Page 90 of Mack's Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town
“I have some tuning forks in my bags, and I can attune them to the locker’s energy. They’ll continue to vibrate in your hand up until you’ve left the area. Once you’ve found the spot, acharmed spike can be driven into the ground. I can feel it from quite some distance, and it’ll tell me exactly how far out the locker goes.”
“Sounds like something that’s more of a group project. You do this shit alone?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted with an aggravated, sour expression. “Not everyone is as nice as this group. The one pro to working with assholes is at least I get my steps in.”
I couldn’t imagine making Seiji do all the work alone. For one thing, he was here to help us. We were the ones with our fat in the fire, and he was the one with the extinguisher. For another thing, the longer it took him to fix the problem, the longer we were stuck here. Plus, he was a sweet guy; I couldn’t imagine him doing anything to piss off an entire group.
People could be very shitty.
I had no idea if he was interested in being friends, but I thought he might be, so I decided to throw out a lure. “When I first met Quinn, Booker, and Eli, they said something similar. They had a hard time working with most groups because they got shit for being poly. Mack and I didn’t blink, which they loved, and when Eli went down, Mack ran to her rescue. They pretty much adopted us afterward. Seiji, you’re a pleasure to work with. Honest to god, I would love to be friends. So if you’re in a situation and need backup, just call me, will you?”
The gobsmacked, slack-jawed astonishment was actually funny. Man was a walking meme, I swear. Then he lit up with joy, already shifting the sketch pad to the other cushion so he could orient toward me.
“I would love to be friends,” Seiji said in his usual calm manner, but his eyes were gleeful. “I hoped I could. With all of you, as you’re all great. You’re also such a tight-knit group, I wasn’t sure what to do to break into the circle.”
“Show up? I dunno, man, we’re not very deep. We’ve just been through hell together. Tends to make people tight.”
“The Highland case, correct? Lachlan told me that’s how he met you all, and a little about how insane it was.”
“That’s the one.”
“I can see how you’d form a sort of comrade, brother-in-arms attitude after fighting a Slaugh,” he said. “Um, Brandon. Since we’re friends, can I ask a very personal question?”
“Shoot.” I had no idea what he was going to ask me next, but from his strong hesitation, the way he formed each word carefully before releasing it, it was going to be a doozy.
“Is there anyone aside from Hannah and Beau who’s straight in this group?”
As expected, the unexpected question. “I don’t know about Davina, or Gwyn, but basically everyone else is bi, me included. Mack is gay. Why?”
“I can’t figure out if Lachlan is flirting or not?” His brows drew together as if this was truly puzzling.
Lachlan, for god’s sake, up your game, buddy.
“I’m admittedly very bad at telling if someone is flirting with me,” Seiji said.
Oh, that might be part of the issue. All right, let me do a friend a solid. “He’s very much interested in you. Begged Mack to help him figure out if you might be interested, actually.”
Seiji’s confusion cleared up immediately, and cross my heart, he seemed excited.
“I must find a moment to flirt back,” he declared. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure whether I would step on toes or not.”
“Oh, so you’re interested?”
“Very much so. Aside from the fact he could be a cover model—”
I snorted a laugh because I’d thought the same thing many a time. Glad I wasn’t the only one.
“—he’s loyal, kind, and very thoughtful. I’ve seen him properly communicate several times. Truly, hard character traits to find in a man these days. Plus, he’ll understand my insane schedule, as his is likely just as crazy.”
“There’s also that.” It begged a question I hadn’t thought to ask before. “Uh, Seiji, do chaos magicians have anchors? Not every psychic type does, I know.”
“I should, actually.” A sad expression crossed his face, and he sagged for a moment before managing a wry shrug. “I’ve tried. But I’ve never had a relationship last three months, and trying to find someone who can watch my back as I need them to is a very tall order.”
He reminded me so much of Mack. There was no hope of an anchor, and it had been deemed a pipe dream and set aside. I hated that for Seiji. He was well worth protecting and deserved the same comfort and love any psychic did. Hell, I knew for a fact, if he and Lachlan worked out as a couple, Lachlan would be an anchor for him without blinking. His protective instincts rivaled mine.
“When I first met Mack, he wasn’t invested in finding an anchor because he deemed it a fantasy,” I shared with Seiji. “Then I came in out of nowhere, saw him, and pretty much decided on first sight I was going to keep him. Don’t give up, Seiji. Hell, if you need help, let me introduce you later to Jon. He’s the best Reader in the country. He can help you find someone.”
He did look bolstered by this and smiled tentatively. “Thanks. I’ll take the help.”
