¡Tink! (tinkhatespink) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-09-01 09:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, tinkerbell, virgil hawkins (static) |
Who: Virgil Hawkins and Tinkerbell
When: Early September
Where: Fix-It Shop
What: Random Encounter
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Virgil hadn’t signed up to be a gopher, but he was the newest member of his team, which of course meant that his supervisor had nominated him for the job of taking a part to some repair shop. He would have been more put out if it hadn’t been for the fact that the repair shop wasn’t too far from one of the bus stops his bus usually made on his way home from work. He walked into the shop, and glanced around. “Yello?” he called out. “Anyone home?”
Belle was in the back room when the door chimed. She was in the middle of soldering some wires into an electrical doohickey, something to do with something electronic, and she had to wipe the hot bit on the front on this sponge thingy before she set it in its holster. Of course, it was a little frustrating that she had to put her work on hold to help a customer… but she was at work. That was part of the job.
She came through the doorway to the front of the shop and broke into a practiced smile at the sight of the man standing there. “Hi! Sorry, I was... building something.” She dusted her hands on her jeans and approached the counter. “How can I help you?”
“You mean you actually repair things?” Virgil asked, in a good-natured feigned shock. “And here I thought that was just a name.” He came up to the front counter, and placed the part on the counter. “I’m here from Stark Industries? My supe told me he’d called ahead.”
Belle totally didn’t get it. The shock. She met him with a blank stare. “...um, yeah. That’s what we do here.” Like, duh, dude. That’s what it said on the door. “But yeah, I got the call.” She added, brightening a little, though she was still a bit weary. “I’ve got your order here.” She dug around under the counter for a couple moments, moving boxes to and fro. “Seriously, it was right here just a minute ago.” The underside of the counter was like Mary Poppins’s carpet bag. Belle nearly disappeared down there.
A moment later two things happened in rapid succession. Belle gave a triumphant, “Aha!” and then stood up. Of course, she was still under the counter, so she banged her head into it. Hard. It made a huge WHACK sound. And when the blonde reappeared she was rubbing her head with her free hand.
Virgil stared blankly for a moment, flummoxed. “I was kidding.” Okay, clearly the girl didn’t get jokes. Not that he’d expected a laugh from that particular one, but he’d expected to be taken seriously even less.
He leaned against the counter while she went looking for his order, a little bored. At least, until she hit her head. He winced at both the noise and the tremor that ran through the counter. “You a’ight?” he asked. “You need me to get some ice or… something?”
“No no no,” Belle was embarrassed, and obviously wincing at the pain in her head, so she still declined his offer of assistance. The smile she forced a moment later was through clenched teeth, but she really was trying. That was one of the many reasons she loved her job; she had a chance to work on her social skills. Sometimes. With customers. “Thanks, though. I’m okay. I’ve got an ice pack in the back, um… for when these things happen.” She had to have first aid supplies around since she was a bit clumbsy.
“Here’s the thing…” She said, setting the bag on the counter. “The supplies for the repair or whatever?” Then she finished rubbing her head. “Um… I’m Belle? By the way. It’s… on the receipt.”
“You sure?” Virgil asked. “Seemed like managed to hit your head pretty hard there. Counter shook and everything.”
He flashed his pearly whites at her. “Virgil,” he said. “S’nice to meet you, Belle. Thanks for this, by the way,” he said, grabbing the bag of supplies.
“Oh, well,” Tink moved her hand from the back-slash-top of her head and glanced at her fingers. Then she showed them off to him, wiggling them girlishly. (It may have been the only thing she’d done so far that was girlish.) “No blood, so I think I’ll be all right.” Hopefully no concussion, either. At least, if she was gonna pass out, she hoped she wouldn’t do it with the cute guy from Stark Tower standing across the desk from her.
“Virgil,” she repeated after him. When he smiled at her like that, it was hard for her not to smile back. “Oh, of course. Anytime.” She nodded. “I mean, we’ve got all kinds of parts in stock, and um… if anything needs fixing, we’re good at that, too.” Since, y’know, it was on the door and everything.
“If you sure,” Virgil said, frowning. But she really did seem fine. She might be hurting in a bit, but it sure didn’t look like the kind of thing that required a stranger to be hovering around playing nurse. “I’m pretty good at fixin’ my own stuff, but I’ll be sure to keep you in mind if I get stuck.” Or was too busy. Once school started, he had a feeling that between the Ranch, Stark Industries and his studies, he’d have his hand’s full.
“Sounds great.” Belle said. She liked meeting people in the area, and liked making friends with her customers. Since she’d been working there, she’d befriended quite a few--but for the most part once she finished fixing whatever it was she had to fix, she didn’t get to see the customers again. Sometimes not ever. Supplying hard to find tools and parts was a good way to make friends, though. Because who didn’t need tiny screwdrivers and tiny, clock cogs? “Thanks. I’ll see you next time, then.” And she reached for her magnifying glasses to put them on. She had some things to fix.
“Later, Belle,” Virgil said, waving. “Hope your head don’t end up hurting too bad.” And with that, he was gone.