The Ink Spot, Wednesday, August 28

[fears_no_one]

Flint had fallen down a bit of a rabbit hole of updated health books after helping Ms. Bennet find something a few weeks ago. The "books that Flint might be all right with parting with, perhaps" shelf was now filled with books that had felt like bullshit (and Flint would judge you if you picked up a Dr. Oz or Dr. Phil book on purpose).

He was in his usual reading chair with Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, chuckling occasionally to himself and writing down notes in a leather-bound book. Should he ever find a way to return to his time, he'd have some knowledge to yell share with the ship's doctor.

The door was unlocked, the flag of Trinidad and Tobago was perched on the checkout desk to celebrate their upcoming independence from Great Britain, and the book shop was open!

Comments

[theworst_verine]

Well, apparently someone (Laura) had (graciously) arranged a job for him so he wasn't just sitting around at a bar or his weirdly spacious apartment.

Which meant Logan was having to go and see what exactly he was meant to do at a book store of all things. With a deep, annoyed sigh he pushed on into the shop to take an assessment of the place.

Sorry, Flint. He was for sure missing his manners.

[fears_no_one]

Flint peered at him suspiciously over his book. "Yes?"

Flint: worst shopkeeper.

[theworst_verine]

They matched energy!

"You the owner?" Or maybe just someone who lurked here. Both were possible and valid.

[fears_no_one]

In that finders keepers sort of way, yes!

"I am," Flint agreed, nodding. "Why?"

If you were coming to say you owned it already, there was going to be a problem.

[theworst_verine]

Cage match! Wait, no. That'd be a bad idea.

"Apparently I'm working here." Don't sound so thrilled, Logan.

[fears_no_one]

Flint blinked. "Mr. Logan?"

He'd made the mistake of answering the phone once. His tone said he might've been regretting that.

[theworst_verine]

"Just Logan." Or Wolverine. Wolverine. Peanut. Sometimes Hugh. "I think there was some kind of mistake here. I don't know what he said to you about any of this, but I'm not really the book type."

Gonna correct you there, Logan. It was definitely a she who called.

[fears_no_one]

"It was a woman who called," Flint said, "if that matters. You're not a book type? Can you not read?"

Because why else wouldn't you be a book type? What else was there to do? Not TikTok, sorry, Lydia.

[theworst_verine]

Logan paused for a moment to sigh at that.

"I can read," he replied with the normal level of annoyance. "Kid thinks she needs to keep tabs on me like this."

[fears_no_one]

Flint arched up an eyebrow. "I'm not reporting on you to anyone."

[theworst_verine]

"...appreciated." Because ain't no snitches here. "I'll just take the job if it's still up."

This whole trying to live up to his own potential because of a kid was just the worst.

[fears_no_one]

"Yes," Flint said, drawing the word out slowly. "It is still available."

The next book he'd read would be about paying employees in a way that wasn't the percentage of stuff you stole from a ship!

[theworst_verine]

Yeah, better catch up on the fully unnecessary health insurance and whatever the hell a 401K is.

"There a shift or something?" If you thought he knew anything about normal jobs, Flint...

[fears_no_one]

Back in his day, you'd just steal a Spanish treasure ship and live like a king until someone shot you! There was so much less paperwork!

"What day would you like to work?" Flint asked. "Right now it's just me."

[theworst_verine]

Hey, no one was stopping him from trying that now! Live your best life, Flint. Do it.

"How about Sunday." Because if it was just one day... hell yeah. Easiest job ever. "This place see much business?"

Please say no.

[fears_no_one]

Flint snorted. "Not really. I get a lot of reading done." It was his favorite. "I'm Flint."

[theworst_verine]

Well, congrats, Flint. You got a handshake offered at that.

"Guess I'll have to get into the habit then."

[fears_no_one]

Flint stood and shook the offered hand. "There's not much else to do," Flint admitted. "No one even gets into bar fights here."

It was weird. And civilized. And weird.

[theworst_verine]

"Well, considering the bar has zombies in it..."

Logan was judging so much. And that was saying something, people! When Wolverine was judging your health code violations in a bar!

[fears_no_one]

"Is that what the smell was?" Flint asked.

[theworst_verine]

"They put Fabreeze on them."

Guess how much that helped. Go on. Guess.

[fears_no_one]

Flint's eyebrows drew together. "I'm not certain how much a breeze will aid them."

Sorry, Logan. No Fabreeze in 1715, and some of those pirates desperately needed it.

[theworst_verine]

It wouldn't help!

"The air... freshener," Logan said, frowning that he had to be the one explaining this shit. "The spray."

[fears_no_one]

Well that sure was an awkward pause. "Ah."

There. Fixed it.

[theworst_verine]

Logan... did not care. Because that would mean digging into that. And then maybe sharing. He did not want to share. Did you want to share, Flint?

"Sunday, huh."

Look at them go.

[fears_no_one]

"Sunday," Flint said with a nod. "I'm away part of the morning anyway."

He was eating pastries and avoiding church, as was traditional now.

[theworst_verine]

Valid things. Add in booze and Logan would approve.

"I've got it." He thought. "Can't be too hard. Kids do this kind of work."

[fears_no_one]

"Kids do much harder work than this," Flint said with a wry smile. "I barely sell anything."

Mostly because he didn't want to sell a book he hadn't read yet. Details!

[theworst_verine]

"Small town." Weirdly small. With friendly people. Why were they like this?

[fears_no_one]

Flint suspected there was something in the soap that was brainwashing them all.

"And there's a castle without a moat or crown jewels," Flint added. He'd checked. "In fucking Maryland."

[theworst_verine]

"Yeah, there a reason there's a castle?" Logan had to ask. Because it wasn't Disney.

[fears_no_one]

"Someone wanted a castle," Flint said with a shrug. "That someone was probably an asshole, knowing what I know about other people who have built castles."

[theworst_verine]

Logan really couldn't find any fault with that, so he nodded along with it. Castles really did seem like a dick move.

"I'll just steer clear of it."

And he was safe from any stuff in the park now! All good.

[fears_no_one]

"They teach classes up there," Flint said. "I'm taking one next week about avoiding and ignoring people who talk too much."

That was very much not what the class was going to be about.

[theworst_verine]

"...that's not a bad class at all," Logan admitted. "Usually I just threaten to stab them. Or actually stab them."

Loooove yoooou, Waaaade.

[fears_no_one]

"Me too!" Flint said, being animated for the first time in this entire conversation.

Bonding over stabbing was healthy, right?

[theworst_verine]

Oh, super healthy!

"Guess this wasn't such a bad idea." Laura did not get you this job to bond over violence, Logan.

[fears_no_one]

"Just don't get blood on the books," Flint said.

[theworst_verine]

"Do my best there." But no promises! What if they really deserved it?