The new neighbor... or potential customer?

Orin Takekuro · 12-02-2010, 09:08 PM

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ooc... Sorry it took me a little bit to get this up! <3 (5 points)

There was a lot of work to be done.

Orin stood at the doorway to the bookstore with her hands on her hips as she scanned the interior of the shop, unsure of where to start first. Being a bookstore – a thing that Orin was beginning to feel was a cherished commodity only to her – it had remained relatively untouched by looters over the years. Part of the sales counter had been broken down and dismantled, probably for firewood or for parts, but judging by the condition of the exposed wood, that had been long before Cercatori D’Arte claimed Thornbury as part of its territory. A cash register that was missing its drawer rested atop the counter, and there were other bits of random stationary and office supplies stacked in bins on the shelf below. The bookshelves had met the same fate; mostly in tact except for a few planks here or there. Some shelves were still orderly and pristine, as if waiting for the day someone would come clean the years of dust away so the tomes could return to glory. A few others had been tipped or rifled through, either by Luperci or wildlife, Orin did not know. The cleaning bill for this place was astronomical, but at least it glittered with potential.

Then there was the smell.

Unfortunately, the skunk she had unwittingly encountered the day she found the store with Shawchert had left a regrettable funk behind. The creature was so distraught over the invasion of its lair and the interruption of its hibernation that it had happily skittered off that day, never to be seen or scented again. But sadly, since the bookstore had served as the skunk’s den for a few days there was no denying that the shop was pretty ripe; not even to Orin’s stunted sense of smell. In fact... she tipped her head down and sniffed at her fur, then grimaced. I hope someone can help with this. She wondered how long she would smell like rotten garlic if no one had a salve to offset the scent that was sinking into her coat.

“Oh well,” she muttered to herself. “No sense in worrying about it until after you’ve got the store cleaned up.” Yet she could not deny the nagging thought in the back of her mind that told her she shouldn’t waste her time with the soiled shop.

Shaking her head at her own pessimism, Orin resolved to get started before she talked herself out of it. The first and most productive task was to improve the ventilation.
Despite the Luperci’s lack of clothing, the cold weather outside did not bother her – her coat was specifically adapted for these conditions, and worse. So she propped the door open with a stool and headed for the rear of the shop. There, there was an open archway into a small stock room which had another door; the back door. She worked the latch, which opened easily, and then trotted out the back to inspect the boarded-up rear window.

“Hmm...” She tapped her finger on her chin as she thought. “What’ll it take to turn your back into a window.”

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