SORRY THIS TAG IS SO LONG. JUST SOME CONTEXT FOR MY OWN PIECE OF MIND.nobodysheroineAugust 22 2008, 23:20:53 UTC
It was early afternoon when Ran found the bookstore, after having spent most of the morning acquiring clothes and scouring the food-stalls for donuts and a job that wouldn't require the completely relinquishing of her ethics to the Powers that Be.
She was rather disappointed to discover that the closest thing she had gotten to an offer was from a withered old man in the food preparation section of the Market who ran a small kebob shop. The guy himself -- whose name she later discovered was Talik -- was nice enough to be around, and his tiny business seemed so far roomed from the money-stained gears of the System as a whole that the prospect of working there didn't bother her so much. But still, when Ran had told Talik that she would think about it, and come back the next day with her answer, there was something painstakingly trite about the whole situation. Teenage girl looking for gainful employment, ends up -- give or take -- flipping burgers for a living? It was almost enough to make Ran want to tug on her hair and scream.
She figured her best get was to balance things out. Talik had only offered her a part-time position, given how small the business was and that he already had one assistant. So Ran spent the second half of her day wandering about looking for an opportunity that she thought might make up for whatever deeply ingrained prejudices she had for her other job. Eventually, she found a bookstore -- unassuming but with a very large sign declaring what it was. Tempting, she thought, and quickly made her way through the crowds towards it, trying very hard to ignore the fact that she had two of her fingers crossed.
"Hello?" she called as she cracked open the door and poked her head inside. Immediately she was hit with a very familiar smell. Books, walls of them, crammed tight into shelves that ran from ceiling to floor. Grinning, she took a step inside, knocking once on the doorframe for good measure as she closed the door behind her. "Knock knock."
SOKAY BB ♥ WE LOVE YOU ANYWAY1artificialgirlAugust 23 2008, 01:53:49 UTC
Once Vanilla heard the door crack open and then a feminine voice call out she gazed up from her book. She smiled slightly in return and closed her book. “Good afternoon miss…” She took a moment to set the book down on a slightly worn coffee table. “How are you?” Vanilla’s tone was soft and level as she gazed at the customer. This one seemed quite friendly. A good way to start the day she supposed.
Ran nodded in greeting, ducking her head left and right to survey the shelves around her as she approached. "Hi there," she said again, giving a small wave of her hand. She was surprised to see the girl who greeted her was not even her age and Ran mentally kicked herself when she realized she was about to ask, "Is the owner here?" This was, after all, a brand new world. One where boys carried swords and girls were birthed from cocoons, where bumper cars followed you everywhere you went and where water balloons fell from the sky. Who said a young girl couldn't have an entrepreneurial spirit and run her own bookstore on a floating market island?
"I'm good," Ran said, and made herself smile. It wasn't a natural facial expression for her to use, but she had spent all day flashing it desparately at various store owners, so she felt relieved to feel it was more genuine this time, given her newfound surroundings. "Thanks for asking." Ran didn't think she was very good at chit-chat. "...You?"
Vanilla nodded to the teen and then cocked her head to the side. “I am.” She didn’t see anything strange about a child running a store. If one was mature enough they could do just about anything. The girl wasn’t offended though, she got that question every so often, and she couldn’t blame them… Even though she hated to admit it Vanilla knew she was quite small.
Vanilla rarely smiled although for her it was natural… At least most of the time. She was rather quiet compared to most children her age. The girl nodded. “You’re welcome… I am well. Thank you for asking.”
The girl had a strangeness about her that Ran couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was something in the way that she spoke, the way she moved, the calmness of her face. It was if the girl acted much older than she seemed, but not in a way that was by any means precious or precocious.
"I'm in the market for a dictionary," she said -- which wasn't exactly a lie. Granted, it wasn't exactly the truth, but Ran suddenly found herself caring about whether or not she'd actually get to work here. "And a thesaurus. And maybe Byron."
Vanilla looked thoughtfully at the girl as she listed off the books she needed. She then nodded and began to pull a dictionary and a thesaurus out of the shelves. “I would assume you mean the poet Bryon?” She looked over her shoulder at the girl and gave her a questioning glance.
"Yes! She walks in beauty, all that jazz," Ran said eagerly, perhaps more eagerly than she would have liked. As she followed the girl around the small shop, she wondered what on god's green earth she was doing spending what little money she had left on a dictionary, a thesaurus, and what was clearly a not-so-subtle nudge from her subconscious that she was thinking about Argent.
"My name's Ran," she then said, peering over the girl's shoulder, "I really like this shop of yours. It feels, well, personal. Not corporate. Then again, nothing here is really corporate. Still, there are places that give off that Big Brother vibe. Your place? Nada."
Vanilla nodded and smiled softly. “Yes, I remember that one.” She liked how Ran had an enthusiasm about books and the like. Once the girl introduced herself she nodded. “A pleasure to meet you Miss Ran…” She paused as she reached up to grab a book that was completely dedicated to the poet Byron. “I am Vanilla.” At the compliment to her store Vanilla’s eyes had shown a bit of pride. “Thank you Miss Ran. I try to make it a welcoming place… Of course I have many friends that have helped to achieve this.”
Ran laughed once, but not in a mean way, when the girl named Vanilla addressed her as 'Miss'. "Oh no," she said, shaking her head, "no 'Miss', please. I'll start to feel like a school marm or something. Just Ran." As they stood in front of one of the long-running shelves, Ran reached up with one hand to touch the spines of a row of books. Some were older than others, some had broken bindings, some had gold gilt letters embossed down their sides. There was something about them that struck her as vaguely familiar and looking back at Vanilla ran smiled again.
"When I was your age -- and no, I'm not trying to imply something about your age -- I would have killed to have a place like this, I bet." It wasn't something that Ran knew for certain, given the fact she couldn't recall anything about what she or life was like when she was Vanilla's age. But still, the sentiment rang true, and Ran considered that to be good enough. "I mean, books? All day long? Byron and the classics and On the Origin of Species all in one place? I mean, envy much?" She laughed.
Vanilla nodded and then held out the three books for Ran to take. "Alright then, Ran it is." She noticed how the girl ran her fingers across the book spines and that made her smile slightly. Ran really did like books.
Vanilla then cocked her head to the side. "Yes, this place is quite nice... Of course, you are welcome here any time you wish." The girl nodded but did not smile. Instead she straightened the row above her, where she had found Byron.
Opportunity! Ran's brain chimed in, which she duly noted and ran with it. "Actually," she then said, leaning sideways against the face of one bookshelf, "I was wondering if maybe you needed help. Like running the store or errands or anything." Stepping back, Ran made a slightly uncomfortable face, which she quickly caught and then tucked away behind the faintest of smiles. "I'm new here and painfully unemployed and I'd just...really appreciate an opportunity to work here. I mean..." She laughed weakly and turned to run her finger down the spines of a shelf. "...Books! Who can resist, right?"
Vanilla seemed to consider this for a moment. So far Ran had made quite a good impression, she had a love for books, and seemed like quite a nice young woman. She was most definitely worker material. “Is part time alright with you? I’m going to start opening the shop on weekends so…” Vanilla nodded. “If you find that to be suitable that would work out quite nicely.”
Ran grinned -- properly now -- so much so that the tops of her cheeks pushed her glasses slightly up the bridge of her nose. "Weekends are good, non-weekends are good. Whatever you need. I've got another gig down in the food court section of the Marketplace, but Talik seems like a pretty flexible guy and is more interested in the company and the small iota of power ruling over me provides." Ran laughed a tight little laugh, not completely comfortable yet, but getting there quickly by degrees. Stepping away from the bookshelf, she held her hands out to take the books from Vanilla. "What kinds of things would you need me to do? Other than love books, cause I've already got that covered."
Vanilla smiled although it was quite small, it still held warmth. The girl nodded as the books were exchanged. Two jobs did sound like a good idea; it was way to make a decent amount of money. “I suppose at times it would be going out to grab copies of the books, keeping the shop tidy, keeping the books in their specific order, and of course tending to customers.” She nodded slightly. “That is usually what everyone does around here…” She trailed off a bit awkwardly… Vanilla wasn’t good at explaining this sort of thing.
As Vanilla talked, Ran turned the books over in her hands, flipping each of them open in turn to peer inside and run her hands over the worn aged paper. There was something very tactile and tangible about experiencing books, and Ran appreciated it almost as much as their content.
When Vanilla's voice trailed off Ran looked at her, a brief on seriousness crossing her face as she pressed her brow down and flat, nodding once. Her overall expression, however, was tempered by how obviously pleased she was in that moment. Long day, new people, sore feet, but now this. "I'm on it," she said and then broke into a smile again. "Thanks." Looking around, Ran turned her attention to the rest of the store. She gestured with one hand around the both of them and asked: "Is there anything I can help with now? Because if you need something..."
Vanilla felt a bit relieved as Ran spoke... She hadn't come across as too bossy. Well she was the boss but that was beside the point. The girl didn't enjoy giving orders and such but she was usually quite nice about it so... She did hope her employees enjoyed working here. She nodded in return to the thanks given, cocking her head to the side she blinked. "For now everything is in order... I'll need you Saturday and Sunday... We'll say from noon to... Four thirty?"
She was rather disappointed to discover that the closest thing she had gotten to an offer was from a withered old man in the food preparation section of the Market who ran a small kebob shop. The guy himself -- whose name she later discovered was Talik -- was nice enough to be around, and his tiny business seemed so far roomed from the money-stained gears of the System as a whole that the prospect of working there didn't bother her so much. But still, when Ran had told Talik that she would think about it, and come back the next day with her answer, there was something painstakingly trite about the whole situation. Teenage girl looking for gainful employment, ends up -- give or take -- flipping burgers for a living? It was almost enough to make Ran want to tug on her hair and scream.
She figured her best get was to balance things out. Talik had only offered her a part-time position, given how small the business was and that he already had one assistant. So Ran spent the second half of her day wandering about looking for an opportunity that she thought might make up for whatever deeply ingrained prejudices she had for her other job. Eventually, she found a bookstore -- unassuming but with a very large sign declaring what it was. Tempting, she thought, and quickly made her way through the crowds towards it, trying very hard to ignore the fact that she had two of her fingers crossed.
"Hello?" she called as she cracked open the door and poked her head inside. Immediately she was hit with a very familiar smell. Books, walls of them, crammed tight into shelves that ran from ceiling to floor. Grinning, she took a step inside, knocking once on the doorframe for good measure as she closed the door behind her. "Knock knock."
Reply
Reply
"I'm good," Ran said, and made herself smile. It wasn't a natural facial expression for her to use, but she had spent all day flashing it desparately at various store owners, so she felt relieved to feel it was more genuine this time, given her newfound surroundings. "Thanks for asking." Ran didn't think she was very good at chit-chat. "...You?"
Reply
Vanilla rarely smiled although for her it was natural… At least most of the time. She was rather quiet compared to most children her age. The girl nodded. “You’re welcome… I am well. Thank you for asking.”
Reply
"I'm in the market for a dictionary," she said -- which wasn't exactly a lie. Granted, it wasn't exactly the truth, but Ran suddenly found herself caring about whether or not she'd actually get to work here. "And a thesaurus. And maybe Byron."
Reply
Reply
"My name's Ran," she then said, peering over the girl's shoulder, "I really like this shop of yours. It feels, well, personal. Not corporate. Then again, nothing here is really corporate. Still, there are places that give off that Big Brother vibe. Your place? Nada."
Reply
Reply
"When I was your age -- and no, I'm not trying to imply something about your age -- I would have killed to have a place like this, I bet." It wasn't something that Ran knew for certain, given the fact she couldn't recall anything about what she or life was like when she was Vanilla's age. But still, the sentiment rang true, and Ran considered that to be good enough. "I mean, books? All day long? Byron and the classics and On the Origin of Species all in one place? I mean, envy much?" She laughed.
Reply
Vanilla then cocked her head to the side. "Yes, this place is quite nice... Of course, you are welcome here any time you wish." The girl nodded but did not smile. Instead she straightened the row above her, where she had found Byron.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
When Vanilla's voice trailed off Ran looked at her, a brief on seriousness crossing her face as she pressed her brow down and flat, nodding once. Her overall expression, however, was tempered by how obviously pleased she was in that moment. Long day, new people, sore feet, but now this. "I'm on it," she said and then broke into a smile again. "Thanks." Looking around, Ran turned her attention to the rest of the store. She gestured with one hand around the both of them and asked: "Is there anything I can help with now? Because if you need something..."
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment