Grounded

who: nate and nic
where: on the phone
when: early morning

Yes, Nic was definitely exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and beyond. The night had been taxing on levels of emotional stress she didn't know existed, and the morning? Well, it hadn't gone much better yet. She'd talked with her mother when both had finally gotten home, and everything happening there? It was complicated. Really, everything felt complicated. Her own thoughts, things with Caleb, the whole damn world... so at least she had good motivations not to sleep.

Her mother had gone to bed half an hour ago after Nic insisted, tucking the older woman in and worrying about the things she'd seen at the hospital but wouldn't discuss yet, if ever. Then? She'd made coffee, she'd made breakfast, and turned on something loud and violent to keep her senses focused. She needed to make sure her mom was asleep before she tried to reach Nate, having come home to both his message on the machine and his email in her inbox. Nic felt like crap as she sat with the phone to one ear, the TV muted and her breath held as she waited for an answer. He'd tried to warn her ahead of time, and, dumb bitch that she was? She'd missed it entirely.

For Nate the night didn't seem to want to end, ever. He'd constantly been surprised when he checked the time and found it had barely passed at all and by morning he was exhausted. He didn't think he could sleep but come dawn he passed out cold only to wake up to his phone at what felt like only minutes later. Dylan was sleeping too, the two of them had huddled up in the attic like Dylan insisted and Nate hurried to answer the incoming call before it would wake his brother.

"Nic?" He asked urgently as a way of greeting, keeping his voice quiet as he crawled away from Dylan to sit by the window. "Are you safe? I tried to call you..."

"Yeah, I know," she answered, daring to breathe when he'd picked up. So those things hadn't gotten him either. Relief flooded Nic as she shakily lifted her coffee mug, sipping and grimacing over how cold it was by now. "I... I'm sorry, Nate. I'm fine, seriously. I missed your email? God do I wish I hadn't," she confessed, rising from the sofa and moving to the front door. She needed a cigarette to get through talking about what had happened again. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing his eyes and peering out through the window at the too much white for tired eyes to take in. "You're not hurt are you? A lot of people got hurt last night." And how could he explain that to her if she didn't already know? Maybe she'd seen some of the monsters running around, recognized them for what they were though most people started changing their memories to fit with the rational world they preferred living in.

She cracked the front door wide, eyes stinging from the morning light even though it was a soothing sight. No werewolves in the daylight. "No, no I'm okay," she assured him as she lit up, biting back a wave of nausea. Either it was the long night and stomach full of caffeine? Or the 'people got hurt' comment. Nic had been thinking more about the werewolf she'd run over, and how long it had taken before the body in the street had become one of a person. Who they'd been. What their family would think, if they had one. "I got straight to somewhere fucking safe when I realized shit was weird... how'd you know it was going to be a bad night to be out?" Yeah, it was unfair to blindside him with the question, but if Caleb was in the know? She had to wonder how many other people at school were too, especially the new kids. Like Nate. Who moved around a lot.

"I just knew, with the full moon and shit," Nate mumbled, the lie coming easily from there. "I knew a hunter in Austin." He'd said that plenty of times now and it wasn't really a lie. He had known a hunter in Austin, the guy had just happened to move with him all over the place too. "I'm glad you're okay, you're one of the few people I couldn't reach and, yeah I worried." He picked up a can of coke and shook it before tasting the contents. It told him he'd slept a little longer than he thought since it was flat and disgusting so he moved to quietly go downstairs. It would probably be a better idea to actually have breakfast but for now, coke and cigarettes remained on the menu and as he made his way to the kitchen he made a note of Frank's boots in the hallway. Another big relief there. "Thanks for calling me."

"A hunter?" she echoed with a frown. It sounded like bullshit to Nic, like he knew more than that or at least had some insight for a while now. "Nate... full moons? People get rowdy. Skanks get horned up. Crazy dudes talk about the CIA putting bugs in their brains. What sort of... hunter did you know? Because that shit I saw? It was none of the above, and if there's a reason you couldn't say, I get it." She didn't want to sound bitchy, but exhaustion was putting a constant edge in Nic's tone. Passing out would be so good when she was finally too tired to worry about everything.

Nate took a moment to reply, lighting up a cigarette and inhaling the smoke slowly. It felt like ashes in his throat, he'd smoked too much and not slept enough for it to be enjoyable. "Nic," he mumbled after a moment, resting his head on his hand, eyes closed until he realized he just could fall asleep like that, on the kitchen table. Blinking he sat up, leaned back in his seat. "How much do you know exactly?"

She sighed into the phone, watching a lungful of smoke spill over the receiver, then glanced back inside her house. It was still and quiet, Emily was sound asleep. "I know I hit a fucking werewolf with a car," she confessed, eyes shutting as she relived the moment in her head, bringing the tension and shock back to the surface. "I know shit's getting weird out there, or has been for... forever." And she knew she was going to start doing something about it, or training to do something, but doubted Nate would like that one bit. Caleb had encouraged her, so long as she was smart about it. And she was going to be.

"Yeah," Nate sighed, this meant he could talk a little more freely than he'd feared just a moment ago. "That kind of hunter. The kind that takes down werewolves, demons, shit people don't want to know about." He smiled wryly, tapping his cigarette needlessly. At least his hands weren't shaking as bad as they had been the night before. "Guess your car is a wreck, you sure you're okay?" Hitting something that size had probably totaled the hood and possibly the engine, those were no small things and being in a collision with one was probably about as scary as what he'd experienced the night before.

"Not my car," Nic told him with a smirk that actually made her feel a little better. "It was a friend's, and it's not much more fucked up than it was before." his question made her pause, though. Caleb had asked too, and Nic knew she wasn't. She probably wouldn't be for a while. But for now? "I'm getting by," she told him with another sigh, flicking her cigarette away. "I... it's gonna take me some time. This shit? It's a lot to process." And diving into witchcraft or learning to fight would be a good way to take her direct focus off of it all.

"Yeah I can imagine," Nate said and thought of Dylan and how incredibly freaked out he was by everything, understandably. Nate had grown up with it. Don't talk to strangers, look both ways before crossing a street, here's a silver knife in case a werewolf attacks you. "If you need to talk or ask about anything, you can call me anytime. I'll swing by and pick you up and we can just drive or whatever."

Her smirk became a smile as Nic leaned in the doorway, nodding for no one's benefit but her own. "I'd like that," she told him, curling her arms in on herself, "I, um, I might be busy a lot from here on? But I think I'm going to need that. And... bear with me here, Nate. I need to do something about what I saw. I need to... I don't know, be ready for next time. I don't think you're gonna like that? But if you're my friend, then help me instead of telling me not to." That had been her last mistake, assuming she'd have to try without help.

"I won't, not if you're smart about it," Nate said with a small smile. "What sort of-, what are you going to do?" There was a definite difference between reading up on these things to know what to do and actually heading out after taking a few martial arts lessons. So far she hadn't mentioned anyone who actually knew about what was going on so he wasn't sure what to make of it. "I might be able to help," he added, stubbing out the cigarette before he was even half way through it. His body demanded food and refused to let him enjoy it.

"I'm not gonna sharpen a table leg and go vampire hunting, if that's what you're asking," Nic teased, stifling a yawn in her sleeve. "Just... small things at first. My mom said I could sign up for kickboxing? The guy who teaches up here used to be world-class, I figure he'll whip my ass into shape. And, um... witchcraft? White magic, a friend called it? I'm gonna see if I have any chance at figuring that shit out." She thought her chances were slim, but she'd been told that anyone could learn it if they practiced enough. Blood magic was off-limits and black magic was too goth for Nic, so maybe the lighter side of things would work for her.

Someone who knew about white magic and didn't dismiss it as Wicca nonsense or something, that definitely caught Nate's attention but he didn't ask. "There's this witch in town, or just outside of town really... I bought a ward from her, white magic ward that actually keeps werewolves away from me and it works. You might be able to ask her for some help or advice. At least buy a ward, some protection." He felt a bit like he should be taking commission now, the way he kept advertising Maddie's store but getting his life saved was more than enough. "I have the number at her store if you want it."

She wondered if it was the same place Caleb had mentioned, figuring that if it was? She really needed to check it out. And if not? Well, that ward still sounded hellishly useful. "Fuck yes I want it," she told him, wrinkling her nose, "Wow, that's a loaded statement right there. But seriously, if I can find some Glenda the Good Witch to show me the ropes? I can actually be more than a liability really fast, I hope." Because she got that; right now, she was a risk to the people around her, and sooner or later it was a risk that'd cost someone.

"I wouldn't call you a liability," Nate told her with a small grin which was probably audible in his voice. "Liability would be if you were running out with a stake, ready to do damage before really knowing what you're up against. Then me and whoever your friend is would need to be running after you and covering your ass. As it is you're wanting to get smart about things and that's pretty cool." He got up and headed to the fridge to scout out its minuscule contents for something to drink. "Have you slept at all?"

She flinched a little at his definition of liabilities, since that's what she'd been thinking before she'd had some sense talked into her. Nic was taking her first steps towards reining in her temper, but she figured she'd stumble once or twice along the way. "Not yet, no," she answered at last, "I wasn't home until a few hours ago, then I had to wait up for my mom and talk about stuff, and now I'm just... awake. Figure I'll drop eventually here, sleep until the afternoon, and see if I can get a ride to go ask a Thai man about teaching me to fuck people up."

"Shit, did your mom see shit too?" Nate asked, glad to hear the woman was at least okay by the sound of it, there was something about moms that just brought up this protective streak in him and he knew damn well he had some issues regarding that. "Guess most people did... Those things were apparently everywhere. Scattered over a stupidly large area."

"Her floor was clear, but she saw the aftermath," Nic told him with a grimace, "Maybe security footage, I don't know. She didn't really want to talk about that much. But she knows something warped happened, so she agrees that me learning to defend myself is good. Everything else... I'll try to explain to her when I can really prove it." Maybe the magic would help, if Nic was any good at it. Or Nate or Caleb could help her believe the truth of what was out there. Whatever it took to keep her safe? Nic was going to find a way.

"Her floor?" Nate asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Shit, don't tell me she works at the hospital..." Wasn't that just the happiest place to be the night before. Frank had told him to steer clear of it, no matter what. Even Kavin hadn't wanted to go there. He could tell her her mom was lucky to have gotten out alive but why rub it in.

Nic sighed, choking down the remnants of panic she'd felt earlier. "Yeah, she's a nurse. She was covering a shift when shit started happening, I think... I think she was about as lucky as anyone gets." Which, in this case, meant seeing horrid amounts of gore instead of being them. What kind of luck was that? "I don't know how long it'll be before she really wants to talk about it."

"Might become one of the people who say it was a rabid bear," Nate sighed. "It's hard for some people to accept that shit like this is out there. Denial is pretty powerful." He headed to his room with a bottle of orange juice, crawling up on his bed once in there and stretching out, balancing the phone on his cheek. "Just so you know, if you get ready to take those things down and actually start doing it actively you'll be opening yourself up to all sorts of new types of trouble."

She wasn't so sure her mother would be so willing, not after she'd seen the vampire attacks and the werewolves. So much carnage in a town like this? It didn't make sense to write it off as animal attacks. "Well, I'll do what I can to clue her in," Nic told him, frowning. It'd probably mean a shouting match or two, unless she actually learned something she could use as proof. "I don't think I'm gonna be, like... actively hunting? I'm not looking to cameo in the next Blade movie, y'know? But I want to be ready the next time the shit hits. And I think I'm grounded, but Monday, we should get some lunch or something."

I was going to go out hunting werewolves but mom grounded me, went through Nate's mind and the smile was more than welcome. "Being ready on the defense is a good thing, once you go into offense, well... you kind of can't ever quit. From what I hear anyway. There'll be things out there looking for revenge and yeah, not a fun place to be. So, why'd you get grounded, anyway? Just for your own safety or some shit?"

"Yeah, more or less," Nic explained with a sigh and a grudging smile. "My mom's letting me sign up for the kickboxing, so she wants me home as much as I can be outside of that and school." It was an understandable paranoia, to be sure, and Nic wouldn't protest for while it lasted. Besides, if she really wanted? She could always sneak out. "But I can have people over still? So we can get some pizza and watch 'Zombie Strippers' some night, if you're up for it." Company would definitely help the week go by easier.

"You know, that sounds like a good time," Nate said with another welcome smile. "I have a feeling my brother's going to be glued to my side for a while though, he's kinda freaking out about everything." And who could blame him. "But I'm definitely taking you up on that offer so watch out." Thinking of Dylan he realized he probably shouldn't leave him up in the attic by himself like that. If he woke up and Nate was gone there was a chance he'd have a serious meltdown. "I need to cut this short," he muttered somewhat regretfully. "If you wanna meet up for lunch on Monday that'd be cool."

"Just stop by my locker or something," Nic told him with a smile, "We'll go out for something, chainsmoke, all that good stuff. Maybe ditch a class." She wanted to already, if only to grill Nate on more details. "And if your brother wants, he can come too? I can dial down my whole 'face-eating bitch' thing a little," she promised, ducking back inside. Sleep was coming soon, Nate had good timing there. "I'm sure my mom'll be okay with it, so let me know. And I'll catch you Monday, okay?"

Nate was pretty sure Dylan still wanted nothing to do with horror movies and it was hardly surprising given his life was pretty much a horror story all on its own. He still had to appreciate her offer, especially about toning down on the face devouring. "You might have to," he told her with some amusement. "He's a fragile little thing. So yeah, I'll see you on Monday - and Nic? You know, you can call whenever, about anything. So just... don't hesitate to if you want to talk or ask me weird questions or whatever. I know there aren't a lot of people you can talk to about this crap."

She smiled over that offer, biting back the reflexive witticisms for the moment. Nate didn't deserve any of it, not with how helpful he had been and was offering to be. "I know," she told him sincerely, "And I appreciate it. I think I'm gonna need the offer? So it's good to know that it's there. Hopefully I won't need to before Monday, at least... I'll talk to you soon, Nate. Bye."

"Later, Nic," he murmured and waited until she ended the call before checking the phone for missed calls. There were messages there he needed to read and reply to but he could do that up in the attic, actually needed to get there before Dylan woke up and freaked out about there being no Nate around and there being werewolves in town and demons everywhere and bad stuff and where's dad and... Yeah, Nate wasn't in the mood for a freak-out. He grabbed a bag of chips from the kitchen and a cool can of soda before climbing back upstairs, curling up next to his brother with his phone.