Something Wicked This Way Comes

||5- It's Tea, Not Poison||

Morning came quick. The familiar chorus of dogs at the shelter across the alley brought Katalina back to consciousness.  Her mix-matched eyes fluttering open to focus on her ceiling.  She sighed, wishing the sunlight streaming in her window had been blocked by the curtain she had forgotten to close. As she turned over, the events of the previous day rushed back to her like a surging flood.

Kat sat up.

And burying her head in her hands. What had she gotten herself into?

A odd thrumming of inhuman energy crept up her spine. No—continued to creep up her spine. It hadn't stopped. Not for one second. How she ever slept through it, she didn't know.

Katalina shuddered as the feeling moved down her arms and to her finger tips, spreading to every inch of her body. It was living, like a heartbeat, coming in waves. Baa dum. Baa dum. Baa dum.

But not a sound. Just the feeling.

Baa dum. Baa dum. Baa dum.

Human auras expressed themselves in colors, or low vibrations. There wasn't much to block out, not unless they were like her, and knew how to manipulate them. Loki's was....

Loki's was out of her league. She hadn't a clue how to put a damper—how to block it. It was so strong that Kat would've put money on being able to feel it even if she stood on the other side of town.

Katalina shuddered again and shoved off her covers. Pushing herself off her bed, she bit back a sneer as her feet hit the ice cold hardwood floor. She moved quickly to small carpet mat in front of her dresser, tugging open one of the drawers. A mess of clothes greeted her.

Selecting a pair of bland, black leggings and a flowy dark gray tank, she moved to her closet to pull a sheer, tribal printed cardigan off of it's hanger. She quickly changed and ran her hand through her mess of dark brunette hair. 

She was beyond thankful that she had taken a shower the night before—and that she was able to make it back to her bed before sleep claimed her.

Sliding on a pair of her grey moccasins, Kat slipped out of her room.  Hesitancy in her step as she moved down the hallway, growing closer and closer to the living room—and closer to Loki's pulsing aura.  She'd have to put some serious focus into her readings today, or his energy would throw them off.

Katalina shook her head and walked into her kitchen.

Loki was still asleep as she maneuvered herself behind the island grabbing the navy blue kettle off of the stove.  She paused, staring across the expanse at him.  Some part of her told her that she should feel uneasy—uncomfortable, unsafe, angry—that he was in her home.  Then memory of his dying aura brushing up against her own the night before rid her mind of any doubt of what she was doing.

Turning away, she filled the kettle half full with tap water and set it back on the stove.  She turned on the appropriate burner before grabbing two mugs from the cabinet and set them on the counter.  Beside the fridge, Katalina's hands found a smaller cupboard filled to the top with spices, essential oils, and herbs.  She navigated through the mess she was accustomed to, reaching for a bag of crushed black tea leaves, a bottle of powdered burdock, and a vial of peppermint extract.

She also grabbed two steepers before closing the cupboard and moving back to the two mugs.

Kat worked fluently, fixing her own before moving onto Loki's.  Mixing together a handful of tea leaves with burdock—for the chance that Loki could develop blood poisoning—and peppermint extract to mask the bitter taste of the burdock.  Kat carefully scooped mixture into the second steeper.