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Needful Things, Thursday

Leland smiled to himself as he sat down behind the counter at the Needful Things today. He'd laid out so much bait over the past few weeks. His work was getting so much easier... and so much more amusing.

NEEDFUL THINGS
A DIFFERENT KIND OF STORE

You Won't Believe Your Eyes

Now to wait for more flies to get themselves trapped in the honey.

{OOC: Open!]

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Come in and browse, pick up your purchases, all that jazz.

For browsing sans Gaunt. If you're here for your cursed item, you want that other OCD thread.

Root beer tea, you are my lifeblood and saviour on this, the second Snow Day.

When Anders darted into the shop, he had three brownish strands of Rapunzel's hair coiled neatly and tucked into his pocket. He still felt a little uneasy about taking his roommate's hair off her pillow, but he rationalized that Leland was right: She'd never miss it, and he needed it.

"Good news," he exclaimed. "I have the hair for you. Even got a few extra strands just in case."

"Ah, excellent," Leland replied, giving Anders a broad smile as he entered the shop. "And I have your phylactery here, as promised."

It would be a shame to give it up, to put an end to this cat-and-mouse bidding war that had sprung up between Anders and Cassandra, but in the end, this was the way it was always meant to be. Perhaps there would be more fun still, once Anders was possessive of his prize.

"May I see them?"

"Of course," Anders stuttered -- nervous now that freedom was so close -- and reached gently into his pocket to display his prize. Some 60 feet of hair glinted against his palm.

"This should be plenty for your potion," he said hopefully. "Right?"

[OOC: Hairs modded with permission, of course.]

Edited 2015-03-19 18:15 (UTC)

Somewhere during the course of the day, Jono had passed Kayla back off on Karla, had made his way back to his apartment to get properly dressed and to give the place another frantic once-over looking for Didi's letter, and then, feeling far too much pressure on his shoulders and rattling around in his head for him to ignore, had decided that what he really needed here was a walk to clear his head. And he'd heard plenty about how busy the Needful Things had become since the new owner took it over. He figured maybe it wouldn't hurt to stop in to see if they had some old vinyl, or some import music, or perhaps an antique musical instrument that he could bring over to his own shop instead. A distraction would be much appreciated in the presence of every chewing, aching, lingering feeling that was chewing on his brain.

So he stepped into the shop, looking curious but tired, and started to have himself a look around.

Edited 2015-03-19 18:23 (UTC)

Leland leaned forward slightly to inspect the hair, and then nodded in satisfaction, not reaching for the strands immediately, but instead reaching behind the counter to where he'd set Anders' item aside to wait for him. He pulled it out, gave it a thoughtful looking over, and then, without further preamble, set it on the counter between them.

"Those will do nicely," he agreed. "I haven't seen ingredients of such fine quality in a long time, in fact. You did quite well for me, Anders. Quite well, indeed."

Anders beamed at the praise. Something about Leland had him very eager to please indeed.

"Thank you, and there was less scraping my palms up this time," he said. "Now, er ... if it isn't too much trouble, can I have my phylactery?"

He didn't mean to be rude, but it was so very close and he couldn't wait another second without it.

Leland was quiet as the newcomer came into his shop, but only for long enough for the man to get his bearings. It was only a few seconds, really, before he had oriented himself toward the music supplies, but that was just long enough for him to be comfortable in the notion that he was going to make it through the shop without being accosted.

"Welcome! Welcome to my store! I'm Leland Gaunt, and I'll be happy to assist you with anything you might need today!"

Never let it be said that Leland wasn't a little shit when he wanted to be. Which, really, was all the time.

Leland gave Anders a warm (predatory) smile before simply gesturing with one hand to the counter.

"One item for the other," he replied. "It's only fair. Leave the strands and by all means, you can take back what once was yours. I would hate to detain you any further when you've waited this long already, and have been so good about running my little errands."

It had been a fun little game, hadn't it?

Anders snatched up the phylactery and tucked it into an inner jacket pocket as if he were afraid Leland would change his mind.

"Anytime," he said. "I mean it. This means more than I can say."

Jono really couldn't help it. At the unexpected greeting, he jumped and spun on his heel, almost taking out a stack of old magazines as he did so. It took him a few seconds more to really focus on the shop owner, and another couple to actually try to relax from there.

To say Jonothon was a little on-edge these days would be understatement.

//Cor,// he muttered, turning back again to make certain he hadn't done any damage. //You startled me, mate.//

"Then be certain to make the best of it," Leland replied, nodding. "This seems like a big opportunity for you. I should hope you seize it for all you're worth."

He reached for the hair, and gingerly tucked it away.

"It isn't every day a person gets another chance."

"Ah, my apologies," Leland chuckled, shaking his head. "That certainly hadn't been my intention."

Lies. Getting this one off his guard was the fun part.

"But as I was saying, I'm Leland Gaunt, and this is my shop. If you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Nobody knows their way around my merchandise quite the way I do."

//Right...// Jono watched Leland uncertainly for a moment, and then nodded and started to weave his way through the aisles again. //I was just browsing, really. Looking for music if you have it. Maybe old instruments or something. You have anything like that?//

Parker had heard about this place on the Radio more than once; and why not see if it has anything obviously stolen? Or worth stealing?

Wandering in, she picked up a tiny ceramic rabbit, then carefully put it back on a shelf that had better sight lines.

"I have a little bit of everything," Leland replied, smiling smoothly as he gestured toward the section of the shop in question. "If you'd like records, they're to your left. There are some CDs and cassettes as well, though I have to confess I far prefer the sound of old vinyl. It's... warmer, wouldn't you say?"

Leland watched for a moment as Parker did her thing, raising an eyebrow briefly at the rabbit, and then smiling to himself.

"Well, hello there! Welcome to my shop! I'm Leland Gaunt, at your service. Is there anything I can help you find today?"

Jono paused mid-step and shot a vaguely amused glance over his shoulder.

//As a matter of fact, I do say that,// he agreed, his voice distracted, but at least somewhat engaged in this particular conversation. //I'll listen to digital music if that's what's available, but nothing is quite the same as the sound a proper record makes, is it?//

"Hmmm?" Parker looked around a large vase, eyes shifting sideways after a second. "No, just looking. You get good word-of-mouth."

Hunh. Knives? Maybe Eliot would like one of those, and stop being a jerk?

"Not in the least," Leland said. He wasn't any particular sort of audiophile, but he certainly knew the right words to use to convince others that he was. "But then I've been called a snob for such opinions. I don't like the boom that comes from tiny speakers; I feel you don't properly get the feel of a heavy bass unless you've a properly large amp. Loud isn't the same as deep."

"Business has been going exceptionally well lately," Leland replied, sounding pleasantly surprised. "I wonder if the radio broadcasts have anything to do with that. So much free advertising, all at the hands of a few little squirrels."

Who were so good about staying out of his business when he wanted them to. But then, Leland was good at keeping his business his own wherever he went.

"The squirrels are everywhere," Parker said in tones of doom. "I don't think I like it." She was still working out whether she did or not; the jury was out. She eeled around a large coatrack, stopped to look at a brass umbrella holder shaped like an elephant's foot, then demanded, "What do you get someone who might be turning into a robot?"

//It's really not,// Jono agreed, and some of the tension eased out of his shoulders as he stepped up to the vinyl and started leafing through the selection. //These go back very far? I had an excellent collection of old, rarer recordings back in London when I was young, but I haven't been able to replace a few of them.//

It had been tragic, really.

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