Scenario Entitled: Thank Heaven For Little Girls. . .Characters:
Rayne, protecting the dark secrets of the shop she used to own, for her own reasons.
Gareth, local buffoon, becoming embroiled for reasons of his own.
Missy (NPC), an adorable, eerie little reason.
Location: The Hanged Man
Date: Late Norand, 109 PA
Gareth turns his attention over towards Rayne. My, but she looks awfully familiar. It'll come to him. "Aye...S'truth." He approaches, giving a some personal space to the young woman as he tries not to bear down on her too much. "Yew be tha own'ah'n stoof 'ah this bl...place?" His nostrils flare and he fidgets a bit more.
Rayne pushes some of her hair over her ear and stands up from adjusting the cloth on the table, the hulking man getting her full attention now. "Saaay... aren't you?" she mumbles, then it comes to her, "Oh! Have you come to take me for that workout you promised me?" she chimes. She sounds quite pleased at the prospect. "It's a little early," she notes, "But hey, I'm up for it." Maybe she didn't hear his question about her being the owner. Or maybe she chose to ignore it.
Gareth rears back a little, straightening his posture. His brain gets rattled enough to produce a name to the face. "Aye! Yer tha princess'n stoof. Aye aye, Cos-chume ball'n work'oot tour...S'truth." A smile leaps onto his face and displays his white teeth well. He chortles a little. "I bloody well fergot a-boot tha...I be 'ere on oth'ah busy-ness, S'truth. I 'ad a wee chat with a wee br...beau-tiful wee kid with wings tha said she lived 'ere." He squints. "Tha wouldn't be any re-lation ta yew would't?"
Rayne looks a bit startled and stutters an explaination, "Missy? Oh, no, no relation of mine. Her dad, well, he, aaah. She, she's a good friend of mine, you could say. She helps out around the shop. A real angel." She pauses, cocks her head to one side and asks, "Mister Vaughn, right? I'm terrible with names. I could probably tell you everything about yourself, including what color undergarments you're wearing, but I'm lost when it comes to names."
Gareth chortles and guffaws, holding onto his stomach as he finds great mirth in your words. Probably the bit about the undergarments. "Aye aye, Mee-star Vaughn. Jus't call me Gar-eth, S'truth...She be'ah real ain-jal, Miss'ah. S'truth. I wuz talkie-talkie with'er tha oth'ah day. She was say'n sum odd stoof tha I wanted tah talk ta 'er daddie a-boot." He shuffles. "Sumpthin a-boot 'is peep-le'n...tha nightmare I wuz 'aven. Wanted ta talk with'em'n see tha...charm'n sweet face 'o tha ain-jal a-gain, S'truth." He attempts his best smile.
Rayne rubs her neck and shuffles her feet at the mention of nightmares. She clears her throat and says, "Ah, well, Miste-- ah, Gareth, feel free to call me Rayne. I work here for Missy's dad. I was wondering what brought you here." She shifts her gaze to the beaded curtain and lowers her voice, "You, ah, you have seen Missy's dad before?"
Gareth shakes his head from side to side and attempts to lean all casual like on the nearest counter. Must look cool for the cuties and make a manly impression. "Aye, Rayne then...Nah, 'aven't seen 'er daddy'r nuthin, but she talkie-talkie a-boot him'n 'is peep-le a bunch...an sum oth'ah stoof tha got me 'ackles raised. She be a cute, cute kid o'course, but she wuz a wee bit strange'n tha things she wuz say'n. So...me busy-ness would be ta talkie-talkie with'm, S'truth. 'Course...I always ee'gah tah talkie-talkie with gud look'n femmes like yew fer no reason." He gives a cheezy wink.
Rayne puckers her lips in a rather odd gesture as she tries her darnedest not to break into a giggling fit over Gareth's oh-so-manly ways. A quick look around the shop reminds the young woman of where she is and what she's supposed to be doing. "Ah, well, I hope you don't think me rude, but I need to get busy. I rarely come in this early, but I have a shipment of incense I need to unbox and stock." She gestures to one of the chairs beside the table and invites, "Feel free to have a seat to wait around for," her tone of voice changes to one of bitter sarcasm as she finishes, "the Owner."
Gareth takes a gander at the available seating arrangements and considers how much torture it might be to wait about. "Aye...Mebbe I will then, S'truth." Rayne's expression is taken as obvious swooning or something similar to his askew perspective. Yep, still got it G-man. "Roight, don't let me keep yew if'n yew gunna git in trubble'n stoof. I jus't go git'ah seat...Aye, mebbe yew'n me kin 'ook 'oop when yew git free'n on break, S'truth." He adds, "Yew dunna 'ave a wee sumpthin ta drink 'round 'ere do yew?"
The first few boxes pry open easily enough, but by the fourth box, Rayne struggles to pull back some of the plasti-wrap. At Gareth's question she eyes a few stray mysterious bottles up on one of the shelves and grins with idle mischief playing in her eyes, but then shakes her head and says, "Well... um, no. Not really anything to drink that you'd really WANT to drink, anyhow."
Gareth opens his mouth to ~ah~ and nods knowingly, despite knowing anything about what evil may be contained within the mysterious bottles. "Aye...Shame, S'truth." He looks about the room, the boxes Rayne is opening if they are in view and begins tapping his feet to pass the time. He yammers, "So...Yew must like work'n 'ere'n stoof. 'Course yew dew, aye? Dunna s'pose yew know mooch a-boot whut tha little faerie wuz talkie-talkie a-boot aye? I mean...It all be crazy talkie-talkie o'course...But I just be curious'n stoof. Tha nightmare wuz a wee bit...nasty."
A deep frown fills Rayne's full lips and she sighs, then grabs out various incense and other such paraphenalia. She carefully arranges the goods on a shelf so cramped with miscelleneous items it's a no small wonder anyone can find anything. She simply mumbles, "I know a lot of things. The rest is speculation, which I'm sure will be the death of me yet."
Gareth hunches forward on his chair, perhaps making it squeak a bit with his shifting girth. His one beady eye focuses on Rayne like a vulture. "Aye? Well, I gots less than spec-yew-lations even, S'truth. Mebbe a wise'n smart'n...pretty young femme like yew could 'elp me try'n git me brain round whut tha 'hole dream wuz a-boot?" He rakes by his hair with a free hand absently. "It dunna 'urt ta chat a-boot whut yew think...Notta'tall, S'truth."
Rayne shudders, nearly knocking half of her freshly stocked merchandise to the floor as she does so. She says tightly, "I am afraid many people could be hurt by wagging tongues, Gareth." Rayne's nervous glance toward the beaded curtain suggests she expects the hurt to come from that direction. After a moment, she offers Gareth a thin smile and appologizes lightly, "I'm sorry, I guess the whole dream thing affected many of us, didn't it? Frightening stuff, eh?" She peels back the packaging of another box and pulls out more knick knacks and lines them on another shelf, as if there were some sort of order to things.
Gareth doesn't nod along with Rayne's logic, due to the fact that he needs this sort of info that she's concerned about not letting out. He lowers his voice to a more soothing tone. "Aye...Roight, but I ain't tha kind ta go wag'n me gums'n stoof. I be like yew, I be concerned a-boot oth'ah peep-le'n won't go yap'n. I just wish I knew sumpthin more a-boot tha dream. So...yew know, anythin yew say be just be-tween yew'n me." He adds with some hope, "B'sides, whut yew tell me could 'elp me stay a wee bit wiser'n not do nuthin stoopid. Tha'd be a gud, gud deed wouldn't it? Keep me from do'n sumpthin stoopid, S'truth." He tries to reapply that queer pleasant smile.
The front door opens up a couple of feet, and in clumps Missy. Instead of her usual sandals, she's got on a pair of mud-clay clogs that would cause a shoemaker to flee in horror. They flake chips of grit with every step, but she seems to delight in making as much noise as possible as she stomps across the floor. "Missus Rainbow, I'm home..." her announcement dries up in her throat as she spots Gareth and falls silent for a moment.
Without so much as batting an eyelash, the stocking continues. Rayne opens the last of the boxes, situating and arranging the odd assortment of merchandise until the already packed shelves look ready to collapse under the weight of, well, junk. It's as though she's tuned out the rest of the world and fallen into a daze.
Gareth turns his head to take in Missy's figure and her noisy footwear. His smile diminishes a little before he can readopt his friendly sort of demeanor. "Aye..." he grates, "Look 'oos 'ere, S'truth. It be tha wee litt'le ain-jal 'erself. I dunn'ah see any wee marbles'r nuthin. Aye Miss'ah! Nice ta see yew!" A bit overdramatic with the greeting.
"Mister Pirate!" Missy blurts. Gareth's courteous behavior goes right over her head (which is understandable, given the size relation), and she clomps right over to Rayne before planting her little fists into her hips and scowling over at the big man. "He wants to eat us, Missus Rainbow.. He said!" she tattles.
Something in Missy's tone pulls Rayne from her dazed state and she casts a glance over her shoulder looking for a pirate. Once she realizes who Missy's talking about, Rayne snickers for a moment, then turns big, serious eyes to Missy and says softly to her, "Oh, I doubt he bites. Much. Do you, Gareth?" She turns around to face the man fully, planting her own hands on her hips in a gesture that mimics Missy's almost exactly.
Gareth leans back and lets out a loud throaty chortle. "Hoo hoo hoo." He pats his stomach and acts like he's just heard the most outlandish thing imaginable. He wags his finger at Missy. "Kiddies these days, they be such'ah source'ah fun'n ima-gination, S'truth. She must be think'n 'o when we was play'n make be-lieve'r sumpthin tha oth'ah day." He screws up his face in mock anger. "Aye aye! Walk tha plank! S'truth! Me'n me parr-ot eat yew!" He reverts back to a cheery-type disposition.
Missy's mouth drops open with disbelief and indignation at Gareth's little parody. Adult tricks! "Liar," she mumbles halfheartedly, conscious of Rayne's presence behind her. Then, only a moment later, she's dismissing the matter rather sulkily, whirling to Rayne to show off her new footwear. "Lookit my new shoes, aren't they ever spiff? We made them at school and I liked mine so much I wore them and then I forgot my real shoes at school."
Rayne offers up a proper glare to Gareth and mumbles something about "scaring children half to death," then kneels down to get a better look at Missy's awe-inspiring shoes. "Those, my dear, are the most lovely shoes I think I've ever seen," Rayne comments. She goes on to say, "They make such a wonderful noise, too. You'll probably want to bring your shoes home from school, though. These, uh... should be used for special occasions, I think."
Gareth might have needed to restrain a tumultuous retort had Missy not dropped the accusations somewhat. He eases a bit, keeping himself from saying something unfavorable about the young D-bee while in Rayne's presence. For the most part he stays silent as she converses with ~Miss Rainbow~. He does offer his own opinion after a few moments of course. "Roight gud shoes." Smile, nod, smile. Special occasions...Like when he needs to chase her through some dark alley. He'll be able to track her slowed progress easily then. Smile man, smile.
Missy goes from petulant to beaming in 0.6 seconds at Rayne's praise. She nods sagely, as if the suggestion that she cherish and save the mud-baked clogs for only the most special occasions (like Graduation from Primary Level 3!), was just the thing that she was thinking herself. Gareth is given a suspicious glance at his own comments, before she says eagerly, "Yah. I'm gonna ask Miss Kinney if I can make -you- shoes, Missus Rainbow. Then we can have matching Darkling Ages shoes!" She clomps in a circle, just to make some more thudding noises. "Then Daddy can watch us dance."
Rayne gathers up the empty boxes that are scattered about the floor. "I'd love a pair of shoes, Missy. Though, I don't really know how to dance." She looks from Gareth to Missy then smiles and says, "I hope you two will excuse me, I need to dispose of these boxes." She gives Gareth a warning glare then says to Missy, "I'll be right back." This last comment is almost a promise of protection, oddly enough. Boxes in tow she pushes past the beaded curtain into the back of the shop.
Gareth watches Missy clomp about with a lopsided sort of smile. Does she have to do that? He immediately decides that his kids will have a no clomping rule in the future. He nods and gives a little wave to Rayne, trying to look as honest and good natured as possible. "Aye...No need ta worry, unless me parrot suddenly a-ppears!" he jokes and adds a chortle, turning to Missy now, using an overdone happy boisterous voice. "Aye...Mebbe she run in'tah yer daddy'n I kin finally meet'm, S'truth. Bet 'e likes yer sup'ah shoes too."
Missy keeps walking. It is, of course, a known fact for kids all over, that as long as they keep making noise, their caretakers will know where they are, and that they're still alive. This is why kids sometimes go completely silent, just to keep them on their toes. She eyes Gareth steadily through out, even if she has to crane her neck, and turn her head quickly each time she makes a pivot away from him. "Why do you want to meet Daddy?" she finally demands, curiosity getting the better of her.
Rayne pushes back through the curtain and looks to be sure Missy is safe. "I trust you two got along while I was gone?" she asks and smiles at the two. "Missy, Gareth is waiting to see your daddy. Is he going to be around today?" She gives Gareth a sidelong glance to see how he'll react to her giving away his purpose to Missy.
Gareth just keeps on smiling. Pleasant guy. Good natured fellow. He nods at Rayne's comment. "Aye...S'truth. I want ta talkie-talkie with him a-boot that thing yew mentioned." He scratches at his temple and appears to be thinking. "Sumpthin a-boot tha No-space nuthin-space'n yer daddies peep-le save'n peep'le'r sumpthin...gots'tah make sure I be on tha boat, S'truth. An 'e sounds like a wise bloke."
Missy suddenly looks solemn and even a bit sly. That crafty look doesn't look so nice on her small, big-eyed child's face. Turning to Gareth, she nods carefully, and also looks rather friendly now. "Yah. Daddy's a really wise-bloke. He's going to be around tonight.. at midnight. Come back here at midnight, Mister Pirate," she says with a smile.
Rayne shudders at the very mention of coming back at midnight. She places a shaky hand on the table where Gareth is and says lightly, "Unless you're busy, Gareth. I'm sure you're probably busy. Besides, you don't want to bother the poor man. He's got a lot to do."
Finally. The little brat is being a bit more helpful. He clasps his hands together and rubs them vigorously. He turns towards Rayne. "Naw naw, I be rally inter-ested in see'n tha wise bloke soon soon, S'truth. Midnight sounds bloody gud. I be a-vailable'n stoof. I dunna need ta talkie-talkie with'm long. Just chit-chat'n questions. Thank-yew wee litt'le ain-jal." The latter is said to Missy in a mewing voice.
Rayne screws up her face in a look of utter frustration. "It might not be safe, Gareth," she pleads. This isn't the nicest of neighborhoods, you know." To Missy, she says, "Are you SURE your dad won't be busy? I think he might be. He won't want to be bothered by this silly old guy, will he?"
Missy lets out a small eerie giggle at being called an ain-jal. "Welcome," she replies in an ain-jal tone, and sticks her hands behind her back. "Remember it hasta be midnight. Come right at midnight. Then you can come in and talkie-whachamacallit with Daddy." At Rayne's veiled attempts at dissuading Gareth's enthusiasm, the little D-Bee turns to her, clomps over closer, and smiles a secret smile. "I think Daddy would want to meet a pirate. He's got a talking parrot and a flying ship and treasure," she tries to whisper, but it still manages to pervade the room in a sort of stagey manner.
Gareth waves away such concerns with his hands, making little flapping motions in the air. Femmes, they can get so nagging and irritating sometimes. "I live inn'ah 'orrible 'ood. I be'ah big bloke'n kin take care'ah meself." At last, he has the little girl in the palm of his hand. They aren't hard to fool at all, he thinks to himself with a certain sense of satisfaction. Just be nice and they'll tell you everything you need to know. "Aye aye, I bet 'e would. I tell'm a-boot me pi-rate ship'n polly'n all me glitter'n credits, S'truth. Midnight be'ah gud gud time fer pi-rates. Tha's when we bury our treas-ah!" He chortles with mirth.
Rayne scowls and throws her hands up in the air, giving up completely. She mutters only half under her breath, "I won't be surprised if he silences that parrot of yours permanantly." Rayne returns to "arranging" the cluttered shelves, without much effect.
"I think I would like a talking parrot," Missy states meaningfully, then turns to beam back at Gareth, all sunshine and lollipops. "Do you really bury treasure at midnight?" she demands, only a little skeptical. "How much treasure, a lot of treasure? Missus Rainbow doesn't bury treasure, she gives it to the poor hungry people," she announces further.
Gareth chuckles and squints, raising himself out of the chair and relieving it of almost all 500 pounds of him. Towering over the little girl, he feels his superiority rise even further. It's the simple things in life that make it worthwhile. He smiles at Missy. "We Pi-rates dew all sorts'ah things when tha clock say it be mid-night, S'truth." He then turns to regard Rayne. "Aye...Tha's roight. Miss Rain-boo not be'ah pi-rate an dew gud gud things fer poor poor peep-le. Tha's a gud thing fer 'er ta dew...Mebbe if'n she 'as tha time'n 'er 'ands...I could off'ah 'er a gener'oos donation? It would 'ave'tah af'tah she lets me treat'r ta sum dinn'ah, S'truth." He winks and adds an ~arrr!~
This time it can't be helped. The nervous little mouse of a woman manages to knock some small glass box off of the shelf she's arranging and it crashes to the floor. Rayne hurriedly rushes over to pick up the glass, a deep red filling her cheeks. Poor Rayne refrains from responding to Gareth's comments, focusing instead on the mess she's made.
Missy wrinkles her nose up at the thought of her beloved Missus Rainbow and this... this... big bad man... being romantic together in any way, shape, or form. She says sternly, like a little chaperone, "Missus Rainbow already gots -tons- of boyfriends who take her to -tons- of dinners." Hmph. So there.
Gareth looks over with some worry towards where the sound came from. A smile creeps onto his face and starts to tug up the corners of his mouth again. Is she blushing? It's difficult to tell from this angle. Heat in the cheeks only mean one thing to this type of guy. Still got it G-man. His ego soars. Missy's comments cannot sway him from the absolute stunning charm he possesses, or so he thinks. "Aye...but dew they gots me gentle-manly charm'n gener'oosity? 'Course not! B'sides, I be rally rally polite'n foll'oo et-ee-kit to tah lett'ah. I be a prop'ah bloke with gud gud mann'ahs. Upp'ah class, S'truth." He calls over to her like a construction worker on break. "Aye! Whut yew say Miss Rainboo? A pretty femme like yew d'serves sum fun'n gud food. We kin talkie-talkie a-boot 'elp'n yer char-ity."
Rayne looks up from the shards of broken glass and says through gritted teeth, "I am /married/ Mister Vaughn. And I don't talkie-talkie at midnight. With anyone."
Missy cannot help but look perplexed at Rayne's claims. The woman has said as much before about being married, but... this marriage thing seems like such a lonely state. She looks quietly at the harried Rayne for a few moments, then turns and gallops over towards Gareth's position. Clomp-clomp-a-clomp. "Have you gots maps to find your treasure, Mister Pirate? You should bring those at midnight, too! And bring your talking parrot? Daddy will like that." She nods earnestly.
Gareth raises his eyebrows way, way up on his forehead in surprise and shock. That's a no to his offer. This is a most unsettling fact. The married part doesn't seem to enter into the equation. He resists the urge to ask if everything is panning out in the relationship, and says instead, "Aye...I see." Hey, that damned little ragamuffin said she had lots of boyfriends didn't she? Maybe Rayne is playing hard to get. "Well, tha be'ah shame tha this keeps yew from'ah friend'lah...innew-cent dinn'ah, S'truth. 'Cause I was still rally, rally inter-ested in this char-ity'n stoof. It be tha most import'nt thing isn't it? 'Course it is." He nods and somehow manages to maintain a serious expression. To Missy he struggles to maintain his current disposition when she approaches. "Aye aye, I bring tha maps...An polly. If tha whut it takes ta git a word'r two with yer daddy." It's turning out like a sitcome episode now. He only have a day to find a talking parrot, a map to buried treasure and show up at exactly midnight.
Rayne manages to gather up the broken pieces of glass in her hand and dispose of them in a nearby trash bin. She dusts her hands off and closes her eyes taking a big breath before appologizing to Gareth. "I'm sorry, Gareth," she starts, resuming the first-name-basis thing again, "I guess I'm just a little testy. All this mention of yours of dreams and talking to -" she glances at Missy and hesistates, "Well, I guess I just think some things are meant to be left alone. But you are right, the charity comes first and any donations you'd like to make would be appreciated. Especially donations of time. I wouldn't mind having some help moving around some of the bigger sacks of food and such, if you have the time at some point." Aaah... poor Gareth. He's going to get suckered into being a nice guy whether he likes it or not.
Missy beams up at Gareth, little greedy notions scampering their way across her big-eyed expression. Allll is going according to plan. When Rayne begins speaking civilly again, Missy takes that moment to step out of her mud clogs, pick them up carefully, and take them into the back room. She swishes through the beaded curtains and heads towards her own little area of shelves.
Hard labor? Good lord, charity should be done by those that are feeling charitable. The gears of his mind creak and wind about as he considers this. Sounds like a lot more work than shoveling food down his mouth. He rubs his chin in a thoughful looking gesture. "Aye...Y'know? Tha sounds like a bloody fine thing fer me ta dew, S'truth. I should dew more char-itable works. Tha sounds like sumpthin roight 'oop me alley. We should discuss times when I be able ta 'elp 'oot ov'ah dinn'ah or lunch...or breakfast! S'truth." He adds with hearty gusto. "I be'ah busy, busy bloke'n stoof so I should talkie-talkie with yew a-boot a-pro-priate times." He winks. "But on'lah when yew gots'um free time yerself. Yew must be busy...but me don-ation 'o creds could off-set yer own don-ation 'o time...Yew could aff-ord take'n a meal with no prublems...or coff-ee! S'truth." He nods and places his hands on his hips.
Rayne smiles knowingly. Yep... threaten a man with hard labor and he's sure to bug off... well, at least a little. "That sounds great, Gareth. Just great." She glances over at the curtain then takes a step closer to Gareth, "Y'know... you really ought to be careful what you tell that little girl," she whispers. "It isn't fair to promise her that which you cannot deliver."
Missy can be heard in the back room, singing a little ditty she learned from the Happy Zany Purple Frog show."When you're afraid of nothing, there's nothing to be afraid of,
if there's nothing to be afraid of, why choose to be afraid?
Until it's really something, you hafta believe it's nothing,
an' with nothing to be afraid of, who's afraid?"Gareth for a moment has no idea what she is talking about, a blank look evident on his face for a few seconds. After this time has elapsed he clues in and suddenly blurts out, "Oh!" and immediately tries to gobble up the voiced exclamation from the air and hushes down. Can't deliver? The nerve! He'll show them. "Aye...I said I would bring'ah bloody bird...an...I'll bring'ah bird. An a map, S'truth. 'Ow 'ard izz't ta draw'ah map?" he says defensively. Damn it all, he's going to have to draw a map. Maybe he can get Greeny Joe to stuff a pigeon for him and glue it to his shoulder.
The creases across her brow show sure signs that Rayne doubts Gareth's ability to deliver, but she doesn't bother to voice her doubts. Instead she calls out, "I'm going to the soup kitchen, Missy. I'll be back later this afternoon." and then to Gareth she says, "Take care of yourself. Be very careful tonight." Without any more explaination, she turns away and heads to the front door of the shop.
"Ohhh-kaaay!" Missy calls back, cheerily. She's resumed clomping around with the shoes again. Must have realized that she needs something to get back to school in, in order to get her real shoes.
Gareth gives a small wave and slight nod to Rayne as she makes her way towards the front door. A bit of an overly-cautious woman. But what a nummy looking overly-cautious woman. He checks out her form the whole time with one beady eye. Ye gods, now that kid has the clod-hoppers on again. He prepares to leave himself. "Aye aye, we git t'geth'ah in tha future'n talkie-talkie a-boot stoof, S'truth."
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