Lessons in Magic

Who: Claire and Gabe
Where: Claire's House
When: Afternoon

There was no reason to be nervous. Gabe continued to tell himself that, even though he wasn't all that sure that was the case. It meant a lot to meet Claire's mom, even if she was only a friend. Formally meeting a parent was always a significant event, no matter what the status of the relationship. He knew, for instance, that Kyle's parents loved him, which allowed them to get away with almost anything. So while he wasn't planning on pretending to be something he wasn't, making a good impression was still important. As he walked with Claire up the front walk, he realized he'd never even been in her house through the front door. Climbing through her window didn't count.

Claire was nervous and she spent most of the car ride to her house gnawing on her lower lip and trying to think of reasons to cancel the whole thing and take him back home. It wasn't that she didn't want her mom to meet Gabe, or vice versa, it had just been a long time since Claire had a friend over properly. Her dad generally embarrassed her when it did happen, and so she supposed a part of her was afraid that was going to happen again, even though he was at work. She paused at the front door and shot him a small smile. "Uhm... okay, so my mom's a little weird. She's got that weird, new age-y hippie thing going for her, so if she starts getting spacey, just smile and nod, okay?"

"Okay," Gabe smiled, "It'll be fine. I'm on good behavior, and she's your mom. Nothing to worry about." Even though he was trying to reassure her, he was also trying to convince himself as well. Plus, he knew the more they worried about it, the harder it would be to relax. He'd always been comfortable around Claire, and he didn't see any reason why he shouldn't be this time.

"You're always on good behavior," Claire said before she paused and gave him a weird look. "And I have no idea why I said something so blatantly untrue!" Smiling, she pushed open the door and held it open for Gabe to step inside. Her home was nothing extravagant or special. In Claire's eyes, it was pretty plain and boring. "Mom's probably in the back room getting things ready so..." She shut the door after Gabe stepped in and then shrugged out of her jacket. "Do you want something to drink or whatever?"

"Because you know my bad behavior has no business in your house," Gabe grinned. It wasn't like he had to worry about getting in a fight, and Gabe had already toned down the heavy flirting with Claire. With his two biggest weaknesses already sidelined, Gabe was pretty sure he could handle meeting Claire's mom. "Does she understand I'm a complete noob at all this?" Gabe asked, pulling his coat off as well. "I hope she has a lot of patience. Um. Can I have a glass of water?"

Claire led him into the small kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "Don't worry, I told her you were a complete noob at everything." Turning, she grinned and handed him the water. "And she's very patient, believe me. Almost sickeningly so." Claire figured her mom had to learn patience early on, being married to Frank. Waving her hand, Claire motioned for Gabe to follow her out of the house and to the back of the kitchen where her mom kept her "work" room. Knocking once, she opened the door and smiled at her mom who was at her table, flipping through one of the books. Claire had definitely taken after her mother, at least in the physical sense. Ann Marie still had a youthful appearance for her age, but for the tired lines around her eyes. Her hair was longer than Claire's and covered in colorful scarves that matched the flowing yellow blouse and long skirt. And as always, her mom was barefoot, her feet covered in bracelets and silver toe rings. Claire always thought of her as the anti-soccer mom in all the best ways. And she was definitely a mirror of Claire at age forty seven, if Claire decided to go the earthy, hippie route. Claire stepped into the room and out of the way for Gabe to join her. "Gabe, this is my mom..."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Korey," Gabe smiled in greeting. He could easily see the resemblance between mother and daughter, both physical and in the eclectic way that they'd chosen to dress. While they were different from each other, they'd both chosen to go against the norm, and Gabe wondered to himself if her mother was sporting some crazy hair color beneath those scarves. It wouldn't have surprised him.

Ann Marie stood from her table and flashed a wide, welcoming smile at Gabe, before crossing the tiny space and cupping his face, kissing both of his cheeks enthusiastically. She ignored the groan from her daughter and took Gabe by the hand, leading him to the table. "Claire's told me all about you," she explained, nudging him into a chair and then motioning for her daughter to join them. "I've been eager to meet the boy taking my daughter out." Sitting next to Gabe, Ann Marie placed her hands in her lap and faced Gabe. "Tell me about yourself and why you want to learn magic."

"Mom, I've told you about him already, and why he wants to learn," Claire said, walking over to sit in one of the chairs. She loved her mom, and she wasn't ashamed of her in any way, but with how things were between she and Gabe at the moment, it felt weird having her mom gush over him like he was a boyfriend. She smiled apologetically at Gabe. "You don't have to tell her your lifestory or anything."

Ann Marie shushed Claire quickly, still focused on Gabe. "You've told me things, yes, but I want to hear it from him."

Gabe was not prepared for the attention Claire's mother gave him, his face turning red as she kissed both cheeks. He wondered what, exactly, Claire had told her mom, since he was well aware that him taking Claire out was not perceived in such a way from Claire herself. If there was something more going on, Gabe would have loved to be let in on it. He smiled nervously as he was led to a seat, his attention shifting between mother and daughter till he realized the spotlight was back on him. "What do you want to know?" Gabe asked with a little laugh. He moved to answer the easy question, since the other was so broad that he wasn't sure where to start. "I've only recently learned that magic exists, but I'd like to be able to help my friends. Protect them, if that's possible. Heal them maybe. I've tried reading up on it, but I don't really know where to start."

"I'd like to know whatever you want to tell me," Ann Marie replied with another smile. "Claire claims to have been forthcoming with information, but honestly all I know is that you share a class together and you enjoy playing hockey." She cut Claire's protest off with a look before refocusing on Gabe. "Healing magic takes a lot of time and effort to perfect. If you're truly interested in learning, then I'm more than willing to help you. Protection spells and warding is probably the best thing for you to start out with. It still takes practice, but if you've an affinity for magic, then it should come to you easier than others."

"Meaning me," Claire chimed in with a small smile.

"You don't have the patience for magic," her mother replied. "You're always too eager to do it perfectly the first time than to deal with the mistakes and keep trying."

Claire rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Or I just really suck and you don't want to admit it."

Ann Marie chuckled and reached out to pat Gabe's hand. "We have a couple hours, if you would like to jump in feet first."

"We have history together, and I play on the hockey team," Gabe confirmed with a smile, his eyes moving to Claire's. "I'm also teaching Claire to ice skate. Once she masters that, we'll have to find something new to try." Gabe was reminded that, should Claire master ice skating, she owed him a hockey game, and if she won, she'd be dying his hair. At least he could rest assured it would be a while before that happened. He'd enjoy teaching her in the meantime.

"I understand it's going to take time and practice," Gabe said. "I figured I could start small and see what I can do. Jumping right in seemed the way to go." Especially if he had someone around who was willing to teach him. "Thank you for having me over. I really appreciate all the help I can get."

Ann Marie smiled and looked toward Claire, one eyebrow raised. "Ice skating? And I haven't had to come pick you up from the emergency room yet? You must be an excellent teacher," she told Gabe.

Claire shook her head and grinned at Gabe. "He just lets me hang onto him so I don't fall. And he's pretty good at breaking my falls. I think it's going to be a long time before I master it so... the emergency room could always be calling in the future."

"Learning anything is just like learning magic," her mother reminded her. "Time, patience and practice." Standing up from her chair, she walked over to her shelves to pull the proper supplies out for a simple protection ward. "We'll start today with something easy and work our way up. There's no need to thank me, I'm happy to do it. Claire doesn't bring enough of her friends over anymore, so this is a nice treat for myself."

"There will be no emergency room visits in your future," Gabe rolled his eyes. "I told you, I won't let you hurt yourself. And you did good last time! If we started going at least once a week, you might be able to keep up with me," he teased lightly. He knew Claire had no desire to be a pro ice skater, but it was something he enjoyed doing, so he liked to have her with him.

"What's an example of something 'easy'," Gabe asked, watching a she went to gather up her supplies. "I've got time to practice, and Claire said she'd keep me company, even if she doesn't think she can help. Maybe we can both learn," he grinned, giving Claire a quick wink when he thought her mother wasn't looking. He realized that Claire's mother had said Claire didn't have people over 'anymore', but that was something he'd ask Claire about later.

"Easy would be a simple protection ward on a jewelry box," Claire piped up before her mom could. "At least that's what she gave me when she first tried to teach me. If you perform the spell properly, then no one else will be able to open the box but yourself. I call it a locking spell, but she insists it's protection." Claire shot her mom a grin when Ann Marie flashed her an amused look. "And I've tried the whole learning thing. I'll be content with watching you, thank you very much."

"You're smart enough to ace every class, but have no patience with magic?" Gabe asked, amused and a touch surprised. Claire was one of the smartest people he knew. Magic didn't seem like it would be a science that required coordination, so he couldn't understand why she wouldn't be good at it. "Or is this lack of patience thing something that applies everywhere?" he asked. "If that's the case, I don't know how you put up with me," he laughed. She'd definitely been patient with him, as far as he was concerned. All of his friends were. Those that weren't didn't last too long.

"I have patience!" Claire crossed her arms against her chest and tried not to pout. "I'm just not good at it, so... really it's that simple. I have patience. Loads of it." Her mother snickered but said nothing and Claire rolled her eyes. "With some things I don't, I guess. But the important things I do." She had shown that, surely, with Gabe, her school work, and Josh. There were things she was willing to deal with, because the end result would be worth it.

Ann Marie walked back to the table with her supplies, including the jewelry box Claire had practiced on years ago. "We can argue about your patience, or lack thereof, later, Claire. I think Gabe needs to focus now so he doesn't accidentally end up locking us in this room."

Claire smirked at Gabe and leaned back in her chair, more than willing to see just how this stuff was going to turn out.

"I know," Gabe said fondly. "You're patient where it counts. That's all that matters." He remembered then that they had an audience and shut his mouth, somewhat embarrassed. It'd be one thing if he was dating Claire, but he wasn't, so he'd best be quiet. He hoped he'd be able to focus with her in the room, but this wasn't like taking another girl on a date, so he hoped he should be okay.

Over the next couple of hours, Gabe locked much more than the jewelry box. He locked the windows, he locked the doors, and at one point he locked his mouth shut, an incident that took a good twenty minutes to reverse. If it wasn't for Claire's mother, he might have gone the rest of his life without talking, all because he couldn't concentrate on a spell properly. Thankfully, by the end of the lesson, he managed to lock the jewelry box properly, though if this was an easy spell, then magic was turning out to be a lot more difficult than he'd anticipated.

Claire did her best to stay quiet in the corner and not interrupt, though she did erupt into giggles a few times when he would mess up. It wasn't malicious, but it reminded her of her own first time attempting magic. She was horrible and clumsy... sometimes she couldn't get anything to work. But even if he didn't get the target right, he was still able to do something with what her mother was showing him, and that told Claire that he would probably take to magic pretty quickly. After awhile though, she started to get antsy, probably because it was getting closer for her dad to be coming home.

"Mom, I think he's done for the day," Claire announced, after Gabe was finally able to get the jewelry box locked. "I've been sitting here forever and my butt is asleep."

Ann Marie tsked and then smiled at Claire before patting Gabe's shoulder. "We're finished if Gabe agrees we're finished."

Gabe could have gone on a while longer, but once glance at Claire and he nodded in agreement. "It's okay. I think I've got the box down, so maybe I can keep practicing on things like that. Maybe... so long as I keep my phone with me, in case I lock myself in again," Gabe smiled. He was pretty sure he could avoid doing that again, but he wanted someone to call, just in case. "Maybe we can do this again sometime," Gabe said, a touch of hope in his voice. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't okay with Claire, and then he also didn't want to put out her mother. He knew this had to take up a lot of her time.

"Anytime," Ann Marie told him, bringing over a small box of the supplies she had used with him that afternoon, as well as a book. "You can practice at home, and I would recommend reading this book if you're serious about learning more magic. If you have any questions, feel free to call and I'll do my best to help."

Claire stood from the chair she had been sitting in and stretched before tugging her shirt down. She was trying not to appear too impatient, but she was ready to leave. She went over to hug her mother. "Thanks, mom. Are you ready, Gabe?"

"Thanks again, Mrs. Korey," Gabe said, definitely sensing Claire's urgency this time. He accepted the book and supplies with a smile, very much intending to practice at home. It would give him something to do in the evenings when homework didn't appeal to him. "Ready," he told Claire, grabbing his jacket. He'd have to ask her what was going on when they got in the car.

"You're very welcome," Ann Marie said, watching the boy gather his things. Frank would definitely not approve of him hanging out with Claire, but she certainly did. As much as she loved her daughter and her hard work, she needed a social life. "Will you be home for dinner, Claire?"

"Uhm, yes, probably." Kissing her mother on the cheek, Claire pulled back and smiled at Gabe. Waving at her mom, she opened the door to lead Gabe back through the house. She grabbed her own jacket and slipped it on. "I was really hoping you would have to go to school completely mute for a day," she teased, pulling the zipper up. "I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time."

"Glad I can still amuse you," Gabe grinned, waving to Claire's mother through the window before walking down the sidewalk with Claire. "Your mom's really cool. I can't believe I can do magic. Even if it's just this little tiny thing that doesn't even have a use right now. I wanna go home and find a box to lock, just because I can." Pausing at the passenger side door, Gabe looked over the car at Claire. "Thanks for inviting me over," he smiled. "This was fun. And I liked meeting your mom."

"You did really good for your first time," she said, unlocking her doors. "Much better than I did. But you're welcome. I'm glad you had fun. Just be careful if you're doing it alone." Claire got into the car and turned it on before grabbing her seatbelt. "She seemed to like you too. Usually if she doesn't like one of my friends, I can tell."

"I'm gonna try to read through the book she lent me before I try anything on my own," Gabe said, climbing in the car and shutting the door behind him. "And I'll definitely call if something goes wrong. My mom wouldn't have a clue what to do if I locked myself in my room." Buckling himself in, Gabe looked over, considering what he wanted to ask. "Is everything okay? You seem... antsy."

"Your mom would probably think that you're just going through a teenage angst fit and that you would unlock your door when you were ready," Claire grinned. She glanced at Gabe and nodded. "Everything's fine. Just being stuck in one room for that long, I was starting to feel restless. I didn't rush you out or anything, did I?"

"Something like that," Gabe grinned. While Gabe wasn't prone to locking himself in his room, Claire was probably right. His mother wouldn't even know there was a problem, unless he was locked in for an extended period of time. "No, I was just making sure," Gabe said, deciding not to push. He didn't know what it was about, but he was sure she'd tell him eventually, if it was anything worth worrying about.