Summary:Old Friends meet and trade gifts. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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The Store is the kind of place that almost anything can happen- but, most of the time it was fairly empty. Existing at the end of an alley that's only entrance is another alley it doesn't see any foot traffic. YOu have to be lost or know where you're going to find The Store.
As such, many times are very quiet. Today, music plays on the hi-fi and the 'owner' sits lounged near an electronic fireplace. She's thumbing through a thirty year old issue of the Times. "Hrm. Wonder why I kept this…" she takes a slow breath- a memory of breathing, before turning the page. She doesn't seem in any hurry to get rid of it even now.
Of course, Eve happesn to know the store as she happens to know Dead Girl. From time to time, their paths have crossed over te decades since her creation and she's cheerfully passing through the door, a black plastic garbage bag over her shoulder. She seems in a good enough mood for the moment. In truth, she's calling out to her as soon as she's here.
"Hey," she says. So formal. Much emotion.
"Yo!" Dead Girl replies with equal familiarity. "Come to do your laundry or something? What's with the bag? Add to the collection?" Dead Girl did take donations. "Or just head for a chow, food's in the fridge. Take whatever you want. Except the pie I'm saving for Peter. I'm in a low-key old-lady pie war with his Aunt. IT's the only kind of war I support, to be honest."
Clearly, Eve has no idea who Dead Girl is talking about if the quizzical look that passes across her face is any indication. "Right," she adds. "Yeah, I was thrift shopping for outfits and I found some things that I figured'd belong better here, so thre you have it." She shakes the bag in Dead Girl's direction.
"And save the food for people who actually need to eat." She doesn't, even if she enjoys it. "So that's what's new with you, huh?" She adds, amusement creeping into her tone as she creeps closer.
"I don't keep up these facilities just so I can't give stuff away, have something to eat." Dead Girl says. "If you like it, it's worth doing. I mean, within reason of course. Eventually you'll finish everything given a long enough time in existence."
Dead Girl hops to her feet, grinning still as she moves towards the counter. "Let's take a look at what you're packing."
"Oi, fine, if you insist," says Eve before tossing the bag At Dead Girl to do that while she goes to fetch food.
In the bag are the fruits of Eve's studious thrift shopping. She's known Dead Girl long enough to know what sort of vintage clothes have a shot at appealing, though there's a number of decent quality articles that might just be nice to give out to someoine else.
Either way, she's getting the pie.
"Ohno, not the chocolate pie! I'll have to bake another one…" Dead Girl doesn't sound particularly bothered, this is token resistance, at best. "Aw, help yourself, I guess." She says, the smile easily heard in her voice as she sets up behind the counter to look at the goods. "How have you been? Don't forget to get some coffee for yourself, too, if you want." as she goes to the glass case she keeps the things she likes to keep an eye on. Items she believes are special, and for 'special' trades or give-aways.
She places something, in a box, on the counter. Prepared to 'trade'.
"…it's CHOCOLATE?" whines Eve. "You can't keep chocolate pie from me!" She is getting coffee, now, too.
"To be honest? Not so great. That's one of the reasons I went all thrift crazy the other day." She returns with the coffee for the moment and a light snack.
..and a piece of pie, of course.
She returns to lean against the counter Dead Girl is at. "I'm not even sure where to start, these days, so I'll just go with saying: things are lousy and feel like they're getting lousier. And I feel like shit complaining to someone who's, you know, actually dead." Then again, in a manner of speaking, so is Eve.
Well, she was. Once. Anyway.
"Oh, you know how it goes." Dead Girl replies, as she slides over a small boxed item towards Eve. A gift is always appropriate between entities. "I think you'll like that one." she notes, "It's a pearl formed from the dust of Mount Vesuvius." she says with a grin, "It was someone's most precious find once!" she exclaims, "It's just chock full of ~h i s t o r y~" She does her best voice of 'This is the coolest shit'. "I think you'll love it!.. Do you?" She wonders quietly, hopeful. "I think it's so cool."
"…aw." Eve looks…
Actually, she looks kind of touched. There's a flash of not-quite-pain across her face but something akin to it. Her eyes even get a little watery. "Thank you. That's…actually pretty great." She does indeed reach out for the box and goes to have herself a look at the Pearl of Mount Vesvius, taking a moment to compose herself.
"Thank you," she repeats, her ver voice cracking a notch. "Look at me, getting all emotioinal. It's just been a while." A ghost of a smile, there as she keeps looking down. "I got pulled over by a WAND agent just for driving through an area because I was 'unsettling the spirits', apparently."
"Yeah, I mean that's sort of my thing so I think they let it pass in my case. It's nice to know they're not out to get you just because you're otherworldly." Dead Girl offers, although she'd done quite a bit of goodwill work here in New York City, even if most weren't really aware of it.
"Anyways, I'm glad you like it. You should come and visit more, always out wandering. Put down roots! It's the best thing I ever did." Dead Girl says with a quiet smile. "But, I guess I'll pull up wander again shortly. I mean, you can only spend a century or two in a place, maybe… Maybe. I've only done what, half a century here? It's still feeling good."
"Ehhh. I spend so much time in my apartment I've practically rooted /to/ it, but that's not really the same thing. I don't know," remarks Eve, dryly. "I mean, I think it was only because he didn't know who I was. The next time I saw him, he probably knew. Some weird shit going on lately with a cult and some deitity named Plokta and missing kids and its all ugh and awful and hits way too close to home. I'm trying to help, in between the various threats to set me on fire and/or expose me to various authorities that mostly already know who I am /anyway/." She propss her chin up on her hands as sits down.
"/Only/ half a century. Shit, you've gotten the hang of the whole unagin thing better than I have, that's for sure. I talked to a lady last night who said she was centuries old, said she was Asgardian. Think she was telling the truth. She was dealing with it all pretty well, too, though she seemed kinda drunk. I don't know. It just feels kinda empty sometimes." GOTH. SO GOTH! STOP BEING SO GOTH EVE.
"Eh, probably helps I was aging at any point." Dead Girl says with a shrug, "You know, freedom from the beast and all that stuff." she continues, "How's the pie?" she wonders over, with a smile. "Since I have to cook another one you should let me know." she notes with that same smile.
Still, that smile fades. "Yeah. I saw that first hand, they sent a necromancer named Doctor Eclipse. He was pretty good, Eve." Dead Girl remarks, "I think he might be a little like me. You know. Part of Death."
"/Like you mind/," answers Eve. She looks down at the pie, raises her acquired fork, and cuts off a small section and proceeds to eat it. Her eyes get very big thereafter. She may not need to eat but that doesn't mean she can not enjoy the taste. As Dead Girl continues to speak, though, her expression sobers as well.
"The pie is, of course, excellent. But on the other hand, the rest of what you have to say is pretty shitty sounding. I'm always worried about getting too involved in this stuff but I can't ignore it either."
"I have literally never had that problem." Dead Girl says. "Look, if you're going to live forever you need to do yourself the favor and not ignore the world. We're a part of the world, and things will always be changing. We have to at least be familiar with it- I mean, shit! Have you heard the music kids are listening to these days?! It's FANTASTIC!"
"It is! Have you heard Superorganism yet? They're pretty great," adds Eve.
"I know. I get what you're saying and I try. I really do." She puts an elbow on the counter. "I just worry about all the things that I shouldn't necessarily worry about but do anyway because, welp, that's how I roll." She picks a tiny piece of chocolate up. "And if you tell me I'm being silly, I am going to put this on your nose."
Dead Girl just grins, "Okay- so the stuff you brought, come on." she says, "It's an exchange, remember?" she teases with a little smile. Friendly still. "I'll put them on my list." Dead Girl notes of Superorganism. "Do they have any LPs?? I love the vinyl."
"Nooo, they don't," says Eve. "They're on the youtubes, though." She produces her smart phone to proceeds to bring up a video. Ah, the youtubes. Then she nods towards the bag and proceeds to root around in it. "There's this really cool dress in here that I thought you'd look smashing in." She uses smashing. It feels appropriate here. Even if she's dead.
"Oh!" Dead Girl pauses to look at the screen, pulling out a magnifying glass to enhance the image. "Hrmm." she says, watching closely. "Oh! Such a nice screen. Is it one of those mePhones?" she asks again, still curious as she reaches for the Alt-in and offers it to Eve to take the wheel as to The Store's music. A rare honor indeed.
"It isssss," says Eve. "I could get you one if you wanted or just let you have this one." Eve, it should be known to Dead Girl by now, has Money on account of not actually having any needs. She spends it on frivolous things like buying a dead hippy a MePhone.
She beams at her a moment when she's offered this indeed rare honor to allow it to indeed play in the store, but once this is done, she's producing a classy black dress, the bottom half of which is an array of multi-colored polka dots because /why not/. Look! Color! "It doesn't even look like anyone's worn it in ever and it's fifty years old from what I can tell." One of those rare, decent finds.
"Oh. I don't want to be tied down on a phone with all that extra stuff. I've got the best phone for me." Dead Girl pulls out an old Nokia. "It takes calls and does texts. It even has a nice little rigly-rangly tone that I really like. It's got all those futuristic boops and beeps that we thought everything would have in the future and I just love it." she beams bright, "You are so sweet, though. Thanks, Eve~"
"That's /adorable/," says Eve.
The dress is laid across the table. "I hope you don't hate it," she adds, sincerely. "I can never be sure what's gonna tickle your fancy and I'm terrible at gifts. It's amazing how much those little things have changed, huh? The phones, I mean." She looks down at her newer one. Really newer. "I keep feeling like I'm gonna drop the thing and it'll shatter."
"I think I threw mine at a dude once and it sort of didn't fall apart. It broke, but someone fixed it for me better than new!" Dead Girl says with a beaming smile as she lifts the dress, "Oooh." she looks closely at the thing, "This is very nice. I really like it.." She looks at it curious… "Oh, super nice. Does this have pockets?!"
"You know, given the era, I'd assumed not. I didn't think to check," admits Eve. She seems pleased, however, at the other entity's pleasure in it thus far. She was anxious about that oine. She has anothet tiny piece of chocolate in the meantime. Then: "You threw it at someoine?"
"Yeah, I threw it at a bunch of people!" Dead Girl offers, "That's probably what did it in." She admits, "I mean, everyone kept calling it a brick, so I figured it was a brick. I wasn't exactly right or wrong." Dead Girl notes as she checks for pockets.
No Pockets.
"I love it! I can put pockets of my own on it, it'll be amazing." she says with a wide grin. "It'll take me a while to find the right material! That is good!" She continues, excited at a new project. The unsleeping need something to do when. Dead Girl fully believes this, Eve is undoubtedly aware. "It'll be fantastic! Ooh, this is the best Eve, I love a new project dress- wait until I'm done with it, I'll be the best looking corpse this side of Broadway!"
Eve bursts out laughing at the Tale Of The Brick before letting her continue the Search For Pockets. She gives her a sympatehtic look when it turns out to be a futile one.
The rest of it gets a big old smile from her in turn, though, "That'll be great. I'm pleased you like it." She reaches over, aiming to actually touch the corpse's hand. "Hey. I really appreciate it. I know I can be like… a drag sometimes, and I know working together makes us grate from time to time, but you know, you've been pretty dang nice to me." And nice in general!
Dead Girl smiles over to Eve, "You're fine. You are who you are, and that's okay. I love my friends for being who they are, its a very selfish thing to expect anything else, I think." she notes as she puts the dress to the side. "You should come and hang out more often. You'll see more people." she notes, "And everyone is welcome here so the people you'll see are fantastic."
"I don't know," mumbles Eve. "I don't do so well when I get into interacting with too many people. It starts to grate. I mean, I like you and I /can't/ sense you. You're kind of invisible to me that way and it feels nice." She's probably not making a whole lot of sense at this point. "And I don't want to eat you. That's a plus." A wry smile across her face.
"I understand." Dead Girl says with a nod. "I get that with the ghosts." Seeing ghosts- all the time- being sought by them. Dead Girl tunes them out.
"There usually aren't that many people around, but you should meet Peter. His aunt is a sweet lady- that's who's pie you're eating." A playful jab, really. "But I gave him a bunch of inbox vintage video game systems for helping me with the solar in the garden, and she's like really undervaluing his work. All good, in the end, more time with a kid like that is always good. They're always in need of something, kids like him- ones with big ideas, big *good* ideas… I figure he can hang out here and build to his heart's content. Eve, he's seriously a cool kid."
"Sounds like a cool kid," agrees Eve. "And exactly the kind of person you'd keep around here." She manages a small smile, letting her very blue hair fall in front of her eyes. She's had that color as long as she's known her, actually.
"Maybe I'll meet him sometime. It's pretty cool, you know, what you do around here and in the neighborhood. I just spend my money on stupid video games… but they do keep me distracted."
"I hope so. I think I can help him a little. He's got this loss to him. And his Aunt, she's what I always imagined I'd be. Sweet old lady." Dead Girl shakes her head a bit, "I feel like I'm missing out still looking mostly the same as when I was alive." Dead Girl remarks, "I could be robbin' the cradle as a sexy old woman, Eve. I could out cougar all of them." Dead Girl says with a bit of pride.
"Oh, I'm sure!" Eve agrees. "I think we're both doomed to immortality /and/ lack of sexy times," she adds. "You're, you know… /dead/. And I might accidentally eat someone I get intimate with." Her tone is dry here. "You'd do amazing, sweetie." Solemn nod. She might be teasing her,.
"I *would*. I know all the tricks." Dead Girl says, "I'm from the free love generation, remember?" she asks, "These boys don't know what would hit them. I'd have a *rep*. I'm the hunter, Eve! Look at me." Dead Girl says with a grin, standing up and cocking a hip. "I'm the hunter. I do the hunting." she says with a grin, "Anyways, a little eating isn't bad for you. You should enjoy it."
"More like free love penetration," mutters Eve, sarcastically, under her breath.
"Yes, yes. Very impressive. I do eat, you know!" She nods towards the pie. "Oh. You meant… no, no. Not like that! That kind of eating is bad. I mean, I'd, you know. Actually consume them and it's bad. Usually, I wind up doing that to the monsters to get rid of the evidence. Sometimes." She grimaces. "It's not really pleasent and I sometimes worry that I'd.. you know. Just slip. Especially if I was, uh.. You know." She gesticulates vaugely.
"Penetration isn't a dirty word, Eve!" Dead Girl says with a little grin, "You can be sex positive, that's what they call it these days you know." she says with a nod of her head, "I'm really glad to see the movement evolving, you know? It's different, I think, to watch it like I am now. I mean, all my friends from the old days are old now. A lot of them are dying. And, I mean, I'm okay with that… it's not the end, so I know that. And I mean, I could call them up to talk any time I want, but once you're gone.. you're gone. I gotta remember that one stage of life can't really connect to the other perfectly.
"I know, I know. I'm fine with everyone /else/ doing what they wanna do when they wanna do it with whoever they wanna do it with, you know? Really. I find myself a little out of step with the modern lingo from time to time, but you know, staying on the internt helps with that. Keeps me current, even if I have to deal with like whoa levels of people coming on to me." A sympathetic look crosses her face. "I can't even…" She cuts herself off. "It must be reassuring in some ways. To know, that is, and to know you're sort of here as a reminder of that to others to be less afraid. I mean, it won't /always/ help but…"
"Well, there are a lot of peoples like us who just can't fit in easily, you know? I can kind of bridge the gap, I guess that's how I see it." she shrugs, "Anyways, I lived in NYC before I died, I should have the right to continue existing here the same as anyone else! Just because I stopped biological function doesn't mean my rights cease, right?"
"Right! We odditities and entities ought to be able to stick together and what not." Eve leans over and extends her closed fist towards Eve. FISTBUMP TIME.
"Protect our rights. We need an association. We could call it, I dunno. POE. Protection of Entities?" She would pick Poe. Of COURSE she would.
"I think that name might get us sued. I'm sure there's someone who's got rights to POE." Dead Girl notes, "Anyways, how are we going to file it? I mean, I'm dead, they don't accept stuff from Dead People- which, I recognize is part of the problem, but we have to fight from within society to affect better change, you know. Peaceful like."
"I'm not dead but I'm pretty sure the government won't recognize me as human either, even if I look it." Eve sprouts a couple vines from her wrist, trickles of blood running down from where they forced their way through her flesh. One reaches over, slowly, to pat Dead Girl on the top of her head. Really.
"And you're right about the rights. Both fo them."
"Well, that's the way we have to move forward. Peaceful like. I mean, if we show our power they'll get really uncomfortable, and get scared. I mean, showing people all that death stuff will not go well." she says quietly with a shake of her head. "I mean, the living fear death- and that's good. It keeps them alive."
Eve snaps the vine off and holds it in her hand, allowing it change in her grasp into a simple, stemmed rose. Yes, she can do that. She holds it out to her.
"You're right, of course," she agrees.