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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 17:54:56 GMT -5
Ariel didn't know why the hell he was there. Helping Markise wouldn't get him to stop, he had already established that. So why was he there? There was no possible way they were going to get together. The money would just be added fuel for the habits he had picked up. So why was he there? He stood outside the shop for a long time, pacing away only to come back a minute later with his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He even took the extra time to stare into the window and smooth down the hair that had been ruffled by anxious hands. Finally, after nearly half an hour, he opened the door and stepped in, still without a clue as to why he was really there.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 18:17:15 GMT -5
Markise was in the back room when he heard the tinkle of bells over the door that alerted him to someone entering and was immediately excited; he'd had painfully few customers, and wasn't sure he could keep the shop open without continuing to dip into the money in his account. He finished marking just that last bit, then headed into the main shop, his most dazzling smile in place.
That smile faded when he saw Ariel, though it wasn't disappointment that swept across his face. He was flustered and the few memories, visual and otherwise, that teased at him were no help. His smile returned in a heartbeat, less dazzling, but more genuinely pleased.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon." He hadn't expected Ariel to show up here at all, actually. His fingers sought out a pale blond curl to toy with as he made his way toward the front of the store.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 18:21:23 GMT -5
Ariel's eyes snapped up and then moved over Markise before settling on a display. "I just thought I would come by and see..." And see what? He had no idea. He did know that if he worked for Markise, he would just see him that much more often. He didn't know if he could handle being with Markise more often. His blood was already rushing at the memories and his body burned at the vivid images that danced in front of his eyes, images that certainly shouldn't be there. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 18:46:20 GMT -5
Markise felt the sudden tension in the air and pulled his gaze away from Ariel, to the safety of the white-gold chain around his wrist. He breathed in, then out, then looked up again, his smile returning. "Well, you can see," he said. He stretched out his arms and did a slow turn, gesturing to the carefully-chosen wholesale clothes he'd resorted to. "I tried to get something for everyone," he added. Why was he nervously awaiting Ariel's judgment?
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 18:50:38 GMT -5
Ariel nodded and forced his eyes to move around the store instead of hovering awkwardly away from Markise or visually devouring him. "I like it," he said, though his mind screamed that it wasn't really Markise's store yet. "Do you have any ideas for your own stuff?" he asked, searching for any topic to relieve the tension that wasn't entirely from awkwardness, at least on Ariel's part.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 20:03:34 GMT -5
"Too many," Markise said with a sigh. He was grateful for the shift in subjects, but it really was the part of his shop he couldn't get going. Here he was with the chance to make his own line, and all he had was drawings and half-finished models. "I don't have time, though." That was how he'd justified asking Ariel to come. It was the only part of that night he could even begin to regret, and only because he couldn't stand it if it didn't work.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 20:06:58 GMT -5
"I'll help you if I can," Ariel said, days of debate ending in an instant. His eyes moved up to Markise's. He wanted badly to be able to help, he realized. One hand reached up to rub at the back of his neck. He wasn't sure what he would do, but if it would help Markise, then Markise could get his shop going, and then maybe, just maybe, he would stay instead of leaving at the end of the year.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 20:27:03 GMT -5
"Thanks," Markise said. He pushed a lock of hair back behind one ear, more for the motion than because he actually wanted his hair out of his face. "Do you want to come in the back?" he asked. A heartbeat passed before he realized how that could sound, but he tried desperately to keep his cool and only flushed slightly before turning away. "Come on, I'll show you what I do when no one's here." Which was most of the time, really. And yet people stopped by just often enough that he couldn't get anything done.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 20:37:24 GMT -5
Ariel followed, all the while trying to keep his eyes anywhere but on Markise's moving hips. "So do you get many customers?" he asked. He looked around the room, determined to keep his mind off of the last night they had spent together. He didn't need to be thinking of that, not right now. Was Markise having as much trouble keeping it out of his mind? Ariel couldn't tell, his wandering eyes had missed the small blushes.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 20:50:11 GMT -5
"Not really," Markise said. "I'm going to be in debt forever at this rate." He pushed open the door to the back room and the Wizards' Wireless was immediately audible from its little place across the room. It sat near the end of a table otherwise covered in stacks of notebooks and rolled parchment, partially obscured by a feminine-shaped mannequin half-draped with pinned fabrics.
The other table in the room was worse off than the first. A near-ancient sewing machine perched on one end, and beside it a swath of fabric lay, paper pinned over it, and small blue marks here or there. A chair sat nearby, having been discarded in his need for detail work. It was a relatively small room and had little in it, but at the other side there was a closed door that led into the upstairs space.
"Here we are," Markise said, exasperation edging his voice. "As long as I'm open I'm in here until I hear the door. I can't do inventory or anything because I lose count and have to start over every time someone interrupts. I'm not open long so I can do all the boring crap and get back by curfew." He turned to look at Ariel, pushing a strand of hair back again.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 20:55:21 GMT -5
It looked like Markise needed help. Ariel wondered why Markise hadn't tried to get someone to help him earlier, but something told him it wouldn't have been possible. "What can I do?" he asked, subconsciously making the decision to come whenever he could to help. It certainly seemed like Markise needed it, even though Ariel didn't know what all he could do to help. He knew he couldn't do anything about the process of making the clothes, but perhaps he could at least help Markise get organized.
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 21:09:32 GMT -5
One of Markise's hands moved up into his hair, half scratching, half fluffing as he looked around the room in thought. "If you could do inventory for me, I'd be really grateful," he said. He turned an imploring gaze back to Ariel. "Are you good with numbers?" He could remember measurements with little effort, but when it came to repetitive shuffling through things, counting and adding, he tended to lose interest and lose his place.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 21:14:13 GMT -5
Ariel nodded, he was more than a little obsessive when it came to organizing things like that. It was half the reason his room back home had been so clean, despite how small it had been. It had had nothing to do without little he had and everything to do with his personality. He had been the one to clean the house in general. "What do I need to do?"
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Post by Markise Sterling on Apr 6, 2009 21:29:23 GMT -5
Markise gestured for Ariel to come to the back table and turned down the Wizards' Wireless a little. Then he picked up the topmost notebook and flipped it open. "Okay, here's everything I've bought and how many and what sizes and price and everything." He sighed and looked over at the small pile of scrolls.
"Those are the days' receipts. They say what was bought, but I don't know if I can make the register say what size, so I have to go through the floors and see what's missing. Plus I have more upstairs in boxes and I'm trying to keep track of what I take out of them in the book up there."
He looked up at Ariel helplessly. He took great care with his belongings, kept things clean and in good shape, but he couldn't put his projects away without forcing himself to start over the next time, and so his organization suffered.
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Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on Apr 6, 2009 21:50:09 GMT -5
Ariel's hand moved to rest on Markise's back, but he pulled it away before it could make contact. He didn't need that right now. Right now he needed to concentrate. Was it really worth the heartache to help Markise? Yes. Even if he had told himself that it could never be anything more than a one night thing, there was still a part of him that hoped with everything, that wanted the feelings he had felt that night again and again. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair as he tried to control his thoughts. "I can start upstairs with the stock, then go out front when you close," he said, then opened his eyes.
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