The Trouble with Time, Part 8 - Orange

A bell rings and a door opens.

"Bienvenudo!" calls Kevin as a customer steps in. He has a long day ahead of himself, with three consultations and a special request coming in in addition to his more casual clientele.

A bell rings and a door opens.

"いらっしゃいませ。" he greets the two high schoolers who walk in. Yes, he is quite busy today, no spare moments to worry about other things. Must focus on his job.

A bell rings. A door opens.

"Tervetuloa," he says. The woman that enters -- curiosity got the better of her -- jumps, not expecting to be addressed. He smiles, asks if she needs help or if she's just looking. His job, yes. Focus on that. That's what he knows how to do, that's what he understands.

A bell rings. A door opens.

The first consultation is simple; a newbie to the Scene, and he's glad to help show the young man the ropes. It forces his mind to stay in the moment and not wander about constantly and without his consent.

A bell. A door.

He has to take a tea break at one point. He usually doesn't like using enchanted brews, but he can't, for the life of him, keep his mind in check. Why does he care about this so much? He doesn't. He doesn't care about things, personally. He can't afford that. But her deadline is approaching fast, and if she ever wants to get back--

Another bell. Another door.

It's not his business. He'll help her, of course, because she's his Acquirer and they have a good thing going and if she runs out of time it'll impact him by proxy. But it's not his business. He doesn't have a personal connection to the matter. He's lived too long to get attached like that.

The next time a bell rings he doesn't even notice, too deep in conversation -- or rather, argument -- with a very wealthy Frenchman, who is very insistent he procure something special for him.

"Oh, is this a bad time?" she asks and he jumps, whips around.

"No, this is--!" He turns to the Frenchman, "Excusez-moi un instant," he says and then strides over to her as his customer nods and moves to inspect some nearby books. "What's up?" he asks her.

"Uh," she says, glancing over his shoulder a few times. "I just came to drop off this." She pulls out a small velvet box. "A lost hope. She said 'no'."

"I see," he says and then there is someone in his personal space.

"Excusez-moi, mais vous êtes trés jolie," the Frenchman says to her, extending a hand for her to take. "Je m'appelle Jean-Claude Leroy, vous s'appelles comment?"

"Oh, I don't..." she starts, extending her own hand, which he takes, and brings to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Uhhhhh..." she says, glancing at Kevin, who is also having a hard time comprehending what exactly is happening.

"Monsieur Leroy, je suis désolée, mais elle..." he starts, but Leroy stops him.

"Monsieur Kevin, pleaze!" he says through a thick accent. "Let us uze a language that mademoiselle can underztand az well."

"If you so wish," Kevin says, and gives her a glance. "This is my Acquirer. She's--"

"Ah, un acquéreur!" Leroy's face splits into a huge smile. "She iz ze one 'o procures your merchandise, non? Zis is perfect!"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Leroy, if you need something procured it will have to wait until next year," she says, giving him an apologetic look. "I am already on a mission which is quite time sensitive. Speaking of," she turns back to Kevin, "I'm not quite sure about this last one..."

"What is it?" he asks as she hands over the list he made for her. He reads them over. "Oh no," he says.

"Oh no," she says.

"Oh, yes!" says Leroy. The other two turn to look at him. He points a finger at the last ingredient. "You need zis, yes?" he asks, though it doesn't feel like a question. She nods, hesitant. His lips curl into a mischievous smile. "I 'ave one."

"I--" Kevin starts. "How do you have First Love? Even I don't have First Love!"

"I waz not born wiz ze last rain, monsieur Kevin," Leroy says and winks. "I 'ave all kinds of zings in my supply. And I am willing to trade you not one, but two," he holds up two fingers, "bottles of First Love, if you can get me what I need."

"And what do you need?" she asks.

"An Orange," he says. "But not just any Orange. A magic Orange. A Golden Orange."

"A Golden Orange," Kevin repeats. "From the Golden Garden..."

"Mais oui!" he says with a smile, but then his voice drops and his face grows dark as he leans in. "I know you 'ave a Door to ze Royaume des Rêves, monsieur Kevin. You are my only chance. I need ze Golden Orange."

"I..." Kevin starts again. His mind is racing, running wild despite the tea he had earlier. He doesn't know what to say for a moment. "I will need to discuss this with my Acquirer," he finally settles on. "If she is to retrieve this Orange for you, she will have to know how to find it, and what to expect on the journey."

"Yes, of course!" Leroy says, straightening again, the cheer back in his demeanor, with no trace of the previous seriousness anywhere. "I'll be back tomorrow, zame time, and you can give me your answer. I 'ope you won't disappoint!"

And he tips his hat, and a bell rings and a door opens, and he's gone.

______________________________________________________________

Ohhhh shiddddd!!! Stuff is bout to go down!!!

BUT now I'm going to bed, because it's almost midnight, and this is the first time in a while I've had to stay up late to write lmao! But to you it won't matter, bc we're writing these the previous day so you'll always get the next part in the morning!

Bye!!!

Pie out.

OH SHIT next topic!! Almost forgot, lol, it's gonna be Memory ok bye