|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 10:13 pm
Bags under her eyes just wasn't a good look for her, Temperance thought. Well, nothing was a good look, but dark circles made everything worse. She was like a panda let out of the zoo to lumber around the pharmacy in the hopes no one would notice how she wasn't actually a functioning human being. In short, Temperance was tired, beyond tired. Her sleep had been shot completely for some time and finally, it had come to this point.
She needed sleeping aids. Nothing dramatic; Temperance wasn't about to hit some doctor up for the prescribed kind and deal with the hoops she'd have to jump through there. Something simpler, maybe - diphenhydramine? Her fingertips trailed along the choices. There weren't many, but one of them might help.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 6:35 pm
Millie and Jesus were picking up prescriptions, though Jesus got the pleasure of being roped in by Rosi's chatter back behind the counter. It left the older woman free to roam. She didn't like to take any more medication than necessary if she could help it but some things were just necessities. Years of being a nurse had both convinced her that some medications couldn't be avoided, but also sometimes doctors and hospitals and insurance companies were also out to get your money no matter if you needed help or not. "Could use a nap?" Usually someone insinuating themselves into your medication choices wasn't wanted but everything about Millie seemed to exude a quiet and calm that reassured she was genuine. She had a sweet strong voice, "How long since you got a good night sleep?" And then as if catching herself, the small woman touched her arm, "I'm sorry, I used to be a nurse. It's instinct to help."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 8:09 pm
Temperance jumped a little at the voice, turning to look down at the tiny woman near her. "I... I, uh, yeah." It felt weird that she was going to rely on pills, of all things. She went to school and worked - by all rights she should be too exhausted to dream. But they still came and left her awake for too long. She summoned a tired smile for the woman. "No, no, it's fine. I'm actually in school to become a nurse, too." Millie seemed nice and it wasn't as though she was going to lecture Temperance.... right? "Maybe you know if any of these can ensure no dreaming?" A silly question, but she asked it nonetheless.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 9:02 pm
Millie's brows rose. Like a lot of old ladies hers were meticulously but skillfully drawn and she had light makeup that made her look very put together, fresh and clean. Her white hair was braided and pinned into a very neat bun at the back of her head. A small beaver keychain hung from the brown purse she clutched under one arm. "So it's not sleep that's eluding you. But too much dreaming?" Millie patted Temperance's hand. "You know sometimes dreams are meant to tell us things. Is it the same dream?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 9:23 pm
Maybe it was Millie's sweet face, maybe it was the lack of sleep, but Temperance moved her hand to squeeze Millie's. The beaver keychain was given a brief look, as well - it definitely registered on Temperance's 'cute radar'. "Not nightmares, at least. But the same dream. About here, actually." She shook her head, a tendril of blonde hair bouncing around her face. "Not the pharmacy! Just the town, nothing scary though, so I'm not sure why they wake me up." She absently tucked that strand of hair away. "My name's Temperance."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 11:48 am
"Ah..." Millie seemed to understand something about such dreams by the twinkle in her grey eyes. "I'm Millie. Nice to meet you." She glanced towards the pharmacy counter where the short stocky form of Jesus seemed to be roped into some sort of very involved Rosi conversation. At least the pharmacist didn't have her face mask and spray out, that was a good sign. "Tell me about your dreams a bit more?" Her voice was softer, as if they were sharing some secret between the two of them, "Do you do anything in the dreams? Are you in control of yourself?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 5:36 pm
Temperance gave Millie a puzzled look. If she'd been more of a confrontational person, she might have huffily crossed her arms and declined answering. It was invasive questioning, in a way, but Temperance supposed there was no harm. She didn't really have anyone else to talk to anyway. Somehow, just this conversation about something not school and not work was, well, nice. Even if it was about her messed up sleeping schedule. "Well, I don't really do much..." she trailed off sheepishly, suddenly feeling a little self conscious over a dream. "I think I stole someone's umbrella, and I screamed last time - mostly, I walk." Temperance idly toyed with one of her key chains. "Usually, I kind of, well, find out it's a dream partly through - because it never feels right, you know?" Temperance wondered if... "Do you d-dream like that too or something?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 5:51 pm
"You've heard the stories, surely?" Millie wasn't patronizing in the least bit and was happy to share the local urban legend, "Sometimes if you walk around Ashdown, you'll find yourself in another place. Somewhere it's always raining..."Most Ashdowner's knew it, as well as the story of the witch at the beach, but always as a story and never as experience. "Maybe you absorbed a little bit of it hmm?" She smiled kindly. "I'll be first to say it's a bit of a spooky story-"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 5:59 pm
"But those are just... stories, Millie. There's not really a s-secret Ashdown with rain and stuff." But it seemed, even under the florescent lights of the pharmacy, anything could be possible. Temperance must be really sleep deprived if she was letting some little old lady spin tales around her own silly dreams. And yet. "... is there?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 6:37 pm
"Who's to say.." Millie chuckled, "People have said they've seen it. I don't think it sounds so bad really." The old lady smiled, "I love Ashdown.. if there's another one perhaps it's worth embracing too..." Her eyes shifted back to Jesus, still occupied, "Or maybe you've been keeping late hours. Bad diet?" "Those dream reader types say if you're walking in your dreams you may be avoiding something.. perhaps afraid to accept something about yourself." Millie chuckled kindly, "I'm no fortune teller, Temperance but there's something in all those readings I think. There's always something in the stories, else they wouldn't have stuck so long." She grinned a bit though, completely sure in everything she said, "Maybe I just like to believe in a bit of magic here and there."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 11:42 am
"Before I started dreaming, my hours were fine." Temperance shrugged, seeming to become a little smaller in her sweater, not an easy feat for such a lanky girl. "Um, have you... you know... seen it?" What if her dreams weren't just dreams... what if... What if this was just silly thoughts going through her stupid, silly head. But still, her eyes widened at the mention of magic. Maybe Temperance was a little gullible; at very least she liked the idea of magic. "Magic? Uh-" She paused and took a deep breath. "I don't think I'm avoiding anything. It's just... just dreams." And sleepwalking, apparently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 7:12 pm
"Me?" Millie smiled and shook her head, "No no.. But you may have. You never know." "I think I remember a girl once who claimed to see the other world-" Town gossip got around, especially when you worked in a hospital. Millie waved her hand dismissively, "But that was years ago." The older woman turned back to the shelves to scrutinize the sleep aids. "You know I really don't like the thought of drugging yourself for rest." She could off alternate suggestions though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 5:58 pm
"Years ago? Well, I guess it's really only a fantasy, anyway." Temperance looked a little sad. She absently picked up a box of pills and pretend to read the back. "I don't necessarily like it either, but I've already tried things like meditation, hot tea, lavender. If it works, I'll take it." She didn't mention she had, essentially, tried all of those things in one night before summarily discarding them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 7:22 pm
"Don't dismiss something for useless just cause it's old." Millie laughed a bit and plucked the pills from Temperance's hand to put back on the shelf. "I was there when that girl was born. Down at the hospital. Vivien Hawken." She had that sparkle in her eye, pride in years of being a nurse, of helping the town and bringing in new life. Even seeing life pass out of the world meant something, no matter how sad. "Try going down to Equinox.." Millie motioned out the pharmacy door, "Down on ***** Street. They are very good with natural remedies." She fussed in her very neat little handbag a moment, the beaver jostling, and brought out a change purse (also with a beaver embroidered on it). "Here we go." She pulled out a dogeared business card for Equinox that noted an Eve Fitzpatrick as the owner. "Eve is a dear- and she'll take good care of you. Tell her I sent you her way." The Semblance of xUnity millie says: support local business!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 7:55 pm
"The Equinox," she repeated dutifully. "Eve, okay, thank you, Millie. I appreciate it." Natural remedies didn't sound so bad, after all. Temperance started to turn away, then paused. "Do you know if Vivian still lives in town?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
