Shape pours the Earl Grey tea into a second cup that he also requested at the Cafe register. Vera Hanley takes a sip from this cup, glaring at Shape's brown eyes with her own blue ones. And then she snaps her eyes shut and pushes the cup aside, almost tipping it. "Shape, this Earl Grey beverage tastes like asphalt and tap water mixed by a barista. It's not good." Shape laughs and drinks his own tea, still smirking sometimes, and he plants his feet on the floor as a new woman walks into the Cafe that he's never seen in the town before. Vera jots about the horrendous ordeal caffeine products continue to be on her notetaking device, and she jitters on the back of her chair as if the caffeine is already affecting her. It hasn't. Shape is a bit shameless in peeking looks at the new woman when she's even looking his way by chance.
Silver's eyes quickly scan the locale as she enters the Café for the first time. She needs to know what she's working with - A rather cozy establishment, it seems. Not too populated at this time of the day, but a possible couple seem to be having a moment with each other. The girl doesn't like the drink, that's clear. Silver takes a note to order something that isn't tea for now. The table next to the two is free for now. If nothing else? Silver might be able to pick up on their conversation for valuable information.
Her loose, silver-shiny hair that she prides herself with has taken a toll from the not too mild wind outside, and she takes a moment to settle it back into place before approaching the register. "A large cup of hot chocolate, please, add some caramel to it and be generous with the cream. Make that as extra as you like, I won't mind the price." The entire request takes but a moment, and before she can receive any response, she's sat down at the previously chosen table, leaving behind a more than adequate amount of coins on the counter. She's in visible proximity of Shape and Vera now, offering occasional glances both that way and to the rest of the visitors in equal parts.
Assessing a new place and establishing a suitable reputation is always an effort but she knows it will pay off in the long run.
The hair isn't quite bleached, but it doesn't seem quite dyed, does it? Vera now glances toward the newcomer, following Shape's lead, although it's less boredom and more business. Shape is happy to meet people, sure, and a mysterious, alone woman sitting next to them is a great opportunity. Vera just thinks Shape wants to have sex, which might also be a factor Shape's considering anyway. She pushes her chair back from her dull, white flats, and Shape waves her down while clenching his teeth. He says, "Vera, Christ, can you not do that right now?" But Vera already begins her typical procedure. The smell of the hot chocolate being made and presented on the cafe counter and the bright sun shining on her pale lips make her especially bouncy this morning, like a waitress. "Hello. I do not mean to bother you, but I am a journalist and I was hoping to gather 'the next scoop' on our locals." Her voice fades for a moment. "What is your name? Please, call me Blogger." Shape approaches beside Vera and tugs her elbow. She ignores him.
So the girl is called Vera, or "Blogger", and also quite the nosy kind. Not exactly what Silver was hoping for, but she can't make a scene this early in her presence. So she'll humor Vera for now. Her companion seems a bit more reasonable, maybe he'll help keep Vera in line for now. She seems awfully in a good mood today, who knows how long that will last.
Silver takes just a bit of time to fetch her drink, stir it counter clockwise exactly twice and then have a spoonful of cream for herself. Don't let your air of importance falter, but also don't be rude.
"A journalist, hm? I didn't quite take you for one but they come in all shapes and sizes these days. You may call me Silver, Vera." She doesn't want to humor Vera too much, make her too comfortable. So calling her 'Blogger' isn't happening. "Who's this friend of yours, if I may ask? He seems to object to you disturbing others' peace before they have a chance to settle."
Vera sighs and adjusts her sash component of her utilitarian dress. "I will call you Silver. I am unsure why you call me 'Vera,' however." Shape can't help but to snort, and he looks to Silver as if he were saying, "Can you believe this?" Up-playing the absurdity of Vera's investigative nature, Shape hoped, would put Silver and him on pretty good terms--light-hearted and fun. Vera continues, "He's hardly my friend. Don't mind him... His name is Shape. Now-- Silver, are you a visitor or a local? What have you enjoyed so far about our city? Are you employed, and if so, what's your occupation?" She has the faintest hint of a smile when she dismisses Shape, and it carries. Shape tugs her aside a few inches and says, bluntly, "Vera, what the hell. What if I wanted to talk to her instead, huh? Interview her later."
Dear god, she is proving quite a bit more tedious than already anticipated. Silver will probably entertain her with some spun up cover story once she's familiar enough with this place to offer a believable tale but for now? She's just not ready for this. Shape seems to be much more interesting and is clearly eager to talk. She taps her temple in annoyance and sighs loudly. Her eyes turn to Vera's; when she speaks, there's a gentle static to the air around the three of them.
"Shape is right, Vera. We can have this conversation some other time. Please, pack your things and leave for now." It's not a request. It's an order, and not one that's easy to refuse. Silver's Tongue is not something she is at all happy to use here, but who knows how much of a scene this will turn out to be if she doesn't interfere now. She has a reputation to keep in order.
Shape rubs his ear. Did he blow it out earlier with loud music? Well-- no, not for many years as he blared music in his ears like that. However, to Shape's amazement, as Vera grabs her notetaking device from her satchel idly while listening to Silver's directed request, Vera blinks, shakes her head lightly, and then writes Silver's name and an unhappy break in the page as she leaves through the front entrance of the Cafe. Shape would have at least expected Vera to say a formal goodbye-- after, of course, asking for her contact information for questioning in the future to be just about guaranteed assuming that Silver would ever use her phone line. But nothing happened. Vera simply left. Shape sits across from Silver and apologizes on their behalf, taking off his glasses to rub them with a cleaner and wipe in his pocket. "She's a very strange woman, seriously, I'm really sorry about that. I don't know how you convinced her to back off, but I'll take it. So, uh, you had some interest in me, I take it? I did, well, hope you were going to, if I'm being honest. I need a bit of a break from... Vera, for instance." He places his rectangular glasses back on and smiles.
Silver doesn't even care to look after Vera as she leaves the building. There's at the very least an hour or two until Vera might even consider coming back, despite how gentle Silver was with the affect to keep it more... inconspicuous. Too much would probably just have scared off Shape too, but he seems to have taken it with a good bit of obliviousness. Her gentle grey-blue eyes trail across his face to take in the detail as the shifting of his glasses gives him an excuse too, but she has to blink away some residual convincing energy from her eyes noticing that the shared gaze has a slight tingly spark to it.
She takes a sip of her hot chocolate, visibly more relaxed now that she's no longer being pestered for all of her personal details. "Oh, you certainly are more interesting than Little Miss Blogger, as she calls herself. So, you go by Shape? Hm, I won't pry as to the details or you'll just want to pry in return. I'm new here as you might tell, and... I hope this place proves to be more positively eventful than-" She waves a gesture towards the door. "That. I'll have to deal with her some other time, she didn't look too pleased. You, however... I take it you are more familiar with the surroundings. Any insights you can offer me about this area? I may have intents to stay here for longer."
A lot of exposition for such a simple question, but anything to drown out Shape's confusion over Vera does well right now so she's feeling rather talkative.
Shape nods as Vera is teased behind her back once more. He gets up for a moment to retrieve the two cups of Earl Grey, sipping from his in a reflection of the moment Silver sips. Certainly he could try to match her deliberate pacing. He says, "Yeah, I go by Shape. We can pry each other for details if you want some other time. Or later tonight." Shape bows at the entrance, smirking. He then returns to form. "Yeah, I've been here several years and all. So basically here we have a lovely bar and a few good family diners. Thankfully they've pushed the fast food and superstores back a bit from the local businesses, but I suspect it won't last forever, especially as my side of the town is getting a pretty huge expansion soon. We have an old train station that's pretty historical. I dunno. I'm mostly here because it's quaint and it's quiet. Do you have a hotel reserved for the night or a friend lives here?" Shape sips from his drink again and holds up Vera's cup as if inspecting it would shed context on the morning. He checks his phone for messages and sends Vera one, then discards his phone into his pocket as quickly as it came. Eye contact.
"Later tonight, hmm? You seem to have high hopes for today, but I'm not busy at all today so who knows~?" She ponders her words for a bit, idly stirring. Clockwise this time. "I've settled in at the more adequate of the hotels this place provides, but I've got some properties I'm eyeing up to possibly settle in."
Silver is visibly taking mental note of every bit of description Shape offers her. The mention of a local expansion elicits a small frown, but she quickly shrugs it off. "You'll have to introduce me to these places sometimes, I like taking advice from locals. Especially ones who have a taste in style." She eyes him up and down deliberately for emphasis. He's certainly adequately cute for her tastes.
"I'm never really busy. Sometimes I work part-time at a bookstore downtown, but you can usually catch me free," Shape says. He empties his drink and folds his hands on the table again. "West side? I'd be happy to have a new neighbor, if it turns out that way! Even if you are sort of mysterious." No more than he is, Shape supposes. He smiles. "Style? I promise I can dress so much more nicely than this, I just didn't expect to meet a lovely new woman is all." He wiggles his eyebrows. He ignores his phone buzzing in his pocket. "We'd probably want to start by taking a tour downtown, if you care for the cute little shops too, if you want me to introduce you as you say."
"Mmm, that's good to know. I have honestly a bit too much free time these days, so finding someone to spend that time with in a new location is a priority of mine. I might settle into the west side, though a bit more out of the way. There's a lovely little mansion there currently for... sale." It's technically for lease, but Silver knows that some deliberate negotiation and a good sum of money will get her the property. "A lovely woman, you say?" She giggles slightly at the eyebrow wiggle her way. "You flatter me, dear. I think I'd be glad to spend the day together if you wish, whether you care to show me around or simply keep chatting." She's taken the spoon out of her cup, licking it off with just a bit of elegant emphasis, and then takes several sips of her chocolate.
Anybody who has too much free time and too much money is probably hiding something malicious, Shape's discovered in the past several years. Something, for sure, was unusual about Silver. Shape, however, wouldn't want to turn down a woman who licks a spoon like that. It's been a few weeks since something this exciting came at his feet. And so what if she's, like, a succubus? Shape blinks, realizing he's been staring at her licking the spoon and sipping the chocolate, and clears his throat. "Oh, I'd love to keep chatting as well. That'll happen regardless. But, Silver, I can't help but ask for one detail about your personal life, and I'm very sorry I have to ask." He puts his hand on her elbow for a moment, then he slowly retracts it and nods. "Are you single? Or even just looking for an affair? Because that's kind of where my mind's been, if I'm being honest. Being eighteen and bored has that sort of effect. Romance is lousy." He handles the spoon from Silver's side of the table.
Silver visibly has to refrain from a messy chuckle while in the middle of taking a sip. There was a nature about the boy, she'd sensed that, but this caught even her off guard. She sets the cup down, and recollects her posture and reaches over to fluff his hair. "You're a cute one, my dear Shape. Don't worry, I'm used to people falling for me and I love to humor them, but usually they are rarely this direct. Sometimes I have to elicit it out of people when it's already more than obvious." Her smile has warmed up noticeably at all this. "I'd gladly spend the night, not just the day. We can see after that."
Her formal speech mannerisms are a bit enticing. Most people aren't nearly this elegant. And even if Shape fails to reflect that sort of elegance, Shape enjoys the type. He sighs and scoots his seat closer to Silver by wrapping it around the corner of the table. "Yeah. That one kind of left my lips I guess, but honestly it's pretty deliberate. I have experience, and I figure it's not worth wasting time with interesting people if I know what we want." After all, she might end up disliking Shape in a matter of weeks. He touches her arm. "Thank you, Silver. I'd of course love to spend the night with you too. Would you prefer my place or the hotel room? Although, well, I guess it's only 10 AM. Would you like downtown still, or should we meet again tonight?"
"Not wasting time, you say?" She leans in and gives Shape a not at all vague kiss on the lips. "I can appreciate your ways, Shape. Some people end up being so much work for me. I'd love to go for a bit of a walk, dear. I still have so much day to fill, I see no reason to dismiss you so soon. And I do think your house would be better suited, I'm mostly just storing things in my room right now."
She swiftly finishes her drink, carefully wiping her lips with a napkin. Not too satisfied with a look in her pocket mirror, she carefully reapplies her silvery lipstick. Yes, Shape got some of it on him, his lips are just gently sparkly now.
Shape closes his eyes and enjoys the moment all too late--it's almost over before he's able to settle from the surprise. He crosses his legs together for a moment and gasps, "Wow, I can appreciate that too, Silver, holy shit." And as soon as he's able to get out of his seat without a stiffy in his athletic shorts, Shape sidesteps to Silver's side and offers his hand to raise her out of her seat. "I'd love to show you the city... Shining, shimmering, splendid. Sorry. But yeah. It's a pretty little place."
She knows. She's experienced in horny young men and he's playing it off well but not nearly well enough for her. She'll humor him though, takes his hand and gets out of her seat without mentioning anything. "Lead the way, darling. You're the guide."
--------------------
Fortunately, Shape didn't have to walk with Silver farther than the block for something more interesting than a bookstore or knickknack shop. Booths with pastel, plastic sheet walls and PVC tube supports lined the road, a whole section of downtown barred to vehicles today. Shape says, as he reads a store sign that flaps in the wind picking up, "I think a look around this would be up our alley. At least, I like to look at art I don't want to pay for." He pinches up a painted glass bird under one booth. It weighs nothing. "There was an especially nice wave painting I almost got a couple years ago here. Not sure why, in retrospect, though. I mean, it's not like I have any experience on the open ocean, I guess. It just looked nice."
Silver gazes across the somewhat unexpected expanse of vivid. Not an unpleased gaze, though. "Considering I have recently moved here, I could consider acquiring some arts for my upcoming new residence. With the prices offered, I'm sure the interior will be bare-bones." She eyes the bird being handled. Always good to know that Shape has a delicate touch when needed, despite seeming a bit of a bumbling kind at times. "If there's anything you find especially nice this time, do note it. I might be in a more generous mood today."
"Hey, thanks, Silver. But, yeah, only within reason. I'd like to return the favor sometime, if you did that. That'd be the right thing to do." He blinks at the bird, setting it back onto the shelf. He faces his back to the shop owner. "I mean, those were cute, all the glass things, but they weren't like Murano handiwork. Not that I've been there, either. Maybe... Oh, some of that jewelry looks cute in the blue booth there, actually. I see a yellow gem one." Shape pauses and then smiles at Silver, before continuing with lower inflection, "...They might have jewelry for dudes, like me, too. I guess. Just not, like, the ones of shark teeth or something, please."
"Don't worry too much about it, dearie. Though I do like when people owe me favors, it's convenient." She laughs softly, and then follows Shape's eyes to the blue booth. "Oh, I would never. Shark teeth does sound very much the opposite of what would suit you. And I think you should wear things that look good on you, rather than following arbitrary categorizations like that." There's an almost dismissive tone in the latter part, though not aimed at Shape personally. Silver walks over to the mentioned booth, observing items with an obvious preference for the ones set in silver, not gold.
Shape nods. Nice to have someone who isn't anal about gender roles, then. He does end up kneeling down close to the glass display of the small yellow gem necklace, and is pleased with the simple design of the chain and three-prong design enclosing the gem. "You make a good point. Would you say I'd look good in it? Certainly, you'd look great in, yeah, those silver ones. Obviously. Verdict is still out on this yellow one for me." He opens his wallet, looking for a third opinion. He might get one in the form of the blonde older lady attending the display, though.
Silver gently taps the display, taking very care to only apply her fingernail to avoid prints on the glass. "How much is this one, and would you agree that it's a good fit for my companion? I think it's quite decent, but I'd assume you more an expert." There's a price tag, surely, but with Shape somewhat in the way it's a good excuse to strike conversation. Her eyes wander back to a silver ring with a blossom ornament, bearing a rather fine pearl in its middle. It's not cheap. "And, I would like this one for myself. Assuming it fits, of course."
The seller scoots forward on her office chair she rolled out here to the art festival, and her many gold bracelets sit on the glass. "Oh, sure, dear. The yellow topaz piece is going to be 46 dollars, it's very lively and your friend seems that way." She pulls it from behind the display, along with the silver ring. She sets both on a layer of cloth on the glass display. "This beautiful piece will cost you a pretty 210 dollars. 12-millimeter pearl and 925 silver. The necklace should be adjustable, and the ring we can check, although it's sized to most women such as yourself." Shape puts away his wallet sheepishly, unsure how willing he's going to be to give 46 dollar value back to his new friend any time so soon.
Silver slides the ring on carefully once she has the permission, pleased with the fit. She puts it back before taking out a rather more stylish leather wallet, compared to Shape's. 210, and 46, she adds. Hmm... Silver's not in the mood for dealing with this much loose change, so she offers up two hundreds and a fifty, taking care to not let Shape have a good look at the amount. With just a faint hint of emphasis, she chimes, "That should be sufficient. Keep the change."
"Sure, thank you for your purchase, dear!" She says, convinced on the amount. She turns her attention to a nearby couple, and Shape takes a business card from the booth along with his new necklace before he walks off with Silver. He keeps both in his pockets for now, though. "Hey, thanks Silver, again. That's really nice of you to be willing to do that. You really didn't have to, you know, there's no fee to us just hanging out of course. With that in mind... I might only want to look at a few more booths real quick, probably, and then I think I'm good for now, yeah. I never buy too much at once anyhow. I like the ring on you, by the way! The pearl fits you as much as the silver, yeah."
"It really isn't a problem, darling." She muses. "If it were a problem I wouldn't have done it. And you seemed to like it." As they move through, she eyes the wares they pass idly, before interrupting to note some paintings on offer. They're quite exquisite, a larger one of a wintery landscape with snow-covered trees catching attention more than the others.
She doesn't hesitate, despite the price probably being something that makes Shape somewhat unwell to picture spending himself. With a few short comments, she's bought it, offering in quite a bit extra to have it delivered to her hotel room. Not generally a service anyone would be getting, but she's insistent and the added pay is good.
Indeed, Shape's a bit pale and quiet throughout the purchase. He must have spent good money on a glass corner cabinet thing once, but that was at least two magnitudes less expensive... When he finally is walking from the booth with her, he puts his hand on her arm and says, "Cool, so, I feel pretty tired, actually. Maybe we could think about heading back to my place? There might be some things there. In general, though, I'd just like to sit maybe and chat, maybe over a bit of dinner." They walk over a manhole and caramel popcorn.
"If you're tired, then that is probably a good idea. I'll accept your offer of dinner, in return for the necklace. Don't feel pressured to do anything overly fancy though." She again lets him lead the way, noting all the roads and stores they pass for future reference.