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 Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:06 pm
He was grateful that he made a reasonable amount of money, that was for sure. Given that the price of certain things had certainly gone up in the last few months, he couldn't quite imnagine how he would have felt if he'd had to cut back on some of his nicesities. That being said, he probably would have given entirely too much money to be able to find a honeydew melon that was just right. At this point he had been stood in front of the fruit aisle for more time than most would care to admit, being that 'weirdo' who lifted every melon in turn and gave it a knock.
...So far, the fabled hollow sound, a very specific sound he was looking for had not yet surfaced.
On the plus side, he hadn't started with the rest of his grocery run yet and as a consequence, no frozen or refrigerated products were harmed as he pursued the holy grail of honeydew kind. Not that he wouldn't eventually turn his attention to yet another thing that needed to meet his rather particular standards, but that was for another time, ideally in twenty minutes, after he had either found what he sought or given up.
His expression was a touch forlorn as he lifted yet another of the yellow fruits, rolling it over in his gloved hand as he heaved a sigh. Would this be the one, that which would be raised heavenswards in celebration? His hope was beginning to wain, but he raised the fruit towards his ear and gave it the ritualistic tap that he had bestowed upon every other melon so far.
It was in there somewhere, he knew it was, he just had to find it.
Patience was a virtue and all that...
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:29 pm
Waking up to realizing it was 2022 was... something. It felt like the last five or six years had all blended together. While she was alive and working, when Annabelle was in the human realm, she had been on autopilot for so long. It was like this morning she finally had taken notice of the biggest changes. Her hair was impossible and long. The green had been faded long ago, and it was over five feet of snow-white hair now. So, while making her hand-drip coffee, she booked an appointment with her old stylist and told her she was coming in for a huge chop and they could even donate anything they could. That's why her hands were currently still playing with her new short hair. It was wavy, bouncy, and so light. Annabelle felt so light-headed now. She'd actually gotten a headache after the cut. Another cup of coffee at home and she went to make lunch and realized that there was nothing in the fridge except her filtered water, some liquor, and maybe some take-out. The take-out went in the garbage and to the store she went with a list of basics and things she felt like cooking. However, the price of everything was a lot to process. Why was the fruit so expensive? She frowned and huffed, looking at the honeydew melons that were severely overpriced. Lightly glossed lips pulled into a frown, as she rolled melons to the side. Then she heard some tapping and gold eyes looked up and met.... a pink-haired man doing just that, tapping on the melons. "Excuse me," she said, voice a bit rough from actually not being used frequently. "...Is ...why is this melon so expensive? Is it out of season? ...Also why do you tap them like that?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:41 pm
Every now and then he'd get approached in the supermarket, but there were rarely moments like these where the possibility of an economic conversation was presented. Generally, it was young mothers requesting that his lanky self reach up and pull something down from the higher shelves for them, and as such, he afforded a perplexed stare at Annabelle as she asked her question.
"Inflation?" he hazarded as he lowered the melon from his ear and set it back down, selecting another one from the pile. He didn't lift it up yet though, instead balancing it in both hands. "They've only gone up in price by about 25% though," he added. "Least in here they have, if I went down to Whole Foods I'd probably be in for a world of hurt," he admitted.
A pause.
"Why how expensive are they are your local store?" he asked after a moment. He peered at the fruit in his grasp suspiciously and finally lifted it to his ear to give it a light tap. And there it was, the perfect little 'bop' of hollowness that he was looking for. His eyes lit up in delight at this discovery and he quickly set it in his basket, protective over his quarry.
Her next question though did baffle him and he squinted at her briefly. He might not have come from Destiny City but surely they tested their fruit for freshness here as well?
Maybe?
Hm.
"If it makes the right sound that means it's at the perfect ripeness," he said after a moment and motioned for her to select any melon from the crates. "Lift it to your ear, tap it, if it sounds heavy as if it's solid, then that means it's not ready," he explained. "You're trying to find something that sounds like it's got a hole in the middle, like if you've knocked a door," he added.
A momentary pause.
"And if you manage to find the perfect one after I've been stood here for twenty minutes I'm calling bull, just saying."
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:03 pm
His answer didn't help her. It did in a way, but at the same time, it was really hard to wrap her head around. A sigh and Annabelle rolled another melon to the side, squeezing the next one. Trying to hide her blush at his next question, she cleared her throat and huffed. "I don't... remember. I haven't bought... groceries in a long time. I've been too busy to do it." A pause as well as she sorted her thoughts. "This is the local store. The last time I was here, I remember being them less than two dollars. Or maybe two dollars and some change? This... is a lot." Maybe she would just give up on this particular fruit. The next words that left his mouth almost confirmed that for her. "Oh. I didn't know that," she said about how to test the freshness of a melon. "I... only squeeze them, or squish them a little too...see how soft?" It didn't make sense, but no one taught her these things. Annabelle pushed her hair out of her face again before looking toward the other fruits. Were there pomegranates in season? They were always a bit pricy, so she was a little more prepared to see the price tags on them from the distance. "Thank you and I apologize for bothering you." A nervous smile and she looked one last time at the melons almost forlornly. The next one she picked up and put it to her ear like she'd seen him do, and gave it a light tap. That sounded solid? Was it too light? She tapped it again, a bit harder, and then shrugged. No, that was pretty heavy. "Have... you been tapping all of them?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:17 pm
Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a gentleman warning him to very much not say what was on the tip of his tongue, but Vincent had never really been one for subtlety when an opportunity like this presented itself. It wasn't Annabelle's fault of course, she had probably intended the remarks to be entirely innocent, but, well...
"I mean this with the greatest respect," he began slowly and shook his head. "While melons are often compared to breasts the two are entirely different if you're looking for quality," he mused. His expression was deadpan, and his tone even seemed to be genuine, but unfortunately for Annabelle he had only just started.
"For good quality breasts you want firm. They need to be a little tender, but too much," he gave an abrupt shake of his head. "Now when it comes to melons, you want them to be firm, but hollow," he flicked the melon out of his basket and lifted it to her ear. Personal space temporarily forgotten he tapped at it to release a sound that sounded almost as though there might be air inside it. "It means the 'meat' is firm and it still has all the juices," he continued and set the melon back in his basket.
"If it sounds like it's full -" he picked up another and tapped that one by her ear too, this one didn't echo back at them. "Then it means that it's potentially mushy inside, the juices have seeped, and it won't cut well," he set the melon back down.
At that point, despite comparing melons to breasts, he seemed to look a touch affronted by her entirely fair question.
"I only select the highest quality goods, if that involves tapping all of them until I find the right one then that's what I'll do," he stated.
It seemed that at the very least he didn't seem entirely perplexed by her decision not to shop for herself. She wouldn't be the first or last to do that and he had (probably) assumed that she was referring to pick up or delivery service. If the young men and women in this store could be trusted to find ingredients that met his standards then he might have used that option too!
Given she was eyeing up those pomegranates though...
"For those, firm and tender like a good breast is probably the appropriate one to select," he added, and leaned forward to examine the price tags. "But if you thought the melons were a shocker of a price, I'd avert your eyes from these, the story is far more tragic."
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 3:36 pm
The more this pink-haired man spoke about melons and breasts, the more red her face got. Annabelle put one hand in front of her face and mentally screamed. What the heck? This was the re-introduction she gets to a 'real life' again? While she enjoyed this topic, it wasn't supposed to be something talked about in a grocery store, not like this. She was embarrassed but learning at the same time, and Annabelle didn't know if she liked it or not. Swallowing, the hand over her face, rubbed it, glad she wasn't wearing make-up today. "While that's... interesting, I knew that about breasts, seeing how I have a pair and I am into women... and men." There was a little shrug there, Annabelle was trying to act cool and collected despite wanting the floor to open up and swallow her whole. That'd be perfect, right? This was hard. She couldn't keep a straight face. It took a second or two, but she ended up laughing a little bit. "I uh..." she giggled despite herself and sighed. "...Anyway, it seems I'm just behind the times on a lot, I guess." Did everyone know about the melon trick? She hadn't ever seen anyone do it before. "Pomegranates have always been rather expensive." The closer she got to them, though, the worse it got. "By the way, even soft, squishy breasts are great. You're missing out if you only like them firm," she half mumbled out. Annabelle's face was bright red as she spoke; expression like she wasn't sure if she could speak like this. At least no one else was around.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 10:57 am
"That's better," he raised both eyebrows at the laughter. He was well aware that there were many people in the world that were anxious in social situations, but in the end he always preferred that they settled in his general vicinity. He couldn't always make them comfortable, but so long as they knew it was okay to express some measure of amusement then he'd consider that a win. After all, when someone laughed and it wasn't due to nerves, it normally meant that they felt a little safer.
...Nevertheless.
"Consider me to be a picky eater," he said with a straight face as she queried his disinterest in a particular type of bosom. "I'm sure I could be convinced to try others with the right seasoning though," he acknowledged with an impish smirk. He didn't necessarily aim to flirt and seduce unfortunate souls in supermarkets, but there were times when he couldn't help himself, especially when she seemed perfectly inclined to play along for now.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're busy with other things and tend to let someone else make sure you're fed," he shook his head. "I know a few folks who are somewhat like that and they'd probably be caught off guard if you told them it was $20 for a salad," he mused.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2022 4:55 am
When he didn't seem too impressed with her teasing, Annabelle's brain went loud. She wasn't getting anything across the way she wanted to, apparently, because of how long she'd been just on autopilot-- And then he teased her back and she let her shoulders droop a little, ran a hand over her face. This was one time she was glad she wasn't wearing make-up. Then the relief when he seemed to understand she didn't usually shop for herself, she sagged even more and then nodded at his words. "I.... figure skate for a living. Usually, I have someone buy for me, yes. They're a lot better at sticking to the diet my nutritionist requires than I am. I ah, tend... to have a bit of a sweet tooth. I really only know the prices of candy at gas stations..." That was said with a sheepish sort of look. After all, Annabelle was only human. She caved to her cravings from time to time but worked twice to burn them off. Twenty dollars for a salad seemed completely ludicrous. "But I don't... Are salads really twenty? I bet I could make quite a few for cheaper." A frown pulled at her lips and then she sighed. "Thank you for teaching me the trick. I'll definitely be using it." Just not on these melons. He was here for a while doing it, but Annabelle wasn't willing to spend hours picking out a single fruit.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2022 6:46 am
"Ah, so you live like a monk then," he mused. It wasn't a criticism, he just couldn't imagine a life that was quite so strict. Well he could, Regula was rather militaristic over his meal choices, but that didn't mean that Vincent had similar interests in pursuing a lifestyle like that. He liked his food and he had no issue working it off if he had to... That being said he also didn't compete at anything on a professional level so...
Hm.
"Candy prices at gas stations are an accurate and perfectly reasonable method for tracking economic inflation," he added and pursed his lips. He didn't seem to have taken her confession as something to be ashamed of, quite frankly he'd have probably been handing her plenty of candy. A tempter rather than one to be relied upon by any dietitian.
"I reckon I could find a salad that costs $20," he said after a moment of thought. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I can locate one for like...$100," he mused and eyed Annabelle for a few moments. "I can show you at some stage if you'd like," he offered with a smirk.
"You'll be amazed at what you get for you money," he added with a snort of laughter.
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