Logs:Picky

Picky
Dramatis Personae Charlie, Desi, Lucien
In Absentia	2019-05-17 "That tale is different for everyone."
Location NYC - Three Lives & Company - Greenwich Village
A tiny bookstore nestled at the corner of Tenth and Waverly, this snug spot has been a beloved neighborhood staple for decades, doggedly hanging on despite Greenwich's skyrocketing rents. Inside it is cosy, floor to ceiling shelves crammed with a well-organized and lovingly curated selection of books, a few chairs tucked into the corners of the stacks to encourage patrons to /linger/ with them. The owner and few employees who work here are welcoming, with a keen memory for their regulars' reading habits, always ready with recommendations or passionate opinions on their favourites. Mid-afternoon on a Friday and it's quiet in here -- at the front counter a young college-aged woman is reading a copy of Min Jin Lee's /Pachinko/ while petting a fat marmalade tabby who has recently wandered in from outside. A tiny grey-haired woman stands perusing the table of current Staff Selections near the front. Further back in the store, a tall man with midnight-black hair has taken up residence in the nonfiction section. Leaning up with one shoulder resting against the shelves and brow slightly furrowed, he is holding a copy of Richard Rothstein's /The Color of Law/ -- which has evidently been distracting him for some time, judging by how far along he's gotten. His clothes are elegantly tailored -- neat grey suit, neat grey vest, impeccably tied tie -- and there's a thermos that he's apparently forgotten about, tucked beneath one arm. A willowy young woman has been circling the staff picks table slowly, perusing the volumes on offer there with patient attentiveness. She currently has in her hands Paula Brackson's /The Silver Witch/, and perhaps has decided this is the one she wants to go home with, because she's peeled away from her orbit to drift in Lucien's general direction She's wearing a long, dusty rose vintage skirt with wavy, ruffled hems and an off-white peasant blouse whose elegant bell sleeves would be the bane of any actual peasant's life, gathered prettily but not all that practically at the elbows with pink satin ribbons. She wears a raw rose quartz crystal wrapped in silver wire on a black cord around her neck; her brown hair hangs loose, falling curtain-like across her face on one side and pinned just above with a childish looking purple butterfly snap clip on the other. There's more weary uncertainty to her movement than can be accounted for by absorption in the book alone, and she looks in no small risk of colliding with other patrons. Charlie visited the bookstore frequently, flipping through every new book she found and diving in to every story she could. Of course - she was a picky reader, not often finding things she liked but still taking a moment to peek into every story there was. She wore a simple white blouse and a long dark grey cardigan, and a simple pair of slightly torn dark blue skinny jeans. Her fingertips grazed over every book as she strode past the large shelf, eyeing anything that seemed at least a /tiny/ bit interesting to her. After a moment, she quickly turns to head to another part of the bookstore - but bumps into another patron unexpectedly. She huffed, taking a step back and glancing at the other with an unreadable expression. "Sorry - didn't see you there." The sound of actual speaking breaking into the bookstore stillness draws Lucien's gaze up from his book for the first time in a while. His brilliant green eyes flick to Desi, first, and then to Charlie; a very small tug pulls at one corner of his mouth before his expression shifts back into a calm neutrality. He folds the book closed, one forefinger held in the pages to keep his place. He lets the thermos slip down from the crook of his elbow into his hand, stepping forward to reach out. Tap Desi lightly on the elbow with the thermos, holding it out to her. "{You seem as though you could use this.}" This is spoken in quiet French, before he switches to (a softly francophone-accented) English with a small inclination of his head to Charlie: "Forgive her, it is very --" His lips quirk, just slightly. "Friday." Desi flinches, her shoulders hunching as though she expects some retaliation for her clumsiness. But it's ever so brief, dissolving smoothly into demure embarrassment. Up close, even her meticulous makeup cannot fully disguise the physical evidence of sleep deprivation. "Oh, no, I was distracted--and I do apologize." She holds the book against her side, accepts the thermos from Lucien with a rueful smile and a quiet "Merci", and takes a grateful sip from it. There's no obvious physical similarity between the two other than the identical shade of their vivid green eyes, but something between the understated deliberation of their body language and the casual familiarity of their interaction bespeaks definite kinship. "Do you live around here, miss? I'm sure that I've seen you out and about." She glances at the male who stepped towards them both, keeping her gaze on him for just a moment before turning her gaze back towards Desi. She dusts herself off, letting one of her hands rest in her cardigan pocket. "You're fine - it was an accident." She murmured, raising her free hand somewhat. "And I do, I usually come here during my free time however. Not as much as I'd like to, but I still do try. I don't think I've seen you around before - or you." She glanced over at Lucien, gaze soon shifting back to the other female. Lucien folds his arms loosely over his chest, his book held against his vest. "We only live down the street, but I keep a -- somewhat erratic schedule. I stop in quite regularly. More than I ought, perhaps, but --" His eyes drift up, around the nearby shelving. "It does not hurt to have some indulgences in life." He looks down to the book in Desi's hand. Up to Charlie, a polite smile touching his lips. "Has anything caught your interest?" "It's /such/ a lovely little shop, but I rarely manage to get over here while they're open anymore, between school and work and what-not." Desi's head dips slightly. "I haven't quite developed my brother's time management skills." She indicates Lucien with the thermos and a sidelong smile. "/Yet./" She glanced at the two of them with a somewhat wavering grin, her interest in them seeming to only grow as the two spoke. "I haven't quite found anything yet - I'm usually quite picky when it comes to choosing books. It does take awhile before I find anything that's quite my taste or style - what about you two?" "Mmm." Lucien's gaze flicks sidelong back to his sister as well, his lips briefly compressing. He tips his head back down, fingers tapping lightly against the cover of the book in his hands. "I'm quite the opposite; I rarely leave here empty-handed. I have rather a difficulty narrowing /down/ what to bring home for myself or my siblings." His vivid green eyes settle back on Charlie, brows lifting incrementally. "What is your style? I find the staff immensely helpful by way of recommendations." Desi has popped the lid on the thermos for another gulp of its contents, and is gradually looking more alert. "This is going to be my treat for surviving exams." She holds up /The Silver Witch/. "It seems to be about a woman who's in love with the ghost of an ancient Celtic witch. Or possibly a woman who is the /reincarnation/ of an ancient Celtic witch." Her slender shoulders rise and drop once. "Hard to say. But yes, the staff are all voracious readers, too. They know the struggle, whichever way you lean." She listened to the two intently, giving a small nod with every new detail she soaked in. After a moment, she glanced over to one of the shelves and plucked off a random book - gently flipping through it's pages. "I have an interest in murder mysteries, mysteries in general. Sci-fi, things along those lines - it's always been rather interesting to me, and I feel as though they stick out more than the common tale a book has to tell. But then again - that tale is different for everyone." She smiled, glancing at the two with a soft gaze. Lucien listens to this thoughtfully, tilts his head in a quiet acknowledgment when Charlie has spoken. "I'm afraid I'm quite unsure," he admits with a brief glance to the book Desi holds, with a note of apology in his tone, "what that common tale might be. But, as you say -- it must be different for everyone." He taps again, lightly, at the book in his hands. Then reaches out to pluck /The Silver Witch/ from Desi. "I ought to get these and get home before I find my whole afternoon has been lost in here. Good luck," he offers to Charlie, head inclining somewhat too deep for a nod and too shallow for a /bow/, "I do hope you find something worth your while." And then he is off, slipping away towards the front with his book and Desi's both. Desi takes a long gulp from the thermos and hums thoughtfully. "I am also unsure what would make a tale more than common, save good storytelling. Merci." This last to her brother as she surrenders her chosen book to him. "There's a lot of ground to cover, between mystery and sci-fi! But if you're looking for the intersection of both, I did rather like /Company Town/ by Madeline Ashby. I wish you best of luck in your quest, regardless." She flashes a friendly smile as she moves to follow Lucien. "Perhaps we'll see you around, neighbor!" She waved at the other who merely began to slip away, giving a soft nod and a gentle wave. "Ah - right - I hope I see you both around as well, your company definitely is more than welcome." She flashed the other a gentle smile, "Oh! Wait - would you like my cell?" She paused, keeping her eyes on Desi. Desi freezes mid-turn and blinks. "Oh!" comes at only a slightly delay, her smile returning easily enough. "Certainly." She produces a slender Post-It pad and a purple gel ink pen for Charlie. She glances at the pad, hurrying towards her since she wasn't sure if she was in a rush to go. Quickly, she scribbled down her number with a soft smile. "Keep in touch." She smiled, giving a soft wink as she handed back the pen and pad.