Who: Quentin and Tessa Where: Joyland When: Sunday morning, June 24 Status: Complete
The morning was slow, but that was expected when it was raining, even on a weekend. People were less likely to brave the weather for coffee, opting to stay in. Even the church-goers skipped when the weather was bad, though it wasn’t near as bad as the night before. Quentin was thankful for the lack of morning rush. It gave him time to sit behind the counter and nurse his own cup of coffee, his body still aching from the night before. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was a miracle he’d survived. He assumed he’d been struck by lightning, not able to come up with any other explanation, but looking up the repercussions on the internet led him to wonder how he could even walk away from such an experience. He should be dead, or at least in the hospital. The side effects ranged from cardiac arrest to seizures, with the possibility of chronic pain and personality changes. His whole body ached like he’d been hit by a car, but it wasn’t something a little Advil couldn’t fix. It made him wonder how Tessa was faring, if she was even alive.
As the minutes ticked by, he wondered if she would show. His eyes ticked to the door as he made mochas and lattes. He got so caught up watching the cars outside that he almost burnt a batch of chocolate croissants. As the morning dragged on, he began to think he should call Juniper, but then remembered how suspicious that would look, calling to make sure a stranger was alive. No, he could wait a little longer. It wasn’t even approaching noon yet.
Tessa was definitely not dead and very thankful for it. She had tossed and turned most of the night, fighting off a persistent headache until dawn finally broke through the curtains in her room at the inn. When she finally found the energy to do so, Tessa got out of bed and took a long, hot shower. Once she felt a bit more human, Tessa got dressed and tied her damp hair up out of her face. It was then she wondered if Quentin... that was his name, right?... was still alive.
"Shit," she muttered before finding her shoes to tug on her feet. The night before was a bit foggy beyond the whole struck by lightning thing. Tessa did remember she and Quentin promising to check in on each other - or at least implying that they would. He worked at Joyland, which was great because Tessa could really use a coffee.
Rather than drive, Tessa opted to walk. It was a nice day, despite the storm the night before, and she needed the fresh air. For a brief moment she considered calling Caius to tell him what had happened, but that felt a bit too... sibling-like, and they were still getting to know one another. So instead she made her way to Joyland, her hands in her pockets and her pace leisurely. When she finally came to the door, she peered in to see Quentin behind the counter. Oh good, he was alive.
Exhaling, Tessa stepped inside and gave him a smile as she headed to the counter. "Hey. Glad to see we both made it to the night."
“Oh, thank God,” Quentin sighed when he looked up and saw Tessa standing there. She looked better now, but it wasn’t hard to improve over being soaked to the bone and his mental images had been of her cold and dead in her bed. Seeing her alive and smiling was a relief, to say the least. He supposed they both looked better now. Though still in pain, he was dry, his hair pulled back from his face, and he’d already had several healthy doses of caffeine to chase away the exhaustion. “I was worried I would have to call Juniper to report a body and I didn’t know how to explain that,” he said with a little smile. “What can I get you?”
Tessa laughed. "Damn, if I'd known you were close to doing that, I would have hung out in my room a little longer." He didn't look terrible, just tired. The same as Tessa, she was sure. "I'll take a latte, though. Thanks." She leaned against the countertop to watch, trying to figure out what kind of conversation they needed to have. She had hit his car in a storm... they had been struck by lightning. At least that's what she thought it was. "So, are you feeling okay? No side effects? Headaches? Anything like that?"
“You might have missed out on the free drink if I had to hunt you down,” Quentin pointed out as he began to work on her latte. It wouldn’t have been that bad, since she wasn’t actually dead, but he really wasn’t into the stress of having to find that out himself. This was much better, when he could see that she was living and breathing and walking, just like him. “I have a horrible headache, but took some painkillers for it,” he shrugged. “I still kind of ache, but nothing that makes me think I need to see a doctor.” He probably should, but he knew they’d run all kinds of tests on him if he said he’d been struck by lightning and he’d rather not pay for tests if nothing felt wrong. “What about you? All good?”
"All good," Tessa confirmed with a nod. "I mean, I guess so. I shouldn't be, right? We should both be fried. Or at least suffering from seizures, or something. People suffer really bad burns when they're hit by lightning but I don't have anything on my body right now." She paused thoughtfully, watching him make the latte. "Maybe it wasn't lightning? Don't ask me what it could've been, but there may be some other kind of weird weather phenomenon, right?"
“I looked up the side effects and they’re pretty broad, but none of them would’ve had me back at work today,” Quentin said in agreement, his eyes flicking between her and his task. He could probably make a latte in his sleep, but that didn’t mean he should. If he ever were to try it blindfolded, he’d probably make a mess frothing the milk. “Around here, it could be anything, but it looked like lightning, so that’s what I’m gonna go with. I figure if the headaches fade, then I should be good.” If not, he’d have to see a doctor. He didn’t want to wait a week only to find his brain was bleeding, or something worse. Quentin finished the drink, put a lid on it, then a cardboard sleeve before offering it to Tessa. “Be careful. It’s hot.”
"We're some kind of anomaly," Tessa said, reaching out to take the cup from Quentin's hand. As soon as their fingers touched, she felt a spark - literally - shock her skin. Pulling back quickly, Tessa laughed. "Sorry. Maybe we're still full of electricity and don't know it." She took a sip of the coffee. It was hot, but pretty good. "Did you check out your car? Is it okay?" She didn't want to remind him in a way that he would try to get money out of her, but it felt important to ask at least. She was the one who had rear-ended him, after all.
Quentin flinched at the shock and was glad that Tessa had ahold of the cup because he might have dropped it. It felt less like a bit of static electricity, and more like a tiny bolt of lightning had shot inside his body, running up his arm and straight to his brain. It was unsettling, but when Tessa laughed it off he felt obligated to the same. “Weird,” he said, his smile hesitant. “The car’s fine,” he shrugged. “There’s some damage to the bumper, but it’s really not worth the effort to fix it.” He couldn’t even be a hundred percent sure it hadn’t been there before she hit him. The car was old, the damage was minimal, and he didn’t want to be that jackass that made her cough up money for something so trivial. “Sorry, I couldn’t see shit in the rain.”
Tessa nodded, sipping her latte a bit more before she spoke again. "Well, yeah, only jerks try to scam money out of someone for damage that was probably already there. I'm glad it wasn't a new car, at least. I think my rental got the brunt of the damage, so that should be fun to try and talk my way out of. I couldn't see in the rain either, though I thought something had run out into the street before I hit you. I got distracted, so... I'm sorry again." Hey, she got a free latte out of it, so Tessa decided not to complain too much. And now that they were both alive and dry, she could see he was attractive. Probably not the kind of guy Tessa usually tried to sleep with, but he made pretty good coffee, so that was a point in his favor.
“I didn’t say it was already damaged,” Quentin frowned, not sure where she got that from. It felt like a leap for her to make, even if it was just the bumper. If she’d hit him anywhere else it would have been more obvious, but he was glad it wasn’t as bad as it had felt. The weather had been so awful and getting hit so jarring, but it was nothing compared to what had followed. It made the whole thing seem trivial. “It’s okay though. Nice to know I get bonus points for the coffee. Gotta have something going for me.” He rolled his eyes. Most people thought he was just a barrista, which he knew was not impressive in the least, but someday he’d own Joyland. He just had to be patient.
Tessa arched a brow, sure that he said the damage might have already been on the bumper. She had heard it, hadn't she? She was about to say something when he mentioned bonus points and Tessa lowered her cup, eying him with suspicion. "Who said anything about bonus points? What are you talking about?" She hadn't said he didn't have anything going for him, she had just thought to herself that he wasn't the kind of guy she usually slept with. It was all a confusing mess suddenly and Tessa set her coffee on the counter, leaning forward to study him with intensity. "Are you in my brain?"
If Quentin had paused and looked directly at her, he might have noticed that the things he was hearing weren’t coming from her mouth. Her lips had never moved, despite her voice ringing in his ears. But he was always busy behind the counter, even when there were no other customers to see to. He kept himself busy, frowning at her response, then looking up at her when she set her latte down and leaned in to stare at him. What the fuck? “I don’t think so,” he said, giving her a look like she’d maybe lost her mind. “You’re the one making comments about who you normally sleep with. I’m at work, remember.” And even if he wasn’t, he was rarely that forward, no matter how hot she was. She’d already refused to give him her number under other circumstances. He wasn’t stupid enough to ask for it again.
"Okay, for one thing, I never said anything about the guys I normally sleep with. I thought it." Tessa tapped her fingertip against her temple. "You heard my thoughts. I mean, for the record, you're hot too... yeah, I heard that." Inhaling sharply, Tessa lifted herself up onto the counter, scooting over until she was on the other side with Quention, standing close and looking up at him intently. "Something's going on. Don't say anything. Just... shut up and say- no, think something and I'll tell you if I hear it." She realized how crazy it sounded and Quentin might think she's some kind of nutjob, but Tessa could recognize something weird was going on and she wanted to make sure she wasn't crazy.
Quentin was now staring at her like she’d lost her mind because that had to be what was happening. It made a lot more sense than the alternative, which was that she was some kind of a psychic, able to hear his thoughts. But that wasn’t all that she’d implied and it hit him a second later, that he was apparently hearing things that she hadn’t said. “What the fuck,” he muttered as she climbed over the counter. “You could go around, you know…” But she was already there, so he stood his ground, crossing his arms across his chest. This wasn’t going to work. He wasn’t a psychic. He wasn’t even sure they were real, but if witches were a thing in Point Pleasant, then it stood to reason psychics could be as well. Nothing seemed out of bounds. He tried to think of something specific then, just in case, but all he could come up with was the thought that he needed to bake more vanilla scones. They were running short.
It was maybe a bit twisted but Tessa liked the way Quentin was looking at her. He clearly thought she was crazy but that was okay because in a few seconds, he would be crazy too. This was crazy but there was no logical explanation that she could find. She folded her arms across her chest to mimic his stance, waiting for him to do as she asked. When he did, Tessa arched a brow. God, this was so weird. But also, fascinating. "Scones? Vanilla scones? People eat those?"
“Yes, people eat those. Blueberry’s more popular in the summer, but we sell both,” Quentin snapped, though his aggravation had nothing to do with her and everything to do with the fact that he was positive he hadn’t said that out loud. “Are you a witch? A psychic? What is happening?” He tried to keep his voice down, aware that the shop wasn’t completely empty, but he couldn’t just ignore this situation. It felt like she was messing with him, something he didn’t take kindly to, but he couldn’t imagine why. “How do I know this isn’t all you?”
Tessa quirked a brow. Was this guy for real? "Witches? What are you even... you know what? It doesn't matter. I can prove its not all me because now I'm going to think of something I want you to tell me if you hear it. Watch my lips, even, so you know I'm not saying anything out loud." And yes, she purposely thought about how defensive he was about vanilla scones and frankly, she thought he ought to make cranberry scones or something more unique than boring old vanilla and blueberry.
Quentin didn’t normally get into the weird topics at work because he wanted to keep his customers, not run them off. He didn’t appreciate having his sanity questioned and it made him even more defensive, wishing he had some way to prove what he knew. He was prepared to give her the rundown, despite his misgivings, when she mentally projected her thoughts on his scones to him. His eyes widened slightly and his scowl became even more defined. “I make cranberry ones in the fall,” he said quietly. “They’re out of season right now.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling her this, since they had bigger things to discuss, except that it was easier to explain. He could handle the scones, unlike his newfound ability to read her mind. “Can you do it to anyone else?” he asked, glancing to one of the other customers sitting along the window.
Tessa couldn't help but grin when he caught onto her thoughts. This guy was really into his baked goods. "Cranberry scones are delicious," she said, feeling both excited and anxious about what was going on right now. It seemed so surreal, like something she would see on television. Never something real. Tessa glanced over at the customer by the window, sipping their coffee and reading their phone. She tried to listen, tried to push into their head the way she could with Quentin, apparently. "No," she murmured. "I don't hear anything. Just you. It had to have been the lightning last night. It did something to us. Fried our brains together, or something."
Quentin rolled his eyes at her thought, done discussing scones and why he cared about them at all. He was far more interested in their newfound abilities, something he was reluctant to accept, even with all the evidence laid out before him. He could feel her excitement, yet was unable to buy into it himself, too worried about the potential consequences. He’d heard about weird things happening his whole life, had seen a fair share of them, but he’d never been singled out like this. “I don’t hear anything either,” he said. “Just you. And only since a few seconds ago. Do you think it’s proximity based? I hope it’s proximity based. And not permanent.” Because fuck, this was going to get invasive real damn fast.
Tessa shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I mean, I didn't hear any voices when I woke up this morning, or on my over here. I mean, no voices other than the ones that usually live in my head." She grinned, just to show she was teasing, though she was getting the impression Quentin's sense of humor might not jive with her own. "Do you want to test it out? I can walk outside and we can see if we can still hear each other?" That seemed like the best plan to her, though she was betting it had to be proximity based, unless it hadn't triggered until Tessa walked through the door. But this had never happened to her, so it was all speculation on her part.
Quentin had a sense of humor, just not at the moment. He was struggling to find the silver lining to this new development that would no doubt complicate his life more than necessary. He did assume she was joking about the voices though, otherwise he was truly fucked. Bad enough to hear someone else’s thoughts; he couldn’t handle imaginary ones as well. “Let’s try that,” he said, trying to remain calm and reasonable. They were both adults. They could figure this out. “Try and send me something and I’ll do the same. I promise it won’t be about scones.” I’ll aim for muffins this time, he thought with a small upturn of his lips.
Tessa smirked a bit and then gripped the counter behind her to hop back up onto it and turn herself around to the other side. She knew she could walk around it, but it seemed to have irked him the first time so of course she wanted to do it again. "Be right back," she called over her shoulder. Once she was outside, she walked away from Joyland, putting some distance between them before she chewed on her lip and tried to think of something specific. Instead, she just went with Can you hear this? and waited.
Quentin rolled his eyes when Tessa climbed back over the counter. If he’d been at home he wouldn’t care, but this was his place of business and it was slightly unsanitary. Luckily, the shop was mostly empty, so she wasn’t making too big a scene. He watched as she headed to the door, hoping that once that door was shut between them that her thoughts would no longer make it back into his brain. When she kept walking, he was sure that would be enough, until he suddenly heard her loud and clear. She might as well have been standing right next to him. Quentin sighed. Yes, he thought. Still just you. He ran a hand through his hair, giving it a little tug in frustration. It’s even clearer when you think directly at me.
Well... Tess placed her hands on her hips, grinning. This is fucking strange and kind of awesome. She knew he would disagree and frankly, Tessa wasn't thrilled about a stranger being in her head, but the fact that this happened at all was insane and defied everything she knew about how the mind worked. Not that she knew much, but still. Tessa hurried back to Joyland and let herself inside, feeling slightly breathless. "Do you know anyone in town who might know something about this? Do you think we should find a doctor?"
Definitely fucking strange, Quentin thought, Not sure about the awesome. He could already see how this was going to fuck with them. It wasn’t that big a deal that she could hear him when he’d thought at her directly, but earlier had proven that they were hearing each other’s thoughts even by accident. Maybe proximity would play into the accidental part, but that felt like the best he could hope for. They could hope for. He was sure she’d be decidedly less thrilled when she realized she’d be getting running commentary on every customer that came through the shop. “I know a lot of people who believe a lot of shit. I don’t know that any of them have ever heard of anything like this and I’m not sure I want to tell them. As for a doctor? I think we’d become lab rats real fast.”
"You're not sure you want to tell them?" Tessa eyed him incredulously. "If someone could possibly help us... we should talk to them. Or I'll talk to them and leave you out of it." She paused for a moment. "Maybe I can talk to Caius. He might think I'm insane, but... maybe not. I don't know. We can't just pretend it's not happening. Unless, of course, you want this. Then you can have every thought I've got."
“I didn’t say they could help us; just that they’d believe me,” Quentin sighed. “Weird things happen around here. People will believe anything.” And he had a hard time telling fact from fiction because the stories were so wide in range. Some he could swallow, but most were unbelievable. “He grew up here, same as me. He might—he might know people that could help.” He hated to admit that, but Caius D’Onofrio had both money and power. That could get him almost anything. And if there were truly witches living in Overlook, Caius probably knew exactly who they were.
Tessa sipped her coffee, remembering the black shadow thing she had seen the night before, right before she rear-ended Quentin in the rain. Was that one of the weird things? She just assumed it was a trick of the eye, or the weather. "I'll talk to him," she said after a moment. "But honestly... if there's a doctor around who believes in the weird stuff too, we should find them. Maybe our brains are fried and short-circuiting and we only have so many hours left to live."
“I don’t know about a doctor, but I’ll… I’ll ask around,” Quentin sighed. He had friends who swore they’d seen things, but none with experience in anything like this. Maybe their brains really were fried, but he was still sure that they should stay away from doctors. Besides, he couldn’t imagine there was one here in Point Pleasant who happened to specialize in psychic abilities. The town was too small for something like that. “You mentioned staying at Juniper. How long are you in town?”
She wondered if Caius would think she was a nutjob if she approached him with this problem. They barely knew one another... but he seemed like the connected type. And if Quentin was right that weird things happened in this town, maybe Caius would know about them. Quentin himself seemed more put out by what was going on then genuinely freaked, so Tessa knew this kind of stuff couldn't be too uncommon. And god, what had she gotten herself into coming to this place? "I'm here indefinitely," Tessa explained. "I'm in room number three. And you've got my cell number too. Oh! And this." She tapped her forehead with one finger and grinned. "So we'll definitely know how to keep in touch."
“You’re staying at Juniper indefinitely?” Quentin asked, raising a brow. He remembered her saying that Caius was her brother, so maybe that meant she was loaded as well. Then again, there weren’t a lot of places to stay in town. It made him wonder what brought her there. Normally family stayed with family. He thought there might be a story there, but wasn’t sure if he should ask. Asking about her family invited her to do the same to him and he’d rather avoid that. “Yeah, I’m not sure I need your number at this point, though that might be a bit less intrusive than popping up in your head.” Quentin’s panic was quiet at that point, as he wasn’t entirely sure how it would all play out. It could be worse. They could be dead.
Tessa nodded. "Well, the only other option was that shady motel by the strip club, so..." Caius had actually paid for her room for the next few weeks, which had been insanely generous. She wanted to be able to pay him back, but her savings were meager and she would need to get a job, especially if she planned on staying in town longer than she initally thought. "I don't mind intrusive. It's kind of cool, if you ask me. But, if you would rather I call you, I can. Or I can just come in here every morning and get a free latte and we can chat." She lifted her brows suggestively with a smile.
“Yeah, I’d stay clear of that one,” Quentin said with a cringe. It seemed like there should be more places to stay during the tourist seasons, but Point Pleasant really couldn’t support several hotels, so most people opted to stay in neighboring towns once the inn filled up. Tessa was lucky to have Caius fitting her bill, a bit of information Quentin gleaned without her having to tell him. It was convenient and fed the part of him that liked to listen in on gossip, but he suspected it would become a headache fast. At least it was just between the two of them. “I suppose I can spare a latte a day for my new psychic friend.”
"Aw, we're friends," Tessa said with a grin. "You're the first I've made here." If she didn't count Caius, which she kind of didn't, since he was her brother. But maybe he ought to be a friend first before family. It was confusing. "Let me talk to Caius and then I'll reach out to you. We'll get this figured out. Either we're dying or superheroes. Though I guess there's nothing really superhero-y about being psychic with only one person. This is like that movie, What Women Want? Except it's what Quentin and Tessa want and that's definitely rated R." She sipped her drink again before shrugging. "I'll get out of your hair... er, head? Let me know if you start experiencing any other side effects, okay?"
They weren’t really friends, not yet, but Quentin supposed they would be eventually. Either that or they were going to hate each other. With constant access to each other’s thoughts, it could go either way. Regardless, they were definitely going to get a crash coarse in getting to know each other. “I’m trying not to think too much about the rating potential,” he said with a hint of dread. Oh god, this could be horrible. Luckily, all Quentin wanted right now was a couple more Advil. “I’ll let you know if anything new turns up. You let me know if Caius has any contacts who might be able to help us with this. Maybe it’ll fade, but if not, we might want to find some way to dampen it. Or something. I dunno. We’ll talk soon.”
Tessa chuckled softly. Being in this guy's head could be a total drag. Maybe she could teach him how to develop a sense of humor. Then again, maybe he was truly scared of what she might hear. Men could be disgusting pigs sometimes. Most of the time. "Yeah, we'll talk soon. Take some Advil." She winked at him before turning to leave with her latte. She had a feeling she was going to drive this guy completely crazy, but that was just par for the course. At least she would have some fun doing it.