fandomtownies | Fandom Post Office, Wednesday (01/09)

She's not too busy reading to talk to you if you need something.

A.J. took his lunch break a little earlier that day so that he could make his usual milkshake delivery without having to worry about time. Plus, it wasn't like he actually had to eat on his lunch break because he just nibbled on food all day.

"Hey, you," he greeted, leaning on the counter as he slid the mocha milkshake forward on the counter. "I brought a present."

Beauty smiled, as she always did when A.J. appeared, and gratefully accepted the milkshake. "Thank you. I don't know what I'll do when my time at school is over, and I don't have my Wednesday milkshake delivery anymore. You spoil me."

"I like spoiling you," A.J. countered with a grin. "I'll have to teach you how to make them yourself."

"But if you do that, then I don't get the added treat of a visit from you," Beauty protested. "Are you in a hurry to get back, or would you like to sit down with me?"

"I can stay for a bit," A.J. grinned. "I'm on my lunch break, so I've definitely got some time before I'm expected back. I actually need to get your thoughts on something, if you don't mind..."

Beauty grinned happily and fetched a second stool from the back room for A.J. to sit on, putting it behind the counter next to her own. She didn't figure anyone would care, and she could always put up a sign that she was taking her lunch break if she needed to.

"I'm not usually shy about giving my opinions on things," she teased. "What is it about?"

Seeing where Beauty set the stool, A.J. grinned and took a few steps back. He used this gained distance to help him in the process of (surprisingly smoothly) vaulting over himself over the counter. While the move was smooth, his just about near collision with the stool was not, but he recovered his stumbling well enough, brushed a hand through his hair to pretend that he had meant to do that, and then plopped down to have a seat.

"Do I get a cool postal worker hat?" he asked after a second, because he was feeling like he should have one. "And it's about my inventiontronics class. I gotta think of something to invent. I have no idea..."

Clapping at the athletic demonstration, Beauty laughed and took a seat on her own stool. "I didn't know you were an acrobat, A.J.! And I'm afraid I don't even have a 'cool postal worker hat', so I can't offer you one. Unless you'd like one folded out of paper."

She tilted her head thoughtfully at his explanation, pursing her lips a little as she tried to come up with an idea. "Well, what kinds of things are you inventing there? I mean, I don't really know anything about machines and stuff. But I'll try and help as much as I can."

"I'd take a paper one," A.J. noted. "And, well, it has to be something that helps people; Professor Glitch was really big on that. He's really cool; he's got just an awesome philosophy on the stuff, so I want to make sure I can come up with something good, but it's like, because I'm trying so hard, my mind is just all..." He trailed off into the sound of a braking car, without consideration to the fact that Beauty probably wouldn't be particularly familiar with it. She was smart, though; she'd probably get the idea.

With a little smile, Beauty proceeded to hunt up a sheet of paper and fold it into that universal paper-hat shape that all children are taught to make, while A.J. explained about his class.

She didn't recognize the braking sound itself, but the meaning was fairly obvious.

"What if...I mean, I guess machines are made because there's something you want them to do so that you don't have to, or because you can't. So what if you started by thinking up something you want, and then see about how to make your invention do that?"

"That's just it, though," A.J. said, shrugging his shoulders and grinning a little as he watched Beauty work. As he noticed her getting closer to finishing, he ducked his head in invitation for her to crown him temporary postal worker. "I can't think of anything that I don't like doing that isn't just pure laziness. I want to make something that's bred from more than just the fact that I'm a lazy bastard."

When she was finished, Beauty held up the hat and rather dramatically placed it atop A.J.'s head.

Then she picked up her milkshake and sipped at it while she considered the problem. "So you want an invention that's born out of some sense of creativity, rather than just to do a job you don't like doing." Beauty tried to think if there was anything she'd ever though 'oh, it would be so neat if...' about.

"I think a machine that turns the pages of books for you so you don't spill things on them if you're trying to read while you're eating would be lovely," she sighed wistfully. "But I suppose that's still sort of laziness, because you can always just not eat while you read."

"Laaaaaazy," A.J. said, leaning over to nudge Beauty slightly, and then reached up to keep his hat from falling off. "But still better than what I was coming up with so far, which is something that would fold my socks for me." He offered a light grin. "I don't know. Born out of creativity is a good way to put it. I guess maybe I could just stop worrying about it and just wait for the moment to hit, y'know, but I'm gonna be screwed if that moment doesn't hit until, like, April."

"The only ideas I can think of are things that are just useful and boring, like a machine that would clean Greatheart's hooves," Beauty said, nudging him back. "But I bet we could think of something, just by going around and keeping it in mind while we're out."

She grinned mischievously. "You could invent a machine that thinks up ideas for inventions."

"I think that might be a little out of my ability field," A.J. chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "Man, are the only things we can really think of for things that could make life better are things that would do work for us?"

"Well, all of the things I can think of have already been invented," Beauty protested. "Like music players and cameras."

She sat thoughtfully for a moment, and then added in a softer voice, "Is there an invention that will find lost people?"

"Ummm, I'm not really sure," A.J. admitted after tilting his head thoughtfully, but still being mindful of his hat. "Like, what do you mean? Tracking devices or something? But that's not really for lost people. I don't know, that might be up there with the whole idea inventing invention..."

"I...I don't know. I was just thinking about Robbie, my sister's fiance, and what you said about inventions that would make life better."

Beauty frowned, feeling kind of bad that she wasn't being much help.

"Aww, Beauty," A.J., frowning sympathetically, reached over to hug her. "He's the one that went out to sea, right?"

Beauty leaned into the hug for a moment, and then nodded, giving A.J. an apologetic smile. "Yes, he was the captain of one of my father's ships. I guess it's a sign that I've got a pretty good life, isn't it, when that's the only thing I can think of to make things better?"

"That, and something to turn your pages, yeah," A.J. said with a weak smile, wanting to cheer her back up. He was feeling particularly bad that something like that probably would be out of his league because not only did it seem to fit into Professor Glitch's whole helping rhetoric, but because it really would be something good and amazing, and that's what probably made it even further out of his reach. He could try to be reassuring at this point, but he knew it would probably come out empty, not because he didn't mean it, but because it was so out of his control. So, instead, trying to smile a little, he added, "Besides, if you really wanted something to turn your pages for you, I could just volunteer."

That was probably the best way A.J. could have gone about reassuring and cheering Beauty, if the bright-eyed, pleased expression on her face was any indication.

"That's..." She blushed a little as she spoke. "That's a really nice idea. I mean, it would probably be boring for you, but..." The thought of sit snuggled up with A.J. and reading to him while he turned the pages for her was almost too storybook romantic for Beauty to even consider in the realm of possibility. "We, um, we should plan our art project for the common rooms sometime too."

A.J. grinned, especially when he noticed the slight blush across Beauty's cheeks. "You doing anything tomorrow?" he asked. "I could come over and we can do our plotting," and maybe things that weren't in the realm of plotting, either, but it wasn't like he was going to admit to any ulterior motives, "there?"

"I have a class first period, but after that I don't have any plans," Beauty said, already deciding that having A.J. over would be her plans for the day. For plotting, or whatever other things might take their fancy.

"Good," A.J. nodded in approval of the plan. "That works for me, too, as I intend on sleeping in anyway."

"You mean you're not going to sneak into my room and leave me a cup of coffee for when I wake up so early in the morning to get to my class?" Beauty teased, pretending to look awfully sad about it.

"Nope," A.J. admitted, unapologetic. "Because I'll probably be up all night working on prototype sketches for an invention that'll do it for me."

Glitch had actually found the post office fairly easily, considering. His synapses were a little more focused than usual, though, so that might have accounted for it. The patchwork of a letter was in one hand and he had a small stack of papers in the other.

He walked up to the counter and gave a cautious "Hello," and hoped he wasn't interrupting anything interesting.

Well, Beauty considered her book, a gifted copy of Mists of Avalon, to be delightfully interesting. But she also acknowledged that not everyone might share her opinion.

Particularly when they walked into a post office carrying letters, which suggested they might be more interested in the actual services the post office had to offer. So she set the book aside and smiled at her first customer of the day.

"Hello. Can I help with something?"

Glitch set down the rather thick envelope on the counter. "I need to mail this, but, I wanted to make sure I addressed it correctly." He gave a small, nervous laugh. "Not used to sending things to different worlds."

To: Her Majesty Queen Lavender Eyes, Finaqua Palace in the Southern Lands, Outer Zone was written on it.

"Oh!" He blinked, for a second, as his synapses reminded him of the other papers he was carrying around. "I'd like to give you this, too."

He handed her one from the stack.

Courtly Dancing in the Park!
Saturday, Jan 12, Starting at 10am
All are welcome, regardless of skill!
Wear comfy clothes!
Informal food for formal dancing!
(Bring your own picnic)

Questions? Contact Willow Rosenberg or Mr. Glitch.

"I'm teaching an Ozian waltz in the part this Saturday." He was smiling now, wide, just thinking about it.

"The post service here is unique," Beauty remarked, as she studied the address. "I think it should get there just fine. I don't have any trouble with my own letters, and they have to go a good ways into the past."

She pulled out her pricing sheets and calculated the postage the package would need, and then leaned over slightly to take a curious look at the flyer.

"Oh! That sounds nice. I don't think it would hurt me to learn to dance a little better." Beauty smiled at the happy expression on the newcomer's face, and then held out her hand. "I'm guessing you're new in town? I'm Beauty, I attend the school here."

Glitch nodded, accepting the fact that things here just worked without much explanation, and shook her hand.

He bowed, just slightly (old habits), and she might have noticed the zipper then.

"I'm Glitch. Or Ambrose. Whichever you prefer, really," he said, smiling. "I teach at the school, but I don't think you're in my class."

Beauty would have assured him that just accepting that things did work was a lot easier than giving yourself a headache trying to figure out how they worked.

The bow actually reminded her a little bit of home, but she raised her eyebrows a little at the zipper and tried hard not to stare. "I'm pleased to meet you, Professor Glitch. I hope you're finding this a nice place to teach. It's a nice place to attend school, at least in my opinion."

He didn't notice the eyebrows, really. "It is a nice place to teach, I think. I didn't know I'd be here until I got here, but things have gone well since then."

Glitch looked back to the paper he'd handed her. "You can invite friends of yours, if you think anyone else would be interested."

"That sounds like me," Beauty remarked, smiling. "I was expecting to end up someplace else entirely, but I really prefer this one. You're teaching the invention class, aren't you? I have a friend in that class, and he sounds really excited about it."

She nodded at the flyer, and her smile brightened a little. "I think I do have someone I could invite, thank you."

Glitch gave a nervous laugh at the idea of his students talking about him before nodding. "Applied Inventiontronics. I've never taught before, but if he's excited about the class then maybe I'm doing it right."

He looked back to the flyer, glad at the interest. "We'll have some food there, too, if you can't bring any of your own."

"He's very creative, I know he'll love what you've got to teach."

Beauty smiled at the food offer. "My friend works at the diner, so we can probably bring something. It's nice of you to put on something like this."

Creative. Glitch didn't have his notes with him, so he couldn't be sure, but, "If he's who I think you mean, then I think he'll do well."

He smiled and tapped Willow's name on the flyer. "She's the one who gave me the idea. About the food, too."

"His name's A.J. He's an artist," Beauty explained. She sounded rather proud of that fact. Or else rather fond of A.J. in general.

"Oh, I've met Willow! She's nice. Is she in your class too?"

Edited 2008-01-09 20:43 (UTC)

Yup, that was the one. Glitch nodded, remembering the advice he'd given him during class. "Has he asked you for help? I told him it might help to get some ideas from other people about it." Yes, that was a hint of concern in his voice, but not overly much.

"She's my, uhm," what was the word? "TA." He smiled. "She's very helpful so far."

"He asked me just earlier today," Beauty assured him. "Although I don't know how much help I'll be. I'm not from this time, and a lot of the things I'd want invented already have been. But I do promise I'll do my best to try and come up with some good ideas. A.J.'s really intelligent, though. He'll have something wonderful when he's all finished."

"Willow seems like the sort of person who'd be a very helpful assistant," she agreed.

"Oh, I'm sure any ideas are helpful. Just, something to get the gears turning, you know?" Glitch gave a small laugh at his own joke. "It's good to know he's got someone encouraging him outside of class."

"She helped make the signs, too." He looked around, for a second, and noticed her book.

"I should probably let you get back to your reading," he said, smiling.

Beauty blushed a little at Glitch's remark about being encouraging. "I try to do so, sir. A.J.'s a lot more creative than I am, but I try to be supportive of his ideas."

She glanced at the flyers again, and smiled. "They're very nice. And I bet the event will be a lot fun. Hopefully the weather will be good for it, although with all the dancing I imagine will be able to keep warm even in a cold spell."

At his mention of her reading, Beauty absently touched the edge of her book, and directed the smile at Glitch instead of the advertisement. "It's been nice to meet you, Professor Glitch. I'll put your package in the sorting machine right away, and we'll make sure it gets to where it's headed."

"Thank you," Glitch said. It was for both helping A.J. and helping with his letter.

"I'll see you on Saturday!" Then there was another small bow, a wave, and a smile, somehow all at the same time, as he turned to go. The papers almost fell out his hand as he waved, but he recovered gracefully and headed for the door.

For all your moddable postal needs.

There's not enough coffee in the world for today.

Fandom Post Office, Wednesday (01/09)

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