weapons don't weep

with: @arielsmarquez​

Dom wouldn’t exactly call himself a hopeless romantic. He liked a good romantic comedy with a bucket of popcorn, and he wouldn’t have said no to a moonlit stroll or a picnic in the park, but he liked to think that he at least managed to remain somewhat realistic when it came to romance. Until, of course, he met Ariel. Literally walked right into her and found himself babbling like an idiot and awkwardly ruffling his hair. Suddenly, his brain was foggy and sluggish, his heart was beating way too fast, even for his more wolfish nature, and he was thinking about this quirky girl more than anything else.

And he was seeking her out. Which, in fairness, probably made him a little bit creepy. He noticed that about himself, he understood it, but Ariel hadn’t really told him not to leave her alone. And if she did, he would. Until then, well… it didn’t hurt to try and run into her and maybe strike up another conversation, right? When it finally happened, when Dom was on the verge of giving up, he felt himself brightening, dumb goofy smile spreading on his face as he carefully walked up. “Hey! Uh– you know you’re hard to find. I– uh– I thought I could get you some lunch. Apologize for literally running into you that day. There’s this great burger place on the square. Hand crafted. And they have really great fruit tea.”

Ariel still wasn’t completely sure what to make of Langsdon. On the one hand it made her incredibly anxious that she felt like such an outsider, that it made her realize she barely understood a damn thing about herself. On the other hand, deep down she had a gut feeling that this was where she was supposed to be. There was something about this place, this town, that felt... Correct for this moment in a way Chicago just hadn’t. 

The tall, goofy, pretty boy, Dominic, who had nearly knocked her over a few days ago hadn’t crossed her mind too much. With everything she had seen and learned in the week she had been here, there wasn’t too much room for boys (even if they were pretty). Maybe he once or twice, but not much more than passing. Apparently the same couldn’t be said for him as he had evidently sought her out, finding her sitting outside the coffee shop with her tea, reading one of the books about basic spellcasting she had picked up the other day. 

“Oh, hey it’s--” And he was already off rambling again, just like before, offering to buy her lunch even, “You don’t have to do that, you just bumped into me,” Was running into someone that really something strange out here? People barely even said excuse me in the city. Still, she decided to tease him a little, “Are all people in small towns this friendly, or are you just an odd duck?” 

with: @arielsmarquez​

Virgil absolutely loved his job. His little shop with its crowded shelves and the sunlight streaming in and hitting the glass just right to stream rainbows across the floor. There were soft, creaky sounds all throughout, the building settling or the spirits floating around. It was a cozy feeling, made him feel like he was sitting by the fire with his mother, watching her do some needlepoint or read over one of their many spell books. It was a nice connection with a distant past.

He also loved the customers. Loved when young, budding witches would come in, eyes wide and excited, and ask about an odd ingredient sitting on a shelf. He would light up and offer them all of the knowledge and wisdom that he had, occasionally offer a few magic tricks to impress, and then send them back to their parents or their caregivers, reminding them to practice their magic so that it didn’t cause them any trouble. Trouble like the bum leg he now dragged around with the help of a cane.

It was a quiet day, and the bell over the door had him jumping slightly, glancing toward his newest customer and carefully standing, using the counter in front of him to lean slightly. A smile lit up his face as he looked the girl over. She looked… lost. Maybe a little confused. He wasn’t unused to seeing the look. “Welcome to Vang’s. Are you looking for something specific, or just browsing?”

If there was one thing Ariel Marquez hated it was feeling out of depth. She had always prided herself on her independence, being relatively self possessed, being able to handle situations without anyone’s help. Unfortunately here in Langsdon she felt completely lost. Not only was she new in town she was new to this whole world of magic, all these secrets previously unknown, now revealed could  be a little overwhelming to a girl and Ariel hated the foolish, frustrated way it made her feel. Like she had to play catch-up on her own identity.

Besides that she still wasn’t sure how she was going to find her father. Her mother hadn’t told her a whole lot, apart from the fact that he had talked about a town called Langsdon, and how charming and fun he had been. The name Juan Perez was almost certainly fake; and Ariel had no idea if the man was even still alive at all, much less living here.

Still, she had to start somewhere, and from what she had heard around town Vang’s was a decent place. The shop had been around for a while, and the owners were generally helpful, and it might be a good place to get one’s footing in the world of witches.  

“Uh...” How did she even start with her questions? “I think--” She paused, “I--I’m new and I don’t--”  She clicked her tongue, why was it so damn hard to just say ‘I need help’? She didn’t look the man in the face, looking to the jars and vials all round them, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”