5394/Mind Magic

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Mind Magic
Date of Scene: 01 March 2021
Location: The psychiatric offices of Dr. Anthony Ludgate, Ph.D. M.D.
Synopsis: Druid meets the Enchantress for the first time face to face
Cast of Characters: Anthony Druid, June Moone




Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid's office isn't exactly like an ordinary psychiatrist's office. Not only is it massive, with a huge window overlooking Central Park and the greenery within, but he has numerous mystic artifacts on hand. An oversized taxidermied owl sitso n his desk, ferocious in aspect. Celtic runes line all of the doors and windows, serving as both wards against evil and a decorative touch. But there are also daytime Emmy awards and a photos of Druid with various celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Captain America and Ozzy Osbourne.

"Welcome, June. So glad you could come," he says, offering a handshake to the young woman. "I apologize for my schedule of late, it's difficult to make time to keep my practice going, but it's so rewarding, I must find a way. And, of course, your own case is more than fascinating. How have things been going with you, my dear?"

June Moone has posed:
Unease and unrest. The past couple of weeks since the meeting with Dr. Druid, June had that feeling hanging over her like a guillotine ready to drop. Even approaching the door to the offices had her shoulders lifted, but a little bit of blush and very light makeup allowed her to look like a breath of life. As he offers a handshake, she gives the same, yet her grip was lacking any sort of personality, just a limp quick grab and release, and a wipe of her hands upon her jeans.

Today, it was all casual since she was technically off of work.

She was polite enough to remove her sloshy and muddy boots at the door, revealing white ankle socks that fit with her current get up, though the t-shirt that she wears was riddled with candies. Candies of all sorts. The high pony tail she keeps was combed out and soon put into a bun as she looked at the expanse of the office through the thin lenses of her glasses. "Wow.." Is all she says.. then finally gets to the question. "..oh. More.. oddness. I've emailed everything I've found to you before I stepped in." Phones are great, y'know.

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid nods, "I've read your messages, of course. Somewhat disturbing, I won't deny. The death of plants in your vicinity especially concerns me, as an elementalist and nature wizard in my own right, but I suspect that's just your other self absorbing ambient life energies, likely to try and strengthen her anchors in your mind. Have you had any full reversions? Blackouts, lost time, that sort of thing? Or have you been able to keep things 'walled up', so to speak?" he asks.

He gestures for her to seat herself on a chaise lounge, while he settles into a great lather chair, an ornate antlered figure at the apex of the back, with a human head and a rather graphically displayed nude male form.

June Moone has posed:
As he gestures towards the couch, the coat that was held in the crook of her arm was placed upon another chair as well as her handbag. Once she settles, she shakes her head.. then pauses.. and nods. Almost seemingly in a renewed excitement.

"No.. I mean yes. I did black out at work a bit but I just dismissed it because it usually happens at home. One moment I'm assisting a student with grading and the next, they're gone and the papers are all filed." She shakes her head. "I just dismissed it as me being on autopilot mode because it often happens."

She nods.. "Then at work, I was doing a statue restoration, apparently I stayed the entire night and only.. realized or.. woke up when it was time for me to get to class.. So I don't think I'm doing a great job."

She shifts upon the couch uneasily, her shoulders still lifted. "It's strange, right?"

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid nods, steepling his fingers, "It is, but we are dealing with something odd. More than odd," he says. "I've done further research on some of the energies I've read in your aura and there are...troubling indications. Notably intense ties to chaos, rivulets of anarchic energies flooding through your spirit. Bleeding out from this other entity which seems to have...lodged itself within you," he says.

"While I believe my psychiatric intervention can help, I think mystical intervention is the most important. And removing it may be even beyond my own means - certainly until I come to understand more the nature of the problem and the being with which we are dealing," he sighs.

"Have you noticed any particular triggers or rituals that stimulate these blackouts?"

June Moone has posed:
Chaos, anarchic energies. It was unsettling, visibly so. June rises from her seat and begins to pace, much like what happened in the borrowed office at the campus, her fingers were joined together and squeezed tightly, as of she were drawing water out of her skin. Even the talks of removing it seems to draw a little bit of a panic, one that causes her to nearly heave and feel sick.

"I.. no. No triggers. I don'..." She tries to get the words out, her face scrunching into a bit of anger. The air in the room which was once calm, now grows a little bit thicker. He could possibly see it, the trail of black smoke that's invisible to normal human eye with each trail that she takes. She wasn't about to explode, but it was inevitable.

"No triggers. Nothing. I just work, I come home. I eat. I sleep. Coffee? I try not to sometimes but it's good. I try to keep a healthy diet and I exercise. I ran when it was nice out, in the spring, summer and autumn months.. I didn't do anything!"

The sharpness of her last words of doing anything rings out, causing the statue within the room to nearly crack. She jumps, then promptly sits back down, but thumping her knee rather rapidly to self stim.

"Sorry.."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid holds up a hand gently, "No need to apologize, June. Just focus on me. My voice and my eyes. I have no intention of upsetting you," he says. His tones are soothing, resonant and almost echoing, as his mind radiates a soothing aura, meant to ruffle any nerves that may have been touched and to keep June contained.A

"None of this is your fault. I want to emphasize that to you. You are dealing with an extraordinary circumstance and doing so with aplomb and grace," he says. "While I would like to meet this...being at some point, I want to do so in the most calm and relaxed circumstances we can m anage. I have no wish to enter into conflict. I only want to help and to guide and to understand."

June Moone has posed:
June was ready to leap from the couch again, feeling the need to be active, anything to keep her from 'not dealing' with the level of stress her thoughts put her under. She does try to focus, her legs still bouncing, hands upon her knees as she looks directly towards Anthony. It could be a little unsettling, with how light her eyes were, extra rings around the iris that show a clear divide and the closeness of letting the shit loose.

"Okay.." She says quietly, taking in a slow breath, exhaling.. inhaling again. She could feel herself calm, and while the air was thick and that aura was clearly there, it slowly calms into something a lot more managable than before. "Okay.." She says again, this time nodding, feeling herself be alright.

"Do you have anything to drink? It's hot and I'm thirsty.."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid pushes up from his seat and walks over to the desk. He has a decanter of water there and pours a glass for June, carrying it over to her. "I think establishing communication between you and this other self will be key. But it should not be done lightly or without proper safeguards. Whatever it is, it's extremely potent, capable of submerging your consciousness within your own body. This isn't something simple to do. Possession is far more rare than the movies make it out to be," he says.

"Do you have any dreams of note? Do you feel its presence there?"

June Moone has posed:
June reaches out for the glass of water, keeping prim and proper as if she were in a debutante school. She holds the glass from the bottom, hand upon the middle, carefully sipping to not spill a drop. Even though something inside of her says.. throw it. But that's just a natural thing, no otherworldly influence. Thinking about it does make her feel better.

"Oh.." She says quietly, leaning back now to look at the ceiling. She was drawing out a recall, even closing her eyes for half a second to remember. "Sometimes I do.." She says with a sigh. "..We wouldn't speak. I would go through the dream and I could turn and see her there. Watching. Sometimes she would never move, sometimes she would walk along side of me or beneath me. Other times, if I look up into the sky, the stars and clouds and moon are made of her." She shakes her head. "Lately, nothing."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Of course, that part of June's psyche is part of how Enchantress has bound to her, that little impulse of chaos that nestles like a seed in the heart of her being. "Intriguing. I'm not much for Jungian analysis, in regards to dreams, but I find they have a strong mystical element to them, especially with those involved with the mystic arts," he says.

"I am going to attempt to communicate with this other self," he says. "Provided you consent, of course. I will have to put you in a trance in order to do so. I understand if you do not feel comfortable enough to try that and will, of course, respect your wishes if you'd rather I find another method."

June Moone has posed:
"I consent." June immediately says. She was worried about the implications of what would happen. Should she ask him to bind her first? Was he even capable? If he had taken on her case, she was sure that he would be able to care for himself..

"Just.." She says, putting her hands up to stop if he had chosen to begin. "..you need to be careful."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid nods, "I am exceedingly careful. I didn't reach my age of maturity by being reckless," he says with a slight smile. "Come sit across from me," he says, pulling his chair closer until their knees are almost touching.

"Just look into my eyes. Don't try to do anything, just listen to me, focus on my eyes, let me guide you. You are safe here. You are at peace. You are hydrated and fed and in a place of comfort. Now close your eyes fo ra moment for me and imagine a peaceful meadow. Grass green, sky clear. Lay on your back in the grass. Feel the individual blades against your skin. The rush of blood in your ear mingling with the soft rustle of the wind. Find your heartbeat. Can you feel it? Hear it? You can, can't you? It's right there, I can hear it, too. That's your life, there, the drum of it, the rhythm of it. Let it swallow you in its sound, feel it in your bones. Ever deeper, now, ever deeper, the meadow so cushioned, so kind, holding you in its embrace, the sun warming your skin but not too hot, just right, just right, until you feel yourself start to drift like the clouds skidding across the sky, until you feel yourself so very light, caught in the air, and you can hear your breathing now, too, feel it, heart and lungs, life itself, and then you close your eyes at last and you feel yourself floating and...

"There. There you are. And within you, someone else. To them, I say, hello. To them, I say, welcome. I would like to meet you. Very, very much."

June Moone has posed:
June gave a little smile as she moves from the couch and places her water upon the table. As she sits into the chair across from him, she lets out a breath to relax and stare.

She relaxed.. listened.. followed his words until she did not see the room anymore.. but a field of calm and serenity, holding daisies, the sun warm upon her cheek..

The words that come out of her mouth now were quiet, so quiet that it took a supernatural ear to hear..

..until the surrounding area along June's body begins to swirl black and *poof* in an instant.

In the place of June, was someone else. It carried the look of June, but darker, near older. Black runes mark her skin as if they were painted on by coal, her hair a pitch black but carries that same smoke. Her eyes were white, glowing. And across her forehead were the vestiges of a crown of charcoal. All of this speaks to an older language, even her manner of dress. A bralet, crowned in dirty bronze and a belt of skulls, and a loincloth to cover parts unseen.

The breath that breathes out of the womans body smelled of sulphur, and carried with it an echo. And as she stares to him, she says -nothing-.

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid regards the being before him with a calm that has been hard won over his decades of practice. He learned to meditate from the Ancient One, versed deeply in the greatest secrets of the tantric arts and, as such, he can keep his heart still and his face calm. But still, even he, in depths of his soul, recognizes some primal fear that radiates through his body when confronted with the being that dwells within June Moone. He feels his gorge rise and swallows the acid and bile that come with it, and he cannot hide a hint of sweat on his brow. He must use his mind and his skills to their fullest in dealing with this creature.

"I bid you greeting, strange one. I am Druid. I come on behalf of your host, the dwelling in which you live. She seeks peace of mind and understanding. How should I address you?"

June Moone has posed:
Stillness. At least upon the outward appearance.

But Druid could obviously see the speed at which she moves, it was almost comical, the way she dashes and darts about the entire office, inspecting within miliseconds the various items and trinkets that were on hand that would hinder her escape if she truly wanted to leave. Even the windows were checked, and soon Druid. Hands were over his head to test and taste the aura that he enimates, even smell a bit of the fear that leaks from his pores.

And all of this, within a five second time to human senses.

Back in her chair she was, shoulders now relaxed, fingers touching upon the edge of the armrest that causes the top of her skin to dimple.

"Enchantress." She says, all whispers and chaos. And a lean forward along with an unnatural tilt of her head. "Oh? And what does June Elaine Moone say about me?"

Elaine wasn't her middle name, but hearing that does bother June.

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid does not attempt to interfere with the exploration. He can feel the strain in his runic wards as she approaches them, threatening to make his carefully sewn magics burst at the seams in an attempt to contain her. He likely should have set some sort of circle, in retrospect, but hubris has often been a fault of Anthony's and he doesn't seem to have outgrown it.

"Enchantress," he says softly. "Not a name, but a title, but perhaps all that you've known, I think. You are an ancient thing, aren't you, and much corrupt, in your own way. June says that she does not understand you. That you sometimes seize her and she doesn' tknow what you do. She is afraid of you. Rightfully so, I suspect."

June Moone has posed:
"I am not a thing." Enchantress didn't seem upset by it. She was an entity, a goddess in her own right. The most exhalted of succubi, a queen. She can move worlds and shake them, break them. Cull the moon and all the light and plunge the world into darkness..

"People of your ilk crawl and kowtow when I demand. You and all who inhabit this world are nothing.." There was a slight hiss as she remains seated, fingers now creating a cadence. The mention of June being afraid does not sting, but she does turn her head to look off to the side.. a ward.. one that was studied and mentally scratched at, attempting to break something small to destroy the sum of the whole.

"She has no need. The symbiotic nature is thus: June cannot survive without me. And I without her." Truth in those words, moreso than what she was saying. "That is all." She looks to Druid now, and doesn't smile.

"And you choose to help her. Surely you know what -will- happen here today. Tell me why."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid nods quietly, "No, you are not. But I did not know your nature and did not want to make any assumptions," He says. Even having her present was teaching him a lot. He could read her aura and sense the magickal energies around her. Potent, almost painfully so, certainly beyond the kind of firepower he generally wielded. He was skilled, certainly, but this was natural magic. Burned in, ingrained. Inherent.

"You did not give June a choice in this symbiosis. It simply came to her. She is a sensitive young woman. Strong, yes, but having you lashed to her soul will always cause her stress and pain and fear. She wanted to know if she could be free. As you say, it is beyond my powers to m ake it so. So I would, rather, try to find a way to...broker a peace between you. Or do you care nothing for her at all? Is she just another plaything like the rest of us?"

June Moone has posed:
"Ah, is that what she told you?" Now Enchantress stands. Each step she takes around the office was slow and purposeful. It was clear she was heading towards where she felt traces of magic. Seals. Symbols. The nine. The deliberate sway of her hips grew more dangerous, her hand lifting, shaking.. fingers playing upon the air as if the keys of a piano were there for her to tinker with..

"She was given the choice, June Elaine Moone could have said no. She should have said no. The power of Me would have went to another. Perhaps more powerful, more deserving husk." Enchantress snorts, now at a window, both hands upon the sill as she leans in, nose to the glass. Almost childish.

"Your little amore has a saviour complex. Did you not see?" She shakes her head then, smearing her nose upon the cold glass. "I said before. Without me, there is no June. Without June. There is no me."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid purses his lips, "I don't think that's true. She had a childhood, a life, before you came into it. You're the one who's stealing part of her life, using it to anchor yourself to this plane of existence. Where you were must've been a terrible place. Lonely. Cold. A sort of hell, literally or figuratively," he says.

"Perhaps, as you say, June did ask for some of it. Who has not felt the call of power, at some point in their life? I cannot claim otherwise - for what did I study and abase myself before the great poewrs, but to become a mighty one?"

"If you are right, then you must find a way to treat June more kindly. If you break her spirit, if you draw her into despair and helplessness, then she will find a way to end herself, perhaps, and then, you, too, would be lost once more. Is that what you want?"

June Moone has posed:
"Since the moment man crawled their lives were over, Doctor." Enchantress remarks, still creating her rounds. Her foot even stops in place, hesitating, looking down, and moving yet again. This time to the bookcase to draw fingers along the spines of the books.

"Treat. June. Kindly."

That did not seem to work for her, for soon she was upon Anthony, both hands upon the arms of his chair, nose to nose, eyes to eyes. Not searching, but allowing him to feel the full bore of irritation that was -pulled- from her with that statement. She's made a lot of allowances for June.. and this just pissed her off.

"I have lain dormant for years and allowed her to live the life she has chosen." She hisses. "I have allowed her the pleasures of men and women, came to her rescue when she called, stayed asleep when there has been NO need of me what so ever. To assume that I do not regard my HUSK with respect.." She turns a little, inclined to spit, but she does not. She faces him again.

"Ye who takes the soft and sweetness of June Moone at her word to show and say she is in despair. Her sun has shone brightly and when called I am her moon. She.." Enchantress pounds upon the arm of -his- chair.. "is.. NOTHING.. without.. me.. and.. I.. am.. nothing.. without.. HER." Each word accented by the pound of her fist, which nearly grows with the nerve to put it through his chest.

"What we want is inconsequential. What YOU and the world want, in this instance, in this moment right now, should matter."

She stands upright now, then settles back into the chair. She holds up her hand before she speaks. "Choose your next words wisely."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid does not dismiss the words of Enchantress entirely. Nor does he take them at face value. Even if she spoke truth from her own perspective, it was clear that June did not quite regard their relationship in the same way. Unless, of course, she was playing some sort of mind game of her own. Perhaps, in that regard, he had been too trusting.

"I cannot speak for the world, only myself. June wanted me to be her advocate and so I have done as best I can. If there is a misunderstanding, I certainly apologize. I have no desire to quarrel or fight with you. I have no personal stake here, no grudge. Only the pleading of a young woman who I believed to be in danger. Your perspective on such things is your own and no doubt far different than that of mere mortal souls like myself and June. I only seek to understand and to make peace. Nothing more."

June Moone has posed:
Lips purse as she regards Anthony, her legs now crossing over the other as she assumes a stance of relaxation. It wasn't like a child being scolded, looking away to focus on another point, and it wasn't as if she were no longer interested. Her night-time wanderings will still continue, and if June is at risk, so be it. Not that she would tell Anthony that.. however.

"Very well."

Anthony Druid has posed:
Anthony Druid purses his lips. Nothing has been resolved, obviously. But he needed to establish rapport, relationship. And, after this encounter, he had a few questions for June herself as well.

"You will see me again, no doubt. I emphasize again: I mean you no harm. I only wish to learn. For now, however, I will free June from her trance. Whether that means she returns or whether you remain...I suppose that is between the two of you," he says.