Roxanne "Roxy" Morton (no_heights) wrote in onewaythreads, @ 2017-11-14 10:39:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, quentin coldwater, roxy |
Who: Quentin & Roxy
What: Books on the Beach
When: Backdated to last month
Where: The Beach
Rating: Low
Status: Complete!
Since talking to Quentin on the network, Roxy hadn’t realized how much she had missed the beach. The weather had finally taken a turn for the better and she found herself there quite often now; whether she was relaxing like Quentin had been with a book or going for a run, she found herself there more often than not. When she and Quentin had made some time to get together, it only made sense to go there as well.
It was a bit windy as Roxy got out of her car and she pulled her hair back, squinting against the sun. She had a couple of books in her backseat, not sure if Quentin really wanted to start a literal book club today or not. She didn’t see anyone else on the beach and hopped to sit on the hood of her car, waiting for Quentin to arrive.
Sometimes it was cold on the beach. Quentin had picked up the habit of wearing layers whenever he went out there, just in case. The scarves came in handy as makeshift pillows, too, though sometimes he’d conjure up something using his nimble fingers. Magic wasn’t as easy to come by in Preya as in Fillory or on his home Earth. It felt like the stars were out of alignment here, and he had to learn new constellations.
He was already on the beach today, two books already in his coat pocket. He’d gone for a quick walk because he thought he had time before the woman he’d spoken with on the network was set to arrive. Unfortunately, he lost track of time, and ended up a couple of minutes late himself. When he saw a woman sitting on the hood of her car, he headed in that direction with an apologetic smile. “You must be Roxy.”
She glanced over at being addressed and nodded her head. “Yeah, Quentin?” She hopped off the car and gave him a small grin. “Nice to meet you in public. And brilliant idea to come here.” She held out her hand for him to shake. “I brought a few books if you were interested...we hadn’t really talked about what kind of books you liked to read, but I brought a few different types.” Fiction was definitely her favorite and she hoped he didn’t opt for a non-fiction.
Quentin was more than willing to shake the hand of the girl he’d spoken with on the net. His was a gentle handshake. His hands were wiry and strong, long, nimble fingers. He wore an unassuming smile. “I have a couple of books, too,” he said. “I figure we can … take our pick?” Then he motioned toward the beach. “You want to see where I normally sit?”
Roxy was already opening her backseat, grabbing the three books that lay there before glancing back over at him and nodding. “Sure, that sounds good.” She shut the door and made her way with him, stopping at the sand to take her shoes off to walk barefoot.
“Sorry, didn’t want any sand in my shoes.” She gave him a small grin before following him along the beach. “I’m so happy I saw your post,” she said. “I don’t know why, but I completely forgot about the beach this year!”
Quentin had to stop a few paces ahead of her when he realized she was stopped and taking off her shoes. He turned around to face her, curiously, then nodded. “It’s all right. I’ve got a charm to protect against sand in my shoes.” It was something he’d fiddled around with with Eliot way back in the day. He walked on top of the sand instead of having his feet bury down in it.
“It’s quite beautiful,” he said, turning his eyes from the lovely woman beside him out to the sea. “Peaceful. Which is the best way to enjoy a good book.”
“You’ve charmed your shoes?” Roxy couldn’t help but look down at them, a look of surprise flashing across her face as she saw that his feet weren’t buried like hers, but walking on top of the small grains. “Wizard?” She looked back up at him, eyebrow raised. It seemed Roxy was meeting all sorts recently, but the wonder and awe was still there.
“Even during the summer? I can imagine this is the main place for people to go to.” She looked at him, before glancing out at the horizon as he did. But he was right, this was peaceful. The smell on the air, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore…
“Do you have a place you like to go? To read.” Roxy got the sense he was a very inward individual, wanting his space when coming to a local spot like this.
“Mmm hmm.” Quentin nodded, noticing her glance down at his feet. They didn’t look any different from a normal set of shoes. The difference was the invisible, magic snowshoe that spread around them as he walked on the sand, keeping him on top instead of letting him sink down into the soft grains. “I could put a charm on yours, too.” He offered.
“It’s fairly out of the way. Enough that more people don’t come here. I think most of Preya’s residents go to Brightford when they’re looking for a beach, not down here.” He shifted the book down a little lower in his hand, and shrugged. “I’ve been all up and down this beach. One of the best spots is down there, by the rocks.” It was a good click down the way, some rocks up a little, like a cliff looking over the waves.
Roxy couldn’t help but give an impressed face and nodded her head. “Perhaps on the walk back I will put my shoes back on to give it a go.” She wondered how it would feel and more importantly, wanted to see the work Quentin would do to make it possible. She hadn’t met any other witch or wizard, but had heard of their occupancy in Preya. Of course the list of supernatural beings was growing by the day and Roxy wanted to try and have some sort of knowledge of all of them. A hefty task, but she felt she was up to it.
“I suppose you’re right on that. The beaches in Brightford are beautiful. But this seems like a better place to get away and read.” She followed his lead, allowing him to show her where the place would be. “What books have you brought with you?”
“Sure. Just let me know.” Quentin was a magician, sure. And a King, too. But he was a down-to-earth kind of guy, all truth be told. The rules were different here than in his first world. The world of New York and Brakebills, where things had to be kept secret. And different from Fillory, too. Magic wasn’t entirely a secret here, but it wasn’t entirely known, either.
“There are certainly less people on these beaches. Reading here is less likely to be interrupted by… well, anything.” Quentin held a hand out to her to help her climb up the rocks at the far side of the beach, up to the cliff that overlooked the sea. “Do you like poetry?”
“I do enjoy it, although I can’t say I’m quite familiar with it. You post a few on the network, don’t you?” She gratefully took his hand, climbing up after him. She’d have to come to this beach and work out sometime; Quentin was right, it was nice to have it not as populated as the Brightford beach. When she came to stand next to him, she grinned, the wind whipping about them.
“You seem to be well versed in all forms of literature.”
Well that part was very true. Quentin had always been a big reader. And part of the trouble with magic in the world he’d come from was that technology didn’t work where magic was abundant. He spent a lot of time reading because of that. No video games, no television, no social media… meant that he spent more hours with his nose in a book than ninety percent of people his age.
“I do. I like to share.” Quentin said, breaking into something of a smirk. “I spend a lot of time reading. Here.” He motioned to the spot next to him as he sat down on the edge of the cliff. “We can read.”
“I like seeing them pop up. It’s a nice break from all the other hum drum on there, you know?” She took a seat next to him, staring out at the ocean. It was a soothing environment; the breeze was light and the sound of the waves crashing on the sand was perfect. “Do you explore other areas to find reading spots?” she asked, putting her stack of books inbetween them. “Or is this your favorite one?”
Quentin took the books from his pockets and set them down on the rocks between them. He took a long moment to stare out over the ocean. “This is one of my favorites, yes, but I spend a lot of time reading.” Over his years, Quentin had lived in different places, different speeds, different walks of life. He was finding that Preya was a lot slower than he was used to, a lot calmer. He could spend most of his time reading and not have to worry about the things that made him crazy in New York or in Fillory.
“Favorite place to read then?” Roxy smiled, wondering if he even knew where he was when he got absorbed in a book. She enjoyed reading a good book. She found they made for a great escape, but she had a feeling Quentin was on a whole other level than herself. Well, maybe he would be able to help introduce to some of the books that really let his imagination run wild; she could do with a good escape every now and then.