[backdated to Feb. 23rd] [log] [Kisuke and Asuma]
The shop was rather out of the way. Sort of nondescript, fading into the brick façade and disappearing into the background. Asuma must have walked by a half-dozen times since he’d moved into 311, but now was the first time he actually saw it. Mostly because he was actually looking for it this time.
He dropped his cigarette on the sidewalk and ground it out on the cracked concrete before making his way inside the Urahara Shop. Chimes tinkled as the door shut quietly behind him, muted by the sheer amount of junk that was piled on the shelves inside. It was, well, fairly well organized, in that books were in the same general area and old phono records were kind of in the same corner, if you didn’t count the way the items sprawled all over their section of the store. That thrift store down the way was a million times more organized than this.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and peered down between the dark shelves, looking for more life. Now he was feeling stupid for not asking the shopkeeper’s name, though ‘Urahara’ probably had something to do with it. He wondered if it was same Urahara as the landlord at 311.
… nah.
Probably one of the most noticeable things about the shop would have to be the giant teddy bear in the corner. It had absolutely no purpose, at least to the untrained and completely sane mind but Kisuke kept it there for a reason. Said eccentric landlord/store owner was exiting the back of the store grumbling as he carried a box full of old paperback books in one hand and supported himself with his cane with the other hand.
He wore his customary hat and sandals as he came out front, not noticing Asuma immediately since he was too busy growling to himself about chick flicks and how evil Yoruichi was. After about thirty seconds though, he finally blinked and noticed Asuma.
“Oh, can I help you?”
He’d never actually met Asuma, so he wasn’t sure if this was the man who had volunteered to help stock shelves or just a customer.
It wasn’t quite possible to tell just what the other guy was muttering - he was speaking too softly and the shop had horrible acoustics - but it was… well, not something you didn’t see every day. There were certainly a fair share of people who mumbled to themselves along these streets, and not all of it was caused by alcohol or drug use…
But when the man actually caught sight of him and asked him that question that all customer service reps memorized within days - can I help you? - Asuma figured he either had the boss, or a worker who knew the boss. Score.
“Hi,” he said, without preamble. “Talked to the boss last night about a stocking position?”
“Oh, you must be Asuma-san. I wasn't sure when you'd be showing up.” Kisuke said now giving a polite smile and subtly making sure his hat was still shadowing part of his face. He’d been playing mystery landlord for so long it was a habit to do this. He was very glad to have the help; generally it was pretty damn hard to manage carrying boxes while using a cane.
"I'm the owner of this establishment, Urahara Kisuke. I'm glad you were able to come."
Urahara… Kisuke. Wasn’t that the name of the landlord?
Rather than letting himself get sidetracked by that thought, he brightened at the fact that this was, apparently, the boss, and the guy remembered his name (like Asuma didn’t remember the boss’s name, because he hadn’t asked).
“Not a problem,” he replied. “So what are you looking for, exactly?” Someone with some sense of organization, probably, or at least capable of lifting more than twenty pounds, guessing by the prodigious use of a cane on the part of Urahara….
“Well…” Kisuke scratched the back of his head, jostling his hat a bit as he said. “I need someone who can lift boxes and such. It’s a damn pain to carry stuff when you need a cane to be mobile.” The cane was one of two things keeping him mobile, the other was vicodin.
Asuma nodded in response. “I can do that.” And he could certainly commiserate with the cane issue as well. Although, really, it was pure stubbornness that kept him from relying on one from time to time. He’d had enough of that last year…
“Ah, good. You actually came at the perfect time; I just got an order in today . Nothing too heavy, but it;d be tough to take care of on my own.” Kisuke, with just a simple gesture to follow after him headed to the back, not even bringing up wages or anything. But that was just the way he was.
It didn’t even occur to Asuma, really, to haggle over wages. It was the first job offer he’d had in about two weeks, and right now, anything was better than nothing. Nickel an hour was better than what he was making now. So he followed along without comment, eyeing the shelves of goodies and wondering just how often someone came in here to purchase something, anyway.
Kisuke led the way to the back where there were several boxes in the back. Mostly they were filled with odd antiquities. Books in one box ranging from fantasy to harlequin romance novels in one and glass figurines in another. The was also an oldish looking antique vase set off to the side where it hopefully wouldn’t be broken. Yeah, like he said, the store sold anything and everything.
It was certainly interesting, the things that were available in here. It really was a junk shop. If he wasn’t here on a potential job interview, he’d be interested in poking around just to see what was hidden in the dark corners. Upon entering the back, though, it was easy to see which boxes were intended to go out, and he pulled a hand out of a pocket to indicate the books. “Is there any place in particular things go?” He figured that was a nicer way to ask than ‘is there any organization at all in here?’
Kisuke once again scratched the back of his head, actually contemplating this. did he actually have a place for everything to go? He took a glance around his shop, contemplating the answer. Nope, didn’t seem like it.
“You can just put them with the other books. If you couldn’t tell organization really doesn’t exist here.”
That had to be the understatement of the century.
Asuma nodded, considering the boxes. Generally speaking, you didn’t start actually working until you were hired, and it wasn’t like lifting boxes needed to be demonstrated. Therefore the logical explanation was that Kisuke had hired him on the spot (or was going to get some free work out of him). He rather preferred the former, so rather than question it he just asked, “Is this were all the new stuff comes in?” It would be easier to make sure everything that needed to go out was all in the same spot, rather than ranged all over the place like the rest of the store.
Kisuke nodded as he looked about, half wondering what some of this stuff was as he hadn’t actually looked at it in a while. That was kind of just a hint at how organized he was when he didn’t even remember what he ordered.
“Yeah, pretty much… I think.”
He laughed a bit before saying. “I think this is everything.” Reassuring, no?
He couldn’t help but grin in response. Asuma wasn’t much for organization - not on his own time, at least - so he could certainly sympathize with this. More and more the shop was seeming like a personal hobby, not a business, anyway. And that was… kind of nice.
Well, now was as good a time as any to get in one last question. “I can get started on this now, if you like. Are there any hours in particular you’d prefer me to work?”
“That sounds good.” How long had all this stuff been back here? It certainly needed to be moved to the front… “And any hours before 7 pm are fine since that’s when I close up and go to teach my class at night school.”
That was more than generous, and more than easy to work with. It even left open the opportunity for full time, though really a place like this wouldn’t have enough work to fill a full forty hours… unless trying to put it into some semblance of order was attempted at some point. Which, hey, might actually be a plan at some point.
He nodded and picked up the first box. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Kisuke really was just an easygoing type of person. He didn’t really care when Asuma came in as long as he came in since Kisuke really needed the help. Then it kind of hit Kisuke, he had to pay Asuma, didn’t he?
“Oh yeah, about your pay, what should the wages be for this?”
He paused, box hefted in his arms. That was an odd question, coming from the guy in charge. “Minimum?” he offered cautiously. “Stocking doesn’t really require a lot of know-how…”
"Hm... but that doesn't really seem fair. You're my only employee and doing most the of the work. How about ten dollars an hour?" Kisuke wasn't really evil, besides he reasoned he would be getting a portion of this back in the rent eventually.
Ten dollars an hour for hauling merchandise around?
Asuma just grinned again. “I wouldn’t turn that down.” Hell no he wouldn’t turn that down.
“Perfect, at least we have that all arranged now.” Kisuke said lightly. The good pay would most like make Asuma a loyal worker, after no else would pay that well just starting out. It was always have them be loyal.
“Oh, and I might have you take care of the register sometimes when I go out to make orders.”
He nodded again and shifted the box slightly. It wasn’t a big box, per say, but it did have a lot of books in it. And those got heavy quickly. “I’ve worked a register before, it shouldn’t be hard to pick up again.” Although, granted, the register at a AutoParts store wasn’t the same as a standard cash register, they all basically worked the same.
“Excellent.” Kisuke was pleased, perfect, finally some help around the shop. He turned and headed out front, kind of a silent cue to Asuma it was time to start earning his wages.
He dropped his cigarette on the sidewalk and ground it out on the cracked concrete before making his way inside the Urahara Shop. Chimes tinkled as the door shut quietly behind him, muted by the sheer amount of junk that was piled on the shelves inside. It was, well, fairly well organized, in that books were in the same general area and old phono records were kind of in the same corner, if you didn’t count the way the items sprawled all over their section of the store. That thrift store down the way was a million times more organized than this.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and peered down between the dark shelves, looking for more life. Now he was feeling stupid for not asking the shopkeeper’s name, though ‘Urahara’ probably had something to do with it. He wondered if it was same Urahara as the landlord at 311.
… nah.
Probably one of the most noticeable things about the shop would have to be the giant teddy bear in the corner. It had absolutely no purpose, at least to the untrained and completely sane mind but Kisuke kept it there for a reason. Said eccentric landlord/store owner was exiting the back of the store grumbling as he carried a box full of old paperback books in one hand and supported himself with his cane with the other hand.
He wore his customary hat and sandals as he came out front, not noticing Asuma immediately since he was too busy growling to himself about chick flicks and how evil Yoruichi was. After about thirty seconds though, he finally blinked and noticed Asuma.
“Oh, can I help you?”
He’d never actually met Asuma, so he wasn’t sure if this was the man who had volunteered to help stock shelves or just a customer.
It wasn’t quite possible to tell just what the other guy was muttering - he was speaking too softly and the shop had horrible acoustics - but it was… well, not something you didn’t see every day. There were certainly a fair share of people who mumbled to themselves along these streets, and not all of it was caused by alcohol or drug use…
But when the man actually caught sight of him and asked him that question that all customer service reps memorized within days - can I help you? - Asuma figured he either had the boss, or a worker who knew the boss. Score.
“Hi,” he said, without preamble. “Talked to the boss last night about a stocking position?”
“Oh, you must be Asuma-san. I wasn't sure when you'd be showing up.” Kisuke said now giving a polite smile and subtly making sure his hat was still shadowing part of his face. He’d been playing mystery landlord for so long it was a habit to do this. He was very glad to have the help; generally it was pretty damn hard to manage carrying boxes while using a cane.
"I'm the owner of this establishment, Urahara Kisuke. I'm glad you were able to come."
Urahara… Kisuke. Wasn’t that the name of the landlord?
Rather than letting himself get sidetracked by that thought, he brightened at the fact that this was, apparently, the boss, and the guy remembered his name (like Asuma didn’t remember the boss’s name, because he hadn’t asked).
“Not a problem,” he replied. “So what are you looking for, exactly?” Someone with some sense of organization, probably, or at least capable of lifting more than twenty pounds, guessing by the prodigious use of a cane on the part of Urahara….
“Well…” Kisuke scratched the back of his head, jostling his hat a bit as he said. “I need someone who can lift boxes and such. It’s a damn pain to carry stuff when you need a cane to be mobile.” The cane was one of two things keeping him mobile, the other was vicodin.
Asuma nodded in response. “I can do that.” And he could certainly commiserate with the cane issue as well. Although, really, it was pure stubbornness that kept him from relying on one from time to time. He’d had enough of that last year…
“Ah, good. You actually came at the perfect time; I just got an order in today . Nothing too heavy, but it;d be tough to take care of on my own.” Kisuke, with just a simple gesture to follow after him headed to the back, not even bringing up wages or anything. But that was just the way he was.
It didn’t even occur to Asuma, really, to haggle over wages. It was the first job offer he’d had in about two weeks, and right now, anything was better than nothing. Nickel an hour was better than what he was making now. So he followed along without comment, eyeing the shelves of goodies and wondering just how often someone came in here to purchase something, anyway.
Kisuke led the way to the back where there were several boxes in the back. Mostly they were filled with odd antiquities. Books in one box ranging from fantasy to harlequin romance novels in one and glass figurines in another. The was also an oldish looking antique vase set off to the side where it hopefully wouldn’t be broken. Yeah, like he said, the store sold anything and everything.
It was certainly interesting, the things that were available in here. It really was a junk shop. If he wasn’t here on a potential job interview, he’d be interested in poking around just to see what was hidden in the dark corners. Upon entering the back, though, it was easy to see which boxes were intended to go out, and he pulled a hand out of a pocket to indicate the books. “Is there any place in particular things go?” He figured that was a nicer way to ask than ‘is there any organization at all in here?’
Kisuke once again scratched the back of his head, actually contemplating this. did he actually have a place for everything to go? He took a glance around his shop, contemplating the answer. Nope, didn’t seem like it.
“You can just put them with the other books. If you couldn’t tell organization really doesn’t exist here.”
That had to be the understatement of the century.
Asuma nodded, considering the boxes. Generally speaking, you didn’t start actually working until you were hired, and it wasn’t like lifting boxes needed to be demonstrated. Therefore the logical explanation was that Kisuke had hired him on the spot (or was going to get some free work out of him). He rather preferred the former, so rather than question it he just asked, “Is this were all the new stuff comes in?” It would be easier to make sure everything that needed to go out was all in the same spot, rather than ranged all over the place like the rest of the store.
Kisuke nodded as he looked about, half wondering what some of this stuff was as he hadn’t actually looked at it in a while. That was kind of just a hint at how organized he was when he didn’t even remember what he ordered.
“Yeah, pretty much… I think.”
He laughed a bit before saying. “I think this is everything.” Reassuring, no?
He couldn’t help but grin in response. Asuma wasn’t much for organization - not on his own time, at least - so he could certainly sympathize with this. More and more the shop was seeming like a personal hobby, not a business, anyway. And that was… kind of nice.
Well, now was as good a time as any to get in one last question. “I can get started on this now, if you like. Are there any hours in particular you’d prefer me to work?”
“That sounds good.” How long had all this stuff been back here? It certainly needed to be moved to the front… “And any hours before 7 pm are fine since that’s when I close up and go to teach my class at night school.”
That was more than generous, and more than easy to work with. It even left open the opportunity for full time, though really a place like this wouldn’t have enough work to fill a full forty hours… unless trying to put it into some semblance of order was attempted at some point. Which, hey, might actually be a plan at some point.
He nodded and picked up the first box. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Kisuke really was just an easygoing type of person. He didn’t really care when Asuma came in as long as he came in since Kisuke really needed the help. Then it kind of hit Kisuke, he had to pay Asuma, didn’t he?
“Oh yeah, about your pay, what should the wages be for this?”
He paused, box hefted in his arms. That was an odd question, coming from the guy in charge. “Minimum?” he offered cautiously. “Stocking doesn’t really require a lot of know-how…”
"Hm... but that doesn't really seem fair. You're my only employee and doing most the of the work. How about ten dollars an hour?" Kisuke wasn't really evil, besides he reasoned he would be getting a portion of this back in the rent eventually.
Ten dollars an hour for hauling merchandise around?
Asuma just grinned again. “I wouldn’t turn that down.” Hell no he wouldn’t turn that down.
“Perfect, at least we have that all arranged now.” Kisuke said lightly. The good pay would most like make Asuma a loyal worker, after no else would pay that well just starting out. It was always have them be loyal.
“Oh, and I might have you take care of the register sometimes when I go out to make orders.”
He nodded again and shifted the box slightly. It wasn’t a big box, per say, but it did have a lot of books in it. And those got heavy quickly. “I’ve worked a register before, it shouldn’t be hard to pick up again.” Although, granted, the register at a AutoParts store wasn’t the same as a standard cash register, they all basically worked the same.
“Excellent.” Kisuke was pleased, perfect, finally some help around the shop. He turned and headed out front, kind of a silent cue to Asuma it was time to start earning his wages.