Nobody (thekidwhodies) wrote in repose, @ 2019-06-28 10:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | *log, alex white, mal reed |
Log: Alex and Mal
Who: Alex and Mal
What: Tricked-out Gaming PC
Where: The Electronics Repair Shop
When: After this
Warnings/Rating: Probably none
The mornings in Repose were still chilly, the days warm, and overall it was the kind of weather Alex liked. Even though he always felt cold, wearing some kind of hoodie or jacket was - admittedly, yes - a security blanket for him in a lot of ways. He just felt better if he was wrapped up in something warm and partially hidden from the world. Not that he'd been doing a great job of that lately: he seemed to be putting himself out there more and more, initiating contact and reaching out in general, not a great strategy for someone who preferred to remain hidden in plain sight.
Maybe being in Repose was changing him. Maybe having something regular and stable, like the gig at the comic shop, was changing him. If he wanted to think about a future, he could start to, without wondering where he'd find a warm place to sleep and something to eat. He felt positively pleased with himself as he made the walk from the comic shop to the electronics repair store. His boss had told him, in that off-handed, nonchalant sort of way he had, that in addition to more hours, Alex would be getting a raise thanks to the way he'd used the forums to drum up more sales in the shop (thanks, Billy). So, like the Maslow's Hierarchy of...finances, or something. Not only did he have enough money to cover his basic needs, but extra. Like, disposable income. Spending money.
But certainly not enough to buy whatever fancy computer this Mal guy wanted to make him. But if he had a Walkman, at least, his walks around Repose would be a little less boring. If any of those tapes worked. He hoped so; there were some good ones: Bowie, Queen, Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles, and a lot more. Everything pre-90s but he didn't mind. It was the kind of stuff his moms had listened to around the house and he preferred it to most newer stuff.
It was getting on toward eight o'clock by the time he found the repair place and he wondered if it would still be open. Sure, it had said 9 on the forums but he didn't really want to be that customer if Mal wanted to call it an early night. He pushed down his hood, not wanting to look like a creeper, since he knew what his clothes looked like (shabby, worn, the jeans fraying and with a couple holes at the knees, but clean, at least) and didn't want the guy to think he was some kind of thief. Well, the door opened when he tried it, so he took that as a sign that it was okay to slouch his way in and have a look around. He stopped, staring. It was incredible. He was borderline technologically illiterate at times, excepting his smartphone. Or maybe just born a couple decades too late. But when you were poor, outdated tech was usually what you got, if you got any at all.
So seeing all this, the old stuff, the familiar stuff, was just...cool.