Who: Vivian Yahni and Katharine Renshaw What: Perimeter check. When: Saturday morning. Where: Raven's Head Oddities and Collectibles Rating: PG Status: Complete
Running around the city doing legwork was not her idea of fun, nor was it her job description. Yet there she was, latte in hand because she really had to learn to cut down on her caffeine intake, and plainclothes instead of an uniform, her senses peeked even as the likelihood of seeing anything worthwhile declined with every passing second. She'd entered the shop on a whim, just as she had the past four, the two cafés before that, the Starbucks with free internet and two public libraries. None of them had 'felt' right, but that didn't mean much. At least this place had a nice scent, Vivian thought, trying to gouge a ballpark figure for the monthly income it must be generating for the owners. Money spoke volumes.
Kathy was in the backroom when she heard the tiny bell announce the presence of a customer. She carefully set down the boxes she was carrying, and brushed her hands off before stepping out into the front of the store. "Hi!" she said cheerfully, walking towards Vivian. "Welcome to Raven's Head Oddities and Collectibles, is there anything I can help you find today? Or are we just browsing?" She gave her a warm smile, the same smile she always gave her customers - But it was always genuine.
There was a distinct lack of apparent insanity in the woman who came to greet her, Vivian judged, gathering as much from the lack of spirit-chasing talismans around her neck. It was a rushed assessment and left much to be desired, so Vivian promised herself a follow-up later. "Just browsing, thanks," she answered easily, darting a look around to see if there was any security system installed. And then to see if there were other employees. "I've lived in the area for a while, but can you believe it I never set foot in your store before..."
"That's pretty common. A lot of people don't even know we're here." She grinned, then leaned against the counter. "And a lot of people think we're something we're not. We do sell a lot of occult and metaphysical stuff," she said, playing with her hair a little. "But we also sell a lot of roleplaying stuff, rare books, comics, action figures..." She shrugged. "Weird, nerdy junk."
"Aah..." Vivian walked a little deeper into the store, glancing at the displays. "So not Paganism R Us? From the outside, I wasn't sure." Not that she would have cared. They made for the poorest hiding places. Adult stores were about the safest you could find these days, in terms of underhand dealings. Anything that on the surface looked less than mainstream got investigated more than thoroughly, sooner or later.
"Not entirely." Kathy laughed a little. "I'm not pagan myself but a lot of my customers are. We just sell what we find interesting - We being my son and I, I mean. He's a good kid." She rubbed her earlobe, watching Vivian curiously. "Is there anything you're really interested in? We've got books, incense, action figures..." She went behind the counter, then gestured at the collection of knives underneath the glass. "Knives, and swords as well."
"Knives and swords?" Vivian repeated, eying the display. It figured that out of all that had been offered, the latter would be the most appealing. Still smiling, still - overtly - pleasant, she shook her head. "No, that's not for me. Like I said, I'm just browsing." And she all but turned to look at the aforementioned incense sticks before she remembered something she'd thought of, something she might actually need. "Actually... it doesn't really fall under the pagan umbrella, I don't think, but do you sell dreamcatchers?"
"Dreamcatchers, huh?" She thought about that. "We do have some, but there's not a very big selection I'm afraid." She headed down one side of the store, then stopped amongst the many different metaphysical things she had. "Right here. They're all handmade, so I'm afraid they're a bit pricier than what you might be looking for."
Vivian wasn't sure what she was looking for - save for an IP location to track down and use as evidence in a summary trial before getting rid of one of her many problems - but she followed the other woman to the shelf, gazing obediently at the suspended disks. "They're very pretty, through. Handmade or not." She touched a feather on the one nearest by her and wondered at the softness of a dead bird. "I like this one. Guess there's not a big market out there for the dream world, is there?" Why would there be, when you could take a pill and poof, your problems went away for eight blissful hours?
Yes, they're lovely... A lot of people buy dream dictionaries, but it seems like that's kind of silly, to me," Kathy winked, then took the dream catcher down for her to examine more closely. "Your dreams mean things specifically to you. A cat may have different connotations to someone who's not you, for example."
"You think so?" Vivian asked, tilting her head to the side and considering both the woman in front of her and the dreamcatcher. "You don't think some symbols are universal within a culture? We use the same signifiers to decode it... our subconscious probably does the same." It was a stab in the dark, a useless conversation and a mark that she was becoming tired all in one. She needed to find a way to unwind.
"That's true," Kathy said, turning to look at the books. She opened one up and flipped through it. "But it's really individualized. Dreams are your subconscious working through things. A black cat may be a sign of bad luck for most people, but when I was growing up, my best friend had a black cat. So, when I see black cats, I think of her and not bad things. You know what I mean?"
"Do you dream black cats, Miss...?" Vivian trailed off, looking to have the other woman fill in her name but didn't wait too long. "I don't. And I imagine dreaming about guns can have only one connotation. Unless I were a member of the NRA..." She drifted to the side of the display, to South American worrydolls. "You're supposed to put these under your pillow, correct?"
"Renshaw," Kathy responded, smiling. "Katharine Renshaw, really, I prefer Katharine or Kathy..." She sort of let herself trail off, unsure what else to say. She laughed a little. "But what if your father was a hunter, for example? Or a policeman? So that'd have different connotations to you than someone who, say, had been in a war or caught in a gang fight." She paused, then nodded. "Yes, that's right."
"Even so, those guns would be used to kill or threaten. They remain a symbol of power, not of fatherly love." She picked up one of the dolls by the hand. Helpless, superstitious little thing. "Kathy is such a pretty name. Were you named after a grandmother or an aunt or something like that?"
"But they might be used to protect. So for some, a gun could be a terrifying thing - For others, a sign of protection or strength." She shook her head. "No, it's just a name my parents picked out. I like it well enough, though. I could've been given something worse, you know?" She grinned
"The long arm of patriarchal justice," Vivian murmured, wavering on the edge of something she couldn't remember. Something that had been pushed back far enough to be forgotten. "It's a pretty name," she repeated and set the worrydoll back down. "I'll take the dreamcatcher, I think."
Kathy hesitated, then settled for a nod. She wasn't sure what to say to that... "Well," she said, moving on. "Thank you very much. Can I ask what yours is?" She smiled, then held her hand out. "I can take the dreamcatcher up to the front and ring it up for you if you like."
"Vivian," she replied, glancing at the other woman's hand before shaking it with what she hoped was a feminine, light grip. Wouldn't do to break fingers without a reason. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you as well." Kathy gave her a grin. Ah, there. She seemed a little uptight, but she might have loosened a bit since she came in. Right? Well, it seemed that way, even thoug her grip was a little firm. Nothing wrong with a firm handshake, right?
Vivian lingered, lost to herself for a moment before she remembered to drop her hand. "Sorry. I should pay for that." And go. This was a timesink. She had work to do.
"Sure, that's fine." Kathy turned back and slipped behind the counter to ring it up. She punched a few numbers into the till, then hit the total button. "Twenty fifty-six. Is that okay?" She hoped so. Those dreamcatchers weren't selling like she'd hoped.
Vivian set her cup on the counter before reaching for her wallet. "Oh, yes. Fine." She didn't want the dreamcatcher so much as all that, but she could use the reason to come back here. The place had a nice vibe, if she could call it that. She felt good there.
"Great!" Yes! Sold a dream catcher~! Kathy took her money, then returned her change before folding tissue paper gently around the dreamcatcher. "To protect the feathers and things," she explained. Then, she put it in a bag carefully and handed it over. "Thanks for shopping, I'd love to have you drop by again."
"Gladly," Vivian replied with a smile. "Especially if this doesn't work," she added, waving the paperbag as she picked up what was left of her latte. "Have a nice day."
"You too!" Kathy returned her wave with a little laugh, then watched as she left. She seemed nice enough, if not a little bit uptight... Maybe she would become a regular.