[PRP] Hocus Pocus Stone Shop (Temperance & Theo)

[Smerdle]

The shop had an air of efficiency under its romantic witch aesthetic, and while they were met with smiles and Welcome, childrens, it was clear that the pair of workers who greeted them were at a loss as to what they could possibly want.

"May I help you?" The woman who spoke was willowy and grey, though her face still looked quite young. She addressed Temperance almost exclusively even after her nod to Theo was returned without a sour face. He lingered near the displays by the door, ready to interject but not to initiate.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance glanced at Theo. This shop hopefully could help them. "I was looking to purchase a sort of... protective bracelet." The shop assistant smiled and gestured to a wall of stones, some of which were already inset into jewelry - typically wire-bound jewelry. It looked like an etsy showcase.

The shop clerk smiled a bit. "That could be arranged, maybe. What sort of thing are you looking for? There are many different types of protection." It looked like she was about to launch into a lecture.

smerdle

lmfao rolling persuasion

 

[Smerdle]

Theo made a grunting noise that kind of sounded like he was about to burp. It was meant to stop the clerk from giving them a speech, and it did, but it also caused her to shy away and make a face.

"Protection from ill intentions. Sodalite. Chrysoprase. Black tourmaline. That's it."

The Semblance of Unity

the most unpleasant 3 ever rolled save him

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yes, um, we'd like a bracelet or necklace made with those particular stones, if possible. I was thinking of the chain itself being a string of those stones." Temperance shot Theo a look. If there was a stereotype of taciturn man, he was it. It wasn't very helpful now.

The clerk looked a little more mollified by Temperance's words, probably dollar signs spinning in her head. "Please step over here." She led the way to a counter. "We could possibly have something for you in a month." Temperance gaped. A month was really too long...

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"A month."

That wasn't going to work at all.

With a shake of his head, Theo turned and left the shop.

The Semblance of Unity

he'll be back

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

So, perhaps she'd sort of strong-armed Theo into this whole thing, but he didn't have to just walk out. Temperance turned back to the store clerk.

"Unfortunately, a month is far out of our time frame. Would it be possible to expedite the order?" She paused. "Actually, I'm sorry - I'll be right back." Temperance jogged to the front of the shop and poked her head out.

"Theodore," she hissed.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Surprisingly, Theo had a debit card that he was sticking into one of those street ATMs, making a face at it that matched the one he'd leveled at Temp's laptop. A few button clicks later, it was spewing twenties like he'd won the lottery, and then he was waving the stack at his exasperated companion as he stepped around her and back into the shop. Even though she'd known him for all of an hour, there was something gleeful in his eyes as he passed that didn't reach his downturned lips.

"That's five hundred dollars that says you'll have it for us in two days. Real stones. We'll know."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She felt her lips twitch as Theo stalked back in. So, maybe there were sides to him she was overlooking. The sales clerk, however, narrowed her eyes. "Make it six fifty and three days." Temperance crossed her arms. "Five fifty and two days." The woman thought for a moment.

"Six hundred and two days is the best I can. On top of the normal customization fee, of course." Temperance swallowed a groan.

"Deal." She got out her card to pay for the rest. This better work, she thought acerbically. "I didn't think of that," she whispered to Theo. "Good idea."

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

It was a lot of money. But he was good for it, with his two jobs and his comfortably middle class moms and his parsimonious lifestyle. Plus he was finding it fun to pretend he was a superhero every once in a while. He hadn't considered it a possibility or he might have tried it sooner. Nodding, he whispered back, "I'm surprised it worked." Though he supposed anything was possible when you threw enough money at it.

The clerk rang them up, deliberately counting out Theo's cash in the most insulting way possible. When she was done, she placed a receipt on the counter.

"I'll send sketches of a few of the more optimal structures tonight for your approval. Email address?"

Theo didn't reply, mostly because the library wasn't open past seven. Temperance would have a much greater chance of getting back to them with any speed.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Theo had certainly gone up in Temperance's estimation. She carefully slotted the receipt into her wallet, certain they'd need it for pick-up. Then, she gave her address to the clerk. And that.... was that.

Once outside, she turned to Theo. "What's your phone number, by the way? So we can easily meet up in a couple days. We'll need to attune the object once we have it." Temperance felt a lot better now that an item was actually going to happen. She smiled at him. "Thanks."

smerdle

if you want to timeskip to pick-up, feel free

 

[Smerdle]

Two days after their spectacle, Theo loitered outside the shop, looking less like a busboy and more like a person who would drop five hundred dollars on some random bracelet. He was early for his meeting with Temperance and he couldn't go in alone, so he slowly paced the block, trying to act casual.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Theo!" Temperance called out, jogging over. She was still dressed in dark blue scrubs as she'd just gotten off shift. "Why don't you have a cell phone?" The only number he had was a landline - did he live in the stone age? He did look quite a bit mroe put together than previously. Perhaps the clerk would be nicer this time around. Not that it mattered, though, really. They'd already come to their agreement.

She opened the shop door with a clatter of crystal. "You ready to see what they made?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He could have told her he didn't have a phone for the same reason he didn't have a laptop or a television. He just didn't like the world very much. He didn't have any friends either, but he wasn't about to get into that, nor his tendency to break other people's technology without meaning to.

Instead, Theo shrugged and followed her inside. "I just don't need one."

As they stepped into the shop, there was a rustling of the beaded curtain in the back as someone vacated the area with a quickness, leaving behind a clerk who hadn't been there for the bribery debacle.

"Hey," Theo said to the man. "We're here for a pickup."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance huffed. Not needing a phone seemed like such a foreign concept to her. Her time stuck at court had definitely lessened her dependency on it, but still... The clerk looked up at them and frowned. He was definitely less personable than the woman had been, and she hadn't been that friendly.

"Name," he said, boredly. Temperance gave her name and passed over the receipt of payment. "Alright, it looks like you've still got to pay the rush fee."

"Excuse me? We already paid above and beyond the normal price." Temperance's eyebrows rose into her hairline. The clerk looked blankly back at her and sighed, glancing down at the recipient.

"Guess you did. Wait here."

Temperance crossed her arms. "What a shop."

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Yup." He brushed his hand across the counter, watching the clerk leave. "At least we're done with this place." Next up was praying to the dirt gods or whatever.

The clerk returned less than a minute later with a shallow, black box. He set it in front of them and slid it open, clearly doing so at a speed he thought was the most impressive. There was even a little ceiling light shining on the very spot he had chosen, one of those ones that made cut gems sparkle more.

Theo leaned in. He reached out a finger to prod at their bracelet.

"Pretty," he finally decreed. For assholes, they had done a nice job.

The Semblance of Unity