Chapter Text
(Random Play - 08:30 AM)
Ambient Music? Check.
Video tape stock? Check.
Categorized shelves? Check.
Bangboo-clerk assistant? Check.
Wise took a deep breath to psych himself up. “Eighteen, how do I look? Does my hair look funny? Do I have bags under my eyes right now?” He quickly leaned toward his little bangboo helper, making sure his appearance was at least presentable .
“Ehn-nah! (All good!)” It replied, giving a prompt thumbs up (or lack thereof).
“Okay, okay, uhh..” Wise shuffled around for a little bit, rubbing his hands together in a nervous manner. He was uncharacteristically jittery and nervous today, and rightfully so. Today was the first day Random Play will officially be open for business. Being a huge movie nerd, the aesthetic of running a trendy video store, being consulted for ‘expert’ opinions and recommendations while giving his personal insight to curious customers was basically a dream come true for him.
So naturally, when he and his sister, Belle needed some kind of cover to mask their illegal proxy operations, he was more than eager to use this perfect excuse to suggest establishing ‘Random Play Video Rentals and Sales’. Belle knew it was something he’s wanted to do since they were little, he would often phrase it as “their” dream, but it was really just Belle going along with her brother’s whims, sure she enjoyed movies too, but Wise was the one who could give a pretentious hipster film student a run for their money, remembering the countless nights she had to endure his ramblings on random niche flicks and their symbolism, plot meaning, and his favourite directors. The idea of a video store on Sixth Street was pretty outlandish, like who even uses tapes anymore? But at the end of the day, who was she to deny her brother’s dream? Her brother’s… sad little nerdy dream.
“I think.. we should be all set, Eighteen.” He couldn’t help but smile, seeing the realization of one of his longtime ambitions.
With a spring in his step, he walked over to flip the sign from closed to open for the very first time. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. All that preparation, from budgeting, hanging up the signs and moving around the shelves, to stocking and categorizing the tapes, had finally led up to this. Belle and Eous were hitting the town today as they needed to get some extra hardware to start building the HDD, so Wise was free to run the video store in his image. He sat down at the counter with Eighteen by his side, all he had to do now was wait for the customers to come along.
(Random Play - 10:42 AM)
Okay so maybe the store hasn’t been as crowded as he hoped, and by that I mean not a single soul has walked through the front door. Sure, Belle came back for a little bit cause she forgot her phone charger but that probably doesn’t count. Wise’s smile had started to waver, looking a little more crooked and slightly forced. That’s fine, Sixth Street is fairly popular, surely a few people are bound to check out the new video store in town… right?
(Random Play - 12:56 PM)
Wise groaned. “... what was I thinking..?” He muttered, burying his face in his hands. “Why was I confident this would do well? Most people just pirate their movies off the inter-knot for free now anyway. Who even uses tapes anymore??” He ranted. Whatever enthusiasm he had slowly melted away through the hours. His posture was now miserably slumped over the counter, devoid of any of the enthusiasm he had a few hours ago.
“I’m sorry, Eighteen, this was pointless..” He replied. “I-I really didn’t think this through, it was selfish of me to insist on having the video store.” He confessed, remembering all the effort and money that went into setting this up. “I’ll have to tell Belle later, too.” He added, scratching his head. “You can go rest up, Eighteen. I’ll close up early.” Eighteen nodded sadly, noticing his master’s grief before waddling up the stairs.
Wise unlocked his phone to check some messages from his sister, as follows
-12:49 PM-
Belle: Hey brooo
Belle: I managed to get some budget options for the HDD’s cooling system like you asked
Belle: *photo attachment*
Belle: pretty neat dontcha think???
Belle: I think were gonna hang around here for a bit, lumina square is so cool bro ur so missing out
Belle: the shops here are so cute we should totally go here together next time
Belle: sibling datee
Belle: hows the video store doing?
He mentally gritted his teeth, Wise really didn’t feel like answering that question as he slowly put his phone back in his pocket while trying to figure what to say to Belle. His eyes slowly drifted to the clock hanging on the wall. 1 PM. Right… knowing Belle, she probably won’t be back for a few more hours. ‘Now that I think of it, I’ve spent so much time setting up the video store, I haven’t properly introduced myself to our new neighbours, that’s… pretty rude of me…’ Belle had already gone around and introduced herself to their surrounding residents and checked out all the cute local shops. Wise, of course, was too busy catering to his own obsession with the video store to even think about basic pleasantries. ‘I suppose I’ll go around and say hi’ he thought as he approached the door to reluctantly close early, having no choice due to the extreme lack of customers.
Before he had a chance to flip the sign from open to closed, the sharp ringing of the bell signaling someone opening the front door, enough to freeze Wise in place as he stared blankly at the entrance. What, or rather who looked back at him was a young light-orange-haired girl, probably around his age.
She had a moderate ponytail, with a white and purple bow the right and left side of her hair, respectively. She wore a lime and orange colored short sleeved hoodie under a cropped vest, with a long denim skirt. But perhaps her most noticeable feature was the orange heart-shaped sticker under her right eye. She looked trendy, but cute.
The two were engaged in what can be described as an impromptu staring contest lasting no more than a few seconds. “Ah..” was all that poor Wise could say, unsure how to proceed from his awkward position of reaching his hand out to flip the sign.
“O-oh! I’m sorry! Are you closing??” The girl nervously said, fidgeting her hands, looking away as if she just intruded something.
Her voice was enough to break Wise from his little trance. “Huh? Oh nonono! We're totally open if you wanna come take a look!” He frantically responded, trying to salvage what could very well be his first customer. “Welcome to… Random Play.. Video rentals and sales… how can I uh… how can I help you?” Wise meekly said while rubbing his neck. It came out embarrassingly awkward, despite having rehearsed this exact line in front of the mirror countless times. “Are you.. looking for anything in particular?” Wise cursed himself on the inside, he was totally making a fool of himself from how unprofessional he’s sounding.
Before he could say anything, The girl quickly shuffled toward the shelves, examining Wise’s carefully curated selection of videotapes on display. Her mouth was agape, her eyes looking back and forth at his extensive catalogue like a kid in a candy store.
Not wanting to disturb her, Wise quietly moved back to the counter, sweating bullets nervously waiting for her opinion.
“Manager..?” She muttered while still facing the shelves, before quickly turning around to face Wise with stars in her eyes, “The selection here is incredible! I didn’t think I’d ever see these niche and classic tapes on shelves again!” She beamed as she grabbed the videotapes one by one, examining each of them in total awe, before putting them back and immediately rushing over to put her face mere inches from Wise’s “How did you get your hands on these?!”
“A-ahh..” Was the only thing that could leave the poor manager’s mouth. If you squint hard enough, you could probably see the small bead of sweat rolling down his face. The enthusiasm on her part was more than welcome but he totally had no idea how to respond to it. ‘Play it cool, play it cool!’ He thought, snapping himself out of it.
Before Wise could think of a cool response, the girl retracted and looked away shyly, “S-sorry” she uttered while fidgeting her hands, noticing that her sudden change in demeanor might have spooked Wise. “I kind of geek out around movies..”
“Hey… i-it’s fine.. really” Wise replied, trying to reassure her, followed by an awkward yet sincere chuckle. “So, have you decided on anything yet?”
The girl shuffled back to the shelves and put a finger on her chin. “I really can’t decide, you have everything here..” she went around in a cycle of picking up tapes and putting them back down. “Oh my gosh, I really liked this one!” She exclaimed as she picked up a videotape under the comedy genre.
“More Than One Truth, of course! You could never go wrong with a classic feel good comedy movie. Eric Majyr is a very talented actor, especially in comedy. I'm a big fan of his work too!” Wise replied. “Interesting fact about that movie though, the original script was actually intended to be written as a serious psychological thriller-”
“-but the test readers kept laughing at the escalating absurdity, so the director ended up choosing to fully lean into the comedy genre,” The girl giggled after perfectly finishing Wise’s sentence.
“Right…yeah” Wise muttered, impressed with her accuracy and knowledge
“Apparently, during the production, Eric insisted on not being told how each case was actually solved until the day of filming the waking up scenes-” She added
“-so that his confusion on set would seem more genuine-” Wise commented, now being his turn to complete her sentence, he couldn’t help but start giggling with her too.
“You have Enter the Ether?? I haven’t found any tapes of this since its run in theaters ended!” She exclaimed as she picked up another tape.
“Oh yeah, I was a big fan of their seamless blend of live-action and hand-drawn animation, so I knew I had to get it,” Wise proudly stated.
“I know! Those scenes were so well done, it was so mesmerizing! I really wish more movies would bring back hand-drawn stuff…” She lamented.
The once desolate video store had become a warm and lively environment, with the two of them getting more and more comfortable chatting away with each other, going toe to toe with random obscure movie facts, trivia, and even going as far as talking about awards and nominations going through the list of various movies, actors, directors, original score, you name it.
At one point in their vibrant conversation, one videotape seemed to grab her attention more than the others. She quietly stared at it for a little while, grazing her finger across the title. Curious, Wise tried to lean over to catch a glimpse of what enamoured the girl. Shortly after, she came back to the counter holding a tape with both her hands “I think I’ll start with this one.” She said,
“Nihility?” Wise responded, raising both eyebrows. “Didn’t take you for a retro fan..” He added.
“Well, It’s something I watched as a teenager, so it’s… a bit nostalgic for me, I suppose. I didn’t really understand it back then but… now that I have a chance to see it again, maybe I could make sense of it…” she replied timidly.
“It's a good choice, miss. Nihility is an incredibly meaningful movie, I’m sure you’ll get a lot of value, looking into it again.” Wise reassured her, but something in his demeanor shifted, somber, sincere, and somewhat reflective. “To me, it’s one of those movies that really makes you ask yourself how far you’d go to protect the people you love. The scientist in the story… he ends up pushing everyone away. His friends. His family. And the worst part is, he’s doing it for them. To save them. But from the outside, he just looks obsessed… even unhinged. No one really understands that everything he sacrifices, his relationships, his reputation, his peace, it’s all for their sake. And that’s the cruel part. The more he tries to protect them, the more alone he becomes. It kind of leaves you with this uncomfortable question: if you knew something terrible was coming, what would you do? Would you stop fighting and just spend whatever time you had left with the people you love? Pretend everything’s okay? Or would you keep pushing even if it meant losing them in the process? Even if they didn’t believe you? The movie doesn’t give you a clear answer. And maybe that’s the point. It’s not about right or wrong. It’s about what you’re willing to carry. What you’re willing to lose. Yeah, the ending is heavy. It doesn’t try to comfort you. But I think it’s saying that… some things… some people… are worth fighting for, even when the odds are hopeless. Even when you might fail. And maybe sometimes the fight itself is the only proof that it mattered.” Wise trailed off, with the meaning of this movie still lingering in his head.
“Nowadays, hollow disasters are a very real threat, y’know? You never really know if… if you or the people you love will see another day, if your favorite shops and restaurants will still be there when you wake up the next morning. Sometimes it’s… hard… to find a reason to be happy in a world where everything could be gone in an instant.” He added. “But I think having something to fight for, a reason to keep going, makes life worth living, no matter how bleak it may be.” After the old capital fell, he and his sister were left to fend for themselves in a world that hated them for a crime they never committed. Being the older sibling, Wise was forced to grow up, abandoning his childhood and suppressing his own emotions to take care of an emotionally fragile Belle. With no one by their side, he had to bear the burden of ‘fixing’ everything, making sure that he and especially his sister could live a good life and move on. To him, keeping her fed, healthy, and especially happy was all that mattered, and sometimes it was the only thing that kept him going. But it wasn’t just for them.
“Take care of your little sister for me, okay, Wise?”
Wise snapped out of his trance and immediately realised he’d given this girl one of his tedious and totally unwarranted monologues. “Ah, I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble like that, that was probably boring for you, wasn’t it?” Wise apologised profusely while holding his neck, desperately trying to salvage the situation. He turned to face the girl, fully expecting an annoyed expression or or at least a disappointed sigh, but instead he was met with a face of pure awe.
The girl had been staring at him intently, resting her head in her hands, listening to his entire tangent with her whole body leaned in towards him for that matter, “What? Nonono, that wasn’t boring!” She frantically tried to reassure him. “I really liked hearing you talk about it!” She added “I haven’t watched it in a long time, but.. that made me really look forward to seeing it again from a new perspective, manager!”
Wise looked back at her, almost flabbergasted. He didn’t think anyone would actually appreciate his obnoxious commentary after witnessing the countless times Belle would groan out of boredom whenever he would even start. Was this girl just.. being nice about it?
“So yeah, I think I'll rent this tape over the weekend and give it back to you on Monday?" She asked.
“Oh! Uh.. right, sounds good, let me just-” Wise shuffled around to get his logbook to take record of this rental. “Umm… what’s your name, miss?”
“Heddy,” she replied. “Wh-what about you, manager?” She asked nervously while twiddling her fingers.
“You can call me Wise” he smiled as he wrote down her name on the logbook. “Okay, so you’re borrowing one tape over the weekend, that’ll be… 4000 dennies, miss Heddy.”
Heddy quickly nodded and pulled out a few coins from her purse and set them on the counter. “Thank you so much, manager Wise!” Before leaving, Heddy stopped herself and took a deep breath before turning around to face Wise, “Umm, i-if you don’t mind, manager, I was hoping… um… we could maybe discuss the movie together after I’m done watching it??” The girl seemed to have a little trouble with her words, but even so, she stared at Wise expectantly waiting for an answer, with just a tinge of red coloring her cheeks.
“I… I’d love to,” Wise replied in disbelief, only barely able to contain how truly eager he was to do so. All this time, he’d been living in his own bubble when it came to his unusual hobbies and interest in obscure, niche videotapes. It was always hard for him to find people he could relate to or talk about the things he liked. Was he dreaming?
Upon hearing his answer, Heddy’s mood immediately perked up and a big smile appeared on her face “Okay! I’ll come here to return it on Monday! Can’t wait! I’ll watch it as soon as I can!” She exclaimed before happily rushing out the door.
“Please come again!” was the last thing Wise could say to her, easily matching her enthusiasm.
For most shopkeepers, only having only one customer on your opening day would be a catastrophic failure, probably enough to kill your whole motivation to start in the first place.
But even so, despite this disaster of a first day, Wise somehow couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot.