Marshall & Sage
Sage turned the water on, then splashed some of it in his face before looking up at himself in the mirror. Without a smile fixed firmly in place, he could see the current panic and the sleepless nights, the way he twitched as if his nightmares might bleed into reality if he turned his back for even a second. Bad things had happened in Point Pleasant before—a fog had rolled in and brought monsters that made him into something else himself—but it was hard to imagine that happening amid a cocktail party at the country club. And yet, he couldn’t convince himself that he was safe. It was ridiculous and he couldn’t decide which was worse, the fear or the shame. Were any of the others having semi-public meltdowns? He tried to picture Ty or either of those Overlook women freaking out in public and shook his head, laughing bitterly. No, it was likely just him, the greatest coward of the bunch, unable to handle himself even though things were back to normal.
Marsh had hesitated by the door. It was a public bathroom with stalls and all but he didn't exactly need to go in there and he didn't even know this guy. The taste though, it was both alluring and worrying and he checked his phone to not look completely out of place just standing outside the door, then slipped it back in his pocket, braced himself and went inside. He wasn't really sure what he expected. The guy to be crying in a stall, already hurting himself or something else? For some reason he didn't expect him to be standing right there by the sinks and he gave him a flash of an awkward smile as he headed over to a sink to start washing his hands. That was a good reason to go to the men's room, even if apparently a lot of guys did not wash their hands in there. "You alright?" he asked as casually as he could because without that overwhelming taste in his mouth to let him know something was up, blue boy looked a little distressed.
Sage looked up the moment the door opened, a bright spark of terror flashing in his eyes before it faded to almost instant embarrassment. The chances of a monster waltzing in through the bathroom door were slim, yet that was where his mind went first. Instead he locked eyes with a man, well dressed and completely without tentacles or sharp claws. And there he was, holding onto the bathroom sink as if his sanity depended on it. Sage closed his eyes, as if that would allow him to hide away, then thought better of it. If he wanted to avoid making a scene, it would be better not to disappear, so he opened them again. “Yeah,” he lied, but then he kept talking, not all that sure why he felt compelled to answer. “Just… feeling overwhelmed.” He tried a small smile, tried for something resembling the truth, while keeping its distance. “I don’t go to these things often.” Not at all the reason for his distress, but it would have to do.
What could Marsh really say? That he knew that wasn't true because he could taste his distress? That was one way to come off as both insane and creepy so he offered him a faint smile and nodded sympathetically. "Me neither," he said easily and added more soap until he felt like he was prepping for surgery. He kind of wished his weird gifts were reversed now; that he could tell how animals felt, and be more of a comfort to humans but alas, animals loved him and this guy's sadness or fear or urge to give up or whatever the hell this negative emotion was tasted stronger than anything Marsh had tasted since the Limpopo rhino orphanage. "Doesn't feel very real," he added. "Like almost everyone's wearing a mask out there." He gestured vaguely at Sage's hair. "You look pretty true to yourself." Not a lot of people attended these events with brightly colored blue tips so that was at least something he could focus on. "I can see why you wouldn't feel like you fit in either."