Sixteenth Spool of Thread-[Voice]

[so_shik]

Um...guys? Just a heads-up that All Passions will be temporarily closed for a little while. I'll still take orders and make things, but I won't physically be at the shop for a long time, not until I can be mobile again anyway. Sorry for that.

Buffy, looks like we're going to have to postpone the lake-date for a while, but how about you drop by House #10 for dinner sometime this week to make up for it?

...actually I think it might be okay if anybody who needed something made or just wanted to talk to me can drop by House #10 during the day, so there's that too. Such an inconvenience, sorry again.

Comments

[herotypical]

I think two of his crew are here, but I've only really gotten to know the doctor. He's a good guy, maybe a little standoffish. Very much a doctor, with the doctorly concern and atrocious bedside manner.

[So little regard for personal boundaries, Buffy begins to pick through some of the fabrics, admiring them.]

Have you been working out of here?

[so_shik]

Huh...maybe I'll have to meet him sooner or later. And I should talk to Jim soon too, it's been a while.

Yup! Just little things here and there...nothing big.

[herotypical]

He's nursing a broken arm, thanks to Angelus--Jim, I mean. You two can be broken bone buddies.

[so_shik]

...sounds like a huge mess. Have you talked to him since last week?

[herotypical]

We had a talk, it went...okay. He keeps saying things are fine but I keep freaking out in my head about all the what ifs. What if they're not fine? What if he thinks I'm a crazy person for having once dated a guy who occasionally goes arm-breaky crazy?

[She huffs, leaning back.] Here I am, spilling my guts when clearly you should be the one spilling.

The math guy. Does he know you're living here?

[so_shik]

Buffy you're over-thinking, simple as that. I'm sure Jim doesn't think any of that.

And...probably. Minato pointed out that I sort of just gave away my location.

[herotypical]

Well, my place is just a short walk over the bridge--keep me on wacky journal speed dial and I can be here in a heartbeat if he turns up again. My bite is definitely worse than my bark.

[so_shik]

Most definitely will. You've told me that before, I think I can believe that.

[herotypical]

Good. [Filling the role of protector clearly leads to a happy Buffy.]

Your housemate's ended up in pretty much the perfect place for someone who's got a serious interest in weird things. Did he really summon that big alien thing, earlier?

[so_shik]

He drew a crop circle alien signal thing...and then the alien showed up. How else can it be explained?

[herotypical]

[She deadpans.]

A crop circle. Seriously?

[so_shik]

Yeah something like that. Or at least a giant symbol made from chalk.

[herotypical]

[Buffy experiences a thoughtful pause.]

That's probably good news, you know. So long as it wasn't the Malnosso messing with us--it means that something can get through that barrier.

[so_shik]

Yeah I thought about that...but the stupid alien ruined my shop so then by that point it didn't matter. But you're right...though we sort of already knew that. I mean every month people come in and disappear.

[herotypical]

How is reconstruction going on the shop, by the way?

[so_shik]

Oh it's completely rebuilt, but while I was rebuilding it I sort of realized it was a little too small. I need room to expand and grow, you know? I'm thinking about maybe finding a bigger building.

[herotypical]

Good! Expansion is good news. Well, usually. Starbucks--a spot in my world?--probably could have stopped expanding a few years ago and we'd all be better for it.

Got a bigger building in mind yet?

[so_shik]

The coffee place? We've got one of those in Shibuya over by the station. Weird...

Anyway, I was thinking about maybe asking whoever runs the normal clothing store if they'd be interested in letting me take over, just to combine the two businesses and have a bigger building to work out of. Thoughts?

[herotypical]

[Despite the deep-seated worry over why Starbucks has apparently jumped dimensions--she knew demons had to be behind that devilishly good coffee!--Buffy moves on to less creepy concepts.]

Oh, a merger? My thoughts are that it's a good idea. A great idea. Who runs that, anyway? I remember briefly going in there when I first arrived--Angel took me--but once I had my clothes? I was out of there. You could bring some real class to the place.

[so_shik]

Yeah I've only been over there once or twice too and you know, I don't have a clue who runs it. I'm thinking once I can be up and moving again I'll head over and just ask until I find somebody. It'd benefit everybody really.

[herotypical]

[She chews the side of her lip, considering.]

Hey, Shiki? I don't suppose you could teach me how to sew or whatever? Nothing really tough, but just like buttons and hems and stuff? I never did learn anything like that. If something got torn? It basically got sent to garbageville.

[so_shik]

[blinks a bit, kind of surprised that a.) Buffy never learned and b.) she's asking her to teach her] Sure, I wouldn't mind at all. The basics are pretty easy to pick up so that shouldn't be a problem at all. Plus it'd be useful for you to know if you rip anything while fighting the forces of evil or anything.

[herotypical]

Exactly! I mean, you have no idea how many sweaters I've torn while jumping over headstones. I used to tell my mom that I was just clumsy and kept getting them caught in locker doors--she used to patch them up for me.

[so_shik]

And how long did she believe that story?

[herotypical]

For about two years, actually. It was the first time Angel lost his soul. Well, the first time after the initial turning-into-a-vampire time. I'd made a deal with Spike--who was still evil at the time, by the way--to try and get rid of Angelus because Spike's ego was hurting from not being top baddie, anymore. Spike ran his mouth off in my home, I had to come clean to mom. She...didn't really handle it very well, at first.