Wonka's Sweets Shoppe | Wednesday

[shapethecentury]

Bucky had never expected to be overwhelmed by candy. But this was really a lot of candy. And it wasn't the sheer volume of it, either, but the different types of it. Even the ones he recognized had different packaging from what he remembered. Sure, the guy who'd spent a good while yesterday getting him settled in at the store had said he'd need a while to adjust (not just to the store but everything, he'd said), but this was more than Bucky had expected.

But he wasn't about to let it show to anyone else. So, the first order of business as the new manager of the store was to put a neatly (well, sort of neatly) hand-written sign in the window.

HELP WANTED
Inquire within!

And with that done, Bucky was going to wander the store and sample some of the wares. Maybe at some point he'd be able to memorize which candy was which. He hoped that'd happen before an unnecessarily intense sugar rush.

(open!)

Comments

[imafuturist]

Tony was... lost. No, he didn't know how that could happen on an island this size, but it did. Which was why he ducked into the nearest shop to get his phone to give him GPS information for something other than Mont Saint-Michel.

Weird.

[shapethecentury]

Right, the thing about a shop was that sometimes people turned up. Only a little bit startled, Bucky straightened up from here he'd been inspecting some foreign candy, and smiled.

"Good day, sir, and uh, welcome to Wonka's."

[imafuturist]

Weird, right?

Tony looked away from his phone to figure out who was talking to him and... there was just something familiar about the guy.

Damn Marvel. Damn it.

"Oh, it's a candy store." Yeah, he knew that, Tony.

[shapethecentury]

He most certainly did, but that did not stop him nodding his agreement. "Indeed it is," he said. "The finest candy from all around the globe."

Or so he gathered, because seriously, he was pretty sure the thing he'd last been looking at had been Japanese or something.

"Can I interest you in anything particular?"

[imafuturist]

Why not support a local business?

"I would have expected this place to be packed with the school."

They were teenagers, though.

[locointhecoco]

There was a help wanted sign on the candy store. Like Pinkie wasn't going to zero in on that and beeline right on over.

"What sort of help do you need?" she bellowed, the moment she was in the door. "Is it candy tasting help? I'm really good at candy tasting."

Here, Bucky, have a pink pony. Just to make the brain breaking of Fandom complete.

[shapethecentury]

"Umm."

That was all Bucky could manage. 'Umm.' And some blinking. His brain, it was breaking.

[locointhecoco]

Honestly, Pinkie had gotten pretty used to that reaction. "You're new around here, aren't you? Welcome to Fandom! Would you like a welcome wagon song?"

At least she'd learned to ask first?

[shapethecentury]

Bucky shrugged his shoulders. "Me too," he said, "but I've only been here barely more than half a day, so it could just be a slow one today."

[imafuturist]

"Then there's finally someone newer than me around. Congrats."

Not counting other versions of him.

[shapethecentury]

Bucky thought to close his mouth, after a second.

"No, thank you?"

That was a question merely because he was just that damn unsure of what his eyes were seeing.

[locointhecoco]

"Okidokiloki!" Pinkie said. "Just let me know if you change your mind! I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?"

There, a nice easy one for you this time, Bucky.

[shapethecentury]

"Thank you," Bucky said, even though he wasn't sure that was really anything you needed to be congratulated on. He rubbed his hands together. "So, can I get you anything, Mr. ...?"

[shapethecentury]

Was it? Was it really? Because for a second, he wasn't sure if he could actually remember.

"James," he managed. "James Barnes. Ma'am."

[imafuturist]

"Stark, call me Tony."

And don't end up being a villain. That would be bad.

[locointhecoco]

"Well howdy, JamesJamesBarnesMa'am!" Yes, Pinkie understood that wasn't really his name. But it was funny. "Are you the new candy shop owner?"

[shapethecentury]

"Manager," Bucky said. He could get through this conversation if he just clung like a clinging thing to the parts he could actually process. The normal parts. "Started just this week."

[locointhecoco]

"Oh super neato! So what d'ya need help with, then?"

Pinkie was still hoping for "candy tasting". IT ALL LOOKED SO GOOD!

[shapethecentury]

James Buchanan Barnes, a villain? Well, ending up a weapon didn't count, really.

"Okay, Mr. Stark," Bucky replied with a crooked smile, because there was just something about that name that called for a 'Mr.' in his book, at least for now. "Anything catch your interest?"

[shapethecentury]

"Shifts," he said, running his hand back over his hair. "Uh, sales. They told me we have many open positions for manning the counter."

[giveherahand]

Mara didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but a new store demanded reconnaissance...and the extremely handsome man behind the counter didn't hurt at all.

Even if he looked a lot like Flick. Weird.

"You're looking for employees?" she asked, British Coruscanti accent prominent.

[locointhecoco]

"Ohhhhhh." That made way more sense than 'candy taster'. Pinkie nodded. "It's always good to have help with those things. Back in Ponyville, I used to help out the Cakes all the time at their bake shop. Sometimes it was really boring 'cause nopony came in to buy anything and I had to resist the urge to eat all the cakes myself, but most of the time there'd be, like, a line outside the door and I practically had to have four of me in there to get everypony served!"

Pinkie demonstrated both these states, first by sitting back and drooling all glassy-eyed, then by zipping around as though there were briefly four of her. Possibly there were four of her. One of whom was drooling and looking tempted in front of a candy display.

[shapethecentury]

He looked like himself, thank you very much.

Ahem.

"We are," Bucky confirmed from behind the counter, with a smile. "Interested? We have a lot of open shifts."

[shapethecentury]

Bucky didn't even notice he'd begun to lean backwards a little at some point.

"That's... nice, I suppose." He'd expected to have to stretch his politeness muscles in this job, but this was not quite what he'd had in mind. "This store's a lot more quiet so far."

[locointhecoco]

Pinkie had been used to that reaction her entire life.

"I bet it is!" she said. "I didn't even notice there was a candy shop here for, like, forever!"