hound teeth

They weren’t exactly sure what to expect in Salem, but this place definitely didn’t disappoint with the local attractions. While they weren’t exactly rolling in dough, Ollie had enough money saved up to get them by for quite awhile. It was enough that allowed them to be able to settle in and eventually find a place to pick up work. However, until then, they planned on exploring and seeking out new areas, anything to keep the burden of a painful past at a distance. Ollie had caught wind of this Neverland Theatre a short while after rolling into town. Particularly because of the play that was to be presented on stage.  Chicago immediately caught his attention as it was one) where he had grown up and two) it was an overall entertaining performance. He’d only seen it maybe two times before-- one of the times being on DVD. What Ollie hadn’t expected was his dropped ticket landing beneath the unsuspecting foot of another guest. With a rather gentle tap on the shoulder, ghost of a touch that was enough to draw attention, a soft smile appeared as he pointed toward the fallen item. The surprised look on her face was amusing to him but he kept that aspect to himself, biting back the urge to smile. “It’s no problem,” Ollie reassured, taking up the ticket and politely folding it away in his jacket pocket. “This place is so packed, I should have been more careful to begin with.”  There was a soft lilt of laughter in his tone, more so laughing at himself for his own clumsiness. “Just glad your foot was able to keep it in place, anyhow. Saved the headache of having to buy another one.”  There was a brief moment of pause as he absorbed what she’d said to him. Had they ever encountered each other before? She wasn’t a face he recognized, and he would have certainly remembered her if they had been formally introduced, but, at the same time, maybe they’d walked past each other at some point? Nah. Definitely not. She seemed to be someone who was too hard to forget.  “Uhh... I don’t think we’ve ever met before? Pretty sure I’d remember you if we had,” he mused, raising an eyebrow. With a shrug, Ollie gave her a nod, before saying, “In any case, I’m Oliver Reid. Just call me Ollie though. It’s nice to meet you.”

He eyed the stranger with curiosity, finally taking in the facial features of the one who had approached. As much as they found themselves in a listless state of absentmindedness, there was always a trickle of humor willing to show itself. Life was already taken too seriously and sometimes a bit of witticism was needed to keep things from being too heavy. With light teasing in his tone, Ollie said, “All I know is how to be in my personal woes, but I appreciate the reality check. Is that enough napkins for you, or is there something else you need?” 

“Heh, guess you could say that.” Ollie replied, glancing over at the stranger sitting beside him. “Let’s just say, could be doing better, could be doing worse. Sooo... probably somewhere in between?”  Couldn’t lie to himself, it was a bit odd to see an older gentleman at a place like this, but the sight was comforting, nonetheless. Frankly, he felt a bit out of place himself, seeing as he was on the older spectrum of things too. Granted that his more youthful looking appearance gained him a little less sideways glances, but it didn’t negate how old he felt on the inside. “Honestly think I need the strongest they’ve got around here, but suppose you’re right... maybe the drinks are catching up.” Even with such a response, hand was raised in a gesture to grab the bartender’s attention, wanting to order himself a whiskey on the rocks. A slight smile of amusement crossed his features as he peered at the other with a little less doom and gloom on his face. Albeit, doing their best to stow away those feelings into the underbelly of their mind. Best to not drag someone else down with them.  There was a slight pause before asking, “Want me to get you anything? Least I can do for having to listen to me gripe.”

Despite the somber mood that Ollie had arrived in, they couldn’t help the slight smirk that grazed the corner of their lips upon hearing the stranger answer a rhetorical plight. What the fuck am I doing here? It was a question that he often asked himself, particularly in the late hours of the night, when cooped up in his motel room. His only company being the buzzing of a black and white movie, chattering away in the background, with a cup of black coffee pressed in his palm and an outdated news paper, from the front desk, in the other hand. “Huh, makes me wonder why we’re even in here then,” Ollie replied, brown eyes softening, and mind easing from the earlier turbulence of his thoughts. There was something comforting with talking to another human being, even if only for the briefest moment. Being rather fresh in town brought the discomfort of having to meet new people. Truthfully, Ollie expected she would get her drink and be on her way. He couldn’t blame her. The night was ripe for the picking, either escaping from the dense atmosphere, into a more secluded area, or getting lost in the exhilaration of alcohol and partying. Shrugging their leather jacket clad shoulders, they leaned a little more on one elbow to face the stranger, resting their chin into the palm of their hand. “So, what does bring you in here?” They asked, their tone was curious but not expectant. Really, Ollie didn’t anticipate too much of a response, if even an honest answer. It was just nice talking to someone to bring him out of his wayward thoughts. Plus, she was waiting for her drink anyway, might as well kill some time.

“Gonna be honest with you-- I ain’t been here for very long. Rolled in maybe a week ago. So I guess I’m the last person you should be asking,” Ollie replied, a sheepishly apologetic expression touching the lines of his face. He wasn’t entirely sure why he felt embarrassed at not knowing who this stranger’s spouse was or where he’d gone, but the feeling lingered all the same. Quite silly to feel that way, honestly, but Ollie shook off the emotion with minimal effort. Only slightly burnt down, with a small plume of orange at the end, Ollie held out a cigarette he’d been smoking as an offering to the other. It was a truce of recognizing the stress that seemed all encompassing on them, and he figured that maybe they needed a smoke way more than he did. Someone they cared about going missing on them without a trace? Yeah, they definitely needed the release of nicotine way more than he did. With a slight pause, he added, “I’m Ollie. By the way.” While Ollie had no idea of the ins and outs of this town that didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to help someone out. The distress on the other person’s face was all too familiar and it made his stomach churn in sympathy. Ollie knew too well the pain of losing someone important, and he didn’t want the same fate to befall another person. Of course, it may be too little too late, but it was always worth a shot in searching for a loved one. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long has... Dustin been missing?”

It wasn’t difficult to tell that the waitress was stressed, even before she had arrived at his table. With how crowded it was, and there being a constant fluctuating mass of weary travelers, it was a surprise that any of the staff were able to get a break. This place was incredibly popular for how antiquated the Starfox Roadside Diner looked. A soft, understanding smile touched the corners of his mouth as Ollie said, quite amicably, “I don’t mind waiting for someone else to come around to catch my order. I get it. This shit’s not easy, and I’m being a slow old man about what I want.” He couldn’t help snickering to himself. “But seriously, look, I really don’t wanna hold you up. Go get your break.” Truthfully, they weren’t all that hungry, but they didn’t have the heart to say that to her, feeling bad for having already wasted so much time. Honestly speaking, this location had only been picked due to it being so crowded. It gave him the opportunity to be on the look out, while also drowning out his thoughts in a less self-destructive way. A win-win, really. “This coffee will tide me over until either you come back, or someone else takes up the pleasure of dealing with my indecisiveness.” Ollie was sure to take an appreciative sip of the hot beverage that had been placed in front of him. He even had the courtesy of biting back a hiss as the scalding liquid immediately burned his tongue.  Another reassuring smile. “See, all tided over!”

The last thing that they probably needed was alcohol in their system, but putting their mind at ease had become immediate top priority. Albeit, certainly not the most responsible means of alleviating intrusive thoughts and, yet, here he was at The Coffin Club with an amaretto sour. Ollie decided that starting off light was a safer bet... harder drinks could wait a little longer. He wasn’t often one to be found looking down the bottom of a glass. Hell, Ollie actively avoided it most of the time. Too many moments had been lost to that damn burning liquid. However, tonight rung in a little differently for him. He was feeling uneasy, needing to escape the confines of his motel room with an acute urgency. There was a creeping uncertainty that wrapped its ugly fingers around his throat and held on with a firm grasp. There was something unsettling that they couldn’t quite figure out. Maybe it was lurking memories, haunting at the fringes, or, maybe ( just maybe ) Ollie was overthinking again. Although, admittedly, the loud music and whirlwind of other people did help temporarily pull himself out of his thoughts, and more into the present. If they focused on different conversations, or specific musical tunes, all the rest sort of washed away. All of those thoughts began to be drained down his throat with the last of his drink. “What the fuck am I doing here...” He grumbled, tilting his empty glass one direction and then the other, watching how the colorful lights bounced off of the shiny surface. Ollie hardly noticed anyone else sitting near him, all sounds had become clusters of empty noise that swallowed up the environment.