#thread 30

Astarion hadn't meant to be here as long as he had. But two sweet old ladies had asked for aid so he'd spent hours helping them bring back their baskets. They were full, but the poor things had canes and poor spines.

It's upon turning to leave for his own basket that he was informed he had a new partner. Fine. He just wanted to sniff leaves and decide if they or the flowers would be a good addition to perfumes.

If nobody can tell who the other is, nobody will be able to name the guest hoarding snacks in a pouch. Illusory magic? Trust is a luxury earned, not given, and they had already afforded most of theirs just on entering that appalling portal.

But they should have cut bigger eye holes in the brown paper bag, misaligned with the eye holes of the mask underneath. They spin to scuttle off with their hoard of refreshments. Another solid body meets them in the face, toppling them to the floor with a splat and a shout.

"My dinner!"

"Hey, Leib..." Dhani wandered into the kitchen, his entire body language and the tone of starting his sentence denoting that he needed a favor. A big one. A very big one.

"I should've asked you sooner. Like, way sooner, but, um... at the end of the month, can we visit my dad? Just for a few days if that's-- I mean, it's my fault. Quinten always took me and it was just so fast with him so all the planning for it just slipped my mind." Dhani cleared his throat, looking a little anxious, a lot guilty. "It's really important. Really important."

He chewed at his lip, waiting for Leib to say something before he offered the explanation, the reason. He’d been thinking about it since the New Year and yet actually planning to visit his dad and the worst day... had completely slipped his mind. He needed a moment before saying it out loud.

[text] I’m glad you’re okay. No one else was hurt?

[text] Is it recoverable? Say the word and I’m here to help, Spellman.

[text] Even if you just need someone to talk to. <3

It wasn’t... ever that Dhani had seen Edmund this upset. The reverse plenty of times. Edmund had been around more often for some of Dhani’s more emotional and harder years. Dhani didn’t know what to do... Luckily his own mother was behind him, following him. It was unnerving it first. Now he liked it. Now he knew when the magic of whatever the island was doing was over he wouldn’t want her to go.

He wondered if she was it. Or maybe Bubbe would show up. Or maybe his biological parents. He wondered if he’d see his birth mother’s face for the first time or if magic only extended as far as his own memories. In which case his father would look like the handful of pictures the university website had and his mother a mystery. He didn’t think the hauntings were real, not really. He was lucky to have a good one.

“Baby, go talk to him. He looks so lonely.” Donna spoke gently, encouragingly to her son. Her hand moved to touch his shoulder and he felt a coldness, glancing back. It didn’t actually touch. Ghosts and all.

“Yeah,” Dhani gave a nod, grateful his mom was there. He might’ve done anyway. He liked Edmund, even if he didn’t always think Edmund liked him.

“Hey, Ed.” Dhani walked up, not making any attempt to hide that he’d seen Edmund so upset. But that was why he was here. He moved to sit next to him, looking over to his mom, smiling proudly at him. She made a gesture that silently spoke to excuse herself and give them their privacy and she moved away just a few feet away, finding somewhere else to sit.

[text] Sure, not a problem. I'm here. :)

[text] But I think she's at the apothecary right now.

[text] Is it a surprise? :)

@violetxlynch

[text] Hey man. Sorry, just been busy. I've changed courses. Degree number 2. :)

[text] How's Sabrina? That attack on the arcade was wild. I hope she's doing better. How are you?

“Guys? Sorry-- ‘scuse me, could we not? Please? That’s the reference section. The section you’re not supposed to borrow books from. Because they’re like... really old. Can you guys not fuck in the library? Please?”

It wasn’t the first time he’d hidden behind a door or shelf of books, not wanting to embarrass someone further than what he was already doing... But this was his place of work. And he made signs, dammit. Nice, clearly printed, lamented signs stating “Please no sexual activity in the library.” As polite as he could be. He had made them back when Emerson had been head librarian... some four librarians ago. Dhani had out lasted every head librarian here. And... once or twice it had maybe gone to his head. He’d once gotten a proper administrative scolding for having keys to the office that he should have kept after Aleksey had left.

Why he had waited so long to change his major, he’d never really know. Clearly he cared about his library job more than he realized. More than even Leib did when calling Dhani out for not prioritizing more thoughtfully. Dhani loved this job. It was the instability of his employers than shook him up, made him resentful and neglectful on occasion.

He waited for a few moments. Whoever was in the reference section, alone or not, didn’t have to listen to Dhani. And Dhani wasn’t going to bother Leib with it. That felt childish. He’d clean up whatever mess. He would just... rather not. It wasn’t a rule that people generally disregarded, at least not openly. But... there was noise. And it was the antique book area for crying out loud. Some of those books Dhani had learned to rebind himself with Aleksey’s mentorship. Some of those books were older that some supernaturals here.

Dhani wasn’t out to spoil anyone’s good time... He just didn’t want to clean someone’s jizz off a two hundred year old book.