hold me closer, necromancer

Sam didn't feel too great today. He knew the reasons behind it but still hated that he could barely get out of bed and that James felt the need to bring him water and a bunch of dried up vegetables to try and get him back on his feet.

He'd expended a lot of energy yesterday, raising and speaking with several people who'd recently been found dead with puncture marks in their neck and claw marks on their back. They'd initially thought it was a vampire and a werewolf working together but the people that he'd managed to raise and calm had contended there was only one person that had attacked them, one grotesque creation who'd drained, slashed and then killed them.

The Council had convened and Sam had passed out right there in his seat. He'd even drooled a little. Brid's brothers had carried him back to his home and James had dumped in bed which was where he was now. He was powerful, able to raise and control the dead but even he had some limits and even he got tired.

His bed was comfortable, at least, and Taco was curled up in the space between his legs. Ramon had brought one of his record players into the room and there was some quiet jazz playing now. Sam closed his eyes and sighed.

[NFB but open, sure]

Sam was covered in mud. Covered. From head to toe, only the tiniest bits of clean skin or clean fabric peeked through. Beside him, Ramon was similarly caked in mud while Frank trailed behind them, wet and complaining.

Mermaids. The Council had discovered a group of mermaids in a lake nearby and had sent Sam out to talk with them. No one else from the Council had come along as they all had convenient excuses of some sort. Right then and there, Sam should have figured something was up but he hadn't.

The mermaids were beautiful. Ramon made several comments about them eclipsing the mermaids he'd seen in movies which had seemed to please them. Sam had walked closer to the edge of the lake, crouching down to be more on their level when it'd happened.

While one mermaid had been speaking demurely to them, two others had reared up and tugged him into the water, pulling him down to the floor of the river where the mud had happened. They'd done the same thing to Ramon when he'd lunged to help Sam. Frank had stayed back but he'd gotten splashed and soaked when each mermaid in the lake had taken turns flapping their tails at him.

Sam and Ramon had been released with giggles and whoops of laughter and then the mermaids had refused to speak to them further. They were done. Sam and his friends had trudged back to the estate, scowling and glowering.

When they got home, James refused to let them come in and instead directed them behind the house to get hosed off. James just wasn't going to clean up muddy tracks in his house. No sir.

So, with an air of exasperation and anger, Sam waited out back while Ramon used the hose first. What a stupid day.

[NFB but open for the usual things]

Haley had been trying to organize a 'Welcome to Spring!' party for a few weeks now. When Sam had told her she just wanted a convenient reason to throw a party, she hadn't denied it but she'd still said she was going to use his house. And Sam, being the oh so dutiful brother, had let her. The party was tonight and Haley had commandeered James, Ramon, the gnomes, the minotaur and Frank into helping her decorate. Sam had begged off, not wanting to get in the way and had retreated out to the half pipe in the yard.

He'd climbed to the top to dangled his legs over the edge when he noticed that even the half pipe was decorated with cheery flowers and little sunshine stickers. Sam shook his head and let the stickers be. It made the half pipe a little brighter at least.

Down below on the lawn, the statues were getting decorated in flowery sashes and seemed to be loving. Sam had to admit that even if he wasn't a huge party person, it did seem a little brighter and warmer here now. Haley did good work. Taco appeared in the spot next to Sam before making himself at home in Sam's lap. Sam scritched him underneath his chin and smiled down at the chupacabra.

So far, not a bad way to start a party.

[NFB but open for calls/texts/emails/visits]

Ramon came back a few days later. Things had settled down a bit by that time. Sam was lazing about on the front porch steps, drinking his coffee, petting Taco, and watching the gnomes train Frank in some of their fighting techniques. It was pretty hilarious. He'd bypassed going to the doctor, deciding just to rest his ribs and other injuries. He didn't need to explain this to anyone.

( Ramon and Sam have a manly heart to heart! )

[NFB but open for phone calls/texts. Taken from Necromancing the Stone. No warnings for this part. One more post to go in a day or so and then done-zo!]

Bridin Blackthorn had spent most of her life surrounded by Alpha males. She was used to the swaggering. The posturing. The jockeying for position. But that didn’t mean she always had patience for it. So when Eric grabbed her shoulder and turned her away from the dome, away from her view of Sam—who had just now been blown back against the edge of the circle—she didn’t even think. She reacted, smacking his hand and pushing him back.

( And Brid is a badass and Sam manages to do some stuff! )

[NFB but open for calls/texts! Follows this. Post 2 of 2. Taken from Necromancing the Stone and just about at the end! Warning for: post length, violence.]

As the group all sat in Sam's kitchen, Sam was pretty sure they were all thinking about the same two things. One, that Sexy Gary, at least whilst under the glamour, was indeed worthy of his moniker. He was all thick-corded muscle, auburn hair, and dimples. Sam could easily imagine him in a hot firemen calendar or a sexy lumberjack photo shoot. Not that he spent a lot of time imagining those things.

( Stupid Sexy Gary! )

[NFB but open for phone calls since there's finally time for him to get a phone call or text, if wanted. Taken from Necromancing the Stone. Warning for: talk of corpses and insults directed towards Keanu Reeves. ]

Douglas had never spent much time in dreamland. In his childhood, sure, but as he’d gotten older, it seemed like his ticket to the place had been revoked.

( Sleep was a dark and static time when nothing happened... )

[NFB, NFI, OOC is cool! Lifted from Necromancing the Stone. Warning for: nothing really objectionable here though long post is long. Taco is cute, Ed is my favorite.]

Douglas shuddered and wasn't sure when he'd last felt like this: relief and elation so strong that his whole body shook with it. Not since his youth, surely. He turned the key and stumbled into his bungalow, one of his many safe houses he'd purchased when the need to lie low arose.

( The room was spotless... )

[NFB, NFI. Lifted and slashed from Necromancing the Stone. Warning for: length, some blood.]

At some point after the funeral, Sam had passed out in the car. The world had started spinning brutally and he had closed his eyes just to stop from puking again. Sleep had overtaken him.

( And canon continues... )

[NFB. TBC since this chapter is super long. Lifted lovingly from Necromancing the Stone Warning for: not much. Nothing objectionable here. Open if you wanna talk to Sam (or, in this case, his sister, mother or James).]

James had found Douglas a cabin. It paled in comparison to the mansion he'd lived in before but going back there wasn't an option as of yet. Douglas had to take what he had and live with it. Soon, though. Soon. He was watching James unpack various supplies.

( Canon makes me sad today. )

James had woken Sam up by standing over him and staring. Needless to say, it wasn't the best way to wake up. But, James had apparently decided that right then and there was when Sam needed to see something and he wanted Sam up and moving.

( A little more canon... )

[NFB for off island, of course. Warning for: long post, some mild violent imagery. All of this is lifted from Necromancing the Stone. RIP Señor Quackenstein. Open, if anyone wants to call/text]

Sam could barely get out of his car when he got home. He was trying to tell himself that it was worth it, that learning to fight and defend himself from Brid's brothers would mean he wouldn't constantly end up on his back with blood oozing from some new gash on his body. But, Brid's brothers were large, strong and fast and he was a wimp when compared to them. Sure, they could teach him to fall, teach him to deflect but he was still going to be immediately eat dirt if someone managed to hit him. He just wasn't a fighter and he was absolutely feeling that in his body as he limped inside.

...and then he was face down on the sidewalk. Sam didn't even know what happened but as he turned his face to glance around, he saw an army of gnomes, his own lawn gnomes, giggling and skittering away with what looked like a trip wire. The gnomes had tripped him and they were laughing about it!

"Ugh," Sam said, rolling over onto his stomach and looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes and thought about just going to sleep. It was quiet and the ground wasn't that hard. But, no. He wouldn't do that. Sam opened his eyes and was...now looking into the silver eyes of a familiar cat that he hadn't seen in awhile. Specifically, not since Douglas had been alive.

"Uh." Yeah, Sam was so eloquent this morning.

James just swished his tail like he'd been there the entire time and trotted into the house. So, apparently he was back and that was -- that was something.

Sam groaned and sat up. Okay, so things were happening now so he needed to not nap on the sidewalk. Right, time to get up.

[NFB but open! I'm just setting a few things up for starting his canon soon.]