I Wonder... [OTA, nudge to bookshop staff]

[wanttobeaplane]

Why hasn't he considered this before?! Well, it doesn't matter, but last night Martin lay awake and suddenly thought how good it would be to have a magazine to leaf through to pass the time until he would be able to go back to sleep

Comments

[nomoreinnocence]

Lana watched Randy's enthusiastic greeting and just grinned. He might not be the smartest guy she'd ever met, but he was certainly a hard worker and happy to be here. She let him do his thing and just continued doing the ordering at the front of the store, keeping an eye out in case she was needed for anything.

[wanttobeaplane]

It's after his encounter with Randy, when Martin already is at the door, that he turns back with an afterthought. And this young woman seems to be a staff member, too, if her work is anything to go by. So he approaches her this time.

"Uhm, excuse me, Miss?"

[nomoreinnocence]

Lana smiled over at him. "Yes? Can I help you?"

[wanttobeaplane]

"Ah, I just bought this magazine...," he holds up his new edition of Flying, "and now I was wondering if you offer subscriptions?"

Not that it'd be a big hassle to come here, he'd collect it from here, even, but he doesn't want to risk it being sold out or not being stocked in the first place.

[nomoreinnocence]

"I'm not sure if we can do that here," Lana said. "I know that I can make sure they are ordered every month and that one is set aside for you."

[wanttobeaplane]

"Oh, I'd appreciate that very much! Coming by to pick it up is no trouble at all."

[nomoreinnocence]

"Wonderful, then!"

Lana shuffled through some paper and finally found the form she was looking for. "If you can just fill this out, I'll make sure a special copy of the magazine is ordered for you and that you're notified whenever it comes in."

[wanttobeaplane]

"Of course," Martin replies, then starts patting his pockets. "Uhm, do you happen to have a pen at hand?" Apparently he doesn't.

[nomoreinnocence]

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lana said blushing a little. "Of course."

She rummaged through one of the drawers and pulled one out for him. "There you go."

[wanttobeaplane]

"Thank you." It takes a moment for Martin to make the pen work, but then he fills out the form in neat block lettering. He wants to make sure that Lana can read it, after all. Once the form is complete, he pushes it and the pen back across the counter.

"There's paperwork everywhere," he attempts to joke. He is rather fond of it himself, though, things done properly, but at the same time he is aware that most people detest it.

[nomoreinnocence]

"It's not my favorite part of the job," Lana said with a grin. "But this sort of thing is so much easier and more enjoyable than accounts payable or something."

[wanttobeaplane]

"Or keeping a pilot's log," Martin agrees. Though he's doing that even for the virtual flights here in the holosuite. It would feel wrong not to.

[nomoreinnocence]

"I can only imagine," Lana said. "Are you a pilot then? I mean, obviously you're interested in flying."

[wanttobeaplane]

"Yes! Yes, I am." Martin practically beams with pride. "Back home I am a captain. Here - I run the cinema." His voice suggests that the cinema is much less important than being a captain.

[nomoreinnocence]

"Not quite as important a job," Lana said, "But one that a lot of people enjoy, I'm sure. Back home I co-owned a coffee shop. Not quite like this, but close enough."

[wanttobeaplane]

"I'm not sure the job as such is very enjoyable. It's a lot of administrative work, really." Others sell the tickets and popcorn and deal with the films.

"Some book shops also sell coffee, you might do that here." Well, if there's space, it seems to be well filled with books. "Though of course there are several places that sell coffee anyway. You know what's striking about this village? No chains! No Starbucks or McDonald's while you seem to find those pretty much everywhere these days."