Nowhere to Hide [Sakuya]

[Phoebe Minola]

It was a lovely evening so Phoebe decided to go back to Queen's Arch and go to the shopping center. There wasn't anything in particular that she wanted. She just wanted to soak up the atmosphere, do some people watching and maybe a little window-shopping. She was rather bored at home. Normally she'd spend a lot of time on the computer, watching series and anime or catching up on manga and other stuff, but ever since the perimeter had dropped, the Internet was very limited. It was strange that they never got any messages from the outside world. Of course, now she knew why that was, so it couldn't be helped.

It was good, in a way, it forced her to get out more.

With her hair pulled up in a neat little updo held by a clip, her comfy black cotton pants on, a purple shirt and a black vest, she felt rather cute today. She didn't normally care an awful lot about her appearance other than being neat and well-presented but today she just felt like dressing up a little.

The shopping mall was very busy today. There were so many people walking about, carrying shopping bags or just window-shopping themselves that Phoebe felt a little overwhelmed.

Crap, I didn't realize it'd be so busy today!

Phoebe had to back up against a wall as a big group of high schoolers jostled past her. She sighed in a little exasperation but also smiled wryly. Nothing to do about that, kids will be kids. She got off the wall when they were past and went on her way.

Yet all the time she had a slightly uneasy feeling.

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya was wandering the mall eyeing the unusually large number of high schoolers running about excitedly. Stupid high school kids. Schooling did not mean a whole lot when you could make easy money underground. Yes, indeed. Sakuya sighed and soon, from afar, she caught the glimpse of a woman who was definitely older than her - wore glasses, had really nice hair, and... was a refreshing change of figure than the more slender girls and women she had seen. Most people would call her 'chubby,' but there was a sort of voluptuous charm to her that Sakuya found intriguing. Yes, maybe it would be nice to meet her, too. Sakuya started pacing after her, she had gotten off a wall which she presumably clung to in order not to get trampled by those rude students.

Sakuya's footsteps were barely audible within the hustle and bustle of the mall, so her target would never suspect Sakuya's approach. Now, where was this curvy woman going?

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe paused to eyeball a few interesting pairs of shoes in the window of a shop but decided the prices offended her sensibilities a bit too much for her to step inside and have a better look. Honestly, some of the stores here, just who did they think stepped in to shop? Money didn't grow on trees!

She cringed at the prices and moved along, taking her time. It was quite nice to wander around without a set goal, but when she came upon a bookstore, she went in. She always went into bookstores to browse, just in case she stumbled onto any interesting finds. She actually wondered whether she might find a cook-book devoted to Asian desserts because that's what she wanted to try making. It'd be a nice thing to take to the school one day, as many of the teachers were a bit more traditional with their eating than muffins.

The bookstore wasn't very crowded so Phoebe maneuvered around shelves, browsing idly here, opening a book there and running her finger across spines inquisitively. She pulled out a pretty heavy, leatherbound book she found and her brows bowed up a little.

My, what a sexy edition of Lovecraft, she mused. Leather-bound, introductions by this and that professor of Literature and afterword on the impact of Lovecraft on horror literature.

Yes, she was definitely interested and a happy, fox-like smile crept up on her face.

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya whirled around to discover that after the woman had window-shopped at a shoe place or something, she went into a bookstore. Bookworm, huh? Sakuya smiled. That was interesting for her. Sakuya followed her into the bookstore and realized that most of the stuff here was standard-fare. Sakuya typically read mostly non-fiction books, with a smattering of the more esoteric novels here and there. Looking about, she caught the woman looking at a particular shelf and pulled out a heavy, leatherbound book which seemed to have gotten her attention. This was Sakuya's chance; she sidled up close by to the woman with, upon further inspection, a sort of edition of Lovecraft. Hmm, interesting taste in books. H.P Lovecraft certainly was something. Sakuya continued to stand silently by the woman with the Lovecraft book before she suddenly said softly - "You're into Lovecraft, hun?"

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe nearly shrieked when someone spoke softly very close to her. She jumped in place a little and fumbled with the book, almost dropping to the floor. She managed to snatch it out of the air without damaging it and hugged it against her chest nervously and turned around to face--

It was a young woman, very pretty and well-dressed actually, with a very strange look in her eyes. Phoebe felt a little nervous, not entirely sure how the woman had gotten so close to her without her realizing.

"Uh... hi. Yeah, I really... like Lovecraft's work," she blurted. "Um... can I help you?"

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya smiled. She seemed to have startled the vixen who literally reacted like she had seen an excellently crafted jumpscare, and the fumble she did seemed to just be nothing short of adorable to Sakuya. "I'm sorry if I gave you a scare, dear," Sakuya bowed apologetically, though truth to be told she didn't feel THAT sorry. "But I couldn't help but see you and your taste in books... I do dare say I'd like to get to know you a little better..." Sakuya took her hand out for a handshake. "Name's Sakuya. I do enjoy me some reading too, and I did intend on looking for more Lovecraftian stuff to read... I just got into it recently. What would you recommend~?"

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe relaxed a bit. Just a bit, because the way this woman spoke was... well, it was different. "Oh, er, that's alright, I was just spacing out," she said tentatively. What a graceful woman!

She shook her hand. It was warm and very soft to the touch. "I'm Phoebe. Nice to meet you. If you're looking for something like Lovecraft... umm... try this."

Holding on to her own find, Phoebe browsed the shelves in front of her quickly and pulled out a basic collection of Lovecraft's works. "This one has a lot of Lovecraft's best collected stories, which ones have you read?"

Then she pointed at a smaller book, a collection by new writers who paid tribute to the Lovecraftian Mythos with their own short stories. "This is a very interesting collection. It was just out right before the perimeter fell and it's got a lot of fascinating stories from new writers. They add to the mythos and drop new spins on it. There's even some really cool shlocky pulps included, if you fancy them. They cover a pretty nice variety of writing."

She blushed a bit. Get to know her better? That was... interesting. Phoebe hadn't been in anything remotely resembling a relationship in quite some time so the comment took her by surprise. Was this woman flirting with her. At that thought, her cheeks burned brighter.

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya fidgeted after shaking the woman's hand; her name was Phoebe. "Er... Hmm. That's interesting. I've only really read the ones that most people would be quite familiar with. Err... You know. The King in Yellow, and all that," Sakuya nodded, looking at the book that was pointed out to her. It was described as a collection by new writers. So, it seemed that it was very popular, enough to garner cult followings. Which was neat, Sakuya supposed. "So I think I'll probably have a good time reading this collection. Thank you for the recommendation." Sakuya smiled and took out the smaller book. "You busy? I wouldn't mind hanging out with you if you have time."

[Phoebe Minola]

"Ah, the King in Yellow isn't Lovecraft, it's Robert W. Chambers. Then you should really start with the annotated collection of Lovecraft and go through the stories that make up the bulk of the Lovecraft Mythos, then you can go into the other stuff..."

She cleared her throat. "Sorry, I get very carried away when I talk about books. I'd be happy to help you pick books anytime. I work at a bookstore. Oh, but not this one," she added quietly.

She couldn't shake the feeling that this woman was maybe looking at her a little too fondly. Not that it was bad, it was just so unexpected and it made her a little uneasy. Still, it would've been impolite to show it so she kept herself calm.

She hesitated a bit and her blush intensified. "Hang out? Oh, er, sure. I don't really have anything to do right now. I was just milling around. You should come to the bookstore I work at, Shakespeare & Co. sometime. We have a huge collection of books and we have our own little cafe. Would you like to get a coffee or something?"

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

"I see, I admit, I am not so well-versed in books," Sakuya fidgeted. "I appreciate your educating me in the literary realm," she continued, looking sheepish. Soon, Phoebe mentioned that she worked at a bookstore called Sakespeare & Co., well, she would go there, then, if that meant she could see her more. Actually, Sakuya hadn't really read much of the works of Lovecraft per se. She was far more interested in things such as the Necronomicon, and more of the occult works. Lovecraftian works were tangentially related, but not exactly the real deal, so she thought. "Hmm, so you work there? I've heard things about that place. Nothing but good things. Good to know, another reason for me to try visiting. But, a coffee? Well, sure, it would be a great pleasure!"

[Phoebe Minola]

"Alright," Phoebe said with a smile. "Give me a moment to pay for this and we can go to this nice little coffee shop I know here."

Phoebe hurried off to the register to pay for her new book. It was a bit pricey but she felt it would be completely worth it and be among the crown jewels of her bookshelves. She even got a free linen carry bag the bookstore was giving out as promotion. That made her smirk a bit, because Shakespeare & Co. had done it first, several months before.

Finishing her book purchase, she rejoined Sakuya so they could go to the coffee shop together.

"Shakespeare & Co. is a pretty eclectic bookshop," she chattered casually. "But at the same time it's got huge variety. Spans 3 floors, after all. It's run by a couple, Mr and Mrs Kitani. They're crazy about books. The bookshop has its own cafe and you can browse books while you sit there and decide what you'll buy. We've got a great barista making coffees too. Kyle is really good at his job."

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya patiently waited for Phoebe to make her purchase. Silently, Sakuya returned whatever she was holding, thinking maybe she'll check things out later, but for now, she wanted to see what Phoebe had to say about these things. As she returned with her purchase, she began to describe the bookstore she worked at. It sounded very nice to visit, until she mentioned the barista, named Kyle. Sakuya didn't want to sound rude, but she really did have a problem with guys. A little sardonically (she really couldn't help it) she simply responded with "...I'm sure he's great at what he does," fidgeting uncomfortably. "Oh... I'm sorry. I just have really bad blood against, uh... Guys. It's complicated. I'd hate to be rude to someone who genuinely wasn't a bad guy. But... uh, I can't help it. Please forgive me. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Sakuya sheepishly smiled. As long as this guy she mentioned didn't actively harm her, the best she could do was try to tone down her rudeness. But she really couldn't help it. Really. It was in her very nature.

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe was a little surprised to hear a twinge of sarcasm coming from Sakuya. She didn't show it though and instead just chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head.

"Ah, yeah. It's... no problem, don't worry," she said with a smile. "Kyle can be a little difficult to work with but he genuinely likes his job. You don't have to deal with him if you come to the store, hehe. I can just take your order and bring it to you, if that helps at all."

She sighed. "I understand how you feel though. Sometimes I feel like I could tell everyone to bugger off, especially guys. For some reason, ever since I left college I've found myself dealing with all kinds of frustrating or somewhat crazy people. And it's gotten worse since the perimeter was established. I often wonder if I'm the last sane person in Mosaic city..."

She shook her head. "Woops, sorry. Shouldn't be unloading this stuff on you. We've only just met, hahaha. What do you do, job wise?"

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya intently listened as she explained that indeed, Kyle the barista was a little difficult to work with but apparently took his trade seriously. And also a good point was that Sakuya did not have to deal with him at all, which was a plus. Well, as long as one took their line of work seriously, that couldn't be so bad. Then, the woman who worked at the bookstore began to mention how she started dealing with frustrating or crazy people. Unfortunately for Phoebe, Sakuya fell smack-dab in the middle of the latter category. A deeper level at that. She wondered out loud if she was the last bastion of sanity in the city. She then apologized for her seeming outburst, to which Sakuya sighed wistfully and playfully waved her hand dismissively. "No, do not fret... Sometimes it's good to let out your inner troubles once in a while. Admittedly, I'm just a tad above the 'stranger' level to ya..." she then fidgeted upon hearing the inevitable question.

What do you do job wise?

"Um... My line of work is complicated. It would be a cop-out if I said I took odd jobs from people, but I guess if I had to be more specific, you could say I acted like an urban mercenary of sorts." Sakuya shrugged, wanting to put a more fantastical spin on the matter. She wondered if Phoebe would actually believe her.

[Phoebe Minola]

As they walked along, Phoebe's eyebrows bowed up a little at Sakuya's explanation. It was said very naturally and calmly.

Is she having me on?

"Huh? What kinds of odd jobs do you do?"

When they reached the coffee shop, a quaint little store with tables laid out in front, Phoebe politely showed her a seat at a table for them both and hailed over a waiter for their order. She ordered hot chocolate and a slice of apple pie.

"I heard that when the perimeter dropped some people took up to doing such kind of work, but I really haven't understood exactly what jobs they are..."

Is she a User? No, I better not ask directly.