(no subject)
Who: Leslie Dickering (Rip Van Winkle) & Chloe Martel (Duban The Sage)
What: Chloe's hungover and arrives at work unscheduled.
When: Backdated to the morning of February 25th.
Where: Pink Pussycat Boutique
Rating/Status: PG-13 / Completed over AIM
Leslie: Leslie Sinclair Dickering was having a hell of a morning. Not only did it seem that all the whack jobs (pun intended) were out and about and in the mood for vinyl and zippers, but he had somehow misplaced Chloe's birthday card. He had just started his shift exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes ago, and had barely moved out from behind the counter! What was the world coming to when a pretty damn good birthday card just up and walked out on it's own? Horrible. "Young man... Young man?" The nasty coot over in aisle three spoke up, causing Les to flinch visibly as he sifted through a stack of porn magazines on display near the register, hoping that perhaps the card was there. "SIR." He looked over at the older man, an index finger jutted out in his direction. "You will have to WAIT just a moment!" The man blinked a few times and reluctantly turned back to the display of Vibrawhips he had been admiring.
Chloe: There must have been something about turning thirty that made you forget about birthdays. Granted, it very well could have also been the fact that she had rolled out of bed half hung over from having downed so much whiskey in an attempt to make the WASPs at the Turkana Basin Fund Raiser decent to deal with that she didn't bother to look at the calendar nor clock when she woke up. Regardless, the alarm was irritably tossed against the wall after hitting snooze four to five time, as Chloe rose throwing on a pair of black trousers and a white oxford, and out of sheer laziness pulling her hair back in a ponytail before heading to the Pink Pussycat to start the shift that she didn't realize she had scheduled herself to be off for three months ago. A deep yawn escaped her.."Morning Les...Les? What're you doing here?"
Leslie: Thankfully, a half hour into digging in the porn mags, Les had found and neutralized Chloe's birthday card, hiding it behind the desk as safely as possible before he forgot again just where he had put it. Now, after helping the old man, Les had situated himself behind the counter and kicked his sneakered feet up onto the counter top. Leaning back in his chair looking quite like the laziest employee in the world (but alas looks could be deceiving), was how Chloe found her favorite clerk. The jingle of bells above the front door and with a last swig of his energy drink, Les slammed the can down onto the counter and looked over at the door, ready to state the default happy greeting. "Hello! and welcome to-" Vinnie's Porn Shack Emporium. "The Pink Pussycat Bouti-- CHLOE?!" Almost falling out of his chair, Les hastily removed his feet from the counter and stood awkwardly. "I work here... Again." He made a face, scratching lazily at his scalp.
Chloe: "I know, but..didn't I have a shift today?" Chloe blinked confused and scratched a bit at her scalp. She was the manager she should know these things, shouldn't she? Leaning back against the counter, she eyed the older man with a slight laugh. "Starting early today, hmm Clarence? But seriously..I always open on Mondays, why're you here? Not that I mind the company."
Leslie: As far as Les was concerned, Clarence was a great big wanker of a pervert who only succeeded in annoying him senseless with his irrelevant questions of 'oil based or water based? how many drops?' LES DIDN'T KNOW. LES DIDN'T NEED THE STUFF. Ugh, for real. "I was finishing up the evening shift... My shift, the night shift." Les replied, staring at her stupidly for a few beats before his scruffy face broke out into a grin. "I know what today is...!" He sang in a gloriously flat sing-song voice.
Chloe: "Do'ya start singing lessons? Inside voices please." Chloe's voice was starting to be laced with the Georgian accent she had done her best get rid of. It was her tell, when she was emotional, impassioned, drunk, or all together out of it; it peaked through all the years of conscious erasure to make itself and her current mood known. "But wasn't Beth on?" Now Chloe was really confused, and so she started working her way behind the counter with a pat to his head before taking the seat to rifle through the drawer for the week's schedule.
Leslie: There was no doubt in Les' mind that his boss was experiencing quite the hangover... Such an epiphany caused the over-grown child to smirk, although he made no move to continue his sing-along. "Beth...?" He began, watching her move around the counter and commandeer the chair he had been occupying for most of the night/early morning. "Beth doesn't get in until noon." Twitching at the pat on his head, Les ducked away from her hand and then straightened once the danger of cranial damage had passed. "Hey... Chloe? Do you remember what today is?" He asked, peering closely at her as she shuffled through a few drawers.
Chloe: "I meant last night, she took my shift when I left. Oh, thank you.." Chloe pulled out the schedule to see herself marked off for the day and the next, causing an eyebrow to raise curiously as she placed the paper down. "Monday? Hell, I hope I'm not forgetting something of Naomi's..was there a recital or career day or something?" She asked Les as she buried her forehead into her hand trying to place her niece's event schedule in her mind as a long loud yawn escaped her. Settling into the rather cozy office chair that they had splurged on months ago, her head turning to the side as her own feet came to rest on the counter.
Leslie: The porn business was lucrative indeed. As Chloe babbled on about her niece, Les watched her curiously and finally, with some degree of moral difficulty, decided to address the situation. If it had been anyone else but Chloe, he would've milked it for all it was worth, got a few guilty looks and then drive the stake in. But with Chloe, things were different, always had been and always will be. Hoisting himself up onto the counter near her propped feet, Les reached over and pulled out the envelope near one of his last remaining unopened energy drinks, and held it out in her direction. When she didn't pick it up or failed to even realize that he was offering the envelope to her, he gave her arm a semi-gentle swat with it. "This is yours, Boss Lady." Another swat.
Chloe: "Huh?" She blinked turning and taking the envelope with a curious smile, it was obviously a card; that much she knew and so she didn't feel worried for anything more than what could have possibly been an invitation to another fund raiser. Her surprise was pleasant when it was opened to find that it was in fact a .."Birthday card?" She read over the front with a short smile, her grin slipping up a bit wider as she turned to peer into the inside, adjusting her glasses as she did so.
Leslie: Leaning back after she took the card, Les watched her closely, ready for anything whether it was a slap, shout, throttle or all of the above. Resisting the urge to wince as she sliced the envelope open and removed the card, he waited impatiently as she scanned it over and then smiled -- so help him, she smiled! SHE DIDN'T INFLICT PHYSICAL HARM ON HIM. Les was bursting with relief! Of course, he had been very tactful and instead of going for the silly, sick or lovey-dovey cards, he had gone for one of those children ones that said 'hey sport! you're six today! CONGRATULATIONS!' and had a picture of a baseball being hit out of a stadium. Upon opening it, the card read in swiggly handwriting. 'Here's hoping your birthday is a grand slam!' Les smiled over at her, suddenly feeling ridiculously self-conscious as he lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "So..."
Chloe: "You're such a Dorkus Malorkus." She smirked looking up to him with a grin, Chloe pushed herself out of the chair despite every particle in her body wanting to remain in the chair. "Thank you!" And her arms wrapped around him in a rare hug, her chin coming to rest on his shoulder. "Though it'd been nicer had you woken me up with 'breakfast' in bed, stink butt." And with that Leslie received a slight kiss to his neck, at least her morning was beginning to make sense.
Leslie: Rare was the operative word, as Chloe propelled herself and all of her hangover glory out of the chair and into his arms, Les was overcome with his own type of lovey-dovey feelings, which he would attribute to having had a microwave burrito early on in his shift. Tucking an arm around her, scruffy face breaking out into a large grin, he gave her back an awkward pat and cleared his throat (obviously another after effect of the burrito.) "Yeah.. Ha, I guess I'll never learn, right?" He replied, continuing to hold her in a hug and not keen on letting go anytime soon.
Chloe: "Nope, but that's fine. I don't think I'd have you any other way." Her words came with a light nip to his skin, her arms tightening just a bit around his shoulders the card clasped in her fingers as she yet out a gentle yawn against the nape of his neck. There was something about the smell of Les, the warmth of him that often made her feel more at peace; sleepy even. And Chloe felt herself drifting off right there standing, her body leaning heavily against him as they embraced. She was aware that Clarence was indeed staring at them, which warranted a death glare that turned the old pervert around. "Thank you, very much."
Leslie: Pitter patter... Damn burrito. Chloe Martel was practically the only person alive to be able to control Les... It was like trying to train a hyper terrier puppy who insisted on biting your ankles, running around your feet and jumping around like a steroid-soaked kangaroo. Even at the end of his shift, he was usually incredibly hyper and strung out, energy practically radiating off of the top of his head... Chloe was there, and she caused his thousand-mile-an-hour speeding mind to slow down and just appreciate the moment instead of bouncing around erratically -- even if she had called him a Dorkus Malorkus. "Hey... Anytime... You're only six once." He replied, turning his head to press the side of his face against the top of her head.
Chloe: "You are..and I think that this six year old needs to take a nap indefinitely. She was up way past her bedtime last night." Chloe muttered with a smirk, her last words stretched with another yawn that began at her toes causing her to rise up on tip toe and her body to arch like a cat's, her spine cracking just a little bit with her movement. "You have the place covered right?"
Leslie: One of his longer shifts, Les was fully prepared to take on the remaining 4 hours until Beth popped up to take the afternoon shift and he could go crawl home and crash for 16 hours. The arching yawn didn't go unnoticed by the ever observant clerk, who felt important bits and pieces of anatomy pressing against him all the while, causing his voice to crack almost as much as her spine. "Uhm.. Yup..." Now Les wasn't a jealous guy by far, but the fact that that Keith schmuck had... Well, things weren't too pleasant in the insane mind of Leslie Sinclair Dickering. Killing the serious mood with a good natured poke to her side, Les reluctantly let her stand, arms dropping. "Dammit. Go home and get some shitty shut-eye..."
Chloe: "Fine, I will. But I expect you over later, or else there will be hell to pay." Though the thread hardly held an edge of malice as she backed up finally with a crack of her neck to either side. She was far too tired, hung over, and with her words twanged and her grammar slipping it was more than obvious that the boy could have gotten away with anything at the moment. "Went an'got myself dressed for nothing...Thanks for taking my shift, honey. Don't burn the place down." And with her card in hand, Chloe offered one last peck to the very side of his mouth before heading for the door.
Leslie: 16 hours just got shot into 2 hour increments after Chloe made it very clear in her half-awake state that she expected him over later on... Well, who was he to disappoint her? Giving his boss a lopsided grin, Les watched as after she gave him a peck on the cheek she moved over to the door and opened it, stepping outside. "Bye bye, Chloe!" He waved, still seated on the counter. The jingling of the bell above the door coupled with the slam it caused from shutting and Les slid back to the floor, fixing Clarence with a glower as the man took his ever-loving time browsing through a display of magazines, though glad that the old pervert's back was to him. Les turned, finding a corner behind the counter, and began to repeatedly slam his forehead against the wall.