[reverse darkest timeline au: you stay here]

[stilljustandrew]

The thing about a road trip is: you need roads.

No one's been maintaining this particular stretch of highway for years, which means there are places where they have to maneuver slowly around pitted and cracked surfaces, around fallen trees, around the abandoned wreckage of less fortunate cars. One such heap looks a little too deliberate, according to Kali, and they go back to detour wide around that one for fear of ambush.

There's an enclave somewhere around here, she says, calls itself Nowhere Special. Human, which doesn't mean friendly; there's every chance the ambush was theirs. Or of some enemy camp looking to take over their territory.

It's late afternoon, somewhere between misty and drizzly, when they pull up to the long-abandoned gas station.

Comments

[nita_callahan]

"--What, you want to go back? We need to keep going."

[semicharmed]

"No, we don't," he says, bemused.

"How's Kali gonna find us?"

[nita_callahan]

"I mean, she's a goddess, she'll figure it out."

[semicharmed]

Matt looks at her with a frown.

"And I bet we can figure out how to deal with whatever you heard. Assuming it's even there anymore."

[nita_callahan]

Nita shifts in her seat.

"Yeah."

She looks nervous, though.

[semicharmed]

"We won't go barreling in," he assures her. "We can stop a little ways off and just like, scope it out. Sound okay?"

[nita_callahan]

"That concealment charm is still working, right?"

[semicharmed]

"Well I had to break it so you could see the car," he says, turning the wheel and starting to ease back down the road (such as it is). "But recasting it won't take long."

A slight smile. "Not even if I overpower it."

[nita_callahan]

That gets a quick laugh out of her.

"Okay, okay. But let's not wait too long, okay? It's going to get dark soon."

[semicharmed]

"Yeah," he sighs. "True."

In fact, the horizon seems to be going purplish-gray at an alarming rate.

They make their way for the third time past the creepy wreck, the cracks in the concrete, until the gas station comes back into view.


"Okay," Matt says. "Gimme a sec to get this charm working again."

[nita_callahan]

"Take your time."

She's not about to interrupt him while driving, or while working a spell.

[semicharmed]

The car goes in park; Matt cranes around to grab some refresher herbs from the back seat; he reassembles the charm and focuses a moment.

(I WON, ADD HOOK

I WON, I OWN)

"Nita," he says uncertainly.

[nita_callahan]

Nita's turned in her seat, keeping an eye out the back window.

"Hm?"

[semicharmed]

That chalk, that sulfurous thread--he doesn't really want to follow it.



"Nita, what happened?"

[nita_callahan]

Nita looks at him, blinking.

Then her expression changes subtly -- from confused to faintly annoyed -- and she sighs.

"Welp."

She cocks her fist back and slams it towards Matt's face. There's a lot of power behind it, but the angle is lousy.

[semicharmed]

WHOA WHAT.

Matt wasn't exactly expecting it, but he sort of was, on some level, expecting it? He expected something awful, anyway.

So his shield spell flickers up automatically.

If he had more time, he'd have cushioned the shield to protect Nita's hand; as things are, the impact does not sound fun.

[nita_callahan]

Nita hisses in pain, but doesn't slow down. If punching him won't work--

Snarling, she shoves him, or more precisely, his shield, into the driver's side window with more than human strength.

[semicharmed]

The shield hits the door hard; Matt, inside it, lands only slightly softer.

He's winded, shocked, the engine rumbling thunder-loud in his ears. All he can think to do is lunge for the key in the ignition and wrench it out.

[nita_callahan]

The car sputters into silence. Nita gives him another overpowered shove.

"You couldn't listen, huh?" she snaps. "This could've been easy."

[semicharmed]

This time, Matt's shoulder connects hard with the window, and he hears and feels the smack of his skull hitting.

"What could have been easy?" he demands, trying to ignore the painful reverb. "What do you want?"

Generally, Matt tries to be a good listener. But he doesn't wait to see if Nita's going to respond. His shield drops; a moment later, the same golden glow appears around her.

[nita_callahan]

Nita opens her mouth to respond.

But then the shield spell pops up around her, and her eyes widen in shock and anger.

"Oh, you fucking little sneak--"

She slaps her open palm against the inside of the spell, to no perceptible effect.

[semicharmed]

Matt watches her, attuned to the shield's energy.

After a moment, he blows out a breath and gingerly touches his head. Pretty tender.

"You seem angry."

[nita_callahan]

"You seem shreddable."

She balls up her fist and pounds on the shield again. This time, there might be a slight tremor in the energy.

[semicharmed]

His eyebrows arch.

"Who are you?"

[nita_callahan]

Her lip curls, and she sits back for a moment, staring him down.

"I'm Nita Callahan, Matt. Can't you tell?"