Stripped: In Good Company - Brussels
by Willes
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Dawn couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to Mikkel. He was smart and interesting and he listened to her like she wasn’t a child. They had been talking for hours and Dawn had shared her life story with this stranger, omitting certain details of course. And in turn he had shared his, which was not nearly as interesting. He had lived in Brussels all his life and now helped his father run the convenience store his family owned.

“So, you like strange books, huh?” he asked, teasingly.

“They’re not strange. They’re just different,” Dawn retorted.

“I know someplace that might interest you. I stumbled across it one day on my way home from work. I had never noticed it before.”

“What sort of shop is it?” Dawn asked.

“They sell items that have to do with the occult. It’s cool, we should go.”

“Cool, I haven’t really been in a shop like that,” she lied. “I don’t know, though. Buffy might be back soon.” Dawn hesitated.

“Are you always so afraid a little blonde girl?” he teased.

“She’s, ah, stronger then she looks,” Dawn answered. “But I suppose you’re right, we aren’t leaving till the morning and there is no harm in just checking it out!”

The two left the apartment and walked to the store Mikkel had been talking about. Walking in, Dawn was defiantly intrigued. The shelves were full of various things in jars and there were books lining the walls. Dawn walked around as if in a trance.

“Can I help you?” a woman’s voice seemed to ask from nowhere.

Dawn jumped. “Ah, no, umm, we’re just looking, thanks,” she said, smiling at the women who had come up behind her. She was an elderly woman; she looked nearly 80. She wore a long dress, with a skirt made of many layers. It looked like she was draped in rags. She was wearing a heavy wool shawl, and her light gray hair was drawn up in a loose bun on the top of her head. The skin of her hands and face had deep wrinkles but her eyes were vibrant and piercingly blue.

“Well, you just let me know if you need anything, dear,” the elderly woman said, teetering back toward the counter.

“She was kind of creepy,” Mikkel said, coming over to stand by Dawn.

“Yeah, I guess,” Dawn said, distractedly looking through the shelves and shelves of books lining the walls.

“You do love your books, don’t you?” Mikkel said teasingly, running his fingers gently over Dawn’s hand.

This gesture made all thoughts of the books in front of her vanish from her mind. Oh my God, he touched my hand. He’s really cute, and he touched my hand, she thought. Ok, be cool, be cool. If I don’t move soon he is going to think I am a total spaz. Ok, look at the books!

“Hey, look at this!” Dawn said grabbing a very large volume of Witches, Their History and Practice. Misjudging the proximity of Mikkel’s head to the bookshelf she pulled at the book and flung it directly into his forehead, knocking him to the floor very dazed.

“Oh my God!” Dawn shrieked, bending down quickly to evaluate the damage. “Are you alright? I didn’t notice you were so close. You must think I am a total freak. It was an accident, I promise. Do you have a concussion? You probably have a concussion. We should get you to the hospital and….”

Mikkel put up his had to stop her babbling. “I’m okay,” he said. “You’re cute when you babble.” he added, smiling slightly, then wincing.

Blushing, Dawn helped Mikkel back to his feet. “Come on, we need to get you home.”

“Yeah, that would probably be good. My head is sort of floating. It is still attached to my neck, right?” he asked jokingly.

“Yeah,” Dawn added, giggling.

“Before you go I have something for you!” the old shop lady said as they made their way to the door. “I have heard you have a friend, she is sick. Take this, it may help.” The woman pushed a necklace into Dawn’s free hand.

“Wait how did you know that? What is this?” Dawn asked skeptically.

“Look, in this.” She handed Dawn a book. “The mystical community is connected dear. We know when a sister of ours suffers. Please, we wish to help a fellow witch in need. Just read it, it may help.”

Dawn didn’t have time to argue. She had one very heavy Mikkel leaning more and more on her, fighting unconsciousness. She needed to get him home. “How much?” she asked.

“Nothing, I want to help.” The woman smiled a mostly toothless grin.

“Thank you,” Dawn said quickly. “As you can see, we have to run.”

“Yes, take care dear,” the woman answered.

Dawn figured, what was the harm in taking these trinkets from the woman. The worst that could happen is that they didn’t help. But now she had other things to worry about. She would study them later. As she helped Mikkel down the street back to her apartment she was too distracted to notice the shop disappear behind her.


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