[PRP] The Door Behind the Bookshelf [Alg/Cass]

[demon_pachabel]

Cass hadn't noticed any patterns in her life and she was fairly certain she wasn't magically gifted with 'getting out of every town you live in ever'. That would have been weird. "So basically I need to prepare my life to be full of random side trips and probably warn my Boss so he knows that can happen..." she made a note to inform Cid through some appropriate method.

Maybe Cthulu would inform him for her.

"Hello there, pretty kitty," Cass greeted, crouching to offer the feline some pets. "Look at you so pretty, yes, such a pretty kitty~" she couldn't help it. She couldn't keep an animal if her life depended on it, but she'd admire them forever and then some.

"So magic is kind of......" she tilted her head from one side to another, "situation induced in a way?" Cass eyeballed Algernon's hand, the smallest amount of distrust in her eyes. Hesitantly, she took it as she righted herself again.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"On this side, magic is anything you can imagine. If you want to be Harry Potter?" He wasn't joking, "Or a sith lord.." Of which he already was obviously. He had lightning to prove it.

"On the other side, the real world," There was a way he said it which made one believe he wasn't sure it was truly real, "you don't get to pick so much as you'll discover your natural talents. But they seem to lean towards what you do with them.."

He didn't seem offended that she was reluctant to take his hand but doing so would be the revelation that his hands were comfortingly warm. The warm touch actually soothed the edges from the strange landscape and made it all a bit less scary. This was a side effect of his magic, something he couldn't generally help.

But then Cass would feel the uncontrollable need to laugh, humor coming up from her gut and making her want to guffaw, though if she fought the urge it seemed easy to brush aside.. but.. everything was just so funny.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"I don't have any talents, I assure you," she was a swiss army knife of abandoned hobbies and half-learned skills.

The longer he held onto her hand, the funnier it seemed to be. But underneath that feeling of humor, something twisted inside of her uncomfortably. It brushed against the amusement. Still, if he'd at least wanted a successful snicker out of her, Cassandra delivered, covering her mouth with her free hand (as much as it could be while she was still holding books) to stifle the sound.

It took a moment before that twisted uncertainty inside of her made her recoil her hand back to herself. The previous amusement in her expression was replaced with something else. It lingered somewhere between a discomfort and unknowing.

She didn't say anything, but she tucked her hand away into her jacket pocket and looked away.

iloveyouDIE

Whoops, we spooked the child.

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Sorry.." The professor looked a bit sheepish. "It's easily resisted in most cases but.. it helps calm people down or take the edge of of difficult situations." He could also make someone angry or scared, tired or lustful.. it was rather twisted at it's core.

"It's not automatic though.. I have control." He waggled his fingers. "But not a bad lesson I suppose-" He spoke like a teacher, which of course he was, "Things here can be dangerous. Magic is inherently dangerous. And as much as I'd like to think we can be a supportive community.. not everyone is out for the greater good."

Violetta stretched up Cass's leg, reaching her paws (she was long and tall) for comfort and attention. Around both of the their feet sprung up green moss and tiny flowers.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"No, I..." she paused, then sighed. She just felt extremely violated. Her feelings were hers alone and they were supposed to be at her call. "I appreciate the thought, though. Thank you." And she did. But something had been sewn into her fibers that wouldn't settle for a while. Even Cassandra couldn't place why it was.

"Oh, magic or not, people are horrible and will do horrible things," her bitter tone indicated a personal experience. Kitties, on the other hand, were wonderful creatures and Cass instinctively moved to pick Violetta up. Pretty kitty, pretty kitty!

"So. Are doors out as weird as doors in or are they weirder?"

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"I'd say the exits are about as abrupt as the entrances, though I have a spell to return myself home but I am not able to take anyone with me. Some of us have abilities that let us navigate here a bit easier.. I'm not one of them," He laughed a little.

He was really sorry he freaked her out and the crease of worry in his forehead hadn't quite gone away.

"But there are things here that aren't people... Creatures, shadows, beings." He watched Violetta purr away and headbutt Cass insistently in the chin. She was the laziest long cat ever and more fond of being carried than walking.

"Not all are good or bad but it's worth looking out for."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Beings.

Cass squinted. "So like Gloom?" she inquired. Certainly it had been a brief interaction, but a talking marten-thing wasn't something that one entirely dismissed out of their life after a week. Especially one that was so amusing.

"So note-to-self, refine the Fight v Flight?" idly she stroked Violetta, smiling as the feline butted her head against her chin. "Hello yes, I'm happy to see you too, pretty kitty," she cooed, easily wooed. She may have been a dog person, but she wouldn't say no to a pretty kitty (or really anything that wanted to be held).

As she looked out into the rain, Cassandra couldn't help but sigh a little bit. " So basically wander and hope for the best. I'd ask about consistency, but based off of the fact that you weren't expecting to come to the Deeper Sleep here," was that a reference? "from your store, I'm going to guess they just kinda fuss and move all they want."

Which meant nobody tracked them because what was the point?

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg continued to walk them, the barrier above them pattered with rain which ran in rivulets identical to the shape of a normal umbrella. It even made the sound that rain normally made hitting nylon, which was a touch that was peculiar to Alg and how he made the magic happen.

"Gloom," He smiled genuinely, "Yes. A good one. I'm teaching him to read you know. And work the TV.." He chuckled. He, of course, was receiving a bit of magic instruction in trade.

Alg glanced at Cass in the same train of thought, "Are you in school?" She was certainly in the typical age bracket.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"And helping him level up his affection points?" Cass added in jest, unsure if Algernon had heard any of that from Gloom before. "He took a ride with me and Kaleb through the magical swan tunnel of pocket space." because she was certain there was no way it had all fit in the space it appeared to.

She shook her head when questioned about school. "No. I....." she frowned, how did she word this delicately? "....it just wasn't meant for me, I guess." Nailed it.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg laughed, "Yes. I've also sent him on quests to learn secret codes.." Alg winked. It was known that Gloom translated everything into video game terminology. "You should have seen how excited he was to be given the TV remote and control of what was on."

The frown and the careful selection of words wasn't completely foreign. Often people didn't like to discuss a lack of education or something as simple as dropping out.

"Well if you're interested in classes, I also teach at the college," A small smile cracked again, "But I promise I have no other secret employment.." Between author, bookstore owner and actively teaching Professor he had plenty on his plate.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Sounds like he was thrilled." She didn't know Gloom too well, but she'd gleaned a certain take on how the marten behaved just off of their brief interaction. Such as 'does not like light'.

"I'm not uninterested in furthering my education, I just.." Cass sighed, "It's complicated, I guess. I have some things lined up that just make it so I can't afford to do something like that." she looked away into the rain, "I had to give up quite a few dreams." She couldn't just explain that she technically didn't exist in the school systems and because she'd given up 15 years of living couldn't even qualify to finance a college degree.

If she even knew what she'd want to study anymore.

"Y'sure? Sounds like you've got all sorts of a secret stash of occupations in your pocket. I mean, I have a few I've held too, just not all at once."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

He'd found school, on this side of the pond, to be a rather stressful subject to be broached with most people. It was completely understandable of course, with the way America handled those things. Besides that degrees didn't even guarantee jobs. He just happened to be a man who liked to learn and keep himself busy.

"Someone told me once that if you really want to do something, genuinely," His fist clasped over the center of his chest and bumped once, "truly inside yourself.. you find a way to do it."

He shrugged and smiled, "Which means it isn't for you. And if it is, don't let things bog you down and stop you." He laughed briefly, "That being said the state of the upper education system in America is buggered to all hell so-" A hand flip.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Those same people likely didn't have 15 years of their lives scratched out of existence, but Cassandra left that note to herself. Algernon was just trying to be positive, after all. "Shoot, guess I don't want to do anything with my life then. That makes everything better." She knew at any moment she could just decide to stop being Cassandra. But then there was an 8 year hole in her life to fix. Plus the fact that as Cassandra she was slightly less easy to find.

Unfortunately still findable.

"I wouldn't know."

Man, this guy was just finding all sorts of sensitivities she had that were unravelled and frayed and usually nobody ever needled at. "I don't give up things because I want to, but because I have to. It's not like I decide between things and shaft myself every time." Except after a while that was exactly what she did.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"You have to?" His brow furrowed. It meant she either was from a bad home or environment or in a touch situation, "Well I'm sorry to hear that. But don't just decide that nothing is changeable or fixable or that you can't have a good life because outside forces dictate it.."

Violetta began to stir, wriggling a bit in Cass's arms and eventually dropping to the ground. It was usually something important to get the lazy cat moving or to make a sound. She meowed, a very dainty sound, and after running in front of Algernon's legs, ran to a doorway nearby and brushed against the frame before she walked through it and disappeared.

"If cats can find magical worlds.." He motioned, "And magic is real and the world can be rewritten with effort and thought-" He smiled and shrugged, "Anything is possible."

He motioned to the doorway, "A way home. Though I can't guarantee we'll be back in the bookshop."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Everything is changeable." She changed a lot of things. Often. At any given moment, Cassandra was exactly who she needed to be. Not who she wanted to be. "I haven't been unhappy with my life yet," she shrugged before Violetta leapt from her arms. Cass nearly grabbed after the feline out of 'Oh lord I am dropping the thing' instinct before she realized that no, she had not dropped the cat.

Cat was fine.

The cat was also gone.

She looked to Algernon, then at the doorway. Pausing, she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. Just in case somehow doorways were somehow consistent. She could always look back here again if this was going to be her life now. Not even sticking to one world. Shoving the phone back in her pocket, she stepped towards the archway.

"And there isn't a deeper rabbit hole for this to take me down, right?" she asked, looking back to him as she rested a hand on the doorframe. "Not too worried about where we end up. I always manage to land on my feet even in different places."

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