The Android's Dungeon, Thursday

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

The store had received a number of boxes of rare collectible cards, so Squall spent the morning cross-checking the cards against what he'd actually ordered. It was frustrating how few people online properly understood and used the term "mint condition".

While he was doing that, Tinu was... well, not so much "manning" the register as "standing behind it, ignoring customers, and playing on his Nintendo 3DS". As he did.

And then he looked up. "Obligatory social interaction time," he declared.

Squall grunted noncommittally. Their friendship worked best in silence.

Tinu gestured at the new Ratman v Uberman posters that he'd put up on the wall. "You don't like comics, and you're not from this world, but you haven't been living under a rock. I'm assuming you know the characters. So, who would win in a fight? It's a classic question."

Squall shrugged, but then stood up and peered at the posters. It was an intriguing question. The one had superpowers, so he was the obvious choice in a fair fight... but the other never fought fair, and was a master of preparation. He turned the question over in his mind, and then came up with, not an answer, but a question: "What are they fighting about?"

"It doesn't matter what they're fighting about," Tinu sighed, rolling his eyes. "They're fighting. Who wins?"

Squall snorted. "They're heroes," he pointed out. "They're on the same side. More than that, they're friends. They wouldn't fight each other without a very good reason. And when they do fight, they never give up. So it makes sense that the winner would be the one with the most to lose, the one who most believes he's in the right. It does matter. What are they fighting about?"

Tinu started to reply, and then he, also, peered at the posters. They both stood there in silence, meditating on the issue further.

[ The store is open and OCD-free. ]

Comments

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

Dipper had been exploring the town and making notes in his journal about each location as he went along in his anal retentive fashion when he came upon the Dungeon. Filled with sweet geeky goodness.

He entered the store smiling and took a deep breath, inhaling the sights and smells of old comics and other hobby items.

It felt like home.

"Do you have the last three issues of Ratman Eternal and Ran Endgame?!" He exclaimed/asked.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Comics. Squall looked over at the half of the store he didn't really understand. Those sounded like things he had just shelved recently, though. He faked his best smile for the customer.

"Probably!" he answered cheerfully. "We have a lot of things. And if we don't have them, we can order them. Hang on, I'll check!"

He sat back down at the computer and called up the inventory list.

"Over there," Tinu answered flatly, while playing his game. Without looking up from the screen, he pointed directly at the Ratman Eternal comics.

Squall glared at Tinu, and then put his smile back on for Dipper. "We have multiple copies of each!"

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

"Cool!" Dipper exclaimed and immediately started going through the racks, pulling out not only Ratman, but Uberman and Arachnid Guy and...

Then realized he didn't have that much money.

He sighed and settled for one copy of Ratman Endgame and headed to the register. "Do you guys hold comics for any length of time?" he asked. "I'll come back after I get a job and some more money."

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"Seven days," Squall answered with a shrug. "Store policy."

But he felt... bad? about it.

"...But I'll extend that, if you really are going to come back for them."

He just needed to be sure the kid would be able to pay, that was all. So he wasn't holding them indefinitely.

An idea occurred to him.

"Do you need a job?"

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

Dipper's eyes lit up at the thought. "Do you have an opening?" he asked and winced slightly when his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. "Because that would be great! I used to help my great uncle with his store all the time."

Granted he was helping his uncle rip off any tourists that wandered in but given the cost of comics these days it was roughly the same thing.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Hey, Squall sold comics at the cover price. If it was a rip-off, they shouldn't have put it on the cover.

He shrugged. "I could use the help. I assume you're competent?"

Tinu harrumphed without looking up from his game. "Competent, maybe. But is he worthy?"