Chapter Text
The day it happened was, for the most part, a typical day in Geno’s weekly routine. He’d been returning home from yet another average day of work, which typically consisted of being harassed by his racist manager Henry. Upon walking his typical route home, Geno happened to spot the rundown bookstore he occasionally perused for cheap books. As he thought back to his small library at home, he recalled that the number of books he’d not read yet was quickly shrinking. He’d also had a more tiring day than was typical, so he figured a small detour would help distract him from his woes. Thus, he stopped in front of the shop, briefly inspecting the front windows, before pulling the door open with a weak grip.
Upon entering the shop, Geno pauses to scan the now-familiar architecture of the interior. The layout of the shop was a little strange when Geno thought about it, as he typically did with each visit. The shelves were arranged in layered squares that traced the shape of the room. From the front door to the back of the main room where the cash register sat was a pathway left without shelves. In between this space was a pedestal where a book stand sat, shined down upon with the natural sun’s rays from the skylight above. The shop was two stories with a wrap around balcony serving as the second story. This gave way for the light to shine down freely. Geno never understood the reason for this layout, but then again he’d never been here to witness what this place had been built for originally.
Geno adjusted the eyepatch situated across his right eye while his functioning eyelight scanned the shelves for something that might catch his interest. He saw the typical sections of children’s material, young adults, historical, science, languages, and so on. He walked down each isle, scanning the shelves for anything that might be of interest. However, his eyesocket slowly lidded further and further with growing disinterest the longer he failed to find anything that would catch his eye. That is until he entered the historic section. A book debriefing world history made him pause. He ponders on the idea of familiarizing more with human history, despite his continually growing distaste for the species. After reasoning through this idea, he snatches the book and continues browsing, enjoying the smells and sights of an old bookstore.
While Geno continues his meandering through the many shelves, his mind trails back to the day he had at work. With a frown, he recalls the way Henry had strolled up to him and claimed he’d been slacking off, when in reality he’d just sat down to take his break. Geno had attempted to brush him off as per usual, but Henry had insisted he come with him to do some less than savory jobs in the back of the store. Geno refused, so they had been taken to the back office to talk with the store supervisor. Geno rolls his singular eyelight as he pities the supervisor for having to deal with Henry’s utter ridiculous attempts to get Geno in trouble.
During his irritable trip through recent memories, Geno hadn’t paid much attention to his meandering through the shelves. Thus, he suddenly finds himself standing in front of the book stand sat under the skylight in the middle of the room. He blinks, just now noticing that an actual book sat upon the stand, unopened. The book looks old, the leather stained nearly black with impressions of faded designs and red accents. Intrigued, Geno raises his free hand to pull at the cover gently, though his phalanges brush against a binding lock on the book. Geno frowns with curiosity at this discovery, his mind pondering on what might be within said book.
Geno glances up to the cash register across the room, only to come face-to-face with the owner of the shop. Geno jumps back slightly, frazzled by the fact that he’d not heard her approach. He then takes a moment to assess her in a swift glance. Her face adorns a wide, eager, and slightly creepy smile. Her hands are clasped before her chest as if begging for something unspoken, something Geno hasn’t the slightest idea to.
“Hi!” The owner nearly yells at Geno with an overzealous air about her. Geno squints at her, suspicious as he takes a cautious step back.
“Hello…” Geno responds hesitantly. The shop owner’s eyes glance down at the old book sat upon the stand between them, her eyes sparking with some kind of desperation. Geno glances at the book as well and thinks to himself, ‘Must be a hard sell.’ He returns his gaze to the shop owner, making eye contact and hoping his irritation to move this along shows just enough to clue her in.
“Are you thinking of buying that book?” she asks with that same excited yet desperate energy as her eyes glance down to said book once more.
Geno’s bonebrow raises at the strangeness of this interaction, having never really interacted with this shop owner aside from trading money for the books he buys on occasion. “Um… not exactly-”
“It’s free!” the lady blurts out suddenly, and eno’s form of politeness nearly exits his body in that moment. Clearly, something isn’t right here.
Geno practically glares at the store owner with an intimidating aura despite his short stature. “... Why is it free?”
The shop owner suddenly begins to wring her hands with obvious nervous energy, eyes glancing away to the side as sweat starts to coalesce on her skin. “Well, it… it’s not selling…”
Geno can smell a lie a mile away, and this lady reeks of something not being told. He continues to glare at the lady, the world history book in his hands now nearly strangled by his grip. He speaks with a chilling tone, “Oh… really?” His head tilts in mock wonder before he deadpans at the poor lady. “Was it stolen?”
The shop owner jolts at Geno’s claim before panic sets across her face and she waves her hands about in negation. “No, no, no! Not at all! It’s just… very old, and… it’s been sitting in the back for such a long time. Plus, no one can open it if they don’t own it.”
Geno’s bone brow furrows in confusion at the lady’s actions, suspicion still creeping up his spine yet held at bay with the uncertainty of the situation. “It can’t be opened… unless it’s owned?”
“What?” The lady looks startled by the information Geno has given her, which is another tip-off. “Well, I mean, it’s not- the key, I mean, is not owned by any-”
Geno interrupts her with an irritated and tired expression, nearly ready to drop his chosen purchase to leave. “Is it magic?”
The shop owner stops her floundering ramble to give Geno a surprised look. Then she seems to backtrack in her head before nodding with uncertainty. “Well, I… I guess so. I mean, I don’t really know myself, but the book just refuses to open-”
Geno rolls his eyelight subtly at this nervous woman’s antics. Seeing as this human cannot open the book, Geno figures he himself could do so through his familiarity with magic. He once again interrupts the lady, “I’ll take it, then.” He grabs up the book and places it against the one he’d chosen previously. Holding the book now suddenly brings awareness to a heaviness in the air around the immediate area of the book. Geno figures the magic properties have something to do with this, which gives some credibility to the shop owner’s story.
The lady’s face is suddenly struck by shock when Geno picks up the book, as if the mere idea of someone wanting the book and taking it into their hands is an impossible occurrence. She blinds at Geno a few times while her eyes flick between Geno’s face and the book in his hands. Then her mouth begins to work, giving out a stuttering response.
“I… I- y-yes… yes! Yes, of course! You can take it!” The shop owner suddenly whirls around and walks briskly to the cash register.
“That’s what I just said…” Geno mumbles as he begins to slowly follow the lady, still wary of her actions.
By the time Geno reaches the counter, the shop owner had long since skipped over to stand behind the cash register desk. The moment he slips his chosen books onto the counter, the lady immediately snatches them up to bag them. Once done, she hurriedly rings up the world history book before giving Geno a wide, unsettlingly zealous smile.
Geno leans back, feeling unsafe with this person. His mind drifts to the moment she'd suddenly popped up in front of him. Was she using magic? Perhaps she was just good at sneaking. However, the fact that she was in possession of a magic book gave Geno some suspicions. Was it cursed? Would he dust? ...He found he wasn't too concerned as he thought back to the many times he'd come in here to find this person to be a little more pleasant to handle.
"Hello? Sir?" Geno blinks and raises his gaze from staring at the counter. He'd been lost in thought, he realizes as he makes eye contact with the lady yet again. "That'll be $3.25," she says with a patient smile. Said smile reminded Geno why he didn't mind coming in here. This was one of the few more tolerable humans in his opinion.
Geno nods at the lady as he pulls out a few bucks from his inventory without a word. As he sets them on the counter, he realizes he'd never spoken to this person before in all the times he'd visited. He decides this doesn't change anything and refrains from speaking like every other time he'd bought something here. The lady doesn't seem to find this strange in the least bit. Geno is sure she's grown used to his silence, and then ponders that part of her shock from earlier was that he was speaking.
The lady hands him his change, 75 cents out of four dollars. Geno cringes at the idea of having to grab it from her hand, but does so anyway with a quick snatching motion. She then hands Geno his plastic bag holding his two new books. With this transaction completed, Geno swiftly turns away from the lady and makes a brisk walk to the front door.
As he pushes through the jingling door, he hears the lady yell out, "Come again! And be carefu…" He pauses, wondering why she'd mentioned being careful, which was abnormal compared to his previous visits. Geno shrugs it off with a scoff and continues his way towards home on his typical route.
He doesn't notice the rising heat of the ancient book held in his plastic bag.