Demon Marcus, Monday

[myownface]

Sparkle wasn't completely certain why he'd come back to the clothing store to clean up today after all of yesterday's... gremlin... messiness. But there was marinara sauce on the door, and a lot of the racks had been toppled over, and sticky gremlin muck was smeared across the floor, and it had just... bothered Sparkle, he supposed, to leave it that way. Probably since he'd worked here for so long back when he was still a student on the island.

Besides, he still had his key. And nobody was in working today to protest him just sort of showing up and filling a bucket and grabbing a rag to scrub things down, so... here he was.

Cleaning this place that he totally didn't work at.

Like... somebody who worked here. Or something.

He was probably just going to suck it up before the day was through and admit that he had kind of adopted the place as his own, but for the time being, he was just, you know, casually cleaning a business he had no current ties to at all. Totally normal Labour Day activity, that.

Right?

[OOC: Open! ... Denial is a huge part of Sparkle's modus operandi, really.]

Comments

[future_sandworm]

Not that Leto was in need of new clothing, but he had caught a glimpse through the window and seen who was working there. Considering how well they had gotten along on Saturday, he say no reason to enter and say hello.

"Good morning," he said, closing the door behind him, smiling brightly at Sparkle.

[myownface]

And here was Sparkle, up to his elbows in soapy water, blinking up for a moment before breaking into a grin.

"Leto! Hey!"

... He was going to have to get up from the bucket and reach for a rag to use as a towel, now.

"How's it going? The rest of your weekend been treating you good so far?"

[future_sandworm]

"Oh, quite well," Leto replied cheerfully. "And yourself? I take it you haven't been working here long?"

He had actually paid attention to what Sparkle had been saying on Saturday, even if other things had been more interesting at the time.

[myownface]

"Oh, I don't... I mean... sort of? I worked here when I was still in school, I just didn't..."

Sparkle wrinkled his nose a bit as he looked back down at the bucket.

"Since this morning, I guess. Unless somebody shows up and tells me I can't. Which could happen, I mean."


[Ooc: Sorry! Was grabbed away by family!]

[future_sandworm]

"There are worse ways to find a new position," Leto replied, not sounding very surprised. "At least you know what to do." He glanced around the room. "I'm not sure I ever visited this place. I remember I had a fondness for Fremen clothing from home when I was a student."

[myownface]

"Is that anything like what you were wearing at the dance the other night?" Sparkle smiled a little. "I can see why you did, if so. Looks comfortable."

And this was from a kid who spent a lot of his time hanging around a Jedi. He saw a lot of robes.

[future_sandworm]

"Yes." Leto returned the smile. "It is a lot less formal than what is required at the court." At least he didn't have to wear the extravagant hats fashionable among the women of Arrakeen.

"But I hope I am not interrupting your work," he added, nodding at the bucket.

[myownface]

"You're not," Sparkle said immediately. And then paused. "Um. Not really. I mean, like I said, I don't even know if this is my work. It just sort of seemed like the thing to do."

He was going to just... just nudge that bucket to the side now. With one foot. What bucket?

[future_sandworm]

Leto could ignore the bucket. "Then, will you show me the shop?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, hoping that Sparkle would see this as an opportunity.

[myownface]

Sparkle would be crazy not to, seriously. He smirked and slung the rag over his shoulder before nodding.

"Right," he said. "So, we're standing in the middle of menswear. Shirts over there, high end shoes and accessories over there. The women's wear is on the other side of the room..."

He waved a hand that way. He liked playing in that section too, sure, but that was not going to be the highlight of this visit if he could help it.

"The counter, the till... and..." A little, shameless grin. "I could show you the back room, if you like."

HE WAS NOT PASSING THIS UP. HELL NO.

[spin_kick_snap]

So, uhh, last time she'd been here things hadn't gone so well, what with trying to eat a few people and all. But she was in her right mind today, clutching a plate of cookies still warm from the oven.

Because nothing said, 'I'm sorry for trying to devour you' like cookies, right?

"Hello?" she called, opening the door. "Umm, very much non-zombie person here. Figured I'd get that out, up front."

[myownface]

Veeery slowly, Sparkle's head became visible from behind a shelf housing mostly skinny jeans.

"... I'm a big fan of non-zombies," he shared. You know... because of reasons. "Like, huge fan, actually."

He liked biters, too, but only certain kinds.

[spin_kick_snap]

And Kathy wasn't his type of biter even when she wasn't undead, so, yeah. Probably for the best all the way around.

"I'm a big fan of not being a zombie," Kathy admitted, playing it safe and not moving over to him without and invitation. "That's a life experience I could stand not ever repeating."

Un-life experience?

[myownface]

Just generally unpleasant all around, whatever it was.

"... At least Kenzi didn't light you on fire?"

That was an upside, right?

[spin_kick_snap]

"I appreciate you stopping her," Kathy said. She'd thought long and hard about whether Kenzi got to have any cookies after the 'light her on fire!' suggestions.

In the end, of course she'd gone with yes, because of course she had, but there had been at least a few minutes of thought about it.

She should probably mention what she'd brought to Sparkle, too, shouldn't she. "I, uhh, made you some cookies," she said, lifting the plate so he'd notice it. "As an apology for all of yesterday."

[myownface]

Sparkle blinked, and then laughed a little.

"What, to say you're sorry for getting fucked over by a gremlin? We survived. Hotass only got bitten a few times, anyway."

... He still hadn't asked the guy's name, oops.

"But I'm never going to say no to cookies. Lunch!"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Hotass? Oh! Dante!" Kathy blushed because, yeah. Dante had a great ass. Err, not that she'd ever looked or anything. Really. She rolled her shoulders. "I should feel worse about biting him, but I think I've got bruises in the shape of his hands up and down my arms."

[myownface]

"See? Hotass."

That was his name now. Sorry.

"And you were kind of going at it, there. I mean, I know he's fucking sexy, but giiiirl."

Okay, okay, he was behaving, now. He gave her a little smile and a shrug.

"It's good to see you back to yourself, though. Freaking gremlins."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Ohmigosh!" Kathy said, shoving the cookies at Sparkle so she could bury her face in her hands. "I was not! Not like that! I mean, he is hot but--oh god, Sparkle!"

Where was the purse so she could hide under it.

"I was going to say that it was awesome to see you, too, but now I'm seriously rethinking that!"

[tinkerbitch.livejournal.com]

What, what, what had happened to her store!?! That name outside! That was not the beautiful pretty name she remembered!

Tinker Bell zipped into Pixie Dust, its real and actual name thank you, intending to vent herself on --

Oh. Oh, who was he? He was some stinky smelly Goth person! He'd probably given the store its gross awful name.

This store was about prettiness! Pretty people in pretty clothes ignoring stupid ugly customers to be pretty and drink! Exactly what did he think he was about, making it a stupid Goth store!??

Enjoy being raged at by a mute fairy, Sparkle.

[myownface]

... This was new, even for Sparkle.

"Uh... hi?"

Look, he was just finishing scraping Kathy's marinara sauce off of the floor and the cleaning solvents weren't helping him fire on all faculties at the moment. But that was... an angry fairy, right there.

"Can I help you?"

[tinkerbitch.livejournal.com]

Ugh, what was he, some kind of idiot? There shouldn't be idiots running the store unless they were very pretty. The kind of pretty where you just wanted them to stand and not talk because they were so very, very dumb, but they were pretty so it was okay. Decorative pretty.

The sign! The decor! The sign! This store was about Pixie Dust and transforming pretty people into prettier people, and making ugly people go away and not bother them during a shift! Demons? Demons!?

And him! Look at him! He had such lovely cheekbones, and very blue eyes, and what was he doing? What was he doing?! Was he in a fire? Did all his clothes burn, in a fire? This was what he wore? Why was he not embracing his pretty!?? He was all angsty and punk and punks were not cool. Angsty only worked when you were lounging on the cover of Abercrombie and bored with how very pretty you were.

None of this was okay, Sparkle.

[myownface]

That... was a whole lot of jingling, going on.

And the hell of it was, Sparkle was kind of following it.

"The sign's a bit much? It was my first boss' idea, she was, like... bubblegum pink and had horns, it was kind of cool."

Sure, Sparkle. Tink totally cared about that.

"... My clothes survived the fire, though. Thanks."

[tinkerbitch.livejournal.com]

Not cool, Sparkle. Being pretty was very serious, and stupid pun names that pretended to be evil weren't cool.

(Evil was pretty cool. Wearing black because you were a demonic minion who feasted on organs? Totally fine. Wearing it because you were a pimply gross teenager who got dumped, not remotely.)

Was he homeless? Was that why he wore such ugly clothes? Because he was in a clothing store. Look! Look at that patterned crew-neck sweater! Wasn't that a much nicer shirt than something with holes in it?

What kind of a fashion statement was holes? A terrible one, Sparkle, one that implied that you were too poor to have clothes without holes.

[myownface]

... He actually was currently homeless, thank you, little fairy.

"What, you want me to wear..." He glanced that way. "Okay, I totally would wear that. Or the red one just behind it, but only with," he pointed, "those pants and a pair of boots up to about here."

More pointing. And all of it, perhaps surprisingly, with impeccable taste.

Just because Sparkle presented goth didn't mean he didn't know his way around tasteful, thanks.