lookinside (lookinside) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-02-19 08:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, neil, neil x sebastian, sebastian |
Who: Sebastian and Neil
Where: The town library
When: Early evening, Wednesday October 4
Status: Complete
It was late in the day when Sebastian stopped by the library, intending on a quick stop on the way home from football practice. All he needed was a book for his government project, but he found himself wandering after that, scanning the shelves for a section of the library he wasn’t even sure existed. He’d been pacing up and down the rows for a good half hour when he made his way up to the front, looking for a librarian, hoping for someone other than Mak for once. If he had to ask her, he’d save his inquiry for another time. “Hello?” he called out quietly. He didn’t want to yell in the library, even if it was mostly empty.
Neil was in the back, not because he actually had work there right now but because he was looking at job openings in other towns, preferably other states, to be honest. Something told him it was just a daydream and he was never actually going to leave but there was something comforting about finding ways to leave if he found the strength to do so. He sighed deeply when he heard the soft beckoning out at the counter and stood up with a small roll of his eyes. Yes, he was at work and everyone else was busy but it still didn't feel fair that he had to deal with customers right now.
Especially a sporty teenage boy kind of customer. Neil furrowed his brows when he saw Sebastian and almost asked him if he was in the wrong place. "Can I help you?" he asked dryly instead and wished Mak was at work to deal with this.
Sebastian breathed a little sigh of relief when it was Neil who came to help him, even if the guy didn’t seem all that pleased himself. Then he realized that he would have to vocalize what he was looking for and Sebastian stood there for a moment, mouth open like an idiot. “Um… Do you have any books on witchcraft?” he asked finally, sure his face was burning up to his ears. He couldn’t even imagine what the guy might be thinking, but he hoped the answer was yes and that asking might at least be worth it.
They did get a lot of people asking for those kinds of books here, it kind of came with the history of Point Pleasant and Honeycutt made sure to stack a few books out in the public area for those people who wandered in. They were usually tourists, or young girls with painted nails and a thirst for something exciting. Not... Jocks. "Are you looking for fiction or historical material?" Neil asked and maybe it was for a school project in which case... well, kudos to the kid for studying, he guessed.
“No, I’m looking for more like… application,” Sebastian said, brow furrowing a little, not sure if that was the right way to put it. How could he say that he wanted something that might teach him about what he was without sounding crazy? He tucked his hands into his letter jacket and bit his lip. “I wouldn’t mind seeing what you’ve got on the history, though. If it’s on Point Pleasant.” Because he’d never actually read it and that might also be a good starting point, so long as his parents didn’t find the book. That part of his family history had always been off the table.
"Application," Neil said slowly and sighed with some exasperation but he wasn't in the mood to really dwell on it. Sebastian wanted to see the history books and Neil was always happy to share those even if it was with some dumb jock. "Follow me," he said and at this point there weren't many things he needed to look up to find. The library wasn't that big and especially the history section was something he was very familiar with. He made his way from behind the desk and waved impatiently at Sebastian to follow. Neil very steadfastly did not believe in magic or the supernatural though maintaining that believe was more stubborn than logical after so long living in Point Pleasant. He just needed things to make sense and magic didn't make any.
Sebastian decided to see the history books first, rather than expand upon what he meant by ‘application’. He knew he’d sound crazy and he wasn’t even sure that they had what he was asking for. So he followed Neil around the library, looking around as they went, watching their reflection in the interior glass that separated out the main library from the computer room. When they stopped, he looked back to Neil. “Do you have any on the Point Pleasant Six?” This had to be a common request. Better to ask than to go through every book in the process of finding them.
Did they have any on the Point Pleasant Six. Neil almost scoffed at the question because of course he did. It was a vile part of the town's history and people loved reading about it. "Any particular one of the six that interests you?" he asked as he turned to look at Sebastian. He had a feeling by now that this had nothing to do with school and everything to do with either morbid curiosity or family ties. As he turned his reflection in the glass caught his attention and he glanced sideways at it warily. There was something about it that reminded him of the night of hallucinations (because what else could it have been!) even if it wasn't really doing anything. Folding his arms he cleared his throat but couldn't seem to take his eyes off himself - or what looked like him. "School... assignment?"
“Helena McCarthy,” Sebastian said, voice just above a whisper. He’d never traced the lineage, wasn’t sure if she was a great-great-aunt or what exactly, but the name had never escaped him once he heard it that very first time. When his cousin had whispered in his ear that they were witches. That they’d hang for it if they got caught. He’d been, what? Six? Seven? Old enough to know that they shouldn’t have been drawing with chalk on the wood floor. Or playing with candles. Though he was sure the reason for his parent’s fury was based on the intent, not the mess they made. He couldn’t recall the last time he saw his cousin. Probably then. “Personal interest,” he said, swallowing. “She’s my… great-great-something.”
Neil barely heard him, his gaze still on his own reflection, a small frown on his face. "Great... grandmother?" he suggested though it was obvious he wasn't really thinking about Helena McCarthy at the moment. He was waiting for his reflection to start screaming at him again, but this time he wasn't so sure it would be screaming for help. "Is there something wrong with this glass?" he muttered, raising his chin a little as he tried to stop staring and found himself unable or unwilling to.
“Maybe? I’d need to see the family tree,” Sebastian said, picking up one of the books and flipping through it. History wasn’t what he came for, but he thought it might help. He wanted to know the whole story, to understand where he came from instead of pretending it didn’t happen. He looked up at the question, staring at the glass, his reflection mirrored next to Neil’s. “I don’t think so,” he said, then looked at Neil, then back at the glass. “Like… cracked or something?” It was a weird question and he found himself trying to figure out where it came from.
There was nothing wrong with the glass, but Neil still felt his heartbeat get a little faster. He glanced at Sebastian, then back at his reflection and while it wasn't as crisp and clear as it might be in a mirror it definitely looked strong somehow, like it might become clearer any second and reach out through the glass to hurt him. "You seriously don't see anything wrong?" he muttered and, while he didn't usually care for strangers or their opinions, it somehow felt vital to him that this young man look at see something too. There was something to be said about shared experiences because the more Neil thought about it the more he was beginning to worry that it was actually him that was going crazy.
Sebastian stared back at them in the glass, brows drawing together. The guy looked concerned, but he couldn’t figure out why. “Um… No,” he said. “Like… it could be cleaned? But nothing wrong.” He drummed his fingers on the book for a second. “Why? What do you see?” He felt silly asking, almost as foolish as he had asking for books on magic, but it felt like he was missing some piece of the puzzle.
The problem was that Neil didn't know what he was seeing, so there was no easy answer to the question. Logically he just saw his own face frowning back at him, but it felt like it wasn't just his reflection but like it was something else impersonating his reflection. If he had been alone he might have to the theory to the test and done random swift hand motions or facial expressions, but he wasn't alone and he wasn't an idiot. "I suppose it could be cleaned," he said and glanced at Sebastian's reflection with narrowed eyes. He didn't really like people on his best of days, but there was a feeling inside him that surpassed that now, as if he wanted to hurt the guy for being stupid enough to stick his nose into the history section searching for something that didn't concern him. It rose in his throat like bile, a violent, angry feeling that felt too much like that irrational anger he'd felt in the fog. "You should come back later," he said through clenched teeth. "Now is not a good time."
Something in Neil’s expression shifted and Sebastian took an irrational step back. He couldn’t say what it was, but something felt wrong, and when Neil spoke he knew it wasn’t just his imagination. “Um… okay,” he said, setting the book back on the shelf. “Are you alright?” It felt like a legitimate question. He was pretty sure he wasn’t looking for anything out of the ordinary now, but Neil looked like he just might punch him for it.
Leaving the fog had helped and so Neil stepped away from the glass in faint hope that this was similar, then turned abruptly and stalked down the aisle with the history section. "Quite alright," he said with obvious irritation and there were things in his head that made no sense now, like how hard would it be to cut out someone's tongue? If you could just keep their mouth open it shouldn't be so hard, maybe with scissors even. It was something he felt compelled to try and some small reasonable part of him was shrieking inside of him at the mere thought of doing such a thing. "Something is incredibly wrong," he said dramatically, like he was a stage performer delivering a line, it seemed like the only way to get it out without his voice quivering.
Sebastian turned to watch the guy stalk off, his expression turning to one giant question mark. He looked back at the books, but then made a move to follow, stopping again when Neil spoke again. “Okay,” he said slowly, not sure what to do there. Something was incredibly wrong, in that the librarian was acting like a bit of a nut, but he wasn’t sure it was his place to step in and help. Or if the guy needed the kind of help he could offer. “Um… I’ll… I’ll just go,” he finally said, shifting his backpack higher on his shoulder. “I’ll come back tomorrow.” There had to be someone else who could help him, someone who didn’t seem like they were cracking.
It wasn't the first time Neil sought refuge among the books, but it felt different this time. No reflective surfaces in this aisle, just hardcover books and a little dust that someone had neglected on their last shift. 'Make him stay' a part of him was still saying. 'Nobody can hear him scream if you're quick'. Even if Neil wanted to hurt the kid, he knew on a logical level that this was not true. Sebastian was bigger than him all around, he wouldn't get close enough to do damage before he reacted. Which was fine because he didn't want to hurt him and what the hell? He shook his head and glanced back at Sebastian who was obviously staring at him like he was a crazy person. "Allergens," he said stiffly. "They used... the wrong cleaning supplies."
“What?” Sebastian said, stopping to look at Neil. This was positively the weirdest experience he’d ever had in the library and he didn’t know what to make of it. “On the books?” he asked. No, stupid, he thought. “The glass,” he said, looking back at it. “Maybe. Some… leaves streaks. Makes things look weird.” He was stretching, but then he’d never seen someone freak out about a window before. “I can always come back,” he offered. “Is there someone who might know more about the town history?”
Honeycutt would know a lot more, Neil thought, but at this point he was irritated and feeling useless and crazy so he was going to take care of this customer even if it was an annoying teenage boy who didn't seem to know shit about shit. Maybe if he just got through this and did his job he'd feel halfway normal again. "I know which books you'll need," he said with a frown and gestured down the aisle. "We're here and there is a whole section on the town's history, including the Point Pleasant Six. I'm not sure you'll find any books on magical application that aren't pure fiction however, but if that is what you're after perhaps you can start with Harry Potter."
“Great. Thanks. That’s super helpful,” Sebastian snapped, turning back towards the shelf that held books on the town’s history. He grabbed four at random, having no idea which ones might actually be helpful, but no longer wanting to spend the time there to find out. He could always switch them out tomorrow if necessary, preferably when someone else was working. With the books in his arms, he moved back towards the front of the library, dropping them on the counter so that Neil could check him out. “You don’t have to be an ass about it, you know.”
Neil actually grabbed one book off the shelf before he followed Sebastian and the whole way back he made sure not to look at the damn glass. He thought he could feel his reflection there, staring right at him even if that made no sense. He ended up covering his face to block his vision on that side, only dropping his hand once he got to the desk. Looking at the books Sebastian had taken he he shook his head. "You didn't really take anything of interest," he said and while he should feel ashamed of being rude to the kid for no discernable reason, he just felt grumpy at being snapped at. Still he dropped the one book he had grabbed on the table as well. "This one has information about the Point Pleasant Six. I don't remember how much detail they go into about the coven but they all do get a mention, including your ancestor."
“Well, I didn’t know which one to take,” Sebastian said as he threw up his hands with an exasperated sigh. This was stupid. The whole thing was stupid. He’d asked on a whim and now felt like an idiot. He’d worry that Neil thought he was one too, but he had his own thoughts on Neil’s behavior. He looked down at the book Neil had picked up and gave a little nod. “Okay. That’s a good start, I guess. I’ll take that, plus this one,” he said, dropping the book he needed for government on top. It was why he’d come in the first place and he’d almost forgotten about it.
"Card please," Neil muttered as he grabbed the books to scan them in. One of them was most definitely not for whatever little ancestor quest this kid was on, so it was likely for school. Neil was still feeling off and in an effort to balance out that darkness in his mind he strained to be nice for a moment. "Have you been to the museum?" he asked since, despite living there, a lot of people didn't give arts and culture a second thought and thus didn't know a lot of the services they had in town. "They have a so called Witches Tour for the tourists, there are some interesting tidbits you can learn there, historically speaking."
Sebastian handed over his card, the McCarthy name feeling large and bold after their discussion. Sometimes it stood out to people in town, sometimes they didn’t have a clue. What was starting to bother him was the idea that tourists knew more about his family history than he did. And that was by his parent’s design. If they pretended it didn’t exist, then people might forget. But Sebastian wasn’t sure he wanted to, not since the incident at the lake. “No,” he answered. “They’re good then? Not… all hokey? Have you done one?” If it was historically accurate, it might be worth it.
Neil's attitude was mellowing a little more because this he could handle, his job and talking about a museum. It sure beat thinking about the dark things that lingered like memories in his head. "I've been, yes, it's fairly accurate. There is some flourish here and there but it's easy to see through, they sometimes include haunted houses and such." He rolled his eyes a little at that making it plenty clear what he thought of all that 'nonsense' and set the books down once he was done scanning them. "Do you need a bag for these?"
Sebastian wasn’t sure what he thought of haunted houses. He was sure there was a line somewhere, between what was real and what wasn’t, but it seemed a little more blurry lately. Knowing witches were real did that. “Thanks. I’ll check it out,” he said, glad that this was closer to a normal interaction. He shouldn’t have to worry about the librarian acting weird. “No, I got ‘em,” he said, giving him a tight little smile as he dropped the books in his backpack. “Um… thanks for your help.”
Neil handed him his card back and nodded as he considered whether to tell him he was welcome or apologize for having gone strange on him earlier. Neither felt right but he did feel a little bad for flipping out in front of him. "Well, come back if you need more books," he muttered. "I'm sure there's more material here for you to read if you need to." He deliberately did not meet Sebastian's eyes as he spoke, tidying up the desk area somewhat pointlessly. "Have a good day."