The Magpie Emporium, Monday [27/11]

[giveittoyoursister]

Why were there so many orders?

Vi was pretty certain that she didn't usually come in find this many people had decided they needed this much gaming stuff over the weekend. Nor did she usually end up in a little fort made up of packing boxes. At least, not accidentally.

While Little Box was helping by trying to keep her from becoming completely trapped by boxes, Saffron was also helping by testing all the boxes. Most of the time Vi noticed before she sealed the box.

Most of the time.

[*flops* Open]

Comments

[drumsticksandd20s]

All of this was mostly keeping Steph busy making repeated runs to the post office, and that was a whole lot of waiting in line too; the post office here had some very unusual shipping rates, after all, and people who weren't accustomed to mailing things out needed to have things explained to them on a pretty regular basis.

She came in after her latest run with two of the biggest coffees she could find and a pair of cinnamon rolls almost bigger than her head and realized she couldn't see Vi for all the boxes.

"Oh no. Vi? Are you in there somewhere? You didn't accidentally pack yourself into one of these, did you?"

Hey, if the packing boxes around here came to life and decided they were hungry, she would... be surprised, yeah, but just at first and very, very briefly.

[giveittoyoursister]

Well, one of the boxes was rocking and making a noise like it was planning on devouring the person who opened it.

"I'm fine," Vi called out from within the boxes, even as the angry box growled again. "Can't speak to Saff right now."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Oh. Oh no."

Steph hurried over to the counter to set down everything she was carrying, then bounded toward the box... maze... fort... thing.

"I am like ninety-nine percent sure she's packed herself into here," she called, tapping on the side of the box that promptly hissed at her. She yanked her hand back. "Uh... do you need to follow my voice out or anything?"

[giveittoyoursister]

"Yeah, that's been happening today," Vi called back as she started making her way towards Steph. A more suspicious person might think she was causing problems on purpose. "All good, I have a system."

Something resembling one at least.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"That's been happening?" Please ignore how Steph's voice went a little more high-pitched than normal when she yelped that. "Shit, I'm so sorry I can't help you more with these, but if we're gonna get them shipped out today I have to leave the packing... and, uh, the Saffron-wrangling... up to you."

To be fair the Saffron-wrangling got left up to Vi all the time anyway. Surely she was just overly enthusiastic and didn't mean to put herself into a situation where Snuggle Human just had to pay more attention to her!

[giveittoyoursister]

Especially not in a way that meant she had to prioritise her over Food Human's needs!

"Like I said, I have a system," Vi said, opening the angry box, which was mysteriously suddenly full of purring cat. "There's a lot, though."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Yeah. Sorry." Steph made a face. "The weird thing is, I didn't even put up any Cyber Monday sales."

It was just the magic of running a business on an island where the overhead was ridiculously low, but the thing was, she hadn't even consciously realized that.

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi's eyes widened as she removed Saffron from the box and resealed it. "So you're saying there could have been even more?"

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah," Steph said sheepishly, dragging the word out for as long as possible. "This is nuts, though. Is everybody suddenly deciding they want to get all their friends and family into gaming for the holidays?"

Not that it would be a bad thing.

[giveittoyoursister]

Saffron immediately jumped in the nearest open box. "That'd explain it," Vi said. "There's probably some people who're getting multiple identical presents this way.""

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I, personally, am not complaining. It makes the world a slightly brighter place every time some boring-ass nerd boy has a meltdown over the idea of people who are not boring-ass nerd boys getting into gaming and mixing things up," Steph replied, reaching over to shake the box in hopes of dislodging Saffron. "I'm just sorry I can't clone myself so I can go to the post office and help you with all of this at the same time."

[giveittoyoursister]

Saffron grumbled. This was her box now.

"I mean, if you cloned yourself we'd probably get even less work done," Vi said, completely innocently, like she'd never even considered the possibilities there.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Come on, Saff, do you really want to get shipped off to someone who might not even know how much you love your salmon treats?" Steph asked the box mildly.

She looked at Vi and snorted, shaking her head. "I knew you'd like that idea a little too much."

[giveittoyoursister]

Curse Food Human and her dastardly logic. Still grumbling, Saffron made a show of reluctantly exiting the box.

"What can I say, I've got a good imagination."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Little Bot came rolling over with a bag of kitty treats, and Steph scattered a few of them out on the floor for Saffron.

"Yeah," she said, looking far too amused as she eyed Vi. "Hell yeah, you do. How long have you been imagining that, anyway?"

[giveittoyoursister]

In the most begrudging manner possible, Saffron devoured her treats. How dare, Food Human, how dare.

"Since we watched that one movie with the sexy evil twin from that universe where everyone was eviller and sexier."

[drumsticksandd20s]

She had an entire collection of those, though.

"That doesn't narrow it down that much," Steph said dryly as she subtly tossed a few more treats to Saffron, "but I'm glad I got a chance to jump-start your imagination that way. Sure you'd really want my evil twin, though?"

[giveittoyoursister]

Steph knew what she liked, and so did Vi.

"You're right, she might be too sexy to handle," Vi said thoughtfully then gasped dramatically. "Unless you're the evil twin."

I mean, if you asked Saffron...

[drumsticksandd20s]

The smug little mew Saffron let out at that might as well have been an I told you so.

"If I am, you'll never find out," Steph declared just as dramatically, her expression mischievous. "It's way too much fun to keep you guessing."

Maybe that did make her the evil twin?

[giveittoyoursister]

"Oh, no, I've figured you out," Vi said. "And now I'm feeling robbed of black leather outfits."

That still didn't narrow down which movie it'd been.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Oh, really?" Steph grinned at her and made a mental note to go see if the secondhand shop had anything like that. "I'll have to see what I can do to fix this."

It was a central trope of the genre, basically. It narrowed down nothing, and maybe even added more titles to the mix.

[giveittoyoursister]

"You'd better," Vi teased. "I deserve to see my evil girl in evil outfits."

It was like the people making the films all believed bad people shared the exact same fashion sense.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph laughed, seemingly oblivious to Saffron's disapproving glare. How dare she conspire to take even more of Snuggle Human's attention?

"And I happen to be a firm believer that you, specifically, should get what you deserve, so I guess I'll have to do some shopping."

[giveittoyoursister]

Couldn't Snuggle Human see how tricksy she was?

"I look forward to it," Vi said, grinning broadly.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph sidled over to steal a kiss, over the sound of Saffron's disgruntled objections.

"There's still time to get your special requests in, you know."