itsjustashadow (itsjustashadow) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-11-29 18:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | #november 2017, liam, liam x ophelia, ophelia, zania |
Who: Liam and Ophelia, with a bit of Zania and Loomis (NPC)
Where: Main Street Shops
When: Friday, November 24th
Status: Complete
Liam really wasn’t one for shopping, but he’d learned somewhere along the way that sometimes it was a necessary evil. When it came to Christmas presents, there really was no better day to shop than the Friday after Thanksgiving. He could get the best deals, buy gifts for his parents, and still come out with a little spending cash for himself. If he put it off and waited till the week before Christmas, he’d often end up paying top dollar just to make sure he wasn’t completely empty handed.
So, there was shopping. Except shopping by himself was boring. And he wasn’t even going to try and talk the guys into shopping with him. That was a different level of lame. But asking a girl friend (not a girlfriend, just a friend who happened to be a girl) seemed acceptable. So he’d texted Ophelia and offered to get her out of the house for a bit. His mom had even let him take the car, provided he was only gone a few hours. A few hours were all he could stand, so that worked out perfectly.
As Ophelia hopped in the car, Liam smiled and turned down the radio. “Hey! Did you have a good turkey day?” he asked, waiting before she was buckled in before starting them on their way.
There were only certain kinds of shopping that Phee really liked to do, and only in certain circumstances. She never liked to clothes shop when there was someone with her, even though that was difficult with her lack of a car. She and her mother had taken to splitting up when they went clothes shopping -- there were less fights that way. But shopping for anything else -- accessories, music, stuff for her room, books -- she thoroughly enjoyed, even with company. So when Liam invited her out on Black Friday, she was happy to accept. The materialism part of it sucked, but there were so many sales! Plus, she just wanted to get out of the house for a while.
Phee was bundled up and smiling as she hurried outside once he arrived. If they were going downtown, it would be a lot of in and out at the shops, and she was ready for a fun afternoon. She wanted to find something cool for Greg. “Hey!” she greeted cheerfully back as she settled in. “Yeah, it was pretty good. How was yours? Did you get all stuffed and pass out for like five hours?”
“Uh, yes, we have so much food we’ll be eating turkey for days, plus you’d think my mom was feeding an army with the number of pies she made,” Liam laughed as he drove. “We pretty much hung out at my grandparent’s house all day. My cousins came over, we ate, and then watched football.” It had always been his mother’s family for Thanksgiving, at least as long as he could remember. Liam liked it because it was a chance to talk freely to other witches who weren’t weary of sharing what they’d learned. While that was just a tiny part of it, he always looked forward to it.
Phee had a wistful thought that it was nice for people who actually got to hang out with their cousins. She was hoping that would change with her own family soon, now that her mother was starting to learn magic herself. Maybe she would get over it all those hangups and they could be a full family again. It hadn’t happened in time for Thanksgiving this year, but who knew. “Sounds nice,” she said to Liam with a smile. “Except the football ‘cause ugh, boring. I only pop in to watch the halftime shows. So what are we shopping for? Do you have a list or anything?”
“Yeah, I barely pay attention to who’s playing,” Liam said with a shrug. He could get into it when it was his team, but he couldn’t watch just anyone play and care. “Okay, so I’m really just shopping for my parents. And if I don’t find anything special, I can always get my mom something from the fancy bath store and my dad a book, but that always feels a little like a cop-out because I always do that. So I’m kind of window shopping? I suck at this,” he laughed lightly. He knew it would be more fun with a friend, hence inviting her! “What about you?”
Phee was a pretty good shopper for other women -- she often helped Sebastian and her dad pick out presents for her mom -- so she thought she could definitely help Liam find something there. For his dad though? Phee struggled to find something for her own, every time there was a gift-giving holiday. “I can chime in on the mom present!” she told Liam cheerfully. “But I’m not so good at dad-gifts. Especially for like, our parents who can afford everything they want anyway. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for everybody, today, but like ... I really want to get Greg something cool.” She wasn’t sure if she would find it today, but Phee was determined to make her first girlfriend gift a good one.
“Dad gifts are hard even when they don’t have everything,” Liam smiled as he began looking for a parking place. It was going to be zooy today, but there was something kind of festive about it. With all the decorations up and festive music playing in almost every shop, it felt like they’d finally entered the month of Christmas. “My dad likes to fish and camp, so I could always go that route, but I always feel a little out of my league in those stores, like they know it’s not my thing.” He loved computers, technology, the newest gadgets, but didn’t understand the difference between one fishing pole and another and camping literally took him away from the things he was good at, other than hiking. “What’re you thinking for Greg? Like, what’s he into besides football?”
Even being a daddy’s girl, Ophelia didn’t really know much about his hobbies. She knew he worked all the time and he was smart and strong and all that, and that he was a witch, but she didn’t know much beyond that. James didn’t seem to ever have much leisure time, and she wasn’t sure what he did with it. Since he was teaching them magic now though, maybe she could find something magic-related to get him. It was more fun to focus on Greg, so that was what she did, letting out a little laugh at Liam’s question. “You would be surprised, he’s into some dorky stuff. Like ... I forget the name of it, but they’re these little ... mech-warrior type statues you put together and paint? He’s got this whole collection. I dunno, I kinda want to find something a little more personal though,” she mused thoughtfully. When Liam stopped the car, she undid her seatbelt and moved to climb out.
“Warhammer?” Liam asked, raising a brow, definitely surprised if that was the case. It wasn’t his thing, but he had some friends that played. It felt way more geeky than anything he imagined someone on the football team being into, and for some reason Liam pictured Greg sitting around, painting his little figures, in full football gear. Ophelia would have tons of options if she wanted to go that route, but he could understand wanting to do something more personal. “Personal, like, girlfriendy?” he asked with a smile as he climbed out of the car and locked it behind him. He imagined it was a lot easier to buy for a girlfriend than a boyfriend, though he’d never really had the chance.
Ophelia had nodded and pointed in a ‘that!’ gesture when Liam said the name Warhammer. It was such a dorky thing, but she loved that Greg was into dorky things as well as being all popular and on the football team and everything. It made him seem that much more down to earth, and she loved that he didn’t try to hide it either. Really, she loved a lot of things about him, many of which she would’ve been happy to list off to Liam, but she was doing her best not to gush. “Yeah, like girlfriendly,” she agreed once she was out of the car as well. Phee straightened her jacket and gave him a smile. “But since I’ve never been a girlfriend before ... I dunno, I’m not sure. Hopefully something will jump out at me. Or, like ... what would you want from a girlfriend? Any ideas?”
Liam was starting to wonder whether any of the popular kids were what they seemed to be, since Sebastian and Greg didn’t seem that way. It was kind of weird, but also reassuring. Like, finding out they were all human, not just Barbie and Ken replicas. “Um… Maybe… Maybe something only she’d know. Or something related to an inside joke,” he said, laughing a little. “Or… this is probably cheesy, but something we could do together. Like, if we both liked a game, or an event, like concert tickets or something like that.” He’d never had a girlfriend buy anything for him, but he imagined he’d probably be happy with anything she really put some thought into. That almost mattered more, that she was paying attention to what he liked.
Did they have any inside jokes yet? Phee pursed her lips in thought. She didn’t think so, but it was still early on. She was sure they would gather some along the way. An event was a pretty good idea, but nothing she could buy downtown today. Hm. There was nothing wrong with giving multiple gifts, right? Phee wasn’t going to buy him a wedding ring or anything, so she wouldn’t be going overboard, and who didn’t like being lavished with presents? “He would probably like, love to go to a basketball game or something,” she mused thoughtfully as they walked out of the parking lot and toward the shops. “That’s not cheesy, it’s sweet,” Phee added. She slipped her arm through Liam’s to hug it to her side for a moment. “You’re going to be the best boyfriend.”
"Someday," Liam laughed softly, giving her arm a little squeeze back. He wasn't sure why he had such trouble in that department. Maybe it was his weird range of interests or his tendency to ramble, but every time he tried to reign himself in he felt so uncomfortable that he knew it wasn't worth it. The girl had to figure out who he was eventually, right? "If it wasn't so freaking cold out, I'd suggest a picnic basket, and then you could take him on a picnic." Which sounded so stupidly romantic that he had a hard time believing anyone would actually do it. "If you decide on a basketball game, you could always get him something fun to open to go with it. Like, one of those little basketball hoops that you hang on the door. If he doesn't already have one."
Phee honestly wasn’t sure why Liam struggled either. She liked him, he was sweet and nerdy-fun, and any girl would be lucky to have him. She’d pondered dating him herself in the past, but Phee just didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him. It probably didn’t help that she’d been crushing on her brother’s best friend for a couple of years now. She just hoped he would find somebody that he enjoyed being with too, preferably before the school year was out. Phee laughed a bit and wrinkled her nose. “I think he has one? I dunno, I haven’t paid much attention to the back of the door.” She couldn’t help but sound kind of suggestively amused -- there was a lot to be distracted by in Greg’s room. Pleasantly distracted. “I’ll find something,” she said, smiling. “In the meantime, any idea where you wanna start browsing?”
"Yeah, I doubt you're playing a lot of basketball in Greg's room," Liam laughed softly. The thought popped into his head that Greg would probably enjoy her in lingerie, all tied up with a bow, but that would definitely be weird to suggest. Especially if they weren't having sex. He didn't want to presume, but he also didn't want to sound like he was pushing it either. It was none of his business. "I dunno. Maybe start in here and work our way down?" he asked, nodding towards the Castell's spice shop. "I know they have some tea my mom likes." Among other things.
She’d already considered trying to do some kind of sexy present, but Phee didn’t feel confident enough to know the best way to pull that off. Greg loved her cute nerdy panties, but she didn’t know how he felt about lace lingerie and all that. She didn’t have any of that stuff anyway, so she would have to buy something new, and no way was she doing to do that with Liam along. Plus she wanted to give him something he could keep. “Oooh, yeah,” she agreed enthusiastically to going into the spice shop. Phee had only been in there once or twice, but she knew it felt witchy inside, and that was a good place to start. Maybe she could find something neat for Bash!
It was a busy day for all the shops on Main Street, including the Castell’s spice shop. The teas were all on sale and Zania was willing to make a deal on bundles of ingredients, depending on what people wanted. She glanced towards the door as the bell above it rang, smiling at Liam and his friend entered. Was that the McCarthy girl? She seemed the right age, and had the hair like her mother and brother, but it had been a while since she’d seen her, since she didn’t often frequent Overlook. As soon as she finished with her customer, Zania gave Liam a wave and grinned. “Hey, Little Wolf, who’s your friend?”
Liam enjoyed the spice shop. It smelled like a whole different world, earthy and old, like the magic had seeped into the floorboards. Plus, he could sometimes talk Zania into sharing spells with him, little things that probably meant nothing to her, but Liam found interesting and exciting. His mother still had hold of their family grimoire, limiting the spells she’d give him access to, so it felt like a treat to learn anything extra. “Don’t call me that,” he said with a little laugh. Usually she treated him like an adult, but some things stuck, the result of visiting her shop since he was a kid. “This is Ophelia,” he said, leaving off her last name, just in case she didn’t want that much information out there. “Ophelia, this is Zania Castell.”
Phee quirked a brow when Zania greeted Liam with warmth and a personal nickname -- which was adorable, honestly, but he apparently didn’t like it, duly noted. He must’ve been in here a lot before, or their families knew each other or ... something. She felt like she’d been so cut off from the magical community in town, but maybe that could start to change. Phee walked up to the counter with Liam and smiled back at the dreadlocked woman. She was gorgeous, the kind of alternative-beautiful that Phee envied but didn’t think she could ever pull off. And she owned a place like this, which looked and felt like it came straight out of a Harry Potter book. It was awesome, but Phee tried not to look too starry-eyed. “Hello,” she greeted. “Ophelia McCarthy. Nice to meet you.” Why not declare herself?
“I thought you might be, but I think the last time I saw you you were seven or eight,” Zania smiled at Ophelia. Once she’d left for college, her time spent in Overlook had been limited, but she made it her business to at least know of all the witches in town. It would be foolish not to, especially in her line of business. Until recently, she didn’t think the McCarthy kids were practicing, but then Reagan had admitted to teaching Sebastian. It made her wonder if Ophelia was learning as well, but she couldn’t get a read on her. There was too much magic already in the shop, and she couldn’t tell the source, especially with Liam there as well. “So are you looking for tea today?” she asked them both with a raise of one brow. “Or something a little more exotic?”
“I wanted to get my mom some of that peppermint tea she likes, but if you’ve got anything interesting…?” Liam was always looking to see what the new things the Castells had in their shop, even if he wouldn’t buy them. Or couldn’t. He’d been told no on more than one occasion.
It was a little strange to think about people ‘seeing’ her when she was a kid -- that had been almost ten years ago! -- and still looking so young, but Phee knew that time kind of ran differently for legit-adults. She just smiled a little and looked over at Liam as he answered, then back to Zania, looking a bit eager herself. She didn’t know anything about teas, and she didn’t think her mom was a big tea drinker, but if there was something magical that Zania was willing to sell them, she was very interested in that.
Zania pursed her lips as if she was pretending to think, then reached beneath the counter to pull out a tray of items not offered to every visitor. They probably weren’t what Liam would consider “interesting”, but she also wasn’t going to see if a couple of kids wanted anything cursed. Instead, there were amulets and talismans, bolines and athames. There were several bells, all high in pitch, and leather bound books with blank pages, perfect for family grimoires. “My newest stash,” she told them. “All are handmade and unused, prime for consecration rituals. I also have some new chalices, if you’d like me to pull those out, and a couple new tarot decks, if that’s your thing.” Her eyes ticked over to Ophelia, her lips curved into a smile. “Do you practice?”
Phee’s eyes went a bit wide as she looked over the spread in front of them. So far in her magical career, she’d just been running on instinct more than ritual, focusing in on what came easiest -- plants -- and just trying to hone her natural power. She knew vaguely that some magic required tools and long, complicated rituals and all that, but it was all so out of her league that it seemed kind of unreal. Phee could suddenly imagine Zania doing that kind of magic though, around a fire and chanting ancient words and full of power. It kind of gave her an excited buzz under her skin. Her cheeks flushed at the question and Phee looked a little sheepish as she tucked some hair behind her red ear. “Oh, um ... I mean, sort of? Not like this, though,” she answered with a huffed laugh. “I’m kind of just starting ...” She reached out to run a reverent finger over the curve of one of the bells.
"Better late than never," Zania smiled, watching Ophelia lightly stroke the bell. "My brother didn't start till he was sixteen, and now he can do things I can't even begin to manage." Like turn their room into a fantastical garden. Zania would have been jealous if she didn't have her own set of skills to utilize. "I'm sure you'll get there eventually. If that's what you want. What's your element?" she asked, then glanced over at Liam as he picked up one of the athames. "Your mother would kill me if I sold you a blade," she reminded him. The Castells had always been on good terms with the Lyttle family and Zania wasn't going to put that at risk.
"I'm just looking," Liam said with a smile and a roll of his eyes. His mother had made it clear that anything that required an athame could be done with something else until he was older, but Liam knew the real reason was that she didn't want him doing any sort of blood magic. Which was fine. He had no plans to do it either, but it still fascinated him. He shot a little smile at Ophelia. "You should show her," he said, hoping she might since he didn't get to see her use it often.
It was oddly reassuring to hear that someone else had started learning late in their life and had excelled -- Phee hoped that she could excel too. As long as her parents stayed in agreement that she could keep learning, then she was going to try to catch up as much as possible. She’d been about to answer Zania’s question when Liam spoke up again, and then Phee gave another one of those bashful little huffs. “Okay, um ...” she murmured as she glanced around. Phee leaned to reach for a small sample teabag that was sitting on a display on the counter. She gave it a quick sniff before she put it in one palm and covered it with the other hand. She concentrated for a moment, her bottom lip caught in her teeth, and when she opened her hand again, the teabag had split with fresh green leaves, stem, and roots, still growing a bit in front of their eyes. She glanced up at Zania a bit sheepishly -- it probably wasn’t that impressive to her, but still. “Earth,” she answered verbally, even though that was probably obvious. “Mostly plants.”
Zania’s brow furrowed for a second when Ophelia picked up the teabag, but then her eyes widened when Ophelia opened her hand. The leaves in the bag had been dead, crushed, nowhere near a whole plant, not even pieces that could be put back together. But what was growing in Ophelia’s hand looked like it had sprouted from a seed, perfect and very much alive. “Shit,” she smiled, reaching out to touch the little plant. Even with all her training, she couldn’t have managed that, and she had years of working with plants. “That’s incredible. And seriously impressive if you’re new to this,” she grinned. “If you’re ever looking for a job, I would totally pay you to hang out in my greenhouse.” It wasn’t something she’d ever offered to anyone, but she hadn’t met an earth elemental skilled with plants since her grandmother passed away.
Liam watched as Phee made the little plant grow from the teabag, creating something from nothing as far as he was concerned. The best he could have done was set it on fire. He knew Phee was good, but Zania’s reaction was the most telling, especially in that she’d offered Ophelia a job of any sort. As far as he could tell, Zania didn’t hire people outside of Nic. He could only imagine what she kept in the greenhouse.
The little plant wouldn’t last, it was feeding off of her magic to give breathe life back into it, but it was fun to do anyway, and that fact that it obviously impressed Zania made Phee feel all glowy. She lit up like Christmas at the offer, her eyes widening with delight. “Really?” she asked, completely unable to control the sudden excitement in her voice. “I would like, love that. I mean, if it’s okay with my parents, I’d have to ask.” She didn’t want to get in trouble like her brother for doing magic on the sly. But Zania had to have some cool plants in her greenhouse, running a place like this. Probably magical ones too, things she could really learn from.
“Really,” Zania grinned. “I could train my whole life and not be able to do that. But definitely ask your parents.” James McCarthy wasn’t someone she wanted angry with her, even if she thought she could handle him just fine. He was a decent customer, like most of the descendants of the six were, and she wanted to keep it that way. “One second,” she said, coming around the counter to open a set of cabinets, then rifling through the little drawers inside. It took her a moment to select the one she wanted, but then she took a pinch of seeds and placed them in a small plastic bag. Returning to the counter, she offered it to Ophelia. “Pennyroyal seeds. Related to the mint family, but toxic to humans. And pets, if you have one, just FYI. But it’s used for cleansing and protection spells, and can help bring harmony, especially at home. Don’t worry, just growing it won’t activate a spell or anything, but if they say yes, I’ll show you how to use it.”
“I’m so jealous right now,” Liam told Phee with a smile. He’d never wanted to learn about plants till that moment, when they sounded all cool and powerful. He was usually more interested in the end result, in the ingredient and what he was supposed to do with it, that he’d never considered that the plants themselves had properties to start with.
Even if Phee didn’t find anything at all to buy for anyone on this shopping trip, she was now intensely glad she came. Maybe it should’ve been weird that a woman she’d never met before wanted to hire her to do anything, but Zania wasn’t just anyone. She was another witch, and that changed everything. She accepted the little bag, beaming and happily flushed. “Pennyroyal,” she repeated, almost reverently. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can. Thank you so much.” The McCarthy household could use a little harmony lately. More than a little, even. Liam’s comment made Phee laugh softly, more heat coming into her cheeks at all the positive attention. She definitely wasn’t used to it. “Whatever, you’ve had a head start,” she said to him, but she was obviously pleased.
“Anytime,” Zania grinned at Ophelia. She wasn’t in the habit of offering jobs to anyone, especially novice witches, but Ophelia had a natural talent that neither she nor Nic could come close to. She rolled her eyes at Liam, but gave him a fond smile. “You say that like I never give you anything,” she teased him, moving to another cabinet to procure the tea he’d mentioned. “Did your friend like the mask?” It wasn’t her style of costume— she liked things that showed her face, rather than hid them— but she’d been pleased with the way it came out.
It wasn’t the gift Liam was jealous of, but the possibility of maybe learning something new. Then again, he did have years of experience on Ophelia and he doubted Zania would be teaching her anything complicated. It just sounded interesting, but maybe Ophelia would share with him as she learned. “Yeah,” he smiled, enthusiasm a bit more subdued for anyone that knew him well. “It was perfect. Thanks.”
Phee was eager to learn from any source she could. She knew her magic was very different than her father’s and her brother’s, so it was nice to have yet another opportunity to learn from someone else. The bigger variety of teachers, the more she could learn. Plus nobody else she knew had a fucking magical greenhouse. That was something she really wanted to take advantage of. Phee tucked the pennyroyal away in her bag and glanced between Zania and Liam as they chatted. Her eyebrows lifted then as she looked at Zan again. “You made Jen’s mask?” she asked, sounding impressed. “It was awesome! I was at that party too. It came out super well.”
“Yeah, the one with all the teeth,” Zania smiled, always pleased to have her work complimented. “I like making weird things. It was like, some horror craft challenge. Nic was working on the bird at the time, so it seemed fitting.” She nodded towards the skeletal bird sitting on another counter, its bones wired together. She wasn’t sure she had the patience for that kind of detail and exactness, but the mask had allowed her to be creative. Getting something the slightest bit wrong wasn’t going to make a difference. “What did you go as?” she asked Ophelia.
Phee glanced at the bird and barely bit back an ‘aw’ of sympathy, because she was a bleeding heart for animals. But who knew how it had died and all that, she wasn’t going to judge. Zania’s crafting skills were more interesting to her at the moment. And re-living the Halloween party, because that had been where she and Greg first kissed, and gods, did she think about it a lot. “Nothing super specific,” she admitted with another happy-flushed smile. Phee pulled her phone out and opened up the gallery to find some pictures. “Just ... a forest nymph, earth-goddess, fairy sort of thing ... see?” She turned the screen around so Zania could see her dress, the shimmery wings, and the twisting ivy vines she’d grown over herself.
“Very fitting,” Zania grinned, leaning against the counter as she checked out the pictures on Ophelia’s phone. “I love the wings. The vines were a nice touch. I once wanted to make a dress that would burn all around me, but that would be a little too much.” There was no way to explain to people that she wouldn’t burn, not without drawing the wrong kind of attention to herself. “Tell your mother I said hello,” she said as she handed Liam his bag. Then she hesitated, a thought occurring to her that she wasn’t sure she should share or not, but she’d never been good at keeping things to herself. “And… I’m having coffee with your sister next week. You should talk to her. She knows about me and Nic now, but I don’t think she’s put it all together.”
Liam had never been attracted to Ophelia, but even he agreed that on Halloween she’d been downright hot. She’d been gorgeous in that dress and something about her magic had made her glow. He took the bag from Zania and was nodding a response when she mentioned Rylee and his actions slowed down, his smile slipping a little. He always forgot that Zania was friends with Rylee. He wasn’t even comfortable calling her his sister, even though that’s what she was. It just felt like someone with that title should be around in some capacity, and he was closer to Zania than he was to her. “There’s a hill named after us,” he said with a little scoff. If she knew witches were real, then she had to realize the Lyttles were a part of it. Liam sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
Phee hadn’t known that Zania’s element was fire, but she wasn’t at all surprised to hear it, either. The woman just looked like fire. The mental image of a burning dress reminded her of The Hunger Games, but she was willing to bet Zan could make it look even cooler than that. Definitely not for muggle consumption, though. Which just made her thoughts spiral off into how cool it would be to have like, a witch costume party or a ball or something, and not invite anyone non-magical or not in-the-know, and how fun it would be to just be surrounded by her people. She’d spaced out a tiny bit as Liam and Zania talked to each other, but re-focused at her friend’s tone. Phee didn’t know Rylee at all, just that she and Liam weren’t really close, so she didn’t have anything to add. She nibbled on her bottom lip and glanced between them.
“It’d be better coming from you than someone else. Just saying,” Zania said with a little smile. She wouldn’t mention it to Rylee personally, but at some point it was bound to come up. Rylee was getting too sucked into her world, with her cousin being bitten by a werewolf, and she’d start to notice all the little oddities that happened around town. When she realized they were done and another customer was coming in, Zania grabbed a card off the counter and scribbled her number on the back, holding it out to Ophelia. “Enjoy the rest of your day,” she smiled. “Hope to hear from you soon.”
Liam had no idea what to do about Rylee, in part feeling like it was too personal to share with a stranger, no matter what the blood relation. She’d never been much of a sister, though he realized that wasn’t entirely her fault. She had a whole different family than him and she’d never seemed close to his father. It was a spiral his mind could have easily gotten caught in if he’d been alone, but luckily there was Ophelia there to keep him company. “See you later,” he said, giving Zania a wave as they headed towards the door.
Phee took the card with a smile back at Zania. “You too, thanks!” she said, giving her a nod. She was definitely going to be asking her parents for permission as soon as possible, she was eager to get started. She turned with Liam to head for the door, waiting until they were outside again before she gave him a gentle nudge. “You okay?” she asked quietly, just a casual check-in. He just hadn’t seemed super happy about the subject of his sister, so she wanted to make sure his mood hadn’t tanked. There was more shopping to do, but if he would’ve rather done something else, she was game for that too.
“Hm?” Liam hummed, then gave Ophelia a small smile. “Yeah, I was just thinking about Rylee. Like, she’s always been a pretty strong non-believer in all this stuff. It seems kind of weird to bring it up now.” He would have expected his dad to have told her, a long time ago, like when he married a witch. But he hadn’t. He kind of understood it now, that things were probably broken enough between them that she didn’t need to know her step-mother was an actual witch, but it had helped in building a wall between his world and hers. “We’re not like you and Bastian, you know? Or even you and Trip. I probably know more about your brothers than I do my sisters.” Which was really saying something, considering he didn’t know much.
In the McCarthy household, Ophelia was definitely closer to Sebastian than Trip -- that just came with the age differences. But she still loved her oldest brother and felt like she knew him, which was more than Liam had with Rylee, as far as Phee knew. “Kinda seems like something that like, shouldn’t be put on you,” she said, echoing his thoughts without knowing it. Phee wrinkled her nose a little bit. “Sorry dude, that sucks ... but I mean, maybe you two could like, bond over it? If she’s already learning about stuff ...” She trailed off and shrugged, just trying to inject some optimism. Liam seemed like he needed it. “I can’t even imagine not knowing magic exists,” Phee added thoughtfully. “I mean, even when we weren’t allowed to do anything with it, we always knew. Must be a head trip to be grown up and suddenly find out.”
“If my dad was going to tell her, I feel like he’d have done it by now,” Liam said, though he did agree. This shouldn’t be put on him. The problem was that the adults weren’t being adults, at least in his mind. “I guess it’s different when you know it exists and when you have it, but yeah, I’ve always felt like not knowing it was even a possibility put you at risk, at least around here. Shit gets weird sometimes, you know?” There were some things that happened that felt unexplainable otherwise and Liam didn’t understand how people could buy into the stories that were told to cover it all up. Maybe people had to believe in something and that made more sense than magic. “It makes me wonder why she suddenly knows. Like, how do you even drop that bomb?”
“Shit definitely gets weird,” Phee agreed with a low chuckle. It wasn’t something she’d put a lot of thought into until recently, but she kind of suspected that her father had done a bit of magic on them, to protect them from some of the fucked up stuff that happened in Point Pleasant. He’d given them a few warnings as kids, places to avoid, but he hadn’t told them about nearly enough to really keep them safe. Phee was willing to bet that James had been watching out for them through other means too. It made her feel safer to think that way, at least. “I dunno ... maybe she saw something finally, or something happened to her she couldn’t explain away.” Phee shrugged. “Maybe she met someone who’s like, out and proud, who knows. ... If I was new to all this and scared though, I would want to know if my family like ... knew about things or could do things, you know?”
“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “I always worry about my friends that don’t know. I’d feel better if I could sneak hex bags in their pockets and put protections on their house, or something.” The best he could do was try and make sure they weren’t out doing something stupid on the full moon, or go explore the tunnels. Otherwise, it was mostly damage control and he was still learning how to deal with most of that. “I don’t know how much help I’d be to her, especially if she’s friends with the Castells, but… It’d be nice for her to know she could come to us, you know? Or, that’s what I’d want if I was her.” He’d hate it if he was stuck on the outside with no one around to prod for answers, but that was just him. The world of magic and all that people didn’t really see or believe fascinated him.
Phee nodded along, agreeing with all of that. She almost encouraged Liam again to talk to Rylee, but it really wasn’t her place, she guessed. He would figure it out on his own; families were always complicated. Gods knew that she couldn’t really take any advice about her own family. Nor did she want to really think about any of that, so she glanced around them for another shop that looked interesting. One in particular caught her eye, and Phee nudged Liam’s arm with her elbow. “Hey,” she said, nodding ahead of them. “That weird new place actually looks open for once. Wanna go check it out?” She’d noticed the store before, in the way that you noticed changes in your environment, but she’d never been inside because it always seemed to be closed.
Liam turned to look at the shop, his brows raised in surprise. He’d never even noticed it there before, which seemed weird considering how often he came down there, at least to the spice shop, but then if it was closed maybe he hadn’t been paying attention. “Sure,” he said, random items in the window already peaking his curiosity. Normally he wouldn’t be into an antique shop, but this place looked like it had some cool things inside. Liam pushed open the door, holding it for Ophelia as he looked around. “Wow,” he muttered softly.
Phee kind of liked antiques in a vague way. She didn’t know much about them and didn’t really seek them out, but she really enjoyed looking at the old designs and touching the old wood and everything else that came with browsing. Walking into Loomis Gifts and Antiques felt oddly different than any other antiques place she’d ever been in. “Ooh, cool,” she whispered as she stepped inside behind Liam. There didn’t seem to be anybody else in the shop, which was a little strange considering the day, but Phee didn’t think much of it. She started to wander off to the right, drawn immediately to an old fashioned bookcase and everything on its shelves.
Liam was normally one to chatter his way through a store like this, to pick up everything he saw that interested him get Ophelia’s opinion on it. However, this time he was oddly quiet as he walked through the store, eyes drawn from one object to another, pulled in yet not quite interested enough to touch. There seemed to be a little bit of everything: furniture and china, toys and clothes, knickknacks and random objects that Liam couldn’t even identify on sight. Everything seemed unique in its own right, but it was a mask hanging on the far wall that called out to him and as soon as he touched it he knew he had to have it. It was carved black leather, the craftsmanship far better than anything he expected when he first picked it up. Details had been painted on in gold, including a sun that sat fixed in the center of the wolf’s forehead. Liam ran his fingers over the design, his heart speeding up for reasons he couldn’t explain. He’d been looking for something for his parents, but this would be his, a Christmas gift to himself.
The quiet seemed to come naturally to Ophelia as well. She browsed with her own curiosity, running her fingertips over various objects -- vases, an old typewriter, an antique dresser with an array of old jewelry on it. It was all interesting, but nothing really jumped out at her until she reached another bookcase. She pulled one off of the shelf and let it fall open in her hands, only to find all the pages were blank. Huh. The next one Phee pulled down was also blank. She ran her fingers over the soft, aged spines until one of them caught her attention. She wasn’t sure what it was, but the leatherbound book she pulled free just seemed right. It was also blank, since this was obviously a bookcase full of journals. It would make a perfect grimoire. Phee had been making notes about her magic experiments in a cheap plastic-y notebook, but now that she was really learning ... Smiling and hugging it to her chest, Phee set off to find Liam. She spotted him holding something neat and hurried over. “Oooh,” she murmured once she was close enough. “That’s cool, is it like, a mask?”
Looking into the eyes of the wolf, Liam seemed to become entranced. He didn’t hear or see Ophelia coming until she was there, talking to him, and he jumped a little in surprise. “Hey. Yeah, it’s a wolf mask,” he said, holding it up to his face for the first time to look at her through the eye holes. He was so tempted to tie it on and wear it out, but he knew how silly that would be. It was Christmas, not Halloween. Still, it was hard to even lower it from his face. “I think I I’m gonna get it. It’s cool, you know?” He wasn’t sure what he would do with it, probably just put it on his dresser, but he wasn’t getting it to be practical. “What’d you find?” he asked, nodding towards the book in her arms.
Oblivious to the level of Liam’s enchantment, Phee smiled when he held the mask up to his face. It did look pretty damn cool. “I like it,” she told him with an approving nod. “Too bad you didn’t find it before Halloween, right?” When he asked about the book in her hands, she moved it to show him and stroked her fingers down the front cover. Phee felt a little electric charge run down her spine. This was hers and it was meant to be, it felt like. Probably a silly thing to think about a random book she hadn’t even been looking for, but whatever. “A journal, sorta,” she said, opening it so Liam could see the blank pages. Phee leaned in a bit and lowered her voice. “I’m gonna make it my grimoire.”
“Yeah, but I can always wear it next year,” Liam smiled. He hadn’t even been thinking about Halloween, but it was as good as an excuse as any. He just knew that he wanted it, too much to even put it on his Christmas list and risk someone else buying it or his mother not getting it for him. Price would be the only issue, but he didn’t see a price listed anywhere on the mask. Liam looked the book over with her, smiling widely at her idea. “It looks kind of perfect for that,” he said. “It always seems wrong to write spells down on notebooks paper.” He couldn’t say why. It just felt like the kind of thing that needed to be written in an old, leather bound book.
“I have this like, totally lame spiral notebook right now, so this is way better,” Phee agreed, stroking one of her hands over the cover of the book and smiling faintly. Maybe she would still makes notes on crappy paper as she learned spells and developed her skills, but when she officially wrote things down, she wanted it to be somewhere special. It made her excited to get started, and she grinned at Liam. “All done?” she asked, turning and glancing around for the counter and whoever was running this shop.
Sensing that he had customers ready to pay, Loomis seemed to appear out of nowhere and approached the counter. He watched the two young people with their purchases behind his glasses, his dark eyes ticking back and forth between them. "A bit of Christmas shopping for your loved ones?" he asked, well aware that the items in both of their hands was intended solely for themselves. Rarely did anyone come into his shop to buy for another. Perhaps that was their intention, but they would never walk out with a purchase for someone else. At least not solely for someone else.
Liam was about to answer yes when the shopkeeper appeared, startling him. He stared at the man for a minute, reluctant for the first time since entering the shop. He wasn’t sure why, he was just an old man, and had to guess it was because he’d been caught off guard. “Found something for ourselves this time,” he said as he set the mask on the counter and pulled out his wallet for the cash, not even thinking about how he’d normally let Ophelia go first. The store hadn’t bothered him before, but now he was ready to pay and get out of there.
Phee didn’t feel too concerned, herself. The suddenly-appearing shop owner was just an old man, and all of those were creepy to an extent, to her. “Yeah, just for us,” she confirmed with a little laugh, stepping up behind Liam. She had her own wallet in her coat pocket, and Phee pulled it out, peering over her friend’s shoulder to see how much his mask was going to be. She was just curious.
Loomis studied Liam for a moment before lifting the mask to place inside one of the brown paper bags. "I just sold its twin not too long ago," he said. "It shouldn't be too hard to find one another." He set the bag down on the counter and peered at Liam from over the top of his glasses. "Fourteen seventy seven, if you please." He might have taken the full fifty that he knew the young boy had in his wallet, but the holidays was a time of generosity, and this one wasn't as well off as some of the teenagers who had roamed his store in the past few days.
“Its twin?” Liam asked, curious despite the weird vibes he got from the shopkeeper. He wasn’t sure what he was talking about, finding the other, since that seemed like it would be hard unless it was Halloween. And even then, what were the chances of running into whomever bought the other mask? Liam didn’t let it bother him. “Seriously?” he asked, brightening substantially as he opened his wallet. He’d been worried that the mask might take up his entire savings, fifty dollars that was meant to be spent on gifts. If it had been much more, he might’ve had to rethink it. “Thanks,” he said with a small smile. The guy might be creepy, but that was a steal.
Phee was by no means an expert about masks, but that seemed really cheap for the craftsmanship that seemed to have gone into it. It was definitely handmade. She just raised her eyebrows and looked mildly impressed as Liam paid. It seemed a little odd to suggest that the two new mask owners would find each other, but she didn’t question it out loud as she stepped up to the counter. She gave the owner a small smile and set the blank book down to pull her wallet out.
Loomis didn't respond to Liam's question about the mask's twin, instead turning his attention to the red headed girl. She was smart and better off financially than the boy. He took the book and slipped it into a smaller bag before punching in the cost into his ancient looking register. "Seven dollars and thirteen cents," he stated. He was sure she would enjoy jotting down her innermost thoughts into the journal... among other things. "No exchanges or refunds," he added with a slow smile. "Though I am sure you will both be satisfied with your purchases."
Phee’s brows raised at the price Loomis gave her, because that was cheap too. It was a nice book. But it was Black Friday, so maybe he was just having a super sale or whatever. Without any signs in the windows it was hard for people to know that, but hey, a bargain was a bargain! She smiled as she pulled out a ten dollar bill to hand over. “I’m sure too, this is really awesome,” she said, reaching out to pull the book in a bag closer to herself. Phee wanted to be touching the leather spine again already. She didn’t foresee trying to return it for any reason at all. “Thank you!” Phee chirped as she got her change back and stuffed it into her wallet.
With prices that low, Liam almost wondered how the shop managed to stay in business. He’d always thought that antiques would be expensive, but felt like both of them were coming away with a really good deal. He wasn’t in the mood to question it though, since it was working in their benefit. “Thanks again!” Liam smiled at the shopkeeper, ready to be out of there now that they’d completed their purchases. A part of him wanted to rush home just to put the mask on again, but he knew they still had other shopping to do and that wasn’t really sensible. Ophelia would think he was weird.
With the business done, Phee was happy to head out of the store with her purchase tucked under her arm. Everything seemed a little brighter and happier outside for some reason. She knew it was selfish, since she was supposed to be shopping for other people, but part of her wanted to go straight home and start writing in her book. She’d ridden with Liam though, and she didn’t really want to say that, since they’d come down there for the same reason. Instead she turned to him with a smile. “Where to next?” she asked lightly, then laughed a little. “Since we went ahead and got ourselves presents.”
He couldn’t really explain it, but it felt like he could breathe a little easier once he was out of the shop. It was probably just that rush that game with a blast of cold air and he took a deep breath as he smiled back at Ophelia. “Um… let’s just head down that way,” he said with a nod of his head. “Maybe something will jump out at us again. Just, you know, this time for them.” He was having trouble thinking of what to get them at this point, but it would never hurt to look. Maybe they’d get lucky again. Even if they didn’t, it was fun hanging out with a friend.