[Indigo]

(Note: This is not a real shop and does not actually sell anything!)

Mintri perched on her stool behind the counter and drummed her fingers on the wood. A wooden counter; that was a novelty in and of itself. Most shops now used glass or some funny thing that looked like glass but didn't break...She couldn't seem to remember what it was called. Plass-stick? Something like that.

She blinked yellow eyes and gazed around her shop. Lost Era may have been a strange name for a combination bookstore and cafe, but it was all she'd been able to think of. She had no clue what attracted people.

The bell rang as the door swung open, and Mintri sat up, waiting to serve customers.

Oh. It was only Gate and Nyx. The Albie must have met up with their owner on the way back from the Well, and now they were here. Nyx hung back to examine some new novels about the fantasy Bird Kingdom, but Gate came straight up to the counter.

"Did you do it, then?" Mintri asked.

"Yes," Gate replied. "I only hope it works. What are those that Nyx is looking at?"

"Fiction. Bird Kingdom. That one's called Garudor Wars." Mintri waved at Nyx. "Hey, Nyx! Five keystones, lowered price for you."

Nyx came over and deposited the book on the counter along with a bag of keystones. "I'll take this book. And can I get one olive-and-cheese sandwich, one of today's special, and two glasses of water please?"

"Sure," Mintri said, taking the bag. "Take your water. Your food will be ready shortly."

Nyx took the water and the book. She and Gate sat down at a table by the window, and Mintri went into the back with a sigh. She paused in making the food only once, and then just to put a "Help Wanted" sign in the window.

[Feint]

-Click-

Ilektriki swayed through the nicely paved street, glancing through each store window in turn. It was his first day at his second apartment, and he wanted to make it a good one. Since he didn't really know the town, window shopping seemed like the right thing to do. The great bird carefully evaded a parked car and stepped closer to the sidewalk to admire a window display. He had an odd gait, a sort of swaying, staggering motion that made one think of a crow or a drunk. His huge size forced him to move on in a short time, but at one particualr window he dead stopped. He was never fond of chocolate, but the owner of the store really seemed to enjoy the stuff. Unique bowls, elegant vases, colorful flowers, and even comic strips hung in the shelves, all made of chocolate. A chocolate Mona Lisa smiled patiently on her special perch, dyed to perfection. Ilektriki tilted his head in different ways to find the one spot down the middle where his sights overlapped and blessed him with 3D vision. His big eyes refused to comply, so he moved on. However, his walking motions pushed people off the sidewalk, so he decided to step into a shop and wait for the pedestrian traffic to lighten. It just so happened that he stepped into Lost Era. "Water, please," he asked Mintri, and cast his gaze around. Odd. . . Nobody here, he thought to himself as he waited. He couldn't see why not, books were one of his favorite things. Not only that, but a cafe! A center of social gathering, trading tales, reading. . . But maybe things were different here. His brow furrowed, and he decided his old apartment in the Slums was a better place to stay. He absentmindedly began formulating plans on selling his new apartment home. People were much more social elsewhere.

[Indigo]

"Water right here," Mintri said to the large bird, sliding a full glass across the counter. Seeming to read his mind, she added, "This place'd be busier, but I just opened this morning. Took me weeks to fix up the old dump."

She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with Gate and Nyx's food, bringing it to their table. Nyx, engrossed in Garudor Wars, didn't even look up but mumbled something about ancient Glacials. Gate shook his head and shoved her plate towards her, then started on his own food.

[Feint]

Ilektriki bowed his head as a thanks and seized the cup with a suprisingly flexible talon, like a parrot. He balanced perfectly on his other foot while he sipped. He didn't even wobble. His eyes flicked around the store as he sipped, glancing over the bookspines and the few out in the open. His eyes rested a bit longer for the one in Nyx's hands. He gave the book an odd stare, and finished the last of his water. Ilektriki set the empty glass on the counter and turned to Mintri. "Two weeks? Really?" he asked. "You've done a nice job, especially if it was that bad before." He placed his keystones on the counter next to the glass. "How much are the books?" he asked. A few of them had nice covers, and would make for excellent coffe table decorations.

[Indigo]

Mintri smiled as she took the keystones. "Thanks. The books vary in price, but most are in the 15-20 range. If you're looking for a specific one, I can probably find it for you, but I don't have everything, of course." She opened the register and counted again, as she had been doing all morning while she'd waited for customers.

"Hey, Nyx!" she called, leaning over the counter on the cafe side. "You're three keystones short on the book."

"Oh, sorry," Nyx mumbled. She handed over the keystones without looking up. Gate shook his head.

Mintri turned back to the Garudor. "So, anything in particular you're looking for?"

[Feint]

Ilektriki glanced around the store again for no particular reason. "Fifteen to twenty? That isn't bad. Ahh. . . Am I looking for something?" His eyes drifted upwards. "Not really," he replied. Today was his lazy day. He could afford to not have a goal in mind. It made him smile, the mere thought that for once he had nothing to do. He adjusted his green mask with a talon, the shift in facial muscles made it slip. "I think I'll just look around today. What is new?" he asked politely.

He glanced over Nyx, again casting an odd stare at the book in her hands. He hoped the nice shopkeeper wasn't supplying much more of those. It would be more than awkward to read a fantasy book about his own kind, at least for him.

[Indigo]

"New?" Mintri thought a moment. "Well, this is a new store. Everything is new. Most of the books I'm selling are by obscure authors that only recently came out with anything. If you're interested in fantasy, that takes up almost half the store..." She smiled. "I love fantasy. Anyway, the rest is divided up into sections according to subject rather than genre. There are signs on the shelves."

She noticed the Garudor looking at Nyx's book. "Oh, I hope you weren't looking for one of those," she said. "I only could find one copy...those books aren't too popular with publishers right now. Although it might make for strange reading anyway, and flipping through, I don't think that author likes Garudors very much--oh, Nyx overpaid. Excuse me a moment." She dug through the box of "special" books, the ones she was looking for an excuse to give to a friend for free...sort of. Finally she found what she was looking for, A History Of Music. "Here, Nyx. Stop reading that. Why do you read books you hate?"

"Because I like to know that there are worse writers than me," Nyx replied, but she stowed her novel and began devouring the music book. Mintri returned to the counter, thinking how ridiculous it was that she kept getting distracted by Nyx.

[Feint]

The store was new as well. Once word got around about the store, more people would come, and it would be a bit more like a cafe. Ilektriki's moving plans dissolved. He smiled politely at Mintri and readjusted his mask. "Fantasy is amazing when done properly," he said cheerily. "I'm fond of it as well." He glanced again at the garudor book, this time a little hatefully, and swayed over to the shelves. His eyes flickered over the titles until he found one that interested him and tugged it out with his beak. The cover art displeased him, so he pushed it back and continued his search. Ten books later, he found one he liked and began flipping through the pages.

[Feint]

Ilektriki set the book back in the shelf, having finished it. He blew dust off the binding and nodded at Mintri. "That one was very interesting. I haven't brought enough keystones, but next time I pass by I may buy it," he said, pleased. He glanced around the store again, taking in the many shelves. He wanted the book, yes, but he doubted he would return. It wouldn't stay in his memory for that long, and he knew it. He sauntered towards the door and pushed it open with his beak and shoulder, but before he took a step he looked back at the shop. He glanced over the shelves for the last time, smiled at Mintri, and stepped into the street. The amount of pedestrians had only increased since he entered the store, and now even flowed into the road. It was impossible for Ilektriki to get anywhere. He managed to shove his way into the center of the road and spread his great wings to get some space. People yelled, he was in their way. His wings moved. A huge cloud of dust lifted from the road around him, and more voices joined the yelling. Someone threatened to call the police. He beat his wings again and again, and launched into the sky, formulating a plan to sell his new apartment home the whole way.

((and I'm gone))