Haymitch Abernathy (Hunger Games) (drunkstrategy) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-08-13 09:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | !partner thread, gretel, haymitch abernathy |
Who: Haymitch and Gretel
When: Early August
Where: Breadcrumbs
What: Shopping and opportunity
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Haymitch had been recommended this place by Portia who had come visiting it a little while ago while researching for the film she was about to start working on. Haymitch wouldn’t have known about it otherwise, but as soon as she described it to him he knew it would be the perfect place to grab Katniss a gift.
So here he was mooching around trying to decide what exactly to get her. They were not short of anything and the choice available was a little overwhelming for someone like him who didn’t really know what they were looking for.
Gretel loved her work, there was nothing that she would rather be doing, and yes, that included talks about the new store. Gretel was tired of fighting with Hansel over it, and she was sure that he was as well. They'd started coming to some agreements, though, so that was something.
The store was relatively busy, and so Gretel was out on the floor helping customers. She spotted a man who looked like he was lost in the women's clothing section and she shook her head with a small smile. Going over to him, Gretel canted her head to the side. "You look like you're lost and could use some help."
“That obvious huh?” Haymitch said with a wry smile, “Thanks for taking pity on me. The girl I live with, she’s like a daughter” he quickly added, because people sometimes seemed to get the wrong idea when he said that, “She’s into all this outdoor stuff, so I was thinking of getting her something but now I’m here I have no idea what” he admitted. Outdoor activities weren’t really his thing at all but he’d been hoping to just spot something she’d like. “I know her jacket could do with being replaced but you have a lot of those”
Lifting a shoulder, Gretel's lips twisted up into a smirk. "You're not the first guy to come in and look like that." It didn't matter one way or another to Gretel if the girl he was living with was something more, or whatever. To each their own. She listened to him carefully, trying to piece together exactly what he was looking for. "Well, what sort of outdoor activities does she like?" That would help her narrow down what type of jacket he was looking for.
“Well I guess I should take comfort in that then” he smiled, it wasn’t that he cared what people thought but Katniss was only eighteen and it just felt wrong for people to even assume something was going on, even if they didn’t know her. “She shoots a lot, bow and arrow. She’s very talented, and she goes climbing too though she’s not as much into that as her archery”
An archer then. Gretel could understand that. "Follow me," she crooked her fingers and made a come here motion before turning on her heel to move to the lighter weight leather jackets. "I'm an archer myself, well, I shoot more with a crossbow than I do anything but when I am doing archery I prefer something a little lighter weight." She motioned to the leather jackets, "So we have those but if you're looking for something more versatile for her to wear, we have some nice North Face jackets there. There are a few lighter weight ones, or heavier ones depending on what time of year and where she goes out climbing."
Haymitch followed her over to the jackets and immediately knew that one of the leather ones would be perfect for Katniss, it was stylish but practical and unlike the North Face ones she mentioned they didn’t look like the jackets she wore in the games so there would be no horrible reminder of them. “I like the leather ones, would a brown one work for her hunting?” he asked since she seemed to have some experience with archery and what was needed.
She too preferred the leather ones over the bright colors of the puffy jackets that they sold. They served their purpose sure, but there was something -- nice about the leather. Gretel couldn't exactly put her finger on why she thought that but it was what it was. Giving a nod, Gretel looked over at Haymitch, "It will help her blend in a bit better with the woods and her surroundings. Do you happen to know what size she is?"
The bright puffy jackets definitely were not Katniss’ style and he could see her being much more comfortable in one of the leather ones and it was something she’d never buy for herself. “Uh she’s maybe a couple of inches taller than you but pretty slim” he replied giving a rueful smile, “I’m fairly awful at this shopping thing, can you tell?”
A soft smile pulled up the corners of Gretel's lips, "It happens to the best of us." Gretel had only become good at judging sizes after they'd opened up the shop. It'd taken a bit to get used eying potential buyers if they didn't want to try anything on, or helping others pick out items if they weren't sure on the size. "I'd say she's a small. If it doesn't happen to fit, however, you can bring it back within thirty days." She picked up two different brown leather jackets. "Now, on to the next hard part, which one do you think she'd like better?"
Haymitch was terrible and was sure if he was ever actually forced to guess sizes he’d insult pretty much everybody. Luckily Gretel seemed to take it well. “Great thanks” he said breathing a sigh of relief before looking at her in dismay as she held up two jackets, this shopping thing was neverending. “Okay, uh maybe that one, looks more like the earth?” he said it sounded more like a question than anything else.
She lifted the jacket that he picked, "I think that you're finally getting the hang of this." Gretel smiled softly and put the other one back on the rack. "Normally we have a few more to pick from, but my brother and I have been busy trying to get our shi--stuff together in order to open up another store." She rolled her eyes at that thought, any time they talked about the new store they seemed to fight about every little thing. Gretel honestly didn't think that it would've been that hard, but of course, it was. "Do you need anything else?"
Haymitch let out a little laugh, “Well thank you for that” then properly laughed when she nearly slipped on the swear word, “Oh don’t worry, I am so glad I don’t need to choose between more than the two” Shaking his head he smiled at her, “I think this is good. And thank you so much for your assistance, I am sure you will be seeing more of me. Or at least Katniss anyway when I tell her about this place”
"Sorry about the near slip up. I have a hard time remembering sometimes that I've got to watch my language. Bad PR and all of that if the customers hear something like that coming out of my mouth." Gretel chuckled at herself, it was hard to remember to keep her tongue while she was on the sales floor. She had to be professional and all that. "You're welcome, and anytime. We're open every day until 10 during the summer, and during the winter months we're only open until 9. We also offer adventure tours, so if either of you might be interested in that? I can give you a brochure. It has all of the dates for the rest of the year." She turned to move toward the counter, the jacket still in hand.
“Don’t worry you’re safe with me, I deal in PR and there is always a way to turn things around” he advised her, the odd slip up didn’t tend to bother most people these days. Luckily. “Yeah, that would be great. I can let Katniss have a look. She might be interested in that a lot”
Gretel's brows rose, and she handed over a brochure that held their outdoor adventure schedule to him. "So you deal in PR huh? What and all do you do?" She asked curiously, as she began to pull the jacket off the hanger, and remove the security tag.
“Thanks” he said taking the brochure and flicking through it, “Abernathy PR, we deal in increasing business, building reputations, advising on branding, anything you can think of” he dug in his pocket to hand over a card.
Taking the card, Gretel considered it for a few moments. Most of their business came through word of mouth, or what few advertisements they put out there. It might not be a bad idea to invest in something like Abernathy PR. "Thanks," she replied with a nod, "I'll talk to my brother about this, since we might need your services." Gretel totaled up his purchase and bagged the jacket. "Thank you for shopping with us. If you do come back in, ask for Gretel, and I'll make sure you get the size you need."
“Sure, no worries” Haymitch said with a nod, “Always happy to help” He found that business tended to be pretty good around here, even from places that he’d not suspected. “Thanks for your help and I’ll definitely be calling on you in future” he smiled taking the bag after paying her for the jacket.