Veronica came from the stock room with an armload of boxes so she did not see who had come inside. “Can I help you?� she called from behind the tower of boxes looming in front of her. She carried them carefully over to the counter and set them down. She pushed them further onto the counter balancing them carefully so none would take a tumble. Her mother would kill her if Veronica dropped any of the crystal glasses in the boxes.

Once she was done struggling Veronica turned and saw who was there. “ No…. don’t be sorry,� Veronica said softly. She knew who he was, well she’d never met him but she’d heard the stories. Veronica didn’t like the way he was made fun of. His appearance did intimidate her but still he couldn’t help being who he was.

The boy headed for the exit but Veronica followed a couple of steps behind. “Was there… Something I could help you with?� She asked softly as she rounded the shelves getting a better look at him.

It was definately a good thing that he hadn't gone into the pet store. It probably would have caused many of the small animals to start chattering nervously, and he would have felt even more in display than he did now. He regretted wearing only the pants his parents had bought him for going out. The wings on his back twitched with nervous energy and he turned around, unsure of what to do. He wasn't so used to people asking him if he, of all people, wanted something. Sure, his parents were kind enough to him, but that didn't mean he expected it at all from strangers. Many kids that were now Veronica's age and his own remembered him from childhood and probably remembered stoning him and calling him names when he was around five or six. He frowned. "I'm sorry. I..." What? What had he hoped to accomplish here? Now, he wasn't even sure. The wings on his back pulled in close to his body for comfort, settling on the muscles of his back as he shiftered. "Uhm... What kind of store is... is this?" He felt something strange in the pit of his belly. Was it shy-ness? He wasn't sure. He wasn't even used to talking, much less attempting a full conversation. He might have been intimidating to her, but in all honesty? She intimidated him far more simply because she was something outside of a familiar environment. Myriadal hues were wide and his mouth parted. Hands moved, twitching with energy. The heat in his face was rising, and he could feel it.

“Well it’s a general store…. We sell everything here: food, dry goods, textiles, specials my dad finds, once we got a shipment of Austrian Crystal earrings,� Veronica said proudly. Veronica even got to keep a pair. They were deep blue sapphire like crystals in the shape of little stars. Veronica hadn’t been wearing them today but they were her favorite earrings of all. “ Candy… furniture…toys…we have a little of everything here really. � Veronica said beckoning him back to follow her. “Right now we have teapots imported from England and some wonderful Darjeeling tea imported from India,� she beamed.

Veronica tried not to stare. He was unnerving: his marble skin, the fact that he was only wearing pants, even the naked fleshy wings on his back. Those were the most unusual things about him. “We also have some really yummy chocolates, oh and Crystallized Ginger… I love that stuff. “ She babbled as she walked along the rows of shelving. “ Aren’t you cold? I mean… do you always wander around like this?� She asked uncomfortably. Veronica was trying her best not to ask if he had any shirts tailored to fit around his naked wings.

Oh, he had a necklace on too. Something his only friend in life had given him a loooooong time ago. Listening to her babble with a sort of frown on his lips, he nodded as she named off all the different things the store seemed to have. His mind vaguely remembered something his parents had told him about a store that had great imports from somewhere, and he vaguely remembered his mother bringing home a rather beautiful set of earings... Were they from here? Had his parents talked of this store? It seemed so. The heat had stopped rising to his face, the blush going away as he continued to listen. Then, he heard tea and he perked. He'd been working up the words to say something about his likeness for tea when she suddenly asked him if he was cold, and he faltered. "I uhh... No. Not at all." He said, his sentence growing strong towards the end. He had shirts, yes, but none had been tailered to the wings on his back. He'd at one point cut holes into the shirts he had at home, but they felt awkward around the apendages and often left them feeling colder than normal. "My normal body heat is above average for most people." Said as he gazed around the store in the spot she'd put them. His eyes set on the boxes she'd been carrying, wondering what might be in them before he continued: "It's not cold enough for me to be chilly anyways. Do I look cold..?" She'd been staring, and he'd seen it. It was his way of telling her he didn't like it, but he wasn't sure if she'd understand his way of thinking. He extended a hand. "If you want... you can touch me. I'm... not just marginally warmer than others." He sighed and felt foolish. Hell, if she even got CLOSE to him, say a foot or three, she'd feel the gentle heat radiating from his flesh.

Veronica dropped her eyes immediately. She had been staring and he noticed. “No I ... I don’t know, “ she stammered. Then he asked if she wanted to touch him and that made her heart do a strange little flip. It was a strange request and Veronica is a shy creature. Still she stepped forward inching toward him gently raising her hand but still not her eyes. Her fingers had hit warmth first and she still was a couple feet shy of touching his arm. Then her hand touched his forearm and his skin wasn’t just warm, he was radiating warmth. She pulled her hand back and stepped away again, her cheeks flushed and she looked up at him slowly and smiled and said nothing for a moment.

The young girl brushed her hair out of her eyes and then smiled a bit. “Ummmm … was there something I could help you find. I have to finish cleaning the store before my mom and dad show up but you’re more than welcome to look around. “ She said politely. Veronica went back over to the boxes on the counter. She was told to set out the new Crystal in the window so the whole town could see the lovely new items for sale.

"Oh um.. Veronica. We've known each othere for a while. Her parents own the General store. She opens up shop a lot."
With one las flourishing movement, Rose added the final touch to her sketch; hr signiature.
"If you want, we can go visit her. She's pretty nice."
Rose stood up, streching.

Anticipation made his heart beat raise. She'd responded to him by looking away, and although that made him feel slightly better, there was something else amiss in the back of his mind. She drew near, and his eyes grew half lidded, wings fluttering awkwardly behind him in the seemingly tense moment before she moved, stretched out a hand and.... His heart skipped a beat. She really had touched him! Her fingers glided over his forearm gently and his eyes closed. He gave off a murmur as goosepimples rose onto his flesh. So, this was what it felt like to be touched by someone he didn't know. It was oddly comforting to know someone besides a small child was willing to touch him, even if it had been on a request out of no where. He didn't just radiate the heat, either. His body tempurature might have almost been to warm for her, and her hands felt cold against his flesh. His tempurature fluctuated and then dropped, as ifr he felt he might burn her if he didn't, before his eyes opened and he looked away once more. "tea." He said with a fidget. She'd mentioned tea, right? He stepped back, flesh crawling with the need to have her feel more of him, a frown setting his lips. "I... I want tea." His hand burried into his pocket and withdrew enough currency for a rather large sum of tea-bag boxes and he handed it to her. It was clear he wasn't familiar with using money--his parents had never really taught him anything other than the basics. With money, you lived. You bought food, water, other supplies. And now? Tea.

“Tea? Yes of course, “ Veronica said quickly setting the boxes down and going back over to help him. He pulled a large sum of crumpled money from his pocket and placed it in her hands. He could’ve bought at least twelve pounds of tea with the amount he’d given her. “Are you planning a tea party?� She asked with a smile, the money still cupped in her hands. She straightened out the bills unfolding them neatly into a stack nd then handed it to him. “ You hols onto this and I’ll show you the teas.�

Veronica led him over to the tea counter. Inside the case were containers marked. There were at least forty different kinds of tea available which was quite impressive for a small town. “What kind of tea do you like? She asked him as she rounded the counter. “Ummm…my favorites are the chamomile tea and this one,� She said reaching into the case and pulling out a container of Genmaicha. Veronica opened the container and tilted it toward him. “ It’s greentea, see and it has toasted brown rice in it. And look some of the rice popped while toasting it, so they call this tea, ‘popcorn tea’. It’s really good and it has a nutty flavor to it. I love it with honey…� She said smiling.

He grinned feebly when she accepted the bills and then questioned him on the ammount. "Ahh, no... I just.. I just want tea for me." He said with a nod, flushing. She'd straightened the bills neatly and was handing them back, so taking them he folded them carefully and stuck them back into his pocket, then followed her. Eyes wandered around the store, taking in the smaller details he hadn't noticed before. It was neat, well kept and tidy. It also had a pleasant scent. He decided he liked it in there much better than at home. When she showed him the teas, he glanced down and his eyes widened. "There are so many... They all look the same though." At least, to his eyes they looked the same. Some tea was -almost- a different color, and others had different shaped cuts, but in general? preeetty much the same. "Ah." He said as he listened to her explanation, then turned to her and shrugged. "popcorn, Will do, I guess." Since she liked it so much and all. He smiled earnestly, something you'd likely only ever see an a seven year old when he thinks he's been pleased beyond a doubt, and took out his bills again to hand to her. He clearly didn't know the monies worth.

"Veronica..."Darien thought for a moment and shrugged lightly. She still had a bit of time before she needed to go back to the shop. "Why not." The brunette stood smiling, "I need to buy a few things anyway." Standing, she followed Sakura as she walked, staying about a foot to a foot and a half behind her.

((wow i need to get my rps in check. i used rose instead of sakura... oops :oops: ))

Sakura weaved through the peopl in the main square, keeping an eye on the general store ahead of her. Inside she could see Veronica... talking to someone. Someone she vaguley recognized.

They reached the store and Sakura threw open the door.
"HELLO VERONICA!" she shouted to her freind.

(Haha, it's no big deal I'm sure. xD The character I'm using is very similar to another one I have, so I keep almost using the wrong name. XD;; Yay for too many rp-characters! )

Darien walked in behind and almost fell backwards at the sudden burst of Sakura's voice. Holy, jeeze.. loud much? o_o;

Looking around, she felt a little akward somehow. Darien sniffed at the air and blinked, there was... there was a familliar smell; she couldn't quite place it though.

Veronica smiled as she measured out a couple ounces of tea for him. It would be enough for several afternoons’ worth of tea times. She packaged it up neatly and then handed the pretty blue parcel to him. He again tried to hand her the large sum of money and she smiled shaking her head. Clearly he had no concept of money.

“Wait,� Veronica said as she went over to a little ladder up on the wall and climbed up about half way. She pulled a box of sweet cream biscuits and climbed back down again. “Here… these are for you too,� she said placing the box of biscuits down next to the tea. Veronica gently took the folded bills from him and only took enough for the tea. She was always the giving sort like that always including little extras with her sales. Her father hated her giving goods away for free, but it worked, she had customers constantly coming back to see her because they knew Veronica would “take care� of them. When she went to hand the money back to him she thought her fingers brushed against his. Veronica blushed again and apologized softly. �Sorry…� she said still flushed.

And then she heard the door bang open and Veronica jumped out of her skin. She stuttered back a couple of steps, her eyes wide and her heart racing. She hoped it wasn’t her father. Mr. River’s wasn’t a cruel man, but very overly protective of his only daughter, so were Veronica’s brothers. They would not be very pleased to find her in such close quarters with any boy. Fear subsided as she saw it was only Sakura. “ HI!� she gave a shout and a smile back as she waved the girl to the tea counter. Soemone followed behind Sakura, she wasn’t too familiar with the person. “Welcome, can I help you two find anything today?� She asked politely. She turned her attention back to the rather naked young man in front of her. “ That’s my friend Sakura.� She said with a smile.

Of course he didn't know money that well! He'd never gotten to buy much before in his life, and when there had been times that he'd been able to purchase anything at all, it had not been him handling the bills. She handed him a small parcel of the tea, and then went searching for something else. Even he knew that the something else wasn't something she intended for him to pay for, and since he didn't know she did it for everyone, he thought he was getting special treatment. With a smile and a flush--not just because she'd touched his fingers but because he liked her for being kind to him, he pocketted his cash and nodded thanks.

then.... His body tensed. The girl grew rigid with seeming fright and his posture changed from amiable to completely hostile, turning around. If someone was gonna take his new friend away from him, they'd have to fight him first! Haha. Then.. she seemed to ease and, once she responded happily he let himself breathe in deeply, close his eyes and try to relax. Yeesh, lady, don't scare him like that! His ears rang with all the shouting, and he pulled his purchases close to his chest protectively as eyes widened upon seeing two more females enter. It was more than a little intimidating. He moved behind the female, Veronica, and whimpered, wings fluttering as the other girls drew closer. "Errr..."

Veronica could see that he was a little less than eased by the other two girls entering the shop. He even went so far as to sneak behind Veronica, his wings giving a bit of a flutter as they drew ever closer. “Maybe you should be getting on your way then,� She said to him softly. She didn’t want him to be afraid. “ But come see me tomorrow here, okay? We’ll have tea. I’m watching the shop again tomorrow afternoon.� She wasn’t sure why she was being so nice; she’d only just met the boy. Maybe it was because he looked as though he needed a friend. And let’s face it; he was cute, even with the bare wings on his back. “Tell me your name,� she whispered to him softly as she urged him to follow her to the door so she could “protect� him.

He grimaced lightly at the other girls and followed Veronica to the door, making sure to stay by her side. Funny how smaller kids didn't scare him, but an older one did. "O-ok" he managed to stammer to her, eyes not leaving the other females as Veronica lead him out. "T-tomorrow." Yes, definately! Even if it meant defying his parents. He'd just tell them he'd wear one of his dad's shirts or something, which would be large on him anyways. "Thankyou... My name is Keise." He said finally without the stammer, the blush rising again to his cheeks as he pressed her gift and his parcel against his chest gently. Without much further notion, he left just like that. Oi, he felt funny! It was an alien feeling and he wasn't at all sure that he liked it.

“Bye Keise…� Veronica said as he snuck off out the door. "See you tomorrow," she said smiling brightly. Veronica watched at the window for a moment as he slipped out the store and stayed there until he was out of her line of sight. “Curious,� she said as he was finally gone. “What a strange morning.� She said to herself. There were other guests to attend to however so veronica managed to peel herself from the window and go and say hello.

“So Sakura, what were you sketching this morning? You know dad said we were going to be getting a small shipment of pastels in soon if you’re interested that is. “ She offered warmly. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be rude for your friend. I’m Veronica, a pleasure to make your acquaintance,� she said apologetically.

(9edited for name correction :) ))

[He answered. I forgot to add it so did it late xD]

Sakura smiled and walked over to the counter.
"Um.. Just the towns people. Look." She pulled out her sketch pad and flipped a couple of pages, handing it to Veronica. "New pastels would be great! Let me know when they come in."

Watching the male leave, Darien tensed slightly. It was that kid from her childhood... She'd often made fun of him, or--as many as the other children did--stoned him. Seeing him now, it sent a pang of guilt into her chest.

Shaking the thought from her head, Darien looked around. She needed to find a few things before going home. Besides that, the store gave her quite the comfortable feel. The items were quite nice aswell.

As if realizing she'd been quite rude upon entering, she turned to Veronica, "Oh, sorry," Darien smiled, "I'm Darien. A friend and I run the petshop just down the lane. It's a pleasure to meet you." The brunette walked over, putting her hand out to shake the other girl's.

“You’ve very good,� Veronica said taking the book from Sakura’s hands and looking the sketches over. Veronica nodded, “ Just as soon as they’re in,� she said smiling. “You should frame this stuff, and sell it.� Veronica said handing the book back to Sakura.

Veronica looked over at the other girl with a smile and shook her hand. “Oh, I’ve seen your shop, I’ve been meaning to go in. Nice to meet you Darien.� She withdrew her hand and stepped back around the counter.

"Oh? Well, feel free to stop by any time. We always have some pets that need a home." Smiling, she continued to look around at the rest of the goods. She didn't have the wares of some of the other stores. She had very exotic, very beautiful items, but not things that she'd been set out to buy. The sights were still beautiful though.

Sakura carefully put the pad away, blushing at Veronica's compliment.
"I couldn't sell my work. I don't know. It wouldn't feel right." Sakura laughed slughtly, nervously.

“Oh well I love them. I’d commission you to do a portrait. In fact I think my mother waned one done of the family soon. My father keeps insisting it’s too expensive, but you know my mom, what she wants, she gets. So…� Veronica said walking over to the candy counter. “Ummm… what did you think about … you know… Kiese? “ She asked curiously opening the boxes of crystal and lining them along the shelves beside the candy counter. “I invited him to tea… do you think I should’ve? God If my dad finds out… if my brother find out, oh gosh…� Veronica huffed. “Well?� she asked curiously. Veronica wasted no time getting down to the nitty-gritty of things.

Darien thought about the question. It probably wasn't directed at her, but she still thought about it. "He.. brings back a lot of bad memories." She had a slightly sad look on her face, looking at the crystal as Veronica was placing it out. "It seemed like his soul was injured.." Shrugging, she caressed some of the fine glass. "If you were asking for either of our opinions."