itsjustashadow (itsjustashadow) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-06-13 18:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | #december 2017, #group scene, brynn, liam, zania |
Who: Liam, Brynn, and Zania
Where: The Castell’s Spice Shop
When: Monday, December 18th
Status: Complete
They’d gone longer than they’d intended before visiting the spice shop and in that time Liam hadn’t found anything else strange with the mask. He’d put it on a few times, unable to help himself, but without Brynn wearing hers it seemed to be just a mask. Just leather and paint fastened into the shape of a wolf. It seemed like such a weird spell to setup that he couldn’t find any rhyme or reason for it, which was why he was eager to talk to Zania about it, hoping she might have some ideas. But when the time came, he found himself almost jittery. What if they were dangerous? What if she took the masks away from them? That bothered him more than anything else. It was hard enough to leave his mask in Brynn’s car, something he couldn’t quite explain, but handing it over to Zania was actually making him nervous.
Which was probably why he’d been overly chatty all day. Liam had a tendency to ramble on a normal day, but it got so much worse when his nerves flared up. Even though he knew it, he felt helpless to stop it. As he waited for Brynn after school, he told himself he would keep the conversation normal, maybe even try to pace himself so he didn’t come off as a total weirdo. Though it was probably a little late for that. He’d pretty much already told her as much. When he spotted her heading his direction, he smiled and gave her a little wave, cautious of who might see them. He knew she didn’t want to be asked questions she didn’t have an answer to and being seen with him probably wasn’t high on her to-do list.
Brynn wasn't trying to hide being seen with Liam because of who he was, but because she knew her friends would start asking questions about what they were doing together. She hadn't even told her cousin, because she could only imagine what Victoria would think about it. Not to mention Brynn sort of worried Vic may want to try the mask on herself, and Brynn felt oddly possessive of it. Right now, this was hers. Well, hers and Liam's, since they were connected somehow. She didn't wait around after the last bell rang, but grabbed her things quickly and headed outside to wait for Liam. She was relieved to see he was already there and she returned his smile, trying not to appear as though she was in too much of a hurry.
"Hey," she said, pulling her keys out of her purse to walk with him to her car. "Ready to get out of here?"
"Oh my god, yes," Liam said, tucking his hands back in the pockets of his coat. "I swear, I thought Ms. Anderson was never going to stop talking. Like, I'm so done with The Scarlet Letter. It's such a downer and I'm ready to move on to something else, but we're still talking about themes of guilt and damnation and ugh. Just glad to be out of there. And, is it weird that I worried about this all day? Like, your car should be fine, but I kept thinking someone might break in and steal it." He knew that wasn't likely, people didn't do things like that for a mask, but he couldn't shake the thought from his mind. He'd feel better once it was in his hands or back home in his room.
"I don't think that's weird," Brynn told him, feeling a little bit of relief that he had apparently been experiencing the same kind of paranoia that had plagued her off and on today. "I mean, they're not out on the seat for anyone to see, but yeah, it was still a strange feeling, like I wanted to come out and check on them, which is silly." She rolled her eyes at herself. "I don't even know who would want them, since... I mean, they don't do anything on their own, you know? At least not that we know of." Brynn sighed and unlocked her doors, pulling open the back door to set her bag inside. "I totally agree with you though. The Scarlet Letter puts me to sleep! Which is weird, since it's about like, adultery and stuff and you would think a story like that would be exciting on some level, but it's just dull."
If the masks did something on their own, Liam had yet to see it happen. Maybe they needed a trigger? But how would they even figure that out? He was hoping Zania might have some ideas. "I tried watching Easy A because I heard that it was based on it, but I'm pretty sure I'll fail if that's all I do," Liam said, curling up his nose as he made a face. "Good movie, though. Funny. Unlike The Scarlet Letter." He climbed into the passenger seat, dropping his backpack between his feet, then buckled up before looking over at Brynn. "You know where we're going?" He couldn't remember if she said she'd ever been to the spice shop before, but it was easy enough to find. If not, he could get her there. If it wasn't so freaking cold, they might've even walked.
Brynn couldn't help but laugh. "I like Easy A! There are worse things to watch." She started her car and immediately turned up the heat a bit. Her coat was warm, but her face was pink from just the few minutes they had been outside. "Yeah, I've seen the spice shop before. I've just never been inside." It always looked so dark and creepy from the outside, but that was probably because Brynn was used to bright, frilly places like Veronica's. Brynn had to wait in a bit of after school traffic to get out of the parking lot, but once they were driving, she relaxed a little. "Do you have any winter break plans?" she asked, glancing at him. Since it was sort of small talk, but also she was curious, so it didn't seem too intrusive to ask. She still didn't know a lot about Liam.
Liam had been in the Castell's spice shop more times than he could count. He'd been there as a toddler, there with his mom, when Mrs. Castell was still the one behind the counter. It probably was a bit creepy, it was definitely eclectic, but it felt like a Point Pleasant staple to him and he didn't even drink tea. "Nothing big. It's just me and my mom and dad, so we'll probably go to my grandparent's house for Christmas. My grandma lives here, so sometimes my cousins come too. We might, like, build a bonfire or something and roast marshmallows. Depends on how cold it is. And how big a fire we're allowed to build." Liam would take any opportunity to build a fire that he could get. "What about you?"
A bonfire in the middle of winter sounded pretty cool, although Brynn knew she would probably be too cold. She had never been a big fan of winter beyond getting to wear her cute sweaters and boots. "That sounds like fun," Brynn said, keeping her eyes on the road despite the weird urges to keep looking at Liam. The last thing she needed was to get into an accident. Her dad would take her keys for a month. "I guess we'll probably just do what we do every year and have a family dinner. Vic and her dad usually come over, and my grandparents, if they feel like driving into town." Brynn shrugged and then smiled. "That sounds really boring, I know. The only fire we have is in the fireplace, and I'm not allowed to roast marshmallows in that."
Liam barely resisted the urge to invite her over, just so she could roast marshmallows. Unfortunately, there would be magic used at the house for sure, plus he'd feel all kinds of stupid if she wasn't interested. Liam knew he was bad about jumping to conclusions with girls and he didn't want to run Brynn off. They still had this mask thing to figure out. "It doesn't sound boring," he smiled over at her. "I mean, it's pretty much the same that I'm doing, just without a bonfire. Though I don't see why you can't roast marshmallows in the fireplace. Fire is fire, just if you do it inside, then you don't have to freeze your ass off in the process." He thought being outside was part of the fun, but understood that it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. "Is it just you and your parents?"
"Our fireplace is gas," she explained. "It has the switch, you know? So it has a glass paneling in front of the fire part. But a bonfire sounds really cool. I had fun at the one Jules and Bash threw at the beach." She couldn't remember if Liam had been there, but Brynn hadn't really been looking either. Honestly, she had never really noticed him much at all except for the class they had together. Now they were owners of weird, twin masks or whatever they were, and she was finding he was pretty cool to talk to. Definitely different from the people she hung out with regularly. Brynn slowed down at a stop sign, waiting her turn as she nodded at his question. "I'm an only child. My parents had trouble having me, and then they just... I don't know. Couldn't have anymore. It's not so bad," she added, just in case it sounded like she was complaining about being an only child. "I grew up with Victoria, so she was kind of like my sister instead of my cousin. "Do you ever wish you'd had a sister or brother?"
“I’ve got two half-sisters, but they don’t really count. I mean, they’re older and we’ve never lived together or anything. Or hung out. Or done holidays. I used to ask my dad about ‘em, but…” Liam shrugged. “I kinda think he might’ve screwed up there, but I dunno. I know there’re some perks to being an only child, but it would’ve been cool to have a real brother or sister.” It wasn’t something he’d talked to his parents about, but knowing that his father already had two other kids kind of made sense, even if he wasn’t close to them. There had probably been child support, at least for a while, and maybe college obligations? Liam had no idea and he didn’t really pry when it came to his half-sisters. Maybe he should have. Maybe he’d have gotten to know them better. “I’m not, like, sibling close to my cousins, but we seem ‘em pretty often. A few live here, and those that don’t are within driving distance. On my mom’s side, at least.”
Brynn was curious as to how half-sisters didn't count, but then Liam continued to explain and she sort of understood. They were related by blood, but not much else. Brynn wondered what that was like in such a small time. Surely they ran into each other from time to time. Did they pretend like they didn't know each other? Make small pleasantries? She nearly asked but Brynn realized it was really none of her business and she didn't want to make Liam uncomfortable. "I sometimes wish I had a brother or sister, but then sometimes I'm pretty okay with being the only child. The house gets pretty quiet though, when my mom and dad are gone. It can be creepy." She smiled and turned down the road that would lead to the spice shop. "Our house is like, right on the water, and there are these huge windows that overlook the ocean. It's cool most days but can get really creepy at night, especially if there's fog." Now she was complaining about her super nice house in Overlook and Brynn paused, not wanting Liam to think she was spoiled or whatever.
“Good creepy or bad creepy?” Liam asked with a little smile. “I like some creepy. Like when the power goes out during a storm, and you’ve got some good lightning going on. Like in a horror movie. But without the actual horror. I bet you get a great light show from those windows.” It was weird to realize he knew what windows she was referring to; he’d seen them through her eyes, while wearing the mask. It gave him an idea. “You should show me sometime,” he smiled. “Next time there’s fog. Through the mask, I mean. If you want.” He remembered afterwards that that meant she’d see his room at the same time, but it wasn’t usually creepy. Just messy. It was something he’d need to work on if she was going to be seeing it, even from afar.
Brynn laughed. "I would say bad creepy if I'm home alone! That's totally a horror movie. Teenage girl all alone in a big house with a storm and fog rolling in. No thank you." She wasn't always afraid when she was home alone, but things could get weird in Point Pleasant and she didn't want to end up on a Missing poster someday. Maybe she was paranoid. Brynn glanced at Liam before she pulled into the lot to park. "If there's fog I'll definitely show you. I'll probably have to text you to put on your mask though." Or she could FaceTime him so they could actually talk. Maybe. Cutting the engine, Brynn looked at the spice shop and took a breath. She was feeling a little nervous now. "She's expecting us, right?"
There were probably easier ways to see the fog out Brynn's window, but Liam kind of wanted an excuse to put on the mask again. Even with his upbringing, it was just so surreal to experience something like that, to see exactly what Brynn was seeing. It was exciting, even when it didn't serve a purpose. "Um, not really? But she knows me and she owns the shop. I've never been here that she wasn't here. Except when I was younger, but that's different. I mean, I think her brother must work mornings or something." If Zania wasn't there, they could always come back another time. Liam wasn't super comfortable dealing with Nic. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he'd heard he had a temper and Liam would rather not chance it. "It'll be fine," he assured her, as well as himself, and pushed the door open to lead the way in.
Brynn could only trust Liam, which was a bit hard to do just because she didn't know him that well. But he had been nice so far, and she didn't get any creeper vibes from him, so all she could do was go with him and hope that Zania Castell could give them some answers, even if they were super boring ones. She walked into the shop behind Liam, already liking how the place smelled. It was a spice shop though, so of course it smelled good. Brynn knew she ought to stay close to Liam but she couldn't help but start to wander, looking over the shelves and everything on them. "What do you buy here?" she asked, turning to back to Liam. "Tea?"
"Um, yeah," Liam smiled, the question throwing him off, even though it made sense. "And stuff." He wasn't much of a tea drinker and he didn't know what the other spices were for, but he couldn't exactly tell Brynn that the place supplied him with ingredients for spells. That would take explaining that he was a witch and he was still hoping he could get through this without dropping that bomb.
Zania looked up from her grimoire when the bell on the door rang, then slid it into a space beneath the counter. "Liam!" she grinned when the teen came into view, her eyes immediately ticking over to the girl, an unfamiliar face. "What can I do for you today?"
Brynn shot him an amused, but curious look. And stuff? She nearly asked what stuff but Zania was greeting them and Brynn's attention was drawn to the older woman. She was really pretty, but Brynn already knew that. The Castells lived in Overlook, or at least Zania's parents did. Brynn didn't know much about the family, but she had seen them all out and about at some point. Brynn glanced at Liam, but she didn't want to come across as meek or anything. "I'm Brynn," she said, giving Zania a small, slightly uncertain smile. "Um... Liam and I... we've these masks? We're not sure..." Brynn sighed and looked at Liam. "It sounds maybe crazy, but we think they're magic or something."
Liam nodded along with Brynn, even if he knew it was some kind of magic. He just didn't know what or why and the unknown could be just as dangerous as it was exciting. He moved closer to the counter, both hands clutching the wolf mask, but he didn't offer it to Zania. It was like he couldn't quite make his hands complete the task. "I thought you might be able to tell us something about them," he said. "We bought them separately, but when we both wear them, it's like we can see through the other's eyes."
Zania raised a brow, both at the mask and the teenagers. "Where'd you get them?" she asked, holding out a hand, expecting one of them to offer her a mask to look at. "It doesn't sound crazy. There's all kinds of weird things out there. But a lot of 'em come with nasty side effects." It all depended on who created them and why, or if there was a spirit attached to them or even a curse. "I'm Zania, by the way," she smiled over at Brynn. She hadn't forgotten the girl's introduction, but she'd been distracted by the shiney magical object she wanted to inspect. "Nice to meet you."
Brynn would have preferred Liam hand over his mask, but he seemed as reluctant as she was. Like Zania would take it and not return it at all. Her pulse quickened and Brynn's fingers tightened on her mask before she forced herself to offer it to Zania to look at. Brynn didn't like to fight, but she would if she had to in order to get it back. She smiled tentatively at Zania and placed her hands on the counter top, ready to snatch her mask back if it seemed like Zania intended on keeping it. "I don't think we've had any side effects of it. We can see through each other's eyes? But we can't hear each other. It's like white noise, almost. I've put it on without Liam wearing his and it seems normal. I don't know if there's like a trigger for it?" She suddenly wondered if maybe she and Liam had to wear the masks together in proximity to each other. If the masks were twins in some way, maybe they wanted to be close together? Maybe that was why Brynn kept finding herself wanting to be near Liam. It was such a bizarre, sudden thought that she blinked and then flushed a bit, aware that neither Liam nor Zania were telepathic, but she still felt a bit exposed. "We bought them at the antique store in town. Loomis's Antiques? Something like that. They were pretty cheap."
"Side effects will sneak up on you," Zania muttered, turning the mask over in her hands. It looked simple enough, but so did the sunglasses she had that allowed the wearer to see ghosts. Appearances could be deceiving. "Can I see?" she asked and held the deer mask up to her face. They were right about one thing--it seemed completely normal when the other person wasn't wearing it. She waited a moment, expecting Liam to put his own, curious to see how they operated.
Liam found himself holding his breath when Brynn handed her mask over, nervous for reasons he couldn't explain. The deer mask was hers just as much as the wolf mask was his and if Zania made any mover to harm it he would stop her. He wasn't sure how, but his gut told him he had to. When Zania held the deer mask up to her face, he felt the hair on the back of his neck raise and he almost told her to stop. That wouldn't get them anywhere though, so he reluctantly put his mask on... only to find that nothing happened. "Um... It was working," he said, suddenly unsure. "I swear it worked." He looked at Brynn, needing her to confirm. "We weren't imagining things."
"We weren't," Brynn agreed, wondering why it wasn't working for Zania. Hopefully she wouldn't think she and Liam were crazy or fucking with her. Brynn had to resist the urge to reach out and take it back without asking. Her fingers curled in on themselves, her painted nails pressing into skin sharply before she exhaled and relaxed. "Maybe... I mean, can I try it?" she asked Zania, holding her hand out for the mask again. It was possible that since the mask belonged to her it would only work for her. But Brynn didn't know for sure. Maybe whatever had happened that day would never happen again and they were just plain old masks now. The thought really bummed her out for reasons she couldn't quite articulate.
"Sure," Zania said, offering the mask back to Brynn. Even if it wasn't working now, she was inclined to believe them. People didn't usually make something like that up, not unless they wanted other people to think they were crazy, and Liam wouldn't have brought her into it knowing she would debunk them. It was possible that it would only work for the two of them, but that was mildly concerning in itself. It would mean they'd bonded to the masks somehow and she couldn't find a reason for that that was good. “Does it work now?”
Liam felt himself relax when the mask was back in Brynn's hands. Like that was right. It was odd because he knew Zania wouldn't hurt it, and it wasn't even his, so he wasn't sure why he was so possessive on her behalf. He put the mask back up to his face and waited for Brynn to do the same. Even if they couldn't prove it to Zania, he hoped it worked this time. The thought that it was a one time thing was too disappointing a thought to seriously entertain.
Brynn brought the mask up to her face and peered through. And just like that she was looking at herself, because Liam was looking at her. There was a weird sense of relief that it was working again, even if Brynn had no idea why or what the mask actually did. She had just worried that the first time had been a fluke. "It's working," she said breathlessly. "Can you see me?" she asked Liam before pausing. "I mean, can you see you?" It was like looking into a mirror, which was so weird, but also pretty cool. "I wonder why it won't work for you," she said to Zania. "I swear we're not making it up."
"I can see you. I mean, me," Liam smiled, looking back at himself through the eyes of his mask. "That's really weird," he laughed a little. He'd never seen himself through someone else's eyes and it was a little bit different than looking in a mirror, though he couldn't say why. It gave him a weird sense of being disconnected from himself, like pulling the strings on a puppet instead of moving his own arms. Liam lowered the mask, then hesitantly offered his over to Zania. "Can you sense anything at all?"
Zania watched them with a touch of amusement. Either this was the most elaborate ruse or they really could see each other. It was perplexing to say the least. "Can you?" she asked Liam with a small snort as she took the mask from him. "Have you tried anything on it? A cleansing ritual or maybe a suppression spell?" If they were magical, then it should react to something, though it would only work if the correct spell was chosen. Cursed objects could be tricky like that.
Brynn lowered the mask and glanced between Zania and Liam with some confusion. "Wait, what?" Why would Zania be asking Liam if he had tried magic stuff on the masks when she was the witch? How was he supposed to sense anything on the masks? That's why they brought them to Zania, right? It didn't take terribly long for it to click into place what it all meant and her gaze shifted back to Liam. "Wait, are you a witch?"
"Um, yeah, maybe," Liam said, his face flushing with embarrassment. Now he regretted not reaching out to Zania first and at least letting her know that Brynn didn't know about him. He supposed it was fair for her to assume Brynn knew, considering what they were dealing with, but it felt like such a big bomb to drop. The masks might come and go, but once she knew he was a witch, she would always know. "I didn't want to do anything that might break them."
Zania watched Liam with a mix of amusement and annoyance, then eventually rolled her eyes. He was young. He hadn't built his network. And he definitely hadn't learned who to trust. If he and Brynn were trying to figure out these masks together, he was going to have to take that leap, otherwise he would handicap himself. "A cleansing shouldn't break them. It'll just strip any hexes or curses that might be on them, provided they're not overly complex. Why don't I pull what you'll need while you and Brynn talk," she said, then went to gather the supplies for them, giving them a moment to talk without her standing over them.
Um, yeah, maybe was not a good enough answer to her question and Brynn tried not to be... what, upset? It wasn't like she and Liam were besties, but it felt like a huge thing to suddenly find out in the middle of this spice shop. Brynn suddenly felt a little out of her depth with nothing really to contribute. She watched Zania go because apparently she had things Liam could use for a cleansing of the masks. Turning back to Liam, Brynn raised a blonde brow expectantly. "So you're a witch too."
"I don't tell a lot of people," Liam said sheepishly. "Most of my friends don't even know. And I didn't want you to think I was crazy. I mean, I didn't know what to do about the mask either, and it felt like that was already a lot and what if you just thought I was messing with you or something? Not that I can do that, but you know? It was just... Sorry," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd wanted her to trust him, but how was she supposed to do that now? Liam was pretty sure he'd fucked things up, but at the same time wasn't sure he should tell another virtual stranger that he was a witch.
Brynn sighed and then looked around the spice shop for a moment before she returned her attention to Liam. "It's okay. Really. I probably wouldn't have wanted to tell you either if I had been a witch. It's just... weird. I mean, I'm not telling anyone else about the mask because that's weird too. So, I get it. We barely know each other." It wasn't like Brynn thought he was a liar or anything. It was just a bit of jarring news. Brynn looked down at the mask in her hands before she brought her gaze back to his face. "So what can you do? As a witch, I mean. Spells and all that?"
“Nothing super exciting,” Liam said with a tiny smile, her interest making him feel a little bit less like a freak. He never knew how people would take it and, even though Brynn seemed worried that people might think sheshe h d wanted the mask so badly, but there might be some connection, right?
It might've been the smallest display of magic he could think of, but Liam knew it was still more than Brynn had ever seen with her own eyes. Other than the masks, but that was something else entirely. Something even Liam didn't understand. What he could do was simple, easy to feel and sort out from his end, whereas the masks didn't feel magical, even though he knew they had to be. "I dunno," he said thoughtfully, turning the flame over in his hand, letting it snake along his fingers before he caught it again. "I had a friend with me when I bought it and she's a witch too, but she didn't seem interested. Not like I was, I mean." And thank the gods for that or he might've fought Ophelia for it, which was kind of alarming now that he thought about it. "And you're not a witch, so maybe that has nothing to do with it. I think it's magic. It has to be. I just don't know what kind."
She watched the fire along his fingers, kind of wishing he could just keep it going. It was kind of badass. He could make things float too! Could he levitate her? Brynn knew that would likely be a weird thing to ask so she decided not to. At least not right now. Brynn finally looked away and back down to her mask. Her fingers brushed along the antlers. "Zania doesn't seem to feel anything?" She looked around to see if the redhead would be coming back. "Maybe there's something online about like, magical masks or whatever. I think maybe it's kind of weird how possessive I feel about it?" Her face felt hot and she was sure her cheeks were pink with mild embarrassment. "Like, I keep putting it on at night just to see if you have yours on. It's really weird, I know. Maybe there's something we need to unlock. Or..." Her brows lifted. "Maybe we could go back to the shop and ask the owner? He told them to us. Maybe he knows the story behind them."
Liam had tried googling their masks, but nothing he'd come across had seemed remotely legit. That was the hard part about magic in reality-- it was almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in the media. While it was good for him as a witch, it was really a pain in the ass when trying to research things. "Yeah, me too," he said, surprised to hear she felt possessive as well. "I was afraid if I told my mom, she'd freak out and take it from me, even though it doesn't seem dangerous." Showing Zania was a risk because she could've just as easily turned around and told his mother. Harper Lyttle was usually pretty laid back, but she could rain some hell down when she wanted to and Liam didn't want that aimed at him under any circumstances. "Maybe," he nodded. "I hadn't considered that. We could go by there next if you want to."
"Okay," Zania said, returning to the counter. Liam had had plenty of time to explain that he was a witch, etcetera etcetera, and she was done stalling for them. "I think I've pulled everything you'd need for a cleansing ritual, but that depends on the exact spell. If something doesn't feel right, stop, okay? I don't really know what you're dealing with." Magical objects could be tricky. Their purpose wasn't always clear from the beginning and she kind of suspected that to be the case here.
Brynn nodded, though she was a little anxious about going into that antique shop again. She had wanted the mask, but the owner creeped her out a little. Maybe if Liam was with her it wouldn't be so bad. "I don't think my parents even noticed it," she admitted. "Though they're not... I mean, they don't do magic, so they probably would just think it's decorative or whatever." She trailed off when Zania returned, curious now as to what went into a cleansing ritual. Maybe Liam would let her watch. "Do you think they could be dangerous?" she asked, her thumb brushing across the cheek of the mask. "You don't get any... weird vibes?"
“My dad asked about it, but my mom didn’t even notice it, and she’s the witch, not him,” Liam told Brynn. It made him think that him being a witch was just dumb luck. He’d thought it might help, but so far nobody seemed to know anything. He looked over at Brynn as she spoke to Zania, then looked down at his own mask. He didn’t want to believe they could be dangerous. If they were, they’d have to give them up and he absolutely hated that idea. He liked the mask. He liked the connection to Brynn, a girl that he was pretty sure wouldn’t have even noticed him if it weren’t for all this. And he liked the mystery. There was something more to them, there had to be, and he was enjoying trying to figure out what.
“They could be,” Zania answered. “But they sound pretty harmless right now. I think you just want to be concerned if what they do starts to morph into something else. I’m not getting any weird vibes, but I’ve seen these kinds of things change on you. You should be careful.” She didn’t want to scare them, but magical objects of an unknown origin could be some of the most dangerous things out there. She’d take fighting a person over an object any day.
Brynn had no idea how the masks could change and it was kind of freaky to imagine waking up one day and finding it different somehow. But Zania didn't sound ominous or anything. She was just trying to give them a head's up, which Brynn appreciated. Her gaze ticked back to Liam's, and she kind of got the feeling that he was on the same page as her. That they would mind the warning, but keep the masks. "We'll be careful," she said finally, her fingers tightening a bit around the mask itself. Maybe the owner of the shop had more answers for them, or could at least put their fears at ease... or, semi-fears. Brynn wasn't afraid of the mask. She was more concerned with parting with it. "And... I mean, you'll do the cleansing ritual, right?" she asked Liam with a small smile. "So that's something."
"Yeah, of course. You wanna watch?" Liam asked, smiling over at Brynn as he pulled out his wallet to pay for the ingredients. He'd only ever done a cleansing ritual once, and it was just for practice, but it wasn't all that hard. In terms of spells, it was actually kind of boring to watch, but maybe he could show her something a little more exciting at the same time. All in the name of making the masks safer, of course. Liam still wasn't sure there was anything to worry about, but he felt better after having Zania look at them. Surely, if they were dangerous, she would've noticed.
Zania rolled her eyes, but decided not to tease Liam. Not right that moment, anyways. Ten minutes ago Brynn hadn't even known he was a witch and now he was offering to perform magic in front of her. She remembered high school though, and what it was like to have so few people know about something you were passionate about. It was exciting to be able to share that with someone, so she wouldn't fault him for it. Zania bagged the ingredients then gave him his change. "If anything seems amiss, you tell your mom, okay?" she said as she handed the bag over. Her gaze ticked over to Brynn. "And if he won't, you come tell me. I mean it."
Brynn grinned and nodded while trying not to look too eager. But who wouldn't want to watch a magical ritual, for fuck's sake? Maybe he would create more fire in his hand or something. That had been pretty badass. Her gaze ticked to Zania when she was spoken to and Brynn's eyes widened for a moment before she agreed. "Yeah, of course, I will. I mean... I don't know any other witches, so..." She doubted Liam would do anything to put himself, or her, in danger, but she felt obligated to promise. "Thanks for your help and everything." The shop had been pretty cool and maybe she would come back later and actually buy some stuff. Brynn turned back to Liam, clutching her mask. "Ready?"
It was possible that Brynn did know other witches and that she just didn't realize it, but Liam decided against pointing that out. It might make her think the town was just crawling with them and that wasn't really the case. In fact, he could only think of two others that they went to school with and they were siblings. He couldn't really see Brynn needing to go to Zania or any other witch, so it wasn't worth worrying about. "Yeah, I'm ready," he smiled. "Thanks again," he added, giving Zania a wave. He appreciated her input and they'd be cautious going forward. The last thing he wanted was for them to end up in a situation that put either of them in danger.
Brynn followed Liam outside, hurrying to her car now that she was surrounded by the colder air. "This is so weird," she said, once they were in the car and she had turned it on. "I mean... I always heard stories about this place, but like, it feels like a door has been opened. Like, there's witches and... what else, you know? It's weird. But not in a bad way," she added quickly, since she didn't want Liam to think she thought he was weird. "Do you want to drive by that antique shop and see if it's open?" The place had super weird hours, but it never hurt to try. And maybe she was kind of drawing all of this out on purpose, though Brynn felt a bit silly admitting that to herself.
“I sometimes feel like everyone should know, like we’d all be safer if we knew what was out there, but then I remember the Salem witch trials and the Point Pleasant Six and decide to keep my mouth shut,” Liam said, looking over at her once he’d buckled up. “I’m pretty sure the people killed in Salem weren’t even witches, but people are scared of what they don’t understand, you know? I don’t even know everything that’s out there, but knowing anything might be possible definitely opens a door.” He just hoped she didn’t end up paranoid and scared. Brynn seemed stronger than that though. That she thought it was cool made him happier than he was willing to show. “Let’s at least drive by. I feel like if anyone knows something about the masks, it’ll be that guy.”
"Yeah, I know." Brynn thought she might be the same way if faced with something scary. But she didn't find Liam's magic scary. She just thought it was cool. That didn't mean her mom or dad wouldn't look at him and think he was dangerous though, so she understood the mentality of keeping it a secret. She started to drive away from Zania's shop, her mask now safely in the back seat of her car. "Well, even if the shop is closed we can plan on going by again. If Zania didn't know what was up with the masks, then I don't know who else to ask."
"I could ask my mom, but I'm afraid she'll take it away," Liam said, looking down at the mask in his hands with a small frown. "Even if there's no proof that it's dangerous. Which... I mean, if I thought it was, it'd be different. But I don't see any signs that it is." He just couldn't stand the thought of losing it, especially for no reason. And it gave him a reason to talk to Brynn, who actually seemed pretty cool. "I kind of want to try wearing them again," he said, looking over at her with a little smile. "Is that silly? Maybe we can be on the phone or something..."
"It's not silly," Brynn said, releasing a small laugh as she looked over at him. "I was actually thinking that too, when we were at the tea shop. At least we could talk to each other, you know? I mean, if we do it when we're not hanging out, or whatever." It would probably be easier to be together when they were trying to use the masks, but they couldn't do that all the time. "I kind of feel like if they were dangerous we would know already, right? Like, when we first used them. At least in a horror movie these things would be causing weird stuff happening already."
Even though he knew she didn't mean it that way, Liam smiled at the idea of them hanging out. He kind of thought he might enjoy that even if they weren't wearing the masks. And she wanted to watch him perform the cleansing ritual, so there was that to look forward to. With the way things were going, it was really hard to imagine the masks doing anything even remotely dangerous and he nodded along with her, glad they were on the same page there. "In horror movies, they would've become attached to our faces and made us serial killers," he laughed. "They seem harmless, but I'll cleanse them anyways, just as a precaution."
Brynn laughed. "That's so morbid! But yeah, you're probably right. I mean, my mask is super cute, you know? With the pink and gold. If it made me a serial killer, I'd be the cutest serial killer that ever lived. I mean, obviously don't judge things based on how they look and all that..." She hoped she didn't sound totally psycho there or anything. It was just weird hanging out with someone where she wasn't worrying about what came out of her mouth. "So like... have you told any of your friends about them? The masks, I mean."
“Most horror movies are a little bit morbid. That’s what makes them scary,” Liam laughed. “I’m sure there’s a cute serial killer movie out there, but I can’t think of one right now. I know there’s one in a video game, but she’s more the kick ass heroin. It’s called Lollipop Chainsaw. She’s even a cheerleader. Fighting zombies.” Brynn would’ve fit the part perfectly, except there were no zombies in town and he realized she character didn’t wear a mask. Oh well. He was sure there was a connection there when he started talking. “I thought about telling Ophelia, but… I dunno. I ended up not. I didn’t really want anyone else playing with it, you know?”
"A kick ass cheerleader fighting zombies? That sounds like me," Brynn teased. "Well, except for zombies. I don't really want to have to fight those. I guess I could if I had a chainsaw, assuming it's not too heavy," She laughed a little and tried to imagine what Victoria might say if Brynn told her about the masks. She might believe Brynn... but maybe not. It was hard to say. "It didn't work for Zania, so I wonder if that means they won't work for anyone but us? Which means our friends can't mess with them, but also maybe means no one else would believe us."
"I don't think anyone really wants to fight zombies," Liam said. "Usually it's a life or death situation and it's more like you have to. I'd either be really good at it or, if fire doesn't kill them, I'd make a mess of things and we'd all be screwed." That he'd actually thought about this scenario was probably weird, but it amused him. It also gave him a reason to learn other things, like how to kill zombies without fire. Not that he was any good with a chainsaw. "That's true," he said, looking down at the mask in his hands. "We'd just sound crazy. But we know we're not." It made him glad that he wasn't experiencing this alone. He might actually think he was losing his mind if no one else could see what he saw.
"Oh, man, if we get zombies in this town, I'm going to get my chainsaw and fight with you, because you can probably just burn those suckers to the ground. But if you can't, then I can just lop off their heads." She used one hand to slice it through the air, making a pretty terrible chainsaw noise. Brynn seemed pretty satisfied with that, even if it was a scenario that wasn't very likely. She pulled her car up to the parking spots in front of the antique store and put the car into park. Frowning, she leaned forward to peer out at the windshield at Loomis's Antiques and Gifts. "It looks dark," she said.
“We’d totally kick ass,” Liam grinned. As crazy as it sounded, he could picture it, which was probably the result of watching too many horror movies, but he thought they’d make a great team. It wasn’t realistic, though. He kept putting her in her cheerleader uniform. As they pulled into the parking spot, Liam leaned forward too, though that didn’t make the shop any easier to see into. “I can hop out and check,” he offered. “Just one sec.” Liam climbed out of the car, then jogged up to the storefront and gave the door a tug. When it didn’t open, he peered inside, then hurried back to the car. “It’s closed, but I couldn’t find anything that said when it’s open. Maybe we should just come back another time?”
Brynn watched Liam go up to the front door of the store to check it. They were in a super weird situation and they barely knew each other but she took that moment to kind of check him out. He was cute, which was weird because Brynn had never really paid much attention to him before. They just had a different circle of friends. It was stupid to be thinking about a boy in that way right now when they had more important things to be worrying about. Exhaling a bit when Liam returned, Brynn smiled and then glanced back at the darkened store window. "That's probably a good idea. With cheer practice and exams... it might be difficult, but we'll find a day for sure. Uh, do you want me to just drive you home now?"
“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” Liam said with a little smile. Someday he’d have a car and then he wouldn’t feel bad about having a girl drive him around, but until then he’d always rather ride than walk, especially in this weather. “After Christmas is good. I’ll have a lot more free time too and will be looking for reasons to get out of the house.” Honestly, he was finding that he enjoyed hanging out with her, so maybe it was good that the shop was closed tonight. Then he didn’t have to come up with an excuse for them to get together again. It was something to look forward to after the holidays, that was for sure.
"After Christmas then," Brynn said with a smile. It wasn't until next week, but it would be something to look forward to, even if it was going to a creepy antique store. She almost suggested they hang out again before then, but that might sound weird and they both sounded sort of busy. Brynn thought it over quickly and then glanced at Liam. "We should definitely try the masks again though, and maybe text or call so we can talk during it? If you want to, I mean."
"Yeah, we should do that," Liam smiled. "We can give each other a tour of the house or something. And try not to run into walls in the process." Maybe they'd get better at that part with practice. He wasn't sure, but he liked the idea of playing with the masks again. There had to be more to them, but they'd never know unless they used them. With a couple weeks off, this was the perfect time to figure it out, just as soon as they got past Christmas.
"Yeah, I don't want to run into walls," she said with a small laugh. She came to a red light and then looked over at Liam a bit sheepishly. "I, uh, don't know where you live." She only realized it as she found she had no idea which way to go. But it would be kind of cool to see where he lives now. Unless he had told her once what street he was on and she forgot already, then she would feel pretty bad.
"Oh! Over on Maple Leaf. Take a left," Liam said with an easy smile. In all their talk about masks and the holidays and their plans, he'd completely forgotten that she didn't know where he lived. He didn't think his house was anything to be ashamed of, though it definitely wasn't one of the houses in Overlook. Those were all so big that almost everything else in town looked small by comparison. "Thanks again for driving. I keep badgering my mom for a car, but I need to get a job to pay for the insurance and I just keep getting distracted."
Maple Leaf! She knew where that was. Brynn headed in that direction and smiled. "It's totally fine." She didn't have to have a job, or pay for her insurance... or even her gas. Her parents helped her out a lot, which kind of made her feel guilty when some of her friends had to more or less fend for themselves. "You keep getting distracted?" Brynn grinned at that. "What kind of distractions? Like... school? Girls? Masks?" Did he have a girlfriend? Brynn wasn't sure and it was weird to ask straight out. She hadn't seem him around with anyone except Ophelia, who was dating Greg now, and that weird girl, Jen.
"All of the above?" Liam laughed. "I mean, kinda, but not really. School's really only bad around finals, and the only girls I hang out with are just friends. So really it's more like track, hanging out, and video games. Which I could buy more of if I worked, but then I'd have no time to play them." Or go on dates with girls that were way out of his league. He really didn't know how people managed it all, balancing work, school, and a full social calendar, but he thought he should probably try. That way when he did score a girlfriend, she wouldn't be stuck driving them around. "I dunno. Maybe I'll see what's available after Christmas. I think I could wait tables if I had to."
"Oh! Well, my dad knows the guy who owns the Lobster Shack, if you ever wanted to... you know, do that. I know Joyland is hiring too, if you feel like making people coffee." Brynn wasn't going to push Liam into getting a job, obviously because that was so not her business. But she could help him get one, if he really wanted one. She realized then that Liam was friends with Ophelia, and Brynn was friends with Greg... well, sort of. They all hung out with the same people, anyway, even if Greg and Vic were always at each other's throats lately. Brynn was a year younger than most of them, so she always felt like she was just kind of there, but it was what it was. It was better than not having any friends at all. "You should come over some time and play video games with me. Or, we could... you know... " Brynn trailed off, feeling silly and her whole face suddenly felt hot. "Vic isn't really into video games," she explained. "My dad plays with me sometimes, but that's... bleh." Brynn needed to shut up now and she felt some relief when she saw the sign for Maple Leaf just up ahead.
"I could totally make people coffee," Liam grinned. "I may give that a shot. If not, I'll let you know about the Lobster Shack." For some reason, coffee seemed easier than lobsters, though he realized he wouldn't have to be cooking the lobsters himself, just delivering them to the table. People did get rather touchy about their coffee, especially if you messed it up. But then again, if their lobsters were overcooked or something, it was the waiter that was going to hear about it and that was a much bigger deal than remaking coffee. Yep, he was going with coffee first. "We can play video games any time you want," he smiled, feeling for the first time like she really did want to hang out with him. And maybe that meant something more, if he had to guess based on the color of her face. But he didn't want to jump to conclusions either. He'd done that last time and felt so stupid afterwards. "What do you like to play?"
It was so much easier talking about things she liked to do than rambling like a moron. Although Brynn wondered if he would think her video game choices would be lame or something. "Is it creepy if I say Silent Hill? Like, I could play Silent Hill every day, all the time. Oh! And Biohazard which came out this year. Uh, Fortnite is okay? Not my favorite though. Honestly, I'll play just about everything but like, Madden and stuff like that. What about you?" He ran track but he didn't seem like a jock. Not like some of her other friends.
"It's a creepy game, but it doesn't make you creepy," Liam grinned. "I love all the horror survival type games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. Biohazard's definitely fun. I play some Skyrim and Diablo too, but I haven't played a ton of Fortnight either. Madden can be fun, but it's not really my favorite. I like the puzzle games though. Have you played Portal 2? That can be a really fun co-op. If you ever wanna try that, we could totally play together." He would've never asked her if she hasn't already expressed interest in video games, but he was pretty sure it was cool to do so if she played things like Silent Hill.
"I haven't played Portal 2, but I totally would. Vic isn't really into video games like I am," she admitted with a grin. "Uh, not many of my friends are, anyway. Some of the boys, probably, but they don't play with me." It would be fun to have someone in town to play video games with, rather than just chatting with people through her headset on the networks. "We'll totally make plans for that." She turned down Liam's street, wondering which house was his. "Just point it out so I don't go past it," she reminded him. The houses were nice and decorated with Christmas lights. One house had a ridiculous amount of inflatables on their front lawn, which made her grin. Her mom would call it tacky, but Brynn liked how festive it looked.
Did the guys she was friends with not want to play with her? Or did she not want to play with them? Liam kind of hoped it was the latter and that he was a special case, though he knew it was more likely that the guys she was friends with were jerks who didn't want to be beat by a girl. Unfortunately, there were way too many gamer guys just like that, driving girls away from the games. "We've got lots of free time over the holidays. We'll make it happen," he smiled, then pointed to his house up ahead. "I'm the house with the candy canes up the front walk. And the icicle lights."
"Very festive," Brynn said with a grin as she slowed down to pull into his driveway. It was a nice looking house, and she liked the lights a lot. "Thanks for coming with me to see Zania. Sucks we didn't get any real answers, but... we'll figure it out. I'll see you at school tomorrow?" They had at least one class together, so that was something. And they would definitely talk through the masks... or at least with the masks on? She didn't know, but she was sure they would get on the same page.
"Thanks," Liam grinned, happy that she liked the lights. It was a thing he did every year with his dad, right after Thanksgiving, before the snow got too bad. It made it feel like Christmas. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled. He was sure they'd talk soon, but that was probably the soonest. He couldn't really find a reason to text her this evening after spending the afternoon together, but he kind of liked this thing where they could hang out, maybe with the masks and maybe without.