#loretta jo

The little bell above the door gave its familiar chime as Spencer stepped into The Second Flame, though this time it wasn't the shelves that drew their attention first. Their eyes found Loretta almost immediately, tucked somewhere between towering stacks of books and warm afternoon light, and despite every intention of browsing for a while before saying anything, their feet carried them in her direction instead. They stopped a comfortable distance away, a worn hardcover balanced loosely in one hand as the corner of their mouth lifted into an easy, almost sheepish smile. "I was hoping you were working today," they admitted, voice low and warm. "I came in a few days ago and meant to ask your opinion on a book... then got distracted." Their gaze lingered just long enough to make it clear exactly what had done the distracting before they glanced down at the novel in their hand again. "Figured I'd give myself a second chance." @fikazephyr

Hecate wasn’t sure why she came in tonight. Maybe it was the quiet hum of the shop, the way the scent of old paper and burning candles wrapped around her like something familiar. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t been able to sleep, and wandering through aisles of forgotten stories seemed better than staring at her ceiling, waiting for the ghosts in her head to get bored of haunting her. She trailed her fingers along a shelf, skimming over the spines, but her focus wasn’t really on the books. It was on the woman behind the counter, the one who always seemed to know when someone was carrying more weight than they let on. Hecate exhaled, leaning against the wood, her fingers tapping idly against a worn cover. "Tell me you’ve got something for sleepless nights," she said, voice low, but not quite joking. “Preferably something that doesn’t come with nightmares. I think I’ve filled my quota for the century.” @fikazephyr