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 Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:01 pm
The weather wasn’t too terribly cold for this time of the year; at least it could be worse. Aubrey walked down the street bundled against the chill. Her shift was finally over and she had some free time before she was supposed to home to cook dinner for her sisters. Already the streets were starting to take on that Holliday cheer even though thanksgiving was barely over.
Aubrey had hoped to have been able to go Black Friday shopping and get a head start on Christmas presents, but had been scheduled to work a double from Thursday night to Friday morning so that hadn’t happened. At least now with some free time she might be able to get a little shopping done, and had been saving up part of her paychecks for the last couple of months so she could make it a very special Christmas for her family.
Several of the stored were already putting up decorations and it brought a smile to her lips, the festive air was one of the best parts of this time of year, and people tried to act a little nicer which always helped.
It was then that Aubrey came across an antique store she never noticed before, probably because this was the opposite direction from her walk between work and home. Pausing for a moment outside the store she looked the place up and down before deciding to go in. A cold breeze started to blow and she shivered before opening the door and sliding inside to blissful warmth.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:15 pm
Jett was not a difficult man to find; he was hovering over the counter, eyes glued to the computer screen. One hand was hovering on the mouse and the other gently stroking the top of a faded red book. The fabric that bound the book seemed in decent enough shape, and the gold lettering across the title was almost completely unscathed.
Though he seemed distracted doing his research—for, as much as Jett liked to think he knew about antiques, he was always researching new pieces—he seemed aware that there was a customer. “Afternoon,” he greeted.
His hair was tied back in a low ponytail and he had a pair of very simple glasses resting atop the bridge of his nose. They didn’t linger there for long; he moved his left hand from the mouse to pry off his glasses and tuck them into the pocket of his jacket before he turned to face her.
It was not shyly that he gave her a look over when she wandered into his line of vision; he liked to know his clients and get an idea of who he was dealing with. “Can I help you with something or are you just here to browse?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:19 pm
Aubrey smiled warmly at the man behind the counter as she unzipped her jacket to compensate for the sudden warmth, she also half unwrapped her scarf so that it hung around the back of her neck but didn’t stifle her in the stores warmth. With her long jacket parted it revealed part of her work uniform, though her name tag was habitually stuffed in her pocket as soon as she got off work, didn’t like people having an advantage over knowing her name before she knew theirs.
“I was drawn in by the lack of Christmas decorations.” Aubrey replied flippantly, though her voice was still pleasant and cheerful. Confidently she approached the desk, not seeming to be cowed by the hot guy behind the counter one bit. “It seems every other store on this block already is spewing their Holiday cheer all over the streets, but this one…” Grinning lightly she glanced around the store, she had always liked antiques, though her siblings might not share her love she could potentially find something for them here.
“I’m here for a little early Christmas shopping while I still have free time and what not.” Aubrey added as she met his eyes with her emerald ones, in this light the gold barely showed at all so the green overpowered her orbs becomingly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:54 am
Jett watched as she made herself more comfortable; he took the opportunity to tuck the book away, resting it on a shelf near the computer. "Well, you know. We'll save the holiday cheer for the holidays."
…Also Jett wasn't particularly big on holiday decorations, specifically because he was the one that got to put them up and take them down—and as soon as his boss got back from his Thanksgiving break, he knew he'd have to get right on making this place more holiday-appropriate.
"We've got a lot out, excuse the mess," he said; it was by no means messy, but it was obvious that between researching the merchandise, he was restocking the shelves. He went on to explain, "We try to keep an array of items circulating, so every few weeks, we switch up the displays. You've caught me in the middle of doing that, I'm afraid. Do you have any idea of what you're looking for? I can direct you to books, baubles, jewelry and more, if you've got an eye for something specific. If not, feel free to take your time and look around. I'll be right here if you need anything."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:23 am
Aubrey smiled at him and shrugged lightly. “I know what I Like but I’m also searching for gifts for my siblings and they’re a bit more picky than I am.” Aubrey responded before flashing him a grin.
“I’ll take a look around, If I’m not back in 10 minutes… well either I found something really interesting, or your store swallowed me.” Aubrey joked before she made her way down the rows of merchandise.
She wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for, but she always kept an eye out for interesting things. She liked puzzle boxes and things with secret compartments; she also had a special place in her heart for music boxes.
She looked through a few rows of books but didn’t see anything the elder of her two siblings would care to read and none of the toys really stuck out to her either for the youngest.
Eventually she found her way past some interesting looking clocks to a bunch of music boxes. She examined these with great interest opening up some and listening to their melodies for a few moments before shaking her head and putting them back.
Then at the back of one of the rows something caught her eye. Carefully she lifted the box out, the outside seemed almost plain, it was a very dark cherry wood with flashes of red as she turned it in the light. There was very subtle carvings along the sides that were interesting to her. Finally she opened the lid and her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Inside the box was lined with black satin and the lid held a slightly frosted mirror lined with a dark curling metal. The reflection in the middle was crystal clear though it faded towards the frosted edges. She turned it on its side and cranked the old fashioned looking key and listened as the music box plucked out a beautiful rendition of Moonlight Sonata. She wasn’t sure how long she stood their holding the box, but it entranced her.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:53 pm
Typically if there was silence in the antique store, it meant something was wrong. Once upon a time, Jett would have welcomed the silence, but now? Now he had a cat to worry about. With his boss gone, he had barricaded the cat in the office so that Jett could take care of some business (and with all this box moving, he didn't want to accidentally crush the thing or pack it up and lock it in the storage room). He had kept his ears perked and occasionally glanced up to make sure that she wasn't trying to steal things from the store while he wasn't paying attention, though the soft tune of the music box reassured him that maybe she really just was some girl looking for old antiques. It was rare to find someone around his age with a passion for them, either because they were too interested in all the latest gizmos or didn't have the pocket to afford the really nifty stuff.
Jett had spent a lot of time with the music boxes, mostly because he wanted to keep them in the best shape possible—which included keeping them clean and making sure they still played the tune. The second Moonlight Sonata started playing he knew precisely which music box she was holding—half because he spent so much time taking care of the antiques, and half because it was the only one over there that played that tune.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up from where he'd been sitting and meandered in the girl's direction, stopping a short distance away from her. Her expression told him many things—the most important of which was that she seemed to like this box. And that meant he might be able to get her to buy it.
He listened to the song, admiring the unique, metallic sound of the music box. It was only after the tune had slowed and softened, and then stopped all together that he broke the fresh silence. "You a big fan of music boxes?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:18 pm
The voice caused her to jump and she fumbled momentarily with the box but managed to secure it to her chest without dropping it. “Jeez, sneak up on people much?” Aubrey questioned as she looked over at Jett with a small smile. She knew that wasn’t exactly fair, she wasn’t paying any attention to her surroundings and most likely a herd of elephants could have sneaked up on her while she was listening to that music box.
Remembering that he asked her a question she shrugged lightly. “I used to collect them when I was younger, but haven’t since…” Her eyes darkened momentarily as if she was recalling something unpleasant, “Well, a while, I promised myself I wouldn’t look at them today because I’ve always had a weak spot for them, but here I am.” She muttered more to herself than to Jett. Her shoulders drooped slightly and she lifted her gaze to his. “How much for this music box?” She questioned knowing full well that she gave away how much she liked it, and therefore would intend to buy it.
It figures, she went here looking to get something for one of her sisters, and only found something for herself. Not that surprising since she was the one with the love of antiques. Her fingers absently caressed the box with one hand as she brushed stray strands of hair that had escaped her braid away from her eyes as she watched Jett.
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:36 pm
While Jett certainly wasn't going to admit that he was rather skilled at sneaking up on people, in this establishment, he was merely an employee trying to help a customer. He forgave her for being startled (and was quite thrilled that she hadn't caught the music box) the moment she asked for a price. Another little grin dawned on his face. He glanced at the piece, as if giving it one last good look over, and replied, "That one? With tax, should round to just under one twenty."
It wasn't the oldest of the music boxes they had on the shelves—not by far. It wasn't anywhere near the priciest, though it was still in fairly good condition.
Jett watched her face, as if trying to gauge her reaction to the price tag to know if he could still get an easy sale out of this, or if he was going to have to try and work some magic.
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 2:07 pm
Her shoulders seemed to droop a little when the price was mentioned, she wasn't exactly rolling in money to be able to afford a music box that was over a hundred dollars, she'd probably be better off going to a toy store and try to find a cheap plastic one. "That's a pretty expensive music box." Aubrey commented as she turned back to the shelf trying to convince herself to put it back on the shelf. She got it halfway there before she turned to look at Jett. "Do you have any sort of payment plan?" She questioned resigning herself to the fact that she was going to buy this, but hopefully not all at once, she still had to get gifts for her siblings.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:42 pm
Jett was already preparing a speech as to why it might have been expensive, but it was worth it when Aubrey saved him the trouble. "I can do that. If you want to put some money down, we can hold the item until you pay it off. You'd need to make another payment within thirty days after the down payment, though as long as you're still in contact and want to make the purchase, we've got a little wiggle room there. And if you ever change your mind, that money's refundable."
He left off there, presenting her with the option but not wanting to pressure her with it. As long as they got the money within a few months, there wasn't that much pressure; they needed to make enough profit to keep the shelves stocked and the place running, but his boss didn't have the ambition to do much more than display and share antiques with the world.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:24 am
Aubrey gave him a slightly relieved smile, "Okay, how much of a down payment is needed?" Aubrey questioned as she looked at him fiddling with the clasp to her wallet. IF she could do reasonable payments then it would be worth it, she could try and use money she won from gambling so she wouldn't take anything away from her budget for her family. "And how much for each additional payment?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:56 pm
"We encourage thirty percent down payment, and then each subsequent payment at the same rate. But, like I said. It's negotiable." Typically the rules applied to older, established, stingy clients, though there was an understandable difference in assets between the wealthy and retired and the young and upcoming. "One of the benefits of working at a self-owned business. Mr. Winchester, proprietor of this fine establishment, is very easy to work with. He just wants to see that the pieces wind up in a good home."
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:05 am
Aubrey nodded, it sounded reasonable to her, she could come back once a week and pay it off in no time. She dug the 40 dollars for the down payment out of her wallet and placed it on the counter. "You've convinced me, though I think the music box did most of the work." she said looking at it fondly, she couldn't wait until she owned it. "I can come by again next week with the next payment, thank you for helping out." she responded though understood that it was the stores policy and not necessarily Jetts, it just made things easier to get the box in a timely manner.
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:45 pm
Jett nodded and took the money before scribbling down some numbers on a receipt detailing the piece's store identity number, the listed price, date, and the amount she had put down. When he finished, he slid the paper over to Aubrey and held out the pen for her. "Oh, it's not a problem. Like I said," he cracked a grin, "We're always willing to work with the client as long as a good home's involved." Finding antiques a good home was basically as important as finding a good home for a pet. Or an kid. "If you could just read over the numbers, sign your name, and leave a phone number, we'll be all set here."
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Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:34 am
Aubrey nodded as she scanned over the receipt and everything looked good, she signed the bottom followed by her cell phone, since it was the only reliable way to get a hold of her. She smiled as she handed the receipt back to Jett. "I'll be back in a week or so with the next payment." she promised with a smile before glancing at her watch with a wince, she had to get home to make dinner. "See you soon." She added as she made her way to the door.
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