Downtown, on a relatively quite street corner that's still on a main street, is a little minimart. It's not a chain, it's a mom-and-pop joint, owned by a little old lady. It's called P.M. Minimart! The logo sits above the automatic sliding doors. It's a pretty small place, hardly more than a closet, with a few aisles of snacks and products lined up side by side, and then the checkout corner. Some fridges along the back hold drinks and sodas of all varieties, and there are newspapers and magazines and other such things by the counter. Pretty standard stuff! It's open now, of course, as the evening hours close in, though it doesn't appear to be too busy- as noted, while this is still downtown, this is a quieter section of street, not quite as bustling as some of the places further in.
Hannah has always been a fan of small shops: her parents' money problems combined with visiting many a small town in her frequent moves has effected her heavily. She's not quite a regular, but whenever she's in the area she likes to have this be her stop for convenience stores! Plus they have some of her favorite sodas!
Thus, the doors slide open, and Hannah tap-tap-tap her way in. Boris is dutifully guiding his charge, the old guide-familiar letting out a little doggie yawn.
"Tachibana-san! Are you here?" She calls out warmly. She always liked the old lady, and especially the help.
She steps aside, gently tapping away as Boris helps out so she's out of the way of any incoming customers behind her!
Just as Hannah enters the shop, the swinging door to the back stock-room swings open, and Kyouko backs into the main shop area, carrying a box in her hands. She's struggling a bit, but has a determined set to her mouth. No box will defeat her. The door swings shut with a soft 'thump', just as Hannah calls out, and Kyouko turns her head to look. "Tachibana-san! Customers!" She calls out, in a voice likely quite familiar to Hannah, although Kyouko doesn't recognize the other outside of her Henshin, of course.
No answer is forthcoming from the old-lady though, and after a moment, Kyouko sighs. She struggles the box off to one side and sets it down with a small 'oof', straightening up and brushing off her orange apron with her hands before turning to walk over to the counter. "Hi, welcome!" She says, giving her best 'friendly smile', despite all evidence pointing to this customer not being able to see it- just as well. Kyouko being Kyouko, 'friendly smile' consists of a slightly lopsided grin that shows off a bit of fang. "I dunno where Tachibana-san got to, but she must have stepped out. Can I help you with something?" She eyes Boris over the counter, wondering if dogs are allowed, but then figures service animals are probably an exception, even if they aren't.
For a single, heart-stopping moment, Hannah Sharpe is frozen in place. It's /Kyouko/! Thankfully, Boris swats her hard with his tail, before beaming siberian cuteness as Kyouko! He even gives a defiant woof!
Hannah's smile is a little awkward. Inwardly, she's sweating, but she puts on a good face.
"Oh, hello! Actually, yes, I need a few things. Mind giving me a hand?" She pulls out a small list, and runs her fingers over it. Then, she offers an arm Kyouko's way.
"Boris, stay!" Woof! The dog sits down obediently.
"Let's see: two Rast sodas, one chicken flavored instant ramen cup, one loaf of multigrain bread, and a jar of pickles!" Announces the woman.
"...Are you a new employee here, Miss?" Comes Hannah politely. Kyouko might get the sensation of being /watched/ by Boris.
Kyouko gives no indication of having identified Hannah, as one would expect due to the natural laws of magical identity protection. It's not her fault that she chooses to flaunt those rules so flagrently.. or chose to, anyway.
"That's my job." She says, cheerfully enough, as Hannah asks if she minds assisting. When Hannah offers an arm, Kyouko steps out from behind the counter again, linking hers through it to help guide the blind girl.
"Easy enough." Is her reply, to the list, as he begins tugging Hannah along, perhaps just a little too enthusiastically, towards the fridges at the side of the room. "Huh? Oh yeah.. I just started at the beginning of the week." Kyouko says, with a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "So.. y'know, sorry if I screw up or somethin'. Tachibana-san says I'm a little slow, but at least I can lift boxes good." She eyes that box sitting in the corner. Soon, vengeance will be hers.
She also eyes the dog, which seems to be watching her rather intently. "Cute dog."
It feels odd, knowing she has one of her formerly mortal enemies helping her out. Really, this girl should be stabbing her, not being actually rather nice. Some part of her is enjoying it. Shouldn't Kyouko be doing this kind of thing, anyway, not having to fight and hunt for survival like an animal?
"It's alright. I will be lenient on you, oh greenhorn! Come, let no delicious salty and chemical-packed food go un-grabbed!" Comes Hannah with a wink and a bit of a tug on the arm. Just a small one though!
It's a quick trip to the soda isle! The Rasts are on the near-top shelf unfortunately! Can Kyouko reach!?
"That's Boris. He's a very good, well behaved ball of fluff! He's just a little overprotective of me. He won't bite, promise. Oh!"
She beams a winning smile to Kyouko.
"Hannah Sharpe! Nice to meet you, Miss...?"
"Please do." Kyouko says with a chuckle, as Hannah says that she will be nice to her. "I'm still gettin' used to things. I never done this kinda work before but y'know.." She shrugs her shoulders. "First time for everything, I guess."
She eyes the Rasts ways up there on the near-top shelf. Luckily, she's pretty tall for her age and gender, and by stretching onto her tip-toes, she's able to grab two of them, although the second tips off the shelf after she pulls the first down. Luckily, even if she can't henshin, she has super-reflexes from all those years of hard-living! Her hand darts out, snagging the tumbling soda moments before it crashes to the floor!
Whewing softly, she places them in a basket she grabbed from the front. "What was next? Oh.. ramen, right. Over here." She says, guiding Hannah by the arm once more.
"Kyouko. Kyouko Sakura," She introduces herself, unaware the other girl knows perfectly well who she is.
"Nice catch!" Compliments Hannah with a chuckle! Her ears certainly work! They're taken, and added to a small shoping bag.
"You do sound young. It's good to learn a work ethic at your age, I think. What school do you go to, Sakura-san?" More lightly probing questions. She didn't really know all that much about Kyouko, and if she ever /does/ decide to re-establish hostilities, it might be useful to know her.
The ramen's easy to nab at least: third shelf from the bottom, at roughly waist height!
Boris, for his part, has taken to curling up just beside the door! A young brother and sister enter, and with little gasps, are soon over to the dog! Little ruffs of enjoyment ensue as he rolls over for the kids!
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Kyouko glances back. It's tough being the only employee on shift! Well, Tachibana-san was supposed to be here, but the old bat seems to have wandered off! Kyouko grumbles under her breath for a moment, but at least the dog seems to have the kids distracted for the moment, so she grabs the ramen and adds it to Hannah's bag as well.
"Don't go to school." She comments, with a dismissive shrug as Hannah inquires. "Wasn't.. really for me." Of course, legally she should /have/ to go to school, but she has some fake ID papers saying she's 16. (Thanks Mamoru!)
"Multi-grain bread was it? Over here.." And she's towing Hannah off towards the next destination. "Work ethic got nothin' to do with it, miss." Kyouko says, a wry tone in her voice. "Gotta eat, gotta have a place to live. Stuff costs money, y'know."
Dogs, as it turns out, are great kid distractions! Boris' tail is wagging up a storm, and his leg is wobbling back and forth! Familiar heaven!
'Not going to school'. Makes sense, really. She seemed far more street smart than anything else. Still, it earns her a pointed frown. She opens her mouth, seems to decide against it. Kyouko /does/ seem to get a dissapproving glance!
"I see. Well, you're young. Planning on taking over the shop one day? You definitely don't strike me as the academic type, so maybe something practical? Need to have dreams you know." Grin! Ambition lurks in her eyes even now.
Multi-grain bread go!
She pauses, however. "Boris! That's enough entertaining the kids!" How /did/ she know that!? Boris and the two children reluctantly get away from the dog, and the dog gives Hannah a sour look. Woof! :|
The children are working on getting some candy and general sweets! They'll be a bit! It's down to the jar of pickles! Looks like the old lady re-did some of the shelves! Where could they be!?
Kyouko can hear the frown in Hannah's voice when she talks about not going to school. Ugh, Mamoru was giving her crap about that too. Honestly people and their 'school', Kyouko just didn't get it.
"I dunno." She says, when the topic turns to her dreams for the future. "Right now I'm just concentratin' on getting by." A wry little laugh escapes her. "Let's just say, a couple weeks ago this wasn't really my gameplan, but.." A soft lift of her shoulders. "Things change. I'm lucky to be alive, really. Just gotta take it one day at a time."
Darn those pickles. She scowls a bit as she finds the place they are supposed to be empty. She bends down, and begins rooting among the jars with various clinking sounds.
Accursed pickles of doom! There /is/ one particular jar that she finds. It seems to be missing the label! There's liquid, and vaguely shaped pickle-like objects! Surely that's the last one!
A frown that just gets deeper! Inwardly, she's laughing. Outwardly, she looks like some big sister!
"Well, I'm glad for your good fortune. But, you need to be careful! I'm not sure what you were into before, if it was gangs or what, but you are starting a new life seems like. You need to break away from whatever was holding you back in life before. Don't let anything or anyone stop you, and build a new life."
Sage words!
Kyouko eyes the unlabeled jar dubiously.. but then shrugs pulling it up. This must be the one! She adds it to the bag.
"Yeah, gangs.. somethin' like that." She says, with a little laugh as Hannah makes assumptions. "Believe me miss, when I say I don't really have a choice." She heaves a small sigh, as she turns to start leading Hannah back towards the register.
"But I have some friends who are really helpin' me out. I'm really grateful to them, y'know."
Hannah's smile is warm, and real at that. "Good. Friends are precious. Be good to them, okay? It seems like they're setting you on the right path."
To the cash register! She pulls out a bit of yen, counting mentally as things are rung up! Boris is soon by her side, only to hop up!
Woof! It's like he's saying things to Kyouko!
Only to get a tweaked ear! "Bad Boris! You're embarrassing me! No Bogglin' Strips for you tonight!" Sigh!
"I'm sorry, he's never like this. He must really like you, Sakura-san!"
"And I think you'll do well here. You're a lot faster than the usual~." Poor old lady.
"Yeah.." There's something contemplative in Kyouko's voice as she ruminates for just a moment on that 'friends are precious' comment, whilke scanning items across the counter to be put back into the bag. "That's not really somethin' I appreciated too much, not long ago. But I think I'm starting to re-evaluate."
She tells Hannah the total, and takes the money as she offers it, ringing her up with only a few pauses to remember how the cash register works. She's new, after all!
When Boris jumps up, she laughs, reaching over to ruffle his head. "Alright, boy, alright. Get down down, 'fore I get in trouble."
She grins a bit. "Tachibana-san is real nice, but she's getting a bit up there. S'why she hired me, y'know." Mostly to lift boxes.
Somehow, Hannah feels better about Kyouko than she has in some time. The girl has a real life, even if not an ideal one. Yen is given, change taken, and she pockets it.
She lingers just a moment, Boris getting his ruffles before both girls pile on! He obeys!
"Well, keep up the good work, and don't let any boxes get you down! Lift with your legs! And keep your mind open to opportunities. You seem like a good kid, Kyouko Sakura. Thanks for the help today." Leeeean.
"I'll let Tachibana-san know you've been helpful." Wink! She takes Boris' lead, and then starts off towards the exit!
Life is better than no life, that is for sure. It's a lesson Kyouko has tried to take to heart the past couple of weeks. She rings the sale through the register, shrugging as she comes out from behind the counter again once Hannah is all rung-up.
"Hey, you know what they say," Kyouko says, a smirk in her voice as she goes back to the box she was struggling with when Hannah first entered. "Uh.. I thought I had something witty, but I really don't."
Kyouko smiles again at the blind girl as she leaves, having no clue she has just been talking to her avowed enemy- even if she did make peace with said avowed enemy just recently. "Thanks, miss. Stop by again. I promise I won't let Tachibana-san talk your ear off. I know she loves to do that." Referring to the little old lady who owns the shop.
Then she sighs, bending to pick up the big box again. "Ehggh.. what I wouldn't give for some magical strength about now.."
~Five Minutes Later~
Hannah pops open the unlabeled jar! Scrumptious 'pickle' lays before her! She takes the entire thing, and devours it in one go.
The resulting howl can be heard throughout Mitakihara.
"OH HOLY UNDEROOS IT BURNS THAT WASN'T A PICKLE!!! CURSE YOU KYOUKO-CHAN!"