jane randolph (agonium) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-01-15 12:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | #june 2018, jane, jane x reza, reza |
Who: Jane and Reza
Where: Joyland Coffee
When: Late morning, Monday, June 4th
Status: Complete
It was a rare thing when Jane was awake and out the door by 10am, but that’s exactly what happened this morning. She had woken up in the middle of the night, compelled by some dark instinct to start painting. And so she did, until dawn when she finally put her brushes aside and washed her hands as well as she could. Rather than return to bed, Jane went for a jog to try and clear her head. It didn’t help much, but she knew coffee would.
Returning home, Jane had found her supply of k-cups depleted. So she showered, dressed and walked to Joyland. She could have driven, and given how cloudy the sky was this morning, she knew she probably should have in case it rained, but Jane didn’t really care. It was a breezy, summer morning even without the sun and she wanted to enjoy it.
After ordering her drink, Jane took a seat by the windows, pulling out her phone to check her messages and maybe check in with a few of her fellow misfits. As she sipped her coffee, staring at her phone, she heard names being called out by the baristas. It was just background noise, along with the soft music filling the coffee chop and chatter of other customers who were coming and going.
Jane paid them no mind. At least until she heard the name Reza. It was a familiar name. Shane’s “fuck buddy”, the one he seemed determined to keep away from Jane and the rest of the AIR victims. If his name had been John or Mark, she wouldn’t have even looked up from her phone. But Reza? Jane was willing to bet her entire bank account that there was only one Reza in Point Pleasant.
When she looked up, she saw a dark haired guy reaching for his drink. He was good looking in an unconventional way and Jane knew immediately that this was the guy, unique name or not.
“Reza,” she called out, setting her phone down on the table. When he looked in her direction, Jane smiled and motioned him over to her.
The weekend had been a bit strange for Reza. They’d been having a great time, and then he’d heard that screaming on Saturday night. He’d reacted the way most reasonable people would if they thought they heard their sister being murdered right around the corner, but it had made things tense and a little strange with Shane. Reza already knew that Shane wasn’t great at dealing with emotions and wasn’t the most supportive person in the world, but his reaction had been a little disheartening.
Sunday had been lazy and cozy, but still with an air of awkwardness, and Monday morning Reza had decided to get out on his own for a while. He’d made sure yet again that his sister Farah was actually okay -- probably making her think he was on some drugs that made him paranoid all over again -- and then gone out for coffee. Reza intended to retrace their steps a bit from Saturday night, see if he could pick up on any weird magic in the area where he’d heard the screams. Then maybe he would do some shopping just to fill time.
In any case, he did not expect to hear someone call his name while he was getting his Joyland order, and Reza’s head turned quickly, his heart giving an uncomfortable little jump. He’d been very casually getting to know some of the townsfolk, but he felt extra jumpy after what happened Saturday night. He didn’t recognize the woman who called to him, and he was frowning vaguely as he made his way over to her, his coffee in hand. “Yes?” he asked once he was close enough, his tone cautious.
Well, wasn't he a cute thing? Jane's smile widened, thinking about how dodgy Shane had been when talking about Reza. She was still shocked that she had gotten a name out of him, but that had been all she needed, apparently. And now that she saw Reza in the flesh, she could pop into his dreams, if she wanted to. "I'm Jane," she said, using the toe of her shoe under the table to push out the chair across from her. "A friend of Shane's? I'm not sure if he mentioned me or not. It's like pulling teeth, getting anything personal out of him, isn't it? I've been dying to meet you though. Do you want to sit for a few minutes?"
Reza’s expression stayed wary of her for a beat or two, even as his heart picked up speed. She knew Shane. Or at least claimed she did. Which meant she had to be connected to whatever the mysterious reason was for them being in Point Pleasant, right? Reza would have thought that she was maybe just an old friend, but Shane had said several times that he hadn’t actually lived here very long. Jane was right on the money about Shane being hard to pry details out of, however, so it was hard to doubt that she really knew him. It crossed Reza’s mind to politely leave so as not to delve into Shane’s personal business that he obviously didn’t want Reza to know, but ... the curiosity won out in the end. He set his drink down and lowered himself into the chair, keen eyes not leaving Jane’s face. “No, he hasn’t ... mentioned anyone by name, really,” he answered. Shane had obviously mentioned him though, which was intriguing. “He tells me even less than he apparently tells you.”
Jane rolled her eyes and sighed good-naturedly. "I swear, you need a screwdriver to pry open his mouth sometimes. But that's Shane. It takes quite a bit of effort and time to get into his head. I know I annoy him when I try." Dreamwalking took no effort on her part, of course, but she wasn't lying when she said that was usually the best way to get things out of Shane. And even then it could be difficult. She smiled and wrapped her hands around her cup. "It's nice to finally meet you though. He hasn't told me much but I know you're both up in Overlook. How long do you plan on staying in Point Pleasant?"
He already knew it was true that it took work to get close to Shane, but on top of the weirdness over the weekend, it was kind of a bummer to hear it from someone else too. What if Reza just couldn’t do enough work to get there? Or what if he tried and tried and Shane just never allowed it? He was getting ahead of himself yet again, and he tried to stop. Reza took hold of his coffee again and punched through the little plastic hole in the lid to take a sip. “I’m not sure,” he answered honestly, his eyes ticking back up to Jane. “I didn’t plan on being here this long, but ...” Reza gave a wan smile and spread his hands. Here he still was. “It’s nice to meet you too, even though I didn’t know you existed. I haven’t met anyone associated with him since we got here, so I’m pretty clueless about ... everything, I guess. Do you ... do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
If Shane was keeping Reza around, there was a reason for it. Either he thought Reza could be useful, or Shane was infatuated. Smitten. Jane wanted to find out which one it was, although she was leaning more towards the latter. Sipping her coffee, Jane kept her gaze on the man, wondering what she might find out about him through his dreams. If he was useful, could she discover how? Dreams were fickle things. Sometimes they were insanely informative and sometimes they were just random and discombobulated, affected by sickness or a change in diet. "Of course, ask me anything. I'll try to answer as best I can," Jane promised.
Reza got the sense he was on dangerous ground here, even though that was dramatic and stupid. He and Shane were more than casual fuckbuddies by now, regardless of what Shane might think. Reza knew better. It was mutual. And he should get to know things about the man he was dating, right? Especially now, after he’d laid his own secret cards out on the table. Would Shane be pissed if he found out Reza was asking Jane questions about him? Where should he even start? He was silent for a moment, sizing Jane up while he nibbled on his bottom lip. Then he sat forward and lowered his voice. “Why are we here? Like ... what brought Shane back here, of all places?”
Jane had a feeling Reza would ask that question and she wasn't at all surprised that Shane hadn't filled the guy in on what was really going on. Shane made it very apparent that he wanted to keep Reza away from anything related to AIR. Jane also knew that being completely honest with Reza meant Shane could get pissed and that could jeopardize what they were building toward. Then again, Jane felt like she could handle things. She always had. "Unfinished business," she said after a moment of thought. "I mean, technically I brought him back here, with a bit of arm twisting. I don't know what Shane's told you but I'm guessing it wasn't much. It's not really my place to give you every detail of it, because he could be trying to protect you. But I don't think it's very fair of him to keep you in the dark completely. What exactly do you know?"
He felt a sense of disappointment mixed with relief that Jane didn’t launch into a full explanation. What she did say just prickled his curiosity even more. Shane was protecting him? Was this some serious mob shit or something? He had said he knew people in low places, so to speak, hadn’t he? Were they psychics too? Was Jane? Did she even have any idea what Shane could do, or was this a ploy to get him to spill secrets? Was she even Shane’s friend, or an enemy, if he had any of those around? Reza was back to looking wary, wishing he could read minds or emotions instead of just being able to play with sound. One short thumbnail picked at the little paper sleeve on his coffee cup. “I know what he can do with fire,” he said finally. If Jane was an enemy, she probably knew that much too. “And he has no family here, and hasn’t been back for a long time. But that’s about it.”
It was a relief to hear Reza knew about Shane's ability. That made things a bit easier. "I can do something similar to what Shane can do. We knew each other when we were kids. We were both in a bad situation with people who wanted to use us. We escaped. Now those people are back again and we're going to shut them down for good." There. Blunt and to the point. If Shane had feelings for this guy, he would find out eventually. And honestly, Reza should know. Especially if AIR got wind of what they were doing, Jane wouldn't put it past them to target people that they all cared about. That was one of the reasons why Jane preferred her solitary nature. She was braver when she had nothing to lose. "He probably doesn't want you to know about any of this, but the fact that he brought you here from Chicago? That means something. He cares about you, and you need to watch your back as much as he does."
Reza took ‘something similar’ to mean that Jane was a psychic as well. He wasn’t sure what kind, if she was another pyro or something else, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask either. He listened intently to what she did say, a sense of unease growing in his gut. What did it mean that he was getting this warning from this stranger rather than Shane himself? Reza’s hand was still curled around his coffee, but he’d all but forgotten it was there now. “So ... you’re both in danger, and now I am too, because I’m here with him?” he asked, his tone a little flat. It was just for confirmation. He thought he’d had a lot of questions when he’d sat down, but now there were about a dozen more cropping up in his mind, but they were all things he wasn’t sure Jane would actually tell him. His brow furrowed deeper. “They had you like ... captive? When you were kids?”
Jane scrunched her nose briefly. "I wouldn't say... imminent danger. Shane's a powerful pyro and I'd feel safe with him, if I were you. Like I said, he probably didn't tell you any of this because he wants to keep you safe. And... he probably thinks if you know the truth you'll leave." Which was still a possibility. Shane would be pissed, but honestly, he might concentrate better without distractions here. She sipped her coffee, studying Reza intently before she nodded. "They took us as kids. At different times. There was something special about that they wanted to exploit. There are quite a few of us here, different ages and everything. I know Shane didn't want to come, but... it's hard to turn our backs on what this place is doing. We need to destroy it."
It hadn’t crossed his mind to worry about some evil organization coming after him for his association with Shane, but Reza did feel safe with him. He had even before they’d come here and he’d known what Shane could do with his mind. Reza was far from helpless, of course, but it was a bit reassuring to have a boyfriend who could burn someone to a crisp in a blink. It would’ve been pretty sexy, if it wasn’t surrounded by all this. Reza sat forward even further, looking kind of shocked as he processed that. Instinctively, he reached out with his magic to pull a soundproof curtain down around them. “You’re saying the people who kidnapped you -- and a bunch of others -- to use you as some ... child guinea pig, they’re still in business? The ... psychic abduction business?” It sounded like a movie, but he could see the seriousness in Jane’s face, and he was well aware of how cagey Shane was about his past. He was starting to understand why.
"We thought we had destroyed them when we escaped," Jane explained. "There was a fire..." She trailed off and waved her hand dismissively. "But yes, they're still in business. We don't know exactly what they're doing right now, but we're working on finding out. Shane will be here for a while." Or forever, though she didn't want to say that. Her expression softened. "I think he's able to handle it because you're here too. I hope this doesn't scare you off. The fact that Shane even brought you here is pretty significant. There may be more of them, but we're definitely more powerful than they are. Once we do what we need to do, you both can go back to Chicago and live happily ever after if you want."
There was a fire. Reza was sure he knew who was responsible for that, even without asking. How old had they been at that time? Had Shane killed people with that fire? How heavy a burden was that to put on a kid who’d been held against his will for however long in the first place? Reza was beginning to see why Shane was such an emotional disaster. It was nice to hear that Jane thought Reza was contributing positively to Shane’s life, but there was so much else to process that it was hard to focus on that part. He sat back, brow furrowed, unfocused gaze on his coffee for a moment. He was tempted to ask what the plan was, or for a more detailed history of everything she was saying, but Reza thought those answers might better come from Shane at this point. Because they were going to talk about this. They had to. “I’m not easily scared,” he murmured after a pause, looking at Jane again. “How old were you two? When this fire happened?”
Jane took a moment to think back. "I was eleven when I was taken... fourteen when the fire happened. Shane was... sixteen? Seventeen? It wasn't easy, but it was necessary. The facility is a terrible organization. If we hadn't gotten out, they would have sold us to people who could use us. After that, we were given back to our families and... a lot of us moved. There are a few who stayed here, and they were safe enough." Shane and Jane had both left town, but Jane had never stopped thinking about Point Pleasant, and AIR. That was the thing about this town though... it never let you go, even when you tried to leave.
Okay so they weren’t ten year olds, but Jane had been fairly close. Just teenagers. And they had her for three years? How long had they held Shane? How were these children-stealing monsters ‘using’ the both of them? Reza muttered a low ya 'iilahi and rubbed at his eyes for a moment. It was a lot to take in. Hearing about his quasi-boyfriend’s trauma -- because there was no question that all had to be traumatizing -- from someone other than him felt wrong in a way, but he wasn’t sure he would’ve ever learned these things otherwise. And they felt important to know, if he really had Something with Shane, and it seemed like he did. Reza dropped his hands and sighed. “Thank you for telling me all this. I’m sure it’s ... not comfortable to talk about,” he murmured to Jane, then paused briefly before squinting an eye at her. “You know, I knew he was emotionally stunted for some reason, but ...” He trailed off and shook his head. “That’s madness.”
Jane shrugged when Reza assumed this was uncomfortable for her, because it wasn't. It was probably uncomfortable for someone like Shane, and definitely for Neil, but it was what it was to Jane. Simple facts. It had happened to her and now it was time for revenge. At the same time, without AIR, she wouldn't be dreamwalking and then where would she be? Even so, the way they had gone about pulling these abilities out of them had been cruel and that alone deserved punishment. Jane chuckled at the mention of Shane being emotionally stunted and sipped more of her coffee. "We all have our way of dealing with trauma. And he's going to be pissed that I told you all of this, so... you better be worth it."
Reza understood the shrug enough -- even if it had been horrific and traumatizing, Jane wasn’t going to share that with him, and that was fine. They didn’t know each other. But Shane might share it. Reza was going to definitely confront him about it, he just hoped it didn’t result in a complete Shane shut down. Jane’s last words drew a soft snort out of Reza. “Yeah, well, you probably won’t be the only one he’s pissed at, so I hope he thinks I’m worth it,” he said. He was, he knew that, especially since he had abilities that could ultimately help them, but he wasn’t ready to tell Jane about that. “In for a penny, in for a pound, right? Maybe I’ll be able to help with more than just keeping Shane happy at home.” He wondered if the local witches knew about this facility and what they were doing to kids. Maybe it was past time for him to really connect with some of them.
"You can just tell him I'm an open book, if you want to avoid that. You don’t even have to admit you asked any questions." Jane didn't care if she carried the complete weight of Shane's anger. Reza might not be that kind of guy though, and that was fine too. She wasn't worried. If she had someone in her life the way Shane did, she would want them to know the truth. Lying was a pain in the ass, as was hiding something that life changing. But... there was a reason Jane didn't get close enough to people to feel the need to tell them about her past. She felt like Shane might have been the same way, at least until he met Reza. "Maybe so," Jane said. "That's up to you and Shane. The more hands on deck, the better, if you ask me."
It was nice enough of her to offer to cover for him, but Reza wasn’t going to lie to Shane about it. He figured it was pretty natural of him to have questions, and the more Jane said, the more interested he got. If Shane got pissed about that, well, so be it. Reza could handle him, he felt sure. He always had an out too -- he could hop a plane anytime and go back to Chicago. At this point he didn’t know if Shane would want that or not, but he supposed he would find out soon enough. Jane might consider him more than just another pair of hands if she knew what he could do, but Reza wasn’t going to volunteer that information just yet. He would see how talking to Shane about all of this went first. He nodded a bit and sat up straighter, reaching for his coffee again. “Sounds like you need them,” he said. “Again, I appreciate you telling me all this. He and I have a lot to talk about, apparently.” Reza let the invisible curtain around them dissipate, since their conversation was coming to a close. “I hope to see you again under friendlier circumstances.”
"Apparently so." Jane wasn't ready to leave yet, so she stayed in her seat and smiled up at Reza. "I'm sure we'll talk again, if Shane doesn't fry me first for telling you all of this." There was no real worry in her voice. Either Shane would come clean with Reza about everything, or he would send his "boy toy" home. Or he would just take it all out on Jane, which was fine too. Whatever would be, would be. Jane picked up her coffee cup, offering him a mild salute with it. "Take care, Reza."