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The chime to the door of Sugar Shanty rang loud and clear The boy who walked in almost ran off--almost, because Alejandro Carlos Cervantes did have some polite upbringing. He could practically hear his mother's demand that he stop to hold the door open for a group of old ladies who were coming toward the shop. Even though she was definitely at home, having entrusted him to this task, he still held the door by balancing all of his weight against the glass and gave each of the ladies that walked in a grin that created dimples in his chubby cheeks and highlighted his pearly white teeth. It was a practiced smile, a champion's smile, but it earned him praise all the same. He just ate that up.

As soon as the last lady had her skirt through the door, Alejandro was off. He sprinted towards the counter and towards the only person he saw in the store. His ponytail flopped against his neck, and he grinned all the more at the feeling of air rushing against his face. He was totally going to beat these abuelas to the counter - he barely had to push himself! He arrived at the counter with a squeak of his hoes as he skidded to a halt. "Hey, hey mister... I want to try that." The little boy pointed to one of the numerous bins of displayed candies behind the red-haired man. Sure, there were plenty of others around him that he could just grab at, but he clearly had his pink eyes focused on one.

Alejandro was no stranger to sweet talking; he might be more known for sour talking, but one did not win modeling contests that required interviews without some false honey coating. He batted his long, perfectly curled eyelashes and gave his most practiced smile. "No, Mr. Candyman, not the milk balls. They give my abuela tummy trouble. I want to get her something very special, something fruity--like those cherry looking balls there?"

Of course, he had been talking about the malt balls, but nothing like playing a little prank, right? He pointed to another jar close to the malt balls, one filled with reddish, clear candies, so as not to look suspicious. "One of these? I will stand very quiet and open my mouth for you, Mr. Candyman~"

The three old ladies were busily perusing the shelves, but the most sharp-eared of them looked up. "Medea... Medea, I don't like how he's looking at that little boy."

"Now, Agnes, you always think the worst of people! There's no reason to be that suspicious of Mr. Moreau."

"I can't find the butterscotch! Let's go ask the hunk behind the counter!"

"LULA MAE!"

"... I'm old not dead!"

Agnes continued to give him a supicious glance, but with his change in attitude she seemed, however momentarily, satisified. She reached over and gave the boy a pat on his head before moving off to search for the butterscotch on her own. She had always been head-strong and independent, and she continued to have those traits in her own age. If Lula Mae wanted to flirt with the confectioner, then she could come and ask for the candy she craved.

Alejandro merely allowed that sweet smile to remain on his face, allowing the old lady to take the heat off of him. He hadn't really asked for anything horrible, and had been mostly teasing at any rate. His smile faltered a little, however, at the man's change in tone. This candyman was trying to give him orders? He did not like that, no, not one little bit. The boy did not look down upon those in the service industry at all, but he did dislike it when adults treated him like a baby. One hand immediately went to his hip, and the other to cover his mouth as he mimicked the extreme innocence that abuelas seemed to think he had. "Of course I will, Mr. Dandy-Candy Dispenser! Why did you not ask earlier?"

With that, he held out his hand with faux meekness and waited for the candy to be deposited there.

Alejandro beamed when the round piece of candy was placed into his hand. Everything was going pretty well, as far as he was concerned. Sure, the Candy Man seemed a little perturbed about something, but adults usually were. He did have manners, however, as he clearly shouted a "THANK YOU!" that could be heard above the loud speech of the old lady who came beside him before popping the candy into his mouth.

"You seem to be enjoying that, young man." Medea had a softer voice than either of her companions, and a far more friendly one than Agnes. She walked with a cane but had an air of dignity that Alejandro immediately liked. "While Lula Mae has Mr. Moreau, would you mind doing a favor for me? There's a box of chocolates in the shape of a teddy bear that I'd like to pick up for my granddaughter, but it's too low to the ground for me to reach. Would you get it for me, please?"

The pink-haired boy immediatly bobbed his head and knelt down. He knew the box she meant--he had often thought it was kind of strange to be eating chocolates out of a bear, but if that's what she wanted he certainly wasn't going to argue! He tugged one out and lifted it, giving a large, red-stained toothy grin. "Here! This one?"

"Yes, thank you, dear. I'd have asked Lula Mae to help me out but... well, she and Mr. Moreau seem to be hitting it off quite nicely, don't you think?"

It was only from Medea's commentar that the child even realized the two grown ups might be falling in love. Well, he had learned not too long ago tht there was something very important to take into consideration when that happened! The sweet cherry candy in his mouth made saliva overfloweth, meaning Alejandro had to slurp slightly before he called over to them. "Be careful, nice lady. Some men have diseased peepees that affect their brains, and if you get the sickness from them it can kill you." Yes, the boy had recently been learning about the birds, the bees, and their potential dangers. He wasn't exactly accusing the candyman of being infected, but... hey, maybe the reminder wouldn't hurt him either. The boy was only looking after the sweet old lady's health!

Agnes pointed a long, bony finger towards Richard, the same profile and pose as her earlier accusation. Her face was ashen as she shrieked, "HEY! He's propositioning that little boy!" Lula Mae, on the other hand, began to laugh merrily, though whether it was because of the boy's exclamation or Richard's reaction was unclear.

Medea tapped her cane against the ground, trying to keep order at the sudden giggling that erupted from Lula Mae and the accusatory reaction of her other friend. "Now, ladies, that is enough!" She placed her hand on the boy's pink hair and spoke sternly. "Now, young man... why ever would you say that? It's not very nice."

Alejandro sent the candy maker a withering look at his reaction. Seriously? Sure, he was only getting the specifics now from his Mama and Papa about growing up and noticing girls, but they'd always taught him the importance of proper hygiene. He slurped at his candy again, "He should know, he's older than me. I'm just trying to protect the nice butterscotch lady..."

Medea removed her heavy, brown hand from the boy's pink hair and nodded. She slowly moved forward to hand the teddy bear candy box to the confectioner, while keeping the other hand firmly gripped on her cane. "Her butterscotch and this for me, Mr. Moreau. Was there anything you needed, Agnes?"

Agnes came forward with the air of barely contained energy. Restless eyes searched the shelves behind the man she had been yelling about all day, and her choice was a snappy, "Licorice, the red kind. 'bout a pound."

"Oh, oh, and one bag of malted milkballs, Mr. Candy Man!" Alejandro whipped out the five dollar bill from his pocket that his Mama had given him. She had been having a bad day, and malted milkballs were her favorite candy. He flashed his championship smile again and waved the money over his head to try and catch the red-haired man's attention. "Please? I'll even wait until these three nice ladies are done."

Medea gave an apologetic smile as she wrote out the check to the confectioner. Her eyes lit up slightly as she handed it over, "I know it's probably hard to wait on three ladies of our years, but you always make us feel special. If it makes you feel better, we're always repeat customers...we just have never been to the physical store until today. My grandchildren help me to use the computer, and I've already got a pre-order filled out for four cases of your Halloween special mix to give out for trick or treating. I know it's months away, but I always like to make sure I have plenty of quality treats for my trick or treaters."

"And I'm gonna get the little spider lollipops you do - kids'll get a real kick out of them, I'm sure!"

Agnes huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "And caramel apples. 'bout three dozen. Family staple, have been for years. Can we go 'cross the street to the flower shop next? Been needing some begonias."

With that, the three ladies made their exit with their purchases carefully stowed away under arms or in bulky purses. Lula Mae turned to blow the candymaker a kiss, and Alejandro waved good bye to them with the five dollar bill still clutched in his fist. "Bye bye! Aren't they such nice old ladies, Mr. Candy Man?"

The pink-haired child now made his way to the counter and properly, and politely, waited for his candy. The somewhat crumpled five dollar bill lay on the counter, payment in advance for the treat that he was going to bring home to his Mama. He couldn't wait to tell her all about his adventures!