The Magic Box, Tuesday

[always_someone]

Norman's shift was actually going pretty smoothly today. Nothing particularly weird, right up until a ghost wandered in and startled him into dropping a box from a new shipment of stock. There had been a shattering sound, and then a splash of fluid and a puff of smoke, and Norman found himself scrambling to get out of his shoes as they started to shrink right there on his feet.

By the time they had stopped, they were shoes better sized to fit a Malibu Stacy doll, and Norman was stuck wondering why the spill had victimized his footwear but left the floor perfectly fine.

He sighed, and then went to get a mop. In his sock feet.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[livingartifact]

The door to the storage room opened with a small blue flash, and Jenkins stepped out, looking slightly disheveled (for him, anyway). "Ah, Mr. Babcock," he greeted, looking at the mess on the floor. "Small incident, was there?"

[always_someone]

"A little one, yeah," Norman agreed, casting a glance toward his miniaturized shoes. "I'm sorry about that. I'll pay for whatever damage there was."

He still had no idea what was in that box, mind. Once his shoes started shrinking, he'd been a little bit distracted.

[livingartifact]

"Pay?" Jenkins repeated, blinking a few moments. "Ah, right." This was a shop. They were supposed to make money. "Don't worry about it. So long as you're uninjured, I'd say this place has seen worse."

[always_someone]

"It has?"

Did Norman want to know how? He glanced at his shoes again, and then immediately decided that no, he did not.

"Okay, if you're sure. Thanks, I'll be more careful next time."

[livingartifact]

"Certainly, though I fear that won't prevent mishaps entirely. They do tend to just happen around magic." Jenkins shook his head. "Which unfortunately leads me to why I've come in today. I'm afraid I'm going to be leaving the island shortly."

[always_someone]

"Leaving?" Norman blinked. "Oh. Um."

He wasn't going to flail, but... he was kind of flailing. Inwardly.

"On a trip?"

Hey, he was being optimistic.

[livingartifact]

"No," Jenkins said. "I've actually done that a few times without feeling the need to notify anyone." He sighed. "It seems the responsibilities I've been avoiding back home have grown rather too large to set aside. You'd think finishing the great prophesied fight between Good and Evil would give you more than a year or so of break time, but apparently not. . . ."

[always_someone]

"Yeah... I can see how that would be a little inconvenient."

Some very rare Norman dry snark, tempered slightly by the fact that he actually respected Jenkins, right there.

"So... that's it? You're leaving-leaving?"

[livingartifact]

"Well, I certainly won't promise never to return, but -- yes. I'm 'leaving-leaving'. The shop will remain open though, and your job will remain in place, so no need to concern yourself on that front."

[always_someone]

That actually was kind of a relief. Norman wasn't so sure 'a month-ish' was a great track record for one's very first job.

"Okay," he said, after a pause. "That's good to know. Um... who'll be running it, once you're gone?"

[livingartifact]

"A young man by the name of Anders, I believe, though I haven't discussed it with him specifically IG. He's actually been working here longer than I have. I'm sure you can simply carry on as you usually would. You'll barely notice a thing."

[always_someone]

"Oh?" Norman didn't know this Anders guy, himself, but if it was under control, then he'd probably cope. Probably? "Okay, that's reassuring. Not that I was too worried."

His gaze drifted back down to where the accident on the floor had been. Partly because he'd almost lost his feet to shrinking shoes, and partly because his attention, as always, seemed to want to kind of wander away from Jenkins.

"It was good working for you, though."

[livingartifact]

"I'm glad," Jenkins said. "I'd never really tried being a boss before. I'm not sure it agreed with me."

[always_someone]

Norman blinked and tilted his head a little at that, dragging his gaze back up to Jenkins curiously.

"It didn't agree with you? How do you mean?"

[livingartifact]

"I have never been an 'in charge' sort of person," Jenkins said. "Until very recently, I'd always preferred to simply keep to myself."

[always_someone]

"I get that," Norman admitted. "I think that's part of why I put off asking for a job for a while after getting here in the first place."

Because this was, presumably, a job that involved dealing with the public.

Even if most of the public he'd dealt with so far were ghosts.

[livingartifact]

Well, if nothing else, the ghosts probably appreciated having someone to buy magical goods from who could actually see them.

"Well then, young man, if you'll permit me a word of advice?"

[always_someone]

"Of course," Norman replied, blinking up at him yet again. "I can use any advice you have, probably."

[livingartifact]

"Don't let yourself go too long alone. Take it from someone who decades that way: it's much nicer to have people. Even if they do tend to get extremely irritating."

[always_someone]

"They get irritating really, really fast," Norman agreed, and his gaze slid back down to the floor again, this time less because of Jenkins' immortal nature and more because Norman was feeling slightly sheepish. "Some of them do. But I've already met a few who are worth keeping around."

[livingartifact]

"A few is all it takes," Jenkins assured him. "Though you may be surprised by which others manage to worm themselves in."

[always_someone]

"I'd believe it," Norman admitted with a little smile. "I've been surprised before."