"That guy has been staring at the stuffed animals in there for an hour." The store employee whispered to her manager.
"Did you ask him if he needed help?"
"Yeah, but he said he was okay, just trying to figure something out. I asked what but he told me that he really was okay."
The two stared in consternation at the tall man perusing the fluffy toy section. He had blond hair tied up in an intricate double bun, red glasses and a small Errol Flynn mustache, two pointed bits and that was it. He wore khakis and a maroon shirt with a gold and silver necklace. A red beaded bracelet that matched his shirt hung on one wrist.
He didn't look dangerous. He looked confused.
"Ahhh, shit," he finally sighed, and turned around to see both the manager and employee staring right at him. He blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Maybe I could use some help after all."
The manager gave a gentle pat to the employee's hand.
"So," she said, mustering some semblance of her usual professional attitude. "How can I help you, sir?"
He pointed at the huge display. "There's really too many for me to pick a special gift for my girl. It's... um. Important to her, and I wanted something real over the top."
"Birthday? Anniversary?"
"Nah, nothin' like that. It's just, well, she wasn't allowed to keep toys as a kid and she loves plushies. I want to get her the best one to show her I'm okay with her collecting them at our home. She's shy to start."
"Wow, that's kind of sad." She looked at him in a new light. This was one of the sweetest things she heard a guy do. And to take so much time to get it right - she was determined to help. "It's awesome of you to do this, though. She's lucky."
He grinned suddenly and she thought she recognized him for a moment. "Yeah, she says that but y'know. Modesty and all."
She laughed softly. "Okay... well, there are some we don't keep on the floor because they're actually too big. I think one of those might be your best bet if money isn't an issue."
"Oh, it's not. Uh, within reason, of course. I don't have thousands laying around. But a couple hundred or so, that's fine."
Her eyebrows raised. They were an upper class store, but most people didn't look at the catalogue. He really was out to do this the most flamboyant way possible. God, her manager was going to love this! "Come over to the side here, sir, and I'll get a catalogue from one of the drawers..."
He bent at the waist, peering at her name tag. "Thanks, Rin."
She smiled. Not a lot of people bothered to use her name. The tags were there, but retail employees were often treated like slaves to the public. "No problem - here we go!" She hefted the huge book onto the side and flipped through.
"Woooow," he murmured in English.
"Yeah, it's big," she laughed. "There are the bigger plushies." She tapped the page. "Some are life sized, too."
He turned the page and suddenly broke out into the sunniest smile ever. "There," he chuckled, his finger resting on a particular toy. "That's perfect."
Rin looked and was surprised. The Hero line of giant, stuffed teddy bears was specialized merchandise for their store and subsequently higher priced. But he had chosen one of the lesser popular ones. She nodded, checking the serial number and getting the information entered into their database.
"There! They will pull the item from our warehouse in the back and bring it up front to you." She handed him a receipt.
"This is better'n I expected. Thank you so much!"
Rin stared after him as he left. He had been so happy to find that certain plush... her eyes widened. She squinted at him, tilting her head sideways. "Uhhh, boss?"
"Yeah? Good job selling one of those, by the way. Not as expensive as the others but we have a lot of 'em in the back."
Rin pursed her lips. "I think we sold the Present Mic plushie to, ah, Present Mic."
"What?"
"Yeah, but he said he was okay, just trying to figure something out. I asked what but he told me that he really was okay."
The two stared in consternation at the tall man perusing the fluffy toy section. He had blond hair tied up in an intricate double bun, red glasses and a small Errol Flynn mustache, two pointed bits and that was it. He wore khakis and a maroon shirt with a gold and silver necklace. A red beaded bracelet that matched his shirt hung on one wrist.
He didn't look dangerous. He looked confused.
"Ahhh, shit," he finally sighed, and turned around to see both the manager and employee staring right at him. He blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Maybe I could use some help after all."
The manager gave a gentle pat to the employee's hand.
"So," she said, mustering some semblance of her usual professional attitude. "How can I help you, sir?"
He pointed at the huge display. "There's really too many for me to pick a special gift for my girl. It's... um. Important to her, and I wanted something real over the top."
"Birthday? Anniversary?"
"Nah, nothin' like that. It's just, well, she wasn't allowed to keep toys as a kid and she loves plushies. I want to get her the best one to show her I'm okay with her collecting them at our home. She's shy to start."
"Wow, that's kind of sad." She looked at him in a new light. This was one of the sweetest things she heard a guy do. And to take so much time to get it right - she was determined to help. "It's awesome of you to do this, though. She's lucky."
He grinned suddenly and she thought she recognized him for a moment. "Yeah, she says that but y'know. Modesty and all."
She laughed softly. "Okay... well, there are some we don't keep on the floor because they're actually too big. I think one of those might be your best bet if money isn't an issue."
"Oh, it's not. Uh, within reason, of course. I don't have thousands laying around. But a couple hundred or so, that's fine."
Her eyebrows raised. They were an upper class store, but most people didn't look at the catalogue. He really was out to do this the most flamboyant way possible. God, her manager was going to love this! "Come over to the side here, sir, and I'll get a catalogue from one of the drawers..."
He bent at the waist, peering at her name tag. "Thanks, Rin."
She smiled. Not a lot of people bothered to use her name. The tags were there, but retail employees were often treated like slaves to the public. "No problem - here we go!" She hefted the huge book onto the side and flipped through.
"Woooow," he murmured in English.
"Yeah, it's big," she laughed. "There are the bigger plushies." She tapped the page. "Some are life sized, too."
He turned the page and suddenly broke out into the sunniest smile ever. "There," he chuckled, his finger resting on a particular toy. "That's perfect."
Rin looked and was surprised. The Hero line of giant, stuffed teddy bears was specialized merchandise for their store and subsequently higher priced. But he had chosen one of the lesser popular ones. She nodded, checking the serial number and getting the information entered into their database.
"There! They will pull the item from our warehouse in the back and bring it up front to you." She handed him a receipt.
"This is better'n I expected. Thank you so much!"
Rin stared after him as he left. He had been so happy to find that certain plush... her eyes widened. She squinted at him, tilting her head sideways. "Uhhh, boss?"
"Yeah? Good job selling one of those, by the way. Not as expensive as the others but we have a lot of 'em in the back."
Rin pursed her lips. "I think we sold the Present Mic plushie to, ah, Present Mic."
"What?"
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