It's Never Easy

[Norah Byron]

[norah]"I wouldn't blame you a bit if you went with the boarding-up option." And Norah was actually trying to make the mental adjustments needed to be okay with it if Charlie ended up cutting contact with her and the others after tonight. He'd be perfectly justified in deciding that they were all way too dangerous to be messing with and dropping off to an online acquaintance or even cutting contact entirely.

This fine resolution did not at all keep her from stepping forward and resting her forehead on his shoulder, taking a long slow breath that shook more than she wanted it to. That had been scary, sitting on Wyatt's lap and watching him die slowly, having to keep at him and try to keep him present. The actual ritual hadn't been half as bad because at least she'd been doing something. But she didn't lift her head as she said, "No one's asking it because we've been dealing with the immediate crisis. But it's a very good question, and I'm scared to death of the answer." Not least because of whoever or whatever was chasing William, they'd still never figured it out.

Miguel, meanwhile, was swearing vilely in Spanish before informing Wyatt, "I hate you. Why did we just bother saving you." Then he looked over at Norah and Charlie, found each of the boys in turn in the crowd (except Luke, but as he saw Alec he came to the same conclusion Norah had), and asked, "Was it natural, can you tell? Just her going swimming?" In a northern lake. In October. In a bikini. Christ, please let her have been that stupid.[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[wyatt]"I can tell," Dani said, nodding sagely as though all powerful Grimmy. But she ratted herself out by adding, "Mostly 'cause she told me. Good news? Totally natural. She went swimming, foot got caught, glub glub. Bad news? The copious amount of alcohol she drank contributed to the decision to take a dip. Best news? Hey, it wasn't the hoodoo."

Wyatt sighed. "So - "

"Coincidental and bad timing," Dani said with a shrug.

Charlie, hearing the shake in Norah's breath, didn't hesitate to get an arm around her and hold her in a one armed hug. He figured he shouldn't have asked what he had. "Sorry," he said, "I just - you know how I am. Into the brain and out of the mouth, no filter. Shouldn't be bringing up stuff that is scary."

Of course, three zombies had attacked the party and that was pants-wetting scary. Which he immediately thought of as soon as he apologized. "Yeah, that was stupid. Like you're not thinking about it if I don't talk about it. I'm horrible at this. How about I just make with the hugging, it's all I'm good for."[/wyatt]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]One more important question, and Miguel didn't even feel bad for asking it. "Was she over 21?" It mattered. A lot. For example, if she wasn't? He was getting the damn band out of here before the body was discovered.

Norah hugged Charlie tightly but said, "Don't, it's a valid question. One that I'm kind of putting off asking, actually. I need to, I just don't want to yet." Just like she needed to go work the party for an hour or two, never mind that she was not at all feeling the party spirit.[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[wyatt]"Didn't ask," Dani said apologetically. "Didn't much have the time after she realized she was actually, you know, dead. They always get a little distracted at that point, go figure."

Heartless though it may actually be, Wyatt said, "I'd let it come out later," he said, "She'll come up missing and, since I wouldn't tell them," he nodded toward Norah, "They can claim ignorance believably."

"Wow," Dani said with a shake of her head, though some part of her agreed with him and she hated that more than a little.

"I'm cool standing here not asking as long as you need," he said, "Mostly 'cause I'm still trying to process and the hugging makes it easier."[/wyatt]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]Miguel sighed. "Shit. It'll mean the 'special effects show' gets noticed, though." He thought a minute, rubbing his hand back over his stubbled head. "All right. They don't need to know. I better go tell 'em all not to get drunk, though." He headed off into the crowd, going for his brother first both because Doro was his brother and because if any of them were going to get shit-faced and do something stupid, it was him.

Norah, meanwhile, hugged tighter for a moment but then straightened up and admitted, "We'd better go ask." She drew Charlie along with her out of habit or whatever, just because it felt right, and went to join Wyatt and Dani. "So," a wan smile. "Tell me you guys ran up against a nasty-minded Obeah man recently and know exactly who sent those things and how to convince them never to do it again?"[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[wyatt]When they were close enough, Wyatt lifted a hand, placed it flat and firm on Charlie's shoulder and shoved him away from Norah, taking his place. Rubbing his shoulder against hers, letting their heads touch briefly, he said, "Thanks."

For Wyatt, this was the equivalent of a twenty minute bear hug.

"Hate to say it," he then said, moving away again and righting his baseball cap, since it'd been knocked askew, "But I can't tell you any of those things. Why?"[/wyatt]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]Norah kissed the shoulder seam of Wyatt's shirt but stopped there, out of kindness to him. "Because so far as I knew, the only person we're sheltering right now that's being chased was well-protected and hidden inside a whole lot of Enochian symbols. So either we've pissed off somebody new, or the demons are recruiting witches. Which I seem to have heard is a bad, bad, bad sign."[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[wyatt]Wyatt swore low, then looked at Dani. "See? This is why I never want to leave the Ranch."

"You never want to leave the Ranch because you're a cantankerous old goat in a young guy's body," Dani said, then sighed. "But this is not good news," she had to allow.

"Demons?" Charlie asked, just as he was starting to feel maybe okay with what he'd been learning. "Like, demon demons? Like Omen stuff?"

"Pretty much, only way way way scarier for real," Dani said, patting his arm.

"If it's the demons," Wyatt ignored them, "What're they wanting with messing up your party? Who're you protecting?" It wasn't technically any of his business, but since he'd almost died and all, he felt he was allowed to ask.[/wyatt]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]"He's a man named William Doyle," Norah glanced at Dani, who would be all too well aware that this was the Will that Norah had been dating for the past six weeks, Dani having sat through more than a few gushing recitations of his virtues. "A retired entertainment executive. Wealthy, but he had zero contact with the supernatural until two months ago when a dozen black-eyes ganged up on him out of nowhere and tried to take him down. It was nothing but coincidence that Zee Kerrick was there and saw it. Something weird went on with the exorcism she was trying, William like--supercharged it somehow. We don't know how he did it, he's never been able to recreate it. But we hung him with every piece of Enochian-marked protective symbolism that we could find and we haven't seen a demon even from a distance since." She shook her head. "Other than him, we're not carrying anybody who's even a little bit hot. Two hunters just riding with us while Jake finishes healing a broken elbow, a vegetarian vampire, and a Naga who's been with us for three months, wouldn't hurt a fly."[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[wyatt]Years ago Wyatt would have frowned at the fact that they had a Naga and a vampire, but Wyatt was well aware now that he didn't have the right and that not all monsters were really monsters.

"So, no idea then," he said around a sigh. "Why is it nothin' can ever be easy?"

"Because it's you, Wy," Dani said dutifully. Or, something.

"So, what do you do now?" Charlie asked. "I mean, if - you said someone's behind those things?"

"Yeah," Dani nodded, "They don't show up on their own."

"So it could happen again?"

"In theory," Wyatt nodded, looking to Norah, like she'd have a plan or something, before he went ahead and gave his opinion.[/wyatt]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]A helpless shrug. "Best person I know for the hoodoo/Santeria/Obeah kind of magic is Malaki Amherst. I could call him in. He's not the most reliable, but I can usually keep him focused for a while. He might be able to work us up a set of protections. Other than that I have no idea."[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[wyatt]Dani was looking at Wyatt, a sort of pleading in her eyes.

"What?" he asked her.

"We can't just leave them."

"We sure as shit can't stay."

Sister and brother glared at one another for a long minute and Charlie almost offered to stay with the band just to get them to stop. But he wouldn't be any good at protection, really. But then, something else occurred to him. "Who said it was Norah or anyone on her end they were after? You were the one who almost died."

Wyatt blinked and jerked his attention to Farm Boy.

"He has a point," Dani said.

But Wyatt was shaking his head. "I only got hurt because I went charging after them, they weren't coming for me."

"Didn't look like they were coming for Norah, either. Two of 'em went out into the crowd, or tried to before you washed them to death," Charlie pointed out oh so reasonably while inside his head he was thinking this was one of the most surreal conversations he'd ever had.

Dani snorted at the description, but knocked it off when Wyatt glared at her again. "He has a point, Wy. It could have been you, or me, or Doro or Norah or some person at the party or," she almost looked apologetic here, "Just some random thing."

"So you don't want to stay with Norah to protect the band then?"

"Oh, no, I totally still think we should."

"No."

Charlie sidled back up to Norah. "You have an opinion on it, before they kill one another?"[/wyatt]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]She leaned into Charlie's side. "It never does any good." But then, louder, "Somebody has to take care of the horses. And Dani, you can't be away from home that long. And you know and I know and God knows and everybody knows that he's not going to let you be at home while he travels around with us. So you might want to chalk this one up to 'Okay, it's your turn to win one, I get to win the next five' and we'll just promise to call a lot?"[/norah]

[Wyatt Moran]

[dani]Dani narrowed her eyes and looked at her brother. "Ten."

"Six."

"Eight."

"Seven."

A sigh. "Done." Looking at Norah, then at the festivities, and back to Norah, she asked, "Okay, now what? We weren't gonna leave this early...." And honestly, incidents aside, she really didn't want to. She'd missed her friend. But if it would be easier, she'd acquiesce fairly easily.[/dani]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]Still leaning in to Charlie's side, Norah closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and begged Dani, "Come work the party with me for an hour or two, then we can take off? Go back to the hotel suite and hang or research or whatever? I've got to be social and I desperately don't want to, but if I skip it I'll hear about it from the publicist. Please?" She was pleading, straight up.[/norah]