The Alternate Side
"Ahh, I love the smell of cardboard in the morning."
Jenny smirked, rolling her eyes with a chuckle as she set a box down on the counter. "Just put the merch off to the side, Xander, thanks. I think there are still five or so boxes they need help with."
"As you wish, m'lady." The boy straightened up then with a deer-in-the-headlights look, glancing to Rupert. "Not that I think that she's my lady -- she's all yours, dude -- I just meant, y'know--"
"Xander!" she chuckled. "Embarrassment later. Shipment now."
"Right-o." And he jogged out the door again.
Jenny turned to glance at her husband with a grin then, finding him shaking his head. "You do realize the boy will always flirt with you?"
"I know," she smiled, bending to open a box while tucking a slice of hair behind her ear. Looking up at him, she added, "To be honest, I'd kinda miss it if he stopped."
He shook his head at her. "You're incorrigible."
"But that's why you love me, right?" She grinned open-mouthed, the tip of her tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth.
At that, Rupert chuckled, coming over to stand on the opposite side of the counter from her. "But of course, my dear," he answered, meeting her halfway across the counter for a kiss.
"Okay, just to warn you guys, I think something might have died in this one," Willow carried a box inside, grimacing and holding it out at arm's length.
"Oh no, those are just the new potent oils for retaliation spells," Rupert told her. "They're supposed to smell awful."
"Oh." Still grimacing, she carried the box over to the counter. "Well in that case, they're really fresh!" Heaving a sigh, she set the box on the counter, looking to Jenny. "Where should I unpack these?"
"They need to go in our off-limits section, so I think I'd prefer to handle them Willow, thank you," Jenny told her curtly, meeting her eyes ever-so-briefly before going back to her own box of replenishment for their behind-the-counter potions.
The girl nodded, frowning somberly as she replied with a soft, "Okay," and returned to help Xander and Anya with the rest of the new merchandise.
Rupert watched her go before making his way over to her. "It's been a few weeks now, darling. Don't you think you should perhaps... try to, ehm... be a bit more cordial with her?"
"I'm being perfectly cordial," she told him.
"W-Well, curt, actually, is what you're being," he corrected.
She glanced up at him through her lashes, lifting an eyebrow. "And, what? You think that's too harsh?"
"The girl craves your approval, Jenny," he murmured, dropping his voice low when he spotted Willow and Xander coming back into the store.
"Exactly, Rupert," she whispered, leaning slightly across the counter, holding his gaze. "That's exactly why I'm doing this."
It had been just over three weeks since Jenny had found out about Willow 'assisting' Dawn with the resurrection spell, and just over three weeks since she'd taken all of Willow and Tara's books away. The girl had apologized profusely over and over, but it wasn't enough. She had begged her to at least give Tara's books back, but Jenny remained firm.
She'd spoken with Tara privately about the situation as well, and the girl was more than understanding. She had her own concerns about Willow's use of magic, so Tara had no qualms over Jenny's solution.
So for three weeks, Willow had been reaching out to her, and Jenny had kept her at arm's length. It had to be done.
"Okay, I think that's the last of it," Xander announced, dropping the last box on top of the others, all of them wincing when the sound of breaking glass was heard. "Or... um... maybe that wasn't a box of actual merchandise, and it was broken glass instead?"
"That's okay, Xand," Jenny told him, smiling softly.
"So! What do we all start on first?" Willow asked, raising her eyebrows at Jenny in an almost hopeful expression.
"Willow, I'd like you to start pricing the new pewter dragons -- there's a pricing gun back here. Xander, if you could work on the boxes you brought in, that'd be great."
Jenny smirked, rolling her eyes with a chuckle as she set a box down on the counter. "Just put the merch off to the side, Xander, thanks. I think there are still five or so boxes they need help with."
"As you wish, m'lady." The boy straightened up then with a deer-in-the-headlights look, glancing to Rupert. "Not that I think that she's my lady -- she's all yours, dude -- I just meant, y'know--"
"Xander!" she chuckled. "Embarrassment later. Shipment now."
"Right-o." And he jogged out the door again.
Jenny turned to glance at her husband with a grin then, finding him shaking his head. "You do realize the boy will always flirt with you?"
"I know," she smiled, bending to open a box while tucking a slice of hair behind her ear. Looking up at him, she added, "To be honest, I'd kinda miss it if he stopped."
He shook his head at her. "You're incorrigible."
"But that's why you love me, right?" She grinned open-mouthed, the tip of her tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth.
At that, Rupert chuckled, coming over to stand on the opposite side of the counter from her. "But of course, my dear," he answered, meeting her halfway across the counter for a kiss.
"Okay, just to warn you guys, I think something might have died in this one," Willow carried a box inside, grimacing and holding it out at arm's length.
"Oh no, those are just the new potent oils for retaliation spells," Rupert told her. "They're supposed to smell awful."
"Oh." Still grimacing, she carried the box over to the counter. "Well in that case, they're really fresh!" Heaving a sigh, she set the box on the counter, looking to Jenny. "Where should I unpack these?"
"They need to go in our off-limits section, so I think I'd prefer to handle them Willow, thank you," Jenny told her curtly, meeting her eyes ever-so-briefly before going back to her own box of replenishment for their behind-the-counter potions.
The girl nodded, frowning somberly as she replied with a soft, "Okay," and returned to help Xander and Anya with the rest of the new merchandise.
Rupert watched her go before making his way over to her. "It's been a few weeks now, darling. Don't you think you should perhaps... try to, ehm... be a bit more cordial with her?"
"I'm being perfectly cordial," she told him.
"W-Well, curt, actually, is what you're being," he corrected.
She glanced up at him through her lashes, lifting an eyebrow. "And, what? You think that's too harsh?"
"The girl craves your approval, Jenny," he murmured, dropping his voice low when he spotted Willow and Xander coming back into the store.
"Exactly, Rupert," she whispered, leaning slightly across the counter, holding his gaze. "That's exactly why I'm doing this."
It had been just over three weeks since Jenny had found out about Willow 'assisting' Dawn with the resurrection spell, and just over three weeks since she'd taken all of Willow and Tara's books away. The girl had apologized profusely over and over, but it wasn't enough. She had begged her to at least give Tara's books back, but Jenny remained firm.
She'd spoken with Tara privately about the situation as well, and the girl was more than understanding. She had her own concerns about Willow's use of magic, so Tara had no qualms over Jenny's solution.
So for three weeks, Willow had been reaching out to her, and Jenny had kept her at arm's length. It had to be done.
"Okay, I think that's the last of it," Xander announced, dropping the last box on top of the others, all of them wincing when the sound of breaking glass was heard. "Or... um... maybe that wasn't a box of actual merchandise, and it was broken glass instead?"
"That's okay, Xand," Jenny told him, smiling softly.
"So! What do we all start on first?" Willow asked, raising her eyebrows at Jenny in an almost hopeful expression.
"Willow, I'd like you to start pricing the new pewter dragons -- there's a pricing gun back here. Xander, if you could work on the boxes you brought in, that'd be great."