Demon Marcus, Sunday

[myownface]

Life was more or less back to normal at the Demon Marcus, now. The stock had all been put out, things were priced and Sparkle was getting used to the idea of using the upstairs apartment as the storage room, having sacrificed the back room on the main floor in order to make more floorspace.

So he was passing the time by looking at schools and courses on the mainland. Not because he was planning on actually taking any, really. Honest. Sort of.

There was a costume design course that was kind of making him keep clicking back and make little whiny 'I want that' sounds from time to time, though...

Demon Marcus was open, and Sparkle was only slightly distracted with, you know, possibilities.

[OOC: Open!]

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[1000yearstoolate]

Having found work meant finally being able to get herself some decent clothes, provided those were to be found in this place. Seivarden didn't expect too much in the way of fashion, but it should be better than what she was wearing now, which hadn't even been particularly nice to begin with.

And that kitten kept tearing at her gloves whenever she tried to play with it.

So, having found one shop in town selling clothes, she entered, casually glancing around.

[myownface]

Sparkle, meanwhile, was still looking longingly at that damn class when the new person came in, and he glanced up from the computer screen to offer a little grin and a wave across the room.

"Hey," he said, "come on in. If you need any help with anything just let me know, okay?"

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden had actually expected a little more in the way of assistance. She had expected it in the way of someone who was used to it. In Radch space, her accent would make it obvious that she could pay enough to be well worth making an effort for, and outside of it people just didn't want to get into trouble.

"I was considering buying some clothes," she said. She had stopped in the middle of the room, looking at what was on display, not sounding too impressed.

[myownface]

"Well," Sparkle replied, in the tone of somebody who wasn't terribly impressed by people who went out of their way to demonstrate how unimpressed they were with him or his things, "you've found a place with clothes. So there's step one handled."

Congratulations! Sparkle already thought you were a dick!

"Want to narrow that down a bit, or are you looking for a little bit of everything?"

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden could have that effect on people. She, on the other hand, found it quite annoying to have to deal with a rude shop assistant.

Pointedly not looking at Sparkle, she replied: "Something similar to what I'm wearing, although preferably a better cut and more appealing colours, if you can manage that."

Which meant a shirt and jacket, pants and boots, and long gloves. Several pins and small pieces of jewelry were attached to the front of her jacket, memorials and gifts from friends and family long dead.

"I'm not familiar with the fashion here."

[myownface]

"I can tell," Sparkle muttered under his breath, looking at Seivarden and seriously considering if he wanted the business of someone who couldn't even be bothered to look him in the fucking face when talking to him in the first place. "Fortunately we do alterations where necessary, and we pull in styles from wherever we can find suppliers. What's your budget look like?"

Look, buddy, just because you figured you were better than Sparkle didn't mean he was going to assume you had the dime to back up the shitty attitude. You were replacing your entire wardrobe, after all.

[1000yearstoolate]

Now Seivarden actually did turn her head to look at Sparkle, and she said: "I'm not quite familiar with the value of your money, but I do have an income, so you needn't worry about that."

[myownface]

Oh, hey, the high-and-mighty deigned to look down upon the commoner! Sparkle felt truly blessed. He gave his shoulders a shrug and gestured around the room.

"I'm less worried you aren't working and more asking as a courtesy," he replied. "I get plenty of people in here that I have to clothe for next to free because the conditions of them arriving on the island didn't work out neatly with having the resources to replace an entire wardrobe."

And seriously, Seivarden, how much did you think a single shift per week at the flower shop paid, anyway?

"So, you clearly want the quality goods, then," Sparkle drawled. And now he was doing it halfway because he was so, so hoping for bud here to run into an insufficient funds error, so fucking sue him.

[1000yearstoolate]

She hadn't had to bother with such things as money until she fled Radch space and needed it for her drug habit.

"I suppose that depends on what quality goods you have here?" she said, causally picking up a nail varnish bottle and studying it. "Do you have gloves?"

Because she really didn't want to wear ones torn by cat claws. Her cat-loving aunt had done that, but she had been considered an eccentric.

[sharp_man]

Hannibal dropped by in the afternoon. It was probably late for lunch, so he brought light sandwiches instead of a full meal.

He smiled at Sparkle and set his bag down. "The place is looking quite good. How is it working for you?"

[myownface]

"Kicked out my first customer of the day for being a complete entitied shithead," Sparkle said, in a weirdly chipper tone of voice all things considered. "I dunno, apparently I wasn't good enough for the basic consideration of being looked at while being talked to as this guy looked around my shop like he thought it was something more fit to be shat in."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow at that.

"That sounds unpleasant. Is it someone that perhaps needs more exposure to the island, or someone who needs to be...spoken with?"

Or more? Hannibal wasn't above more, though on the island that was a risky proposition.

[myownface]

"Oh no, I gave this guy the 'you're going to hate this, but in a couple weeks I'm gonna be right' talk. And then I told him to not come back to my store, so we'll see how well he does finding clothes around here."

He snorted and shook his head.

"He told me to my face he doesn't understand how money works. Either he'll be back again later, or he's gonna have a fun time trying to clothe his naked ass when those threadbare pants of his finally fall apart."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal chuckled. "Since there is only you, and he's likely to do even worse on the mainland, I imagine we'll find out." He poured two glasses of mint cucumber water and toasted Sparkle with one, handing him the other.

[myownface]

Sparkle was still wearing his best 'amped up customer service asshole' grin as he reached to accept what he was positive was the fanciest fucking water he'd ever been handed in his life.

"I reserve the right to say 'told you so,' if that day ever comes," Sparkle shared. "Seriously, who the fuck walks into a place and thinks, 'Hey, if you need anything feel free to ask' is sub-par customer service?"

Okay, so the customer service got very progressively worse as the exchange went on, but after a non-apology and being treated like he was stupid because he didn't know this guy needed a dressing room to put on gloves, what did anybody expect?

[sharp_man]

"It would depend upon the manner in which it was said, perhaps," Hannibal said. "However, knowing you and the way in which you conduct your business, I can't imagine finding it sub-par."

Hannibal could practically be the definition of 'entitled', but he knew Sparkle was serious about this place and friendly to customers to a fault.

He unwrapped the watercress, prosciutto, and fontina finger sandwiches he'd brought and set them on the counter.

[myownface]

Sparkle was like 95% certain that Hannibal only packed 'finger' sandwiches because he thought it was funny.

"Well, by the time this guy left, I'd say my service was pretty sub-par," he noted easily. "But I suppose there are only so many times you can call a customer an asshole before they start to take it personally."

Sparkle didn't have very many 'fuck right off' buttons, but treating him as subhuman before more than three sentences had been exchanged between them was, shockingly, pretty up there.

[intraspective]

"I come bearing food," Ino carolled as she wandered on in. "Also pumpkin spice lattes because they were out of hot chocolate, what the hell."

She'd sulked about that the whole way here, Sparkle. Seriously, what the hell.

[myownface]

"Oooo!" Sparkle jumped up and down on his toes and gave his hands a little clap. "I will accept your tribute!"

He wasn't crazy over pumpkin spice or anything, but he'd never turn down free food. Ever.

[intraspective]

She wanted her hot chocolate, but fine, whatever. She'd cope.

"Tribute, huh?" Ino laughed, setting the bag down. "Hopefully you don't mind wraps, then."

[myownface]

"I will take wraps," Sparkle chirped, making his way over to investigate the contents of the bag. "I will always take wraps. Always."

He shot her a grin.

"Hey, how's it going?"

[intraspective]

There was also salad and cookies in the bag too, because why not.

"Oh, you know," Ino said, knowing quite well that he couldn't possibly know, "it could be better, could be worse."

A beat.

"My birthday's next Saturday. As my minion, I feel like you need to know this."

Also it kept her from thinking too hard about the important date that was coming up before that.

[myownface]

"Birthday!" Oh yeah, now Sparkle was forgetting about that enticing salad for a moment and bouncing up to clap his hands. "Oh, oh, have you got plans? Do I need to, like, drag you to the zoo? Birthday zoo? We can steal a pony or something, it'll be great."

This was what zoos were for, right?

[intraspective]

Ino certainly wasn't going to argue about that! It sounded great to her!

"I don't have any plans," she said easily. She... doubted Zack was planning anything either. "I'm down for a zoo trip or whatever."

[myownface]

"Well, then next Saturday you are mine."

How Sparkle managed to make that sound both playfully ominous and dangerously delighted was anybody's best guess. He was good at that.

"Better tell me now what kind of cake you like, because girl, I am so going to deliver."