Participants:
| Scene Title | Peer Pressure |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Delia's having a really bad day, Amadeus tries to make it better… by being a bad influence. |
| Date | August 25, 2010 |
Nestled in the heart of the main street marketplace, the Ichihara Bookstore is an old and crooked structure pressed between two newer high-rise tenement buildings. The old glass windows and creaking wooden door on the shop's front give it a rustic and old-world feel. Catering to both antique books and newer prints, the narrow aisles and tall shelves are packed full of literature. A single shelf for periodicals lies near the front counter, while signage both out front by the register and in the back of the store indicates that tarot card reading is done on-site at request for ten dollars per reading.
Behind the old and weathered wooden counter that contains the register and a small stack of reserved books, a narrow wooden staircase leads upwards to a black wooden door with peeling paint, revealing red paint in narrow strips beneath, a rope crossing in front of that door hangs with a small sign that reads, "Private".
While Amadeus' confidence says staying away from Delia would be his best bet, the fact that he has some sort of job, even if it's not completely legit, makes him want to at least see what she thinks after. They meet up at Ichihara's bookstore, and he's sitting in a nook somewhere in the rows of books, reading his copy of The Amplified: Reaper, the second book in the trilogy. Even with a book, he just generally looks out of place, the book doesn't even look right in his hands. He's hunched over with his AC/DC shirt on, just waiting for her and reading.
Lydia's off doing errands, which leaves Delia in charge for the interim. The fact that Lydia trusts her and has said so out loud is either foolish on the part of the store owner or wise. The redhead isn't one to break a trust once it's been given. While Amadeus waits, she's helping other customers and clearing out the store. When the last customer is finally gone, she breathes a sigh of relief and closes the till.
"SO! You said you had some big news," the employee's exclamation may surprise the man considering she was trying to be quiet on her way up to him. All for the purpose of startling him. "I have some too, sort of… But I'm going to let you go first."
Amadeus suddenly straightens when she startles him, then sighs and nods, closing his book. "Yeah. I got a job. It's nothing special or really illegal, but I'm doing deliveries for this guy and helping with odd jobs and stuff." he says as he watches and waits for her reaction, but also adds, "I did it 'cause it bugged the shit out of me that you thought I was a loser."
The bright smile that crosses Delia's face is really all that's needed to convey how she feels about the prospect. "Hey that's great!! It's a start, right? That's fantastic!!" She claps her hands together and where it would normally make a louder sound, it's muffled by the bandaids wrapped around the fingertips of one of her hands. "So now we have something else in common. Odd jobs and deliveries."
"Sorry about the loser thing…" She mumbles as an afterthought, the sheepish look that graces her features is telltale of the shame. "I mean, I shouldn't have ever given you that impression… It's not a nice thing to do. So where do you work? Or is it top secret?" It wouldn't surprise her if it was, so many people she knows have deep guarded secrets, right down to their names.
"Well, it's not a secret, but my boss is a bit of a seedy bastard, and I wouldn't want you to go anywhere near his club, that ain't the place for a nice girl like you. But it ain't a gang or a mob boss, so I think I'm doin' better than normal." Amadeus pats the spot in the nook next to him, scooting over to make room. "So what's your news?"
"Well it's not so much news as it is a favor…" Delia begins slowly, taking the seat next to Amadeus. Chewing her lip, she casts him a cautious sideways glance and knits her eyebrows together worriedly. "I figured you might be able to help me because… well because you might know someone…"
She breathes out every bit of air from her lungs before turning her head to look at him, she's already redfaced with embarrassment. "I don't know where to go… I don't know who to trust… I just, there's something I need."
"I think there's a lot of stuff you need that I can help with, but we can stick to the basics." Amadeus says with a sly grin, turning his head to look at her as her face turns red. "Who do you want me to find? I know people, lots of people."
Her eyebrows knit together quite a bit more and she turns her head away from Amadeus and takes a trembling breath inward, just to let it out in a whoosh to calm herself. "I need a what, not a who.." Delia begins, picking the bandaids on the tips of her right hand. It seems to be a nervous habit and apparently she's been nervous a lot lately. "I need a fake ID… and social security number. Do you know anyone that might sell those? And how much they run?"
"Fake ID's easy, social security number might be a little harder dependin' on what you need it for. And it won't be free either. I mean if I could do it, I wouldn't charge, but the dudes I know are gonna." Amadeus moves to slip an arm around her shoulders, his grin widening. "Finally gonna get drunk off your ass and loosen up a little? Or you want it for somethin' else?"
It's Delia's turn to jump to a straight seating, this time surprised at the arm suddenly around her shoulders. "No, Dad would kill me," she answers quickly. "I'm not like Lu, I don't loosen up. It's for a uhm.. it's for a friend. How much do you think it's going to cost?" She scootches a little bit away from him, uncomfortable with the sudden closeness.
"I— SHE has money, but not like ten thousand or anything. So I want to be able to give her a price, you know?" The redhead continues to pick at the bandages on her fingers tearing one off in little pieces to reveal a very mangled cuticle underneath. Apparently it's not just bandaids that she picks at.
"You're way too fuckin' obvious, it's adorable as hell." Amadeus removes his arm when she seems a little uncomfortable, and moves his hands to one of her's to look over the bandages. He doesn't ask about them, but he does show some concern. "Two or three hundred should be good, as long as you ain't plannin' to skip town with 'em." He sits up, then reaches into his pocket, pulling out a joint and a lighter. "Try this, it ain't gonna hurt you. It'll calm you down a bit. I promise you'll be alright."
Horrified, Delia's round eyes glance quickly to the front of the store and then the back of it and them to Amadeus. "Are you kidding me? In the middle of the store?! Lydia would kill me!!" Her voice is at a high enough pitch that she could probably break glass if she went another note or two higher. "No, no way, not to mention my dad. He's like.. No no no no no no no no." Apparently the young woman thinks a lot about what her dad would say about anything.
The price of the ID and the ssn though, that gives her a bit of relief and she nods, giving him a grateful yet timid smile. "Thanks, I'll uhm… I have it. They have to be clean… and …" She frowns a little and looks down, pursing her lips. "You're not going to tell, are you? I mean, I don't think you would… but this is really important."
"I ain't gonna tell, I've been doin' this stuff since I was a teenager. And relax, your dad ain't gonna know, and one little puff ain't gonna smell the whole store up. It's not like I'm offerin' you crack. This just relaxes you, it doesn't do anything bad." Amadeus holds it inbetween two fingers, his hand hovering in front of her mouth as he keeps the offer there for the moment. "Live a little, you're trustin' me with your law breakin' endeavor, ain't you? You can trust me with this."
"No! No way! Not in the store! Not when I'm working!" She's not saying no exactly just not right now. Her lips purse into a very thin line and Delia twists her head to the side, trying to get away from the joint. The young woman actually tilts to the side, to put a little more distance between her and the thing before she lets out. "You don't know my dad. Or the woman he's got watching me. I'm more scared of her than him! And then Lydia!! She's trusting me with her store! I don't care how many tattoos she has, I know she'd fire me. Then where would I be?!"
"It's cool, it's cool, just relax, we'll do it later." Amadeus says in a reassuring tone, slipping the joint back into his pocket. He pats her shoulder a few times, then starts turning his head to look over rows of books. "What's your favorite book? I'll give it a try."
When the illegal little roach is put away, Delia does calm down. Out of sight, out of mind— At least for now. When he starts talking about her favorite book, her eyes narrow slightly and she gives him a rather sly grin. "Really? You'll give it a try?" Then she's up and disappearing to a different stack only to return in a moment and toss a book on his lap. "I just finished reading that one… You shuold try it out, I'll even buy it for you."
The book on Amadeus' lap is a romance novel, historical at least. The cover features a woman with flowing blonde hair who is swept into a princess carry by a brown haired man with a strong jaw. "It's called The Tentative Rose, you should try it!"
Amadeus looks down at the book, then stacks it on top of his own. "Nah, I can't let you buy me a book. I'll pay for it, and I promise I'll read it as soon as I leave." He crosses his legs in the nook, and looks up at her. "Wanna meet up somewhere later or tomorrow, where you don't gotta worry about everything? Your stomach must be in freakin' knots with how nervous you can be."
Delia's lips twist into a half smile and she sits down beside Amadeus again. "Yeah, sure. Can we do it the day after tomorrow? I have to get home after my shift here, and tomorrow I have to work both jobs. But Friday I just have here and then nothing." She shrugs and the smile wanes to a weaker, a little more apologetic one. "It'll give you time to read the book and write me a good review?" Then it widens again and she actually lets out a bubble of a laugh.
"I'd write but I don't wanna let on that I ain't exactly the smartest cupcake in the… cupcake… tree." Amadeus clears his throat a little, fumbling his analogy. "But alright, Friday, just me an' you. No people and drinks and stuff, we'll just chill out, smoke a bit, talk about the book, stuff like that."
"That uhhh… sounds… uhm… great?" The redhead still isn't too certain about drinking, drugs, and stuff, but a promise is a promise. "Where did you want to meet? Or did you want to pick me up at my house? Wait… that might not be a good idea. Dad's home again, so you'd have to meet him, I know he'd put his foot down the minute he heard your last name." Maybe, she's not exactly sure how much her sister rubbed it in the old man's face that she'd been trying to seduce their guard.
"Well I don't have my own place yet, but I don't wanna take you somewhere you won't feel safe. I could park somewhere near your house and we could just hang out in my van like fuckin' Scooby Doo, then you won't be too far from home. Ain't a lot of places I wanna risk you bein' seen smokin' pot, or I'd say we could go deep in Central Park." Amadeus idly scans over the first page of her book out of curiosity, speaking rather casually still. "You're way too fuckin' innocent to be hangin' out with a guy like me, you know."
"I know but you keep showing up and stuff, so what else am I going to do? I'm not going to try to be mean or anything." At least not anymore, not that she really tried in the first place. Delia shrugs and gets up from her seated position to walk back toward the cash register. The jingle of the bell signals another customer into the store, which means back to work time. "Besides, maybe I'll end up converting you to a good Catholic or something." That might be a tidbit that Amadeus didn't know about Delia… Catholic.
"Or maybe I'll end up convertin' you to somethin' a little less innocent, never know." Amadeus stands up and starts heading for the door, looking back at her with one last grin. "I'll see ya friday." is all he says, waving without looking back, then marches out the door.