New Salem

Who: Nora, Callum and Finn
What: Finn thinks he's being stalked
Where: In town
When: Afternoon
Rating: PG

Most days were quiet days, but that came with working at the library. Nora liked quiet because it gave her a chance to watch people without them knowing. They were always so absorbed in their books, their work, she could stare at them for hours and they’d never know.

But noise was good, too. Being outside in the streets, hearing people talking, laughing, sharing secrets and telling stories. It was all so amazing. One of her many favorite times of day was when her shift at the library was over and she could walk downtown and see people, take their pictures (usually without their knowledge) and experience life. Mostly she saw the same people doing the same things, which was wonderful, but sometimes she saw new people, or rare people. Today she had a Rare Person sighting. Across the street was a young boy looking sulky and self absorbed and not very happy with the day. Sure it was cloudy and kinda humid, but that was no reason to be miserable. Pulling out her phone, Nora snapped a few pictures of the guy, zooming in on his face for a few shots to really capture the emotion. Happiness was normal to photograph; malcontent was new and interesting.

( Look, eat your Mr Whippy or whatever it’s called, you’re meant to be enjoying yourself. )

It was going to be another late night for Lyle, of that he was pretty sure. Balancing the budget had become more complicated than a three man juggling act. There were projects that had gone just slightly over budget, and by "just slightly", it meant "completely and hopelessly". Which meant crunching a few numbers, freeing up funds, finding creative ways not to overspend. It was only July and the town had gone through nearly 80% of the yearly budget. Even in a town full of magic, bureaucracy was still bureaucracy.

Everyone else had already gone home (or so Lyle assumed). It was nice when the office was quiet, not bustling with people or noise. It gave him plenty of peace to concentrate. It also gave him the freedom to take off his tie and slip out of his shoes.