Chapter 19: Retail Workers Should Always Be This Friendly

The lights of the trading post were still burning bright, and the grinning Jack- o-lanterns stared out at them eerily from the darkness between the festively decorated windows, a greeting to all travelers and nocturnal spendthrifts. As they trio ascended the wooden steps onto the porch, a hidden motion sensor reacted to their presence by switching on a recording of frightening sounds. Miranda recognized them as being from the Tower, and she smiled at the thought of how many tourists bought those same CD's every year.

The screen door swung outwards, and the main door beyond it pushed inwards, alerting the proprietor to their presence by the small rusting bell it knocked against when opened.

At the far end of the crowded looking store, a bored looking woman with large round glasses and long, curly brown hair glanced up at them and tilted her head to one side curiously.

"Oh, it's you," she said simply, turning back to the book she was reading, "If you're looking for ghost-balls, Professor Laurna won't have them ready until tomorrow.

"Don't worry," Miranda replied, "I know. I'm just here to reequip myself."

Sarah made no response as they entered her store, seeming content to let them wander about until they found what they were looking for.

"But besides the usual Winter supplies, I do need a new bokken," added Miranda hastily.

Sarah looked up, meeting Miranda's eyes for the first time. "Same as before?" she asked dully, her tone sounding bored, almost unnatural.

"Yes," said Miranda with a nod as Zack wandered down one of the food aisles, "And maybe something for my friend here too?"

Sarah turned her cold gaze upon Misty, sizing up the trainer as her dark blue eyes seemingly focused on something beyond the normal range of perception. "Is she you're apprentice?" the retail clerk inquired, squinting slightly as she wrote a few things down on a note pad.

"Not exactly," Miranda admitted.

"Whatever," said Sarah with a shrug before disappearing into the backroom.

"One for me too?" Misty inquired, glancing at her lover suspiciously, "Ya think I'll need it?"

Miranda shrugged and put her arms around Misty. "It's more for my own peace of mind, I suppose," she admitted as her beloved looked into her eyes searchingly, "I'd just feel better knowing you're as safe as I can make you."

"Miri," Misty whispered, a smile crossing her lips as she tried not to chuckle, "Between you and Leviathan I feel pretty safe. I wouldn't worry so much."

"You don't have to take it if you don't want to," Miranda assured, kissing Misty lightly upon the lips and ignoring the overly loud comments Zack made to himself about the price of canned soup.

"No, I- I want to," Misty replied, her eyes betraying her thoughts and making Miranda smile, "I want to be part of your world... From what I've seen of it, it's so much better than mine ever was."

Miranda nodded slowly, hugging Misty closer and glancing behind the counter just as Sarah placed the two wooden swords down upon it. "It's just a starter for now," she explained dully, sitting back down and going back to her book, "But once you've determined your style and preference, you can trade it in for one you like better."

Misty turned to her and smiled. "Thank you, miss-" she began out of habit, only to find Sarah ignoring her completely.

"Come on," whispered Miranda, leading Misty away as she looked on sympathetically, wishing there was something she could do to help Sarah, "Let's see if we can find some snowshoes in your size."

"Is there nothing anyone can do for her?" she inquired in a low whisper as Miranda lead her away, "Can't the Guardian help?"

Miranda shook her head. "Her parents took her to Saffron the year it happened," she explained quietly as Zack ran past the aisle they were in, making bad gunfire noises and flailing the two model airplanes he was holding about dramatically as he went, "The best psychics worked on her for nearly a year before giving up. Even the nanite treatments to restore her brain weren't enough. I guess the damage just goes deeper than our current technology can fix."

"That's too bad," Misty replied sadly, peering at Sarah through a gap between a pair of small portable stoves just as Zack bounded out of nowhere, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin, "Zachary!"

"Hey! Sorry already!" he whispered harshly, covering his ears as though Misty had just uttered a curse, "There's no reason to call me names!"

"That is your name," chuckled Miranda, holding up a pair of jeans lined with a warm, cold resistant material.

"Whatever," muttered Zack, standing on his toes and glancing over the top of the shelf full of Winter boots at Sarah, "She's pretty though, isn't she?"

"Um, I guess so..." Misty admitted, suddenly blushing and turning away from the proprietor.

Zack smiled sadly. "Don't worry, 'bout it," he assured her, "at least you didn't ask her to go to the Halloween dance at the Festival last year."

"There's a dance at the festival?"

"I thought I could help her out," he explained, "Take her out, show her a good time. Maybe spark some kind of an emotional response. But nothing. She used to be quite a hyperactive kid, but now her aura's just plain ole' dark blue all the time. Oh well."

"But what about-?"

"If you're looking for a girlfriend, there's that new courier from down South in town," offered Miranda, adding a new thermos to her list of purchases and glancing at Misty with a suddenly teasing smile, "I think she'd be more your type."

"Guys?" inquired Misty, looking from one courier to the other as Miranda tried to keep a straight face, "When's this Halloween dance thing? We didn't miss it already, did we?"

"I suppose," Zack replied glumly, staring at the cobwebs on the still ceiling fan above his head, "Most of the other couriers in town this year ARE taken, so I guess I'd stand at least a bit of a chance."

Misty turned to Miranda, trying not to smile as she grabbed the lapels of the courier's jacket. "Listen you!" said Misty, trying to sound angry, but chuckling at Miranda's falsely innocent expression, "What's this about a dance at the Halloween Festival? Are you holding out on me?"

"So anyway, Zack-" Miranda began, her arms full of purchases and unable to defend herself as Misty backed her up against the closest wall as Zack laughed.

"Sorry, lady!" he called back, "Can't help you! Company policy!"

Miranda looked down into Misty's eyes as she felt the wall against her back, and shivered slightly at the look in her lover's eyes. "Can I help you?" she said coyly, managing to keep her voice level as her pulse raced.

"Mm, hmm," Misty responded, nodding as she leaned over the bundle of supplies Miranda was clutching to her chest and kissing her lightly, "I think you know what I want."

"What?" Miranda gasped in mock amazement, "Right here? Right now?!"

"Miri!" Misty laughed, unable to contain herself.

"Alright, alright," the courier chuckled, setting down her bundle on an nearly empty bottom shelf, "Tomorrow's the thirty-first, which means all the big stuff happens. Pretty much everyone takes the day off, and just has fun. There's always this big parade that starts out right around here, and goes through most of town before ending at the festival grounds. And there's all this free food, and people telling stories about how they caught their ghosts, and all the usual stuff..."

"And?" inquired Misty, her impatience having to make room for amusement as her fingers pushed aside the Miranda's jacket and traced paths across the courier's sides, making her jump.

"And after they have this best costume contest thingy for the kids, they play music 'till dawn and let the adults have a good time," she explained, twisting and contorting herself to make it difficult for Misty to tickle her, even as Miranda found herself talking through gritted teeth, "It's kind of an open air Halloween party. Wanna go?"

"Yes. I would," said Misty slowly, her tone teasing as she held her face close to Miranda's and continued to run her fingers along her lover's sides, wondering how long Miranda could keep from laughing, "Very much so..."

"Ah! Okay!" Miranda exclaimed, laughing both from being tickled and from amusement, finally having to grab Misty's wrists and hold them over her head, "Just-! Just-!"

"Just?" Misty inquired, her tone sounding a little sultry as she brushed her lips gently, almost inperceptively across Miranda's.

The courier glanced around nervously and noticed Zack turning away, trying not to laugh. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she asked in a whispered tone.

Misty smiled, kissing Miranda playfully on the nose. "You started it," she teased, "But yes, I like making you loose control from time to time. It's amusing."

"Amusing?"

"Well, maybe a little more than that," she admitted with a laugh, trying not blush as Miranda gave her an all too knowing look.

"Is there something I should know?" the courier inquired, bringing their arms back down and sliding her own about Misty's waist.

Misty's blush deepened and she glanced away, smiling uncontrollably. "It's- It's just that, well, you know," she stammered, trying to find the right words and wishing that they were alone.