Demon Marcus, Sunday

[myownface]

Well, it looked like the 'missing footwear' situation from last weekend had resolved itself, and now Sparkle had an overabundance of the stuff because he'd ordered more just to be on the safe side. Which meant, this week, shoes.

So, so many shoes.

And so he threw a sign into the window:

Let's Get Some Shoes!
Footwear Half-Off!

If that didn't take care of it, well... shoes forever, he was cool with that.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[future_sandworm]

At least it wasn't extravagant hats.

Leto didn't feel like he had to have a reason to call Sparkle, so he wasn't going to make one up. Well, other than missing him, which was a reason, he supposed, and a good one.

So he was calling.

[SPish?]

[myownface]

That was as good a reason as any! Sparkle was grinning as he answered his phone, sorting through assorted shoes as he went.

"Hey there!"

Oh yeah, he liked these calls.

[SP!]

[future_sandworm]

"Hello Sparkle. " Leto smiled, then added teasingly: "Have you managed to replace your stock yet?"

He knew Sparkle was working today, and the last time they met Sparkle had let a kid who apparently had good taste take a lot of clothes with him home.

[myownface]

"I have, and then some," Sparkle laughed, a fond note in his voice. He missed that kid, okay? "I don't suppose you know anybody in desperate need of shoes?"

He had so, so many damn shoes.

[future_sandworm]

"Not that I can think of," Leto said with a laugh. "It's the island again, isn't it? You just have to hope that the new students are in more need of shoes than nail varnish."

[myownface]

"Halfway the island," Sparkle admitted. "Last weekend, all my footwear was gone, so I ordered more to compensate, just to be on the safe side."

And now he had all the shoes.

[future_sandworm]

"That was risky," Leto replied, laughing again. "I suppose I could send Hania to you to try them all on. I'm not sure she would buy them though."

Much as it made him happy that Sparkle and his daughter got along so well, that wasn't really going to happen, though. There were limits to how much he would let Hania get away with.

[myownface]

"It was risky," Sparkle agreed easily, "but it'll all sell eventually. It isn't like shoes have expiry dates."

Or like people around here were generally too concerned about keeping up with the latest fashions, since so many people were from so many different times, it was all kind of relative.

"And you know Hania's always welcome."

[future_sandworm]

"I know," he said softly. "And that is kind of you." With a laugh, he added, teasingly: "But I can't let you spoil her, not after the Pop Tarts."

He would let Sparkle spoil her.

"She was quite disappointed that she didn't get to meet her siblings from and alternate reality, but I suppose trying on shoes could make up for that."

That still wasn't going to happen.

[myownface]

"Well, then I'll only half spoil her," Sparkle decided, grinning. "That's okay, right?"

Half spoiled with shoes!

[future_sandworm]

"Hm, I suppose," Leto said, not sounding particularly serious. "But talking about spoiling, I think you owe me a surprise."

He still wasn't sounding particularly serious.

[myownface]

"Surprise, I'm sending you a pair of shoes," Sparkle teased. "Or three or four. Do you need shoes?"

He was only joking, himself.

[future_sandworm]

"No, although it would have been a surprise had you not told me that your store was full of them, and had you not told me that you would send me a pair in advance. I thought you would take this as a challenge, Sparkle." Leto grinned.

[myownface]

It was worth a shot!

"Maybe I am taking it as a challenge," Sparkle laughed. "Maybe that was meant as a distraction, so you'll never see the real surprise coming."

[future_sandworm]

"But now I know I should be looking for that surprised," Leto said. "Unless that was a distraction too? Not that I necessarily mind distractions."

[myownface]

"Maybe everything is a distraction," Sparkle teased. "Maybe I'm a distraction, too?"

At least he was a fun one, right?

[future_sandworm]

"I'd say you're one of my favorite distractions," Leto replied with a laugh. "And as I said, I don't always mind being distracted."

[myownface]

"Well, that works out nicely for me," Sparkle chuckled. "You just so happen to be the best distraction I have, too."

Shameless flattery, hooray!

[future_sandworm]

Leto, not surprisingly, much preferred shameless flattery to surprise shoes.

"Oh? So how do you want me to distract you?" Being on the phone and Sparkle being at work made the obvious options difficult, but there should be some way.

[myownface]

"Well, you're off to a great start," Sparkle offered. "Since we're having as conversation and all. Let's see... Tell me one thing you've wanted to do with me, but we haven't had a chance to yet."

That could go interesting places.

[future_sandworm]

There was a lot to choose from. Some things Leto suspected Sparkle wouldn't actually like, such as riding a sandworm, and he wasn't going to suggest that.

"There are so many cities on Earth that I haven't seen," he said. "I'd like to visit one of them with you."

[myownface]

"Hey, we can do that. Are there any in particular that you want to see, or did you want me to choose?"

The sky was the limit!

[future_sandworm]

The sky was always the limit.

"I want to be able to walk in the streets without being recognized. To just be happy in your company. See whatever sights there are, enjoy the local food, find a good place to stay."

Ordinary things, unless you were the Emperor of the Known Universe.

[myownface]

"Yeah? I mean, if Toronto wasn't basically the biggest piece of shit city in the whole fucking world right now, I'd offer to take you there," Sparkle said, after a pause. "I mean, it isn't like I don't know my way around. Other cities, not so much. But Toronto I have figured out."

[future_sandworm]

"I wouldn't want a trip that brings back bad memories for you," Leto said, now more serious. "Not that I wouldn't want to see where you are from. But most of all I want a happy time for us, and I let you choose which place is best for that."

[myownface]

"Well, I don't have experience with many other cities," Sparkle noted, thoughtfully. "Baltimore, but Baltimore's been done to death. You couldn't catch me dead in LA again, and Tokyo's fun, but we don't speak the language..."

Which wasn't necessarily a dealbreaker.

"I guess we could check out something that neither of us is really familiar with. Discover it together?"

[future_sandworm]

"That way the city can surprise us both," Leto said. "But I will still leave the choice to you."

Sparkle knew the options better at least.

[myownface]

"That works," Sparkle laughed. "I'll try to pick something where we both at least know the language."

Sure, he knew a good bit of French, but he was pretty certain that if he went in and started speaking in, like, Paris, they'd throw garbage at him on principle for butchering the language anyway. Canadian French was its own thing entirely.

[future_sandworm]

"Oh, I'm good at languages."

It helped to be able to learn them from past memories, and interestingly French was one of the languages he and Ghani had used as children when they wanted to be safe from eavesdroppers. Of course, that might be French from 200 years into the past, or a hundred into the future.

[myownface]

"Oh!" Sparkle blinked. "Well, then I guess that opens up our options some, huh?"

That was convenient!

[future_sandworm]

"Which options do we have?" Leto was aware that might be part of the surprise.

[myownface]

"If you're good at languages, everything but Toronto," Sparkle replied, smirking a little. "What, you think I'm going to narrow it down?"

It would be hard to surprise Leto if he kept asking questions!

[future_sandworm]

It would, but it was also a good game to try and get Sparkle to give hints.

"Perhaps. You might have places you've wished to go to."

[myownface]

"Maybe," Sparkle laughed, shaking his head. "I mean, I might. I guess you won't know until I take you there, will you?"

You asked for a surprise, Leto. This was your own fault!

[future_sandworm]

He was just trying to contradict his own wishes.

"What languages do you speak, then?" Leto said, trying another angle.

[myownface]

"English," Sparkle replied, "and Quebecois French, but since you know all sorts of languages, that won't matter much anyway, right? I mean, I'm not taking you to Canada."

[future_sandworm]

"That excludes one country, at least," Leto noted, pleased that he had managed to get Sparkle to tell him that.

[myownface]

"Maybe," Sparkle agreed, smirking. "Or maybe I'm just saying that to throw you off my trail."

No, he really wasn't just saying that.

[future_sandworm]

"Are you saying you just lied to me?" Leto asked cheerfully.

[myownface]

"I like to think of it as casual misdirection," Sparkle replied, just as cheerful. "You won't have a clue where we're going until I have you there, will you?"

It was more fun that way.

[future_sandworm]

Of course it was more fun, but Leto wasn't going to admit that just yet. "And are you going to pack my bags for me too, to make sure I'm properly prepared?"

It wouldn't make much of a difference, since Sparkle would have to choose suitable clothes for this time anyway,

"It would be unfair to let me freeze, wouldn't it?"

[myownface]

"It would be," Sparkle agreed brightly. "Which is exactly why, yes, I'm totally going to pack your bags for you!"

So there, Leto! So there!

[future_sandworm]

"So all I will have to do is to show up? Completely unprepared?"

He was going to have to try asking questions from another angle to get more information, Leto decided.

[myownface]

"Well, you already said you know languages, and you're totally right that it wouldn't be fair of me to let you freeze or something," Sparkle reasoned. "So sure, why not?"

[future_sandworm]

"You are very kind to me," Leto said, laughing. "I take it you haven't decided yet where we are going?"

That was an unfair question. Although it was a lot harder to tell if someone was lying on the phone, without being able to see body language, Leto might get an idea of whether Sparkle was telling the truth or not.

The question might also be a sign that Leto could be rather silly.

[myownface]

Sparkle broke into a little laugh at that.

"I mean, who knows? It isn't like I've run off to buy tickets in the ten minutes since you mentioned you want to go somewhere," he pointed out. "It could be anywhere."

[future_sandworm]

"A decision usually precedes making arrangements," Leto said, laughing again. "But I give up. You will get to surprise me." Sparkle should be flattered that Leto let him win.

[myownface]

Which was good, because Sparkle really had no clue where he might take Leto, after all.

"Yessss," Sparkle laughed. "Good. That's one of my favourite things to do, you know."

[future_sandworm]

"Which is fortunate, since it is one of my favourite things to let you do that. I have never been disappointed so far, but perhaps that means you have a lot to live up to."

Or maybe not.