when they're all in rehab?"

Thom hadn't heard her come downstairs, wasn't aware that he wasn't alone until she spoke and he looked round. And for a moment, there was that deepseated flash of really wanting to tell her to fuck the hell off and leave him alone. Anyone, but especially her as a dark patch deep inside where a selfish monster lay cried out that that - that girl over there - she'd ruined his life. If it wasn't for her, he'd be on a plane to NYC with the others tomorrow morning, instead of stuck here for the rest of his life - a life that was more than likely going to be short and lonely and end in a bloody death because of her.

But Thom was not a naturally selfish person, and his more dominant, rational side overruled that small selfish voice easily. It wasn't her fault - she hadn't asked for any of this, she didn't even know. He was born what he was, and that was nobody's fault at all. His life would be what it was meant to be.

He put the guitar down and sat up, giving her a smile that he hoped made him look happy, maybe slightly amused. Hopefully. "Think you're brother's got more sense than to land himself in rehab," he told her.

"We talking about the same brother?" Kaysen asked doubtfully. She didn't really buy the smile. She'd gotten a damn good look at the guy before he'd even noticed she was there, and yeah. He was an unhappy little bunny and that so wasn't going to switch up in like two seconds, especially not by her arrival. Generally speaking she made people feel worse, not better. "They're all idiots, they're all small town assholes who'll get all glittered up by anyone who thinks they can ride on their coat tails if they happen to make it big, it'll be big parties, blow and crackwhores, and after a while on the road, they're totally going to break down and just run with it." she said. You won't be there to keep them out of trouble. she thought, but didn't say. Maybe she would later. Then she immediately went back on the decision. She didn't know what Thom's 'reasons' were for not going, but maybe she could change his mind. "You're the guy who's kept him out of trouble and shit. You're going to have to go if we don't want to be seeing them in the tabloids with like...indecent exposure charges on their records."

Thom's smile faded and he stood - for no other reason than he didn't want to be sitting down anymore. "Can't - promised my mom I'd go to college," he said, grasping at the excuse he'd used earlier on. He knew that Ashbelle would support him on that - even if it meant that she'd have to play the overbearing bitch of a mother in doing it. he wondered if, had things been different, had he not had a protected, had he wanted to go, whether she would have let him. He knew that she'd wanted him to go to college. He knew she wanted him to get everything he could out of life. But he couldn't do that, could he - he was caged. He'd always be caged. He was bound to this girl and there was no escaping that. For the rest of his life and her life. And if she for some reason died before him - well, apparently that was the worst thing that could happen to a protector. Apparently lots of them didn't survive the blow, and those that did had something missing for the rest of their lives.

Kaysen gave him a Look for that. "I know you're close to your mom and shit, and she's great and all, but like...this is what you guys have been talking about since you were like twelve." she said. Possibly earlier, she didn't know. She just knew it was young. "College can wait. Or, sign up for that like...what-sis-fuck. The online college thing. If you guys get even half of what you're being promised, you'll be able to afford whatever." she offered. "Or even just give it like a year. You probably have enough credits to graduate early. Do that, then just come back next fall. At least you'd be able to say you tried, ya know?" Though she figured anyone who did that wouldn't be keeping their end of the 'I'll come back' deal, but that wasn't the point. She knew it, it was just an excuse to tell the saps.

"And mom and I have had the college agreement for just as long," Thom said, firmly, feeling himself put his reasonable and determined walls back up in place, bricking away his inner feelings slowly but surely. "I'm not going, Kaysen, and that's that - you're brother doesn't need me to look out for him. They'll do just fine on their own," Thom told her, though part of him wondered if they would. If she didn't have a point in there, somewhere. Or if he just wanted her to have a point. Wanted them to really need him. He knew he shouldn't dwell on that though - it would only make things worse. He wasn't going, that was it, end of story.

"Yeah he does. I love Isaac, but you're the brains of the operation, y'know." Kaysen said. And quite a lot of the time it looked like Kaysen didn't pay attention to anything, but that wasn't always the truth. In this case, she knew better. "And you write the songs for the most part, don't you? Think the world would have to cry if Tyler or Jason started penning things. They're not gonna be fine. Isaac's not gonna be fine. He'll say he'll be okay, but he's not gonna be. You're his best friend. He needs you." she said. Which was something Isaac probably wouldn't be able to say on his own, but she could say.

"Isaac's good - and he's been getting much better at song writing recently." Which wasn't strictly true - Isaac had always been good with the music, but not so hot on lyrics, generally. "But I'll talk to him - I can send them stuff from here. I've always got loads, there's no reason they can't have that," he told her. Oddly, he felt a little better for that decision - that maybe there'd be a way he could still be involved. They could go and make it big, and he could stay here and write music for them. The world could still hear what he had to say - it just wouldn't be him saying it.

Kaysen sighed heavily. "Dude---whatever." she said, looking a cross of exhasperated and disappointed at him. "Why aren't you going with them? And don't give me the bullshit college line. Seriously, why? You're ditching your whole life's dreams, and raining on everyone else's too, plus ditching your best friend ever. It's not...it's not like you." she said, not really liking that phrasing, because it implied she did know what he was like, but she didn't have any other way of putting it. She knew him well enough, anyways.

He looked at her and opened his mouth to start spouting lies again, but he just couldn't do it. For a start, he knew Kaysen, and if she wasn't buying what he had to say, then she would just disappear - and he needed her to not decide she didn't want anything to do with him. If he was giving everything up for her, then alienating her in the process was really not the way to go. So, instead, he walked over and sat down on the stairs next to her - though part of him wondered how long it would be before she took fright and moved from there. He took a breath and wondered what the hell he was going to say. In the end, he just started speaking and hoped for the best. "Sometimes... Sometimes things just don't work out," he told her, almost gently. "Sometimes there are just other things you're meant to do with your life. I've known that for a while now. Isaac's known that for a while now. I was never going to go with them - if this ever happened. It wasn't part of the plan. I was always staying here."

"Isaac said you had your reasons. He just wouldn't tell me what they were." Kaysen said. "But I don't get it. I don't get why. And like, talking to him, I can see it, y'know? Like he'll be totally over the moon excited for ten minutes, then like it'll hit him. And the light in his eyes just dies because he remembers that you're not going to be there with him. It's painful." she admitted. "And he covers okay, but I dunno. I can see it. And like the parents are bitching him out right now and that'll just make him leave faster but still. Not the point. Point is I think this is just...it's wrong for you not to go with him."

"I can't go, squir...Kaysen," Thom said, amending his use of the childhood pet name, knowing she didn't like it. "I just have to stay here for now." She was going to ask why again, he knew. She wouldn't be her if she knew when to let things drop. So, he anticipated that, wanting to walk a line of things he could tell her. "You've seen how things are going here. Everything's going to shit - and I have to be here for that. I... I have a duty to be here for that," he said, stressing the word 'duty' and almost holding his breath for a moment afterwards. He didn't think he was going to far, but he knew he was pushing things as much as he could.

"A duty to what, hang out and spend your remaining days til the world really goes to shit like, hanging out with people you don't really get along with at school and not even getting to blow off steam with your band anymore? Fuck that noise, I'd say you have a duty to go...like make teenage girls everywhere squee about you and I can join message boards on the internet just to flame you guys because someone'll have to keep it real." she said. "I figure if I can set a goal of getting banned from one forum a week, I can keep that up for a while."

Thom chuckled at that, for once the smile actually reaching his eyes - something that had been lacking so far tonight. "No, I - A duty to be here for when things get really bad." He paused and twisted a little in his spot to look at her. "You never think that maybe the magic, the fighting - it... It's not really the kind of thing that goes with the whole 'rock star musician' thing, is it? It's like... You were born with the ability to manipulate fire. And I was born with a duty. To be there when things go bad - and, well, looks like they're going to. So - I have to be there."

"I dunno, I'm pretty sure there were Kiss comics in the seventies or something that were like, them being super heroes or some shit. Plus there was the crow. He was totally a musician before he was an undead avenger. And if you watch Strong Bad, there was the short lived, completely fictional Limozeen cartoon where they..." she frowned a second. "maybe they didn't fight crime, maybe they just chased groupies and got the munchies, but whatever. You could be a rock star evil fighter. You don't know." she said, sighing again. She propped her chin on her hand, eyes on the stairs for a few moments. "Maybe they won't go bad." she suggested. Not that she believed that for even a second, but still. "Couldn't your dumb "duty" wait til there was actually shit to deal with? You could use your whole rockstar thing for you then. You'd have money, leeway...all sorts of shit."

"You compare me to Kiss again and I might just have to take to calling you Squirt again," Thom threatened. "And the Crow - you said it yourself. There as a 'before' in there. And no, I can't just... It's already happening, Kaysen. You know it - the vampires, the werewolves, those shadow things... Now the ghosts. It's just a case of waiting to see what comes next and I can't do that waiting a thousand miles away. It doesn't work like that. Anyway," he said, quirking a smile. "If I went off and got all famous, I'd have to wear a damn mask and be all 'secret identity' when I came back and I am not a comic book," he joked, since she'd flipped it onto that level of things.

"Well yeah, he got brutally murdered by junkies and shit, but that's so not the point." she said, referencing the crow again. "Yeah, you could. You could do it as far away as you wanted to. The world isn't gonna fall down cuz you're not stuck in this stupid little shithole." she said. "Besides, that's what private jets are for, dumbass." she added in there. "...you could do the mask thing. Like, get a hair cut and wear a mask n shit, and call yourself...who the fuck knows, Porter's better at that bullshit. Ask him. He could probably even hook you up with a mask. He'd probably like...cream his jeans over the chance or something whatever. My point is still that you don't have to be here. And if anything happened, I'm sure you'd find out. Nothing bad has happened in a while, right? Maybe it'll knock off for a bit. And the spirit thing didn't get fucked til dumbasses with a retarded name did something and that's over too."

Thom's hand went to his hair as she mentioned him getting it cut - something that his mother made him do from time to time and that never went down well. "No, Kaysen - none of it. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here - I can't be somewhere else where I 'find out' what's happened when it's already happened." He looked down, away from her, at the stair treds between his feet. "Couldn't do that - couldn't live with myself." He took a breath and looked back at her. "And if you think it's all girls and private jets just like that... It's not. It's hard work and long hours and pretty shitty returns unless you really make it. It's being on the road for years going from one town to the next and trying to get people to actually listen. And then, if you do start to make it, probably having to do exactly the same but in other countries. I can't commit to that. So, they can go do the hard work and I'll just stay here and never have to talk to Porter about masks - cos hell knows I definitely never want to see him that excited," he teased, trying to make light of it again, albeit he'd started out seriously. He always hoped she'd take jokes better - at least there was less chance of her ending up screeching because of them.

"Couldn't live with yourself if what...you were actually out doing something you wanted to be doing if something went down? What's so important about being here anyways? And what if fucked up shit happens while they're on the road, and Isaac needs you there?" she asked. "And I know that it's not all like...sunshine and lollipops or whatever, but something tells me that the work you put in wouldn't really put you out that much." she said. "...and you'd see Porter that excited if you just start talking costumes with him. I think he and Tad are like...going to wind up all gay batman and robin-tech. Porter already--" she stopped there, not wanting to go there, and thinking she shouldn't anyways. "...there's nothing here that's any good for you, or Isaac. But you two like...fuckin breaking up or whatever, that's just whole worlds of bad, y'know?" she asked, looking at him again. "I know that he won't say it and shit because you guys are guys and got really weird when I even suggested you two were anything more but he loves you. You guys are best friends, and just...I don't wanna see you apart. I don't think he'll do well and ....and I don't think you'll do well either." She was fidgeting as she spoke, starting to pick at stray threads on her hoodie sleeve, but she meant what she was saying. That just didn't help the awkward factor.

The smile dropped off Thom's face again and he got up off the step, walking down into the basement proper again, needing that space right now. "Drop it, Kaysen - okay. I'm not going and that's the end of it. Isaac gets why. He understands. And he'll be fine," he told her, frustration edging into his tone, though he tried his best to claw if back. Once - just for once - he'd really like it if Kaysen could just let something lie. But then he'd known her for long enough to not really expect too much from that.

"I'm just trying to look out for you guys. Because you're both morons, and like...I don't know. I can see this going wrong, and I think it's really really wrong, and I can't not say something about it." she explained, hearing the frustrated tone, so she felt the need to explain herself. She didn't want to be driving him crazy, she just wanted to avoid the trainwreck that was totally possible if Thom remained a total idiot, and no one talked him out of his lame decision. "And whether Isaac gets it or not, that doesn't fix that he hates it, and it's still wrong."

"Right, well - you've said something. But at the end of the day, I'm not your brother's keeper and he doesn't need me to... Look out for him. And I can't go. There's no way I can go. But I'm not going to let that stop everyone else." And, honestly, looking at things, Thom was of the opinion that the way things were going, they were probably better off out of here.

"But I don't get why you can't go." Kaysen said. "Like I don't get why you were with fucking bitchface either, or what happened after that, or what the hell duty you think you have, unless you really are going all super hero on us, which by the way you're not. I know this is the first time I've talked to you in a while and shit, and...and a lot of that is still because of other bullshit or whatever, but I don't get it. And I dunno. I juse..." she shrugged. She cared was the thing. That was what it came down to, she just felt weird saying it.

"What happened after that? What happened after that was that she died," Thom snapped. He opened his mouth to say more, then closed it again, very well aware of the nightmare that Chrissy had made Kaysen's life - that was the reason he'd been with her in the first place, after all. He made himself clam down before he spoke again. "Kaysen," he started, the paused and walked back over to her again, sitting down once more and turning to her. "Chrissy and I made a deal - she wanted me, or... the idea of me, I don't know. I think she just wanted a guy that was pretty unobtainable on her arm or something. Anyway - the deal was that we'd say we were 'dating' and in return, she'd stop being a roaring bitch to everyone," he explained, widening it out from the very specific promise that he'd extracted from her. "And I can't go, because I have to be here. Because - I don't know if you read the news. Or watch it, but things are worse here. Much worse. It always has been. That's why my family's here," he said, hoping that she'd buy that.

"I know she's dead." Kaysen said. "I don't know what happened to you after that. It's not like you tried to talk to me." she pointed out. "And I still don't care what you thought you were doing there...I still think it was shitty. And I'm not going to agree with you no matter how much you explain. I still...it still...nevermind." she mumbled, moving over the part where it still hurt her feelings that he'd done it. She was looking away, that was probably a good thing. "And whatever, things could be happening all over. I'm pretty sure people in Utah don't know shit about what's happening here either, or what's being silenced on the grand scale. And we don't know that it'll get worse, and if your family is here, your mom's still gonna be here. She...well, seems pretty capable." What with being a woman who like, carried a sword and shit.

"Mom is capable - and she's been keeping an ear to the ground. Which is why I know that it's worse here right now. And why I know that, historically, it always has been. And, I'm sorry for not trying to talk to you after Chrissy died. It wasn't an easy time for me, and you were pissed with me anyways and I just... Haven't actually been talking to anyone much recently," he admitted. He'd found that harder, lately.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed a little." she said. She'd noticed that Isaac had spoken less about Thom, but then again, her brother seemed like surgically attached to the girlfriend nowadays. Still though. She was quiet after that, sort of wanting to ask him if he was alright, but she didn't know how to do that. It wasn't like she and Thom were totally best buds or anything, and at best they got on on a very tentative level. So basically she sat there and just looked very much like she wanted to say something.

He let the silence hang for a moment or two, before he reached out and poked her knee. "I'm fine, really," he told her, not needing her to say it to guess that's what was meant there. "And I'm happy for your brother and the guys. Though, if he doesn't call, I'm probably gonna be bugging you a lot to find out if you've heard from him," he added - both the truth and a good excuse to keep in contact.

"...I figure he's gonna forget all about home really damn quickly." Kaysen said honestly. "Can't blame him. Plus I heard something about his dumb girlfriend going with too, so...whatever. I still think you should go with and you're nuts not to." she said, feeling slightly better that he told her he was fine. She wasn't sure she bought it so much--definitely not on the whole missing out on the record deal thing--but she hoped it wasn't entirely false. And in the back of her mind she wondered if he'd even heard about what happened with she and Chance. The fire at school...any of that. Probably not. Or, well, the fire, yeah, but maybe he hadn't connected it with her.

Thom wasn't surprised at the news that Peyton may be going with them - not when her twin was also in the band. It would be a double loss for the girl if she didn't, after all. He just hoped things worked out there - he'd be furious if he found out that she'd come between them all, if things between her and Isaac didn't work out. And he knew his best friend's track record when it came to relationships. It wasn't exactly stellar. "Then I'm nuts, obviously. And you're just gonna have to put up with living next door to a nutjob." He could imagine that, actually - him ending up here going slightly friutloop, down in this basement, locked away with his music. He could see it, if things didn't go to hell, if she didn't actually ever really need him. If his life was just... waiting. But, so far, that didn't seem to be the case, did it? Except, she hadn't needed him lately, had she? No, she really hadn't. "How's things been with you, anyhow?" he asked her.

She looked away when he asked that, and she shrugged one shoulder, starting to busily pick at stray threads again. Nope, she didn't have a real answer there. 'Spectacularly badly' kinda worked, but she didn't want to say that out loud. Though...it was clearer to her now that he hadn't been keeping up with what was up with her, which was likely a good thing.

he looked at her, assessingly. "I kinda... heard things weren't too hot between you and Chance," he offered, not wanting to put too much on a definite on that, wanting her to fill things in. Whatever was going on, she clearly wasn't too falling to pieces over it - or she didn't seem to be. Course, this was Kaysen - she could just be hiding it all.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed a little. "...try everything's all over, and I set a room in the school on fire by accident over it." she said. Well there she went, selling herself out immediately. "I dunno. I just...everything's all fucked up. I don't know what to do. And things still haven't gone far with the shit with his mom and Porter knows and wants to go all comic book tech on her ass and then there's this guy Tad...your grade I think and he's like, hanging around and shit too and I just...whatever, I don't know. Things've sucked." she admitted, still unable to really look at him, and feeling bad about things. "And now my brother is leaving and he's not coming back and he's just going to run off and be a goddamn rockstar or what the fuck ever and I'm not going to get to talk to him very much and he's just...taking off way sooner than I thought he would and I'm going to be all by myself and Charlie's gone too and eveything blows. A lot."

He'd heard rumours about the breakup, but hadn't thought that really it was that much of his territory. He was fairly sure that protectors didn't have magical powers to mend broken hearts, if hearts were broken. Hell, protectors didn't seem to have any powers at all, save for those they went out and developed themselves. It was all curse and no upside, as far as he could see. "Sorry about Chance," Thom offered - he wasn't sure what else to say to that little rant.

She shrugged again. "Whatever." she mumbled, and she stood up, turning to head back up the stairs. She didn't want to think about that, or the fact that it almost seemed like he'd disappeared entirely. "At least think about going with Isaac, kay?" she asked. "He...he's gonna need you." And she knew she'd just talked about being left and shit, and she didn't want to be, but she loved her big brother. And she cared about Thom, in her weird Kaysen-way.

He watched her walk up a couple of steps before he spoke. "I know you're gonna miss him," he called after her. "I will too. And if you ever want a place to mope - or company to mope with. You know the doors open. And you know where the key is if it isn't." He paused, before adding. "What's comic book tech?"

She didn't say anything at first, stopping at the top of the steps. she looked back down at him over her shoulder, considering. "I think he wants to go all vigilante on her. Skip over the justice system entirely since y'know...it's not like it works or anything. But then I dunno. I worry. I...Chance always said she'd never do anything to hurt anyone, but I don't think he really considered what she did. And I don't think it's a far cry to worry about her deciding that I'm something in her way or something. Or because I hurt him, that...that I shouldn't be around to remind her precious boy that he lost someone. I think Porter wonders about that too, but I dunno how much thought he's put into it either."

Thom stilled - because now that was definitely his territory. He stood and started up the steps after her. "She said anything? Done anything to you? Has he?" Thom asked, a note of caution in his tone. He could get the woman arrested, right? Thrown in prison - his mom could come up with something, right? Didn't matter what, but she could be taken out of the way, right? Probably not, but... God that would be good.

She shook her head. "No. But then he just kind of...disappeared, too." she said. "I've not been in school much I just haven't wanted to deal or anything, and...I dunno. There was a call on my cell from his home number, I just didn't answer it." she admitted. "Could've been him." Could not have been, too.

"There anything I can do?" Thom asked. "You want me to find him, talk to him? Check that he's not... I dunno. Freaking out to his mom or anything. And you're wearing your hoodie, right? And... god. Look - I know you guys broke up, but, that bracelet he gave you... You should still wear that," Thom advised her, knowing that it was spelled.

She'd taken it off, because it had been too painful for her to wear, and she made a face. "I'll take my chances, and I dunno what he's doing. I don't really think you going to talk to him is gonna do much, do you? I mean what're you gonna ask? 'Hey, Chance, I know the bitch broke your heart and everything but you're not selling her out to your bitchasspsycho mom, are you?' ...not thinking that's going to fly." she said.

"I can make you a replacement - it'll take me a couple of days, but I'll have something for you by the end of the weekend," he promised her. Specifically tailored to black magic witchcraft as well. "It'll give me something else to think on," he added, in case she needed a reason that wasn't her-centric for jumping on doing that for her. "And I don't know what it would achieve - just seeing, maybe. Who ended it?" he asked her.

"I don't even know." Kaysen admitted, a bit of the misery she was really going through coming through in her tone and the look on her face before she cleared it by looking away again. "I know it's probably my fault, because I couldn't let things go, and he wasn't dealing and I said things I should have and he couldn't handle it and I dunno. It's just over. And don't rush on my account...its not like I've got a social life anymore." Or, well, she didn't think she did. Tad and Porter...she didn't know. Maybe they were friends who hung out. She wasn't sure yet.

"It's not like I have a social life any more either," Thom pointed out in return. The band had been his social life, after all. "Unless you wanna come watch me make magic bracelets," he offered, lightly. "Makes cool colours - smell's not too hot at times though," he warned. He considered what she'd said about the breakup - it could have been worse in the Chance's-possible-heartbreak scheme of things. Could have been better. If there was a worry over the reaction of the guy's mother, it really would have been better for him to have dumped Kaysen, to not be heartbroken at all. This, this could be anything. Or nothing.

"Can you actually do more of the spells in your books now?" she asked, giving the first hint of a half smile since she'd got there. She had to give him a little shit there, since back when she'd decided to burn up vampires, they'd been looking up spells and most of them he couldn't do at all.

He scowled a little. "Yeah, I can do more now - I've been practising. Getting better. You know - that stuff's not easy," he complained. Especially since each spell seemed to require a certain knack to it that wasn't written down on paper. He was getting better at working out the unspoken missing bits - phrasing and timing. He'd made a real leap forward the other week when he'd fallen into a rhythm with things. That really seemed to work for him, except it didn't flow with all of the spells. It was frustrating, because some of the ones in his book seemed to have been written by someone with no sense of timing or balance and there were some days when Thom thought he would do better just writing his own. The problem there was that he simply had no clue where to even start with that at the moment.

That little half smile quirked into a full one, just for a second. "Then maybe I'll come check it out." she agreed. Mostly she thought she might because there was going to be a massive hole in both of their lives without Isaac there. If Thom was still going to be a total moron and not change his mind, that was. So...it kinda felt like her responsibility to not let Thom just like, drift off into obscurity and shit.

"Then maybe you should - bring your friends if you think they wouldn't freak out," he added, after a pause. The way things were going, he wanted her to have as many excuses to come round as she could. And without Isaac there to keep an eye on her for him, well - he'd have to come up with more direct methods. And if that meant hanging out with her and her friends, then so be it.

"Freak out?" Kaysen asked doubtfully. "They're probably more likely to hump your leg." she informed him, shrugging. "But okay. I'll....I dunno. See you around then." she said, feeling weird about it all. Not bad weird, just weird. But then she'd had an emotionally exhausting time of late. "...if the rents are still having a screaming fit with Isaac, can I come back and crash on your couch?" she asked hesitantly.

"Course you can - anytime. There's a spare room upstairs, if you'd prefer. First door on the left at the top of the stairs, bed's always made up and you know mom won't mind in the least." The Harkin household had always been open house to the St James', after all. "But if you'd prefer, I'll leave blankets out on the couch for you - and there's breakfast in the morning if you're up. I always cook on a Saturday," he told her. Though, really, he'd been planning to hide in bed and not get up for ever ever again not half an hour ago, before she'd turned up. Wallow in the misery of his broken life for a while. But things had changed again now - he had his focus back, his understanding of what was important in life.

She arched a brow at him at that. "...I'm gonna pretend you didn't just like...offer me bed and breakfast." she told him, then she made a face at him, even if it was good natured. "I'll probably be back...they were going at it pretty bad when I left, and they were starting to like, use me in their arguments and shit and I don't think Isaac needs 'your little sister needs you' thrown in his face right now." Even if it was true. She didn't want him to leave--that in no way meant she was going to stand in his way.

Thom kept his mouth firmly shut on that. No way was he going to mention the double standards there - that she didn't want to hear 'your little sister needs you' as an argument to keep Isaac here, but she was just fine with using 'your best friend needs you' as a way of trying to get him to change his mind. Nope, he wasn't saying that at all. "Pretend all you want - whatever makes you happy, Squirt," he teased instead, looking across at her, largely on the same height level, since he was still a couple of steps down.

"Whatever, Jerk." Kaysen said, rolling her eyes, but her tone was good natured enough. She did smack his shoulder though, before she turned to head out again. She was glad that she could come back if she had to. Being in the middle of that fight was the last place she wanted to be, and for a lot of reasons. Hell, they were acting like this was the end of the world and shit. Like his leaving was going to be the end of everything, and she didn't want to be stuck in a house where the favorite child was gone and...well. They'd started making efforts with her but still didn't get her so much. Was it just going to be worse without Isaac around? Who knew. And she still knew way better than her parents that this wasn't all roses for Isaac either, but he had to take the opportunity. It just sucked for everyone, pretty much. Apparently nothing came without a hidden edge just beneath the surface.