InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I want out of labels."

Stan the Man (stanbyme) wrote in snapthread,
@ 2020-02-01 19:20:00

Entry tags:

beverly marsh, stanley uris

WHO: Stan and Bev
WHAT: They're doing some plotting.
WHERE: Through the doors.
WHEN: Today

After days of being caught up with Octane Stan had to say he'd never been more relieved to be able to have the freedom of a quiet day if he wanted, or something else. But more than that what he'd learned over those days was that maybe he needed to try and get out a little bit more, sure he had a routine, but maybe that routine could be flexible, and he could be better about getting to know people.

But before he started making friends with more strangers, he thought he'd spend a little more time with his Losers first, because he'd missed them all like crazy even though they had still been nearby, not being able to lean into any one of them whenever the mood struck had been a harrowing experience for him. But now there he was with Bev and a plan.

"So how many times have you done this now?" He asked her doubtfully as he eyed the doors. He'd been through a few times now, but his experience with the doors was rather limited, consisting of either experiences that seemed like something out of a hallmark movie or a real and actual nightmare from his childhood, there hadn't really been any in between for him just yet. So maybe this could be that? Maybe Bev was going to be his good luck charm, in any case she was going to be his support regardless.

He was braver when he had the others around but he was well aware that Bev was a badass, and that made him feel like he could probably handle another attempt at those doors with her at his side.

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mollyringwald
2020-02-02 01:57 am UTC (link)

"A few times now?"

Beverly actually had to think about it for a moment. Since she was the type to not want to sit on her hands or anything - that just led to trouble, and maybe she had a touch of the ADHD like her tall, gangly, bespectacled best friend. "Come on, Stanny, you'll like it," she promised, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. She didn't let go though, wrapping her arm around his - and picking a door that she was intrinsically drawn to.

She stepped through. With him. Making sure he was still there.

They found themselves on the street, standing in front of a store - if it could be called that, as it was perfectly mundane looking. It had a a glass front with weird tchotchkes and five and dime bullshit displayed there. Most of it was covered in dust and faded, like it had been stuck there years ago and was left to decay in some strange experiment involving time and sunlight; like, the only way people would come here was if it was by word of mouth, surely. Across the street was a bar, a few doors down from that an adult bookstore. A hobo was drinking wine on the corner.

"Okay, we're going in there," she decided. "It must be some kind of magic shop."

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stanbyme
2020-02-03 05:46 am UTC (link)

"Have I told you lately how brave you are?" He asked her when she actually had to think about how many times she'd been through. Because she was, she had been when they were kids and she still was now and Stan was - well, decidedly not. But he liked to think maybe he was getting better at it, being here, in this place. Sort of at least. He was trying to. So yeah, he let her take his hand and stepped through a door with her at his side trusting that they could handle whatever it was they found on the other side. Though he was going to withhold judgement on whether or not he actually liked it until after they'd finished with their next big adventure.

The street they stepped out onto was a little nondescript, not something out of a horror movie exactly but not like it couldn't be either. "You and I have very different ways of seeing the world." He decided when she told him the run down little shop they looked at had to be a magic shop. Because to him it looked a little less like magic and a little more like a sign that they ought to turn right around and try a different door.

"I'm going to be very disappointed if something in there tries to kill us, I hope you know that." He said but considering their options the shop seemed like the best bet. So with her at his side even still Stan reached out for this door now and opened it stepping inside with her staying close by her unwilling to allow any distance at all between them just yet, probably wouldn't feel good about that idea until they were back on the other side of the town door together to be perfectly honest.

Looking around Stan took in all the little knickknacks and things scattered around, it was something like a cross between one of those horrible never ending thrift store malls and like stepping back in time into a little souvenir shop at a gas station. "How does a place like this even manage to stay afloat?" He wondered aloud.

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mollyringwald
2020-02-03 02:02 pm UTC (link)

It was true - they did have different ways of seeing the world. For instance, Bev thought this shop screamed something magical, whereas Stan saw it as some weird place wedged in an uncomfortable ass crack portion of town. And he wasn't wrong.

In the shop it smelled like sandalwood, like funerary incense - though she supposed sandalwood had a variety of uses. To her, it looked like a little piece of arcane heaven, a place where you could come in with your own mug of coffee or tea or moonshine, curl up in a corner, and get lost in a world that wasn’t this one. Very few places offered that kind of escape, or the chance to pick up eye of newt without getting bothered.

Seriously. It was eye of newt. Right there on the jar.

"Look," Beverly whispered, a snort of a giggle escaping her - she was making sure to hold one of Stan's hands in her own, so if something popped out at them they could make a break for it together, but with the opposite hand she pointed at the jar, next to a bottle of nightshade herb. "I bet the witch clientele keeps it afloat."

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stanbyme
2020-02-04 04:54 am UTC (link)

While Stan was frankly more than a little baffled by the ability of a place that looked like this to keep it's doors open and the lights on Bev was catching sight of something far more interesting than that and Stan couldn't help the way his mouth fell open at the name on the jar, eye of newt. How was that even real, "Oh my god." He said softly shaking his head and then seeing nightshade right beside it, Bev had been right this was absolutely a shop for witches.

"You might be right about that." He said with a soft huff shaking his head at the sudden shift in reality that was taking place inside his head at that very moment.

"Do you think they will mind that two non-witch types are exploring their shop?" He asked her, not that he was particularly worried but he got the feeling that this was the sort of thing that maybe was kept under the radar and now here they were slowly exploring the store aisle by aisle. Though he'd been wary and maybe a little afraid on the street, in the shop Stan didn't worry quite so much, sure it might be for witches but it was a store really wasn't it? He could handle that.

But despite not worrying quite so much he didn't let go of her hand either, needing to have her close all the same, for moral support and his own well being.

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mollyringwald
2020-02-04 01:23 pm UTC (link)

"Probably not. We just have to act like we blend in," was Beverly's advice - fake it til you make it, something like that? No one could tell she wasn't a witch, unless people in this town (speaking of, she was curious about what to call this place - where had the door led them? That was always the fun about the doors) had witch radar.

So, yes. Prowling the aisles. There was obviously lots to look at as well; following the waft of sandalwood through the door meant that you’d find shelves and shelves, rows and rows, of apothecary jars containing everything from herbs and spices, teas, soaps and salves, to handmade brooms and wands. One wall was so tall and lined with wares that someone small like Bev might need a stepping stool to reach the top portions. So she'd just stick to the shelves at her level.

"I want something fun for the party," she told Stan. "See if anything catches your eye?"

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stanbyme
2020-02-05 05:07 am UTC (link)

"Right, act like we blend in, I can definitely do that." Stan could definitely not do that. He'd felt like the odd man out all his life, except of course when he was with the Losers. But this shop right here? This was one of those times he was feeling completely out of his element. But he could follow Bev's lead, keep it cool and collected and pretend like he was a witch.... or would he be a wizard? It was hard to say, there were wizards in town after all so maybe that's what it was.

"I can't help but think some of the others from town would appreciate all of this a lot more than we do." He said as he eyed an interesting looking wand, at least he thought it was a wand, the wood was bent and twisted in an interesting sort of way but it seemed very wand like from where he was standing. Or maybe they didn't need places like this, being wizards already? Magic was complicated in ways that hurt Stan's head to think about.

"Okay, something for the party," He said it like he might spot it while his eyes scanned the aisles and the different wares that were on offer right then in that moment, though no such immediate luck. But ask they continued wandering things turned from a little less holistic kitchen witch to something that was decidedly more interesting, or at the very least more eye catching. "Okay," Stan said as his eyes landed on what looked like - well party aisle felt wrong, but considering their current needs it seemed to fit. There were more of the jars filled with ingredients like the rest of the shop but in more interesting colors, and some sort of twinkling that had caught his eye in the first place. "I think maybe we'll find what we need over here." He didn't know what exactly that would be but that direction felt like the way to go.

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mollyringwald
2020-02-05 03:30 pm UTC (link)

Hey, why not? Beverly trusted his instincts - so if Stan was captivated by something sparkly, something that twinkled, or even just had a good case of goosebumps by this aisle? Then she'd go for it. "Ooh, let's see," she hummed, turning a bit to begin her prowl - the aisles were packed tight, after all, and the last thing she wanted was to knock shit over. Talk about embarrassing.

Not to mention it'd be a direct ticket to getting das boot from the store, so. She'd be on her best behavior.

"This is kind of neat - " She was looking at wooden boxes, just studying the craftsmanship, when she spotted a heart-shaped box made of cedar. When she opened it up, she saw it was filled with dried rose petals. "Um...potpourri maybe?"

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stanbyme
2020-02-06 06:24 pm UTC (link)

He might not have the sort of sense of direction that say Eddie did, but Stan did well enough for himself and after everything well he thought that instinct was the sort of thing that he ought to lean into a bit more. So there they were wandering down an aisle full of interesting shiny stuff that he thought might be what they were looking for, or at least in the right direction.

The heart-shaped box full of petals was.... maybe a little sedate but maybe it was something more than that. "Do you think witches are big into potpourri?" He wondered, "Maybe they do something." He suggested, wondering if it was okay to pick the box up for a closer look, the last thing he wanted was to end up cursed or something because he'd touched something he shouldn't.

"Maybe they're like... I don't know," He said with a huff his attempts at figuring out what it might be were coming up a bit short, there were too many options for him and logic was just not going to work in a place like this, "You know like a love spell or something like that, how would that even work?"

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mollyringwald
2020-02-06 06:53 pm UTC (link)

"They have to do something," Beverly agreed, before taking a cautious sniff. Yep, they smelled like rose petals - that rich and powerful scent, an English garden or a bottle of grandma's perfume. They were red roses too, deep crimson - no other color besides.

She did pick up the box, clearly not as cautious as Stan. "Ooh, a love spell - that might be fun for my party, don't you think?" Mostly the idea of putting a little pizzazz into her birthday shindig occurred to her, because she was a shit sometimes - still, it had to be harmless, if it was needed a love spell. Like, something simple for the Valentine's Day season.

Crystalline eyes glinted with curiosity. "Maybe they really are just decoration. Either way, it wouldn't hurt anyone, right?"

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