Path of the Vampire forum

Job. Emerson almost groaned as Robin mentioned it. In the midst of her storm of panic, she’d forgotten about the silent promise she’d made to herself back in the coffee shop. It seemed like forever ago, but it was only what, not even an hour before? She’d decided that she would be an employee somewhere small so that Robin wouldn’t have to go out of his way to ask that business guy about that position that was far, far too mature-sounding for the girl’s liking. She was appreciative of the offer, of course, but he didn’t have to. Really.

If it hadn’t been clear before that Emerson liked to be read to, it was abundantly so then. Elbows on her thighs and chin in her hands, Emerson looked between the beautifully illustrated pages and Robin, as he altered his tone for each character, (which was something she was so, so ecstatic about), a small smile brightening her features as the story progressed. She allowed herself to laugh, to frown, to be totally absorbed in the plot and the characters, and to such an extent that she didn’t even notice the people that passed by or the parent that paused to grab at the bindings of a book similar. This was a good thing, because it meant that her anxiety could simmer away and not return. At least for the remainder of the night.

It was perfect timing, perhaps, when the same employee that had visited the pair in regards to Emerson’s wellbeing returned a second time. The woman cleared her throat and only then did Emerson’s gaze tear away from the book’s pages and the male that held them. “We’re closing soon,” she said. “Five minutes.” And she held up a hand of five painted fingernails to prove it before she was gone again. The frown on Emerson’s face was short lived. The story had only been interrupted when Wendy was given the choice to go with Peter Pan or to not, and the brunette already knew the ending, and that it disappointed her, slightly. Of course, everyone could make their decisions, and in a way, she could see why Wendy would have wanted to grow up, but Emerson knew, without a doubt, that she would take Peter Pan’s hand and fly away past the second star if given the chance.

“We should go?” the brunette wondered, hands planting by her sides on the ground, ready to push herself up to stand. “Thanks f’reading to me,” she added with a mumble, slightly shy as she looked away. “You’re a good storyteller, Robin.”

Emerson giggled softly at the thought of being locked inside a bookstore. To Robin, it was probably the ideal situation to stumble into. It was obvious that he spent a lot of time in these kinds of shops, browsing and reading and buying different material, for his own entertainment or inspiration for his own work. To Emerson, she would probably manage just fine. She had her coloring book with her, after all, and it wouldn’t be a bad for her to start shoving her nose in different reading material. She could do without the large windows by the front entrance, though. They’d be perfect for sunshine to spill through come morning, and perfect to fry her skin. And Robin’s, too. Maybe it wasn’t an ideal situation after all.

A small pout set on the girl’s lips as Robin took the small paperback book from her. In her panic, she’d grown attached to it, happy to have something to hold onto. Without the novel, her hands felt empty, but once she was on her feet, she busied herself. Slipping her backpack straps off her shoulders, she blinded followed Robin to the counter, shuffling through the contents of her bag. She bumped into a few displays while searching for her wallet, and by the time she reached the register, she noticed that the male was already paying for the both of them. “Robin,” she whined, shoving her wallet away in defeat. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Once they were out of the bookstore and back onto the street, Emerson was faced with an awaiting brown paper bag, filled not just with the book of her choice, but Peter Pan, too. Her face softened, and she reached out to take the bag from the male’s grasp. The paper crinkled between her fingertips. “Thank you so much!” she squealed, offering him a wide smile. She wasn’t going to turn the offer down, and she hoped that her excitement displayed her gratitude. “Aside from my, um-” She scuffed at the ground with her shoe. “-my anxiety, or whatever it is, I had a really good time. Tell Madds I said hi, yeah?” Emerson figured that this was where they were going to part ways, and tt was late, anyways. Not too late, but late enough for the girl to want to crash into bed. Maybe before drifting off to sleep, she could crack open Coraline and read a chapter or two. Maybe she could finish off the picture book, even though she already knew its ending.

With that, Emerson turned on her heel. She raised a hand in a wave, calling out a goodbye over her shoulder as she walked down the sidewalk, heading home. She didn’t even notice the two guys on the opposite end of the street, who’d seen her and Robin leave the shop. She didn’t even notice that they were heading in the same direction as her, only a few paces behind.