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 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:45 pm
There were four antique clocks in the shop, and not a single one of them was ticking in synch. The air vent was emitting a low whistle. The lightbulb closest to the counter was humming loudly.
Jett was sitting on the stool behind the counter, tapping his fingers atop the well worn surface. His elbow was planted firmly on the countertop, chin propped on his open palm. His boss was in the back, as he often was in the winter months, staying close to the heater while he did paperwork.
Whatever homework Jett had left from this semester was already done, and he could only check his stocks so many times in one minute before he got bored with it.
Across the room was a hideous porcelain doll and the more he stared at it, the more it started to creep him out. He wasn’t technically even supposed to be working today, just decided to drop in and try to lighten the workload he was going to have for the rest of the week so he could take a few days off and just relax.
…His boss had mildly different plans, however, and he was now babysitting the store and braving the cold so his boss could stay nice and toasty next to the heater. Jett reached to check his phone again, partially hoping someone would call him needing something so he’d have a reason to head out, though luck seemed to be against him.
And he was stuck there. In that cold room, with those stupid ticking clocks, and that stupid ******** doll just staring at him, with her big bug eyes and her ugly little scowl.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:59 pm
She was on a mission. She had two hundred cans to collect, and she needed to start finding people to help her collect them. Millicent was running down the street, her Yoda backpack on her back bouncing slightly as she ran.
She knew who she had to ask, she knew he would help. He was her padawan. He was destined to help the world and do good, just like she was. But…most importantly he had something she didn’t have…something she wouldn’t have for a few years at least.
He had a job.
With that thought, Millicent swung open the door to the antique shop, looking very heroic in her Jedi robes, enjoying the fact they billowed behind her in the wake of the door swinging open.
“Padawan! Jett! I have a very important mission for you! I need to know when you can help me with this! The fate of the city…no…the fate of the galaxy depends on you, Padawan! So…so help, okay?”
She ran to him, grinning and jumping up and down. “I’m a Jedi, Jett, look! Do you like my robes? I like them a lot! Come on! We have to save the city!”
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:22 pm
Holy s**t, Millie--In the nick of time, too.
Jett sat up straight, glad that he had a distraction from the possessed doll across from him. He glanced to the girl, only momentarily questioning her attire (this was Millie, after all) before he greeted her.
"Hey, kid." He stood from his chair, wondering if the old man in back would excuse him from work to help defend the fate of the city-slash-galaxy at Millie's request. "Robes look fine. Did you get into some sugar or something?" he asked, watching her jump. Figuring that was just Millie's normal energy level, he instead decided to address the question, "And what are you babbling about? What are we saving the city from?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:31 pm
The child spun on her toes and then laughed at his questions. She chose to ignore the one about the sugar, but just lunged at the one about what they were saving the city from. “Hunger! You have a job, Jett! Padawan, it’s your duty to help me collect cans for the homeless and hungry of the city! We can go to the grocery store right now! You have to donate at least fifty cans…then you can come door to door with me as we ask other people to help defend the city!”
Yes! He was happy to see her! They were best friends now, she knew it! This was just perfect! For once Jett did seem happy to see her…so maybe he’d be happy to spend money for the cause! For the greater good!
“You know, Padawan, by doing this you’ll be making a huge difference for the entire galaxy!”
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 9:20 am
Wait. Collect cans? Donate to feed the homeless? Hell, if she wanted to take care of the homeless problem, he could just power up and start throwing all the homeless people he found into Mirror Space.
For a few seconds he stared at her curiously and then just shrugged. "Fifty's kind of a lot. But I'll take you to the grocery store, at least. I mean--well, do you really want to go looking like that?" he asked, walking towards the hallway leading to his boss' work room. He turned to face the girl before heading that way, though; he was sort of expecting an answer, anyway. He didn't want her to think he was rude but, now that he had an excuse to leave, he was more than willing to take it.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:17 am
She took his hand then nodded. “Of course I want to go looking like this. It shows that I’m a Jedi doing good for the city! You should get some Jedi robes too, Jett. And Minny needs some as well! She’s my other padawan. Someday, we all gotta help save the galaxy together, doesn’t that sound fun?”
It did to Millie, and quite honestly, that was all that mattered to her.
“If not fifty…you still have to at least give some…but you said you are, so!” She looked up at him, then gave a very happy looking smile. “I’m going to get two hundred and twenty seven cans, you know. I already have seven, so I’m almost to my goal! You’re gonna help me meet it, right, Jett? That’s what friends do, right?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:59 am
Jett glanced down to the girl who was holding his hand; he figured she was a little old to have such clingy tendencies and still believe she was a Jedi (and what the hell, no, he was not going to wear Jedi robes). "Yeah," he said slowly. "...I said I'd help. Come on," he finally grumbled. He lead her down the dark hallway, pulling her along by the hand.
Knocking on the door frame to the store owner and his boss, he poked his head into the room and had a very quick chat about how he was heading out because the neighbor's kid needed a ride. He was dismissed with a wave and 'Have a good evening,' and returned his attention to Millie when he pushed open the back door. "You don't mind if I drive us to the grocery store, do you? It's too cold to be walking around, and I'm not going to leave my car here," he said, gesturing to a clearly well loved--though well taken care of--black Corvette most definitely from the mid-nineties--next to a much friendlier hunter green jeep.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:05 am
The child looked at the car, then nodded approvingly. “It’s pretty, though it reminds me of Darth Vader’s helmet. You sure do keep it nice and shiny, Jett! You must have a great work ethic! Mom says I need one of those!” She happily walked over to the passenger side door and opened it up, getting in the car.
“Let’s go on this adventure, Jett! We can get lots of people at the store to give us cans too! And maybe we can come do this again, and I can bring my radio, and we can have a lightsaber duel and they can give us the cans because they thought we were so amazingly wonderful at fighting!” Of course they would praise her. He was her padawan, and they would all be so impressed that she had trained him so well…and all on her own! She was a wonder! A perfect Jedi!
Millicent giggled, clearly enjoying her ideas on how it would all play out. Everything was going to be great when the entire city saw her as a hero…then she would be double the hero too! Lenka by night…and Millie by day! A double life but still just as heroic!
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:47 am
Jett was very proud of his car and did take great care of it--not that he needed a little girl to tell him that. The comparison to Darth Vader's helmet, however, was definitely a first.
He climbed into his car with slightly less enthusiasm, though there was no denying that he was a bit rushed to get in and hide from the cold wind. He slammed his door shut and reached for the seat belt, fastening himself in. "Buckle up. And try to look like this is normal, I don't want people thinking I kidnapped you and am stealing you away."
He slid the keys into the ignition and hoped that Millie wasn't actually serious about having some weird public lightsaber duel. That would definitely ruin his reputation almost as much as begging for cans from strangers.
"So what brought all this on? Who decided that donating food for homeless people is such a great thing?"
...Not that he was complaining about getting dragged into it this time since it got him out of work.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:22 pm
Millie wrinkled her nose, then laughed. “Why would anyone think you were stealing me! We’re friends! If anything, they’d be pleased to know you were safe with a Jedi like me.”
She looked out the window as he drove, seeming to grow more excited as each moment passed. “Well…I saw this flyer at school, and it said there was a food and clothes drive for the homeless or something…so I decided I want to help! I want to get a lot of cans and help feed everyone! I want people to know me as a hero…because I want to be a hero, Jett, I really do!”
She looked back to him, hugging her Yoda bag. “Don’t you have dreams to be a hero too? I mean, you’re training to be a Jedi with me…so you must want to be a hero as much as I do.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:37 pm
Jett had pulled out of the parking lot after Millie had buckled up and was driving to the grocery store nearest to the two of them. He didn't know where Millie lived or if she expected him to drop her off somewhere else, but as long as he wasn't being bored to death, he almost didn't even care.
A red light had halted them on their epic journey, so he glanced over at Millie. "Dreams to be a hero?"
Not really, no. He had dreams to be successful and powerful and to support his mother and give her everything she'd ever wanted, but not really to be a hero.
...Which wasn't something you told a ten year old girl who was determined to grow up and be a Jedi. "...I guess," he answered, instead. "If you want, I've got some old clothes that don't fit anymore. I could get some of those together if that'd help. Could donate those," he mused. It seemed like the perfect excuse to clean out his closet since it was starting to get a little crowded. His mother had been nagging him to do so for a while, so it seemed like the perfect excuse to kill two birds with one stone and get both Millie and his mother off his back.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:13 pm
Millicent smiled brightly, nodding. “That sounds perfect, Jett! Um, there’s collection centers all over the city, I think…” She looked at him, then began humming to herself, some jumbled Christmas song.
“You know, those homeless people are gonna be really lucky to be homeless when we give them all this stuff. I bet all the food I collect will feed them for a hundred years almost!”
Well, maybe that was a stretch…that would only be about two cans of food per year…and that didn’t seem like a very healthy way to live! One green bean per day! She giggled to herself at this thought then nodded. “Hero time! It’s going to be great! You can drive me home after we get the food, then I’ll come get you some other day this week and we can start going door to door asking people!”
It was all part of her master plan, and of course her master plan was going to be perfect.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:50 pm
"Oh, I see," Jett said, not bothering to argue with the girl.
Millie was incorrigible, after all. There was no getting through to her. He'd tried, on several occasions, and they'd all failed. Jett would rather not try then to fail, so this was something he was just going to have to accept it.
He had no idea where the collection centers were, or what he was supposed to do about delivering them, so he figured in this instance he might just end up sticking with Millie.
He was driving again and pulled into the parking lot; it wasn't too terribly busy at the grocery store, so parking near to the store was easy to find. Unbuckling, he glanced at her. "...So, I'll make you a deal, Millie. I figure you didn't come here with pockets full of cash, right?" he prompted, mentally assessing his bank account. "...So whatever you can carry, I'll buy to support you in your cause. But hurry up in here. You might be feeding the homeless, but I'm starving, too."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:59 pm
Millicent’s eyes lit up and she nodded. “All right, Jett! I can do that! I can hold a lot! I’m a strong kid, you know!”
When the two parked, Millicent jumped out of the car, then ran and grabbed a cart. “See, Jett! I’ll be able to hold a ton of cans with this here cart!” She laughed, then darted into the store, giving a cheer, so happy she was going to be able to help so many people—and maybe even meet her goal with this cart load of cans!
Everyone would know she was the one who saved the city from that evil, evil bad guy...Hunger!
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