#fprp+open

"Have a nice day~"

Kahoko’s mouth was lifted into a smile as she waved the customer she had just made a purchase to out the door, the 8th sale of the morning. It was officially the weekend and she had received the honour of being on duty ‘manning’ the store for the day. The manager had had to attend some kind of function and the other assistant’s had given one excuse or another leaving her all on her own.

Not that she minded all that much, for working in the shop was fairly simple barring the odd moments when they were overrun by several customers at the same time. These moments were few and far between however, as most customers were of the ‘browser category’.

Kahoko had developed her ‘customer classification categories’ in her early days in the shop, making it easier to identify how to best attend each individual. The most common were the ‘browsers’ who would say they were just looking when asked if they required assistance. She had learnt from experience to leave such people be, as they tended to find more books that caught their fancy and that they were willing to buy than if they had someone nagging at them.

The next category were the customers who knew exactly what they wanted and could tell you with precision which author and genre they were searching for. The only help they ever required was knowledge of whether the book was available or which area in the store to find it. Aside from the browsers, they were the easiest to deal with and the least time consuming…

The final category was more challenging, for these people sought recommendations or wished to step out their boundaries and ‘try something new’. When helping such people, it was extremely important to ensure you didn’t recommend a book they would hate. Recommending a bad book was tantamount to bad service, which was a sure fire way to guarantee never seeing that customer darken the doorstep again. The manager tended to get very irate at such mistakes was known to dock said culprit’s pay in recompense for loosing a valued customer.

It had happened to her once in the beginning and she was determined never to have a repeat incident.

The store had been quiet for a while now, deeming it safe to get to work on tagging and shelving the latest shipment. Just by a precursory glance at the pile earlier, Kahoko could tell there were several good ones that were bound to have the regulars at the shop in hordes as soon as the word got out. 

She had reached about halfway through her task, when the sudden jangle of the store’s bell alerted her to a new customer. Golden orbs shifted to gaze from their work at the new entrant, her mouth curling into a welcome grin as she called out the familiar greeting.

"Good morning, how might I be of assistance?"

It was a fine day for a walk or more specifically a shopping trip to purchase groceries, something she had been putting off for a while due the numerous storms that had hit Nox that week. Glancing at the list in her hands compiled by both her and Chihiro, she took note of what she would be looking for first.

Finally having reached her destination, she couldn’t help but notice that the shopping district was just as busy as ever despite the cold weather. She supposed it was only to be expected as Nox was anything but a small city and this was the only shopping district available for miles. As much as she would love to avoid the crowd completely, she had a mission to complete she needed to enter Parker’s Supermarket do to so.

It was surprisingly easy to obtain most of what she needed, even though she did have to wade through a few busy isle's but Kahoko assumed that she would at least have no trouble getting hold of coffee. Her opinion changed when she reached the actual coffee shelf however...

Kahoko didn’t consider herself short by any means, she was a decent 162cm after all, but despite her inner protests it didn’t change the fact that her preferred brand of coffee was an entire shelf beyond her reach.

Che…

She had attempted to locate a friendly shop assistant at first but as luck would have it none were in sight… typical really. This resulted in the formation of plan B, which mainly consisted of her alternating between jumping up and down and stretching as far as standing on tip-toes allowed. Needless to say it didn’t work all too well.

Taking a step back and eyeing the coffee brand with a thoughtful expression, she debated whether a lower shelf would be able to support her weight or if it would be better to throw something at it.

Maybe a broomstick perhaps to knock it off…

Though I’d have to go fetch one first…

Kahoko was feeling rather pleased with herself, taking another peek at all the photocopying she had managed to accomplish. Most of it was new music pieces that she wanted to try playing but there was the occasional information sheet for an assignment she had been given at college.

Collecting all her papers up with both hands, she hummed merrily as she made her way out the library. Having no money to use as bus fare since she spent all her change on making photocopies, Kahoko had no choice but to walk back to the apartment block. Normally she wouldn’t mind the walk, but today she was eager to get back and start practising her new pieces.

I should have just brought my violin with me…

Just then a powerful gust of wind whipped by, causing her hair to fly around her face and obscure her vision. It also happened to rip the top sheet of paper off the stack she was holding and sent it sailing through the air, borne aloft on the breeze. In a state of panic, Kahoko ran after it, her gaze solely fixed upward at the soaring paper and waiting for it to descend so she could grab it.

With a nimble leap, the paper was in her hands once more but her moment of triumph was short lived as she suddenly felt a heavy impact from the front.

Ouch…

Glancing up to see what she had run into, she winced to see that it was not a what… but a who. Giving the other person a sheepishly apologetic glance, she bowed her head slightly from her position on the floor to apologise.

"I’m so sorry, I was a little preoccupied and didn’t see you." 

It was rather a cool day for a walk but Kahoko had tired of sitting in doors and decided to brave the cold. Due to her immense dislike for cold weather, she was bundled up in her thickest coat that she owned and made sure to wear her thickest socks with her snow boots. The final touches were her scarf, gloves and woollen hat that protected her ears from the nippy chill in the air and finalised her preparation for her outdoor trip.

As she strolled down the street, she admired the snow coated buildings and lamp posts. Even the trees were blanketed in white, giving the appearance that someone had decorated them with white fluffy icing. Despite her preference for warmer weather, Kahoko couldn't deny that the scenery was beautiful and picturesque in its own way.

Her feet carried her on a known and often tread pathway which eventually lead to her customary tree in the park only this time without her violin. Golden orbs surveyed the surrounding area of the central park and found a distinct lack of people although considering the cold it wasn't all that surprising. It was one thing to play and picnic on the grass and another entirely to do it in the snow...

Not wanting to return back home just yet, she bent down on a sudden whim and formed a snow ball within her gloved hand. It took her some time before she was satisfied with the outcome, both in roundness and in size. Getting a good grip on it so she didn't drop it but not hard enough to ruin the fruits of her labour, she swung around abruptly and tossed it as far as she could throw it. To her great surprise, a person materialised out of seemingly nowhere and right in the line of fire of her snowball which burst upon impact. Kahoko couldn't help but wince as the two collided, not having had the slightest intention of actually hitting someone.

Marth sighed, turning his head to see the stars. Looking down on his journal, he sighed. 'Maybe I should try going out instead of writing,' he thought, as he got up and tossed his journal to the side. Grabbing a coat, he trekked outside.

Breathing in the fresh air as he stepped out, he smiled. Stretching his arms, he smiled. However, he heard a commotion from the side, and quickly turned around.

It wasn't until Franziska von Karma was out of sight of the station that she realised that she did not know the way to the Azure Apartments complex. She stopped in the street, her suitcase still in hand and passers-by uttering pointless protestations at her sudden cease in movement, and tried to decide what would then be the best course of action.

She could return to the station and call a taxi, but she wasn't sure that she would be able to navigate the bustling streets. There was also the choice of blindly stumbling along and hoping that she would reach her destination eventually, but Franziska recognised this as a perfectly foolish pursuit and quickly crossed it from her mind. The only option left available was to ask for another's assistance and as much as she hated to concede defeat, it was necessary. This was a distressing situation indeed.