Beauty spent a little time sweeping up around the post office, just to make sure it stayed neat and appealing to customers, then settled in behind the desk with her book.
A.J. took his lunch break a little earlier that day so that he could make his usual milkshake delivery without having to worry about time. Plus, it wasn't like he actually had to eat on his lunch break because he just nibbled on food all day.
"Hey, you," he greeted, leaning on the counter as he slid the mocha milkshake forward on the counter. "I brought a present."
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 17:24:01 UTC
Beauty smiled, as she always did when A.J. appeared, and gratefully accepted the milkshake. "Thank you. I don't know what I'll do when my time at school is over, and I don't have my Wednesday milkshake delivery anymore. You spoil me."
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 17:47:33 UTC
"But if you do that, then I don't get the added treat of a visit from you," Beauty protested. "Are you in a hurry to get back, or would you like to sit down with me?"
"I can stay for a bit," A.J. grinned. "I'm on my lunch break, so I've definitely got some time before I'm expected back. I actually need to get your thoughts on something, if you don't mind..."
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 18:18:16 UTC
Beauty grinned happily and fetched a second stool from the back room for A.J. to sit on, putting it behind the counter next to her own. She didn't figure anyone would care, and she could always put up a sign that she was taking her lunch break if she needed to.
"I'm not usually shy about giving my opinions on things," she teased. "What is it about?"
Seeing where Beauty set the stool, A.J. grinned and took a few steps back. He used this gained distance to help him in the process of (surprisingly smoothly) vaulting over himself over the counter. While the move was smooth, his just about near collision with the stool was not, but he recovered his stumbling well enough, brushed a hand through his hair to pretend that he had meant to do that, and then plopped down to have a seat.
"Do I get a cool postal worker hat?" he asked after a second, because he was feeling like he should have one. "And it's about my inventiontronics class. I gotta think of something to invent. I have no idea..."
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 18:57:01 UTC
Clapping at the athletic demonstration, Beauty laughed and took a seat on her own stool. "I didn't know you were an acrobat, A.J.! And I'm afraid I don't even have a 'cool postal worker hat', so I can't offer you one. Unless you'd like one folded out of paper."
She tilted her head thoughtfully at his explanation, pursing her lips a little as she tried to come up with an idea. "Well, what kinds of things are you inventing there? I mean, I don't really know anything about machines and stuff. But I'll try and help as much as I can."
"I'd take a paper one," A.J. noted. "And, well, it has to be something that helps people; Professor Glitch was really big on that. He's really cool; he's got just an awesome philosophy on the stuff, so I want to make sure I can come up with something good, but it's like, because I'm trying so hard, my mind is just all..." He trailed off into the sound of a braking car, without consideration to the fact that Beauty probably wouldn't be particularly familiar with it. She was smart, though; she'd probably get the idea.
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 19:16:25 UTC
With a little smile, Beauty proceeded to hunt up a sheet of paper and fold it into that universal paper-hat shape that all children are taught to make, while A.J. explained about his class.
She didn't recognize the braking sound itself, but the meaning was fairly obvious.
"What if...I mean, I guess machines are made because there's something you want them to do so that you don't have to, or because you can't. So what if you started by thinking up something you want, and then see about how to make your invention do that?"
"That's just it, though," A.J. said, shrugging his shoulders and grinning a little as he watched Beauty work. As he noticed her getting closer to finishing, he ducked his head in invitation for her to crown him temporary postal worker. "I can't think of anything that I don't like doing that isn't just pure laziness. I want to make something that's bred from more than just the fact that I'm a lazy bastard."
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 19:57:31 UTC
When she was finished, Beauty held up the hat and rather dramatically placed it atop A.J.'s head.
Then she picked up her milkshake and sipped at it while she considered the problem. "So you want an invention that's born out of some sense of creativity, rather than just to do a job you don't like doing." Beauty tried to think if there was anything she'd ever though 'oh, it would be so neat if...' about.
"I think a machine that turns the pages of books for you so you don't spill things on them if you're trying to read while you're eating would be lovely," she sighed wistfully. "But I suppose that's still sort of laziness, because you can always just not eat while you read."
"Laaaaaazy," A.J. said, leaning over to nudge Beauty slightly, and then reached up to keep his hat from falling off. "But still better than what I was coming up with so far, which is something that would fold my socks for me." He offered a light grin. "I don't know. Born out of creativity is a good way to put it. I guess maybe I could just stop worrying about it and just wait for the moment to hit, y'know, but I'm gonna be screwed if that moment doesn't hit until, like, April."
Re: BeautycomelyhonourJanuary 9 2008, 20:23:54 UTC
"The only ideas I can think of are things that are just useful and boring, like a machine that would clean Greatheart's hooves," Beauty said, nudging him back. "But I bet we could think of something, just by going around and keeping it in mind while we're out."
She grinned mischievously. "You could invent a machine that thinks up ideas for inventions."
"I think that might be a little out of my ability field," A.J. chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "Man, are the only things we can really think of for things that could make life better are things that would do work for us?"
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"Hey, you," he greeted, leaning on the counter as he slid the mocha milkshake forward on the counter. "I brought a present."
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"I'm not usually shy about giving my opinions on things," she teased. "What is it about?"
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"Do I get a cool postal worker hat?" he asked after a second, because he was feeling like he should have one. "And it's about my inventiontronics class. I gotta think of something to invent. I have no idea..."
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She tilted her head thoughtfully at his explanation, pursing her lips a little as she tried to come up with an idea. "Well, what kinds of things are you inventing there? I mean, I don't really know anything about machines and stuff. But I'll try and help as much as I can."
Reply
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She didn't recognize the braking sound itself, but the meaning was fairly obvious.
"What if...I mean, I guess machines are made because there's something you want them to do so that you don't have to, or because you can't. So what if you started by thinking up something you want, and then see about how to make your invention do that?"
Reply
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Then she picked up her milkshake and sipped at it while she considered the problem. "So you want an invention that's born out of some sense of creativity, rather than just to do a job you don't like doing." Beauty tried to think if there was anything she'd ever though 'oh, it would be so neat if...' about.
"I think a machine that turns the pages of books for you so you don't spill things on them if you're trying to read while you're eating would be lovely," she sighed wistfully. "But I suppose that's still sort of laziness, because you can always just not eat while you read."
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She grinned mischievously. "You could invent a machine that thinks up ideas for inventions."
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