[prp] a shadow told me (kim/algernon)

[toogay]

Kim had paced nervously in front of the Bibliophile and the few shops adjacent to it for a good ten or so minutes before they were finally able to steel themself and cross the threshold into the book shop. They did the best they could do to not let the panic that gripped them show on their face as they surveyed the shelves of books, and they tried to seem actually interested in the wares when in reality they hadn't bothered to read a physical book since their senior year of high school.

They touched a few of the spines with fingers that shook. Gloom had told them to visit the shop in order to find more townsfolk with the ability to cross into the other, but they had no idea how to bring something like that up without sounding like a crazy person. They glanced nervously towards the register then dropped their gaze as soon as they met eyes with the man behind it.

This is hopeless. They thought with a small frown as they plucked a random book off the shelf and turned it over in their hand. Maybe I should just go home.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Bibliophile was an oasis of quiet, of natural light and hard wood, in a world of big name chain stores. The smell of books, the lingering scent of tea from Equinox next door, and a distinct lack of 'background' music were notable.

The employees seemed to mostly be young adults, from college age and up, though at the moment there was only a middle-aged man walking around straightening things up. He looked very much like a Professor, as one would imagine one from an english mystery show or something. He was well dressed, fully in a blazer and sweater, tie and subtle hints of gold from his cufflinks and tiepin as well as the signet and wedding rings he wore.

The store was in an old home, arched doorways leading to rooms designated by section. There was even a section on 'MAGIC' though to anyone who truly knew the subject knew that they were all nonsense.

The first 'employee' to find Kim was in fact a long white cat. She was large and stretchy as she slinked and purred. The cat sniffed the air, but didn't approach. She simply collapsed in a sunny spot and stretched out, essentially blocking Kim's escape from the aisle if they chose to leave.

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim's ever-shifting gaze landed on the room labeled 'MAGIC' and they visibly perked as they shoved the book they'd been holding back into its place. Only when they retraced their steps back down the aisle did they realize that their exit was blocked by a large, white-furred feline. They halted and frowned at the thing.

"U-um, excuse me..." They murmured, as though the cat might be able to understand them. Nervously, they shifted their weight from one foot to the other. They'd always been wary of animals, so stepping over it was out of the question. For some reason, pets were very rarely fond of Kim. And on top of that, they were allergic to most things that grew fur. "I just um... I just need to get by..."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Violetta watched Kim with very blue eyes, intelligent eyes, but didn't move. Instead she yawned, her tail flopped back and forth a few times, and she began to groom with a loud purr. Around her body the floor seemed to get mossy, and behind each of her ears a single violet bloomed.

Her owner had heard talking, with no response, and appeared in moments to find someone rather hesitant to pass his cat.

"Oh I'm sorry-" He bent and scooped her up, foot swiping at the moss which seemed to dry into loose debris as soon as the cat was removed. It simply brushed away from the wooden floor. The middle aged man was very noticeably English, "Are you allergic?"

The long cat continued to purr, was set around his shoulders like a scarf, and resumed her grooming there.

"Did you need help with anything?"

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim watched the floor grow mossy with obvious interest and when a violet blossomed behind the cats ear their jaw dropped. Magic.

It took Kim a moment to register Algernon's approach. Slowly, they tore their eyes away from the patch that was swept away by the English man's foot.

"U-um, y-yeah," They stuttered as they focused their gaze on the book store owner. "Just, um, j-just a little... nothing, um, nothing fatal. I just s-sneeze sometimes." Kim looked at the cat again. They inclined their head towards the violet on her ear.

"I've never, um, seen a cat that could do that before." They said as they fidgeted with the sleeve of their hoodie nervously. "B-but um, I did... I did recently run into a p-pine marten and he... he told me to c-come here..."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Yes she's talented.." Alg said carefully with a small smile. It wasn't really alright to discuss magical things in public, not that the store was bustling but he didn't know this young person from Adam.

"A pine marten?" Alg's voice got lower, "A shadowy one? Gloom?"

The name seemed to get some attention from Violetta who now was watching Kim with a light tail twitch.

toogay

 

[toogay]

Gloom.

The mention of the shadow creature's name eased a bit of tension within them. But not by much.

"Y-ye-yes, yeah. Gloom." Kim's reply was weak-willed and hard to stutter out. Their eyes locked with Violetta's for a panicked second but they tore them away before they could contemplate the intelligence that lurked behind the feline's bright eyes. Alg had lowered his voice upon the change in subject, so Kim did too.

"He told me... th-that it wasn't s-safe, to just... well, I d-don't know much about magic, and-..." Kim huffed. They made an odd, nervous fluttering motion with their hands. "He told me to c-come here. Find, um, other p-people... that can, um, c-cross... to, um... I dunno. L-learn from, I g-guess? I just. I s-started having these dreams and then, um, I ended up- well, I m-met Gloom... in a p-place that's dangerous, s-so, if you know him I'm guessing that... maybe... y-you're the one he, um, s-sent me to find?" Kim ducked their head and looked at the man through their long eyelashes, very aware of how jumbled their rambling sounded. "I just, um, don't want to go back there and... n-not know anything... and Gloom, um, made it s-sound like I don't have much of a ch-choice about ending up there again. S-so... y-yeah."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg looked concerned at all the stuttering and uneasiness. Magic was of course a sensitive topic most places and if he was understanding correctly, they must have just discovered the other side.

"No reason to be nervous.." Alg said kindly. "Come along with me and we can talk about it.."

He actually offered a hand, though wasn't sure if they would take it, "I'm Professor Mercer. This is my store." He then nodded his head for them to follow him back towards his office.

Kim would find, if they took the man's hand, that his touch was warm and soothing. Nervousness, while not eliminated, would be eased.

toogay

magic touch

 

[toogay]

"Oh! I'm, um, Kim... Kim van Wieren. S-sorry."

The twenty-something year old extended an arm and offered a weak handshake. It was more of a quick brush of skin than an actual shake, but it was enough for... something... to have an impact. The butterflies in their stomach dissipated and they were able to breathe regularly again as they followed the professor towards the back of the store.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Kim," Alg nodded, "Nice to meet you."

The walk was quick and it seemed there were other staff available so going to the owner's office wouldn't be a detriment to business. It was a small room with just a desk, computer, a small window looking out into the back alley, and an extra chair for Kim to occupy.

Violetta leapt to the window sill which had a cat-hair covered pillow that she took up with a purr and a stretch in the sunlight.

Alg closed the door behind them and motioned for Kim to take a seat. On the desktop was a photo of what had to be the professor's family, a tall man with silver hair holding his hand, a younger man with dark hair in front of them, and 3 white cats.

"I take it," Alg sunk into his chair with the sigh of middle age, "you found yourself in other ashdown?"

toogay

 

[toogay]

As soon as they stepped into the professor's office, they sneezed. A tiny sound, muffled by the sleeve of their hoodie.

"Y-yeah. Gloom called it other..." They moved to take the empty seat in front of Alg's desk. They glanced at the photo of what was obviously his family, then shifted their gaze to the cat lounging in the sunlight. "And I, um, I got this... too..." They pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of their pocket and smoothed it out on Algernon's desk.

"I don't, um, don't know what it's s-saying. It's f-from something called Odal. I don't, um, know them. But it was addressed to me... and it came not long after I first m-met Gloom..."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg offered a tissue and an apologetic look. It was really a losing battle with the cat hair.

"Ah-" The letter. It meant that everyone had gotten it, "-well that's a bit complicated. You've discovered magic at a very delicate time."

Alg leaned back and crossed his hands over his stomach, "If you went to the other side, met Gloom, and recieved a letter, it means that you have magic Kim." There was no easier way to pass that information along.

"It also means you are, in some way, connected to the other magical people in this town and the issues that come along with that. You may not know your powers yet in this world, but on the other side you are capable of performing magic. Will power is all you need." It was a lot. And unbelievable. He understood that.

toogay

 

[toogay]

Kim sneezed again, but this time wiped away the evidence with the tissue that had been handed to them. They crumpled the dirtied material into their first and squeezed it tight as Algernon spoke.

"I don't know much about magic." They said, looking down at their lap. They examined their nails, the crescents ragged from being bit and picked at over the years. "I didn't think, well- of course I knew about it- but, I didn't think... well... I didn't think I had any." But they did. There was no doubting that now.

"How do I... d-discover more about, um, I dunno... what I can do? And that letter... it seems important... what's it mean? What's a charter, what's a- what's a fetch?"

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Well you should, or will soon, have some sort of ability here on this side.." He hated saying the 'real' world because he was never sure if that was even true. Not when it was so changeable. "it may seem like circumstance or luck at first but you'll find it to be uncanny. From there-" Alg shrugged a bit.

"I don't look outwardly very magical but I've developed many abilities since I discovered them. Just give time and attention to yourself. On the other side-" The dream side. The Silent Hill side. "-you can essentially perform any magic you can think of so long as you have the willpower for it. Effort and focus is all you need."

Kim of course seemed uneasy, which was understandable, to discuss this all with a relative stranger all the while with the impending dates and mysterious letters from the other side.

The professor sighed sympathetically, "As for the rest well, it's all rather complicated." He rubbed hand across his jaw, the stubble slight but audible, "A fetch is basically a magical zombie. A being who failed magical trials on the other side, or stayed there so long that everything human disappeared and instead left a magical husk in it's wake. There are currently a class of those with magical abilities who are called nobles, dictated by the Charter," as a Charter by definition was meant to do, "to watch over fetches, as well as other magical beings who reside on the other side. Nobles are people just like you who have progressed in their magic and passed trials to attain that status."

It was a lot of information, "The charter discussed in the letter also dictates the delegation of duties for other magically aligned people. There are people who bond with animal companions called wargs as well as those who can shift into animal forms. Moonwalkers." There was a pause, "Like werewolves and things."

toogay