Second Life -- Welcome to Fairplay [Stage 1]

[cityship]

It had been the usual mission briefing, not that any of them remembered it. The crew knew they were gone and had no idea when they'd be back, and likely wouldn't attempt rescue for quite some time, especially with Stacy considering the mission "ongoing."

They had no idea when they'd be back, either, namely because they never remembered being on the ship in the first place.

It was home. It had always been home.

Welcome to Fairplay, Iowa, folks, happiest little town in the Midwest.

[ooc: Read this before tagging.]

Comments

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie had had to close the music store for a few minutes just so he could get away, but it was worth it to come here for the cookies alone. Being around a friendly face was just a bonus.

As he crossed the street to get to the bakery, he glanced over at a nearby clock to double check the time, and stopped to stare. Why, the second hand of the clock was moving backwards, wasn't it?

An angry honk startled him and Jamie hurriedly finished crossing the street. When he looked back, the hand was moving normally. He pulled open the door to the bakery, shaking his head as he headed inside. Odd, whatever that was. Spotting Nanoha, he made his way over to the counter, giving her a small, tired-looking smile.

"Hello, lass. Would ye happen to have those chocolate chip cookies with the wee walnuts in them today?"

[starlightace]

Nanoha looked up from where she was putting a fresh plate of cookies in the display case and gave Jamie a smile - he was a regular customer, and they were always glad for those. "Jamie, I save some of those for you every day. You should know that by now."

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye, well, ye never know. Fairies could have come in and spirited off the lot of them while ye were at school." It was nice to see someone smiling. It seemed most people around here never did so - at least, not around Jamie. And it was nice to hear his nickname, as well. He smiled again, some of the tiredness in it lifting away for a moment.

"Ye know, I think ye are one of the only people to call me that. Everyone else likes to use James. How are ye doing, anyway? Anything exciting going on?"

[starlightace]

"I've always liked nicknames," she chuckled as she took the cookies in question out of the warming case with a pair of tongs, slipping them into a paper bag. "We're doing all right. We're hoping for a big holiday rush, so I've been pretty busy."

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie immediately fished one of them out of the bag and took a bite, taking a few seconds to simply enjoy the cookie while it was still warm. He nodded then, and swallowed.

"Oh, that reminds me. Father wanted me to put in the order for the usual holiday cookies." He glanced around to see if anyone was listening, then leaned in a little and lowered his voice. "If ye could do the rum balls with just the flavoring instead of the real thing, though, ye would be doing me a favor."

[starlightace]

"Oh, of course!" The girl beamed, taking out an pen and paper and jotting a quick note. "I'll be sure to tell Mom and Dad all of that. And don't worry, we're cooking it so that even if we used the real thing, it'd mostly evaporate anyway."

[bonnypiperlad]

For a moment, Jamie looks relieved - more relieved, really, than he intended on being, and he masks it by digging around for his wallet. He's never able to find it on the first attempt, almost as if he keeps putting it in some place where it shouldn't be.

Ah, there it is. He pulled out the appropriate amount to cover the cost of the cookies, plus a little extra - just in case Nanoha would actually let him give her a tip.

"Hey - I meant to ask ye something else, too. What do ye think of the idea of a holiday promotion for the stores in the area? Maybe some sort of wee shopping spree or something? Maybe it'll bring people in."

[starlightace]

Nope, sorry Jamie - she's opening up the register and giving exact change. One of these days she might set out a tip jar, but that's not today. "I think it's a great idea! We could probably all use the business, couldn't we? I'm sure everyone would feel the same."

[bonnypiperlad]

Oh well, it was worth a try. Jamie pocketed the change, then nodded. "I mentioned it to my father, and he doesn't think much of the idea, but I thought I'd see what other people think."

The rest of the cookie went back into the bag to be eaten later, and Jamie brushed the crumbs off of his hands. "Look, would you be willing to ask your folks and see if they'd like to do it? If I can show that at least one other place around here wants to do that, the others might be willing to listen to me.

Not that he had a lot of hope there, but that was worth a try as well.

[starlightace]

"Of course I would!" She beamed. "If they like it, I can tell them to tell your father that they think it's a great idea. It'd be best for all of us, wouldn't it?"

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie hadn't considered that, but it's a good idea. His father might not think much about the concept right now, but he did have a grudging respect for most of the other store owners in the area. If he was in the right mood at the time, it might make a difference. "Hey! That's not a bad plan. And aye, you're right. The more business we can bring in, the better it'll be for all of us. Thanks, Nanoha."

[starlightace]

"No problem! Tell your family I said 'hi,' okay?" The girl moved to quickly brush the cookie crumbs off the counter into a dustpan almost automatically.

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye, I will." Jamie glanced down at his watch, then blinked in surprise. Was it really that late? He hadn't realized how much time had passed since he came in. Funny how that happened when he wasn't worrying over things.

"Look, I'd best get back to the shop. I'll check back with ye in a few days to see what your parents think about the contest, then?"