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 Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 11:07 pm
 You have stumbled upon a mysterious shop front while walking the cobble stone streets of Durem. Random items clutter the dusty front window, but nowhere can you find a name of the shop. Curious, you decide to check it out. What could the harm be? Stepping in, a tiny bell above the door chimes, and you are met with a blast of warmth.
The shop looks more like a home than anything, and you wonder it maybe you stumbled upon a hotel. Your eyes drift lazily as you take in the sights. The entryway is somewhat tiny, with a wall of shelving for shoes directly in front of you. There is a reception desk directly to your left, but it is facing the same direction you are. No one sits in the roller chair. From there it quickly opens to a large area which looks like a living room, with an attached kitchen. The walls bulge out in giant horizontal pillars of wood, giving the effect of a log cabin. The fire place on the far end of the room is decorated with soft stones that reach to the ceiling, and the floor is decorated with a soft rug, a coffee table and some seating space.
Before you have time to take the rest in, a woman appears from a set of stairs, just around the corner from the shoe rack. Her hair is silvery in colour and pulled back, letting the bangs and some chunks fall to the side. Her bright red eyes met yours as she spoke.
"Welcome! Welcome! Please, take off your shoes and your jacket, and make yourself at home."
She smiles politely at you, offering her hand to take your coat.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:16 am
4:00pm.
Rie looked impatiently at the clock, counting down to seconds before literally leaping out of the class before the teacher could say "that's it for today". It was one of the few classes that Rie actually went to, and she felt she could hardly breath already.
The warm and gentle spring wind fluttered across her dark skin. Rie breathed in deeply and out. Outside felt good, freedom felt good.
Wtihout second thought, the girl walked back to her apartment where her baby motorcycle was waiting. Rie handled the bike with ease, and soon she was zooming across the streets with a speed that would surely attract policemen if they saw. She had full confidence in her riding skills, even though some people may think otherwise.
Today, she has a date with her buddies. They were to ride around the town until sunset. It was a route too familiar to Rie, and she didn't pay much attention to the surroundings, feeling that she already knew this place by heart. Today, however, something strange caught her eyes while she stood, waiting for the others to come.
A small shop, just down at the corner of a small street.
Rie frowned a little. Did that shop exist before? It must have been, as the building didn't look like it was built yesterday. How come she never noticed it before? The girl scratched her head. She was sure that she had the most accurate map to this place in her head.
Looking around and not seeing anyone coming so soon (oh those bastards, always making her wait!), Rie decided to pay the said shop a visit. She hoped the shop had something to do with the bikes, although it didn't look like it...maybe she could use some kind of decoration on her bike?
Walking into the shop, Rie was immediately confronted with the warmth and the cozy feeling. She wasn't sure she liked it. In fact, the overwhelming comfort gave her goosepimps. For a moment Rie had the urge of turning back and walking out of the shop, but a voice caught her before she could escape.
"Welcome to the ED shop! Please! Come in."
Rie sighed and turned back, looking at the silvery haired woman. She gave her an awkward smile.
"So uh, what do you sell here?"
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:43 am
The woman chuckled slightly. This one looked promising and yet difficult.
"Straight to the point I see. Well; I suppose we have... antiques of sorts. But not your normal kind. Oh no. Would you like to come in? I haven't a customer yet who's walked in without finding something they love."
She moved slightly to the side, offering the woman a chance to enter. She motioned slightly to the small shelves filled with various items around the room.
"You can browse around if you'd like. The front window also has some items you may be interested in. Feel free! There is a kitchen to the far corner of the room there."
She pointed off to the furthest corner where a small kitchen was tucked. Two thin steps lead up to the white tiled floor where a bundle of cabins stood above and below the countertops. Random kitchen accessories decorated the counter, and a decently sized refrigerator stood off to the side. A small stovetop oven and dishwasher were tucked into the counters, as if it were a kitchen in a regular home.
"If you'd like I can make you something to drink. Tea, coca, juice. Perhaps a snack. Don't hesitate to ask."
She smiled to the woman.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 11:01 am
Rie nodded absently, and slowly moved into the room while trying to distract herself by looking around. There were, like she thought, a lot of different kinds of items. Some of them Rie had never seen before. Kirin, Rie's best friend, had a relative who ran a similar antique shop. Rie thought she had seen some of the most strange stuff there, but she never knew something equal had existed so close to her.
The dark skinned girl moved around the room, browsing different items displayed on shelves and the front window. Rie raised an eyebrow, and suddenly turned around for the shop owner (she assumed the silver haired woman to be the shop owner).
"Hey, you said these are not normal? In what ways?" And, realizing the woman was asking a question at the same time, Rie paused and thought a little, then replied, "and do you have coffee?"
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 11:19 am
"Coffee? Of course. Is fine grind alright with you?"
She made her way over to the kitchen while she spoke.
"Well... I suppose you could say there are a lot more too them than meets the eye. People tend to bond well with their items when they take them home, as silly as that might sound. They have a certain air of... life about them. Oh, excuse my manners. My name is Rose, or Blood if you prefer."
She made a slight bow of apology to the woman as she browsed, and turned back to the coffee maker before her, checking that it was done. She effortlessly grabbed a mug from the cabinet, and the fresh pot of coffee from beside the stove. She placed them both on a small tray, as well as a small pouring cup of cream and a bowl of cubed sugar. Balancing them all upon the tray, she made her way back to the woman, holding the tray out in front, to allow her to put her coffee together how she liked.
"See anything that tickles your fancy yet?"
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 11:38 am
Rie shurgged, "fine by me." She kept her eyes busy on the various items, while her ears paid attention to what the woman, Rose, said.
She snickered, "you are telling me these things can grow legs and run." It wasn't a question, but rather a satirical comment. Rie was a realist, and unless she sees it with her own eyes, she wouldn't believe it. Although Kirin did say something similar back when she had visited her relatives shop. The dark skinned woman reminded herself to talk to the shy girl about this shop, too.
"These things look so fancy." And girly to her, but Rie didn't say so. "I'm looking for something to decorate my bike." Rie pointed to her V-storm outside of the shop window. "You think you have anything for that?"
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 11:52 am
Rose chuckled slightly at the comment.
"You could say that."
She eyed the motorbike that sat idly outside, thinking for a moment for something that may fit the womans style. She found people bonded better when the item suited their personality best. It always seemed to work out that way. After a moment a newer piece fumbled about in the front of her mind.
"I just might. A newer item just came in that I think you might fancy. It's small and seems to suit you well."
Rose placed the tray down on the coffee table, and scurried over to the window, reaching over the wooden back and pulling out a small black and red charm.
"It's a charm, or a talisman if you prefer."
She walked over to the girl and held it out flat on her palm, so she could look at it. The fine red silk threads at the bottom sprawled across the ball of her palm, and the small dips along the flat surface caught the light awkwardly.
"And it matches the colour of your bike to boot."
She chuckled and nodded towards the bike.
"What do you think?"
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 12:01 pm
Rie took the moment to sit down and make herself comfortable while reaching for the coffee cup. The girl seeped at the coffee while waited, which didn't take long before the woman showed up again, with a small black charm dangling in her hand.
Rie tilted her head a little. Hm, at least it was black and red, which matches her bike.
"A talisman?" Rie smiled, "will it protect me from danger?" Again, a rhetorical question. Rie didn't wait for the woman to answer before putting her face closer to the item to inspect it.
"What does it say on there? The characters I mean." The dark skinned girl was pretty sure it was Chinese. She had seen something similar before. Being with Kirin, who was from China, helped in this case to at least recognize where the strange character was from. Or at least where it was originated.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 12:16 pm
"Well, you can read it three ways. It says 'Hades', 'The nether world', and, or, 'The land of the dead'. And this up here is the Astrological, or Transeptunian Point symbol for Hades."
She pointed to the C with a cross through it, up near the top of the talisman.
"It represents the sordid or negative sides of life; Like waste, decay, illness, sorrow, and want, as well as anything that is vulgar, crime-related, or crude. But it's not all negative. It can also represent antiques, ancient art, and other things from our past. It's quite the little piece."
She held the talisman closer to her, showing her it was alright to touch it, or take it.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:31 pm
"Huh." Rie huffed. She had her suspicion that the word didn't say something along the lines of "get rich" or " be safe". In a way, she was quite glad it didn't, otherwise it wouldn't feel unique. Of course, she didn't quite buy into what the woman said either. How was a charm supposed to do its magic when it represented the bad things instead of the good?
Rie took the charm from the woman and held it in her hand. She played around with it, finding it intricate to look at and, the more she looked at it (much to Rie's surprise), the more she felt the charm burning into her hand, as if the red color turned into real fire in her palm.
"This is good enough for me." Rie said quickly, and looked up to the woman. "How much is this? I don't have much right now, might have to pay you back later if you don't mind."
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:45 pm
"It's yours. No charge."
Rose carried the tray into the kitchen quickly, and returned.
"On one condition. You promise to bring it back in two weeks for a quick check up, and to see if you still like it, and that's it. No if, ands, or buts!"
She reached out and clasped the girls hand around the talisman.
"It's all yours if you can promise me that! So how about it?"
She smiled calmly.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:58 pm
"I---ha?" Rie blinked, trying to absorb what the woman had said. Free? But this was a shop, wasn't it? And shop means...you have to pay to get the stuff you want, right?
"You mean if I don't like it I can return it in two weeks free of charge, and if I do like it then I'll pay 2 weeks later?" Rie tried to justify the woman's words according to her understanding, not sure if that was what the other meant. "I mean sure, I can do that." She nodded, more to herself than to the woman. "I come here pretty much everyday now that the weather's warmer, so..."
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 2:12 pm
Rose chuckled
"Sorta. But even after two weeks, if you so decide to keep it, it'll still be yours free of charge."
She had gotten used to reactions like this over the years. A lot of the time people would insist on paying, or would ask if there were catches or loopholes. It seemed that "free" was a foreign word these days. But Rose had to admit... Their reactions were often quite priceless.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 2:16 pm
Rie stared at the woman for as long as she could before her eyes got sore and teary. Free even after that? That sounded too good to be true didn't it? Even for something small like this charm (which probably wasn't a lucky charm by all means), the dark skinned girl was a little skeptical. But what was her place in saying that? If the owner said she didn't need to pay, she wasn't going to pay.
"You said it yourself then. I don't need to pay for this." Rie stared at the woman again after her eyes felt better, "Don't come back and ask me for money two weeks later because I am not going to bring any since you said I didn't need to pay."
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 2:28 pm
Rose laughed heartily and gave the girl a slight pat on the shoulder.
"You've got yourself a deal. Just remember to come back in two weeks. That's all I ask. Meanwhile, take good care of that talisman. I'm just glad you managed to find something you really like here. Anyways, you're free to stick around and look around some more if you'd like, or you can leave. You're welcome here whenever you like!"
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