Bringing Sticks to a Gunfight

by Lea

I am so worried about Leo. We’re immortal and I’m still worried about him. I think my subconscious hasn’t caught up with the immortal thing yet.

First, when we went to lunch we were attacked by this monster. He saw it first, and he used our secret code to tell us about it. He had killed it before I managed to hit it, but in the process its blood splattered on him and caused acid burns. I’ve bandaged them, but unless we use the magic healing spell on him he’s going to scar.

Then we were looking for mana and in addition to mana we found a girl being forced to absorb it. Lia and I put on our mantles, but Leo put on his armor and summoned his weapon and went after the men with guns. Let me repeat that for emphasis: Leo, armed just with a magical staff, charged eight men with guns! I couldn’t get my mantle to switch to armor, so I did the next most useful thing I could think of: I absorbed a spell seed–it turned out to be smoke–and cast the spell. I caught four of the men with guns and a magic-user in it. Leo got shot over and over, but the armor is great. He would have been dead without it, except I have to keep reminding myself that dead doesn’t mean dead dead it just means in need to regeneration. 

We got away, and took the girl with us. The cops were investigating, and we found a door into some underground labyrinthine tunnel area, and I looked over our wounds. I tripped over Lia in the fight and her leg’s going to bruise, and she was shot in the arm. Leo was hit in each leg, the left arm, but his torso was riddled with bullet wounds and a stab wound. The girl has been abused, but was the least in need of immediate medical care. 

Lia went out to get medical supplies because she’s good at being sneaky and was barely hurt compared to the rest of us. She came back with a blanket, a first aid kit, and Snickers bars. She’s utterly wonderful. Anyway, I patched everyone up. We got back home, and I had to use a spell to fix some of Leo’s wounds. It makes water that can wash away wounds. I was hit, too, in the torso and right arm, but I was ignoring that. Leo noticed and he made more of the magic water for me. I used it on my arm because it was my right arm and I could reach my side.

 Leo and I went back out to collect mana because he was down to two and I couldn’t stand the idea of him dying, even though as I have mentioned at least twice so far he’s immortal and can’t actually die. I absorbed mana, too. One from a wedding dress that was actually really beautiful on me. I’ve always imagined my wedding with me wearing a well-tailored white suit and my fiance wearing a gorgeous dress, but if I ever am actually shopping for a wedding dress I’m going to be terribly picky now that I’ve had this one on.

The second mana I absorbed was from a strip club. Leo left immediately, looking really embarrassed, but I wanted the passion mana that had pooled around a group of men ogling one of the girls. Of course when I absorbed the mana I looked like I was really into the dancer. The guys noticed and welcomed me as a kindred spirit, but I excused myself.

Back home Lia and I figured out about mantras. Apparently you come up with a resonant concept and then write a poem. We wrote them for our mana bolts. Lia’s is showy and exactly what I’d expect from a stage magician. Leo’s is all technical and sciencey-sounding. I laughed at his. It was so telling about who he is that I thought it was adorable, which I don’t think he’s allowed to know yet.

I’m off to write one for the smoke spell, and then we’re going to meet Leo’s cousin Jacob who just got out of prison.