Nightvale's Archivist

A Trip To... Wait Thats Not Camden

     By some miracle, Tim had actually  shown up to Camden Market with Jon. "Are we only here for Girl Scout cookies," he asks as they stroll down the street. "In theory, yes. However, if you want to buy anything else then feel free to," Jon answers. Knowing Tim, he was going to buy some completely unneccasary knick-knack to put on his desk (that he never uses) or to bother Jon with.
      Tim nods, "Got it." Jon has a feeling he'll come to regret that decision. As they walk they pass a Starbucks, which Tim begs to go into. "Fine, but I'm going to wait for you out here," Jon complies. "Or you could come in with. I don't mind paying for it, you are buying me biscuits after all," Tim wagers.
     "No thank you, I'm not much of a coffee person, honestly,'' Jon attempts to dissuade him. It didn't work, since Jon is being dragged into the coffeeshop by his wrist only seconds later. He was starting to regret inviting Tim along with him.
    As they wait for Tim's coffee to get done, Jon's phone goes off. Jon doesn't hesitate to pick it up this time. Tim would say its scary how quickly he picked up.
    "Hello?" Tim hears someone answer on the other line. Whoever called must've been close to Jon, especially if they got Jon to smile. Tim swears he saw Jon's shoulders physically drop. "Okay, will do," more unintelligible whispers, and finally a "Missed you too. Love you, bye."
     Tim isn't going to ask who it was, because obviously it had to have been Jon's partner. Any hopes Tim had were immediately thrown out of the window. He hears his name being called, signalling him to come get the only thing  that could possibly make him feel better.

      "That was my dad," Jon tells Tim as soon as he gets back. He wants to say he saw Tim brighten at the words, but he has the feeling it was a mere trick of the light. "He wanted to pass on a message from my Papa," he answers before Tim could even ask. "Oh," Tim asks before he takes a sip of his drink.
    "Mhm. Papa said for us to follow the shadows, and we'll be able to find Janice's troop," he passes Tim up, taking the lead. "The shadows can be quite shy when meeting new people, so it's best I lead the way from here on out," he explains.
    Tim gives him a confused look. "But what about my shadow," he sounded sad when he spoke. "Your shadow knows you quite well, loves you like a pet would its owner, in all honesty. Thing is, shadows can't speak. Not in the way we do,'' Jon grabs Tim by the hand as he speaks.
     Tim nods like he could make sense of Jon's words. In reality, he is having a moment of gay panic, and pretending like he can hear something besides his heart s speeding up.
     Jon makes a left turn where it shouldn't have been possible, and makes his voice louder. "Hello,'' he calls out to the darkness. "I thought you said the shadows can't speak," Tim asks between gulps of frappucino.
    "I said not in the way we do. They have their own way of answering. Hello? No need to worry, he's a friend," Jon calls again. As soon as Jon finishes his sentence, he can feel something pull at his leg, and Tim's grasp harden against his hand.
     "Gently now darlings, he's not used to the sensation," he pats the invisible force that's at his leg. He feels the grip on his leg loosen, and with it, the grip on his hand. "Thank you, now could you lead us to Janice,'' his voice is soft when he speaks.
     The force moves from his leg to his free hand, carefully pulling him and Tim along. Tim's eyes widen at the sight of Jon's hand enclosed in complete darkness, and Jon who was in complete ease with it.

     After what felt like hours, they finally arrive at an odd little place. A woman in a wheelchair sits at a table, surronded by little girls and biscuits. "Janice," Jon exclaims at the sight. He'll never understand how Jon is okay with any of this.
    "I didn't expect you to be here," he looks around while Jon talks, halfway interested in what Jon's doing, and halfway interested in his surroundings. The buildings around him seem interesting in an odd way. He wants to know more about the architecture of this corner of the world and its history.
      When he does finally tune back into Jon and Janice's conversation, its to something he'd never expect. Which was, to say, a refrence to the time Jon's papa filled his radio station with boxes of girl scout cookies, to the point he could barely move.
      "Oh, Tim what kind do you want," Jon asks after noticing that Tim had been listening. "Whatever kind you recommend," was his response. Honestly, he'd never had biscuits from girl scouts before, so he couldn't say he had a prefrence.
   "Alright then," he sees Jon turn back around to pay Janice. Accompanied with Jon's rustling around as he puts the bag on his wrist was a, "Don't gove me that look Janice. And don't you tell papa either, otherwise I'll tell him about your fifth grade crush."
     Tim didn't know what had just transpired, and he doesn't think he wants to know either. "We best be going now, I'll see you again at some point Janice," Jon waves as he reaches out for the shadows again. Tim just smiles and waves goodby as well, and takes in one last glance at the wonderfully strange architecture as he does so.
    "What caught your eye back there," Jon asks as they're led back to Camden. "I may sound like a dork when I say this, but it was the architecture. By all means, most of those buildings should have collapsed by now, they look so old," Jon nods along with his rant.
    "That's my hometown for you. Most of the things there exist purely to defy physics and human science as we know it," he says once Tim's done speaking. "I wanna know about the town's architectural history. It seems so interesting, like something even Robert Smirke would have loved," he sighs wistfully.
       "Hm. I might be able to ask my uncle or Janice if there's any books on it. I doubt it though," and if he wasn't in love with Jon already, he was now. Of course, he'd never say it out loud,  he could process the fact he'd even had the thought at all.
     He shakes his head free from the downward spiral he was headed toward. "Right, so this pub you mentioned earlier," he wanted to see how drunk he could get before he regretted it. Can't have emotions when your buzzed!
     "We're heading that way, calm your horses," Jon shakes his head at Tim's antics. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see one of the shadows mimic him. He giggles softly, careful not to scare the shadow thats taking them back to civilization.
     Tim pouts at the sound of Jon's laughter. "What's so funny," and again Jon giggles. "Nothing, nothing," Jon swears to him. Tim knows better than to believe Jon when he says that. "You wouldn't have understood it if i did tell you," he tells him as they round the corner that began the journey.
       "Come along then," he lets go of Tim's hand. Tim feels a bit sad at the loss of such a comforting warmth.  He can't be sad about it for long though since Jon's taking him to a pub. You win some, you lose some, he supposes.