(open)

[just_another]

It's been a strange, confusing, amazing and horrifying few days.

For someone who generally keeps to himself, Joel's not sure how so much has happened at once, but no matter how he looks at it, there's enough going on in his life right now to satisfy him for years to come. The ball had been both a disaster and one of the more gratifying nights of his life and while he hasn't yet spoken with Lou since sending her home in a cab, he knows he needs to find the courage to visit her at some point.

He needs to speak with Lara as well. The truth is, he's been avoiding her, still not entirely sure what he feels. He's angry, but more than that, he feels betrayed, and that's a feeling Joel has gone out of his way to avoid, it's why he's kept himself so closed off from most people in Siren Cove.

The threatening letters he's been receiving aren't helping matters and although he's handed them over to the police, he'd still spent most of the night in his work room, crafting witch bottles that he's hoping he can convince people to put in their homes or bury in their yards. Something is coming and he doesn't know yet if that something is coming for him or the people he cares about, but he's not taking any chances.

With the bottles in his bag, he locks the door to his store and heads into town. He needs to find a few specific people, he needs to run some errands and he wants to stop by the library to see Spencer, maybe bring him lunch. Even as he thinks about that, he finds himself smiling and he has to duck his head as he walks. The premonition he'd had the night of the ball had disrupted things a little, but even with that, he feels a lot more certain of where things may be headed.

[ooc: Joel can be just about anywhere in town. There are some specific people he needs to speak with, so find him wherever suits! He's also made witch bottles for people he cares about, so come collect your protective charms. And no matter what you read on google about making a witch bottle, he did NOT pee in them.]

Comments

[just_another]

"In Siren Cove? I do," he says with a nod. He's not sure there are many places he'd feel as secure and even though he still wants to keep what he can do a secret, if it were to come out here, it might not be quite so bad. "It's comfortable. I don't often leave."

Which, given how rarely he gets out of the store, probably isn't much of a surprise either.

[bachjones]

"Haven't left for the past five years, but sometimes ..it's a scale, you know? And I can't see what's on the heavier side."

He steers him into a small hole-in-the-wall place and greets the woman behind the counter. "Small hunger, big hunger?"

[just_another]

Joel nods at that, thinking the same can be said for most of life. Still, maybe he's ready to see the heavier side for the first time in a long time. "Me? Oh... small, I think," he says. "You haven't left at all?"

Most people are willing to travel to some of the larger towns and Joel's often one of the few people who never seems to leave. He has left recently, notably to get Spencer's ice cream, but before that it had been over a year since the last time.

[bachjones]

"That surprises you? My mother sent me here for a reason, but just being somewhere turned out to be surprisingly nice. And besides that, time moves quicker than you can. If I wouldn't have met Lara Quinn in the supermarket, I still would have been an almost hermit in my apartment, with my cat. Maybe I should leave a while .."

He asks for two day offers and smiles when the woman offers some extra fries on the side.

[just_another]

"I don't have a leg to stand on," Joel says, waving it off. "It's not as if I leave very often. The last time I was outside of Siren Cove... well, actually, it was fairly recent, but I was picking something up for... for a friend." He thinks he can call Spencer more than just a friend now, but he doesn't want to overstep just yet.

"But before that it had probably been three years since I'd last left," he says with a shrug. "I understand."

[bachjones]

"If I'd had money, I would have left a long time ago. There's no proper instrument maker or music shop here, but ..anyway, dig in." He gestures at the plates. "Doesn't look that great, but the taste is a ton better."

[just_another]

"Thank you," Joel says, doing what he's been instructed to and digging in. "You could probably order instruments," he says after a moment. "I order all my stock online or over the phone, I'm sure there's someone who would ship instruments to Siren Cove for you."

[bachjones]

"No phone. No computer. Both a bit expensive to me right now. And you don't order instruments without touching and feeling them, man. You just don't."

[just_another]

"I'm not much of a musician, so I'll take your word for it," Joel says with a huff of laughter. "If you need to get online, though, there are computers at the library. Or I have one in the store you can use."

It's not as good as the one he has upstairs, but no one goes upstairs except for Cosette and Spencer.

[bachjones]

"Oh. Oh, nah." He waves it away. "Never touched one. No clue how those things work. But thanks for the offer, man."

[just_another]

"Really?" Joel asks, surprised, looking up at Bach. "They're easy. If you ever wanted to learn, I wouldn't mind showing you." He loves computers. Maybe not as much as he loves books, but they certainly come close.

[bachjones]

"Yeah ..my mother didn't saw the use of it. And like ..money, you know. Money went into other things first."

He meets Joel's eyes. "You want to be my computer teacher?"

[just_another]

Joel laughs a little and then shrugs. "I'm not... I'm pretty far from an expert, but if you want someone to show you the basics, get you set up with an e-mail address, stuff like that, I'd be happy to help."

[bachjones]

"You could tell me that a computer can make a sandwich if you push the right buttons and I'd believe you. You don't have to be an expert for me, man. It would just be nice to .." He chuckles. "as long as you don't have a temper."

[just_another]

Joel does have a temper. One he controls relatively well most of the time, but when he gets angry, he knows that he tends to get very angry. Still, the comment interests him and he arches a brow, looking at Bach. "Sometimes. Why? Do you think you'll be that difficult a student?"

[bachjones]

"I was told I'm pretty horrible, but somehow that's only always women. I'm not a fast learner, give up too soon, I guess."

[just_another]

"It won't be that hard," Joel promises. "Computers are fairly user friendly now and if my father can figure out how to e-mail and use the internet, I'm sure anyone can."

[bachjones]

"You have a fat- of course you do. Everyone does." He chortles. "Forget I said that. Okay, teacher, when do we start?"

[just_another]

"I have some things to do this afternoon," Joel says, knowing he can't put off getting the witch bottles to the people he's worried about. "But you can come by the store any time. I'm never particularly busy." He has some busy days, but they usually come in July and August and then again around the long weekend in September. June is too early for a rush.

[bachjones]

"You're the ..book store, right? Just knock and come in? Do you have a little bell? Should I bring something? Like for notes or stuff?"

[just_another]

"Crossroads, yeah. By the boardwalk," Joel says with a nod. "You can just come in, so long as the open sign is up. If not, there's a buzzer." But usually if the store is closed, especially lately, he's with Spencer. "If you want to bring something, you can, but I bet you'll pick it up a lot quicker than you think."

[bachjones]

"Aha. Okay. I'll remember. Don't have much else to do right now. But Joel, man - it's not like ..I can't pay you anything or something, you know that right?"

[just_another]

"I have the store," Joel says, waving his hand. "I don't need you to pay me for that." He would feel like a bit of a jerk, too, taking money for something as simple as showing someone how to use a computer.

"If you really feel like you need to do something, we can just say... I don't know, I'll come to you if I ever need someone serenaded."

[bachjones]

"That's cool, thanks man."

He grins. "Whenever you need. I'll even bring my guitar."

[just_another]

"Sounds like we've got a deal," Joel says, feeling secretly pleased with himself. Keeping his head down as worked up to a point, but he has to admit it hasn't been so terrible getting to know new people over the past month or so.