Reid Franklin (untwinned) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2023-06-14 18:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #july 2018, harlow, knox, reid, shayna mae |
Who: Harlow and Reid, Shayna Mae and Knox
When: afternoon, Saturday, July 14th
Where: home, arts festival
Status: complete
The path to revenge wasn’t always a straight one, but Reid finally felt like he was getting somewhere. He was sitting cross-legged on his and Harlow’s bed, hunched over the computer resting on his calves, his eyes and fingers darting back and forth. He’d finally come across the right information and greased the right palms to get him into Maine’s Department of Corrections systems.
He and Harlow had ideas and half-formed plans, but the thing Reid was clearest on was it wasn’t enough to just kill Shayna Mae. She had wrecked his family, and Reid wanted her to feel that same kind of pain. None of the O’Reillys would come out of this unscathed. They were going to be relying on Harlow’s magic for a lot, but Reid wasn’t powerless either. He was good at one thing, and he’d been using it to his advantage for most of his adult life. This was far more worthy a cause than padding out his bank account.
With a fake report entered under some cop’s credentials -- Reid felt even less sorry for him than he did for his target -- he was sending Max O’Reilly back to jail. It was just taking some research and time to figure out how to do it right, what boxes needed to be ticked, whose digital signature he needed to forge, what kind of a paperwork mess he needed to leave behind to cover his tracks ... but Reid was close to having it done. He set his computer aside for the moment to straighten his back and rub his eyes a bit. His body needed a break, so Reid half-slid off the bed to do some stretching.
Knowing Reid was busy, Harlow left him alone, enjoying a walk through Seaview and pausing every now and then to chat with neighbors who were also outside. It certainly didn't hurt to get to know the people in Point Pleasant. It was a small enough town that she was sure everyone knew each other and she found that to be mostly true. Eventually she made her way back to the trailer she was sharing with Reid and headed for the bedroom.
He was no longer focused on the computer and she smiled a bit as she watched him stretch from the door frame. "How's it going?" He looked like he needed a break and she was the person to make sure he took one.
Reid heard her coming, but he only opened his eyes to look up at her from the floor when she spoke. He released the knee he’d been hugging to his chest and switched to the other one. “Hey. Going great,” Reid told her, a little grin crossing his face. “Almost ready to kick it off, Probably tomorrow.” He let go of his leg and gave a full body stretch with a quiet grunt, then sat up and leaned his back against the bed. Reid held a hand out to Harlow to invite her to join him, stretching his legs out in front of him to cross at the ankles. “What have you been up to?”
Harlow took his hand and sat beside him comfortably, resting her head against his shoulder. She was excited to kick off their plan, to finally get vengeance for Reid's brother before they skipped town. Harlow was enjoying Point Pleasant. There was a dark energy that permeated from its core, but at the same time, she missed the mountains and her sisters. "I was taking a walk," she said, bringing his fingers up to her lips to kiss his knuckles. "I met some neighbors. It's a beautiful day outside. What do you think about getting some fresh air?" He had been in the room for a while and if he was taking the time to stretch his muscles, he probably needed a real break.
He hummed a happy little sound as he cuddled up to Harlow, dropping his head to the side to rest against hers. She constantly smelled good to him, and he thought he caught some of the smell of the sun in her hair. Reid had zero interest in their neighbors -- if he could get away with being completely invisible in this town while they were there, he would have done his best. It was already hard enough to see his parents and old high school friends just randomly on the street, he didn’t need to make any more connections here. “Who’d you meet?” he asked, curious as to whether or not he knew them already. “But uh, yeah sure. Fresh air would be good for me, probably.” Reid chuckled sheepishly.
Harlow hummed as she recalled the names she learned on her walk. "Ms. Frey? She lives a few trailers down. Older lady with the two cats. There's a couple who lives near the entrance... Keith and Amber? He's chatty. She just glared at me." Harlow chuckled and rubbed her thumb over Reid's knuckles. "I also talked to some guy who was cleaning his windows, but I didn't get his name." Since Reid agreed to getting out of the house, Harlow lifted her head and kissed his cheek before climbing back to her feet and tugging him along with her. "Let's go into town," she suggested. "Keith told me there's some art festival going on. We can buy some kitschy trinkets and get some beer."
None of those names were familiar to Reid, but that didn’t mean much. He’d never been terribly social, that had been his brother’s domain. Plus, Reid was finding more and more holes in his memories of Point Pleasant, like his mind was trying to protect him by making edits. He wasn’t worried though -- after they finished their business here, he planned to put this place in his rearview and not return until he had to, probably when one of his parents died. Reid groaned and playfully resisted getting up for half a second just to make Harlow pull harder, then stood up and draped his arm around her. “Sure, I could go for some kind of ... ugly dreamcatcher, or windchimes made out of junk,” he said as they headed for the bedroom door. It felt wrong on some level to leave his work behind, but it wasn’t going anywhere and spending time with Harlow was more appealing.
"I love windchimes. Even the ones made of junk," Harlow said, slipping her arm around his waist. "Maybe we'll find something to take home with us. A souvenir from Point Pleasant to remember everything we've accomplished." Besides the feeling of satisfaction from avenging Reese's death. Harlow still had her shoes on from her walk so she released Reid to grab the car keys. "How's it coming? You've been on your computer pretty much all day." Harlow was skilled in plenty, but she had never had much use for computers beyond the very basic necessities. She could use one, sure, but she was nowhere near the skill level of Reid. It was his own brand of magic and she was continually impressed by it.
Reid slipped into his shoes near the door, thinking that he wanted something more personal to take home as a souvenir once they were done here. Something of Shayna Mae’s that he could hang up like a trophy. Having her head or a chunk of her hair or something flashed through his mind, but that was probably too morbid. Once he’d burned her life down around her, he would figure it out. “I just need to double check a few things, make sure my tracks are covered, but I should be able to pull the trigger on it tomorrow morning,” he answered with an easy smile. Getting Max O’Reilly arrested again wouldn’t ruin his whole life, but he was sure it would complicate it for a while, and he wanted to strip Shayna Mae’s support structure away from her one piece at a time. “We need a plan for the other brothers. Max is easy pickings, but the other two don’t have a record. One of them I can’t even find shit about anywhere online, it’s a little weird.”
A tick of excitement blossomed in her chest and Harlow faced Reid, a smile spreading across her lips. "Tomorrow. That's amazing." If they had taken the easy route, Harlow would have just poisoned Shayna Mae's entire family and watched them all fall in one go. But this was much more satisfying and she knew Reid had wanted to take an active role in her downfall. She walked over to him and brushed her fingers through his hair. "That's what socializing with the neighbors is for. You get to know the people who know them. Gossip, facts... it doesn't matter. Everything is a lead if you know how to wrangle it from people." Harlow pressed a kiss to his lips. "I remember... Aidan? Who is the other one?"
Reid settled his hands on Harlow’s hips when she came closer, not minding the delay in the slightest. They could stand around and kiss all day long and he would be happy. That was the kind of life they’d live once this was all over and the scales were balanced. “I dunno I think he’s ... older,” he murmured, a vague frown crossing his face. He didn’t know much about the big one, just that he existed and Reid had seen him around with them, on some of the few occasions they came into town. “Maybe just a cousin or something, I don’t actually know, but he lives up there with them. Don’t even know his name.” That wouldn’t save him, though. Reid kissed her again and cupped her ass.
They would find out the "cousin's" name in time. People in small towns like this one liked to talk and gossip, especially about the "weird" family in town, and Harlow was fairly certain that weird family was the O'Reillys. The "cousin" would either be as guilty as the rest of them, or he would simply be collateral. Harlow enjoyed Reid's mouth, taking her time and kissing him slowly until a smile curved at her lips. "Come on," she said, reluctantly pulling back and sliding her hands down until she slipped them into his. "You need to get out of the house. Get some sunshine on your gorgeous face." When they came home, she could strip him naked and have some fun. Harlow tugged him gently toward the door. "Want me to drive?"
Reid didn’t give the mystery guy much thought, too absorbed in Harlow’s mouth to really give a shit what his situation was. If he tried to get in the way, he would pay. Even if he didn’t, he was obviously close enough to Shayna Mae that he was in the splash zone. He would pay for her sins just like Reid’s whole family had paid when they lost Reese. He grinned faintly and squeezed Harlow’s fingers as she led him outside. She was right, he did need to get out, and wandering around somewhere with stuff to buy was usually a good time. Maybe they would even spot one of their prey out and about. Reid held the door open for Harlow and then followed her toward the car. “Sure, go for it,” he said, content to sit back and let her take charge. She was amazing at it. He climbed into the passenger seat and settled in.
Reid seemed much more relaxed now than he had been when they first arrived back in Point Pleasant. She knew he was still wary about seeing his old friends and even his family, but he was definitely less skittish now than before. And Harlow was glad that he wanted to get out of the house and enjoy something removed from their plan for revenge. It was a nice day and Harlow had been missing the mountains and forests of North Carolina. Maine felt like a different continent compared to her home, but she was growing appreciative of it in its own right. "What was your favorite thing to do here while you were growing up?" she asked, once they were on their way. It wouldn't take long to get there, but Harlow didn't care. She was still insanely curious about Reid's past... the parts she didn't quite know yet. "And I'm talking things outside of being home."
“Well that narrows it down,” he murmured with a soft laugh. “Uhh ... me and Reese used to go down to find hermit crabs on the beach. There was a really cool spot to swim down this path in the woods, too. I should take you, bet you’d love it.” Reid hadn’t been there since before Reese died, by several years at least. They’d stopped doing as much stuff together as they’d become teens. They’d had time to mature and drift apart to become independent people, like brothers were supposed to do ... and sometimes Reid regretted it. “Going to the Orion too, that’s the theater. They do all these cheesy throwback movies, themed weekends and stuff.” That was a nerdy indoor activity, but it wasn’t being home, so he hoped it counted. “We loved it when the carnivals would come, too. Any ride we could get on, we wanted to ride a hundred times.”
Harlow focused on the road as Reid spoke, but she listened, liking the small glimpses into his past. She knew he didn't like to talk about it much so Harlow did what she could to lure it out of him. It was telling that most of the things he chose to tell her involved his twin brother. "I love cheesy movies," she said with a smile, glancing at him. "And having experienced the last carnival with you, I can see why you would have loved it. I always loved the mountain lifts back home. Not as exciting as something you would find at a carnival, but the view was always beautiful, especially once you reached the top. Rayna is scared of heights so we used to bully her to get on one with us. You'd think we were on some kind of rolleroaster, the way she carried on."
Reid laughed a little, easily able to picture that, knowing Harlow’s sisters as well as he did now. Sometimes it was a little weird that he had so many memories here in Point Pleasant, but the house where he’d lived with all of them in South Carolina felt more like home. It wasn’t just the length of time he’d spent there either ... he’d kind of been reborn in that house. He’d done a lot of healing, enough that he was ready to finally make things right. “Y’all are so mean,” he said, grinning over at Harlow. She was so beautiful, and felt more like home than any physical place did. They could go anywhere. “We’ll have to go to the Orion soon then. And anywhere else you wanna go, really. The lighthouse can be nice, if you like views. Reese used to take all his girlfriends up there to make out.” He snorted softly.
"That's how we show love," Harlow said with a chuckle. Gods, she did miss her family back home. But Reid was her family now too and when she began to feel homesick, she reminded herself this was temporary. "And I would love to make out with you at the lighthouse," she added, glancing over at him. "I would make out with you wherever you wanted. Is that where you would have taken me, if I had been your girlfriend in high school?" She knew by now that Reese had been the more "popular" twin of the two, more outgoing than Reid. But she still liked pulling certain answers out of him, just so he would understand that he was worth just as much as Reese had been.
Reid hadn’t exactly been suggesting they go to the lighthouse just to make out like teenagers, but he wasn’t against the idea either. There were spectacular views up there, and it was usually pretty empty except during the height of tourist season ... which was now, being in the middle of summer, but still. Quiet moments could be found. Harlow’s question drew a bit of a laugh out of him, and he struggled to imagine what would have done with her back then, as an even more painfully awkward version of himself. “I would have been totally desperate to impress you, so probably would’ve thought the lighthouse was too lame,” Reid said, vaguely amused. “I’d probably take you to the Fallows to make out. Or the covered bridge, maybe. ... You definitely wouldn’t have been my girlfriend for long, if you even looked at me twice to start with.” He chuckled again, totally convinced of that.
Harlow chuckled, used to Reid's self-deprecating remarks. He had gotten better with his self-esteem since they first met, but he still had a long way to go when it came to his confidence. It was okay with Harlow. She wanted him now and he knew it, so that was all that mattered at the moment. "How do I know you'd even look at me?" she asked, flashing him an inquisitive look. "Maybe I looked completely different in high school. And for the record, I like covered bridges. North Carolina has a lot of them. Making out in a variety of places is one of my favorite things to do."
“Oh yeah?” Reid asked, his tone a little flirtatious, as if he didn’t already know that. The two of them had done quite a bit of making out since they’d met. He reached over to lightly pinch at the side of Harlow’s thigh. “You wanna go there instead?” It was only a half-serious question, she had seemed keen on going to the arts festival, but it never hurt to ask, right? Reid didn’t really know what Harlow had been like in high school, maybe she’d been a late bloomer, but he couldn’t think of her as anything but stunning, so he was sure she would have caught his eye. Whether he would have ever gotten the balls to do anything about it was probably a different story. “Or maybe we should just take a detour on our way back?”
"We can detour on the way home," she said, a smile quirking at her lips. Harlow wanted Reid out among people for a while. They may or may not run into people he knew, but that was a chance she was willing to take. It would be good for him to face his demons, no matter what or who they looked like. Maybe they would see Shayna Mae O'Reilly, or someone in her family. Considering they all lived out in the woods, Harlow didn't know how often they came into town, but maybe she and Reid would get lucky today. "You know," Harlow continued, "I do think you should reach out to people while you're here. Spend some time with your parents, or your friend Rylee. I think it would be good for you."
Reid was very aware that he wasn’t being very sociable on this visit home. It wasn’t really a visit though, was it? It was more like a quest for revenge. But nobody else could know that, so he probably looked like a reclusive asshole to his friends and family. Reid just felt weird to be ‘home’ after so long -- he felt so removed from Point Pleasant, practically a different person now, but there were so many memories here, so much emotion. He’d been trying to take it in small doses. “Yeah,” Reid said slowly, gazing forward through the windshield. “I know.” He knew Harlow had his best interests at heart, and she was probably right. It just felt awkward and hard to him. Reid glanced at her and smirked faintly. “You tryin’ to get rid of me? What would you do while I was gone?”
"Miss you," she answered, returning his smirk with a small one of her own. Harlow knew socializing wasn't Reid's strong suit, especially where it came to his family. But he might be grateful for it when all was said and done and they were leaving Point Pleasant for good. "You know me," she continued, "I can always find something to do. Explore, get to know some people. I don't want to force you into anything. But you do have people here who care about you. Even if you feel disconnected from them, it might not hurt to spend some time with them."
He kind of doubted she would miss him much -- Reid believed Harlow loved him, but she was definitely the more independent of the two of them. When his mental state was darker, he sometimes felt like some sadness leech who’d latched onto her, and she just hadn’t plucked him off yet for whatever reason, but those states were taking control less and less frequently. Harlow was still a goddess though, and he was a mere mortal, those were just rational facts. “Oh, it’ll hurt,” Reid murmured, giving a soft, humorless chuckle. “But, uh ... yeah I know I should do it anyway.” Hanging out with Rylee might be okay, she’d been more his friend than Reese’s, but seeing his parents? There was no way to escape the grief there. “I will, okay? You don’t gotta wise-advice me into it.”
"Yes, I do," Harlow said, searching for a place to park now that they were close enough to the festival. "If I don't wise-advice you into it, you wouldn't do it and we both know that." She was sure Reid would have been content with ignoring everyone in town until they were ready to leave. And no, she didn't want Reid to be uncomfortable, but there was no telling if they would ever come back to Point Pleasant, so this could very well be the last time he saw his family face to face. Maybe he was looking forward to that. Harlow saw an empty space along the curb near Main Street so she parked and looked over at Reid once the car was turned off. Reaching over, she brushed her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "I only wise-advice because I care about you. Everyone gets my I don't give a fuck advice."
It was occasionally frustrating to be with someone who could see through him like glass, but Reid knew it was ultimately good for him. Harlow always called him on his bullshit, and even if he didn’t like hearing it sometimes, he was grateful for it too. He nuzzled his head back a bit into her hand and sighed softly, then gave her a smile. “I know. And I’d much rather have wise-advice than no fucks given,” Reid said, though that was probably obvious. He drifted his fingertips down the smooth skin of her arm and turned his head to kiss at the inside of her wrist. “You wanna be included maybe? Meet my parents?” he offered, his smile turning a bit more smirky. Reid was pretty sure neither of them were in any way ready for that, but he wanted to throw it out there anyway to see what she would say.
Harlow knew it would be easier to just let things be, to let Reid stay in his comfort zone and allow him the final say. But that wasn't who she was, not when she disagreed, or felt he needed a firm push to do things he otherwise wouldn't. There was a purpose behind everything she did and this was no different. She watched him kiss her skin, a small smile playing at her lips in return. "That's completely your decision," she pointed out. "But you know I'll meet anyone and everyone, if you want me to. But if you're not comfortable with it, or you know it'll go terribly, then I'll be fine remaining a mystery." She slipped her hand into his and brought his fingers to her lips.
Reid gave a little huff through his nose, her lips sending a nice tingle up his arm. “I think you would be ... the complete opposite of who they’d expect me to bring home,” he murmured, his tone softly amused. “But I don’t think it would go terribly. Nothing with you goes terribly.” Reid’s parents were mild-mannered people, and they might be a bit bewildered by this strong, gorgeous black woman he’d fallen in love with, but they would do their best to make her feel welcome. Now, would the fact that he was happy and in love penetrate their grief fog for more than a few moments? Reid didn’t know. Not much ever had. Maybe he just didn’t want Harlow to see all that. Or he didn’t want to see it himself. Reid pulled her hand back to kiss the back of it, then let go and opened the car door. “C’mon, arts and crafts await us.”
Harlow climbed out of the car, already intrigued at the prospect of meeting Reid's parents. She already knew she probably wouldn't be what they would expect, but that was okay. Life was much more fun when it was unpredictable. After locking the car doors, she slipped her hand into Reid's to walk toward the festival. There were already plenty of people around and Harlow scanned the crowd, wondering if there was anyone of interest. She was there for the people as much as the art. "Let's get a beer," she said, already heading for one of the vendors. "Shopping is much more fun when you're buzzed."
As they walked into the festival, he felt the quiver of anxiety that always came when he went out in public in this place. There were certain people that Reid didn’t think he would actually mind seeing and catching up with ... but it still made him nervous. He felt Different than the Reid who they’d known, changed by grief and his sense of vengeance and everything he’d learned from Harlow and her sisters. He was in love for the first real time, too. It was just weird to be back in Point Pleasant. But beer tended to ease weirdness, so Reid didn’t need to be told twice. Once they both had drinks in their hands and he’d taken his first big swallow, Reid put his free arm around Harlow’s shoulders and strolled with her up the first aisle of art booths and tents. He found himself looking at the people milling around as much as the offerings on the vendor tables, on watch for a familiar face.
Harlow felt in her element. She loved little street festivals like this, always eager to see how people expressed themselves through their art. Things were generally overpriced, but she couldn't fault people for wanting to get paid for what they put of themselves into their creativity. She took her time, examining the jewelry and flipping through prints of photography and paintings. Occasionally she would play with the little plastic ring around her finger, the one she had made Reid buy when they first met. After wandering away from another booth of handmade soaps, she slipped her hand back into Reid's. It was then her eyes caught sight of a rather large, imposing man in the crowd. There was something about him that struck her as different. Not human. He was with a petite blonde who carried several bags from the various vendors on the street. Harlow's magic thrummed beneath her skin and she squeezed Reid's hand gently before nodding to the man. "Do you know that man?"
Almost all of it was kitschy junk to Reid, but he’d never been much of an art lover in the first place, and none of the trinkets or shawls people put together appealed to him much. Some of the photography was pretty cool, so Reid lingered over that more than most other things, but ultimately he had a hard time spending money on something like that. Getting stuff for Harlow really appealed to him though, and he asked her a couple of times if she wanted whatever was in her hand at the moment. Reid figured they would find something that scratched the itch, they just hadn’t come across it yet. The instant Harlow brought his attention to someone they were approaching, a weird cringey feeling ran down Reid’s back. “That’s her,” he whispered as he stopped in his tracks. Reid quickly started to turn away, but he turned in the wrong direction and bumped into Harlow. “Fuck,” Reid hissed, feeling a little panicky as he turned the other way. “It’s her and the -- the cousin. Fuck.”
Her. Harlow didn't need to ask who her was. It was pretty evident in the way Reid reacted. Shayna Mae O'Reilly. She was a tiny thing, but that didn't matter. Harlow recognized power and this woman had it. "Hey, it's okay," she murmured, tightening her hand around Reid's. "Take a breath. We're not going to run." The two people hadn't even noticed them, so she wasn't worried about some terrible confrontation. It was very possible O'Reilly had no idea how deep Reid's disdain for her ran. "But that's no cousin. He's something else," Harlow said, glancing back at the tall man. She had no idea yet if he was going to be a small problem, or a big one. "But this is good. You need to see her. We're here because of her, after all."
Reid had no idea if Shayna Mae would even remember him, though she’d grown into almost mythical proportions in his mind. Harlow stood her ground, which forced him to stand his own, though he stayed half-turned away from the O’Reillys. He didn’t want to see them, not until they were all getting slapped with proper justice, but more than that he didn’t want them to see him. He had no reason to think they would suspect him of anything, he and Harlow hadn’t even made their first move yet, but the aversion was still there. Reid kept his eyes turned away, scanning the crowd for more O’Reilly faces nearby. “What do you mean, what kind of something else?” he asked Harlow, his voice low like they would be overheard through the din of people roaming around. That sounded bad, like there were going to be more factors they had to account for.
Harlow wasn't worried that Shayna Mae and her "cousin" would see them and somehow know what they were up to. A part of her wanted Reid to be seen, just so she could gauge Shayna Mae's reaction. Would she even remember Reid, or his brother? Did she carry any guilt around for what she had done? While Reid stayed beside Harlow, she could feel the tension radiating off of him in waves. His question prompted her to glance back at the tall man following closely behind the petite blonde. "I'm not sure yet," she murmured. "I might be able to tell if I can get closer. I'm going to walk over to the booth next to them and see if I can figure it out. Will you stay here?" She released his hand, but not before pressing a kiss to it. Even if the two saw her, she was not a local and would be a complete stranger to them. They may be able to recognize her own magic, but that didn't bother Harlow either. Gods knew there were plenty of witches in this town.
Reid mumbled some acknowledgement and let Harlow’s hand go, moving slightly off to the side so he wasn’t in the line of foot traffic. He pretended to browse the stuff on the nearest vendor table while shooting glances at Harlow’s back and who she was close to every few seconds. Some irrational part of him didn’t want Harlow anywhere physically close to Shayna Mae, like her evil magic might lash out suddenly or something, even though he knew that was unlikely. Especially in public. Plus, Harlow was a badass goddess, so she could hold her own. Reid tried to swallow down the nerves and act casual.
Knox was enjoying a pleasant day in town with Shayna Mae. There wasn’t much that they needed to leave their forest home for, most of their necessities were covered by Shayna Mae’s garden and Knox’s hunting and whatever Aidan happened to steal was willing to share, but he knew his love enjoyed crafts and art and so they tried to make it out to these things. He was mostly along for the ride, really only interested in the rare magical items ... and Shayna Mae’s happiness. While they were browsing, he felt a powerful tug at his senses, and looked over to see an unfamiliar woman stepping up to the booth next to them. Her magic was strong, but he didn’t know her, which was interesting. Plenty of tourists came and went in Point Pleasant, but not many of them were actual magic users. Knox nudged Shayna Mae lightly with his elbow and shot her a curious look.
Shayna Mae was enjoying their time in town too, completely taken in by all of the vendors and the various things they were selling. She didn't really have any use for them, but that didn't matter. If she saw it and liked it, she bought it. Which was probably how she had ended up with so many bags hanging from her wrists. Some handmade jewelry and soaps and candles, all things Shayna Mae had plenty of at home, but she was supporting local artists and the like and if you asked her, no one could ever have too many candles. She was running her fingers over a small dragonfly pin when she felt Knox nudge her gently. Looking up, she caught his eye and realized that she was feeling the pulses of magic nearby. Usually she just chalked up the feeling to being in Point Pleasant - the place radiated magic, after all - but this was very earthy and specific. It didn't take long to zone in on the pretty woman nearby. It was no one Shayna Mae recognized, but she was intrigued. Being near this woman reminded her of when she was with Caius. His magic was stronger, but this woman came close.
"Hi," she said, forgetting about the dragonfly pin and approaching the woman. She had no idea if that had been Knox's intention but that didn't matter. Shayna Mae knew he would stay nearby regardless of what she decided to do. "You must be new to town. I don't think we've ever met. I'm Shayna Mae."
Harlow was mildly surprised when Shayna Mae outright approached her and for a moment she wondered if the woman was a psychic too and somehow knew what was going on. But Harlow saw no suspicion in the other woman's eyes, just curiosity and politeness. Maybe the witches in this town felt the need to know one another. "Hello," she said with an easy smile. "I am new, yes. Harlow." She looked at Knox, trying to suss him out. Definitely not a witch, but... something.
Knox gave Shayna Mae room to do what she was going to do. That was usually the best course of action, unless she was in imminent danger. Knox didn’t really sense danger here, just magic and a bunch of normal humans walking around. He kept an eye on the situation, ambling forward a couple of steps, but otherwise gave the women room to talk.
For his part several booths down the aisle, Reid was not so calm. They were talking now? He was shifting from foot to foot, trying to force himself not to stare at the small blonde witch talking to his girlfriend. His every instinct was to get Harlow away from those people, but he had to trust that she knew what she was doing, even if it made him want to crawl out of his skin. So he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared hard at the set of wooden coasters in front of him and strained uselessly to hear anything they said.
Harlow knew that Reid was watching them and while she hadn't exactly planned to speak to Shayna Mae, it was happening now and she was pleased by it. Why not speak to the woman who ruined Reid's life? It wouldn't change how they proceeded, but it might make the entire thing more satisfying for her. Harlow knew Shayna Mae's curiosity had more to do with her being a witch than anything else, so she wasn't worried.
"This is Knox," Shayna Mae said, glancing up at her familiar before returning her attention, and smile, to Harlow. "I know it was probably strange to just walk up to you like this, but..."
"I understand wanting to know like-minded people," Harlow interrupted, a smile playing at her own lips. It was a subtle way of acknowledging that she was a witch and that Harlow knew Shayna Mae was one as well. "I appreciate it. I've been hoping to meet people who have the same interests as me." She had to fight the urge to look over her shoulder for Reid, but she knew he was nearby, she could still feel him there.
"It's helpful in this town," Shayna Mae said with a knowing smile. "There are quite a few more of us too. If you have any questions, or need any help, feel free to reach out."
The woman was awfully friendly, but it didn't endear Harlow to her at all. There was the strong urge to curse her somehow, even give her a bit of physical pain deep in her gut. But Shayna Mae would recognize the magic and Harlow had a feeling her hulking bodyguard would too. But she could be friendly in return and perhaps use this to her advantage later.
"Thank you," Harlow said warmly. "I'll probably do that. It's always a little overwhelming, moving to a new place." Her gaze shifted to Knox again and her lips twitched. "Do you talk, or do you just... hover?"
It was built into Knox to be protective of his family, so he was suspicious of almost everyone they crossed paths with. He didn’t feel any extra suspicion for this new witch, but that instinct to shield Shayna Mae was still there. Maybe that was why it seemed like he was hovering, since he kind of was. When she addressed him, Knox gave Harlow a lopsided grin that wasn’t entirely friendly. “Depends on the situation,” he answered. It was up to interpretation what kind of situation this was. Knox didn’t want to be too much of an asshole though, so he gave the newcomer a nod. “Welcome to town.”
Harlow could understand being protective. She was certainly protective of her own family, and of Reid. This man was something of a bodyguard and it hit Harlow later than she would have liked - he was a familiar. Not many modern witches had them anymore, for whatever reason. But this tiny little blonde did and Harlow found that fairly interesting. Familiars would have to be dealt with differently and while his presence didn't discourage Harlow in any way, she knew she and Reid would now have to plan for him as well. Her lips quirked into a small smile and she returned his nod before shifting her attention back to Shayna Mae. She set small wooden coasters down. "Thanks for the welcome. I'll let you two get back to your shopping. I'm sure we'll see each other again." Harlow pulled away to return to Reid. She got the sense that Shayna Mae was a powerful witch, but not one Harlow couldn't handle.
Knox watched the new witch walk away, then turned an arched eyebrow and a little smile toward his mistress. Her magic had felt interesting, different from what he was used to encountering. Not that he ever strayed far from his chosen family, but still. Knox had been entrenched in the magic in Point Pleasant for centuries -- hell, he’d been born from it. Harlow was definitely a foreigner here. But that wasn’t a bad thing, every area needed an influx of new blood from time to time.
Reid had felt on the verge of crawling out of his skin by the time Harlow turned back toward him. He quickly looked away, suddenly very interested in the crafts in front of him, just in case Shayna Mae was still watching Harlow and spotted who she was heading toward. Reid felt a little panicky for a moment -- should he turn and start walking away? Pretend he didn’t know her? Did it even fucking matter? He wasn’t good at this direct confrontation stuff, he just wanted to be safe behind his keyboard at home, wreaking havoc on those assholes. That was what he was best at.
Harlow walked right by Reid, also aware that Shayna Mae, or Knox, could be watching. "Let's go," she told him, eager for another beer, or something stronger if she could find it. As soon as Reid was beside her and they had disappeared into the crowd, Harlow gave him a sardonic smile. "She's a peach, and he's not a witch... he's a familiar. He's powerful, but I'm not worried about that. We'll just have to entrap him before we go in for the kill, so to speak, otherwise... well, he'll die trying to protect her. We'll have to make sure we take him by surprise." Harlow didn't sound discouraged by this. In fact, she felt the exact opposite. A thrill ran through her and it was arousing, thinking about how much destruction they would unleash on one family. Harlow reached out for Reid's hand. "Are you all right?"
With another quick, uncertain glance at the O’Reillys, Reid fell into step to catch up to Harlow. He listened to what she had to say with a vague frown on his face -- a familiar? Like a witch’s black cat or something? Obviously it was a lot more complicated than the Halloween stereotypes, if familiars could also be grown men. That meant they were probably magical too then, right? Reid’s gears were trying to turn over how to handle this new factor, but he didn’t have nearly enough information to think useful thoughts about it. Harlow sounded confident though, and Reid trusted her to know her shit, so he tried not to worry too much about it. He squeezed her hand and glanced over at her. “Yeah, just ... I dunno, relieved she didn’t seem to see me,” he answered. “... did it help you any? Seeing her up close?”
"I don't know that it helped me, but I liked it," Harlow said, bringing Reid's hand up to her lips to kiss quickly. "She knew I was a witch, but that's not surprising. We can usually sense it in others when they're nearby. She welcomed me and told me to reach out if I ever needed anything. It might not be so terrible to get to know her. It might even help us." She looked up at Reid, one brow raising. "Unless you would rather we stay behind the scenes of it and keep our distance." She would be fine with whatever Reid wanted her to do.
Reid didn’t feel very in charge of all of this ... he wanted it to happen, he was sure about that, but Harlow was the one with the real power. Reid could fuck with people’s lives through computers, sure, but that only went so far. He still knew very little about magic and how any of the amazing shit Harlow could do worked, so if she thought being up close and personal with Shayna Mae could help, maybe he ought to let her try, even if it made his stomach churn. Reid had been anxious about so many things in his life, it was sometimes hard to tell what was actually a bad idea and what he was just afraid of. “I mean ... not me, right?” he asked, glancing over at Harlow. “Like you can be all spy-woman and infiltrate them or whatever, but I do wanna stay behind the scenes. I dunno how well she remembers me, but just in case, you know? At least until we’re ready to like ... do it all.”
Harlow shook her head. "Not you." She knew better than to try and make Reid befriend Shayna Mae. Even if he had wanted to, she wouldn't let him. It was too much and frankly, Shayna Mae seemed like she might have a brain between her ears and Harlow didn't want Reid's presence becoming suspicious. Even if Shayna Mae didn't find something odd with it, that big piece of meat hovering behind her would. Familiars whose existence was to be there and protect their magical witch, or family. He would see things Shayna Mae didn't. "You keep doing what you're doing. We're not pushing this off. We'll get the older brother taken care of and work our way down. I'll take care of the familiar and soon. Once we hit the brothers he's going to be extra vigilant."
He nodded, a bit secretly relieved that he didn’t have to make nice with that blonde bitch. Reid didn’t think he had a good enough poker face for that anyway, and who knew what kind of truth-serum magic she had up her sleeve. Harlow could deal with that kind of stuff, not him. “Yeah ... I think it’ll probably take the authorities a couple of days to grab Max, after I hit the button. That could be written off as something mundane, so we’ll still have our cover,” Reid said thoughtfully. He’d never been great at strategy games, but he was really trying to carefully plan all of this with her. “I still dunno what to do about the other brother. And I thought familiars were like ... cats or toads or something.” Reid cocked an eyebrow over at her, curious. He was sure that was another dumb witch stereotype, but he’d never heard Harlow talk about familiars before.
Harlow laughed softly and glanced at Reid. It might have been a stereotype, sure, but that didn't mean there wasn't some truth in it. "I mean, I suppose they can be toads or cats. Familiars can be anything they want to be, animal or person. I guarantee you that man you saw is not his original form. Not many witches have familiars these days. Losing one is extremely difficult to get over too. I can always take care of the other brother. I just need to learn a bit more about him so I know exactly what it'll take to make sure he's out of the way when we finally get to the woman. I could probably pretend like I need help, or guidance and see if I can get myself invited to her home. That would benefit us. But I'm excited for you to push that button, by the way. To set everything in motion."
Magic was so weird. Shapeshifting familiars? What was his real form if he wasn’t some huge native-looking dude? Was it even a ‘he,’ did familiars have genders? Reid had so many questions that he wasn’t sure Harlow had answers for, or if he even really wanted to know. She’d said she could take care of the familiar, and he trusted that she was right. The sadistic side of Reid that was helping to drive all of this liked the thought that it would be a devastating loss to Shayna Mae. They could weaken her position and hurt her soul at the same time. Good, he wanted her to suffer, just like he had when the closest person to him had been ripped away. “Me too,” he murmured, slipping his arm around her shoulders. Reid toyed with one of her braids with his fingers. “It sounds smart to me. Getting an in with them, if you can. She always acts so eager to help, might as well let her, right?” Shayna Mae could help them destroy her.
Harlow agreed with a low hum in her throat, one arm snaking around Reid's waist. It had been worth coming out to this thing today, even if they hadn't bought anything. Getting a good look at Shayna Mae O'Reilly and her big, burly protector was beneficial to what they were planning to do. And Reid had taken the sighting much better than she would have thought, but he had come a long way since the day he stepped into her aunt's shop. "Enough about them for now," Harlow said, lifting her face to nuzzle lightly at his throat. "Want to go find something to eat and head home? I have things I want to do to you that would get me arrested if I did them here."
If Reid hadn’t done all of the growing he’d done in North Carolina, he definitely would have freaked out more to see Shayna Mae out in public like this. It helped to have a plan of attack already in place -- he knew she didn’t have much longer to wander around the streets like she didn’t have a care in the world. Her time was coming and she didn’t even know it. Hopefully she didn’t, anyway, or they were going to have a lot more trouble with this than they thought. Harlow’s method of changing the subject brought a smile to his face, and he fairly easily let go of his current train of thought, which was probably another sign of growth. He didn’t have to be so obsessed with Shayna Mae, the problem was getting resolved. Going home with Harlow was much more pleasant to think about. “If you do, I can have bail money for you within the hour, no worries,” Reid assured her with a crooked little grin. He squeezed her shoulders. “What kinda food do you want? Something from here, or wanna drop by somewhere on the way home for it?”
"Let's pick something up on the way home," Harlow suggested. That way they could decide how hungry they were when they got there. She may want to drag Reid to the bedroom first and eat later. Meeting Shayna Mae had given Harlow an appetite for many things and she needed some way to satisfy that hunger. Thankfully Reid was always on board with whatever it was Harlow wanted. "What about some thai food?"
“Thai sounds great,” Reid said easily. He wasn’t fussy about what they ate or when, his appetite had been weird ever since Reese died and he’d gone through all of that mourning. He’d gotten kind of disconnected from caring for his body, and it was much easier to distract himself from his hunger than it used to be. Things were coming back around into alignment inside of him, but it was taking some time, like a lot of other things. Reid leaned over to kiss Harlow’s head as they strolled toward the festival exit. They hadn’t actually bought anything, but they were still walking away with something valuable.