October 9th
Prompt: Icy
The strength and power of magic, though finite, was sacred among all witches. It flowed through their bodies as energy, their environments as fuel, connected ancestors of the past, present, and future. Magic was something to be protected. Worshiped. Not to be used by a witch to its fullest extent. Or until the well running through their veins ran dry.
That resulted in one of the most humiliating consequences a witch could ever endure - Mana Sickness. The complete and total depletion of their physical and magical energy. Easily recognized from witch to witch, but normally presenting as a cold to the non-supernatural eye.
The mist creation for Logan yesterday had already taken a lot out of the young witch, and while they were at school that morning she'd sensed some sort of new magical aura in the Palm Woods but had been unable to leave class to discover the source. To be safe, she'd concentrated on a warding spell for the classroom instead of the algebra Mrs. Collins was teaching.
All of these spells were contrary to her typical flick-of-the-wrist tricks and cantrips which expended little to none of her magical well at all. By the time she and the band had reached Rocque Records in combination with the duration of her magic use, Roxy was completely out of juice.
She had planned to push through the uncomfortable feeing, the complete deficit of magical energy leaving a hefty emptiness in her chest, at work, but leave it to James and his perceptive eye to catch something was up.
Above all, contracting Mana Sickness was flat-out embarrassing for witches, often doubling as a disgusting affliction and a cultural humiliation - A signal to other witches that the one who contracted the illness was attempting to take advantage of their magical gift. Pushing the limits on what it meant to be a magic user and greedily draining the one thing that made them feel alive.
Even though James didn't know that, his girlfriend was still quite ashamed about the whole ordeal. Roxy had tried to hide it, act as though all was well, but, sometimes she swore James knew her better than she knew herself. His words to her in the hallway of Rocque Records had been startling, even after she attempted to push him away and deal with the sickness on her own.
As much as she didn't deserve it at this point in time, his persistence had been a comfort. Mana Sickness was something witches were supposed to go through alone, punishment for over-use of power. The idea that he wanted to help take care of her at a time like this was foreign.
But his hazel eyes were so big and watery, lips puffing into a perfect pout as he called her name and practically begged to take her home. The concern he held was evident in his soft, yet demanding voice, and she'd all but melted into his arms as he guided out of Rocque Records and back to the Pontiac GTO.
Roxy didn't remember much of the drive home as her fatigue began to catch up to her, but she knew she'd tucked herself into James' side on the bench seating as he flew down the surface streets to the Palm Woods. It always worried her when he drove without his license, but she'd abstained from chastizing him about it just this once.
By the time they'd arrived at the doorstep to 2-H, he was already digging in her black mini-backpack to find the keys to her front door before she'd even thought to look. Seconds later, she was in her bedroom, shivering as her nose ran, while he went through her dresser drawers to find a clean set of pajamas for her to change into.
When he left the room to go root around in her fridge for something to make, Roxy had to remember not to wave her hand to change as she usually would in fear of making her sickness even worse. For the first time in a long time, she had to physically remove her day clothing to change into her PJs
That alone, combined with her splitting headache were enough for her to crawl into bed and pull her knees to her chest. The emptiness wouldn't go away for at least another day as her magic supply replenished, so for now, all she could do was endure the pain.
*
Waking up to a coughing fit was just the thing Roxy's head needed... if she wanted to make the pain of her headache even worse.
With every involuntary movement, she was reminded of the physical toll her body was taking, and not too long later, the intensity of her pain brought tears to her eyes.
James dried them with the sleeve of his soft MAHS sweater. It appeared as though he'd lain next to her during her nap and had even draped an icy washcloth atop her forehead to help bring down the fever she suspected she'd fallen victim to.
There was a bowl of what looked like chicken noodle soup on her side table, but she felt too nauseous to try and have any.
James still chose to be so near to her, even knowing she was suffering from a "cold." If what she had was actually contagious, she'd have fought him longer and insisted on keeping her distance from him, despite knowing he would've pushed back at her twice as hard.
Roxy wanted to thank him, but her throat was too sore from all the coughing. Instead, she settled for turning into his chest, wiggling her arms around his torso and squeezing him with what little strength she had left.
For a split second, the magical emptiness inside her subsided. A small, fleeting spark ran through her body.
In return, James adjusted the cloth on her forehead before his hand moved to cradle his girlfriend's head. A handful of light kisses were pressed into her hair and once again, it felt like the nausea of her Mana Sickness had disappeared.
Is that the key...?
Snuggling up to him certainly wouldn't make her Mana return any faster, but, the more she scooted into him, the more her uncomfortable feelings seemed to be temporarily erased.
"Closer..." She mumbled, though her speech was more slurred than it should have been.
Her boyfriend certainly didn't need to be told twice, the heat of his body radiating onto hers completely defeating the purpose of the cold compress he had made for her. "'Course, baby."
Roxy's fingers were practically claws as they dug into the material of his sweatshirt.
"I'm sorry you feel so yucky," James lamented, and if the sound of sympathy alone could have cured her, those words would have been all she needed to hear. "Is there anything more I can do to help?"
Though it was difficult to shake her head, the witch managed a few side-to-side movements. "You're perfect. You don't... Even know."
If she hadn't been on her way out of consciousness again, she might have caught the increase of his heartbeat. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Another coughing fit sent tremors through her body, but he kept holding her as tight as he could.
An "aww," of empathy left his lips before he pressed them to her temple. "Do you want me to put on a tape for you to fall asleep to?"
Once again, the girl weakly shook her head. This time, she managed to let her eyes flutter closed as they cuddled.
A few moments passed, James receiving her message and not daring to budge an inch. Though, that didn't stop him from beginning to hum a slow tune, the sound vibrating in his chest where Roxy had her ear.
If only it hadn't managed to lull her to sleep so quickly, she might have been able to figure out what song it was from the melody alone...
