[Thread] I put a spell on you

[inked_wiccan]

Characters: AU!Willow Rosenberg, OPEN
Where: The library, perhaps the fountain later
When: Dusk
Summary: Willow goes to the library to pick up some books as she awaits the shipment of her altar.
Warnings: None yet. If Layla pops up, there'll be redheaded shipping!

Comments

[phd_query]

"Looking for something in particular?" murmured a cool, south-eastern British accent from somewhere among the shelves. A tall, young-looking man in a slightly rumpled suit stood with his back against one of the nearby sections, dark eyes focused upon the young woman wandering through. The light was a bit dim, considering dusk was at hand, and therefore, so was the library. "You new? Or just lost? Not a lot of people come wandering through here."

The tall, slender man moved away from the books and towards the girl with an easy, ambling gait, pausing and poised on battered, red Converses. He watched her with vague curiosity in his dark eyes, awaiting an answer.

[inked_wiccan]

Willow started slightly, turning to see the man, who seemed to be about early to mid-thirties with dark hair. Placing her hand against her heart, she flashed a small smile. "No. Well, sort of new. I was here several months ago. Then I disappeared for two months and now I'm back," Willow said with a chuckle.

"I'd brought of few of the books I'd requistioned here so that a few other people could read and I figured if no one was going to read them, I'd just be an Indian-giver." Willow said then rolled her eyes. "And here I am, rambling away.

[phd_query]

Sober for a moment, the man offered Willow a sort of sad smile.

"Came back then? I'm sorry for you, really I am."

A moment's pause, and then his demeanor changed abruptly. "Naaaaw, don't worry about that!" replied the young man cheerfully, swinging himself around and half-sitting on the back of a chair. That gesture stripped years off of his face, let his dark eyes sparkle congenially. "Like reading then, do you?" Tipping his fluffy head to one side, the man attempted to spot a book the girl might have been carrying. "What about?"

"Ohright, I'm the Doctor, by the way. What did you say your name was?"

[inked_wiccan]

Willow shugged her slim shoulders a little at his apologies, her cheeks darkening a fraction, barely noticable in the low light. "It's alright. I have reasons to be happy to be back."

"Oh, I love reading. About all sorts of stuff," Willow replied with a bright smile. "Really. The sky's the limit." The small stack in her arms consisted of witchcraft from her own world and several other dimensions.

"I didn't. At least, not yet," Willow giggled. "I'm Willow. It's nice to meet you."

[papa_high_lord]

Organizing the books in the library was a habit of Saetan's. Even with the care the residents here took to replace them many often ended up left on tables or in the wrong locations and putting them back in order gave him something to do with his evenings. Operating on a nocturnal schedule meant there were rarely people around to socialize with, after all.

Tonight was clearly an exception, he reflected hearing the door open and glancing up. It took him a moment to place the girl who entered but then he saw those green eyes that had given her away the last time they had met; she had been transformed into Dorothea, and it was those distinctive eyes that had saved her from his rage.

"Good evening, my dear." He greeted with a mild smile. "I thought you had left us. It's lovely to see you again."

[inked_wiccan]

Willow stopped when she heard the greeting, remembering the chill that had gone up at her spine at his rage. She flashed him a bright smile. "I did leave, for a time. Two months, but to me it was as if I'd blacked out. I'd say it's terrible to be back, but...I have reasions to be glad I'm back."

Willow remembered her manners and nodded. "It's a pleasure to see you as well. How've you been?" Willow asked, looking at the much older gentleman.

[papa_high_lord]

"How odd." Saetan remarked softly, looking thoughtful. He had always wondered what happened to those who vanished from the compound, but there were no clues in Willow's memory to help solve that particular little puzzle.

"Well enough." He replied, reaching for another book and returning it to it's home on the shelves. "Do you mind if I ask what you're reading, darling?"

[inked_wiccan]

Willow glanced down at the stack of books in her arms, turning them onto their sides so she could read the spines. "Oh, um, Discoverie of Wicca, Witchcraft, Theory and Practice, Advanced Candle Magick, Cunningham's guides to crystals, gems, metals, and herbs, and The Little Engine that Could. You know, the basics," Willow said with a giggle.

"I'm just kidding on the last one," Willow reassured him.