mnt_raph | (no subject)

(no subject)

*He returns from the Lake, bundled up in his trench and fedora and heads for the front door.. There's a bright red scarf around the collar of the coat

Raph opens the door, only to be greeted by a cold snowy wind. He wraps the new scarf around his neck an extra time, and then bows slightly with an 'After You' motion to Andrew.*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*Raph scratches his head.*

Maybe somethin' Asian? Only because the cups don't have little handles on them. Oh I got it. There's this resturant supply store in China town. We could try there.

Oh I know so. Chet ain't a bad guy, but sometimes it's like gettin' blood from a stone.

*The cab weaves through traffic taking them to China town and the Chang Import Resturant Supply.*

*Andrew peers out the window interestedly as they enter Chinatown, then grins back at Raph.*

I was doing the voice of a guy from a D&D campaign I ran once. Town magistrate.

I don't think it would've worked if you hadn't played along.

*He chuckles.*

"Boss." That threw him.

*Raph rolls his eyes*
Now why don't I find that surprisin'?

*Then he smirks*
I wasn't sure which one of you would react better. Him or you. Considerin' I've been keepin' him out of the protection racket for years, he's probably thinkin' you're bigger than the biggest big wig. Congrats kid, you're notorious. Maybe even got four dots in Underworld now.

*Andrew stares, then facepalms. His voice comes out muffled.*

You know, just once I'd like to visit someone else's town without being mistaken for somebody dangerous.

*Raised eyebrow*

Why would you want to do that?

*he just doesn't understand that line of logic at all. But before Andrew can answer they've arrived at Chang's.*

This place is great. They got all this fantastic stuff, and it's not priced for tourists.

*They exit the cab and head inside. The outside of the building is nothing to write home about, it's just a large warehouse with a sign on the front reading: Chang Import Resturant Supply. Which is fitting, because the inside matches well.

The floor is bare concrete. The aisles are just paths between 10 foot high shelving units made of pipe. It sort of looks like a tacky Chinese resturant threw up in here.

To the left of the entrance is the crockery department. There are stacks of the plain white dishes that can be found at Chinese Buffets coast to coast, as well as some rather stunning bone china.*

*Andrew takes a few minutes looking through the china, and comes out of the stacks triumphantly bearing a beautiful set of cups and matching teapot, all in a delicate pale blue with a quiet pattern of darker blue flower buds. No, they are not roses.*

Think there's anywhere nearby they'd have a camping stove?

Yeah, I don't know that they're gonna have that here. Might have to try somewhere...*he thinks* Macy's? Bet you could get most of the stuff on your list there. Place has everything. Or...well, so I've heard.

*He gets the door for Andrew, and ushers him out. Into another taxi they go, and off to Macy's they race.*

*And they're there for a while, 'cause, Macy's.*

Something for Val. Something for Snow. A long deliberation on somethings for Peter and Anakin and Faith. A very surreptitious something for Raph, while Raph's distracted.*

*And oh how distracted Raph is. He's never been inside Macy's before. Well, not legally anyway. He'll never understand why there's a whole counter for nothing but perfume. The world is a smelly place, but does it really need something like that?

While Andrew is busy, Raph makes his way to the hat section, and finds exactly what he's looking for. A wide brimmed straw hat. There's a quick jaunt to the book section. Crumpled bills are exhanged for goods, and they're on their way.

Andrew gets a look which clearly reads: Do not ask me about the straw hat. Just don't do it.

Having seen their share of this particular MEGA-store, they exit. Raph breathes a sigh of relief once they hit the sidewalk.*

Where to now, Boss?

*Andrew winces.*

...you're never gonna let me forget that, are you.

*Raph grins*
Nope. Not on your life.
Heh, okay break out that list o' yours. What do you need now?

*Andrew consults his lists.*

I need some supplies for Jonathan -- we can probably get most of them in the Village, near where we went last time. And I've still got a couple of...

*He trails off, and frowns.*

Is there a comics shop anywhere nearby?

Yeah, Jim Hanley's Universe ain't to far from here.

*Raph starts walking towards the Empire State building. Arriving as a comic store one could only describe as "huge".*

*Andrew begins to grin.*

Oh yeah.

*Because, like any decent-sized comics shop, it doesn't stock just comics. T-shirts, action figures and figurines, full-length graphic novels, obscure anime on video...*

*Andrew's gonna be here a while.*

*Oh crap. Raph's seen that look before, like the Cheshire Cat right before it disappears. Mike does it in here all the time. Raph watches Andrew scurry off.*

great...just great

*Amazingly, he finds an empty corner to sit in, and plops right down on the floor. He scans the store, and his eyes happen to come across a shiny cover which reads: Death: The High Cost of Living. He picks if off the shelf, and just stares at the cover.*

*Andrew passes by, his arms full of stuff, and catches sight of the trade paperback Raph's holding.*

Um.

*Raph looks up from where he's sitting on the floor. He kind of looks like a lost little kid.*

you okay?

*He looks away, and then stands up.*

I'm gonna go buy this. You...you take your time.

*he walks away.*

*Silently hoping Raph won't react to this the way Crichton did, Andrew moves back down the stacks -- and spots something perfect in a glass-fronted display case.*

*It's expensive, but ... he's got the money. He hurries off to find a salesguy.*

*Once Andrew has moved on, Raph takes his new purchase and returns to his corner spot on the floor. He doesn't take the book out of the bag, he just holds onto it.

He waits.

At one point a clerk comes over to see if he needs help,...or to ask him to get off the floor. Raph glares at him until he goes away.*

*Andrew comes back with his purchases, grinning. Raph gets to his feet without a word, and the two head out of the store.*

*And while sorting his packages, Andrew stops for a moment, caught by the sign on the tiny store across the street: THE COMPLEAT STRATEGIST.*

...okay. There next.

*Raph looks up, and then rolls his eyes.*

Hey, you're the boss, Boss.

*And he follows Andrew across the street. *

I'm ... I'm just gonna wait out here. People watch, you know? G'head, take your time.

*The store's small and cramped, and full of stuff to delight a gamer's heart.*

*Gamebooks, sourcebooks, boards and pieces and counters and a bewildering variety of dice. Andrew's like a ... no, a geek in a gaming store puts a kid in a candy store to shame.*

*He finds a large dragon-shaped kite in the back of the shop, and pounces on it with a glad cry. He spends an oddly long time staring at a beginner's guide to D&D, and finally picks it up.*

*It's only about twelve minutes before he reappears on the street, struggling with his increasingly numerous packages.*

*Raph, who only has the two bags, looks over at the overloaded Andrew.*

Like a hand with those, Boss?

*Before Andrew can answer either way, Raph is taking bags out of his hands.*