Grand Opening

[Eidolon]

A nervous flutter, not entirely unpleasant, danced in Eidolon’s stomach as he surveyed the scene. The morning sun, still holding a gentle warmth, slanted through the front windows of **Mooney's Bookstore**, casting long shadows that danced with the dust motes in the air. It was almost time. Today was the day.


He gave a final tweak to the small chalkboard sign he’d placed by the door. “Grand Opening! Treats Inside & Delightful Deals on Select Volumes.” He’d debated whether to go all out with balloons and streamers, but decided against it. This wasn't some boisterous chain store; it was something… different. Something special. The vibe he was aiming for was more of a quiet invitation, a haven for those who truly appreciated the written word.


The shelves, oh, the shelves. They were groaning under the weight of stories, knowledge, and the occasional oddity he’d picked up. Eidolon ran a hand along the spine of a particularly worn copy of "Moby Dick," feeling the familiar texture of aged paper. It sat nestled beside a pristine first edition of some forgotten poet, a juxtaposition that felt perfectly right for this place. He’d spent weeks arranging and rearranging, trying to create a sense of organized chaos, a labyrinth of literary treasures waiting to be discovered.


Over in the corner, near the worn leather armchair he’d salvaged from an antique shop, Eidolon had set up a small table laden with treats. Nothing too fancy – some locally baked biscochitos dusted with cinnamon, a plate of rich dark chocolates, and a thermos of strong, locally roasted coffee. A few delicate teacups sat beside it, for those who preferred a more traditional brew. He wanted people to feel welcome, to linger and browse without feeling pressured.


He glanced towards the back of the store, at the unassuming door that led to the basement. The climate control hummed softly, a constant reminder of the precious cargo stored within. Eidolon had made sure everything was just so down there – the rare editions carefully cataloged, the atmosphere just right. It was a space he took particular pride in, even if it wasn’t exactly the first thing he’d be showing to the general public.


A stack of flyers sat on the counter, each one detailing some of the opening day deals. A percentage off local authors, a “blind date with a book” wrapped in brown paper with intriguing hints, and a special discount on any volume purchased with a recommendation from him. He hoped it would entice people to take a chance on something new, something they might not have otherwise considered.


Eidolon straightened the collar of his own well-worn tweed jacket, a habit he’d picked up somewhere along the line.


Here we go. Time to see if this strange little dream of his could actually take flight.

[Thirteen]

The door opened (perhaps a bell dinged?) and Thirteen entered the quaint little bookshop. That massive mop of red curls was worn up in a bun, and she came dressed casually in denim bib overalls cinched with a black leather belt, a long-sleeved, red-striped belly shirt, and a pair of clunky black boots. She had on a pair of round sunglasses, which she removed and tucked into the front pocket on the bib. It was kind of rare to see the Acanthus not in her usual biker chick get-up. She was capable of cute fashion!

Her brown eyes adjusted to the interior lighting as she looked about the place, before settling on the figure of Eidolon. A smirk decorated her lips. "Oi! Aren't you the entrepreneur? Congratulations, eh?" She scanned about a second time, "Am I your first customer?"

[Skye]

Walking through the streets, not certain how long she had been out walking, or rather patrolling, the city was vast and they were down to just two arrows now. Not like her area wasn´t large to begin with but having lost Phoenyx aid was certainly a hit. The crisp somewhat cold air lingering within her lungs at the sudden sight of the place, a deep inhale at the memories of warming fire, a glance to the sign and deciding to step inside, dressed in her fairly unsurprising dark clothes.

Eyes lighting up at the sight, taking it in for a moment and looking towards the red curly haired one.
”Hiya Alice, nice to see you.”

Quickly taking a few steps around, out for the table of treats, finding the tea cups, opening the thermos with gloved hands, taking whiff and coughing in disgust. Having fully hoped for tea, for something to warm her up from the long walk but no coffee was not for her.

Walking back over towards the owner with a warm smile upon her lips.
”Hey, you should have told me you were about to open, I would have dressed up more properly and brought a gift.” Lightly tapping him on the shoulder with a closed fist and laugh before spinning to look at the place. ”It looks amazing, how do you feel to finally be ready to open the place up?” And back to him. ”Do you have mainly books in English or do you have other languages as well?” I wonder if he has that infernally hard to find book.

[Eidolon]

Eidolon looks towards the door as the bell rings and seeing the red hair he knows immediately it's his arch nemesis, "Hey Red!!! No not the first customer but the first one here during the grand opening. How have you been?"

And before going any further he sees the small frame of his girl. Taking the jab to the shoulder before responding, "I got so caught up with the preparations that I really didn't have time to send out a text. It is a lot more work than I thought getting the place open." Eidolon contemplated her question, "I do have books of various languages. You will have to look around though as many of the books are still scattered around, not really grouped by language but by genre. If you let me know what you are looking for, I could take a look at my inventory book. I may be able to see if I have it in stock."

"Hey, I know you are not one for coffee Aella, would like a cup of tea? I may have a few flavors upstairs."

[Thirteen]

"Marcus," Thirteen nodded to the man, though her eyes continued exploring the many shelves of books. "I'm alright. Quite the place you got. Bringin' a wee bit of British bookshop charm to the Colonies, eh?" It certainly wasn't a criticism. Cozy little book stores always had a particular allure.

The Acanthus turned to look as Skye appeared. Did this woman ever wear anything besides black leather? "Hello, Rose," she greeted, "And it's Violet, by the by. Violet Crawford." Having settled on an alternate identity, she had abandoned the 'Alice' moniker. She smirked as the Shaman went off to hit the Warlock, even if only playfully. "Not a coffee fan, eh?"

[Skye]

”That´s a pretty name, still need to find you a nickname though.” Oh good no double Alice, I do hope that wasn´t why she changed it though.

Looking around them as the warlock spoke, taking the place in and trying to imagine the work behind it all.
”I couldn´t imagine, never done anything even remotely similar before. But hey you did it, that deserves celebrations.” Putting on a wide grin. ”I am still looking for Haiganu 3 but if you have Tinereţe Fără Bătrâneţe, Confesiunile domnului Freejoy, or În cercul fiarei 1 Promisiuni de sânge and 2 Puțină speranță so would I be quite interested.” Eagerly nodding at the offer still quite cold from her long walk, especially her hands. ”That would be really sweet VS, chocolate works to, anything warm, the nights gets surprisingly cold when you walk through them for to long.”

Spinning back to the un nicknamed one.
”Sadly not no, never did learn to handle it. I am sadly very peculiar with what I drink.” Letting her eyes trail over the books. ”So what kind of books do you like? Any tips, I have been trying to get into it these past few years but not like my lifestyle allows much time for actual reading so have mostly just gone for audiobooks.”

[Eidolon]

Eidolon looking to Thirteen "Thank you Red, I cannot be totally to thank for the place. The previous owner was the one who chose the place and originally remodeled it as such. I just gave it a fresh coat of stain and organized it all, well as best I could." He paused a second, "Give me a few I think I do have some hot chocolate I could make you. I know I have whipped cream, so if I have some hot chocolate would you like it topped with some?"

Before heading out Eidolon pulls out a huge book, "If you want to look through here for your books you can take a look but otherwise take a look around who knows you may find something that tickles your fancy. You are welcome to look around to Red, I hope I may have something that will pique your interest?"

Eidolon then nervously headed upstairs to look for some hot chocolate, finding some instant that he could make for Skye.

[Thirteen]

"Thank you," she replied to Skye's compliment of her new alias. "I like it. I also like coffee. Tea's great, but I've always preferred coffee. So you're a wee bit health conscious, are you?" Many people were. Thirteen herself watched what she ate, usually.

She looked about the store shelves, "What kind of books do I like? I'm not sure there's a genre I prefer. Just a few individual books, over the years, that stuck with me. Always good to be on the lookout for more, I suppose." She gave the Thyrsus a nod. "Audiobooks are grand for when you're too busy to sit and read."

Turning back to Eidolon, the Acanthus gave another nod, "Well, it's a nice find, then. You've done well with it."

[Skye]

Eagerly nodding towards the warlock.
”Yes please, I would love that. Don´t think I have had a cup like it since the one by the fire.” Perhaps not the most ideal thing to speak of with another person present, but it was light enough right? Taking the book with a soft smile upon her lips. ”Thanks, but do you even carry books in that language?” It wasn´t exactly the most common one to come across. ”Lets see here.” Flipping the book open and starting to have a look at the various names, not really sure how she should read the entries at first, would it be authors, or book names, eyes scanning to see if languages were mentioned or just inferred.

Shaking her head at the woman with eyes in the books.
”Not really, give me a Fanta, especially exotic or a bubble tea in a can and I will not complain at all. I just know what I like and what I do not, my body gets more than enough exercise to burn calories and have no issues with health.” Or well her skin would likely speak against that but not like that bothered her anymore. Eyes looking back up at her. ”Any you can recommend? I have mostly jumped around aimlessly with the English ones, whilst reading ones like those I just mentioned physically with what little time I have before bed. Most of the time I am to busy to sit down and read.” Patrolling the city and walking the country not exactly leaving much downtime.

Waiting for the proprietor to walk of before moving in a bit closer towards her with clear easy to track movements, and softly lowering her voice to a whisper with one hand to conceal her lips towards the direction of him.
”Do people often call you red just cause of your hair?”

[Eidolon]

Eidolon listened into the girls conversation as he prepared a cup of hot chocolate for Skye. Making note that she like bubble tea and Fanta. "One hot chocolate coming up!!! How about you Red would you like one, I make a mean cup of hot chocolate. Aella can vouch for me."

Finishing preparing the hot chocolate for Skye, he looks down upon them as he awaits Thirteens response.