She had finally finished her reading when the doorbell rang out again. Licia looked up over the brim of her glasses but saw Cat already en route to deal with a returning costumer– a creep whose name she hadn't bothered to learn, who's emotions made her throat go tight whenever he came nearby. It wasn't so much the emotions themselves as the sheer shameless way in which he felt them– how he wore them on his sleeve as a badge of honour everyone else should just work with and accept. She hated him intensely. Though the number of people Licia didn't hate could be counted on one hand, and most of them were in the shop.
She caught his gaze for a moment as he exited the shop, and smiled brightly at him– enjoyed the slight pang of fear that went through him as she did. Michael had asked her out once. Once. When he pressed the matter, she'd told him how his best friend would die the following weekend. The side of her lip pulled into a cruel twist as she looked back down at her deck, and put it away with renewed energy for when the next costumer would arrive.
"Hey Licia, after work you want to hit up that jazzy little bar down the street? We could convince Elias to go too. After a shit day like today, I could really use a nice shot of tequila."
"Make that a row of shots and you are on," she said. "You can tell me all about the spider."
She'd not noticed the suspicious jar that Elias had appeared with earlier, and was for the moment distracted as the bell went of yet again. She was picking up her jacket for a smoking break when Samuel appeared, and she remained standing for a moment with a puzzled expression as he came in. She was used to a wide range of emotions when people came in; apprehension, embarrassment. Even a strange sort of determination of a person who'd spent a long time mulling their purchase over before coming in. With Samuel there was a safety– a knowledge. She knew of very few people who would have the powers to pull that off, and Licia counted herself as three of them.
"Who um could I uh speak to to get a job at this shop."
"Preferably a local priest," she quipped. "If not, I can recommend a good psychologist."
She grinned and winked at Cathy before putting her jacket on and heading for the door– cigarette already in mouth. Then she stepped outside and lit the cancer stick between her lips as she leaned against the wall.
She caught his gaze for a moment as he exited the shop, and smiled brightly at him– enjoyed the slight pang of fear that went through him as she did. Michael had asked her out once. Once. When he pressed the matter, she'd told him how his best friend would die the following weekend. The side of her lip pulled into a cruel twist as she looked back down at her deck, and put it away with renewed energy for when the next costumer would arrive.
"Hey Licia, after work you want to hit up that jazzy little bar down the street? We could convince Elias to go too. After a shit day like today, I could really use a nice shot of tequila."
"Make that a row of shots and you are on," she said. "You can tell me all about the spider."
She'd not noticed the suspicious jar that Elias had appeared with earlier, and was for the moment distracted as the bell went of yet again. She was picking up her jacket for a smoking break when Samuel appeared, and she remained standing for a moment with a puzzled expression as he came in. She was used to a wide range of emotions when people came in; apprehension, embarrassment. Even a strange sort of determination of a person who'd spent a long time mulling their purchase over before coming in. With Samuel there was a safety– a knowledge. She knew of very few people who would have the powers to pull that off, and Licia counted herself as three of them.
"Who um could I uh speak to to get a job at this shop."
"Preferably a local priest," she quipped. "If not, I can recommend a good psychologist."
She grinned and winked at Cathy before putting her jacket on and heading for the door– cigarette already in mouth. Then she stepped outside and lit the cancer stick between her lips as she leaned against the wall.