Demon Marcus, Sunday

[myownface]

Sparkle had gotten a bit of socializing out of his system this week, which meant he actually felt mostly okay heading in to work even with guests roaming the island. He had some housekeeping he needed to take care of in case he got the call from his lawyer, anyway. Mostly month-end paperwork crap and then maybe looking into getting orders taken care of for the winter months, too.

... Yes, he was aware of how ridiculous it probably was to order winter clothes with weather like this right now, but if things came crashing down around his head, he didn't figure he'd be able to really focus on that stuff later, either. And this way he could hand-pick a nice winter coat for Hernando, because the poor sucker thought he'd be able to weather a winter in Toronto with sweaters.

That accomplished, he settled in with a sketchbook and started noodling at costume designs, feet up on the counter. It was his counter, he was allowed.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[not_dlique]

In the morning, a person of ambiguous gender wearing spotless white clothes, including gloves, entered the shop. She was still wearing a name tag saying 'Presger Translator Zeiat'.

"Good morning," she said with a wide smile. "You don't happen to have some fish sauce?"

[myownface]

That... was a weird request for a clothing shop, and Sparkle had to kind of pause and blink a few times while he processed that request.

"Morning," he offered. And then gave her a crooked smile. "I'm afraid I don't have any fish sauce in stock, sorry. Mostly we deal in clothing. Shirts, pants, dresses." A pause while he considered the person in front of him. "Gloves."

It was a visitor weekend. He absolutely wasn't ruling out Radchaai, here.

[not_dlique]

She immediately looked disappointed.

"I can't seem to find it anywhere," she said. "Clothes you say? Is it culture?"

[myownface]

"Maybe try the diner, for fish sauce," Sparkle offered. "Or one of the Asian restaurants? Places that sell food."

Which was about as helpful as he could really get on that matter before another moment ticked by and he added, "I mean, clothing kind of is a part of culture, right? How people dress, what they think is and isn't appropriate for presenting themselves in the day-to-day, that sort of thing? And if there's one thing Fandom isn't lacking, it's a whole lot of culture."

[not_dlique]

"A lot of culture, yes, I've heard that," Zeiat said with a nod. "I'm still not sure I understand it."

She started walking around the shop, looking around what was on display.

"There's very little tea. Or fish cakes. Do you have fish cakes?"

[myownface]

"I'd try the diner for fish cakes too," Sparkle said, maybe a little bemused as he watched her wander the shop. "We don't really serve food here at all, you know?"

Because... clothing.

[not_dlique]

"No food?"

Zeiat picked up a bottle of green nail polish and quickly swallowed it. "But that wasn't bad at all!"

[myownface]

And now Sparkle was on his feet and kind of flailing, knocking over a small display in the process.

"Hey, wait, you can't just-- you really? What!?"

He was now stuck somewhere between 'you didn't pay for that' and 'oh shit is this crazy rando going to die?'

[not_dlique]

"What?"

The Translator looked a little surprised, then sighed. "Are those not for eating?"

[hourtohour_notetonote]

Simon, by contrast, had done no socialising yet this weekend, and was happy to keep it that way -- was especially grateful that he hadn't had any visitors to have to explain things to.

The "We're sorry! Dad has a really big case and I had an emergency with a client, but we send our love! And also put a few hundred in your account for new clothes," message had been particularly appreciated, especially when Simon pulled his jeans on that morning and realised that they were about an inch and a half too short at the ankles, courtesy of the growth spurt he'd kind of been ignoring. So: clothes shopping it was!

He wandered into the store into the early afternoon and made a beeline for bottoms, desperate to find a pair of pants that actually fit.

[myownface]

Sparkle's brain was still quietly cracking after that whole visit from the Presger, who had eaten basically anything that would fit in her creepy-assed mouth, and so it took him a moment of just kind of sitting behind the counter in shock before he realized that there was someone else in the store.

...

"Oh, hey! Bodywash!"

[hourtohour_notetonote]

Simon blinked for a moment before processing that that meant him, and exactly why someone would call him that came back a moment later, and he blushed furiously before turning away from pants and giving a shy wave. "Uh, hey," he said, smiling at Sparkle. "How's it going?"

Internally, he started kicking himself: 'How's it going'? Really? That's what you're going with?

[myownface]

"Well, I just watched some crazy person come in here and start eating nail varnish and shoe polish, so... about that good," Sparkle offered, shrugging his shoulders a little. "How about you?"

The flood pants had been noticed, yes. Definitely time for some new jeans, kiddo.

[hourtohour_notetonote]

Simon blinked for a moment, but realistically, that wasn't actually all that weird at Fandom. "I mean, are they okay?" he asked. "Like, was that something they could eat, or...?"

It was strange how much it didn't feel strange to ask that question.

"Anyway, uh, yeah, I'm good. Great! I'm great." He looked down at his feet and lifted himself up at the ankle. "But I need some pants. I guess I, uh, grew a bit?"

[myownface]

"She insisted it was delicious while I tried to figure out how to tell her she had to pay for that stuff," Sparkle intoned, shaking his head a little.

This fucking place.

"But yeah, looks like someone hit a growth spurt, huh? You want more of the same, just longer, or what?"

[hourtohour_notetonote]

"I mean, I was kinda thinking more of the same," he said, trailing off a bit. "I dunno. I guess I've never really put a whole lot of thought into it? Like, I had my style and it worked, y'know?"

Yes, Simon. Your all-hoodie wardrobe was definitely rocking people's worlds.

[myownface]

Sparkle, who had mostly rocked torn jeans and t-shirts with the sleeves cut off in high school, could respect that.

"I guess it'd be comfortable, anyway," he mused. "And winter is coming."

Besides, jeans were a classic.

The shirts could use some work, though.

"You wanna have a look around, then? We have some pretty nice jeans in right now, actually."

[minute_miracle]

Dani had been off exploring. Unescorted. This was a bad plan. She'd low-key been looking for Sparkle's store and then smiled when she found it.

Wasn't hard, the island wasn't all that big. It really was called Demon Marcus. Propping her sunglasses on top of her head, she smoothly swept through the door and smiled at Sparkle. "Oh look! I found a clothing shop!"

[myownface]

"Oh, hey! Exploring has paid off! Is someone looking for some shopping therapy today?"

Sparkle was totally grinning over the counter at her. Maybe batting his eyelashes. You know. Professionally!

[minute_miracle]

Dani beamed, "Someone most definitely is! You didn't expect that I would go back to Mexico with an empty suitcase, did you?"

Since one had held items for Sparkle and Hernando. "That would be a waste of the luggage fee. So, honey, show me what you've got."

Batting her eyelashes right back because she was nothing if not a menace.

[myownface]

"I've got one or two things that the weird chick in here earlier didn't eat," Sparkle decreed.

Because seriously, what the fuck.

"Looking for shirts, skirts, dresses, pants? Shoes? A whole wardrobe? We can go for a wander through historical casual or picking through space fashion or some of that magical elf world stuff..."

Sparkle tried to keep a little bit of everything for the locals he knew about.

[minute_miracle]

"Someone tried to eat your clothing?" Dani sounded scandalized, "I hope they paid for it!" She pursed her lips a little and then grinned, "Let's try some of your more unusual things! They would look more 'fashion show' when I got back, no?"

[myownface]

"She ate nail polish and shoe polish and was eyeing the belt buckles I wish I could make this shit up," Sparkle said, grimacing. "Sooooo, let's go look at the weird! Space weird? Magical elf world weird? We have options!"

So, so many options.

[minute_miracle]

"This place is.. very strange, Sparkle," Dani said with a small shake of her head. She tilted her head and considered. "Would I look better as an intrepid space person or do I look ethereal like a magical elf person?"

[myownface]

"I mean, you'd be a badass smuggler babe or a super pretty ethereal magical elf," Sparkle pointed out. "Which one sounds more fun? Pew pew space adventures? Draaaagons?"

A pause.

"I don't have any dragons," he added. Just to be sure.