Who: Fitz Proudfoot & JJ Monroe What: Some potential, and possibly questionable, gift advice... When: Tuesday, around midday, 12 March 2019 Where: Brightstar Reserve's Gift Shop Warnings: Nope
It was kind of a slow day. But then most days at the gift shop seemed somewhat slow if there were no groups or large swaths of tourists coming through. There was plenty of spare time that he'd already managed to not only get through the inventory, but he'd organised the storage room, cleaned around the shop front, checked over displays, and was now currently ensconced behind the counter watching as a toy kelpie and griffin were doing a waltz together. Fitz had been tempted to have the toys start another conga line like the other day but his boss had already spoken to him about it - so a waltzing kelpie and griffin it was.
Speaking of his boss, they wouldn't have been happy about not only messing about with merchandise but also the fact he wasn't aware or had even immediately standing the moment the bell charm above the door sounded.
"Uh... hi, how can I help you?" he said hastily as he stood up, waving his wand so that the toys stopped dancing on the counter.
There was honestly no telling what had been going through JJ's head when she'd walked into the Reserve's gift shop. Honestly, her brain was still kind of filled with this static buzz as it tried to work through what she'd just heard from her parents. She'd almost walked into the door rather than opening it like a normal person would, and was genuinely surprised to be greeted by an actual person. She gave a start and looked up sharply at the man behind the counter.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there. I mean, maybe I should've guessed that someone would be here, but I wasn't exactly expecting…" She trailed off with a sort of general wave of her hand, gaze going slightly unfocused before it snapped back to him. "Let me try this again."
She approached his counter and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm JJ, I just started here a couple of months ago as a trainee, but I've never had a chance to come by. That's my fault. Y'all are so pretty around here." Her face went flush in about two seconds. "Er, I mean, y'all have some really pretty things around here. I'm so sorry. I'm really kinda all over the place right now. I hope you'll forgive me."
Fitz made to say that she didn't need to and that it was fine but she'd beat him to it before he'd even gotten a word out. As he shook JJ's hand he somehow managed to not laugh at the pretty comment - though he still had a slightly amused smile as he looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, JJ, I'm Fitz, and don't worry about it - we'll pretend you were just talking about all the natural scenery around here, which is certainly pretty, and absolutely nothing else. So a trainee, huh? How's that going for you so far?"
"Bless you for your kindness, Fitz" she said with an unaffectedly grateful smile. There wasn't a stitch of irony in the delivery either; it was a benediction genuinely expressed. JJ grinned at him, kind of bouncing on her toes, openly delighted. "I love it! It's super challenging, and I'm tired just all the time, but I'm used to that kind of nonsense. It's the good kind of nonsense, y'know? Where you feel like you're doin' somethin' that matters. What about you? How long have you been at the Reserve? Do you do anything else around here? Not that running the shop couldn't be more than enough for a body, if that's what they have a mind to do!"
"I definitely understand," he replied with a grin, thinking back to not only his days at the Dinas Emrys Reserve but also the work at Unseen University. Though his chances of ever working with the latter again were fairly slim, and he'd honestly be surprised if they ever actually offered him another position considering what had happened. "Practically grew up around Snowcap and Brightstar though it's my first time home in a while. Uh... it's kind of just the gift shop for now... at least for the time being anyway."
Fitz wasn't so sure if the higher ups would really be all that willing to let him take care of any of the creatures given his recent history; regardless of whatever qualifications he possessed. "Keeps me busy enough and out of trouble," he answered with a shrug. "Not that I mind yammerin but I don't think you came by just to chat to me. So, what gift giving advice can I try and bestow upon you?"
Her gaze could only be described as avid. She wasn't sure why, but JJ got the impression that there were oceans of things he wasn't saying. Of course, none of it was her business, but that didn't keep her from being curious. But she wasn't going to pry. People generally didn't like it, even if it came from a good place. "Nothin' like bein' back home, unless you don't really wanna be there. Hopefully you're doin' somethin' you like, at least."
She shook her head, however, when he dismissed himself, and grinned. "I don't mind yammerin'. Goodness knows I'm a world-class yammerer. I don't think there's a power on Heaven or Earth that could get me to shut up when I get started--not even a Silencio spell. I'd just get to gesticulatin' and that's just a sure-fire way of someone losin' an eye."
A brief laugh at her own expense put a stop to what had promised to be a somewhat epic babble-fest, as did his unsubtle steering back to the point of her visit. Which...had been what exactly? JJ glanced around the shop, hoping something would spark her recollection. "I need a gift for… family? Something I can send back home for…" Her brows knit together in concentration and mounting frustration. "Auntie… Oh!" She grinned suddenly and brightly. "I'm gonna be an Auntie!"
As much as he didn't want to get into the particulars of why it was he was working in a gift shop when he could be doing more it was hard to feel even the least bit mad at JJ - even if she wasn't prying. He gave a slight chuckle. "It's not so much not liking being home as liking to travel a whole lot. Working in a gift shop might not have been what I'd usually pick but it suits me for the moment."
Fitz had to bite his lip to keep from full out laughing at JJ's babbling. "I'll keep that in mind then."
If not for her suddenly remembering her reason for being in the shop he might've started to get concerned. "Really? Congratulations! So did you have anything in mind? Like a soft toy, clothes, or something else?"
It wasn't a stretch to sympathize with Fitz-from-the-Gift Shop, and JJ found herself nodding like she knew exactly what he meant. "I get that, about the traveling. I did it a whole lot, all over really, a couple years back. It was nice to come here and just remember what it was like to just--I dunno--be. I mean, who knows, I may get the itch again one day, but I doubt it'll be any time soon. I think I've reached my quota and then some."
She picked up the kelpie and wiggled one of its seaweed-like fins or appendages or whatever they were called--mental note, review kelpie anatomy--with her finger before examining the griffin. Her smile was almost shy when she finally looked back up at Fitz. "I don't rightly know. I mean, my niece or nephew won't be here for months, so this might be a bit more congratulatory than shower-appropriate. Normally I'd just order somethin' off of Amazon and be done with it, but that seems so...impersonal. But really, I don't think there's a book of etiquette that covers 'good job on knockin' up your girlfriend.'" Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I'm so sorry. That was a utterly vulgar. I guess I'm still processin' all of it, and really tryin'--and failin'--not to judge."
Fitz was still listening to JJ as he tried to think of when it was that he was last home on a more permanent basis. He managed to stop himself from frowning at the realisation that, aside from the times he would visit for a couple or few months here or there, the last time he'd permanently called this place home was before he'd gone off to ACU Monterey for his magical baccalaureate; he'd known it'd been a while but hadn't really considered it had been quite so long as that. "I know what you mean. Even if it's been a while I still enjoy coming home."
Even if this time it was more permanent and not exactly entirely of his own choosing.
"I understand, and don't worry I've heard worse," he said running his fingers through his hair. "Though I can see how that would make it kind of hard trying to think of the right gift. Hmm, well to try and make finding a gift a little easier - do you want it to be something for your sister or your niece or nephew to be?"
Home was a complicated subject for her. She hadn't seen all that much of it lately, especially not when she abruptly dropped out of her tour. Partly it was healer necessity, but there was no small amount of shame involved as well as her short-lived career as an international pop star ended just as quickly as it had started. She couldn't keep the wry note out of her smile as she nodded at Fitz, but figured she'd already burdened him enough with her ranging babbling.
JJ was still a bit flush with embarrassment as she picked up the griffin and watched, amused, as it started prowling over her slightly extended arm. "You're very kind, but I really should try to be better. No point in bringin' more negativity into the world if I can help it. Especially not with a new baby on the way."
She looked back up Fitz as the griffin curled up on her shoulder. "She's not exactly my sister yet. That's kind of up in the air at this point. But I should really stop airing my family's dirty laundry to you. Sorry."
JJ gave a short, slightly dismissive laugh, and shook her head. Her hair didn't quite stop when her head did. She paid it no mind, even if the griffin batted at the end of it. "I'm just full of apologies today. That's the thing, though. Rest of the fam? Not a lick o' magic in 'em. Kinda narrows down my choices, unfortunately. At least in here. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. I'm sorry, I'm probably just wastin' your time."
"Fair enough. Well, if'n you do happen to slip up, just so you know I won't be too hard on you," he said teasingly.
Fitz was still amused as he watched the griffin curl up on JJ's shoulder, and winced when he realised he hadn't quite considered the fact that JJ's brother and his girlfriend weren't actually together. "No, I'm sorry for having gotten the wrong of it," he said, carding his fingers through his hair.
"Oh, right, and yeah I definitely see how if you took one of the griffins or other creature toys home there might be questions. Guess sometimes i don't realise how lucky I've been what with my m... my family being as magical as me," he commented, quickly skipping over his near mention of his mum. It wasn't a subject he was likely ever to really talk about, and in fact he was fairly certain that the only person liable to even get close to coaxing anything from him on it was his dad. "No, it's fine, you're not wasting any time-" He said gesturing to the fact they were the only two in the shop at that moment. "To be honest I'm probably not doing that great at my job - which uh... kind of only started just near the end of last month really. We do actually have gift options that are plenty safe for non-magical people. Absolutely zero chance of awkward questions and answers happening except maybe for the one in explaining where you got it from."
For all of the apologies she uttered, she was quick to dismiss them as unnecessary in others, which she did to Fitz with an airy wave of her hand. JJ did spare him a curious look when it was obvious that he'd been about to say one thing but change it at the last second. But, again, she chose to forego being nosy in favor of being pleasant. That's what her mama always tried to tell her, at any rate. She had to laugh at herself when he pointed out the utter lack of other customers, feeling very silly. "I'm sure you're doin' great. I mean, the place is still standin' and the displays are neat and appealin' and it makes me wanna come back by to find birthday and Christmas presents for my HAHA friends, so you must be doin' somethin' right."
Her giggling continued when she felt a weird tug at her shoulder. Looking over, the griffin had somehow managed to get a cloth talon stuck in a bit of the bandage that was just peeking out from the neckline of her top. "Hang on, little guy, I got you," she cooed at it as she reached up to get it free. It opted to jump into her hand, and she lowered it back to the counter before she smiled back up at Fitz. "I guess we aren't really strangers to awkward questions, but YAM certainly taught us the fine art of circumlocution. It's not so bad as lying all the time, so much as it's embellishin' the truth or omittin' the sticky facts."
Her grin turned a little (and incongruously) bashful. "But can I just say, in lieu of absolutely nothin', that I just love your accent. Do you mind if I ask where you're from?"
Fitz was glad that his misstep either wasn't noticed or JJ had chosen not to comment on it. "And only the occasional conga line of dancing toys," he added with a teasing grin. Not that he'd made any of the toys do that in the last few days however. "Well, the displays aren't actually down to my decision but I try - so thank you."
It wasn't all that hard to smile at the way JJ kept giggling, and he couldn't help but laugh when saw that the griffin had managed to get one of its talons stuck in... a bandage? He frowned slightly, and hoped whatever had happened wasn't causing her any problems at the moment. "That's fortunate then even if it's still not easy, or rather doesn't make you feel all that great having to hide something or smudge the details a little," he commented. "Still there'd probably be some odd looks if you tried to explain where this little guy-" He said pointing to the griffin that seemed to be sulking now that it was on the counter. "came from and is able to do what he can. Though guess it's easy enough these days to try and pass it off as just a very highly technical toy."
Fitz chuckled and couldn't help but grin widely at the question. "Thanks? I see we're getting to the hard questions already," he teased, a teasing smirk on his lips. "Easy enough to answer though I suppose - with the answer being... here."
"Obviously not the gift shop - I guess it'd make for an interestin' story though," he added with a chuckle. "But no, I grew up in and around Snowcap and the reserve actually."
She tried to imagine a string of the little stuffed creatures dancing around the shop and was delighted by what her mind's eye produced. "Well, you are more than welcome. Why don't you drop me a line next time you get the urge to stage an impromptu dance party? That's something I might consider deviating from my schedule t'see."
Still watching the small griffin, JJ nodded slowly. She reached out to scritch it just below its beak. "It's a wonder what they can do without magic," she agreed, half-musing aloud. "Sometimes I think it might be fun to have someone else like me in the fam. But I honestly don't know if I'd feel comfortable putting that kind of life on anyone else." Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "Not that it was bad! It's just… I guess we all sort of had what you might call it a bit of a crisis of Faith. No easy answers there, just a lot of prayer to figure out if what we believed could jive with what I turned out to be. I mean, I think it'd be easier, havin' my brother know already if it did happen, but still. Hard to wish that on someone else, not knowin' how the rest of the world might react."
His answer earned him a confused blink, but then she laughed at herself. "Oh, I thought-- well, I don't rightly know what I thought, exactly. Not important, really. At least you didn't go and get yourself born out by the occamy nests. Isn't that that one healer? The one who looks like he's got the smell of stinksap permanently stuck up his nose? I've seen graphorns friendlier lookin' than that guy."
"I'll keep that in mind if ever there's suddenly a conga line happening," he said with a chuckle. Given his level of boredom some days chances were it was likely to happen again sometime in the near future.
He smiled good-naturedly and more than understood what she'd been trying to say; regardless of the fact that it wasn't a situation he himself was at all familiar with. "Yeah, I get what you were trying to say. I mean, I'm lucky in that my family's every bit as magic as I am but I know from friends and co-workers I've had how much of a mixed bag it is whichever way you go; whether you're the sole magical kid of a family or the other end and you're the only one in a magical family that wouldn't be able to make a wand spark unless they set it on fire. Just as much of a mixed bag as to how the world'll react to either too, which kind of blows cause either way doesn't make a person any less a person."
This made JJ smile softly as she nodded. He was right, of course, and it was nice to meet someone who'd grown up in the magical world who seemed to really get it. She decided right then and there that she rather liked Fitz-from-the-gift-shop and his worldly views.
"That'd be the having spent the last twelve years around the states and abroad, and only occasionally being at home, confusing you," he responded with a teasing grin. Fitz chuckled at the near spot-on description she gave of one Kent Brightstar, who honestly wasn't a bad sort, just didn't exactly have much in the way of patience or personality with most humans it seemed. However, the innocuous mention of graphorns made the smile drop, and there was a barely noticeable flinch upon hearing the name of the creature. It had been his one stipulation when he'd been working with the Unseen University - he'd help them out in a pinch but as a general rule of thumb he tended to avoid graphorns as much as he could. They were unfortunately a stark reminder of how he'd lost his last remaining biological parent; his father having disappeared without a trace one day a year or so before that terrible day. "Uh, yeah, that's the one. Might not be so great around people but he does know his stuff."
Being on stage meant reading the audience, and JJ couldn't help but pick up on the change of tone in his expression. She parsed over what she'd said exactly when it had happened, wondering if she'd said something hurtful or offensive, but could come up with nothing more than mentioning a traditionally cantankerous beast. She was curious, of course, because there was clearly a story there. But just because she really wanted to know what had dimmed his apparent happiness didn't make it okay for her to pry. She filed it away to puzzle over, or not. These days she never quite knew what her head would land on. Her smile was careful, however, and she nodded again, feeling a little like a bobblehead. "I guess at the end of the day, talent and expertise are really what counts around here. The rest is just down to the human factor, and that's just life, yeah?"
Without much prompting, she coaxed the griffin back into her hand. It promptly curled up and fell asleep. JJ was utterly charmed. "I think I'm a little in love. Are you gonna be mad if I take your friend away? I promise to drop him off for regular visits. Even if I don't find a gift today, at least I'm not leavin' completely empty handed."
"Pretty much. Besides life would be an incredibly dull adventure if we were all the same personalities," he replied. Fitz didn't think to mentally question himself as to whether JJ had noticed his sudden drop in mood, and was merely glad that for all her yammerin' she wasn't one who seemed determined to pry out every detail from him; something he supposed he really ought to be grateful for considering his reluctance to talk upon the subject, even within his own family.
The simple action of the magically animated griffin managed to draw a smile from him, and for a split second he was briefly back just before Greece when he was trying to transport a griffin back to its native home (as near as the island of Ios came to it). He shook his head. "Better that than if he stays and decides to sulk and pine until your return. Seriously though, it'd be fine - there's always more where he came from. He was just the lucky one who got to be front and center with this kelpie here." Fitz happened to glance down at the toy kelpie, this particular one in a sea serpent form, at just the right moment to see it doing exactly what he'd just accused the griffin of potentially doing if JJ were to leave it behind. "Guess somebody's not too pleased about that," he said, a touch of disbelief in his tone, as he scratched his head. "Think you might have to drop him off for visits after all."
JJ's face fell as she, too, looked down at the other stuffed creature. "Oh, now that's just not fair." Her shoulders slumped. "Don't you look at me with that tone of voice! Well, dang it, I'm just gonna have to take her too. I can't go splittin' up friendships like that. But don't you dare show me any more, or else I'm gonna be known as that crazy girl with a room fulla stuffed critters and no human friends to speak of. So now that's two presents for myself and not a one for the bean-to-be. I'm not really good at this, am I?"
Fitz wouldn't help but burst out laughing as she 'told off' the kelpie - whose only response seemed to be trying to pull off the toy equivalent the innocent act. "Awww, c'mon now, wouldn't be doing my job if'n I didn't try and push all of our wares on you, now would I?" he said with a cheeky smile. "Think it means I'm not quite so good at the giving gift advice is what. But..."
He trailed off as he glanced around the shop for something that would be alright for a baby in an otherwise non-magical family (excepting their soon to be Auntie anyway). "What about a throw?" he finally suggested. "Suits a baby, and long thereafter. Plus I'm pretty confident it's about as magic free as you can get - the design doesn't change a bit, so there won't be none of those awkward questions or explanations."
The kelpie and griffin had both taken up residence on her shoulder, and curled around one another. JJ shot them an exasperated look, but she was all smiles when she looked back at Fitz. "That might just be perfect! I mean, if the design is in keeping with the Reserve's look an' all, any magical beasties on it could just be explained away as artistic license, y'know? I reckon we can start there! You, Fitz-from-the-shop, are brilliant."