InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "hey you. you're cool."

yvaine (whatstarsdo) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-01-30 15:33:00

Entry tags:

!closed, aziraphale, yvaine

Who: Aziraphale and Yvaine
What: Two lost souls. Well, a lost angel and a lost former star.
Where: Aziraphale's bookstore
When: Today, afternoon
Rating/Status: PG, in progress

Yvaine was miserable. She hated admitting it but could no longer deny the fact that her momentary bad mood had turned into a full-on state. And this wasn't new for her – she'd had a mood that lasted most of the latter half of the 15th century – but it was disconcerting when combined with her changes in biology. Truthfully the bodily adjustments were only making it harder. Remembering to eat on a schedule that seemed constant, having to deal with all manner of secretions and expulsions, having to do things like wash, not being able to hear or feel things properly... it was distracting and confusing and upsetting. Combine that with her poorly-hidden dismay at Obi-Wan's continued aloofness and she was more depressed than she'd ever been. If she'd still been a star she would not have been shining at all. And that thought, and the reminder that now she would never shine again, made her want to burst into tears.

Still, Yvaine was not known for her tolerance of foolishness, and that was not meant to exclude herself. And there was only so long she would let herself wallow when she was supposed to be living at a human scale. She couldn't be in a bad mood for a century when she didn't even have a century left. This line of reasoning stopped before it got to carpe diem and other banalities, but it did propel her out of the flat. A coat in her size had appeared one day, though Obi-Wan hadn't said anything when she clumsily attempted to thank him, and she had widened her excursions from the building to the city.

Many of the shops seemed strange to her, selling items she wouldn't ever think to need – gadgets and gizmos that were far beyond her, even the cookery store selling things for purposes she couldn't understand. But one bookstore caught her eye; it was simple and understated and, somehow, familiar. It wouldn't have been out of place in the Fairy Market. And as she stepped into the shop, a bell chiming over her head, the atmosphere felt familiar as well. Cluttered, perhaps, but not full of blinking lights or shining metal.

(Post a new comment)

theflamingsword
2011-02-01 04:13 am UTC (link)

The shop always had a sort of warmth to it, the lights softer and less harsh and bright than most modern places, and the atmosphere was cheery. Now though, there was a certain emptiness. Even with the clutter and the homeyness, there was something missing. Or perhaps it was the fact that the proprietor was sitting at the register, thumbing idly through a very old book and looking morose.

It wasn't the first time Crowley had gone from the city, but he was so much closer with him this time than he had been before. And there was the matter of Adam this time. Aziraphale worried that the boy wouldn't cope well with the serpent's disappearance, considering his reaction when Ben was returned home. And he wasn't much help, not with the ache in his chest that seemed to reach down to his very soul. Still, life had to go on and his bookshop, with its musty books and familiar clutter, offered a small measure of comfort.

The bell chimed and he looked up spotting the young woman there. But she wasn't young, not really. He could see just looking at her that she, like himself, was much older than appearance suggested. It was curious because she also seemed completely human. Or as if all trace off something else had been wiped away. "Welcome," he said, giving her a small, tired smile. He didn't say the shop's name, because it didn't have or need one. "Is there any way I can help you today?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

whatstarsdo
2011-02-01 11:55 pm UTC (link)

Yvaine hadn't expected to meet anyone so quickly. The shop looked comfortable and lived-in, but it didn't seem to have the air of anyone constantly hovering over it. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she tilted her head, examining the shopkeeper with curiosity. A young enough face, but there was the sort of depth in his eyes that one didn't often see in the humans here. And a shadow of sorrow underneath it all.

"I'm not sure," she said eventually, taking a step away from the door. "I didn't really come in here looking for something. Other than books, I mean. But I don't have anything particular in mind." She peered past him at the books. "Possibly history, I think I missed rather a lot when I came here." A century and a half at least, to say nothing of the differences between the lands she watched and those without magic.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theflamingsword
2011-02-05 09:04 am UTC (link)

Aziraphale did not so much hover as find comfort in his bookshop. And right now, he needed that comfort. He hadn't intended to startle the poor girl, and he felt terrible that he had done so, but he was glad he'd spoken to her. She seemed to have a lot troubling her, and if there was one thing he could do well it was help people with their problems. And this girl certainly had her fair share.

Cat jumped up on the counter and he smiled, scratching the feline behind the ears. "Yes," he told the cat matter-of-factly, "it is a visitor." He frowned slightly. "Well, yes. That's true. But she wouldn't have been able to if she didn't need to." The shop was, technically speaking, closed for the moment, but people could still treat it as open if they really needed it. It was all a matter of perception and desire. Returning his attention to the girl he gave her a small smile.

"I just put on some tea," he said gently, "and you look as though you have a lot you need to get off your chest. Would you like to sit down?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

whatstarsdo
2011-02-05 08:55 pm UTC (link)

Here was yet another aspect of her transformation she hadn't yet encountered. Before, Yvaine would have understood what the cat was thinking as clearly as the shopkeeper. It was just another matter of listening, like hearing the other stars or the breath of the trees. Now, though, she stared at the cat and couldn't perceive anything other than the curiosity and disdain inherent to all creatures of its kind. But the shopkeeper could. This gentleman was becoming more and more interesting.

"Are you a Jedi?" she asked abruptly. "They seem to be positively obsessed with tea as a panacea." And then she smiled and ducked her head. "I'm sorry, that was rather rude. That would be very nice. Thank you."

(Reply to this) (Parent)