in or interrupted him all day, and he was finished by four. Then he found the little baskets that people were supposed to use for shopping, actually wicker ones, which were classy looking, compared to the plastic and metal ones most places had. He sat those out and carefully penned a little sign that said, "For Your Shopping Convenience" and taped it over them.
Then, noticing the mall start to get busy again, he waited, wondering if anyone ever even bought the place as a store at all.
It was what he was thinking when the woman walked in. She was about forty and looked well enough dressed. A bit casual, wearing running shoes and blue jeans. It wasn't anyone he'd seen before. For a second he wondered if an actual customer had come in, so he smiled at her.
"Hi! Can I help you find anything? We have baskets by the door, and if you don't see anything you like, we have some ordering catalogues, so don't be afraid to let me know."
She froze and then shook her head, but did smile.
"Is Lisa in? She told me to meet her here at five, I'm a bit late..." A hand came out along with a firm handshake. "Deidre. Her girlfriend? I don't know if she mentioned me?"
Zack shook his head.
"I can guarantee that in the fifteen lines she's spoken to me, she has definitely not mentioned anyone in particular. Not even herself, except to give her name. Now I know more about her by far, meeting you. Nice to meet you by the way. Please stay and talk to me. I'd bribe you, but I have no money. Want a candle? I can get you a candle..." It was rushed and slightly manic, but it got a laugh.
"Heh, she did mention that the store part of things was a little slow. You do good work though, I don't think this place has ever looked this good before." She hesitated for a while then made a bit of a face. "I'm a Wiccan, but that's a religious thing for me. I don't really have much by the way of power. I do the spells, but they normally don't work, you know?"
He nodded.
"Mage family myself, I even learned the basics when I was a kid, but, well, I was kidnapped, and have over a year of missing time. Whatever happened to me locked that up pretty solidly. I can do a few odd things, but I'm not a real Mage. Good at noticing some things most don't. About the same as you really, I'd guess. Except the part where you have a girlfriend and I don't. That sort of means you win, I think." He stopped, not wanting to inundate the poor woman with the long, and mostly boring, tale of how he was a failure in magic.
Instead of pity the woman gave him a look that seemed to be peaceful.
"Well, magic is nice, but as far as I can tell, it tends to make just as many problems as it solves. That's what I use to comfort myself when Lisa whips out a spell that does incredible things and I'm in the background chanting to the goddess, uselessly."
It was an interesting topic, and he would have continued on in the same vein if a very exhausted looking Lisa hadn't walked through the door just then. There was a stagger to her steps, and a single bruise on her right cheek. It wasn't deep or dark in particular, just enough that it was visible with all the store lights on.
"Hey..." She was wearing the same clothing as she had been a few days before, though there were smudges in places, especially at the knees. Whatever drugs had been keeping her going were wearing off it seemed, since she could barely stand, and fell into one of his new end-cap displays.
Deidre got to her fast, her arms going around her, acting as if it wasn't half hug. That was silly, since she'd introduced herself as her girlfriend.
Mirror Him explained it, getting it before Zack could.
"One of them is in the closet. I'm betting it's Lisa, since her friend looks like she could be the poster child for bull dykes... Wait, is that an offensive term yet? It's so hard to keep on top of these things anymore."
It was a crude way for him to put it, but there seemed to be some truth to it. That or Deidre was a stalker that was just
Then, noticing the mall start to get busy again, he waited, wondering if anyone ever even bought the place as a store at all.
It was what he was thinking when the woman walked in. She was about forty and looked well enough dressed. A bit casual, wearing running shoes and blue jeans. It wasn't anyone he'd seen before. For a second he wondered if an actual customer had come in, so he smiled at her.
"Hi! Can I help you find anything? We have baskets by the door, and if you don't see anything you like, we have some ordering catalogues, so don't be afraid to let me know."
She froze and then shook her head, but did smile.
"Is Lisa in? She told me to meet her here at five, I'm a bit late..." A hand came out along with a firm handshake. "Deidre. Her girlfriend? I don't know if she mentioned me?"
Zack shook his head.
"I can guarantee that in the fifteen lines she's spoken to me, she has definitely not mentioned anyone in particular. Not even herself, except to give her name. Now I know more about her by far, meeting you. Nice to meet you by the way. Please stay and talk to me. I'd bribe you, but I have no money. Want a candle? I can get you a candle..." It was rushed and slightly manic, but it got a laugh.
"Heh, she did mention that the store part of things was a little slow. You do good work though, I don't think this place has ever looked this good before." She hesitated for a while then made a bit of a face. "I'm a Wiccan, but that's a religious thing for me. I don't really have much by the way of power. I do the spells, but they normally don't work, you know?"
He nodded.
"Mage family myself, I even learned the basics when I was a kid, but, well, I was kidnapped, and have over a year of missing time. Whatever happened to me locked that up pretty solidly. I can do a few odd things, but I'm not a real Mage. Good at noticing some things most don't. About the same as you really, I'd guess. Except the part where you have a girlfriend and I don't. That sort of means you win, I think." He stopped, not wanting to inundate the poor woman with the long, and mostly boring, tale of how he was a failure in magic.
Instead of pity the woman gave him a look that seemed to be peaceful.
"Well, magic is nice, but as far as I can tell, it tends to make just as many problems as it solves. That's what I use to comfort myself when Lisa whips out a spell that does incredible things and I'm in the background chanting to the goddess, uselessly."
It was an interesting topic, and he would have continued on in the same vein if a very exhausted looking Lisa hadn't walked through the door just then. There was a stagger to her steps, and a single bruise on her right cheek. It wasn't deep or dark in particular, just enough that it was visible with all the store lights on.
"Hey..." She was wearing the same clothing as she had been a few days before, though there were smudges in places, especially at the knees. Whatever drugs had been keeping her going were wearing off it seemed, since she could barely stand, and fell into one of his new end-cap displays.
Deidre got to her fast, her arms going around her, acting as if it wasn't half hug. That was silly, since she'd introduced herself as her girlfriend.
Mirror Him explained it, getting it before Zack could.
"One of them is in the closet. I'm betting it's Lisa, since her friend looks like she could be the poster child for bull dykes... Wait, is that an offensive term yet? It's so hard to keep on top of these things anymore."
It was a crude way for him to put it, but there seemed to be some truth to it. That or Deidre was a stalker that was just
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