[b][color=#6b7e99]"Spirits of my ancestors, I call upon yo-"

Was somebody at the door?

Really? If they came perhaps ten minutes earlier or thirty minutes later, she would have been incredibly happy to play the role of a good host (well, as good a host as the undersized sawbone could be). But Nayru, believing that she would not be disturbed for at least twenty minutes, had broken out the grimoire in some attempt to converse with the spirits of her ancestors- namely, her mother. The spell she had been preparing to chant was one of the more mild-mannered ones that her grimoire detailed, the requirements being only clairvoyance like hers and large, white candles. Upon truly investigating her newly found book, she had been a little surprised to discover how many spells required blood. Without means to practice any of them - both out of her own innate fear and an unwillingness to disturb her clanmates and ask for their blood - she had taken to the ones that demanded of her herbs and candles and her own, strong beliefs.

Anyone that knew Nayru knew of her devotion, that was for sure.

With a little huff, the tiny sawbone made her way to the door, Chad trailing after her. She threw it open half expecting some mortally wounded clanmate who needed her immediate attention but was rather pleased to see that it was only Iota with herbs.  Immediately, her frustration was forgotten, consumed now by the excitement of seeing her friend. [color=#6b7e99]"Iota! Hello!" She greeted amiably, pulling back Chad who, bless his heart, had been attempting to climb up the firebrand's leg. She glanced behind her, realizing that her candles were still burning and the scent of sage mingled with her herb supply lingered in the air. [color=#6b7e99]"You've caught me at a rather strange time," She confessed softly, [color=#6b7e99]"What can I do for you?"

All was well and good until Iota mentioned the Exorcist.

Nayru, who had immediately brightened upon realizing that the herbs were for her, deflated, that spark of intrigue in her cerulean eyes morphing into confusion. Fear. She wasn't much of a fan of horror novels, that was for sure, and the idea of exorcisms in general frightened her. Whether that was because of her own status as a goddess of what, she did not know. What she did know, though, was that whatever the reason truly was, it made her lack any and all interest in even picking up a book that had to do with expelling demons. [b][color=#6b7e99]"Um..." Breathed the Sawbone quietly, lips coming together to form something akin to a pout, [color=#6b7e99]"I'm not really that big of a horror fan."

What a lame answer. She mentally berated herself for that one, suddenly preoccupied with the sight of Chad to meet eye contact anymore. One could only imagine her surprise as Iota asked if she cared about her. [color=#6b7e99]"Yes of course I care about you!" Nayru exclaimed loudly, too loudly admittedly. Red instantly colored her cheeks and embarrassed, the undersized medic found that she had even more of a reason to keep her gaze trained on her alligator. She didn't even want to think about Iota's expression right now - couldn't fathom even a thought about it.

It was when her friend asked her to perform an exorcism on her that she stiffened, that sea-colored gaze rising from the ground to stare intently into Iota's eyes. She saw the seriousness in them, detected it also within the shift of her aura. Oh Goddesses... this was really happening, wasn't it? [color=#6b7e99]"Iota... I..." She trailed off, mind suddenly going a million different directions a minute. She couldn't turn down her friend, that wasn't an option. And as much as exorcism frightened Wisdom, she would still do it if it ensured that whatever malevolent soul that haunted Iota would be dismissed. The one issue that Nayru found that she was encountering was her own lack of skill. She'd need to possibly prepare a host body and then beg the ancestors to help and expel the demon. On top of that, she would need Iota's blood and holy water.

At least she had candles, right?

Stepping back inside her house a little bit, the cream tabby beckoned her in. [color=#6b7e99]"Come along... If we're going to do this, we need to get started now."

Nayru, for the most part, remained silent as she worked. She had a good deal of candles already lit but figured, for the sake of doing this properly, that a few more wouldn’t hurt. Once that had been squared away, she retreated into a backroom full of more ”magical” herbs, only returning once she had found the sage, rosemary, and verbana that the spell required. The sawbone would not lie: she was nervous. This was Iota, for Goddess’s sake, and if she were to somehow mess up and drive an ancestral spirit into her friend... she’d never forgive herself. She would just have to try her best and hope and pray that she would not be forsaken for her efforts. Magic was a touchy thing too... oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

She couldn’t do this.

But looking upon the face of her friend, knowing that Iota needed this to potentially be happy and live the life she wanted to, Nayru knew that she didn’t have an option- she needed to try. And so, she leapt upon her table and thumbed through her Grimoire until she found something that she believed would work- a purification spell. All she would need to do was constant the ancestors and ask them to purge Iota of the demon, sending it into a host body that she would establish with a few words and incantations.

[b][color=#6b7e99]”Um...” Nayru softly began, finally breaking her silence to let a hesitant stare meet Iota’s, [color=#6b7e99]”Are you ready?” She had only ever contacted the ancestors, never asked them of any favors. What if they disliked her? What if they were opposed to assisting her? What if they laughed in her face when she asked them to save Iota from a demon? Her nerves and self doubt had all but suffocated her now, anxiety washing over her in angry, brutal waves. She swallowed hard, claws scraping against the soft wood of her desk as she attempted to ground herself.

For Iota.

For Iota.

For Iota.

For the girl that was possibly her best friend.

You can do this, Nayru. You’ve just got to believe in yourself.

[b][color=#6b7e99]”Ancestors, I am the Goddess Nayru, wisdom incarnate. I ask that you heed my words and drive the demon from my friend’s body. I shall prepare another host body for the thing to be placed into.  Phesmatos Manex, Un Domo Hax, Fero Adiuvex.” Nayru spoke slowly, softly, her eyes long since having slid shut. Around her, she could sense the auras of her ancestors as they heeded to her call, dotted with curiosity and intrigue for, why was a child, of all things, performing an exorcism? She continued to chant ancient invocations, eyes opening only briefly to drop some herbs into a bowl and crush them. There. The host body was ready.

[color=#6b7e99]”Iota, they’ve agreed,” She murmured softly, feeling the whispers of the dead all around her. They were in awe, never before having seen someone so young but so divine attempting to rid a body of a demon. She felt a surge of satisfaction but was forced to remind herself not to get distracted. The moment her mind wandered anywhere else, the connection could be broken. [color=#6b7e99]”Phesmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Uenes Phesmatos Et Sonos. Ex Tutam Exum Lamia Matus. Demon, remove yourself. It’s too late. You can longer remain linked to Iota!”

Was it working? She didn’t know. Her head was pounding though and blood flowed heavily from her nose, trailing down her pale face and staining the cream colored fur red. She had no idea what was going on and if her words meant anything. The ancestors were still here though, presumably trying to cleanse her friend. She was still painfully uncertain, even as the room spun around her and she was forced to dig her claws into the wood of her table.

A tiny groan fell from the lips of Nayru and then, everything stopped. A breeze ran through her home and immediately exstinguished the candles, causing the Sawbone to frown. Was it over? Did they do it? [color=#6b7e99]”Iota? How do you feel? Did I do anything? Iota... please, answer me.”

(i’d like to thanks the vampire diaries wiki for hitting me up with the stuff they use on the show i love a good wiki page)