OTA

[pecked_by_birds]

When he'd first returned to London, Prometheus had found himself back at his old studio. It was nothing special, a narrow building wedged between a high street shop and a bakery. The second floor served as a modest apartment, but the ground floor had, at one point, been a small shop. ...A shop the titan had ignored until today.

Old paintings hung from the walls, trinkets and treasures lined the shelves... There were crates of books- Vintage by now, and the case by the counter held everything from women's compacts to queer amulets. Things the titan had gathered and created over the years. ...Things he was ready to let go of.

He'd spent the night dusting and sweeping, washing windows and tidying away the mess. This morning he'd opened the shutters for the first time in ages, allowing the sunlight to pour in as he flipped the sign to open, and sank into a comfortable leather chair near the ancient looking register.

An old boom box sat on the counter, filling the shop with sound as the titan flipped open his old sketchbook and picked up where he'd left off years and years ago.

Comments

[miss_ives]

Vanessa did not know what it was about the shop that drew her inside, but she was not one to ignore her instincts. She took a few steps in, and paused as she looked over the shop, apparently not noticing the youth in an armchair. She then walked over to the nearest crate of books, sharp gaze reading titles and authors on their spines, fingers curling slightly at her side as if eager to touch.

[pecked_by_birds]

"Can have a look if you want," the titan said, briefly glancing up from his sketchbook, then turning to the next page to start something fresh.

"Haven't had time to make space for them yet- They mightn't even survive leaving the crate, they've been in it so long."

[miss_ives]

"Oh, they'll be fine," Vanessa stated, turning her head to look at the youth sprawled in the chair. There was something about him, but what. "They're not quite that old."

Unless, of course, they had been badly mistreated, but she hoped not. She carefully picked one up, handling it with care, and opened it to the first page.

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan only shrugged, a faint smile on his lips.

"No, not that old- eighteen hundreds, most of them."

[miss_ives]

"They're in remarkably good condition, actually," Vanessa stated, cautiously turning the pages of the one she held. "How did you come by them?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"Mmm, I bought them- Though I can't remember where," the titan said, looking thoughtful. "From an estate sale, perhaps? That sounds right..."

Yes, he had a vague memory of a widow selling her husband's things in order to keep her home. A vile stench hanging in the air as horses clopped past them on the street...

[miss_ives]

"A very good purchase," Vanessa complimented him, putting the book down to pick up the next.

[offthebeatenpath]

Em didn't know how many times she'd passed down this street, but she'd never noticed the shop before, closed or otherwise. But today books and curios and all kinds of interesting things showed through the windows, and the open sign welcomed her. She drifted through the shop, not looking at or for anything particular, taking in the shop almost the way she would her cards, observing the whole while open to whatever specific items drew her attention.

[pecked_by_birds]

"Everything's on sale today- Grand opening and all that," the titan said, glancing up from his sketch book to offer a faint and crooked smile.

[offthebeatenpath]

At the sound of his voice, Em turned to look over her shoulder, her face partially hidden by the fall of her hair. "I'm just looking for now." Just looking, because she couldn't spend money the way she'd been able to between turning twenty-one and ending up here, but for now, because she was open to the possibility of finding something she couldn't resist, and it sounded better.

Bending to better read titles on book spines, a hand almost but not quite skimming over shelves, she let her path wind toward the... clerk?... owner? She'd seen the sketch book and was curious about that too. "Do you mind if I peek?" she asked, pointing toward the drawing before she could see what he was working on. Sometimes she didn't want to share works in progress, and she knew some people were more adamant about that.

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan raised a brow, pulling the book to his chest- Then smiled faintly as he nodded and moved so she could see.

The sketch of an old street in a forgotten part of London was unfinished, but showed the skill of someone who'd had plenty of time to practice and fine tune their skills- And the style of the sketch was very similar to the paintings that hung on the shop walls.

[offthebeatenpath]

The first thing Em noticed was that he was good. The second, that his style seemed familiar. She looked again at one of the shop's paintings. Yep. There were several possibilities to explain the similarities: copying the style to improve his own technique, artificially aging paintings either for the effect or as a scam, or... in a world with vampires and mutants and who knew what else, maybe he'd simply been painting for centuries.

"It's going to be good once it's done," she began, then gestured toward some of the paintings. "Are these yours too?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"Most of them, yes. Not the fine example of Rococo fluff in the corner mind- That was a gift," the titan replied with a nod and a grin.

[jadedjade]

Jade loved pretty things. She was naturally drawn to the small shop and couldn't resist entering. Putting her white hair behind her ear, and extinguishing her cigarette, she walked in moments later to inhale the smell of pretty and old stuff.

A smile appeared on her face as she browsed. She had no knowledge that she had met the owner before - she'd only once met a pretty woman in a club and she'd been in her male form at the time.

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan noticed her the moment she came in- Her energy familiar, even if her face was not.

"Can I help you, dove?" he asked.

[jadedjade]

'Dove' really wasn't that often used, but it wasn't so rare that it sparked any sort of memory in Jade.

"I don't know. I'm not looking for anything in particular, but I'm always on the lookout for new interesting things for my hotel. I just love browsing."

2015-10-10 17:18 GMT+02:00 pecked_by_birds - DW Comment < dw_null@dreamwidth.org>:

[pecked_by_birds]

"Well, it's your lucky day then- Grand opening and all, so everything's on sale. ...Anything catch your eye?" the titan asked.

[jadedjade]

Jade looked around. "Hmm... Got anything that would suit a bridal suite?" Because that was the neatest way she had to describe her hotel.

[pecked_by_birds]

"I wouldn't know, décor isn't one of my talents, dove." the titan said honestly. "What sorts of things do you need for such a place?"

[harrowgate]

Felix didn't recall an antique or curiosity shop in this location, but even he admitted that he wasn't always certain which street he was on when not using his mobile's GPS. The promise of old books drew in the wizard even more certainly than a moth flies toward a flame, and he stepped inside. His immediate reward was the dusty scent of old paper and binding, and Felix smiled. He nearly didn't notice the proprietor seated nearby until he'd almost walked past him, on his way toward the book crates.

"Oh. Good morning," the wizard greeted, polite but distracted.

[pecked_by_birds]

"Same to you, dove," Prometheus replied, offering a nod as he studied the man. "Everything's on sale today- Grand opening and all."

[harrowgate]

"Ah, I wondered how I had missed seeing this here before," Felix observed with a pleased nod. He found the books unerringly, his attention coursing over them with avaricious delight. "This is quite an eclectic collection," he added, tilting his head to examine the titles. The books looked like they had been in the crates for a very long time, and might not appreciate his touch.

[pecked_by_birds]

"They've been packed so long, I hardly remember what's there," The titan admitted, putting his sketchbook down and making his way over.

"Might be best to remove the crate from them- Rather than them from the crate," he decided, placing his foot on one side of the crate and gently tugging on the front until a nail came loose. As the crate fell apart, the titan easily caught the books and gingerly laid them out on their side.

"Still fragile, but at least accessible now."

[harrowgate]

Felix watched this, to him, rather impressive display of strength with interest. How accommodating this young shopkeeper proved to be. "Aren't you ingenious?" he nearly purred, favoring the fellow with one of his prettiest smiles. "If all your customers earn this the level of service, you should do very well indeed."

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan only shrugged, not really charmed by the idea of success or wealth. Those things had never appealed to him.

"I just need to move some of this stock to make room for my paintings and sculptures," he admitted. "I'd have given it all away, but there are some items here that aren't meant for the wilds of a thrift shop."

Things that belonged in specific hands- Things that were too dangerous to leave with the wrong person.