Demon Marcus, Thursday

[boneyard_girl]

It was a rather quiet and subdued Ada at work today, who wasn't going to be getting a whole lot done besides picking-up after the dress-up party from earlier in the week and doodling aimlessly on scrap paper. She hadn't wanted to come in at all, but, well, it was better than hiding in her room.

Demon Marcus was open, and the employee could probably be motivated to help if you really really needed it.

[OCD freeeeeeee]

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[good_for_six]

"You decent, sweet thing?" Isabela asked by way of greeting, sticking her head through the door.

She had a bottle tucked under one arm and a book under the other, so clearly she'd just come by to buy hats. Or something.

[boneyard_girl]

"Depends on what you mean by decent," Ada said, looking up to give Isabela a tired smile. "Hey, 'Bela. What's up?"

[good_for_six]

"I mean the kind of decent where the correct response is 'never'," Isabela said, coming over to lean on the counter.

"Well, it turns out I happen to have a spare bottle of rum on my hands." Because she'd gone out and acquired one. Details. "Happen to know anyone willing to take it off them?"

[boneyard_girl]

"Oh, well, then, never, of course," she said, patting the counter. "It just so happens I have clean glasses and even some mixers--" mostly soda, because Sparkle was a SAINT who knew how to keep his staff sane, "--so I think we can save your poor hands from needing to carry it around all day."

[good_for_six]

"Oh, thank the Maker for that," Isabela said, putting the bottle down on the counter, then hoisting herself up after it. "I was starting to worry it wouldn't find a good home."

[boneyard_girl]

"What, your bedroom too good for it?" she teased, pulling two glasses out from under the counter and, after a thought, some rather neon-colored sodas.

Might as well try some different things, right?

"Don't worry, between the two of us, it'll feel properly appreciated."

[good_for_six]

"It might have been lonely there," Isabela said, with a terribly sad look on her face. She put down her book so she could examine one of the bottles of soda. "Jamaica? Isn't that a country in this world?"

[boneyard_girl]

Ada shrugged. "I dunno, I barely passed the test where you had to name all the states," she confessed. "An' I thought England was imaginary until I met Lottie."

Look, the only geography that was important to Ada was the routes the carnival took. Anything else was useless.

"They taste like fruits, supposedly...what kinda fruit is a Jamaica, do you think?"

[good_for_six]

"It's an island, I think." Even if she wasn't going to sail on these ones, knowing the seas was important.

"Only one way to find out," she said, twisting the top off and taking a mouthful before offering it to Ada. "Tastes like flowers. It's good."

[boneyard_girl]

"But will it taste good with rum, that's the question," she said, taking the bottle and carefully pouring some in each glass. "Though I can't see rum-flavored flowers as a bad-thing."

[good_for_six]

"Rum goes with just about everything," was Isabela's opinion. "Except maybe Dwarven Ale."

Nothing went with Dwarven Ale.

[boneyard_girl]

"Well, everyone knows you're not supposed 'ta mix hard liquor with beer," Ada pointed out, making a face. "Only thing that gets you is sick."

"Oh, wait!" She grinned and ducked down to dig around under the counter, until she came up with a jar of maraschino cherries. "Cherry?" she asked innocently, holding the jar out for Isabela.

[good_for_six]

Ada, you were about as innocent as Isabela herself was.

"If you ever taste Dwarven Ale you'll understand why people'd risk the hangover," she said, carefully selecting a cherry. "Like I'd turn a sweet girl's cherries down."

Yeah, that stem was getting knots tied in it. Huge shock there.

[boneyard_girl]

This was Ada's unsurprised face at Isabela's cherry-antics. Really.

"I already know you don't turn 'em down," she laughed, popping one in her own mouth before putting one in her drink. "Should I time you, see how long it takes for you to tie that stem?"

[good_for_six]

Isabela grinned around the cherry and shifted it to her cheek to reply. "You can't rush doing it good and proper."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison wasn't here to check up on Ada! That would be silly and might suggest that he was worried! He was just here to replace that scarf the wind had stolen the other week!

And, all right, if he'd stayed up last night making a present he thought Ada would appreciate, well--didn't teachers have performance reviews or something? Yeah, he was worried about having a negative review.

"Sup?" he called, super-chill and casual. "Yo, where are the accessories?"

[boneyard_girl]

"Why Isabela, are you trying to seduce me with your cherry innuendos?" Ada teased, fluttering her lashes.

[boneyard_girl]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that was Ada, sliding her glass of sugar-filled rum under the counter. Mr. Hardison was an adult and a teacher, and she didn't want to get Sparkle in trouble for being the Best Boss Ever.

"Which kind?" she asked. "Jewelry's up here with me, cloth-wearables are over by the window to your left."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Yes, because Hardison was exactly that kind of authority figure! Though, after dealing with the staff at Luke's today, he was glad that someone recognized that he had authority at all. So good job, Ada.

"Cloth wearables," he said. "I lost my scarf to the wind th'other week an' the pony turned it into a kite tail, so I ain't never gettin' it back. Figured I'd come in here an' see if they had any in a style I liked."

See? Totally random happenstance that he showed up at Ada's job during Ada's shift with a gift for Ada in his pocket! He was here for scarves!

[boneyard_girl]

Sorry, Hardison, more like 'you're an adult I'm not related to, so I can't trust you any farther than I can throw you.' But it was OK if you wanted to pretend it was good authority.

"Got shamrock'd, huh?" There was some sympathy in her tone, since she'd had to deal with the same thing. "The more winter-wooly scarves are next to the hats, but the fashion-scarves are further down by the sunglasses."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

He absolutely would be pretending that, thank you!

Hardison immediately headed for the fashion scarves. Look, he had an impressive scarf collection and needed to keep up on that. He spent about fifteen minutes looking through them before deciding on a colorful scarf and bringing it up to be rung out. "What you think?" he asked, modeling it for her. "Cute, right?"

[good_for_six]

"Depends," Isabela said, triumphantly pulling out the knotted cherry stem. "Is it working?"

[boneyard_girl]

"A little," she considered, sipping her drink. "Maybe try again later."

[good_for_six]

Isabela picked up her own drink. "Good thing I have all the time you need," she said.

[boneyard_girl]

Why was he asking her? Maybe he was color-blind?

Ada put on her best 'Dealing with Townies' smile. "Looks just fine to me," she said, tilting her head like she was actually considering it. "As long as you got a few more shirts with similar color tones, you'll be fine."

[boneyard_girl]

"All the time? You skipping class, or already done for the day?" she asked, shaking her head. "I don't wanna turn you into a delinquent or nothin'."

[good_for_six]

"Oh there's no chance of that." You couldn't turn into something you already were. "I only have Skywalker and Kenobi's class today."

Sadly, they continued not to bang.

[boneyard_girl]

Which was why they got on so well, after all.

"Skywalker an' Kenobi... those the two that everyone says should be kissin', right?" ADA, NO. Don't encourage her.

[good_for_six]

At this point it was more a question of would anything discourage her?

"That's them," Isabela said with a sigh. "They just stare at each other with repressed longing."

That was debatable, Isabela.

[boneyard_girl]

"Maybe that's what they like," she said with a shrug. "Don't judge, 'Bela. It could be very fulfilling for them, or something."

Mostly 'or something.' Ada really didn't understand the hang-ups Townies had about sex, but mostly figured it wasn't her business.

She gestured towards Isabela's book. "Those more of your stories, then?"

[good_for_six]

Surely extremely handsome men kissing was everyone's business.

"Kind of," Isabela said, turning the book so Ada could see the cover. "It's my book, but it's not my book if you know what I mean. It's wonderfully smutty though."

[boneyard_girl]

"Yeah?" she said, leaning over to get a better look. "What's it about?"

[good_for_six]

"It's about two casteless Dwarf brothers, caught in the middle of a Carta feud," Isabela explained. "The Carta are Dwarven crime gangs. The younger brother's the main character and he has quite the way with the ladies. It's his chest hair."

[boneyard_girl]

"Dwarves got crime gangs?" A thriller that was also smutty? Ada wasn't much of a reader, but she was intrigued. "Like, bootleggers of ale, or gang-gangs?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison laughed at her. "Nothin' screams 'innocent bystander' like brightly colored accessories," he said, fingering the fabric. "With this an' a fitted polo shirt, I could get caught with two safes under my arms an' still get out of it."

Not that Parker would ever forgive him for getting caught with safes, mind.

"You should see my yuppie outfit back home. Looks like pastels went on a bender an' puked on some poor, innocent clothin'." He put the scarf down on the counter, then dug into his pocket and added an interesting-looking electronic device next to it.

[good_for_six]

Isabela was a surprisingly prolific reader for someone who'd only learnt to in the last few years, and she could attest to the smuttiness and the trilling action of this one. Pity this Tethras chap didn't seem to have written anything else yet.

"Both," she replied. "Brawls, lyrium smuggling, protection rackets, the Carta does all those and more."

[boneyard_girl]

"You probably shouldn't carry two safes like that, you'll throw your back out," was Ada's only comment to that absurdity. Seriously, Hardison. Proper lifting technique!

She picked up the scarf to scan it and remove the annoying shoplifter-prevention tag. "That'll be fifteen even," she said as she rung it up, and then glanced down at the item still on the counter. "Oh, don't forget your... thinggie."

[boneyard_girl]

She liked reading just fine, just... there wasn't usually time for it, as there was always work to be doing at the carnival.

Ada didn't know what lyrium was, but she got the gist of the rest of it. "Huh, who knew dwarves were so rowdy?" she mused, shaking her head. "They always sounded so serious in the stories when I was little."

[good_for_six]

"Oh, some of them are complete stick in the muds but others are a while barrel of fun." And some were Thorin. "The trick is figuring out which is which."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"That ain't mine," he said, handing over a twenty. "S'yours. I thought you might have some fun with it. You got a good technique, but it ain't gonna do you no good with newer models." He nodded down at the device. "That will."

Because all good authority figures gave students electronic lock picks, right?

[boneyard_girl]

Ada took his money, counted out the change carefully (numbers were still hard, sometimes), and only then looked at the thinggie again before narrowing her eyes at him.

"What's the catch?"

There was almost always a catch, and that's why she wasn't reaching out for it, keeping her fingerprints off it in case there was a trick.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

For a second, Hardison looked flummoxed. He didn't do catches, Ada! Not for tiny students!

"Uhh, you use it on the sweetass van in the parking lot on the other side of the Causeway, my scary girlfriend's gonna come be scary at you?"

[boneyard_girl]

"Parker? Parker ain't scary." Point of fact, Ada was pretty sure that Parker's last name was 'Miller,' at least spiritually.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Mess with Lucille 4.0 an' you'll be surprised," Hardison said. Look, he was very protective of his vans. They tended to get blown up at the slightest provocation.

[boneyard_girl]

Ada rolled her eyes. "I ain't gonna mess with your van, toy or no toy," she said. "I know better than to go messin' with stuff near where I gotta live."

That's what Baltimore was for.

She tapped the counter near the electronic device. "Why are you givin' it to me?" Adults didn't go around doing nice things for random teenagers without wanting something in return. They just didn't.

[boneyard_girl]

"You gonna read me a chapter?" she asked, intrigued. "Or do I gotta wait and read it when you're done?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

The Leverage crew did.

"It's like I said," Hardison said, sounding confused by her confusion. "You're good with regular picks, but they can't do much with more recent cars. They're only gonna get more an' more obsolete as time goes by. Now you ain't gotta worry 'bout that."

[good_for_six]

"Oh, I"ve already read it before, I just thought you might like it," Isabela said airily, like booze and smutty books weren't things that made her feel better, and she had no ulterior motives here whatsoever. "Though if you want me to read it to you, I'm sure that's on the table."