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Outside MHA, Wednesday

The holidays were definitely over, so Atticus was working on getting the last of the lights and decorations down from outside the building. For the moment, he was pulling the lights from around the door and the places he could reach easily - and swearing up a blue storm that they weren't wrapping up nicely - and wondering if he needed to get a ladder and risk heights when it was cold and icy. Maybe if he left the higher lights up all year, no one would notice? Considering how Fandom liked its holidays, he wouldn't have been surprised if there was a Christmas day in July, and then he'd be ready.

[Open, especially if anyone needs an apartment!]

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Bob wandered past, then stood and watched.

Well, and listened. That was a pretty impressive streak of cursing!

It wasn't long before Atticus realized he wasn't alone, and he turned to glance at the tall figure. "Sorry," he said. It was always better to assume he'd caused some kind of offense, in his experience. "You'd think that something from a season of hope and peace wouldn't cause so much frustration."

"No I wouldn't," Bob assured him. "Seems like these times are usually the worst; anytime you try to get rightfully annoyed, someone tries to talk you out of it." He grinned. "Don't stop on my account; I was just admiring the variety."

"Well, when you learn different languages, it's always fun to learn the bad words first. And practice makes perfect," Atticus said.

"Oh, of course. I had that discussion with a student just this weekend," Bob said. "We're going to teach each other all the bad words we can. And I might just hang around here a bit, see what else I can pick up."

You had an impressive array!

Hey, 2000 years of banging around did wonders for one's vocabulary!

"If you hang around here long enough, you might learn words from different planets," he said. "Have you come to teach at the school?"

Oh, that was good! Bob only had about 1100. And a lot less "around".

"Oh, I'm counting on it!" Bob grinned. "And yes I am, but regrettably not 'Curse Words of Every Language'." ...Maybe he could propose that for summer? "Well, except in a manner of speaking. Defending against magic."

Edited 2015-01-08 19:04 (UTC)

That got Atticus to perk up a bit. "Really? That's an important skill," he said. "Defending against magical attacks, or just staying safe from magic in general?"

"A bit of both, really. More the former than the latter, but if I can just keep them from dying, I'll count it a win."

"That's a noble pursuit considering how willing the students are to run into danger," he said. "I'm Atticus, by the way. It's always nice to meet another non-teenager."

Bob laughed. "Yes, not for quite some time. I'm Bob; pleased to meet you. So are you a handyman?" He gestured at the lights.

"Not quite. I found myself managing this place," Atticus said, taking a longer look at Bob. "I don't suppose you need a place to stay? We have empty apartments."

Most ghosts didn't need a formal place to reside, but he also didn't know many ghosts willing to teach teenagers, so he'd stopped making expectations.

"Unfortunately not." Bob shrugged and waved his hand through the ladder rungs. "I should have an office shortly; that'll do well enough. How does one 'find themself' managing an apartment building?" Particularly someone with as...interesting an aura as Atticus.

"I was looking for a place to lay low for a little while, and the previous owner of this place had left. I don't know if there was someone else planning on taking their place, but I... well, it was sort of handed to me," Atticus said, smirking at Bob and the ladder. "I don't suppose you're laying low as well?"

Bob snorted. "Talk about closing the stable door once the horse has bolted. No, these days anybody who wants me probably knows where to find me. This is just a bit of a busman's holiday, helping out in exchange for a change of scenery." He frowned faintly at Atticus. "You 'lying low' from anything we should be worried about?"

Surely an angry pagan god wasn't anything to be worried about!

"Nothing I can't handle. I'm just trying to avoid handling it for as long as possible," Atticus admitted. "Are the people who might want to find you anyone we should worry about?"

Of course not!

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Bob assured him. "The worst the Council can do is frown and yell, and the worst Harry would do is call me back for an emergency. I'm rather small fish these days."

"And yet you still have such lovely jewelry," Atticus said lightly, before smiling more. "I'm sorry, I'm a nosy ass, you can tell me to mind my own business."

Bob winced a bit, but didn't deny it, though he did give Atticus a more appraising look. "Most people barely notice them." He held his arms out, hitching his sleeves up enough that both manacles were visible. "How familiar are you with binding spells?"

He didn't know of many other spirits that had been bound at all, and none like him, but that was in his world, after all.

"My familiarity is with casting them," Atticus said, "but they don't usually have a physical form. I must admit, mine are usually more... well, internal."

Bob nodded. "The greater the power required, the more helpful it can be to have a physical focus. This spell is what keeps me from moving on. Ever."

"I'm... sorry?" Atticus said, uncertain if that was the right sentiment. "Or not, since you seem to be doing all right. Or because you might have deserved it, but that fits you in well with some of the people here, if the gossip and radio news are to be believed."

"It wasn't intended as a kindness, no." Bob smiled a bit grimly. "But I've managed to do a bit of good over the years, and I've experienced things and met people I never would have otherwise, so - a bit of a mixed curse, shall we say?"

He nodded at Atticus. "What about you - what's your story? Fascinating aura, by the way." Look, he was trying to be friendly, he'd kept his curiosity at bay, but if they were doing rude questions now, he was dying to know!

So to speak.

Atticus had to laugh a little at that. "And here I thought I was one of the only ones who could see those. I'm a Druid," he explained. "One of the last ones I know of. I'm not dangerous though." Unless he needed to be, of course. "I'm a big fan of 'live and let live.'"

"One of the last?" Bob asked sadly. "I'm sorry. The ones I've known in my world have been mostly good people. Not to say there hasn't been the occasional ass, but still. Was it wars, or simply attrition?"

"A little of column A, a little of column B. Wars convincing people to move away from old ways, technology getting in the way," Atticus said. "It's all right though, I like being a special snowflake. I can't imagine there are many people around like you either."

Edited 2015-01-12 05:21 (UTC)

"Not many, no," Bob answered with a smile. "Probably just as well. We've still a good number of wizards, though. The High Council has a few druids on it from time to time, too, though none just at present."

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