Participants:
| Scene Title | Gainfully Re-Employed |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Kaylee gets a job and Lydia gets another employee |
| Date | August 19, 2010 |
Description of location, if any.
The sunlight pours in through the windows of Ichihara Bookstore in dusty beams, moreso with the current state of the place as Lydia continues to reorganize it. The open sign was flipped nearly an hour ago while the door was unlocked. It would be propped open if the proprietor was convinced Gabriel wouldn't run away.
Orchestral music streams through the air from a small radio atop the counter next to Gabriel to which the cat purrs nearly on-beat.
Lydia herself peers through the titles on the shelf and adds to the collection further. Her flowy ankle-length white skirt and white bell-sleeved blouse when combined with her long sandy hair add an almost ethereal appearance to her, particularly as she sways to the music, altogether absorbed in her task at hand.
She had gotten the call from Corbin about the last place she had worked, of course, she hadn't expected to really hear from him period. Kaylee Thatcher hasn't been in the bookstore since she got ill with the Evo flu.
Standing just outside, Kaylee is a bit nervous, it shows in the fact she dressed nicer then normal, a pair of pressed black slacks and a nice maroon top. Biting her lip, the young woman hesitates outside the door. He said the woman was looking for help… the young telepath has been unemployed since the store shut down.
"Okay… you can do this." Squaring her shoulder, Kaylee moves to open the door. Here again there is a moment of hesitation, as she wonders what this Lydia will think of her.
What was she doing?! This wasn't like her. When had she become to timid about anything? Brows furrow and Kaylee takes a deep breath, she steps inside. "Hello?" She asks hesitantly, knowing there is indeed someone inside. She checked. With her ability, no less.
The voice cuts into the painted lady's reverie, causing her to pad away from the aisle and turn to face the door. An upward quirk of lips greets Kaylee as Lydia steps towards her. Her guardedness persists even in the quality of the smile, but it's gentle, really. "Hello," is her quiet greeting, smooth and even, as she steps towards the door.
"Welcome," her hands drift from her sides as if inviting the other woman into this space before she takes a single step back. It's hesitant, even after the days here, its surreal to think of this place as hers, and nothing but time will change that fact. Her lips curl upwards a little more, easing herself into this role of shopkeep.
Her eyes study Kaylee carefully before she asks, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
When Lydia comes into view, Kaylee is already looking that direction, as if she expected her to be right there. She offers the woman her own smile, allowing to door to shut behind her. "Yes. I — Corbin said I should come see you, that the new owner might needed help?" Her brows twitch up a little as she asks that.
"My name is Kaylee… Kaylee Thatcher? Not… sure if he mentioned me or not." Her words trail off a bit as uncertainty hits the telepath again. She takes a step closer, but not much more then one. "I use to work here… before Hokuto died." Not that she ever met the dream walker in the waking world.
A glimmer of recognition at the name Kaylee yields a nod. "Kaylee. Yes. Corbin mentioned you." A vague glance is given to the Help Wanted sign and then returns to Kaylee before Lydia's eyes scan the disarray that is the bookstore. "Well, I certainly need more help. I just hired a young lady, but I haven't quite wrapped my mind around the system."
She pads towards Kaylee and holds out a hand, "Lydia Taylor." Her chin drops before her head tilts, "I imagine you are interested in a position then?" Her hands are soft, and her touch is gentle. In fact, her handshake is more a squeeze than an actual shake.
Glancing around, Kaylee gives a small amused smile, before reaching out to take the hand, in her own. "Nice to meet you, Lydia." Another glance around and she adds. "And truth be told I don't think Hokuto really had a system. Corbin was working on making a system, with inventory on a computer and all that.
"And… yes, I was interested in a position." Her mouth pulls up on one side, but it's a sad smile. "A lot of… memories here."
The smile falters a bit and the uncertainty returns. "Not… sure what Corbin told you about me… I — ah — should tell you that. I am evolved." There is a bit of a grimace as her hand falls away. This is always the part she hates. It could always go one of two way. "It might change your mind, but…" A deep breath is taken and she looks up again at Lydia. "I… am a telepath. Better you know now then find out later."
A narrowing of Lydia's eyes is her only tell as her thick lashes come together not quite meeting. Her hands find the crook of her waist, resting there as she considers something quietly. "Corbin didn't tell me that, but…"
Her lips press together as she weighs something in her mind. Her thoughts growing heavier, …a telepath.. but she clears them, closing her eyes gently and taking a soothing breath. "…does that make you incapable of stacking books?" her smile turns a little lopsided as her weight shifts and her hands are lowered from her hips.
"I appreciate your telling me, but as far as I'm concerned that's no one's business but your own as long as you don't put thoughts into my head, I don't see how this would effect your employment." Her lips press together before she turns on her heel to face the counter, walking around it to give Gabriel a small scritch. "Registration is nothing more than a pipe dream to control the world when so much can't be controlled."
"Well… considering Corbin sent me to you, I felt you should know." Kaylee admits softly, head nodding. "The typical reaction is to flee." Her shoulders lift a little. "As for registration…." She trails off. "I am registered, but only cause there were things I needed to do, but…. I agree about registration." She moves to follow, stopping on the customer side of the counter. "I am registered as a directional telepath… As far as they know I only send thoughts, not read them. Telepath's tend to get discriminated…" There is a hesitation, before she adds, "…badly.
"And no… It in no way effects the way I work." Kaylee says with confidence. "Never did before."
"Flight only creates more fear and people only fear what they can't understand," Lydia quips back smoothly as she scratches behind Gabriel's ear now, her attention on the cat more than her new employee. The comment about registration, however, pulls her gaze upwards, issuing Kaylee a knowing smile, "Good. Then we'll get along well, I think." Her cheeks flush as she turns to face the other woman, "Perhaps, you should know that I'm a little unconventional in how I run things… " Her eyes narrow a little, scrutinizingly, but she cuts her speech off, yet her thoughts don't diverge from it, It comes with understanding people too well.
"Well then, welcome back." There's a pause before she adds, "You'll have to teach me this system.
Teeth flash as she grins at the woman across the counter, "I'm not exactly conventional in my own way." Kaylee doesn't expand on that, now isn't the time for it. A hand reaches over to scratch behind Gabriel's ear. "I have a basic understanding of what Corbin did with the laptop… getting this place…" She glances over her shoulder at the rest of the store. "Up to that point, will take some doing."
There is amusement in Kaylee's voice as she adds, "Cuase I don't think Hokuto used it either. Hense…" A hand waves at the condition of the place. "So… I've got some time today. Where is that laptop?"
"I believe it," a soft smile edges the painted lady's lips. "And I'm not as concerned about the inventory as actually being able to help someone find a book that they're looking for. The organization just needs rhyme or reason." For her own mind as well. "Thus far most who've come in are interested in a fortune though and that is something I can do. So, we still offer that to customers…" Her smile grows as she ducks behind the counter to produce the laptop. The smile turns more sheepish now, "I'm not technologically equipped. I spent… many years away from most advanced technology and frankly I haven't really tried to use it…" she grimaces before passing it over to Kaylee.
"Well… I'm one of those types that spends time on computers." She takes the laptop carefully, though Kaylee's expression is curious. Moving to the sides, she settles it on the counter and pops it open. "And you would not be the first computer… illiterate…" The word coming out, since she can't seem to find the word she wants. "…that I have met." Her eyes drift down to the computer screen as she boots it up.
"So… you do fortune telling?" Blue eyes flicker up only briefly as she asks it. Her fingers working over the touch pad. "Never been one to… really get into that. I — know my father is interested in knowing what's to come… I'm… still not sure what to think of it. Sometimes I think knowing what is to come is more harmful then just letting things happen as they may."
"That's reassuring. I'm not entirely illiterate, but technology wasn't something I was really exposed to."
"It's not always about what's to come, often fortunes are for the now helping us understand who are in this moment and how we should proceed." Lydia scratches Gabriel's ear again before bringing her hands together and resting them on the counter.
"If all I did was tell the future, the precogs would've replaced me eons ago." Her face flushes again as she presses her palms on the counter and pushes away from it. "I realize I never asked… why did you leave Ichihara in the first place? I know the previous owner was… " a vague glance is given to the back door. "Was it related?"
"To a point. I got the evo flu and secluded myself." Kaylee looks up from the computer to regard the woman there, curious. "I had planned to come back, I — knew they would take me back." She shoulders gives a slow shrug, brows tilting up with a touch of sadness. "But someone killed her and it tore up Corbin pretty bad.
"My dad was… isn't a precog. He's more of a statistics man." Brows furrow a bit in thought, before adding. "I might try that… if it's as you say." Her mouth pulls to one side in a smirk, before she looks back down at the computer. "Not now, of course. I do feel lost in who I am half the time anymore. I feel myself flip flop and try to get a grasp on who I am."
Kaylee shakes her head and gives the woman an apologetic look, "Sorry. You don't need to hear that." She waves it away with a flick of a wrist before going back to the computer. "Okay… so I think with this and some work, we can get the inventory up to date. It's a small enough store. We can probably put in the book locations."
Her head turns to look at the shelves a hand moving to point out her thoughts. "Such as… row 5, case 2 and shelf 3." Kaylee grins as she looks back at the woman. "I dunno. Could simply assign a row of shelves for genres. What do you think?"
Lydia hmms with a small nod her own features softening at the story of the flu and the events that transpired. "Well, I'm glad I can re-employ you here, I just hope I do an apt job; I've never run a store." Or stayed in the same place for this long, but that's what planting roots is, isn't it?
Thoughtfully she steps towards the aisles with another hmm, "I feel like we should have plants. With flowers." She's never really stayed long enough anywhere to warrant plants, yet she's been in New York for awhile now, it seems time. Yet even in her distracted state she manages, "Everyone feels lost in themselves sometimes. The cards just help figure it out. Tell us more of who we are, what we really want, and what we fear."
A hand rests on one of the shelves as she nods, "That seems like as good a system as any. I mostly want to be able to direct people towards their wants. I consider it a pleasure, really." Wistfully she glances out the front window and then back to the shelf.
"I've always been a fan of spider plants, though I think they need a better name, honestly." Kaylee says quietly, watching the other woman for a log moment. "Just… speaks of something to me. Spider plants don't just fling their hopes for their children on the breeze, or rely on others to do it. They hold on their offshoots until they can find their own bit of earth and even at that there is still a connection there. Family… I guess."
Kaylee's cheek redden slightly, her head ducking a bit. "That was a random thought." She moves away from the computer to peer at the shelves. "Should at least get these in order, then I can start entering them into the computer."
Lydia holds up a single hand and shakes her head, "No, I like it. It's kind of beautiful. Family should hold onto one another; it's the most important thing." There's a small pause as she considers something before adding, "But family isn't always who we're related to." Her lips press together before she offers, "I think… I think they're exactly like the spider plant. They're the people we hold onto. No matter space, distance, or time they stay first in our hearts."
A flicker of a smile is offered to Kaylee again as she nods. "Alright. So. First order of business is to actually organize the books and then we can have record of where they are? I can do that." Her smile brightens further as she glances back at the counter and the rest of the space, "I'm a tattoo apprentice and I've wondered if there's room to add something here… maybe upstairs." Which means she can't live here then.
"Yeah… Family plants would be a bit more apt a name." Kaylee says relaxing a bit, her shoulders sagging a bit as the tension starts to bleed from her. "And… I agree with you. I have friends I hold on too and try to support. While my family, seems…. less of that." Brows tip down a bit. Maybe that's why the plant appeals to her.
They don't stay that way too long before they shoot up. "You… do tattoos? Um." She glances behind her shoulder. "The back room, is big enough. Shift everything in the back room…." Trailing off, Kaylee hmms softly. "No wait. Books are really heavy. I think upstairs is a good idea.
"Quite the place. Books, fortunes and tattoo's. Oh my!" Kaylee flashes the woman a bright smile, lips parting to show her teeth again. It's a lame little joke and she knows it. "I think you'll do fine here." This is said as if she has a say in it, even if she doesn't.
"I haven't spoken to my birth family for awhile," it's been years if she's honest. Many years. She was still a teen when she'd last contacted Carol about Amanda, choosing not to go back on her decision and regretting it nearly every day of her life. She combs her hair with her fingers before tying it back with an elastic band around her wrist. And with all of her hair off her back, that lightweight white blouse does little to hide all of the markings along her back — the bright tattoos almost lining the shirt like they've been printed onto it.
"Well, we're eclectic that's for certain," Lydia winks with a small smile. "And thank you." There's a distinct pause as she looks over her shoulder at Kaylee, and distance fills her tone "I hope so."