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 Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:35 pm
Lattice was starting to get to know where all the 'important' shops were in the maul, meaning she knew where the bookshops were, she knew where the ink shop was, and she also knew where the shop was that sold the teas she liked. Right now? She was at the bookstore called Hoarders and gazing through their selection of what they had for graphic novels.
She was fairly new to this concept for the most part as she picked up one book, peeked into it, blushed lightly and then pushed it back onto the shelf in a hasty manner before she shuffled away from it in favor of something else. Were all graphic novels that...intense?
Very, very strange. Perhaps she should go look at the romance novels instead but then she'd promised Lizzy that she'd go look at those with her so she stayed put trying to find a graphic novel that didn't have something risqué going on within its pages.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:30 pm
Hoarders indeed. Their selections were wide, varied and, most importantly, had a lot of aisle space. Sitting on the floor between the A-J and the K-S shelves sat an entranced zombie. He was quite aware that if a shop employee caught him reading, he'd be forced to put it back, but . . . the risk was worth it. For once, Mortimer had considered actually buying a book as opposed to, well, using a free site on the Interweb to access them. There was something about actually owning the physical object that free access could not replicate.
And then Mort saw the price tag, sighed, and remembered why he had resorted to the free Interweb method to begin with. While not freakishly expensive, buying book after book would be . . . costly.
"Mrrr . . ." So much for the venture. It was like forcing himself to look upon a collection he would probably never be able to afford. Ah well. Plan B.
Write down new titles to look up later.
Whipping out a sticky note pad and pen, Mortimer began to inspect the shelves with the critical eye of a scientist with new specimens to investigate.
". . . Mrr . . . Maybe good . . . Not so good . . . Boring . . . Tired of dragons . . ."
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:43 pm
Lattice was wandering a bit until she happened upon an unfamiliar figure standing in an aisle and seemed to be writing something down. She stared at his shape for a moment as she wandered a bit closer, "Tired of dragons? I have not heard of that book before."
Clearly she hadn't seen what he had been writing down and why just yet. She quietly tilted her head toward the shelf he'd been inspecting. Why was he writing things down in the middle of an aisle with books? She didn't quite comprehend what he was trying to accomplish with all this.
Quietly she moved to take a book off of a shelf and look it over. It had nothing to do with being tired of dragons that was for certain.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:20 pm
Mort jumped a little when the ghoul invaded his aisle, at first confused by what she was talking about. Had he been speaking too loudly? "I-Is not name of book. Just talking to self," he explained as she snatched a graphic novel and . . . looked at it? The boil couldn't tell if she could see properly, what with funny black holes for eyes. Unless that was just the mask?
Also those arms looked deadly. She looked hardcore with all those tattoos and needles and . . . Not even the dress-skirt-thingie could dissuade him. Not a ghoul to make angry.
Gulp.
"Was, um, w-was looking for dragon book?" Mort ventured. He was no employee of Hoarders, but he certainly knew the layout well enough. "Are lots to p-pick from."
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:33 pm
"Oh, you were talking to yourself, I see. I am sorry to have interrupted you," she replied in her usual monotone voice. She flipped through the graphic novel in hand seeing the ink as it displayed on each page smiling a little, so many wonderful things in this book for her to observe and look at. Lattice paused and looked up at him when he spoke to her again. She blinked behind her mask and shook her head, "I was just looking for something new to read. I have never read one of these graphic novels before so I...wanted to try one."
She closed the book quietly and looked toward the boil near her, "Do you have any recommendations perhaps? The last couple of the ones I gazed at had ... some rather compromising things in it."
Not that nudity bothered her but when it was combined with something lewd then it became another matter all together.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:46 pm
Monotone voice. Needles in her arms. Tattoos. Black holes for eyes.
Smile or no smile, this ghoul had to be a badass. How could anyone just be so calm about needles in their Jackin arms? Being personally antsy around them, Mort thought the very idea an example of badassery.
Gulping again, the zombie nodded hastily. "I-I-In graphic novels? There's, um . . ." He had to think, pause and calm himself before he revealed too much of his nerdiness in one blow. Oh what was he saying, he had been sitting in the aisle for almost an hour just reading! "Boogiemen, if d-don't mind violence and lots of blood. Dark Knight stuff also g-good . . ."
She'd mentioned compromising things? Mort almost instinctually turned in the direction of adult fiction and nodded knowingly. "Have things with nekkid there. Th-That's what friends say," the boil added hastily. "N-Not read things there. Friends do. Not care for n-nekkid."
At least, not the ones without pictures.
Maybe a stab in a different topic would help before he word vomited that out. "I-Is not, um, graphic novel, but Scary Potter i-is good too." Everybody knew that series, right?
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:05 am
She seemed thoughtful as the boil gave her his recommendation, "Violence doesn't bother me too much but I would like something that has a bit of a calmer feel to it," Lattice responded calmly.
When the other section was mentioned she tilted her head back toward it and then looked back over at the boil as he seemed the need to assure her that he didn't read them himself, "You do not care for it? I suppose I do not quite care for it either. It does not bother me but I'd rather not see it graphically drawn...The page I saw the poor ghoul looked so tortured."
Lattice supposed she'd have been alright with it if the character on the page was enjoying what was happening.
"Scary Potter? That does sound interesting," she said thoughtfully not seeming to judge the boil near her for his nerdiness.
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:57 pm
Tortured? Hmm, probably one of those books - the kinds not even Mort in his dirtiest of moments would want to pick up and be entertained by. Sure, he was one of the lowest class citizens in the Halloween Heirarchy, but that didn't mean his tastes matched! No, he had a line when it came to naked women fiction, and that didn't include leather straps and gags and naughty -
- he should probably stop while he was ahead.
"Good stuff. Should read." It was such a whiplash, going from adult fiction to teen fiction like that; his brain hummed gently for several seconds, like an old PreC. "S-So. Um. Was looking f-for something sespi - pacif - specific?" Mort asked after some stumbling. Had he asked that already? Oh Jack, he probably did. Breathe, Mort, breathe!
But I don't have to breathe!
NOT THE POINT.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:49 pm
She smiled very lightly and nodded her head, "I will certainly go look for it or perhaps you can show it to me," Lattice replied quietly. She was thankfully unaware of his nervous thoughts toward her otherwise she would probably be very confused by them. The ghoul seemed thoughtful, "Maybe something with a more folklore sort of feel to them? Like a re-imagining of a famous tale I suppose. I think in the right hands the art could be quite wonderful..."
If such a thing didn't exist then ... she'd just have to do it herself somehow.
The Engraver hummed thoughtfully before she spoke up again, "I remember your form from a time or two perhaps a glance or two during the fieldtrip amongst the others? My name is Lattice."
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Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:20 am
Folklore feel? He could probably point her to a book he'd read before, if . . . well, if his brain had been working better than it currently was. Why was thinking so hard today? Maybe he'd shocked himself a little too much earlier. Cold metal unfortunately meant plenty of static shock in the undead dorms.
Or maybe he was being thrown off by the ghoul's mostly stoic expression. Things like slight smiles were hard for Mort to read unfortunately, especially with pre-concieved notions like "this ghoul could kill me to undeath with a hug". Ooooh, what would Mama say about him if she knew he was doing gut-influenced first impressions like that? Really, how could he keep thinking she was death-by-slapping when she talked so calmly and seemed to lean towards artistic even?
Because her arms have needles.
An inner facepalm. An inner breath.
"Mortimer, Mort is short," the zombie greeted before tapping his chin. "Think s-saw you in trip too . . . D-Dunno where. Lots things happened."
Lots indeed.
"C-Can't think good now, but has picture books if wants to look." He gestured to a particular spot opposite them. "If th-that's what mean? O-Or books for artsying. Photos, draws, paints, sculpts, stuff like."
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:50 pm
She nodded a bit, "Pleased to meet you Mortimer. I am glad you made it out alright," Lattice's voice had some sincerity etch into it just a little bit. It was like a glimmer and then it got eaten by her stoic expression. No doubt she meant what she said but still...
Lattice tilted her head toward where Mortimer had gestured, "Hm! Well not exactly what I was looking for but perhaps we could look at a couple, it would be fun, yes?"
This ghoul had an odd idea of 'fun'.
"...Why are you having trouble thinking?" her curiosity caught up with her a few moments afterward, it seemed.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:57 pm
Ho boy. Moment of truth. Okay, you can explain yourself well, Mort, just think for a sec on how to word it -
"N-Needles in arms, look kinda painful, kinda scary, n' tattoos make think b-b-badass, didn't want make m-mad, n' mask not help, wanted help, to help -"
- or he could blurt it out, that worked too. The zomboil paused in mid-sentence, then shut his mouth again with a nervous look. He made several faces before mumbling a second attempt. "Bad w-with socially cues, Mama says, made come to school to getting better, speak better, mrrrrr . . . d-Didn't know how to act. Get nervous."
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:03 pm
Taken aback would probably have been the understatement of how Lattice currently felt as she stared toward Mort's shape for a long moment. Lattice didn't look hurt at least as she gave out a small slight giggle and shook her head, "Mortimer I would never harm you unless you sought to harm me first, please it is alright. Do not be so nervous." She reached a hand toward him palm up, a sign of friendship and a sign that she meant no harm - she hoped.
"I am also a little bad with social moments but I find that I can make due just by being myself," she said quietly as if she was trying to offer advice and she was in her own little way.
Honestly she wanted Mortimer to like her, he seemed like he'd be a nice friend.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:18 pm
Oh Jack . . . Oh jack, the badass girl was being nice to him. ovo Nice to him! He wanted to take the hand of friendship badly, but . . . but the needles . . . They weren't through her palm, but they didn't need to be. "B-B-Best at self online. Irl, not so much," he mumbled, fingers twitching with anxious energy. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached for Lattice's hand. "Can't speak well, not socializing w-well, not . . . just . . . j-just 'fraid've needles n' arm. Not sure why."
Eventually contact was made, if you could count fingers-to-fingers as contact. Mort swallowed and made an attempt at smiling. "Er . . . what were t-talking 'bout again?" he asked sheepishly, retreating his hand away. "Trip? Books? Gaaah, brain not working . . ."
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:56 pm
"Online...? What is online?" Engravers had no real concept of 'online' or anything technical mostly because they could not see screens or do anything with them and thus the terms confused her just a tad. "I am sorry that my needles alarm you, Mortimer," she said her monotone stretching into an apologetic area as she allowed the fingertips to brush hers before she dropped her hand letting it be as is.
Despite his uneasy demeanor and awkwardness toward her she found that she liked him. He was sweet like a lot of the boils were that she had met.
She looked thoughtful for a second before she shook her head and simply smiled at him, "Do not worry about it Mortimer. Perhaps I have bothered you enough for today. Maybe I should allow you a moment to re-gather your thoughts again."
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