Needful Things; Friday

[totalwildcard]

A fancy pair of antique arm chairs had landed at the store. In a fit of productivity, Harley had then put them on display in the window.

And then she'd flopped out into one of them, put her feet up on the other, and was now cozily reading one of her novels. What? Her presence in the window was at least letting people know she was in and that the store was open! It was great advertising!

(ooc: open!)

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[pocketpretzels]

And late in the afternoon, around closing, there would be a Watts poking his head in, tote bag slung over his shoulder.

"Afternoon, Doctor," he greeted. If he found anything odd about her sitting in the window display, his expression didn't show it.

[totalwildcard]

Good, that potentially made two of them for thinking nothing of it! "Fancy Hat!" Harley exclaimed, looking up from her book. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Such as it was. He was a cop, and she had a reputation to maintain.

[pocketpretzels]

"Steven and I toured an ice cream factory this morning," Watts informed her, the hat in question getting placed upon something that was definitely not a hat rack.

[totalwildcard]

It was the outstretched wing of a taxidermy owl!

Harley lowered her book - a beaten-up romance paperback with a cover model that looked suspiciously like Fabio, and which bore the tagline She was a thief... who STOLE his HEART!* - and squinted at him, lips twisting.

"Okay?" she said. "Good for you? Didja just come here to gloat?"

(*blame TBQ)

[pocketpretzels]

"No?" Watts said, momentarily confused by that reaction. "Oh! Yes. Here!" He turned to fish something out of the tote bag on his shoulder, which resulted in a full 360 degree turn before he held it out towards her.

[totalwildcard]

Harley clearly didn't fully grasp the situation.

Yes, sure, she set the book down in her lap and reached for the tub, but still:

"Wait, what? For me?"

[pocketpretzels]

"For you," Watts affirmed. "I thought- the flavour seemed like something you might enjoy."

[totalwildcard]

Harley snatched the tub into her hands like there was a reason to believe he might pull it back otherwise.

"What's the fla-- ohh."

[pocketpretzels]

"Yes," Watts nodded. "Precisely."

[totalwildcard]

"Cool."

Was that an ice cream pun? Might as well be. Harley was definitely holding the tub up like it was a crown jewel or something, now, either way.

[pocketpretzels]

"I'd hope so," said Watts, sadly missing any possible pubs. "It is ice cream."

[totalwildcard]

Harley looked at him like she almost explained something, but then decided not to. Seemed like effort.

So, instead: "Oh, it better be, 'cause I'm looking forward to eating all of it."

Likely too fast and with brain freeze ensuing.

[pocketpretzels]

"Well," Watts said with a hint of a smile. "I am relieved to see it apparently meets your approval."

[totalwildcard]

"As long as there's not a catch," Harley was quick to say, eyebrows suddenly raised.

There was unlikely to be any catch. She was going to look very serious about it anyway. Like there better not be one.

[pocketpretzels]

"No catch," Watts said. "Just- something I thought you'd like." Would it help if he mentioned Steven's opinion on the matter? "Steven agreed with me."

[totalwildcard]

Honestly? Yes. Because Steven was sweet as apple pie and there was no finding anything sketchy in that.

Harley immediately brightened back up, even. "Oh, well, that clears that up then!"

[pocketpretzels]

Would that she'd take Steven's opinion on Watts that way.

"Good," he said. "I'm glad."

[totalwildcard]

You couldn't trust a sweet person's opinion on cops, sorry.

Harley got her feet off the one chair, then the rest of her off the other one, her discarded book tumbling onto the floor all forgotten as she stood up. "This'll make an excellent snack."

'Right now' was the implication, yes.

[pocketpretzels]

Well what about Marc's then?

"Have you a sp- " he then paused, looking around the store. "You've probably all sorts, here."

[totalwildcard]

Watts was not exactly a typical topic of conversation Harley and Marc spent any significant time on, alas.

"Hmh?" Harley hummed, quizzical and confused for about two seconds before a lightbulb went on. "Oh, spoons, here? Probably! But I was going upstairs."

This was the problem with bringing her ice cream.

[pocketpretzels]

"Ah," Watts reached for his hat. "All right then. Good day, I shall leave you to it."

[totalwildcard]

"Uh huh!" Harley agreed brightly, practically already skittering towards the back of the store.

This was... definitely one of those moments where a higher combined level of social skills in the room would have helped.

Or, yanno. Harley having any grasp on manners to speak of.