The Mainland, Wednesday After Classes

[whenshewasnice]

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!]

Comments

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Oh then I must introduce you to Church sometime," Jace said, focusing his attention on the door. He really didn't think she'd come back.

[whenshewasnice]

"She's coming back, you know," Natalie said. Like a narrative reading cheater. "What's religion have to do with cats?"

Nothing. Capital C, there, Nat.

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Church is the cat's name," Jace explained. "Lives with a bunch of half-angels, it's appropriate."

[whenshewasnice]

"Mm." Well, it did make sense. "Guess I'm just used to cat names like Mr. Moxey."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Mr. Moxey?" Jace repeated, looking amused. "Did you name him?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Former roommate's cat, so no," Natalie replied, and whether she had anything more to say on that topic would remain a mystery, because Margaret emerged from the back room, a suitably apologetic expression on her face.

"I'm afraid I don't have anything in stock that might help you," she said, but moved to offer Natalie a paper. "But here are some phone numbers for... contacts you might want to try."

As Natalie took the paper, she decided she'd do a search on the numbers later, just to see if she was right about one or all of them being either fake or for mental heathcare professionals. "Well, thank you."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Yes, thank you," Jace said, only being polite because he had been proven right. "Hopefully someone here will be able to help my dear sister with her supernatural problem."

[whenshewasnice]

"Mm." The woman nodded and gave Natalie a sympathetic look. "Yes, I hope someone will be able to help you with whatever's troubling you."

Natalie kept herself from rolling her eyes, even as the urge to be bratty and tell the woman they weren't actually even siblings rose. She managed to keep that down, too. "Yeah, thank you for your time," she repeated, turning to go. "Come on, then."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

Jace followed Natalie out, proud that he hadn't touched a damn thing while he was in there. "You think those numbers are real?"

[whenshewasnice]

"For any occult experts? Probably not." She folded the paper and stuck it in her pocket anyway. "Fairly sure at least one of them must be for a psychiatric hotline or something."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Some believer she is," Jace said. "I'm sorry it didn't work out. I do want you to get some sleep, you know."

It was possible to be smug about being right and sorry about being right at the same time.

[whenshewasnice]

"Thankfully, I sleep fine most nights," Natalie said, shrugging and brushing hair away from her eyes. "It's just that the night's where I don't are pretty horrific. But we'll –– I'll deal."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Mmm hmm." He really didn't think much of that course of action. "Well my room is always open. I'd prepare a nice soft space on the floor."

Jace Wayland gave up his bed for no one.

[whenshewasnice]

"Such chivalry," she drawled. "But I think I'll stay where I at least have a bed."

Even when it was surrounded by ghosts.

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Your loss," Jace said with a shrug. "Offer stands. Only now it will come with 'I told you so's' attached."

[whenshewasnice]

"Sam might object to me crashing with your wannabe stripper face, anyway." Though probably not much. "Even if you do room with his best friend."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Excuse me, wannabe stripper?" Jace repeated. "I'll have you know numerous people have said I have the face of an angel."

Usually before saying something horrible about his personality.

[whenshewasnice]

"Oh, some people think the stripper thing's going the best thing this summer," Natalie replied, dismissively. Mm, confusing meta. "And I doubt people say that about you without also saying something else."

Because to talk about him, most people would actually have had to also meet him.

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Mmm, yes, they also mention how well I dress," he said. "People shower me with compliments left and right."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie shook her head, amused depsite herself. "Well, thanks for deigning to keep me company even though I'm depriving you of compliments."

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"It's no problem, I liked tagging along," he said honestly. "I have no problem providing my own compliments."

[whenshewasnice]

"I've noticed." It was noticeable. "Do you and your self-directed compliments want to do something lame like grab an ice cream before we head back to the island?"

[liarallmyown.livejournal.com]

"Sure," he said with a nod. "I think my reputation will stay in tact while holding an ice cream cone. I'll buy."

[whenshewasnice]

"Thus gaining chivalry points," Natalie replied with a little nod of her own, and the briefest flicker of a smile. "Okay."

Failed occult shop outing, then ice cream. It made as much sense as anything in the last couple of weeks, plus it would probbaly salvage some of her mood.

She was good with that.