#spellis

[androgynousace]

Spencer: so if necromancy is the art of communicating with the deceased can I technically resurrect plants?

His professor: hm,,,,

[androgynousace]

"We're not calling it Boney."

"What about Larynx?"

"How is that any better?"

"It can be shorted to Larry!"

Ellis pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a very long sigh, wondering how many bone puns one person could possibly endure before going mad. He then spared a glance to their new pet, a cat. . . an undead cat, who was finding an intimate interest in gnawing at a vine enveloping its paw.

"No bone puns." Declared Ellis, fixating a hardened stare at Spencer, who was grinning excessively at their new pet; his first (successful) attempt at ressurecting something.

"Okay, how about…" Spence trailed off, narrowing his gaze at the undead creature, lowering his head to its height before shooting upright, effectively sending their pet skittering off to the corner of their kitchen. "Persephone!"

"Persephone?" Ellis repeated skeptically, though he admittedly, it was a hell of a lot better than Larynx.

"Yeah, it makes perfect sense! She's the Goddess of spring, which relates to the vines and flowers and stuff that you're using to keep it intact, but—" Spencer paused for dramatic effect, though when it became clear Ellis didn't have anything to add, he continued. "—she's also the wife of Hades, who was God of the underword which relates to y'know, bones and undead stuff. It's a parallel!"

"Right…" Still unconvinced, Ellis looked over at the cat, who was going to great lengths to avoid the loud and overexcitable child that was Spencer. "It's a bit of a mouthful though, isn't it? What exactly can you shorten Persephone to?"

Spencer mused over this for a couple of seconds before sporting a smug grin that was indicative of an answer Ellis was likely to groan at.

"Percy."

"Percy?"

Spencer nodded so vigorously that his glasses almost came off, and Ellis could practically see his eyes light up in adoration and excitement, so, naturally, he relented.

"Alright. Percy it is." Ellis offered Persephone a smile and kneeled down to pet it's bleached skull. "Welcome to the family, buddy."

[androgynousace]

Ellis was starting to get a little annoyed at Spencer, who, for some unknown reason, had begun to avoid him whenever possible, hurrying away whenever they shared the same space for over a second. He felt as if he'd done something wrong and he really wanted to know what, he knew Spencer was the type to talk things through, not whatever this was.

So, one morning he knocked on Spencer’s door, early enough that Spence hadn't left for his morning classes yet, as evidenced by the shuffling about that could be heard from within as he got ready.

“Spence, can we talk?” Ellis asked, keeping his voice soft, it was too early for annoyance and anger.

There was a pause.

“Do we have to?” Came the reply.

“No. Not if you don't want to,” Ellis admitted, sighing quietly as he leaned against the door frame. “But could you at least tell me what I've done wrong?”

“You haven't done anything wrong.”

“It doesn't feel like that. You're avoiding me Spence, it's like you can't stand to be in the same room as me.”

“I—” Spencer hesitated in his answer before going quiet altogether.

Ellis decided to wait it out, if he didn't say anything more then he'd leave it at that, he didn't want to pressure him into talking, he knew how bad he was with personal conversations at the best of times. But just as Ellis was about to wander back into his own room, the door unlocked, revealing his bespectacled friend, his hair a mess as always.

“You alright?” Ellis asked.

A nod was given in response, before Spencer heaved out a sigh, gesturing for Ellis to follow him back into his bedroom, which he dutifully did.

Upon entering, he immediately noticed the brightly coloured flowers that were scattered around the room and he felt a sense of warmth in his chest. These were all flowers Ellis had gifted Spencer over the course of their friendship, they never meant anything more than Spencer wanted them to mean, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

“I didn't have the heart to throw them away,” Spencer commented upon noticing where Ellis’ gaze had strayed. “Even though they're sorta starting to take over my room.”

“Y'know, we could always donate some to the botany department if there's too many,” Ellis suggested with a quiet laugh, running a hand over his shaved head. “Or you could just ask me to stop being a sap and giving you so many flowers.”

Spencer shook his head, a smile on his features, but the tinge of sadness that lingered within it reminded Ellis of the issue at hand and he decided to sit on the edge of his bed, watching Spencer pace back and forth between the window and his bed.

He was nervous. Worryingly so.

Ellis suddenly had an idea of what might’ve been happening.

“Hey, uh… Spence, if this—” he gestured to the flora that decorated the corners of the room, “—if I’m making you uncomfortable with the gifts and the things I say then I'll stop, you know that, right?”

Spencer mouthed an inaudible 'oh my god’ before shaking his head adamantly, his cheeks flushed red at the mere mention of the topic.

“It’s not… that.” Spencer stated. “I like the gifts, they're sweet and I'll be honest, if I didn't have these to water everyday I'd probably forget what day it was. They keep me grounded.”

Ellis felt himself relax, slightly more comfortable that he knew that he wasn't the cause, or at least, that particular aspect of their friendship wasn't the cause.

“So, what is it then?”

“Do you think what we do might have side effects?”

“What we do?” Ellis repeated, his brows creased in confusion. “You mean like magic?”

Spencer nodded.

“Well, yeah. You, for example, you're a necromancer. You mess with the dead, that could have a lot of ethical side effects, like that court case you were telling me about a few weeks ago. About that family who sued a necromancer for causing, what was it - emotional suffering to their son's spirit by resurrecting him and 'harassing’ him about his murderer?”

Spence looked a little surprised at the answer given.

“You remembered me talking about that?”

“Yeah, of course. When you're passionate about something, I listen. I might not always understand what you're on about, but I'll listen.”

Spencer smiled, this time it was genuine and he made the decision to join Ellis on the bed.

“As sweet as that is, I meant physical side effects, like…” Spencer began pulling up the sleeve of his right arm until Ellis spotted what was definitely a cause for concern. Instead of normal, healthy skin, Spencer's upper arm had practically rotted away to the point that the bone was visible. “I think it's because I'm a Necromancer...”

“You need to see a doctor.” Was Ellis’ astute conclusion, which only got him an eye roll and a sigh in reply.

“You think I haven't tried?” He replied, the exasperation clear in his voice. “They haven't got a clue, one of them even accused my 'lack of personal hygiene’ as its cause, which was just outright rude.”

[pysseltokig-virrpanna]

Denne lille goding med mamma #Spellis och systrar livade upp eftermiddagen hos oss igår 😎

[androgynousace]

Spencer: just wants to study necromancy in peace with his undead cat and emo, flower-loving boyfriend

Ellis: just wants to fight everyone who mocks a) him and his flowers b) his skeleton loving boyfriend