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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 7:32 am
Memorial Day had been sunny and warm and perfect so when Jessie had woken up to Tuesday's weather report she was disappointed when the forecast called for rain off and on all day. It said it would only be a light soaking rain and it should clear up by nightfall. Jessie couldn't complain since it would be good for her flowers and it was better than the deluge the Midwest was getting, the various news stations were having field days over the flooding. Jessie could only shake her head sadly at the stupid people trying to ford the flooded roads, after all the safety phrase is 'turn around, don't drown'. She shook off her morbid thoughts and made her way down into the store, ready to open for the day. The morning passed quickly with her spending most of the time taking down the various Memorial Day decorations and restocking the shelves. Silence reigned in the quirky little bookstore since Jessie neglected to turn on the radio and no one else was there. She could almost pretend that the whole store was her own library. Jessie laughed out loud at that idea as she moved through astronomy. The store was like her own library.... Only her personal collection was much more random and disorganized then the playful stacks down here. She gave a little hop and set the space shuttle hanging from the ceiling to rotating. Her upstairs apartment wouldn't be able to handle all her books as well all the little toys, trinkets, and models that denoted the sections. Not to mention where her furniture would go! Granted most was already being used as book storage in some way or another, but still... She mentally trailed off and got back to work straightening, pulling requests, and restocking. What better way to spend a gray Tuesday but surrounded by books doing something you loved. Jessie got all the way to the fiction section in the back corner of the store before she deviated once more. She scooped up one of the little prince dolls that was sitting on the low shelf of little kids books. Dancing with the cloth doll under the painted sky of the ceiling, the metal fairy wind chime tinkling when she brushed by it, Jessie began to hum and quickly broke out in a slightly flat rendition of 'once upon a dream' from the Disney Classic, Sleeping Beauty. serpentsong sorry about the delay with this
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 10:30 pm
He had heard many a thing about the local bookstore. That they had a wide selection. That there may very well be some rare, unique works, and lastly, that the owner was quite the interesting sort herself. It was the last two that had Gabriel intrigued. Those that were often described as "interesting" were always some of the more entertaining souls to meet my and not only that, perhaps he would have a chance at finding a kindred spirit in this one. Books were his life, and to know that this woman ran a store with rare finds, only made him all the more interested. Perhaps a rare book on the demise of the people of Pompeii, or an even rare tomb of mystic knowledge could be found upon the shelves that he would soon explore. He had wandered through the rain, his dark hair hanging wet, heavy against his back and shoulders. His makeup, though expertly applied, had run slightly making his eyes seem much darker than he normally would have settled for. This did not, however, hide how lovely his face was. His soft, gentle, features were only accented by the dark locks, his pale skin made paler by the deep colors about his eyes. He was a handsome man, but he preferred to be seen as pretty, and that he was. He came upon the doors, his gloved hand reaching out passed the sleeve of his leather coat, to close over the handle. He pushed the door aside, waking into the dimly lit room. He shook out his hair, only slightly, before glancing about. It was a quaint little establishment, quiet and full of character. 'Just the sort of place to spend a dreary afternoon' he thought. Fiction1119 sorry it took me awhile to reply. <3
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:10 am
serpentsong its not the best... sorry about that. Here is a link to her journal section dealing with the store however i haven't edited it with the interior info, for that check this rp out. its not extensive but it does give an idea about what can be found. Jessie heard the bell over the door jangle. She replaced the doll prince and called out. "Be right there. There is an umbrella stand by the door if you need it." A simple plastic stand was to the right of the door and still had two lone umbrellas nestled inside it. It would have stood out like a sore thumb if it wasnt for the random and myriad of stickers on it transforming the simple black cylinder to a colorful collage. The curved handles of the long umbrellas were not immune to the sticker infection, they too were covered in everything from simple stars to the information stickers off of fruit, there were even a few foreign stickers mixed in there. Alot of her much younger customers came in and contributed to the ever changing art project to the point where she was almost tempted to make another space sticker friendly... almost. If only there was a good spot for it. She made her way up to the door only to find a rather wet customer. "Oh dear. I guess it's raining more than I thought it was." She eyed him for a moment, the book lover in her really wanting him to be dry before coming further into the paper laden store but she also knew that she couldn't do that. "Let me go get you a towel and you're welcome to the use of one of the umbrellas if the rain hasn't stopped when it's time to go." She did a quick u-turn and bounded up the book laden stairs a short distance from the front door. It didn't take long before she was back with a fluffy large terrycloth towel that was printed to look like the cover of a classic book. She passed it over without hesitation and perched on the stool behind the checkout counter, "so is there anything you're looking for in general? Particular? Sorta not really?" She glanced outside at the rain dripping off the porch eaves, "got some swimming books too if it comes to that." Jessie made a mental note to water the various plants in pots on the porch since they weren't getting the benefit of the rain.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:02 pm
By the time the shop owner had reached him, he had his hair pulled back into a tight braid, trying to keep the water from adding to his already soaked clothing. He glanced up and smiled rather weakly. It was his automatic greeting, his way of saying hello without really speaking. He had never really been one for small talk. It seemed, as though, this woman was however.
As she vanished to retrieve him a towel, he lowered his head once more, pulling the braid up into a twisted bun. It was a way to save all the books from his dripping hair, knowing that it retained water like a sponge. It was one of the downfalls of having so much heavy hair, and one that he could have lived without.
As the towel was offered to him, he nodded, taking it and carefully wiping his face before attempting to towel off his clothing. "Thank you...I would hate to leave a watermark on the floor let alone the books." He wrapped the towel around his shoulders, allowing it to catch any of the water that tried to escape from his bun.
"I did not mean to be a bother, or to cause more trouble than was needed. It seemed like the heaven's just opened up and poured down half way through my walk here." He groaned and looked about the first level of the quaint store. "I have heard good things about your shop, I wanted to see it for myself." His eyes all but shined with excitement as he glanced over shelf upon shelf. There were so many possibilities, so many means to study.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:00 am
serpentsong sorry its so short sweatdrop Jessie easily and quickly made an origami crane, sadly one of the only origami pieces she could pull off properly, as her customer dried off. She nearly sighed in envy when she saw how nicely he had gotten his hair up in a bun. Her own hair was frizzing almost as badly as if she had stuck a finger in a light socket. It was pulled back in a high ponytail, the semi-curly sable locks cascading down her back. With the last fold done Jessie glanced and smiled. "It's really not a big deal. It's not like you made it rain." She snickered and got up and slipped the little violet crane on the young man's head. "This is my wonder and I love it. Is there a book you want to know about or a author you need to find? It's kinda what I do." Finding books were what she lived for, along with reading new ones. "If you don't have anything in mind you're welcome to look around." She opened her arms wide to indicate the whole store.
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:36 pm
To say that the young man was a bit confused, as the paper crane was placed upon his head, would be an understatement. He blinked those pale, blue, orbs, looking up at the thing before glancing back at his hostess. She was a unique one, and that was certain, perhaps he had finally met someone that was as socially awkward as himself. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he listened to her speak of her business. It was nice to see passion in another, much in the way he spoke when asked about ancient Athens. He chuckled lightly, hand moving quickly to cover his mouth as he did so. It was more a reflex action rather than a means to hide anything. He had always done it, anger had been told by some that it was charming. "I am sorry, I do not mean to laugh. It was just a thought." He glanced around, he really had not come for anything in particular, but if he had to choose, there were always his stand-bys. "I have been recently ingested in world religions, a focus more on ancient practices. I do not know if you have such things?" He knew his requests were often seen as odd, he was use to it. At least he was not asking for ancient occult tombs, or a private book of shadows. He had a few of his own in his private collection, and even he dared not mess with such things. "My name is Gabriel by the way. History student and full time Barista." He said the title life it was worth something, and to him it was. His position kept him and his family going while his father was away. It gave them some fun money to play with. "You know...I really did not come in to find anything specific...not really."
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:48 pm
serpentsong sorry about the delay sweatdrop Jessie didn't even worry about the young man's chuckle. She had no clue if it was directed to her or even about her... Hell there was even a time she laughed along with someone who was making fun of her because she found it amusing too, for some reason the joke died shortly after that incident. This time she just waved it off and asked, "was it one of those stupid little jokes that pop into your head randomly? Like, what is the head fish doctor called?" She paused a moment and the. Answered her own joke, "a head sturgeon. Yeah the kid joke books are always good time killers." It also made the younger kids who were just cranky break out into smiles whenever Jessie told one of the bad jokes she had just read. Jessie was a little stumped since ancient religious practices wasn't a typical topic that was asked for. It wasn't like it was a section that they had outright but maybe she could still find something he would enjoy... She was determined to find it. "Well I would say the best area to begin would be history since it sounds like you want to find things like voodoo, egyptian mummification, and Aztec gods and goddesses. The history section would be the best area for that kind of stuff. Sadly we don't have a dedicated ancient religion section, apparently it's not asked for a lot." Jessie tried to make a joke but it was bad... And made no sense. "I'm Jessie, bookstore owner and bibliophile." She smiled as she bounced off her stool and came around the end of the counter. "I'm my own dealer!" Her laughter was light and loud since she found her joke extremely amusing. Sadly it was true since she spent a lot of her time searching for new books for the store while at the same time expanding her personal selection at the same time. She waved away her train of thought and mentally focused on Gabriel, "anyway. It's nice to meet you Gabriel. As for not looking for anything in particular... It lets you find exactly what you want. Come let's just see what we can find." She did a quick turn on her heel and headed into the stacks. She ducked around a case and after only a moment her head peeked back around. "Come on. Adventure awaits."
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:51 pm
Gabriel really could not understand how this girl could be so chipper. She seemed to carry her own source of light and joy within her, and that confused him more than anything. He was far from depressed, himself, but he could not carry that joy like Jessie did, never could. "How is it you stay so upbeat? Rainy days bring out the blues in most people" He slowly climbed through the stacks with her, his eyes darting over titles and bindings like a man would undress a woman. Books were a passion, a driving force for him, and damn if there were not alot for him to gaze upon. "You know, anything history will do..." he laughed and ran his fingers over one particularly old volume,his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent of the tomb, his eyes fluttering as he grinned. He treated knowledge lie most treated a lover. Intelligence was key for him. It was sexy. He slowly let his fingers draw the book from the shelf, he lightly turning the pages. He was so very careful, gentle with the paper, he almost afraid to turn the pages...almost. "you know, there are very few in town that can appreciate your establishment, miss jessie. Books are a dying love, and it pains me to see so many falling to the whims of the digital age. It is distressing."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 6:13 am
serpentsong its not about length but about quality ^,^ meaning it gave me plenty to work with so dont worry about it ^.^ Jessie cocked her head slightly as she contemplated Gabrial's question. With her muted colored clothing and brown hair and eyes she looked a bit like a curious starling. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm all alone in my own little bookstore where the most pressing thing to do is shelve books." She lightly trailed her fingers over a few spines and gave the bust of Abraham Lincoln a pat. "I am quite literally in my personal library. Rainy days tend to mean fewer people but it also means more time to spend with the books themselves." Since they were in the short biography section it wouldn't take them long at all go get to the history area. She continued on her way, stopping just a few feet further into the area. It was a bit hard to tell the change but if one knew what to look for it became obvious. The busts from biography were now scale models of buildings, people, old objects, and even ancient deities. There were still busts of historical figures but they were far and in between. The larger landmark building models were at the top of the shelves that bordered travel while the other side sported replica of Mount Rushmore and bordered biographies. I really need to reorganize this place, she thought as she eyed the aisle. She wondered if she could move things around to create a small reading nook in the area but shook off her thoughts as she turned back towards Gabriel, after all the book hunt was for him. "Ahh but you see that's not quite true," she held her finger up in a teaching pose. "Not just any book will do even if no book or topic is on your mind. I'm sure when we find it you will know. It will be like magic." Her smile was soft as she faced the books and began searching them. The feel of finding a perfect fit, especially when no topic was constraining the search, really was like magic. At Least Jessie always thought so. "Hum?" She glanced away from the spines to see him open one of the older books that populated this section. History did have a surprising amount of older books, followed closely by biographies. The really expensive ones she had under lock and key but they were few since she rarely had call to buy them. "I know." She sighed softly with the idea of the digital encroachment of ereaders. "But there is no replacing a good book. There is nothing like the smell of paper, the heft of a thick book, and the simplicity of turning a page." Jessie had a kindle but she uses it more for games than books. Sadly there were a few authors who only published short stories in digital format now so it was the only way she could get them. It bothered her to no end.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 9:28 pm
He couldn't help but admire her enthusiasm. It was much like himself when a person asked about the building of an ancient monument, or when he could correct a person on historical fact. It was their element, and to live in such a place where you could be yourself and just give into that passion...it was admirable. He ran his fingers over the pages as he skimmed through them. It was sometimes just a comfort to feel the paper under his hand. It made him smile all the more. "You have the magic of books down to a science, miss jessie. Perhaps you can show me which book I am fated for?" He carefully slid the old volume back into its place. He letting his fingers linger for a moment before sliding back down to his side. "I cannot say that I disapprove of magic. It is something, in fact, that I hold quite dear. Some things in this world cannot be explained, at least not through science or other conventional means." He moved to stand at her side, looking over her shoulder at the vast collection of books before him. "The druids and other mystics never once doubted the existence of magic. They knew it as fact. Why is it, in our world, so many find it to be the thing of fairytales?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 5:36 am
Jessie smiled and nodded but she cautioned, "it takes going through sometimes a large amount of books to find just the right one. And sometimes you find more than just one. You will know when you find it." It was normally how acquired books for her own collection. She would be looking for new books for the store and find something she wanted to buy too or she would be roaming the shelves and find a book she didn't own and realize now she wanted to... Books were her addiction and the store was totally enabling her. Not that she minded. "'There are more things on heaven or earth, Horatio" she glanced over at Gabrial and could only shake her head sadly. This guy had no idea just how strange and magic filled life really was. "Magic is the sunrise and the knowledge you are alive to see it. The laughter of a child and the green leaves of a flower poking through the snow. It is everywhere and no where." She shrugged and pulled a book from the shelf. "I don't know much about Druids,Wiccans, or other magic users other than what I've read in books. But I know that what we know today would have been considered witchcraft not too long ago so maybe magic is just something we have yet to understand... Like radio waves or computer chips." She wondered what he would say if she powered up right in front of him, took him to Pompeii, and had him meet her ancestor. He really would believe in magic then. With a soft snicker she held ' Laughing Gods, Weeping Virgins' by Ingvild Sælid Gilhus out. "Check that one out. See if we are close to what you're looking for."
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:09 am
The softest bit of a chuckle passed his dark, painted, lips. She was well learned, but she was also preaching to the choir on this subject. He knew all too well the magic in plants, the sun, moon, and stars. He knew well that there were things that could not be explained away with simple science. "Perhaps then I shall have to teach you the ways of my kind, hm? After all, it is the duty of one to help others understand the pagan ways rather than to fear them." He winked at her playfully, he glancing at the book in her hands. He had heard of it, but it was certainly an aspect of things he, himself, had not explored. "Hmm, I do think that you have peaked my interest, miss jessie. Though this little adventure will only entertain me for a short time. Let us find another, hm?" He moved to her side, one hand lightly patting her shoulder. He had notice that he could get a better feel for a person after having touched them. It drawing his attention better, making the feel of them more familiar. "Do you believe in reincarnation, might I ask? Many cultures do, you know. Mostly those of the ancient past. Though I think it intriguing." He had taken time to look into his own past. The things he had found were interesting to arty the least. "You think, after all of this life is done, all of this, these feelings, they cannot just cease to exist. There is more to this. More to us" his eyes seemed to shine with a hidden passion. History was not the only thing that Gabriel enjoyed.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:19 am
"It never hurts to learn something new." She made a mental note to tell him to come back when the weather was nice to check out the courtyard. The garden that extended off the side porch was a riot of color from flowers and bushes with other ornamentations scattered throughout. Garden gnomes peeked from bushes, reflective glass orbs were protected by a sleeping dragon, a little stone squirrel moved mischievously as it pleased, and it wasn't odd for a kid to squeal in delight when they spot a fairy door high in the branches of few trees that grew in her garden. Jessie also made a mental note to move the squirrel again since it's been a few days since she hid him in a bush, quite a few of the regulars have already spotted him so it was time to hide him again. When Gabriel took the offered book Jessie smiled. "Other we can do." Nimble fingers fished out two more in the same general vein and added to his stack. She was beginning to look for more variety when the Gabriel came over and placed his hand on her shoulder. It drew her attention but no actual reaction, after all it's not the first time such moves have been used to get her attention while she was lost in a book. "Reincarnation? Yes." It was a simple answer but said with quite a bit of conviction. Jessie knew for a fact that reincarnation was real because Maia once explained that all senshi were reincarnations of their past selves. Jessie however was a descendent not a reincarnation, she smiled ruefully at the thought of being reincarnated from the p***k that is Aralias. "There have been stranger things to happen in this city. As long as the past isn't repeated but corrected, reincarnation is a good thing in my book." While she hasn't yet asked about the details of the senshi's reincarnations, she kept forgetting, Jessie had a feeling that there were things done in the past that their current selves were meant to fix. They aren't just stuck on some cosmic hamster wheel, fated to run in a loop for all time. "Stanislavsky Grof said 'whether or not we believe in survival of consciousness after death, reincarnation, and karma, it has very serious implications for our behavior.' So the way I see it, even if you don't believe in it it still affects the way the world acts. It never hurts to balance the cosmic scales." She glanced at him before moving over to pull out two more books, this time on reincarnation. ((Book links ^.^: religion book 1, religion book 2, reincarnation 1, reincarnation 2))
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 12:07 pm
The way the woman spoke of the past, of reincarnation, it made him smile. It was obvious that he, himself, was not the only one that was passionate about such things. It made him like her more, added another dimension to her and that was certainly a plus in his book. He watched as book after book was placed in his arms, he smiling wider and wider with each added tomb. He glanced to Jessie, his pale eyes shimmering as he cocked his head to the side for a moment. "I am inclined to agree with you. I think, perhaps, it is the past that gives us our fears, our loves, our passions in the present. After all, what else explains if someone has an extreme fear of fire, aside from a past episode?" He chuckled, he knew a few things, or at least he thought he did, about his past. Scrying was always interesting, and he had found out so much. According to his findings he had once been in love, and that that love had been denied him. He had been a warrior. He chuckled at the thought, he was so far from that now. "Do you ever wonder what it is that we must make up for? What sin did we commit that we are destined to fix it now?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:50 am
Jessie pondered his statement for a moment before nodding slightly. She could see how a past life could affect current personality traits but since she hadn't had a lot of hands on experience of past lives Jessie wasn't sure just how much influence the past had on them. God just the thought of having Aralias' personality affect her own likes and dislikes were horrifying. "I think it is entirely possible, atleast to some degree depending on the strength of the past life personality." She shrugged and went back to perusing the shelves. Nothing really jumped out at her, there were so many choices but as she skimmed over the spines Jessie figured the stack she had already pulled was a good spot to start for Gabriel. At his question Jessie froze for a moment. Her answer could very well reveal she knew more about what went on during the city's night then a normal person. "Well," she hesitated and started to play with a small voodoo doll, "it's probably nothing as simple as buying the right kind of clothes. The books always right about undying love, hatred, and conflict so that's much more likely." Her hands stilled as she quietly added, "the eternal fight between good and evil. That is most likely the driving force for reincarnation." She really did need to make the time to talk to the senshi about all this, her ancestor refused to talk about the past. Every time she brought it up he either changed the topic or just disappeared... Poof. Gone until the next time he showed up to annoy the crap out of her.
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