Chapter Text
Velvette rushes into the gift shop with five minutes to close, the few bags on her arm swinging wildly. Punctuality was never a defining trait of the Vees, as it was the expectation for the world to adjust itself for them. But ever since their fall from grace, they had to get used to conforming to time constraints.
Velvette skims the shelves, looking for her items of interest. They have to be in the store, she had checked the website! But they are the last in stock so it’s possible somebody else could have bought them before her (in which case she’d kill herself). Dammit, she doesn’t have enough time for this!
She finds the clearance sale products and makes a beeline for that shelf. According to the clock on the wall, she has four minutes now.
When the Vees were still overlords, Velvette could be as fashionably late as she wanted to be, and buy whatever she pleased no matter the price or availability. But now she visits stores at the least busiest of times — which is often around closing time — to avoid haters and enemies. If she wants to buy anything, she has to wait for it to go on sale because money is tight.
She scours the shelf and hons in on exactly what she wanted — a box containing two wineglasses, ‘fucking finally’ written on them both. She grabs the box and dashes for the counter. She would’ve bought some wine as well, but, what with the other trinkets she bought to cover up these glasses, she’d end up exceeding her monthly budget for ‘recreational purchases’. Velvette staying within reasonable financial parameters is truly a mark of how low she’s fallen.
There’s nobody behind the counter when she reaches it. However, there is a bell on it that she rings multiple times. The door behind the counter opens, some tired peon walking through.
“How can I help —?” she begins mechanically but stops mid-sentence, her eyes widening upon the sight of Velvette. Great. That’s exactly what she needed — to be recognized.
“I’m just buying this.” She sets down the box on the counter and reaches into her pocket for her wallet. In her peripheral vision, she can see the skivvy sneak a glance at something behind her — probably the clock.
“So what’s it matter?!” Velvette shouts. “If you’re open ‘til eleven, you’re doing business ‘til eleven!”
The peon startles. “Yes, of course,” she agrees but Velvette can tell it’s just the cashier in her speaking. The peon walks forward, stops at the counter and picks up the box. “So just this, right?”
“Clean your ears, you dimwit, I already said that!”
“Mhm. Are you a part of our loyalty program?”
“Hell, no. You’re lucky to have me buying anything from this tacky ass shop.”
“Okay, then.” The skivvy scans the box and gives Velvette the final price.
Of course it’s inexpensive since they’re just two wineglasses on clearance, but for a Vee to purchase something so cheap … she internally burns with humiliation. Relieved no blood can redden her cheeks since she’s made of plastic, Velvette grabs her card and taps it to the reader.
It declines due to insufficient funds.
“The fu—?!” Velvette exclaims.
The skivvy moves to take a look at the card reader. Quickly, Velvette slaps her hand over it before she can read the reason for declination.
“Stupid error,” Velvette mutters. She picks up the reader so the skivvy can’t see the screen and tries to pay again. Of course, it doesn’t work. Shitshitshit. She pats her pockets for cash.
“Would you like to pay with ca—?” offers the skivvy.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Velvette barks at her.
“Ah —” The skivvy falters, “well, if you need it, there’s an ATM across the street.”
Velvette ignores her, not just because the skivvy’s an unhelpful little shit, but she knows there will be nothing for her if she attempts to withdraw money from the ATM. She finds a bill and some coins in her wallet and sets them on the counter. It’s still not enough money to pay for two stupid glasses on clearance.
The peon opens her trap again. “Would you like me to put these items on hold for you?”
“I’m buying them now, I’m leaving with them now!” Velvette yells.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but, uh —” The peon hesitates before continuing, “if I may ask, why do you need them?”
“What’s it to you?” Velvette snaps.
The peon blushes. “I’m sorry, that was —”
“I don’t want to hear it. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that I have to tell you to mind your own fucking business.” Velvette shuts the peon up enough to have time to think. There’s no way she’s going to leave this store without these wineglasses. She could grab them and run. But she can say from personal experience that it’s not worth the hassle. If things go wrong, she could end up with glass shards or return to the apartment empty-handed. She can’t afford that, she needs them for —
… Tomorrow. She needs them.
“Ma’am?” The skivvy pipes up and Velvette glares at her. “Since you can afford most of the price, I’ll just cover the rest.”
Velvette must have heard her wrong. “What?”
“It’s fine, really. I’ll accept this.” The peon begins to slide the bills and coins to herself before Velvette grabs her wrist.
“Are you going to make me pay it back in the future?”
“No.”
“Are you going to post about this on social media?” Velvette digs her claws into the peon’s flesh. “Because if you do —”
“I’m losing less than five dollars on an item I want to get rid of. It’s nothing, I mean it,” The peon insists, an annoyed edge in her tone. “If you don’t want to take my offer, then you can keep your money.”
To think that the only reason Velvette can have these wineglasses is because a lowlife took pity on her is absolutely ego shattering. But if Velvette didn’t need these wineglasses she would’ve never come here in the first place. Even if she did need them, she wouldn’t bother going through all this trouble, considering the headache they’re causing her.
But they aren’t for her.
“You know what, fine!” Velvette bursts out. “FINE! Just give me a damn bag so I can get out of this miserable establishment.”
The skivvy takes the money and places the box in a gift bag with decoratively folded tissue paper. Velvette snatches it, adds it the pathetic collection of shopping bags on her arm and makes a brisk exit.