Ye Olde S33k & Finde

[fr33ks33k]

"How many lives you got left, Fr33K? " She grinned, swinging her legs lightly from her perch on his counter.

"Heh. I'm not a cat, and I don't have such limits."

*He stopped quirking his brow; he felt silly doing so. His grin did spread widely as he looked her over, though*

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"Heh. I'm not a cat, and I don't have such limits."

*He stopped quirking his brow; he felt silly doing so. His grin did spread widely as he looked her over, though*

This is what i got.

 

[fr33ks33k]

This is what i got.

Oh, nice. I would hope someone would notice that sort of thing missing...and if not, then I suppose they didn't need it in the first place. And remind me to avoid Nina until she's done breaking that fucker in...*snickers a bit*

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Oh, nice. I would hope someone would notice that sort of thing missing...and if not, then I suppose they didn't need it in the first place. And remind me to avoid Nina until she's done breaking that fucker in...*snickers a bit*

*snickers madly*

 

[fr33ks33k]

*snickers madly*

*Leans forward on his stool, poking her side as she snickers*

 

[DarkWarrioress]

*Leans forward on his stool, poking her side as she snickers*

*grabs his hand and squeezes* Okay.. I best be off. I've taken up enough of your time.

*jumps off his counter, leans over to kiss his cheek and turns to saunter out of the shop.*

 

[fr33ks33k]

*grabs his hand and squeezes* Okay.. I best be off. I've taken up enough of your time.

*jumps off his counter, leans over to kiss his cheek and turns to saunter out of the shop.*

You're not taking up any of my time. Feel free to stay if ya like. If you've other things to do, by all means, though. *He snags her hand before she departs, planting a kiss on her cheek in return*

 

[DarkWarrioress]

You're not taking up any of my time. Feel free to stay if ya like. If you've other things to do, by all means, though. *He snags her hand before she departs, planting a kiss on her cheek in return*

Feeling herself held back by his hold on her hand, then his kiss to her cheek, she smiles, tips her head slightly, setting her lips gently to his briefly before breaking away from the kiss to whisper.

"You're a good friend, Fr33k. Thank you." Another smile, a light caress on his cheek and she is gone from his shop, leaving behind that scent of hers. Midnight Pomegranate

 

[fr33ks33k]

Feeling herself held back by his hold on her hand, then his kiss to her cheek, she smiles, tips her head slightly, setting her lips gently to his briefly before breaking away from the kiss to whisper.

"You're a good friend, Fr33k. Thank you." Another smile, a light caress on his cheek and she is gone from his shop, leaving behind that scent of hers. Midnight Pomegranate

*He breathes in that lovely fragrance as she disappears, smiling and feeling a bit of the weight on his mind lifting*

 

[fr33ks33k]

*There was to be no tinkering today. He had risen early and decided instead to wander the stacks, eyes roving the trinkets and treasures. He wandered aimlessly, losing himself in the immensity of the place. The skylights were casting large pillars of sun into the intersections of the shelves, and occasionally a clockwork creature would meander through his path.*

 

[fr33ks33k]

*It had been a while since he'd visited the shop, and he was glad to see it hadn't burned to the ground in his absence. He turned the sign over to say "Shopkeeper is IN", stepping over to the counter. He took a seat behind it, smiling down at the junk still heaped on the oaken slab, and set about assembling something from the pieces of oblivion*

 

[fr33ks33k]

*Yet another late night of tinkering for the man known as Fr33k...skilled fingers assembling random flotsam and jetsam from his counter and creating even more trinkets to go on the shelves of the shop. He held up his latest work, a flower made of a ruddy metal. It wasn't copper, nor brass, more crimson than brownish, and it shimmered with something akin to heat haze. The flower was closed, but when he twisted the stem, it opened into a blazing inferno. The petals were flickering flames, tongues of crimson and orange that flowed even as they kept a shape vaguely rose-like. He set the flower in a vase, the fires burning brightly into the night, even as he wandered off into the stacks to find something he hadn't seen before, and something he didn't have to put back together...*

 

[AGirlCalledKill]

*peers in to see the dieing flames, slipping over silently to let her fingers dance a teasing game with the lapping flickers, smirking slightly before pulling her hand away*

I've come to steal your thoughts...

*barely a whisper, but saying the words makes her smile even more.*

 

[fr33ks33k]

*His steps echoed into the lobby area as he returned, surprised to see someone else present. One who looked familiar, but was certainly not a previous patron.*

Stealing is strictly forbidden here. It is not handled lightly either...

*His stern look is only momentary. A friendly smile replaces it almost instantly*

Though, I do often share my thoughts. It is interesting to see how people react to them. Which sort of thoughts were you hoping for?

 

[ObscureInsanity]

It had gone off twice in a row before she woke up. She stared at the little pager that, until now, seemed broken. She groggily shifted her weight, flipping onto her stomach to try and reach for the little thing on her bedside table; after fumbling for several moments she picked it up and examined it. She had to squint without her glasses on, but it clearly lit up and said something--something that meant it'd be in her best interested to attend to, considering her promise to the proprietor of the antique shop that if it went off in her absence that she would come to him. Her hand reached instinctively for her glasses, then she flipped the little lamp on beside her bed. It was only 10:30, she only nodded off about 30 minutes ago, but she seemed rather tired. She yawned and stretched as she stood, keeping the pager in her hand, and rushed to her drawers to find something suitable to be seen in public in. She lazily threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, enough for appearances, and combed her hair, putting what little strands could fit into pigtails: it was, after all, quite warm tonight.

She picked up her purse off the counter and dug through it to find her keys then, half-asleep, climbed into her car. She rubbed her eyes and flipped the visor mirror down, fixing the untamed strands of her bangs: there was no use walking, she had awful vision at night. She turned the motor over and went on her way to the shop.

It didn't take too long to arrive there, but it took her a few moments to find the strength to get out of the car, and once she did she stretched and yawned again. The shop looked closed. Was she hallucinating? The pager DID go off, didn't it? She walked close to the door and peered through the glass. If anyone had been looking down at the street right now, at her, it would probably appear to them that she was casing the joint: not likely, she had too much moral fiber for such expeditions. She rapped on the door gently, it didn't occur to her to just turn the knob of the store and enter. She was still trying to find consciousness; she forced her eyes wide then allowed them to regain natural half-closed lids. She backed away from the door in case the Proprietor came out with a weapon of some variety (in case she HAD hallucinated the pager going off). She stood there, arms crossed against her chest, swaying.

 

[fr33ks33k]

*He looked up from the manuscript he'd found. There was a knock at the door. So, she'd answered after all. He smiled and rolled the papyrus scroll back up tightly, tucking it back into the tube it belonged in, setting it back on the shelf.

Quick strides brought him to the lobby, and he saw that the young miss was standing outside. Perhaps she had forgotten the open door policy he had. Either way, he moved to the large oak door, pulling it open with a flourish.*

Welcome, pleasure to see you again. Please, come in. The door is always open, by the way. Except when it is not. Only one way to know, though.

*He chuckled softly at his silly words, moving to lean against the counter*

I'm glad you've come. It's time for that favor I have to ask of you...

 

[ObscureInsanity]

She smiled at him as he chuckled at himself and wandered inside, glancing around, ever enamored by the what-could-bes and what-are-theres. Her eyes fell to him and she nodded, stretching her arms high above her head.

"Pleased to be of service," she giggled, standing awkwardly for a moment, unsure if there was clarity of the task at hand within the silence; she lowered her arms finally. "What IS the favor?"

 

[fr33ks33k]

*His eyes moved along the line her arms created when she stretched, his smile never faltering*

Well, I had hoped I could use you as an extra pair of hands. There is....something...that I need to try and unlock, but the dimensions of it seem to require two operators.

*His smile quirked as he mentioned the contraption. He hadn't actually thought of a favor to return until just then. It was fitting, however*

 

[ObscureInsanity]

It was curious, really, that opening the contraption seemed priority at this time a night but... somehow she didn't mind much (though, she supposed if anyone else had fervently attempted to contact her so late at night she would have flipped out on them). She stood a moment, examining him, wondering a few things; it was only then that she realized the eerie silence that had consumed the conversation brought on by her reeling mind, she blushed and laughed.

"Okay," she said sleepily, biting her bottom lip to suppress a yawn. "Lead the way."

 

[fr33ks33k]

*As if discerning her thoughts simply from looking at her, he smiled and gestured down an aisle*

I do apologize for the late hour of summoning you, but this particular piece has confuddled me quite some time, and I had sudden recollection of your owed favor. This way, Hannah.

*He waited for her to move into the aisle before walking closely behind her, choosing to lead from the rear*

 

[ObscureInsanity]

"It's alright," she responded softly as she shifted into the aisle he had directed her towards. Her eyes wandered the shelves briefly as she passed them: there was still something about this place that brought out her long-lost sense of wonder. She smiled at some of the trinkets, but didn't dally to explore them further--it'd take her months, she had decided upon leaving the first time she came here, to look through the entire shop.

After what seemed like quite some time of walking--and wondering how the shop seemed to extend into oblivion--she paused and turned back towards him; the action of stopping was so abrupt that the proprietor bumped into her which made her giggle. She took a step back and tugged at the hem of her shirt.

"Not far now?" she queried. It was more of a ploy to stop long enough to glance a little longer at what looked like a crystal ball--lucky for her it was almost directly behind the proprietors head: which sort of made it look like she was intensely staring through him to stare at it. It was a lovely looking thing: your classic a-typical quarts orb--nearly the size of a human head--but what struck her fancy was the ornate pedestal it was resting on--it seemed to be made out of some form of metal, and it seemed to resemble vines. It was a lovely piece. She looked back at the proprietor, not quite catching what he may have said after she asked how far it was, which probably looked suspicious. She smiled sheepishly.

 

[fr33ks33k]

*He was thankful not to have knocked her over when they collided. She seemed intrigued, but more with the shop in general than any specific piece...at least for a moment*

Not far at all, in fact it is right through there...

*He pointed at the right turn she could make at the intersection of aisles in front of her. She'd turned back, eyes focused on something else....ah, that made sense. It was quite a fetching design*

When we've finished, be sure to remind me to show you how that crystal ball works. It's quite interesting.

*He moved past her, their bodies still close enough to touch, and slipped down the small aisle to the right, out into an alcove lined with shelves. The shop truly was built like a maze...though finding the end of it seemed a daunting task indeed.

Before them was a large octagonal shape, gilded edges and a deep obsidian main structure. There were runes etched into the stone in some language that would be hard to decipher without help or years of study. Each of the eight sides had two small holes carved into it. They seemed just large enough to place ones' hands.*

 

[ObscureInsanity]

It struck her quite hard: was he psychic? Her eyes left the object to fall back to his. Was it luck of chance? Perhaps the crystal ball was reflecting through her glasses... well that wouldn't make much sense, considering she suspected most things would be reflected back. Did she dare to ask a question about it? it was twice now that it seemed he read her mind.... or perhaps she was just that predictable. She watched him as he pushed past her, the heat of his body and his scent--it was a lovely scent, but she couldn't quite place it--lingered there and made her feel a little weak-kneed.

After a moment to regain her composure she followed him, too fearful that if she didn't she'd get lost and eventually be one of the pieces of the shop: Fancy a skeleton of Hannah anyone?

When her eyes fell upon the octagonal object she was smitten. It was beautiful, and the runes... they were reminiscent of the old ways--fancy that... not that she had particularly studied Druidic text (she only recently messed around with stone runes which were introduced to her by the book that lead her to this task). She examined the object further, taking a few steps around it, and looked up at him. What was it that she needed to do? she could hardly wait! and the tiredness? completely gone.

 

[fr33ks33k]

Well, I've only just translated the sigils on it. They seem to be diametric forces.

*He stepped toward the rune closest to him, running his fingertip over it*

This one is the sign for war. The one opposite it...*he gestured toward it*...is the symbol for peace. The others are love and hate, greed and charity. The last set I've only partially converted. This one is chaos, and the last...*he then pointed to rune closest to her*...is order. I've not quite figured out what the holes are for, but I have put my hands in one to see if it was the activating mechanism. There are places to rest your palms, but no buttons or switches or pressure plates. I also tried speaking the word aloud, in all the languages I know, including this one. No such luck.

*He moved his hands inside the holes beneath the war rune, resting them on the space provided*

I had thought perhaps having someone at the other side, speaking the rune aloud for that part, might activate it. If you don't mind, that will be the favor I ask of you, Hannah. If you do not know the words, I can assist you.

*He smiled then; something told him she would be able to do just fine on her own.*

 

[Britwitch]

She approaches the building with a roll of parchment in her hand, tied with two lengths of ribbon. One pink, one purple - for friendship and inspiration accordingly. Something holds her back from knocking on the door, she senses the owner might be otherwise engaged. Smiling, she pushes the parchment through the door. Inside the curling script reads simply...

Found this on my travels and thought of you...

B
x​

Pulling her cloak around her, she fades back to her own world