Welcome to Gaia! ::

The bookstore was blissfully quite sans the gentle hum of rain from outside. Marcus felt a little bit bad, the hem of his slacks wet from the water and his coat also soaked and dripping onto the floor, but, he was a man on a mission. He didn't ride the bus on a rainy day for any old reason.

Setting his umbrella in the bin before taking off the thick coat and giving it a nice shake, water droplets scattering to the floor, the garment was put on the rack. Last thing he wanted was to be dripping all over the place or worse, onto the books.

"Hullo?" He said, walking over to the counter and trying to find a bit of help. Because while he could look on his own for the type of book he wanted? He had no idea what would be good or, if they were just the ones made to get sales via impressionable kids. He wanted the technical books, real in depth expositions and tactics.

Ghost hunting seasons was starting after all, and Marcus was not yet prepared.

It wasn't- well. This was certainly a change of pace. The younger man was given a bright smile as Marcus went to begin the usual session of question peppering. "I hope you can, but if not that's fine. There are certainly worse things than having to look through books all day." Like ornate parties that ended in death and nightmares.

Looking to the counter to see if it had any fall or Halloween decor yet, Marcus figured it was best to jump right into it. It wasn't like anyone in this town wasn't aware that stuff happened and it had a certain spooky factor by default.
"So it's getting to that time of year again and I am pretty sure I have seen dead people who are actually dead now." Because that was something normal people started off with.

"And I need to find out how to find them."

Marcus's eyes glittered with mirth, blue orbs shifting to gold. "Ghost hunting books. You wouldn't happen to have any? Or alternatively, books on the area and the dead? Like cemetery locations and such."

Totally normal.

Marcus was a man with a very distinct order history to put it politely. He once had a month long stint of ordering nothing but books on aquaponics. What came of all his research no one quite knew.

"Oh at the party. Truthfully, talking to someone who was already dead, then someone else who died later that same night was... certainly surreal. But, let's not discuss that here. Not entirely a safe venue you know." Marcus didn't look behind him or indicate that he felt uneasy, but he figured that the young man understood the implication. Talking was one thing, but talking in the open was another.

"You have the right of it though. Most books are shams, which makes things difficult. I may be.. curious of things but I'm not some idiot out to buy a ouija board to piss off a spirit or summon a demon. I've seen what happens to the logical ones. They die first." He looked around, trying to see what else might be useful.
"Anything you'd recommend on hand? I trust your judgement."

He picked up a copy of '50 Shades of Gray' someone had left on a shelf.
"....Some books are too frightening, even for me." He muttered.

The smile and laugh that was barely hidden in his mouth had Marcus nodding in agreement. 50 shades was a bit more creepy than most ghost hunting books.
"Amityville Horror is a classic. But.. yeah, smarmy or not I'll take it. I know the gear they use is a bit fancy for my tastes, and the guy probably hypes his show, but, we've all got to start somewhere right?" Marcus was hopeful, even if under a bed of lies, there was usual a kernel of truth somewhere.

Marcus listened and arms crossed as he thought about it. Stories were all well and good but encounters were better. Help him draw from experiences. Demonology however-
"Nothing demon related." It was spoken firmly.
"Spirits of the dead are of one matter, beings that were never human are something else entirely. I'd like to keep such things as far from me as I can." He might not have been a particularly religious man, but demons covered a lot of things, all very much inhuman and typically of ill will.

"Anything local though? City hall's got those small 'haunted house' booklets but I was hoping for something a bit more... authenticated." Published really. Blue orbs sudden shifted to a pale orange then vibrant almost neon blue.

Ah well, it had been an attempt at least. Marcus figured their little town didn't have much in the way of publications but- heck something were better than none.

"I'll take your suggestions then. But hey, creepy pasta is the stuff of internet legends. Or, its a small truth hidden under a bedrock of deception. Most stories that involve the dead typically are." Harder though, was it to discount the fact that while in Other Ashdown not only had he encountered a ghost, others had as well. The same one no less.

Life on the other side, Ashdown or... physical was not looking to be pleasant.

"Writing novels or studies is difficult. Not to mention the legalese is a pain. Had to do it in College. Not worth it in the slightest." Back then it had been about the sustainability of metal usage on coastal homes. Two magazines and one booklet later and Marcus never wanted to deal with publishers and editors again.

"You an aspiring author yourself? My only experience is with less... fun subjects than ghosts though, it was all study related."

Marcus laughed. "You should. Again, all I had to deal with was technical. so there was a significant amount of back work and certifications and litigation for publishing, even in the magazines. Children's books is likely entirely different." He waved it off, thinking how really, children's books would probably just be a matter of making sure they suited the age group. And didn't offend parents.

"But yeah, if you come across anything set them aside, I'll try to come in twice a week. The construction season is slowing so more time on my hands than I'd like." Handing over his card, he also fished out a business card as well.
"Maybe in a few years one of us will write about what happens here. For now howevere, it's best to keep our secrets to our town." He locked eyes briefly with Zac, still smiling.

The secret that half the town knew, and few spoke of.