Funny little world

East | 25 | Verse

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

“Oh. I’ve been told I’m terribly blunt so,” Cooper trailed off with a shrug as he sipped on his drink. “Guess so. A supernatural town that is like a huge brothel. Not often you hear that about a town.”

“Yep,” Chris agreed, chuckling. He finished off his beer and dug his wallet out of his pocket, taking out a couple of twenties. “Think that should cover both of us? This is my treat- kind of as an apology about earlier and a thank-you for helping me out.” He set the money down on the countertop and stood up. “Guess I’ll be seeing you around?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

The canines snapped their heads over to look at Chris while Cooper just blinked at him. Had he said something wrong or weird? Wouldn’t be a surprise since he was told he was blunt, but it was the truth. “Yes? You do know that a ton of people that live here just fuck around all the time. Even try to sleep with everyone in the town.”

“Uh- o-oh,” Chris said, clearing his throat and trying to regain his composure. “Sorry- that kind of just caught me off guard I guess. I’m not used to people being so, uh... Straightforward- I mean, not that that’s a bad thing, just... Yeah, caught me off guard.” He chuckled awkwardly, taking another swig from his beer. “I guess every town has its... Er, unique... Characteristics.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

Cooper rose his own glass and drank before returning to his burger again to finish it up. “Mmm.. People fuck everywhere and anywhere. Clubs and bars are on every corner and in between. I’m not really a people’s person or wander everywhere so I’m probably not the best person to give a full tour of the town,” he said smoothly as he fed the dobermans the rest of his fries.

Chris had started to take another swig from his beer and nearly choked on his drink when he heard what Cooper said. Had he heard him correctly? Maybe it was some weird idiomatic thing. “What do you mean- as in like, they actually fuck fuck? Are you saying this town’s basically just one big supernatural brothel?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

Only after he was done with his life story did he resume eating his burger while he fed the dobermans fries every once and a while. Cooper only gave a shrug in response. “Things happen and they pass. Just how life goes. Someone out there always has it worse no matter what. No use in being stuck in it though,” he said over the rim of his glass before taking a long drink.

“I’ll drink to that,” Chris said, lifting his glass and raising it to his lips. He set it down after taking a sip. “Actually, I’m ready for some real stuff- waiter,” he called, waving the waiter over. He ordered a beer and took a long drink before setting it down, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “... So, anything I need to know about this town? Other than the fact that it’s inhabited by a bunch of other weirdos?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

astordechalons:

“No. Chris. What you learn is valuable. Your magic, your grimoire. It is a part of you. It is your life poured onto pages. It is an intimate thing. Do not take it so lightly.” he said with a little frown looking at the other and shaking his head. “So while some give them away willingly. I understand why you would take it with you.”

“Oh...” Chris nodded, listening to Astor. “Right... When you put it like that- okay, I get it. It’s kinda personal, like a diary. You’ll have to pardon my ignorance, this stuff’s still kind of new to me,” he said apologetically. “So are all witches capable of doing the same things, or... Are they just good at one thing?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

astordechalons:

“There are traders who get them from others in ways that are not always legal. Grave robbing is against the law after all.” he said with a little smirk pulling the other closer. “Of course it is.” he laughed leading Chris away from the library they were in.

“Grave robbing... Huh,” Chris said thoughtfully. “I never imagined old journals would be something people would want to steal from the dead. But it makes a lot of sense now. But then again- why take something with you to the grave when you could- I dunno- I guess donate it to a... Witch library or whatever- it seems kinda selfish to just keep all of that to oneself even after death when there are others who could benefit from it.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

“You make it sound like we’ll be seeing each other often,” he couldn’t help but say out loud. As Chris busied himself with the burger he did the same. The familiar tang and mix of tastes hit his tongue and he let out a soft noise of his own. Cooper took a swing of his drink as he thought about how to go about his answer. “I’m a witch just like you, but you’ve told me how you’ve gone about up until now so it’s only fair if I do the same. I grew up in South Africa. Dad left us when I was 5 or so. I knew I was a witch since my dad was and it’s kinda obvious since animals always followed me around and stuff. I got these two bone heads at a national reserve. Their mother was killed defending them and they followed me home somehow.”

The dobermans seemed to smile as he got up on their hind legs and tried to snatch a fry from his plate. Cooper batted them away but gave them one each anyways. He knew that it was odd to hear that he got dobermans from a national reserve but he wouldn’t talk about it unless it was asked. “Then one day my mom got a letter from my dad and he- well she said that I had a brother and she had, well, changed genders. I was still kind of young then so I lost it and if there was any sort of scene from a creepy movie like The Birds from Alfred Hitchcock it happened then. My mom freaked out and I kind of passed out but when I woke up I ran away from home. After traveling in the wild a bit I came across a circus, got taken in, then left under some.. Unfortunate circumstances and now I’m here.”

Well you sort of said you would help me out, so I kind of assumed we’d be seeing each other more often, Chris thought silently to himself, eating more of his burger. He hadn’t realized how famished he was until now, and it didn’t take him long to wolf it down. He listened to Cooper as he finished off his food, nodding to show his acknowledgement. “Wow- you’ve had quite a life so far,” he commented. “And I thought I had it bad. But I guess there’s always someone who’s had it worse.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

There was a slow wag to their tails as they gave a small whine. “They’re quick to jump on someone that annoys me or they think a situation’s threatening. Animals are like that but they mean remorse genuinely even if it wasn’t a big deal.” The bartender came back with their drinks. A water set down in front of Chris as a blue drink was set down in front of him. Another trip around and their plates of burgers and fries were given also. The smell made his stomach grumble and he took two fries to toss over towards the dobermans who caught them neatly.

Chris nodded at Cooper’s words; it sounded like typical animal behavior. “Yeah... I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been around any animals, so it might take me some time to get comfortable around them.” He thanked the bartender as their orders were set before them. He took a couple of bites of his hamburger and let out a satisfied moan. “Mm... This really hits the spot,” he said, setting down his burger and taking a long drink of his water before turning to Cooper again. “So... I’ve told you about myself, why don’t you tell me something about yourself?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

Cooper listened as he faced Chris to give him his full attention. The other’s past struck a chord in him. It sounded close to his own past but without not knowing what he was. “Well, if you need any help with that I wouldn’t mind helping you.” The dobermans had inched closer towards Chris as the other had talked and now they were practically sitting by the man’s stool with a sad look to their eyes. Cooper looked down and drew a long face before he looked back up. “If you’re wondering they see a lot of me in you and they’re sorry for wanting to bite your balls off earlier.”

Chris smiled and mumbled a quiet “Thanks” when Cooper offered to help him. He kept a wary eye on the dogs, tensing up slightly when they seemed to be getting closer to him. “Uh... Well- apology accepted,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “I mean- no harm done, it was just a kind of... Misunderstanding.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

astordechalons:

“I am saying anything would be better than this book.” Astor said with a little laugh patting Chris on the shoulder gently. “Come along with me. We are going to visit a library for our kind. You can get grimoires in town. Or you can acquire them…by more dubious means.”

Chris furrowed his eyebrows and gave Astor a quizzical look. He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. “... More dubious means? What do you mean by that,” he asked, feeling slightly apprehensive. “If we can just go to a library for... ‘Our kind,’ it sounds like that’d be the easier, more preferable option.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

All of the defiant air around Chris from before had clearly vanished. Cooper smiled a little as the bartender left. “Glad you noticed,” he said, turning his attention over to the other witch. “So. You’re a witch that just moved here that has trouble deciphering starter spells. What’s your story?” It wasn’t his place to just be so blunt like that, but he tend to lack a filter. It was the only way he knew how to converse.

Chris let out a low whistle. “My story’s a pretty long one... But to simplify things, my parents are religious nuts who kicked me out when I was eighteen after they caught me practicing ‘witchcraft,’” he emphasized the word with air quotes. “And ever since then I’ve just been... Surviving from one day to the next. Doing work for strangers and hoping they’ll let me sleep in a spare room, a barn, give me some sort of payment so I can have food and shelter- odd jobs, you know? So anyway, growing up in such a sheltered environment I never really... Understood what exactly I was, and now that I know I want to try and get better at it.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

“Cooper,” he said, shaking the other’s hand firmly before dropping it. “Don’t worry about them. They won’t bite you unless I give them okay.” He was true to his word and even if Chris didn’t know it the dogs did. The bartender came by and he didn’t even look at Cooper. “One of your burgers too,” Cooper added as the man turned to look at Chris for an order.

“Uh- uh, a burger sounds good,” Chris said. “And I’ll start off with a water.” When the waiter left to take care of their orders he turned back to Cooper. “You’ve got a good, firm handshake,” he commented. Of course he did; Cooper seemed like a confident young man and confident people always had firmer handshakes- something Chris had picked up on over the past few years of moving from town to town.

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy:

A start of a smile pulled at his lips as he went over to the bar. “Not that long. Even if it looks like it. People here know that I barely have a tolerance for nonsense. Also kinda hard not to get along with a guy that has two dobermans at his side all the time. Especially when they’ll always be more than happy to have me let them bite.” The hounds settled down nicely beside his stool and licked their muzzles as they listened along to what Cooper said. “I’m usually in the woods, this bar, or at home.”

“Oh...” Chris glanced down uneasily at the two dogs when the other man reminded him of his control over them and he hesitantly sat down. But you’ve got nothing to worry about now- you’ve apologized, he’s not threatening you, he’s just... Making conversation, or something. “Right- you know, I don’t think we’ve actually introduced ourselves. My name’s Chris,” he said, offering his hand to shake.

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy

With a huff the dobermans stayed quiet at his side but they were still skeptical about the other witch. Cooper on the other hand could understand a bit more than the dogs so he wasn’t too fed up about them butting heads. “Been here a few weeks I think. Enough to settle in and everything. Everything about this city is strange, but it makes things easier on us.” As he talked he lead them out of the library and onto the streets where he waltzed his way over towards the nearest bar. The waiter knew his face enough by now and the hounds were let in just as they were.

“Just a few weeks? Coulda’ fooled me, you seem like you’ve been here longer than that; if I was guessing I’d say at least a few months,” Chris said, watching how Cooper carried himself with such ease and familiarity into the establishment. The people seemed to recognize him too; this guy clearly was someone who got around, so to speak. “So do you have any favorite things to do or places to go here?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

squad-mccoy

“Not really,” Cooper said with a shrug. “Whenever someone learns something new they make it personalized so it’s expected. At least you know what your affinity is. Some witches don’t even know what they can do and it’s a disaster you don’t want to be caught up in.” He gave a nod and started to turn around with the dobermans at his heel. “Down the street and around the corner. A friend of mine made it pet friendly so I go there a lot and their selection isn’t that bad. I can walk you down there if you want.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” Chris said, walking alongside the other man. He was almost embarrassed he’d let his emotions get the better of him like that; outbursts like that were rare, he could probably count them on one hand. And they all involved him trying to run on low energy and pushing himself... I need to be more conscious of that, he noted to himself. “So... I’m pretty used to being the new guy in town, but this is the first place I’ve come across where, well... Strange is the norm. Have you lived here for a while?”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

astordechalons:

“Oh. Chris. No. This book is. It is alright but it’s nothing compared to a real grimoire. Etched in ink by someone’s hand not a machine.” he said putting his hand over Chris’. He smiled at the young man. “I would be happy to show you anything you want to know. You are a bit older than most who come into this power you know, but. That’s ok. We are kin- I am sure any of us would be happy to help you.” 

Chris smiled, feeling reassured by the other man’s words. “Thanks- that really means a lot to me,” he said. “So, you’re saying if I can get my hands on a grimoire it’d be better than trying to teach myself through this? Where can I find one?”

[squad-mccoy]

“Uh huh. And accidentally rehearsing a line can brings things you wouldn’t expect. Trust me, I’ve been there and the things done after that weren’t pretty.” Without talking out loud he told the dobermans to go on. He trusted their senses more than he did with his so after they talked mentally he loosened up his posture a bit. “Kid, every witch has been in your shoes before. Every one learns differently. I would say it’s not hard to decipher spells but I remember when I couldn’t tell what was what when I first started. Take a break, go slug down a few drinks, maybe fuck around, and then come back and try again. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”

[thechristopherrhodes-blog]

Chris took a deep breath and let the other man’s words really sink in. ‘Every witch has been in your shoes before...’ Duh. Duh! Where did he get off to, thinking he was some sort of unique case and pitying himself for his self-proclaimed setbacks- everyone had obstacles to overcome, regardless of what they were trying to accomplish.

“You know what- thanks, I think I’ll do that,” Chris said, getting up again. “I guess it’s pretty dumb for me to just assume I’d get it right away- plus I could definitely use a couple beers right about now.” He could probably use something to eat, too- his last meal had been earlier in the day, so that was also most likely a cause for the headache and irritability, coupled with frustration. “There’s a bar just down the street, isn’t there?”