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 Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:43 am
They'd been talking about an upgrade for months. The bolted-together bedframe wasn't awful, but the makeshift double mattress, on the other hand, was. It had taken a little doing to get shifts shuffled around, and had taken a little actual bribery to get a time slot on the portal schedule with everyone trying to get out and do Christmas shopping and personal shopping at once, but they'd managed it.
Jordan stepped through the portal into the crisp winter air on the other side, pulling his jacket around him. He'd been worried that he'd have to sneak off during this trip to take care of the surprise he was planning, but he had that covered now. All that was left was getting a mattress that didn't scootch apart or make weird lumps under the sheet. He stuck his hands in his pockets and waited for the others.
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:59 am
Harrison normally got grumpy when it came to spending money, but they could split the costs on this one and he'd been pining for a King-sized mattress since July.
It was a lot to haul back to the portal, but none of it needed to be runic'ed to work and they had enough pairs of willing hands.
For this trip, they didn't need to go anywhere fancy. Harrison was wearing his jeans and a Christmas sweater. The island had a heavy dose of Holiday cheer, but here it wasn't completely gone. Somebody had strung ribbons up the parking lot lights.
There wasn't anything particularly flashy or glamorous about this particular mattress store, except the prices. When you could go anywhere in the world to do your shopping, you had your choice of sales.
"Even better than picking out a tree," Harrison said with a grin.
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:03 am
Shopping Rep was practically bouncing off the walls at the prospect, all the things he could buy, chocolate, booze and good food and clothes. He could cry. Dressing as civilian as he could, he all but strutted to the portals. He'd brought his backpack for the loot but figured a trolley or a wheelbarrow might have been more apt.
The idea of a soft, comfortable bed with nice soft clean sheets and decent pillows as well had him absolutely bursting with hardly concealed excitement. He gave every impression of being a decade younger than he was.
He was barely paying attention to what he was saying, simply babbling for the sake of babbling. "I hear they have like foam mattresses and not foam ones and oh man like ikea used to do all these different pillows and I wonder if they'll have them here or if they'll just be normal ones man I don't even ******** care. I just want to ******** roll around without falling between those ******** mattresses, I can't even waait. Don't get silk sheets though man cause I had them once and it was like slide into bed and ******** slide back out again, it was really annoying."
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:16 am
"Trees are a lot less comfortable," Jordan agreed. "Flashier, maybe, but they shed pine needles all over the floor, and that's just not what we're looking for." He was excited as well. It tended to show up in his sense of humor getting even stranger than usual.
"Don't silk sheets require special washing or something too?" he asked as they headed across the parking lot. "Totally something to be avoided."
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 9:04 pm
"And it sticks to you. Specially as humid as it is. Cotton's fine with me. Fresh cotton that hasn't been used communally for ten generations."
He knew they ought to look at mattresses last, since they were going to have to haul it around, but they could always pick it up later...
"I've only had the spring ones. What are the foam like?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 9:09 pm
"I hate how ******** warm it usually is on the island. You can't appreciate a good ******** bed when its warm enough to sleep without covers half the time. Nothing beats like a big thick ******** pillow pile and a duvet in the depths of winter when it's actually useful."
He wrinkled his nose at the mention of foam mattresses. Sounded like shock absorbers to him.
"I dunno I like a bit of bounce."
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:40 am
"If it's going to be warm, it should at least be sunny. I object to it being too warm and overcast all the time." Jordan held the door open for the other two. "I've never tried a foam mattress. I heard they let you get in and out of bed without disturbing anyone else in the bed, though." He vaguely recalled seeing ads that made that promise, anyway.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:53 pm
"Guess we can try them out, see what's comfy," Harrison said. He didn't have any working knowledge of mattresses except crappy ones.
He pulled Jordan close as they all entered the store, telling him playfully, "I like knowing where you're at."
They'd agreed on a budget beforehand: 1500 was the cap. They still had a lot of other s**t they needed, in addition to the percentages Harrison liked to keep set aside, but a bed was worth shelling out for.
"Just nothing with moving parts. Don't want to add lab fees on top of everything."
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 10:11 pm
"Aye." Rep agreed, but didn't elaborate. He liked knowing where people were, the idea that people might slip away while he slept and leave him alone a very real one. A lifetime of one night stands had left him used to waking up alone and empty, and even flying in the face of all logic, his anxieties meant that he slept lightly at the best of times. He wasn't so sure he was keen on foam.
He didn't say a word of this though to either of the guys, simply drifting as soon as they entered the store to look around, as curious as a cat. He'd almost forgotten what the real world was like. He didn't let them fall out of his peripheral vision, but still immediately slunk off to poke at beds and anything else remotely soft.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:52 am
"I'll concede the point," Jordan said, leaning into Harrison's side briefly and comfortably. "We'll see what they've got. No complicated mechanics, we can take care of that part on our own," and he grinned sideways at them.
Rep drifted off to browse. Jordan kept a eye on him, but headed straight for the section with the mattresses on display, checking price tags to find the right range first, poking thoughtfully at the display models.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:23 am
Harrison laughed and gave Jordan's cheek a whickery lips-only nibble. Rep went over to cruise some of the fabrics. Harrison stuck with Jordan, rubbing his palms on the different mattresses.
He flopped straight down on the first mattress that was under the price range, digging first one shoulder into it, then the other.
He bounced it a little.
"This one's kinda hard."
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:41 am
Rep edged even further away from both of them the closer they got, he was sure one of the assistants in the shop was looking their way, it made his stomach twist. Okay maybe this was harder than he thought.
He settled for poking at more satiny fabrics and trying to pick out colours.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:46 am
"That might make it hard to sleep on," Jordan said, and carefully kept a straight face. He moved on to the next one, poking the topper and then sitting down on it. "Hey, this one's nice and soft."
He glanced over to Rep, who was looking decidedly nervous, and frowned slightly. What was wrong?
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:58 am
Harrison bounced himself up, then on to the one Jordan was inspecting, rolling his way into the confines of the mattress.
It was soft.
So soft he was sinking.
"...I think I'm stuck."
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:20 pm
Rep gave a passing shop assistant who was reordering some sheets a standoffish glower. She carefully edged away from him, looking just a little bit shaken. He turned back to eyeing some purple pillowcases as if they were the best ******** thing in the world. But his heart wasn't in it at all.
He glanced over at Jordan and Harrison fleetingly when she was gone, two guys sitting on beds. People would absolutely talk.
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