Personal Theories

Who: Dorian and Joey
When: Morning
Where: Nevermore

With Ransom comfortably behind the counter, and the shop quiet, Joey didn't feel so guilty making two fresh cups of coffee and heading out of the cafe down to Nevermore. He was an intelligent kid, and responsible, so she knew she could trust him alone for a few moments so she could drop in on Dorian. She imagined his shop was probably busy, what with the ghosts not disappearing after Halloween. People were intrigued and frightened, and the supernatural bookstore she was sure most of them shunned when things were normal seemed to be the logical place to look for answers. With the chilly weather nipping at her ears and nose, Joey held the tiny cup holder in one hand and opened the door to step inside. She was greeted by warmth which allowed her to breathe again, and walking over to the counter, she set the coffees down and tugged off her gloves. "Did somebody order coffee?"

Dorian looked up and headed to the front, smiling at the sound of Joey's voice. The shop was busy on and off, but Saturday morning tended to be slow and he could spare a few minutes to spend with her. Even if the shop was busy, Dorian was sure he'd find the time. "Morning," he smiled, coming up to wrap his hands around her chilled fingers. He'd never been an overly affectionate person, but occasionally had little instances where it could be seen. "You couldn't have picked a better time. How's your morning been?" The colder it got, the less people wanted to be out in the cold, but if they were, he figured they'd want coffee. Hopefully her shop was doing well.

"Hey." She returned his smile and allowed her fingers to twine around his to warm them up. "I bring coffee... again." Though she knew she didn't need the coffee excuse to come down there, it was still nice to bring a treat or two. Joey glanced around at the quiet store. She couldn't imagine it would stay this way for very long. "It's been okay. Pretty busy when we opened, but it's settled for now. Even with the so-called threat of the apocalpyse, people still need their caffeine fix. How about you? I can't even imagine how crazy things must have been here over the past couple of days."

"And you should know I'm always happy with coffee," Dorian smiled. More than that, he enjoyed her company, which he thought would be obvious by now. "Not that I mind cheesecake once in a while," he added with a grin. "But yeah, things have been crazy busy, which has been fun. People come in asking about ghosts and I tell them everything I know. Or they come in with other questions they were afraid to ask before now. Like, they didn't want anyone thinking they were crazy, but now that there's ghosts, it seems like a more legitimate question."

"The cheesecake is only when I really want to butter you up for something," Joey teased. She reluctantly slipped her fingers from his to pull the coffee cups out of the carrier and take a sip of her own. "People aren't so afraid to admit they're seeing things when everyone else is seeing them too. I'm sure it's keeping you really busy. I'm surprised you have books left in the store," she said, taking a look around. "Do you have any personal theories on the whole thing?"

"Well, at least you know you've got a bribe that works," he grinned. Cheesecake would get her just about anything. Cheesecake and sex definitely would, though he wasn't quite so willing to say so as much as imply it. Either way, his statement was true, even if she didn't catch on. "The books in the back I rent out, otherwise I might not have any left at all. I don't have all that many on ghosts, in fact, but I ran print-outs for people that just want information. Or they can just ask me. I'm always willing to give it my best shot." He smiled at her question as he added sugar to his coffee. Personal theories that he would tell a customer were different than those he'd tell close friends. He was already considering Joey amoung that inner circle and knew she wouldn't take anything he said too badly. "I've got a few. None can be proven. I think the one that makes the most sense, though, is that this has been building over time, like water into a balloon. Hold back long enough and it's gotta break eventually. Halloween just happened to be what set it off. That's just a guess, though."

"I've noticed that the supernatural sections in mainstream bookstores are usually about ghosts... and UFOs," Joey said, leaning against the counter and wrapping her fingers around her hot cup. "Of course, they're usually just first hand experiences, or fictional ghost stories. I bet they're flying off the shelves right about now. Of course, I doubt any of the employees there know how to answer the questions I'm sure they're getting." She wasn't sure she had any theories on what was happening, only that it was bad. And it wasn't as if she could do anything about it without taking on the entire world... that was well beyond her range, she thought. "It makes sense to me. But I can't help but wonder what's next. The spirits seem pretty tame, but not all spirits are confused, lost souls. I'm almost bracing myself for when things start to turn sour."

"Those are easy to sell, but provide very little in the way of real answers," Dorian said with an amused smile. She was right about both the quality and the quantity of the supernatural books in mass production. They weren't going to help people find answers, since they were based more on a handful of occurrences, not the complete unveiling of the spirit world. "I don't know if it's necessarily going to turn sour, so much as it's going to completely change the way people view reality. Sure, there'll probably be some angry ghosts, but those usually made themselves known anyways. I think what we're really going to start seeing is more of everything else. Or at least hear stories about it. Like before, a vampire attack in Marquette? Got written off as gang wars. Now? It might really make the news for what it is. Maybe not. But if people can see that ghosts exist, then what's to stop them from believing in the rest?"

"You don't think that the revelation of vampires and other things will cause chaos?" Joey sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "I've seen what people can do when the unknown becomes known. People are already packed into churches, talking about the end of the world over ghosts. If the truth comes out about vampires and werewolves... and then demons, I wonder if people will panic, load up on weapons... the smallest things can ingnite an uproar. I suppose I'm worried about that happening. Everything could go downhill so quickly." She smiled a bit. "Or maybe I'm being a complete pessimist."

"They're talking about the end of the world because they believe the appearance of ghosts has something to do with the Rapture," Dorian said, having done his best to look into a belief system he didn't believe in. "What they fail to recognize is that the ghosts aren't being drawn into heaven. They're just hanging out on earth. And even if they kind of twist that around, I'm not sure how vampires and werewolves would fit in with their stories of the End Times, like the Second Coming and the Anti-Christ. That being said, I still think people will panic, but will it come down to an all out world war? Probably not. The creepy things they didn't know about have always still been there, and I don't think they're multiplying in numbers at such a rate that they're a bigger threat than they used to be. But I suppose if you throw angels and demons into the mix, you really could have things spin out of control in no time flat." Stopping for a breath, Dorian gave her a little smile. "I don't mind a little chaos, but I'm really not for the end of humanity any time soon. So I try to be an optimist."

"I think if they did their homework, they'd realize the Rapture is the disappearance of believers into heaven, flesh and blood, not the unveiling of the spirit world. Everything that deals with the apocalypse from a biblical point of view isn't suppose to happen the way this is happening. Of course, some people will believe what they're told, and like you said, some people will panic. I think it will be interesting to see how the world adjusts to these revelations." She could just imagine what would be said if it was revealed that angels and demons existed. And that there were several kinds for each of them. Joey smiled at Dorian. "I like that you're an optimist. Frankly, I don't think I'm ready for the end of humanity either. For all we know, we could wake up tomorrow and the ghosts will have returned to wherever they were prior to this. Or maybe we'll all learn to live in harmony. Wouldn't that be nice."

"Maybe," Dorian grinned. "As long as things don't get boring." Perfect harmony sounded like an absolute bore to him, but he also doubted such a thing was possible. Even without the inclusion of supernatural elements, humans had a hard time maintaining it. Add anything extra into the equation and it as bound to get more interesting. "I think we've got a lot of time to wait and see what happens, then just try and go with the flow." If vampires tried to take over the world, then he'd fight off the vampires. If demons became an issue, he'd be there shooting them down as fast as he could, because it didn't matter if they shared a drop of blood, there was no way in hell he thought demons becoming prevalent was a good thing. "So, got any plans for the rest of your weekend?"

"Somehow I doubt boring isn't going to be part of the equation," Joey remarked with a grin. Even if the ghosts disappeared, Marquette was still Marquette. She was just afraid of things getting worse and what she might do. Or feel like she needed to do. Her wings itched just thinking about it. "I'll be perfectly happy with the wait and see game, myself. I've found the entire situation fascinating, which I'm not sure what that says about me but..." She shrugged, not all that bothered by it. It definitely kept things interesting. "No plans but to open the shop tomorrow morning and finish my employee schedule." Joey paused. "Sounds incredibly exciting, doesn't it? How about yourself?"

"You're not alone in being intrigued," Dorian smiled, since he was right there with her. This had definitely spiced things up in a way that he enjoyed them. Sure, people were panicking, but not one was actually being hurt. At least, not yet. "Your day sounds just about as exciting as my own," he laughed. "I'm working till noon, then thought I'd go work out and run some errands. If you've got some free time tonight, I thought maybe you'd like to go grab a drink?" Amazing how much easier it was to ask her out once they'd gotten past the whole awkward part, Dorian thought.

"Umm..." Joey drew it out, her eyes ticking away from him in a teasing, thoughtful manner before she finally smiled and nodded. Little too late to play hard to get! Not that she ever really had, but... "Yeah, that sounds great. I'm finished at four and then I've got to get home, walk the dog, and change. Do you want to pick me up?" A drink sounded really good. Maybe she could convince him to play a game of pool or darts in the process. She loved to hustle when it came to those games. In a completely innocent manner, of course.

The world around them seemed to be spinning out of control, and yet their daily lives were still the same, monotonous tasks and all. Dorian didn't mind, of course. It was a nice mix that he hadn't expected. "I'd love to pick you up," he smiled. "Does six o'clock sound okay? Will that give you enough time?" He was trying to add in time in case she got held up at work, plus drive time... not that she had all that far to go. He just didn't want her to feel rushed.

"Six is perfect," Joey told him. "More than enough time, as long as no ghosts decide to join me in the shower." Ambrosious was not a fan of the spirits himself, so she was hoping she could coax him out from under the bed long enough to go outside and do his business before she left. Joey pulled her gloves out of her jacket to slip on before picking up her coffee. "I should get back. I only have one employee working at the moment, and I would hate for it to get busy and have him resent me for leaving him alone to ogle the cute bookstore boy."

"It'll just give him time to flirt with all the girls that come in without his hot boss there to notice or distract him," Dorian grinned. He never minded being ogled, especially by someone like Joey. "Thanks for dropping by. Some day I'll figure out what I can bring over that's not a book, since that doesn't quite have the same appeal as a fresh cup of coffee." He could always come by just to buy the coffee, but again, it'd be nice to bring her something in return. "See you tonight?"

"I could suggest a thing or two," Joey teased, "but I don't think either would be very appropriate for the work place." She winked at him and headed for the door. "I'll see you at six." Hopefully this time there wouldn't be any strange occurrences like the last time. Not that she minded so much, since the last time they had stayed in ended up in bed.