Work Text:
She's having a fairly normal shift. That is, until she sees the most beautiful man she's ever seen walk by the crystal of the shop window. He has distinct white hair, round golden glasses, and is holding a little girl's hand. The customer has to snap her fingers to get her attention back, furrowing her brow as Vex mutters an apology. "I m-I'm deeply sorry, miss, my mind was somewhere else," she explains, handing her the wrapped gift.
"No problem," the woman answers. She grabs her daughter's hand and turns. The girl, with brown eyes and black, straight hair, waves at her, and she waves back almost unconsciously. She reminds her of her own sister. It also reminds her how much she needs to buy her gift. December has barely begun, but people have already started rushing to the stores to get everything ready for Christmas. She's seen tons of clients do so.
The day passes pretty quickly, surprisingly. The clients are nice, some of them allow her to keep the change, and, in general, she has a good shift.
Glancing around the shop, that particular doll grabs her attention. The huntress, from that series Velora loved so much, standing proud with her bow drawn and a fierce look in her eyes. A beautiful, well-crafted figure that she was sure her sister would love. And then, of course, there was the price, something she herself didn't love so much. But that was why she was there, wasn't she? To make her sister happy!
Surprisingly, the little girl wasn't the only kid who would remind her of her sister that day. In fact, another one did so pretty quickly.
A few hours later, another little girl came rushing in, tears in her eyes. She was holding a well-loved bear plushie in her hands, clenching it like her life depended on it. Getting out of the counter immediately, she approached the girl and knelt in front of her. "Are you okay, darling?" She asked, trying to stabilize her.
"M-my brother h-hates me!" The girl hiccuped before bursting into tears again. "H-he's a meanie!" She managed to say between sobs.
She raised an eyebrow, pulling the child closer. "I'm sure he doesn't, darling," she comforts, "where is he, anyway?" As much of a 'meanie' he is, according to the girl, she probably should be with him instead of...well, alone.
"I…I don't know…" She mutters, looking at the floor. She seems to have finally realised what running away meant. She was lost, basically. And that she didn't know how to contact her brother.
Sensing that, she rests her hands against her shoulders. "It's okay, it's okay," she's had to comfort Velora multiple times, already, so it's nothing new to her. "We'll find him. Would he be able to figure out you're here?"
"I-I gues…H-he knows I wanted to come here, so maybe…"
"Okay, that's a good sign! You can stay here for a while; maybe he will come here to look for you. If not, which he will, don't worry," she assures, seeing how close the kid is to bursting into tears again, "we'll call security and try to contact him."
The girl nods, still trembling, while holding her bear tighter against her chest. "Is that a bear?" She asks the kid, tilting her hair. The girl nods shyly.
"Yes…bears are my favourite animals…" she mutters.
"Oh, they are my favourite animals too!" She grins, tilting her hair and petting the plush. "It's so fluffy, I love it! How did you call it?"
"She's called Isabella," she mutters, pressing it against her chest. "After my great-grandmother. It was a gift from my mother."
"Oh, that's so sweet!" She smiles, playfully shaking the bear's fur hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella."
"It's Lady Isabella," the girl adds.
"Then a pleasure to meet you, Lady Isabella. Oh, and by the way, if I know Isabella's name, I think I should know yours, shouldn't I?"
The kid hesitates, looking at both sides as if she's about to share a secret. "My parents say I shouldn't share my name…"
"Your parents taught you right, then," she grins, ruffling her hair. It's like talking to Velora; they even look similar. "I'll let you behind the counter."
The girl's face lights up immediately, looking up at her with sparks in her eyes. " I've always wanted to know what happens there…"
---
Whitney, as he learns later, is truly a sweetheart. She's one of the most lovely kids she's ever met. She learns how she's just there because her brother said they didn't have time to go back to the shop, and how she bit him. Odd, but fitting for a young kid. Not the first time Velora has bitten her.
"Oh, where were you looking for a particular something?" She asks, looking down while finishing another client's order.
Whitney, sitting with her knees against her chest, nods and looks up at her. "There's this doll…It's from a series I really like. She's this- super cool huntress who does badass stuff—I think I shouldn't say that word…"
Fuck, of course it's the same doll. "You know, my sister loves that series too! We have that doll here, in the warehouse. Do you want to play with it for a while?" She knows she will probably get in trouble, but the girl is still looking pretty sad, and calming her down would be much harder than calming down her boss if she were to have a tantrum or something along those lines.
"I-Can I do it?"
"Sure! Those are the privileges of working here, you know?" Those are absolutely not the privileges of working there, but the smile that Whintey puts on is fully worth it. "Come with me, I'll show it." There aren't a lot of people in the store, and it'll be quick; she just needs to find where they store the dolls. "May I?" She kneels in front of her, extending her arms, intending to carry her.
Whitney seems to hesitate before nodding and allowing Vex to pull her up. "Then, let's go. It'll be a second."
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Could this day get any worse?"
He stops a couple of women, tripping over his words. "E-excuse me, have you seen a young girl? S-she's got—well, she looks like me, wearing a blue dress?" he asks, with a pleading look, but the women just look at each other and shake their heads,
"We're so sorry, nothing."
He stops another couple and asks them the same thing. Nothing. No one has seen her.
"Whitney! Whitney!" He calls, rushing through the street. He feels as if his heart is going to burst out of his chest, either from the sprint or the worry that his sister might be in danger. Guilt claws up at him. She wanted to go back to the toy shop, but he said no, she bit his hand, and she disappeared. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
The area was fairly safe, not known for criminality or general incivism, but the possibility that she might have been kidnapped was killing him.
People shout at him with anger as he bumps against them, scattering various bags of groceries and piles of wrapped boxes. As the Christmas season approaches, people have already begun buying gifts for their loved ones, and especially on this street, the Christmas market is filled to the brim with people. Families. But he keeps running. "Has—has anyone seen her? Please!" he yells.
Running as fast as his legs allow, he finally gets an idea. It's Whitney whom he's looking for. His sister, who had been insisting that they go to the toy shop. He knew she would be smart enough to remember where it was. And so, he turns back and begins running in its direction. He's having the worst day ever.
He stops in front of the toy shop, sliding and almost missing it comically. He burst the door open, entering the store and looking around frantically.
Christmas decorations were already hanging everywhere, despite the day still being a while away. The shelves are full of toys on sale and wrapping paper as decoration. And a woman at the counter, talking with someone he couldn't see from there, was short enough to be hidden by the piece of furniture. "E-Excuse me. I-I've lost my sister. Have you seen her? I assumed she would be there."
Of course. Of fucking course. Of course, the man who had been in her mind the entire morning was the brother of the girl she'd been taking care of all that time. She smiles, trying to hide the nervousness, pulling Whitney up in her arms with ease, as the girl toys with her braid. She's definitely having a day. This gremlin? Is this your brother, Whitney?"
Whitney nods, hiding her face with a pout, pressing it against the woman's chest. "I don't want to see him!"
Percy blinks one. Twice. Thrice. Whitney, in comparison with his other siblings, is the one who least likes strangers. She barely speaks at family reunions, glaring at everyone and, according to what teachers have said, a menace in class. Not that she does badly in school, but she's pretty aggressive. And there she is, in the arms of that woman, when he, along with their parents, is the only person she allows to carry her. "I…" he begins, not knowing what to say. "Y-yes, yes, it's her! Whitney!" He scolds. The woman hands him his sister, and he grabs her in his arms with ease. "God, Whitney, you almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Well, too bad, because now I have a new sister!" Whitney pouts, still mad at him.
"A new sister?" The woman from behind the counter raises an eyebrow, ruffling her hair with a grin. "I'm sorry, I can't be your sister. I already have my own sister."
"I also have other sisters! That's not a valid argugument!"
"Argument, Whitney, argument. 'Argugument' doesn't exist," he corrects. "A-anyways," he stutters. He has just noticed how stunning the woman is. "Thank you so much for taking care of her. I was so, so worried about you!" He switches his attention to his sister, "You can't do that ever again!"
"Oh, it's fine, she's lovely and didn't give me any problems," she pats Whitney's hair, ruffling it playfully. "I hope I see you again!"
"W-we'll probably come over again, you know, to-to buy her that doll," he points at the exhibited doll. It's on sale. Not that he had many problems with money, anyway. They just had to be home by four, and it's—"Fuck! Sorry, Whitney, don't repeat that word. I'm so, so sorry, but we're awfully late."
The woman smirks, writing something on a paper, and gives the little piece to him, and she winks.
He goes fully red, swearing smoke is coming out of his head purely from the heat. "I, what's—"
He glances at the text written on it. Not text. Numbers, actually. Oh, shit. "Your sister is charming. I would like to see if you are, too."
"A-ah, sure! I'll call you!" He skims at the watch on his wrist and sighs, "As much as I would like to continue this conversation, we really need to go. Our parents are going to kill us. B-but what's your name?" He adds.
"Vex'ahlia. Vex'ahlia Vessar, but call me Vex."
"Percival. Percival de Rolo."
"Oh, and one last thing," she looks for something on the floor, putting it behind her bear's ear. Isabella now wears a little blue feather made of felt tucked behind her ear. "I made you a little thing."
Whitney's eyes instantly light up. "Thank you, thank you so much! She looks so pretty!"
"She always looks pretty," she chuckles.
Percy nods, sighing in relief. So many thoughts instantly disappear only from having his sister in his arms again. He has to restrain himself from using that opportunity to compliment Vex, but does, giving her a last smile as he steps back.
"I'll call you," he mouths, so his sister can't see it.
"You better," she mouths back.
He's had a terrible day. He got the scare of his life with Whitney, he's running late, and he's missed the bus, so now he's going to have to deal with Whitney's complaints and her endless "Are we there yet?"
But then he grips the piece of paper tighter, and thinks that maybe it hasn't been the worst day ever.
She drops against the counter and sighs like a lovesick teenager. Her heart is beating as fast as a rabbit's, and she can feel it in her throat. She just did that. She just did that!
She laughs, almost not believing what just happened. Usually so confident, it's unusual for her to be this excited to have made a move. But that man, Percy, as she learned, is different. There's something about him that has brought down those walls. And she's had a really, really odd day.
When she finally closes and leaves the shop, walking home, she receives a message.
hot guy from the shop: Are you free tonight?
She smiles before responding:
Vex: When and where?
She's had a great day. And she has a feeling the night is going to be even better.