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Lunar Duality (Spitfire x katuzov)

Her question was innocent enough. He had disturbed her at home after telling her that he'd keep it professional between them. It didn't get much less professional than showing up to someone's house uninvited. He took a step backward, almost retreating. An apology formed in his mouth, embarrassment flooded him. Then he paused. His eyes narrowed. He reached into his shirt collar and pulled out the moonstone.

"I didn't stumble here by accident. I felt you... calling for me." He kept the other images he'd experienced to himself. Probably his own desire to kiss her, rather than hers. If he gave voice to that vision, she'd definitely think he was crossing a line. A girl like her... she had to be handled gently.

He sniffed the air. Had she been making chili? It must be the smell from the diner on him. "So, did you need something?" He grinned. "Or were you just letting me know where you live in case I need to get you home again?" Someday, he was going to learn to stop saying things like this... but not today.
 
As he backed away, she let out a silent sigh of relief. He was retreating. Experiment successful. More testing required. And then he came back at her with his stone on display. So much for turning it around on him.

She bit her lip and swallowed hard. Being a bad liar, she at least knew when to shut up. Shaking her head in answer to his first question was easy enough but how was she supposed to respond to the second? She narrow her eyes and crossed her arms, "I don't plan on drinking with you ever again. So no." That was definitely the truth though it was less about not drinking with him and more about not drinking at all.

It was after nine in the evening, he was standing at her door, answering a call she had made. What had she expected from this moment? Was he just supposed to stop by, prove her theory of the potential power of the stones correct, and then leave? Seemed slightly rude, but yes. That smug look though...

"If it would help you feel more manly, I'm sure I have a jar you can open or something."
 
"If you don't, it means you called me all the way over here just to see if you could. Unless of course... you just missed me." He shrugged and didn't put anymore emphasis on the joke than was necessary. "Of course, I'm a modern man. I don't just open jars or kill spiders. I can cook too." He raised his right hand and tiny sparks leapt from his fingertips as if from the cracking wood of a bonfire. They all extinguished long before they came anywhere near the floor. By the letter of the law, it was a violation, though only just. Even so, Mike scowled at his hand. He had meant for just a single spark, instead nearly a dozen formed.

It wasn't like he could actually cook anyways. Being able to provide heat, even at extreme temperatures was only part of the puzzle. The rest was a complete mystery to him.

Lowering his hand, and turning his attention back to Selene he asked. "So whatcha got for me?" It was a weak attempt to being invited inside. He half expected the door to slam on his face. He made sure he was completely outside of the threshold just in case she did.
 
Rolling her eyes, she huffed a laugh at his implication she missed him. It would've been against many laws to fire at him with any sort of magic but the daggers in her eyes never missed. "I already had dinner, but thanks." Half of which she spent thinking about him. The other half of which is still sitting on the table. But he didn't need to know either of those things.

It was his magic, rather the magic in the stone coupled with his exerted will, that made her let him in. She was certain. Mostly. But she opened the door further and stepped out of the way so he could enter, "Come in." However, she wasn't stupid enough to just leave her necklace out on the table without protection. She moved quickly and placed it around her neck and immediately regretted it. The pull was magnetic. And stronger than before. She had called him to her and he had crossed that distance on his own. The last of it was on her and she wanted to so very badly.

Moving to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and brought out a jar of blackberry jam her mother had made for her. As she handed it over to him, it felt like home and precious memories of a happy childhood and a life, while not full of wealth, was overflowing with love. It didn't take long for her to regret entrusting him with it. If he accidentally destroyed it, she'd have been crushed. "I'm not too concerned about the spiders." They were creatures of order, after all. "So I guess this is all I've got."
 
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The daggers in her look made Mike quite sure that the door was about to shut in his face. However, she invited him in. He stepped in, feeling triumphant. He wondered if the vampires in stories he'd read felt like this when they were asked to come inside someone's house. The idea that he was such a creature did not sit well with him, but that was beside the point. He saw Selene rush a bit too quickly to put on her necklace. Did she really think he would take it? What would happen if he did? Should he be more careful of his necklace around her?

When the necklace went around her neck, Mike had to stop himself from gasping. The sensation was almost overwhelming. He couldn't describe it, but he felt a... connection to her. He took a few deep breaths as he adjusted, but he couldn't shake the sensation. He followed her into the kitchen, goosebumps covered his arms. He took the jar from her, without looking it. He kept his eyes locked on her with a smirk on his lips. Whatever he was feeling, he needed to reestablish himself. What better way than opening a jar? "Piece of cake." The smirk remained, but his eyes betrayed him when he tried to open the jar and it did not budge. A small grunt also gave away his effort.

He looked down at the jar, this time trying for real. The lid still didn't move. There was no way he could get it off without looking like a fool. His hand already hurt from the ridges in the lid. He let a tiny bit fire magic start to warm lid and jar - simulating running it under hot water. The two would cool at different speeds and should allow him to open it, all without Selene knowing that he was unable to without magical help.
 
Offering a shrug as he told assured her he could handle the situation, she smirked. It was all could trust him with and even then, she wasn't sure that was a good choice either. She sighed and crossed her arms as he began. As his struggle became clear, she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head in confusion. She blinked a few times, half expecting him to give up. However, stubborn men with something to prove rarely waved the white flag so quickly.

For a moment she considered how long she was willing to let him continue to stand in her apartment just to prove a point. Her point had been made and her hypothesis proven. His point was that he could be useful to her somehow? Frankly, she wasn't sure what his point was anymore. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a lid gripping tool, smirking as she held it out toward him. "I thought you said this was going to be a... 'piece of cake' was the phrase, right?"

It would be silly of him to feign the inability to complete the simple task an effort to spend more time with her. In her kitchen. Looking very much like an overconfident idiot. It wasn't as though he needed help in that department where she was concerned. Still, it seemed very strange that he'd have such a hard time with a jar.
 
She offered him a tool to help him remove the lid. "I've got it," he said. The lid just needed to cool a bit more. "I just need to let my hand rest for a second" He flexed his hand, not wanting to touch the heated metal at the moment. At least she hadn't noticed that he casted. Once the magical heat had enough time to do its trick, he tried again. The lid came right off. "Piece of cake." He helped himself to a sniff of the jam. His stomach reminded him that he hadn't finished his dinner.

"Smells great." He said, flexing his sore hand behind his back while offering her the jar with the other. He could still feel the strange sensations from the stone, and so an experiment formed in his head. She had managed to summon him to her place. Could he get a piece of toast with blackberry jam? He put all of his efforts into picturing her making him such an offer. A piece of toast with some jam. "Did you make it yourself?" He asked, hoping to maybe stimulate further conversation, to give her the chance to let the moonstone do its trick - if it could.
 
Shaking her head, she chuckled as she took the jar. "Sure. 'Piece of cake.' But no. My mother made it." She placed the gripper tool back in the drawer and turned to put two pieces of bread in the toaster. "She makes a few different kinds and the blackberry is my favorite." Almost without thinking, she pulled out two small plates from the cabinet and a knife from another drawer.

She took a small sniff of the contents of the jar as well then let out a happy sigh. "I might be able to get you a jar. If you'd like." Realizing she knew nearly nothing about the man standing in her apartment, she ventured a question, "You talked about your great-grandfather but... are you close to the rest of your family?"
 
It was working! Or at least, Mike thought it was. There was the possibility that she was just being polite. Toast was hardly a big ask - and it didn't really require her to do something that would be too out of the ordinary. His mind swirled with ideas of what he might do instead. Kiss him, take her shirt off? He quickly dismissed all of these. That wasn't who he was, despite the persona he might present. He was interested in Selene, certainly. However he wanted her to like him. Using mind control to be with her was just... wrong. As wrong as it gets.

Still, he wanted to know exactly what the stones could do, so his mind continued to work as he answered. "It's hard to say." He chuckled and shook his head. "I have nothing to complain about when it comes to family. They've been good to me, if they weren't around as much as I would have liked, they were doing stuff so that I'd have opportunities." Many of which he'd wasted over the years. "No siblings, just my parents and me. They were also both only children. My grandfather who should have had this..." he touched his shirt over the stone. "..died in an accident before I was born."

He started picturing another study night, the next night. Her deciding that he needed one more tutoring session. Something she had obviously not thought he needed earlier.

"I see my parents sometimes. They come to town now and then, often on business. They've uhh... they've given a lot to the school."
 
Of course his family gave money to the school. She was sure it was likely money that went back generations. Looking down at the necklace, she wondered how it was that the two halves ended up in such different hands. Had his family used it to gain power? Had hers simply chosen not to generation after generation? As much as she loved her family, the likelihood of that many people not giving in to such temptation was incredibly low.

"Yeah," shrugging as she shook off the thoughts of his family wealth, "my parents are only children too. I try to see them as much as I can though. It helps that they don't live far from here though." She sighed, "It's odd that neither of the stones were actually passed down to every generation. Both our families skipped our parents. And somehow... I think my grandfather knew it was supposed to be me to use it rather than continue it down the line. Did you get the same kind of thing from your great grandfather?"

The toaster popped and she began to spread the jam on bread as she awaited his reply.
 
"My great grand father was kinda..." Mike struggled to find the right word. There were plenty of wrong ones. Crazy. Nuts. Unstable. Maniacal. They were all appropriate at certain times, but none really encapsulated the man. "eccentric," was the best he could do. "He wasn't a bad guy, but he'd say some crazy shit sometimes." Mike shuddered thinking about it. He could still hear the old man talking about the strength to undo the world - to rip apart its foundations. The worst part? He was starting to feel like he understood what he meant - at least in an theoretical sense.

His attention turned to the toast. It smelled great, and he was glad he'd have a piece. "I do know this. He sent everyone else out of the room when he handed it to me. I don't think any of them knew about it. I didn't say anything. I mean, if he didn't want them to know, why should I tell them?" He shrugged. "None of them ever asked me about it. It's not like it was some heirloom that they wanted their hands on. They might not have known it existed. If I'm the one who's supposed to use it - like you, that'd make sense. I don't know what for however. I assume that you are in the same situation."

Again, he conjured images in his head of them meeting the next day. That he needed her tutelage though he stayed on topic. "For what it's worth, I did check the library, I looked under 'moonstone, shiny black rock, old necklace, Templeton, anything that I thought fit. I found nothing."
 
She passed him a plate and sighed, "Yeah, I don't have much to go on either." As little as she told him, she didn't have much more and she still wasn't sure how he'd react to the rest. "It makes sense for it to be handed down to the eldest male heirs, as a lot of things are, but jewelry often goes to women so I'm not entirely sure that's the case here. Not to mention, if they skipped generations, we don't even know if the ones they handed it to were sons of sons or, as in your case, they skipped multiple generations."

The whole business of tracing lineage backward with little to go on wasn't likely to yield many answers for them but they would probably have better luck with his family over hers. The wealthy typically kept better track of their trees. Still, she wasn't sure that was the route to take. "Maybe we should go to the library tomorrow and see if we can find anything. If there are photos or portraits with the stone in them, we might be able to trace yours back." She knew it wouldn't give them the same knowledge that her family would, but they could try. "We'l be going through my grandfather's things this weekend, I think, so I might be able to get clues there."
 
"It was my paternal grandfather. If that helps." He shrugged knowing full well that it didn't. "Do you have any brothers?" If she had an older brother and the necklace was given to her, that might mean something. Though he had no idea what.

He blinked at her question. It was half of what he wanted. Seeing her tomorrow, but it wasn't quite what he had pictured. Maybe it didn't work quite that specifically? He tried a slightly different experiment. "Do you need a ride to your grandfather's? I have a car, and no plans. I don't mind driving. I'll even make myself scarce during your family time." He summoned images in his head of them driving together, stopping for awful fast food, singing along together to cheesy songs on the radio that they pretended to not like. All the while laughing and having a good time.
 
Shaking her head, "I'm an only child too." It might've explained the pressure to succeed. Being the scion of a family in the hopes of leading them to prosperity was a lot for a person.

She blinked at him for a moment, his offer both surprising and confusing her. "I can ride with my parents," she said with another shake of her head before thinking about how different riding in a car with him rather than her parents would be. He could distract her with music and laughter while her parents would likely be very somber and only add to her anxiety about the situation.

"I mean, that's really nice of you but you don't have to feel obligated to be nice to me. Besides, there isn't much to do there to keep yourself entertained while I'm with the family. The house is kind of in the middle of nowhere." At least that was how it felt to a teenage Selene. Secluded wasn't a bad thing to her, reading being a bigger passion than being in the midst of other people. It wouldn't be fun for him at all. However, she certainly wasn't rejecting the offer outright.
 
"I don't feel obligated. I do think some fun on the way there and back would be good for you, but I'd like to hang out. I'll even let you pick the radio station on the way there." He said, hoping that the thought of music would help. Don't worry about me. I'll find something to do. There has to be a coffee shop or a place where I can sit and scroll on my phone..." He shrugged and grinned. "Or even study. I'll bring my books and start preparing for the next weeks of classes."

He couldn't believe he'd just said that. He never studied on the weekend, not unless there was a big test on or something due on a Monday. Since starting with Selene, that'd be two weekends he spent doing school work that he didn't strictly have to.

He took a bite of toast. He had intended to act like he liked the jam, no matter what. However his eyes bulged as he chewed. It was fantastic. He nodded appreciatively at her, silently communicating how much he truly enjoyed the spread. He'd never buy a jar of smuckers again.
 
She took a bit as he spoke, savoring the taste with a smile on her lips. His reaction to her mother's jam was clearly unsurprising to her, everyone loved it, but it did make her happy every time. Sharing what her family had to offer the world without much money was its own joy.

"I really appreciate your offer," she said sincerely. It would save her parents the trip to come get her in addition to affording her some distraction. However, then she'd have to explain to her mother why this young man that she's never even spoken about is suddenly so close as to drive her there and back. Her parents would take some convincing but she was sure they'd be alright with it. "Thank you. That means a lot."

She put the lid back on the jar and placed it in the refrigerator. "I'll have Mom bring you some of the blackberry and whatever she's got in season right now. She's actually a kitchen witch," a fairly rare art, "but didn't end up making a career of it. That whole 'Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life' adage isn't always fitting. Turning a hobby into a job can sometimes take the fun out of it. So she got a mundane job and uses this as her kind of creative outlet."

It was odd for her to open up about her family, especially to wealthier classmates, but he already knew more than most did.
 
She hadn't said yes, but she hadn't refused either. He didn't push further, not yet. He imagined that it was a big ask - for her to opt to ride with him rather than her parents. It wouldn't be an easy conversation for her to have. Maybe he couldn't influence her to do something she wasn't inclined to do. It didn't seem fair. She had managed to pull him here from the diner. Though, he couldn't even begin to try to tell himself that he didn't want to see her. She hadn't gotten him to do anything he didn't want to.

What about studying on weekends?

He chewed, it allowed him to think. He doubted very much that she was toying with him the way he was her. Just trying to make him study? That seemed unlikely. Much more likely was him just trying to impress her.

Her story made her oddly jealous however. It sounded like her home with her family was a happy place. "If she'd give me a jar, I'd be very grateful. This is really good. I can see why she wouldn't want to do this full time, how it wouldn't be fun after a while. What about your dad? My parents did whatever would make them the most money." He shrugged. "I doubt very much that they loved destruction spells anymore than I do. But you know how it is, weapons pay." He put his dish in the sink - a force of habit from his own appartement. His dishwasher was always full of clean dishes until either the sink was full or it was empty.
 
"Sure," nodding, "I'll ask her to bring some this weekend. I don't promise she won't grill you but she's well-intentioned and mostly harmless." It went without saying that kitchen witchery could go either way on the order versus destruction scale and sometimes to either extreme. "Dad gifts are fairly in line with mine. He's a counselor at an elementary school. Dealing with magical children who aren't always equipped to handle strong emotions without powers being set off." That certainly would explain her often cold exterior. She was likely raised with the skills to temper strong feelings into different outlets.

"I guess I should probably just be frank about it," she said with a smile, "I'd like to take you up on the offer. Spending more time with you doesn't sound so bad after all." The smirk on her lips told him that was as close to a compliment as he was likely to get from her at that moment. "So tomorrow in the library? I won't have time until pretty late. My last club meeting ends at eight but it's in the library so it won't take me long to get to the Hall of Records." If his family made a habit of donating, the records would have kept close tabs on his line.
 
She was actually going to have him meet her parents? That... was unexpected. His attempt to influence her had gone beyond his intention. Not at all unlike the way he'd done more than he meant to with Caleb. Or how he couldn't maintain the low level of heat he wanted with the jar. Were the two connected? He needed to be careful. He almost wanted to talk to Selene about it. Maybe that'd help in their research. Maybe he would... but once he did, he couldn't unring that bell. Though it'd be good to talk to someone about it. It had actually been worrying him.

He didn't let that affect him however. Instead, he beamed at smile that she'd take him up on his offer. "Great!" He said, "just tell me what time, and as for tomorrow. I will get to the library at 8 You get there when you can. What can I bring you to drink?" He grinned mischievously before he corrected himself "Tea, coffee, sparking water. Come one Selene, school library, no strong drinks allowed."
 
Chuckling, she shook her head. She'd already vowed to never drink with him again. "If we'll be researching into the night, maybe coffee wouldn't be a bad idea," she said before she considered the implication of the 'into the night' part of her reply. That wasn't a wise choice of words but it was entirely too late to take it back. "A uhh... mocha latte?" Silently cursing herself for even the slightest effort to garner even more alone time with him than she'd already agreed to, she looked at the clock on the stove.

"It's getting late and tomorrow's shaping up to be a pretty long day. I think I should call it a night," giving him a sincere smile. "Thanks for stopping by," she said, as if it had been his idea to do so. Moving toward the door, she didn't seem in a huge rush but definitely needed sleep. "I'll see you tomorrow in class."
 
He wanted to stay later, maybe toss something on TV, cuddle on the couch, open up a bottle of wine and... He wouldn't even consider using the stone for that. That was too far. He nodded. "Yeah, I should probably try to sleep. Gotta be up early tomorrow. He didn't have to be. No reason to get out of bed until well after 11, but he wanted her to think of him as more responsible. He returned her smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, with a mocha. We'll go until we get some answers." If there were answers to be found. Mike had some doubts.

He wanted to hug her, but he opted not to try. He'd made a lot of progress, pushing his luck seemed like a mistake. Maybe tomorrow night, or after driving her.

Mike was too excited and awake to even think about sleep. He wandered to the practice gym, and tossed fireballs until well past 1 AM.

To his dismay, he had trouble maintaining control. Often he missed his intended target, and he couldn't seem to keep the burning orbs from growing larger than he intended. Even when he tried to really focus, it didn't seem to work.
 
"Sounds good," she said with a nod. "Goodnight Mike." With a smile, she gently closed the door behind him. Pressing her back to it, she let out a sigh. Why had she wanted him to stay? And why didn't she ask him to? Shaking her head, she reminded herself that Mondays and Tuesdays were already long as it was and study sessions with him only added to those hours. Studying was giving way to a search for answers that she was pretty sure they wouldn't find. Her only real hope was finding things at her grandfather's and she had to manage to do that right under her parents' noses. She already hated the idea of hiding things from them but the dying patriarch had made her promise not to tell anyone save the person she was meant to find.

Sleep didn't come for hours. She tossed and turned as images of raging fire plagued her. Lightning streaked across an already burning night sky. Something was descending from above but she couldn't figure out what it was. All of the pieces were jumbled and unclear.

In class the next day, she looked tired and kept quiet. Looking down at her desk, completely disengaged, it was hard to be sure she was even awake. When Hale called on her, likely to make sure his normal overly-involved pupil was paying attention rather than to actually hear her speak, she raised her head and answered the question but her response was short and to the point. It was almost as though she knew the material well enough to answer in her sleep. It was proof enough for Hale so he moved on with class.

As they agreed, she met Mike shortly after eight in Records, looking forward to the promise of a third coffee to get her through whatever time they'd have to spend. "Hey," she said with a tired smile.
 
Frustrated with his lack of control, Mike left the training facility and wandered home. Sleep did not come easily to him, and when he did, he found troubling dreams of his magic raging out of control. Nothing could contain his terrible power. He woke up to his phone's alarm, and through bleary eyes checked it. No messages but... it's battery was at 5%. Mother fucker. He thought to himself. Angry that he had forgotten to plug it in, he was surprised to find that he had. He reached for the bedside lamp.

It wouldn't turn on. Was the power out? He looked out his window. Lights were on. He could even see a glow from his next door neighbors. It was just him. Then he saw it. The walls were singed in the shape of forked lightning. He had casted in his sleep. A cold sweat covered him. This had never happened before. It wasn't supposed to be possible. He went to the breaker box and found every circuit broken. He quickly flipped every switch, and restored power. Cursing, showered, got ready, and left for class.

The day was difficult, and he was distracted. He couldn't ignore what was happening. The question was... should he tell Selene? The odd surges of power started that night at the bar. A coincidence? Or perhaps it was connected. How would she react? Would that help in their research, or would she be compelled to turn him in. The letter of the law was quite clear, uncontrollable magic was forbidden.

One thing was certain. He had to get Selene that cafe mocha. That took surprising importance in his mind. Because he wanted to have coffee with her? Or because she was wearing her moonstone and influencing him? It hardly mattered, when the time came, he went to Records with a two cups. One with black coffee, the other with a mocha latte. He handed Selene her cup. She certainly looked like she needed it. "Hey, you doing alright? Rough day?" He asked. Focusing on her would be easier than dealing with the questions he had about himself.
 
"Thanks," she said quietly as she took her cup. After a long, slow drink, she replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't really sleep well last night so I might not be super useful in this endeavor." She didn't want to tell him about the dreams. Her grandfather's words didn't say anything about a fire and brimstone end of the world scenario but that wasn't to say they weren't up against precisely that. It wasn't exactly the most comforting thought so she put it away and tried to focus on what they knew.

Sleep could wait if they got on a roll. This seemed more important. Maybe even more important than class, as much as they would horrify her parents and Professor Hale to hear. Luckily Wednesdays were easier for her. Midweek clubs met earlier and her course load wasn't as packed as the first two days of the week. She was still going to try. Any information they got would help them and tracing backward was much easier than forward.

"We should probably start with your great grandfather. Any images we can find of him, his parents and grandparents would help." She sighed as she logged into the records database, "It would help if they'd had a standard of the frequency it was handed off, but I don't think we can rely on that." As usual, her focus became singular. Save for the coffee, she was glued to what was in front of her. "It would help to know what you've already combed through."
 
The fact that she had trouble sleeping concerned him. What if his lack of control was affecting her. It felt wrong to keep this bit of information from her, but he said nothing. Whatever guilt he felt, the discomfort of coming clean was stronger. It was wrong, but he couldn't find his way to right, at least not yet.

It was with no small amount of awe that he watched Selene research. His 'investigation,' if you could even call it that, was putting a name into the library's search engine, skimming the first few results and then giving up. She on the other hand was a machine. "His name is Alexander Templeton. I uhh... I don't think it'd be a waste of time to revisit anything I looked at. Just to retrace my steps if necessary in case I missed something." He hoped that pass the smell test, though he fully expected an eyeroll, if not a lecture.

"Look there." He pointed at the screen. It was his great grandfather as a much younger man. He looked a lot like Mike. He pointed to the picture, right at his neck. Peaking above his shirt was the necklace. "He's wearing it, under his shirt, just like I do." The picture was from a group of donors, celebrating the start of construction of the new building for the School of Destruction. "As you suspected." Mike conceded. He missed this photo during his initial research.
 
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