Day 63: Mountain Antiques (Morning)

[rocksthecourt]

The day had started off on a rather positive note, which was a nice change. His conversation with Faraday had actually done quite a bit to lift his mood and set the rhythm of the day. Everyone else seemed a bit livelier than usual as well, though that may have been a combination of both good weather and lack of soldiers this trip. Whatever the reason, the rest of the patient body seemed quick to scatter off in their respective directions. By the time Klavier got off his bus, half of them had already taken to the streets.

He briefly lingered around the buses, still searching for Yomi, Nigredo, and a handful of others. Half simply to verify they were still safe. But it was pretty obvious after a while that they weren't in the area anymore. He would just have to keep an eye out for them over the course of the day, he supposed. But now was the question of what to do himself. Not to say he had given up, mind you, but there was very little productivity to be had in this town. Even less held his interest.

So as he wandered, he found himself gravitating toward this place again. And once he realized that fact, he just smiled to himself and decided to continue on with it. Because why not? He did so love Doyleton's antique store, after all. And very rarely did he have the chance to really relax or enjoy himself anymore. So as frivolous as it might seem, taking some time for himself could be considered just as important as investigating, yes? Hah.

When he finally walked through the shop's door, he easily clicked on an instant smile and greeted the owner with a bright voice. "Good morning, Frau Antiquität. I do hope the day finds you well."

Comments

[damned_town]

This day again. There'd been the normal mutter and murmur about it, but in the end, things would be as they were. Hattie had thought that the fact that the kids (and adults) had money to spend now would settle some complainers, but there was always that sort in every town she supposed. It wasn't nothing to her. She'd go about her business either way.

Except, of course, for a young man who'd made himself a semi-permanent fixture in her shop come the weekend. She raised her eyebrows with a feign of being unamused; this decidedly ruined by the small smile on her face. "That name again, Mr. Gavin? You know well you don't have to sweet-talk me to get at your baby."

[rocksthecourt]

Indeed, the woman had become as much of a familiar face for him as he was for her. So much so that they even knew each other by name. Real names, not the fake ones provided by the institute. Though it wasn't really going to change what he called her, whether he knew it or not. It helped that she was such an amiable woman to begin with, and not the annoying sort of amiable one usually found in stores.

And so he didn't immediately rush through the store in search of his "baby" as she so aptly put it. Instead, he lingered, smile shifting to something a bit more playful. "My. You say that as though it were some kind of chore. Did you ever think that perhaps I enjoy the company as much as I enjoy the treasures?"

[damned_town]

She snorted slightly, and shook her head. "I think you enjoy being charming. But a young man like you should be chasing something that ain't an old woman." A beat, before she asked more seriously. "...Do you really enjoy music that much, Mr. Gavin?" Enough to shirk the company of those that might be more pleasant to enjoy a quiet day with a badly strung guitar. For weeks now, as if there was no other option, he'd made her way to his shop, and she had to wonder.

Well. Hattie wondered a couple of things actually. "What's a nice, young man like you doing in that place anyway?" She nodded quickly, and made a brushing motion with her hands. "If it's any of my business to ask."

[rocksthecourt]

Klavier laughed a little at the response. "Music is like food and water to me, Frau. I couldn't possibly live without it." These stretches of time without it were almost akin to withdrawal, actually. It affected him a little too much. "It is... something I hold quite close to my heart. And is as much a part of me as anything else."

It was a little funny being this completely open and honest with someone, even if it was a harmless subject. Most especially with someone who wasn't even a patient. He really did like this woman though. To a certain degree, he could even say he trusted her (at least far more than the staff or other civilians). But that second question made him hesitate. It was a good sign that she was asking at all. That meant she could see that he didn't really belong there. If he didn't seem insane and he told her that, maybe she would be willing to cooperate with him and help him contact the authorities.

That was what flashed across his mind immediately. Reality, however, was a different matter, and he was well aware of that. If he attempted to tell her the truth of that place, he would be written off as crazy, of course, but destructively so. Unlike trying to convince a member staff, if he alarmed a civilian, it could detrimentally affect not only himself but the rest of the patient body. And it was pretty obvious in how she asked that question that, even if she didn't speak to him like a toddler, she was working under the assumption something was wrong with him. He would not be given the benefit of the doubt. Especially without evidence.

"Ah. No. It's fine," he said simply as he considered how to answer. One hand went into his pocket and the other went up to distractedly brush his hair away from his eyes. "Well... According to the doctors, it would seem that I'm not really who I assume myself to be. And I suppose being charming and good-looking only go so far when you start disrupting things for those around you." It was all said lightly and bluntly, even the small, light-hearted comment thrown in there. Stated as a simple fact with no malice but no heart either. Not like when he'd been speaking of music a moment ago. "In which case, I suppose it could be said that I'm here to... 'find myself'. If that makes sense."

[damned_town]

Hattie actually paused at his explanation, smiled slightly and nodded to the young man. She respected that kind of answer. Respected the kind of person that could be devoted to anything that much. There weren't too many in the world who actually cared about much at all lately, so Klavier was appreciated in that respect.

And for his other answer, to her, it came with no whistles or bangs and just was what it was, something far simpler than what had been ill-rumored by some of the folk of this town. An answer like that, it was possible there had been an accident, and the poor man had lost his memory and was working to regain it. Other than a few bad eggs, all of the group from that institute were always pretty well behaved; maybe most of them had stories like this, and they were working to regain themselves in a comfortable setting rather than somewhere they might not be cared about as much. All right, Hattie thought. She would hold to what she thought before.

The woman pursed her lips and shook her head. "It makes a whole lot of sense; nearly everybody needs to find themselves once in their lives. And some people aren't as understanding when you can't figure things out that they think should be simple. It isn't your fault what you know and what you don't." She made a irritated sound at the self-occupied tendencies of others, then sighed, and walked toward her counter near the front, a hand against the great tiger for support as she leaned down. "They give you all allowance, don't they?" she asked, seemingly a non sequitur.

Something that was explained when she stood up, a dull guitar in her hand, different from the one near the front--scuffed up but with strings that shined new. "I had Leroy change the strings on this for me since I wouldn't know up from down-- Have you met that boy? He's a good child." She brushed it off with the impatience of a shopkeeper noticing imperfections in her shop. "How much will you give me for it? I'll give you a discount." The woman smiled, genuine. "Maybe it'll help you find yourself."

[rocksthecourt]

Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile a little at the way she responded to his answer. In a way, he was a bit moved. As far as this woman was concerned, he was just some delusional stranger who took it upon himself to invade her store every week. Just because she was polite and fun to banter with didn't mean he necessarily expected her to sympathize. The fact that she seemed so accepting and kind about it was very nice. Significant since nice people were far and few between here.

Klavier followed the woman's movements distractedly, assuming she was simply going to continue working as they conversed. That is, he thought that until she showed him that.

It was an old, basic, classic acoustic guitar. It was a little scuffed up from wear and the color of the wood had faded, a shadow of the gleam it must have once held in its glory days. The condition spoke not of neglect but of experience and age. It whispered of an unspoken history one could only briefly guess at. It was simple, rustic... no flare of polish and paint to draw the eye. Raw, one could say. Unlike the strings, which gleamed bright and new, fresh from the box. The contrast of the strings against the old guitar was out of place just enough to make them stand out that much more. It drove an itch in his fingers to the point where he was almost tempted to reach out and touch it, permission be damned.

It was beautiful. Poetic. Lovely. So simple and yet such a wondrous thing. Klavier found himself staring at it, intrigued, even as she spoke of her other associate. He shook his head at her question. Certainly, it was possible he had seen the young man --er, Leroy, is it?-- over the course of the last few weeks, but the impression was obviously not enough for Klavier to remember at all.

When that last question sank in and he realized what she was proposing, he finally pulled his attention away from the guitar and up to her face, unable to keep the surprise from his face. Nor could he keep it out of his voice.

"You would... sell this to me?" He fidgeted a little, looking between her and the guitar. Did she have any idea what she was proposing? How much that would mean to him? That she would offer him this guitar, strung up brand new as if just for him, to keep in a place like this when she most certainly didn't have to at all? And she was actually asking him for a price to offer for such a thing? There was nothing he could possibly offer worthy of that.

He looked down at his jacket pocket and pulled out the card the institute has so graciously distributed to them, flipping it over to inspect the back of it. A part of him tugged at him, scolding. This was his only chance to get decent supplies and the only chance he could get anything without hunting for it himself. But the guitar. The guitar. It tugged at his heart more. Klavier actually bit at a corner of his lip, looking at the amount on the back of the card then up to the shopkeeper's face.

"...It's not much of an allowance, I'm afraid. All I have is twenty-five dollars." It seemed like an insult to even offer that, to be honest.

[damned_town]

Twenty-five dollars, huh. Couldn't say that they didn't at least give them something. The tag on the guitar had read forty-five with the new strings, but hell if she wasn't going to actually support her reoccurring customers (even if they didn't usually buy things).

Hattie twisted her mouth thoughtfully as she stared at the guitar for an extended moment. Then shook her head in a negative. "I don't know if I can do that," she started, then her lips quirked slightly as she stared at the young man. "Make it twenty and that you'll keep visiting even if you don't have a reason to come anymore." If he had a guitar, that was probably all he needed. "You're one of the nicer customers I have," she added, as she walked around the counter to hold out the guitar for Klavier to inspect. "Even if you do flirt too much."