Candy Quackenbush can walk on water. (toitshour) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-10-08 00:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, ariel, candy quackenbush |
Who: Candy and Ariel.
What: Books found.
When: Monday, 10/7.
Where: Ariel's bookshop.
Rating: PG-13.
Trigger warning: Mentions childhood abuse, but not graphically.
Status: Complete!
Ariel was smiling, in a good mood. He was expecting Miss Swann that day if he was lucky, and things were good. His headaches, thanks to Mrs. Flowers, had been in almost total abeyance for weeks now. He’d sent her a bouquet of flowers to thank her, and was smiling even as he did inventory.
Candy had seen the bookstore, and she wondered if they had any books about different kinds of magic. Why not try? Pushing her way in, she put her hands into the pockets of her worn leather jacket, smiling at the owner as she started to browse the stacks.
The door opened and for a moment he thought it was Elizabeth, but no, it was another young woman. He smiled back, content to finish his work, though making himself visible so the young lady could ask questions if she had any.
Running her fingers over the books’ spines, Candy felt a sense of calm and contentment that she had in few places that weren’t filled with books. She hummed a little to herself when she could almost feel her head turn toward a four book volume. The gasp that escaped her lips was audible.
Ariel blinked when he heard the girl gasp. He’d seen it before; honestly, he enjoyed it. “Can I help you, miss?” Maybe there was a series he could recommend, or something like that.
Candy pointed at the leather-bound volumes and looked up at the handsome man minding the counter. “How much for these four?”
Ariel peered over at the books. “Erm. Just a moment, I can certainly look that up for you. They’re new, so they may not have a price on them yet.” He went over to his price book, flipping through. “What’s the title, please?”
“Lumeric’s Six, volumes one through four.” Candy daren’t touch them until she knew she could afford them.
“Thank you.” Ariel found the entry. “Ah, yes. It appeared in here perhaps two days ago. I wrote down $85 for the set, though I’m willing to negotiate.”
“I’ll give you eighty-five,” Candy said quickly. “I just ... have to have them. It’ll sound nuts if I tell you why,” she laughed.
Ariel wasn’t thrown. “Enough madness happens around here that I think I’ve seen everything, miss. But $85 it is, then, if you bring me the books to catalogue.”
She nodded, picking up all the volumes and lugging them to the front. “I dreamed these.”
He’d guessed as much. “I’ve heard much stranger. They did appear interesting, now that I recall. Who is Lumeric?”
“A wizard, actually. Well. He was an incantatrix at first when he was a woman. Long story.” Candy smiled, shaking her head. “I’m just shocked you have all four volumes.”
Ariel raised an eyebrow. “They were brought in by an old man, if I recall. He said his name was Casper.”
“What was his last name?” Candy’s mismatched eyes went wide, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Kaspar Wolfswinkel? Here?
“Casper. His first name started with an R, I believe. Are you all right?” Ariel raised an eyebrow.
“Fine, fine. Just scared the hell out of me for a second there. In my dreams, a man named Kaspar kept a friend of mine as a slave and tried to kill me. I didn’t know if he was here or not. Messed up coincidence.” Or the universe fucking with her, which she was willing to bet it would.
Taking out her wallet, she handed the man her debit card and smiled. “I’m Candy, by the way. Thank you for letting me buy these.”
“You’re the one doing me the favor, miss.” Ariel chuckled. “It’s my shop. I am Ariel. And for what it’s worth, the man who sold me these books had the surname of Casper. Not the first name. He was a middle-aged man, with dark hair just beginning to go grey.”
“Thank god.” She laughed and shook her head. “Just a little paranoid, I apologize.” Between suspecting her father of finding her and thinking that Wolfswinkel was around - it was shocking to her system.
“Oh, not at all. I’ve had dreams of my own.” Ariel shook his head. “I seem to not have any antagonist like that, but nonetheless.”
“Kaspar isn’t the only one. He’s kind of a minor player, but I didn’t know it at the time.” Even as he rang her up, her fingers flew over the first few incantations in the book. “Know that one, do that, do that, know that, know that, wow, I already know most of this already.”
“Know what?” Ariel was curious. “What are these books, exactly?”
She looked up. “They’re spellbooks,” she murmured. “Here, look.” Pushing one over, she smiled and pointed to the spell she was currently reading. “This is a spell for coating yourself in feathersteel. It’s exactly what it sounds like.”
“Spellbooks?” Ariel echoed, even more curious. “How fascinating.” He looked over at the pages, curious about the rambling spells. “What does this mean? The language is somehow not ... I don’t know. Is this actually English?”
“The incantations are in English, but some of the instructions are in Old Abaratian. Like this one, the spell for levitating things. It says to snap your fingers while you do the incantation.” Candy snapped her fingers and her lips moved, and suddenly the book was floating.
Ariel laughed, watching the book. “That’s delightful!” How fascinating all of this was. “I’ve not been able to do anything productive with my magic yet. If that’s even what it is.”
“You can do magic? That’s awesome, what sort do you dream about?” It made Candy smile to talk about these sorts of things.
“I’m an alchemist, after a fact.” The only thing Ariel had been able to master so far was to make a puff of air glow before him. He held out a hand and focused; soon there was a dull grey glow there.
“That’s awesome,” Candy murmured. She wondered if he could do any of the magic she could, and she pointed to the levitation spell. “Try snapping your fingers when you read the last word.”
Ariel obediently spoke the words out loud, snapping his fingers, but nothing happened. “What was meant to occur?”
“The same thing that happened when I did it. Huh. I wonder if only people from the Abarat can do it.” She ran her fingers through her hair.
“It’s entirely possible. I mean, I’ve never heard of this Abarat - should I have?” Ariel cocked his head to one side, leaning on the counter to look at the girl. She was obviously young, but not naive; perhaps twenty, but with eyes far older.
Candy shook her head. “Probably not. It’s a world in my dreams, kind of parallel to our world. It exists within and without.” Candy flipped to the index in the back of the first book, opening it to a map of the twenty-five islands of the Abarat. She showed it to Ariel, smiling to herself. “This is where I dream.”
“You dream of this place?” Ariel echoed, curious. “What’s there? Is it anything like the real world?” He wanted to know more.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing like the world here. Or even where I grew up in the dreams. Where I grew up in the dreams was a lot like where I grew up here. Small town Minnesota is basically the same no matter what.” She pointed to the ocean on the far west side of the map. “Then I summoned the ocean, and was taken here, to the Yebba Dim Day. The Abarat’s almost like a world of dreams.”
Her tone sounded faraway, and he couldn’t help but feel shiveringly interested. “You speak so fondly of it.”
“I miss it. Is that weird? To miss a place you’ve never been?” She dreamed it, she dreamed of saving it, of creating a ship so huge she went over the edge of it - it was literally in her blood.
“I don’t know.” He had to be truthful. “I miss China?” He truly did. The dreams he’d had of the place were wild and beautiful, even in amidst the cities’ squalor. “It changed me, both here and there, to be exposed to that place.”
“You went there in your waking life too? Lucky.” Candy couldn’t help but be a tiny bit jealous.
“No, but I mean that the dreams of China have made me a different person here.” Ariel shook his head. “They’ve changed me. And I sense the story is far from being done.”
“I remember that feeling. I only get repeats now, but I love them.” Candy smiled, putting her hand over his. Her wedding ring sparkled.
“I’m pleased that you enjoy them. I do hear so many people being upset or frightened by their dreams. As of yet, mine have been ... bleak somehow, but fascinating.” Ariel smiled, looking down. He raised an eyebrow. “Is your husband a dreamer?”
“There was only one really bad dream that I had,” Candy shrugged. “And given my waking hours, I kind of expected it.” She didn’t go into things more, but she did chuckle at how keen Ariel’s powers of observation were. “He is. I think his dreams are harder than mine.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.” Ariel shook his head. “I worry at times. I’m attempting to get custody of my daughter, but I’m not sure it would be safe to bring her here.”
Candy’s eyes went a bit more narrow. “If you want your daughter, you should be able to see her. My father’s a monster, and he never - he was always around. I’m sure it’d be safe here, you’re here.”
“I hope you’re right.” He was somewhat surprised by her vehemence. “My little girl is three years old, and her mother doesn’t think I’m a fit parent. I ... I am.” It felt awkward to say so, but he had to reassert himself.
“Of course you are. You’re fighting for her.” Candy sighed and took off her leather jacket, setting it on the counter before turning around. “Lift up my tank top.” Somehow, talking about her piece of shit father, talking about everything he did - it made her feel stronger.
Ariel blinked, at first about to protest, but then she turned and he understood what he wanted her to do. Lifting it enough, he grimly took note of what he’d expected to be there - a spiderweb of scars. “I would kill a man if he touched my daughter this way.”
“That’s how I know you’re a good father.” She shrugged a little. “Those are what he did while I’m awake. I woke up with the ones on my arms and my chest. Even in my dreams he wants to kill me.”
Ariel’s jaw tightened. “Repulsive.” He hoped this girl was far away from her father right now.
“I think they’re kind of pretty now. I lived through it, you know?” She moved to put her jacket back on tie her hair back. “It’s okay now. I moved away from them the day I turned eighteen.” She just hoped her father hadn’t found her. That was weighing on her mind sometimes.
“Good. If it isn’t too fresh, miss, I’m glad.” Ariel sighed. “I hope the books are helpful to you, as well.” This girl Candy seemed to have strength to spare. Hopefully his assumption was correct.