whenshewasnice | The Mainland, Wednesday After Classes

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The Mainland, Wednesday After Classes

Natalie didn't really think she needed protection. Or company. Still, when she'd told Sam she was considering a trip to the mainland to check out an occult shop or two in search of wards against seeing ghosts, she'd said she might ask Jace to come with her to lend his supernatural expertise. And so she had. Might as well call it checking in on the fake little sibling, or something.

She'd been about as sparse with specifics as to what she was dealing with as she had been before – ghosts were attracted to something near her and she couldn't get rid of said thing – but she had told him that from her brief research, the place they were going to seemed to be the most likely candidate to offer some actual help, instead of what she would really like to have called hippie nonsense, but hadn't.

They were about a block or two away from where the shop was supposed to be located, and Natalie stuck her hands into her pockets as she walked. "Thanks for tagging along, I guess."

[ooc: NFB, and for the Shadowhunter!]

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"Oh it's not a problem." It really wasn't. He loved having a break from constantly acting bored. "I love seeing what Mundanes are passing off as magic these days."

Natalie gave him a dry look. "Wow. That was so reassuring for my hopes of finding what I need today."

"I came here to keep you company and grace you with my ineffable presence," Jace said. "Being optimistic was not in the deal."

"Guess even after my recent masterclass in politics, my negotiation skills still need work." No, actually she was fine with realism. And hadn't really expected anything else, either. "Too bad. Sometimes it's nice to be reassured."

"Sorry. It's just nine times out of ten the people at occult shops are women in long flowy skirts who tell people their name is Tygelica when it's really Susan who claim to be witches," Jace said. "And all that means is meeting up with their knitting group during the full moon to drink lavender tea and pray to the Earth Goddess that their favorite TV shows don't get canceled this season."

He had a lot of feelings on this matter.

Yes, Natalie was picking up on that.

"I would've thought they'd be the type who don't own TVs," she noted, mildly, "because it messes up their energies. But I see your point. I did my best to weed out the ones that sounded... most like that."

"In that case I'll hold my tongue until they give me reason to go off on them," he promised. "I do hope you find what you're looking for, you know."

He didn't think it was going to happen but even he was wrong sometimes.

"I'd say me too, but that's a given," Natalie replied. "Ghosts are distracting."

To her sleep, she meant. But there was only a certain amount of weakness she was willing to show.

"This would be the part where I tell you to just get rid of whatever thing is attracting ghosts," Jace said, sighing. "But I won't because clearly you won't listen to reason."

"Reason has very little to do with it, Jace," she told him, her tone almost crossing into wry. It was an emotional thing, after all. As far from reason as you could get. "That's just not an option. Getting rid of –– that would mean getting rid of a whole lot more than just the ghosts."

Jace waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, silly Mundane issues. Personally nothing is worth having my sleep messed with."

He was willing to go along with that flimsy excuse of hers, sure.

"I'd claim you'd think differently if you knew the whole story," Natalie replied, glancing down the street and spotting the sign for the shop they were looking for. "But experience says you probably wouldn't."

He'd laughed in her face for moving in with her boyfriend. She had a hunch.

"Probably not," he agreed. "Don't eat anything anybody offers you in the shop, by the way."

There was the chance the place could have been legit and owned by a faerie or something. Also the advice was just wise in general.

"Do I look five years old?" Natalie drawled, though maybe she was a bit amused. "I don't make a habit of eating things in potentially magic environments, don't worry."

"Your people are the ones that think vampires are sexy and romantic," Jace replied. "I can't help but be worried."

"'Your people'," she repeated, rolling her eyes. "I don't think it's my people, exactly."

It might have been due to her aversion to blood, but she'd never found vampires particularly romantic.

"Hey, if I have to put up with the completely untrue stereotype that Shadowhunters are all vain and egotistical then you have to put up with the ones that refer to humans romanticizing everything," he said. "It's the way the world works."

"... Are you trying to say you're not vain and egotistical?" Natalie wondered. "Or just that you object to everyone else getting lumped into that category with you?"

"Some Shadowhunters are downright ugly," he said. "So they wouldn't be very vain, would they?"

"I don't think that stops anyone." Self-perception was a weird like that. "But that does answer the question."

"I can back up any egotism I may have," he said. "Most can't say that."

"Mm." Natalie wasn't terribly impressed with that line of thinking. (Oh how she'd learn.) But, didn't matter. They'd reached the shop now, and she stopped, nodding at the door. "We're here."

From the outside, it at least didn't look like a place you could get mixed up with a masquerade store or anything. It was hard to see inside, though, what with a painting of the sun on the window.

"Oh joy." It was hard to believe they weren't really related with that kind of sarcasm going on. "Maybe they worship the sun god Ra."

Natalie shook her head, reaching for the door. "Just try and behave, Jace."

"I'm always well behaved, big sister," Jace said. He took in a deep breath to prepare himself for that special occult shop smell.

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